District of Connecticut
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
New Haven Man Charged with Multiple Bank Robbery OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on September 18, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging VINCENT JONES, 50, of New Haven with two counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery.
JONES appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. He has been detained since August 9, 2018, when he was arrested on related state charges.
The indictment alleges that JONES attempted to rob the Key Bank located at 245 Main Street in East Haven on July 31, 2017; robbed the Webster Bank located at 247 Boston Post Road in Orange of $5,469 on July 31, 2017, and robbed the Bank of America located at 1331 Boston Post Road in Milford of $6,578 on August 8, 2018.
If convicted, JONES faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the East Haven, Orange, Milford, New Haven and Waterbury Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Trafficking HeroinRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAFAEL GARCIA, 28, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matters stems from a DEA Hartford Task Force investigation of a heroin trafficking organization that was operating in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the Dominican Republic. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that members of the organization distributed heroin and fentanyl from the Katty Grocery store located at 584 Franklin Avenue in Hartford. The investigation also revealed that certain members of the organization stored a significant amount of narcotics in a house on Whitmore Street in Hartford’s South End. Investigators identified GARCIA as a narcotics distributor who obtained large quantities of heroin/fentanyl from members of the organization.
On January 20, 2017, investigators stopped GARCIA’s car as he drove away from the Whitmore Street stash house. During the stop, investigators seized a bag containing approximately 20 grams of fentanyl. GARCIA was arrested on state charges at that time.
On April 27, 2017, a grand jury returned an indictment charging GARCIA and nine other individuals with various heroin trafficking offenses. GARCIA was arrested federally on May 10, 2017. On May 30, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RASCELL LEGGETT, 31, Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 22, 2011, Leggett was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing marijuana and crack cocaine in Hartford. He was released from federal prison in February 2015. Leggett subsequently violated the conditions of his supervised release and, in June 2016, was sentenced to an additional four months of imprisonment, followed by two years and eight months of imprisonment. He was released from federal prison in November 2016.
In August 2017, Leggett was arrested by Hartford Police and charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and illegal operation of a motor vehicle under suspension. Leggett subsequently failed to appear for a federal supervised release violation hearing on November 6, 2017.
On December 18, 2017, investigators arrested Leggett after they stopped a vehicle he was operating on Albany Avenue in Hartford. A search of the car revealed 148 bags of heroin, a Ruger 9mm pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, and $655 in cash. A search of Leggett’s person revealed approximately four grams of crack cocaine. At the time of his arrest, Leggett also had an active Hartford Police arrest warrant for attempted first degree assault with a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, and risk if injury to a minor.
Leggett has been detained since his arrest.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2019, at which time Leggett faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Leggett also faces supervised release violation proceedings.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division provided valuable assistance to the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
New Haven Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking HeroinRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANTONIO GONZALEZ, 47, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization led by Gonzalez and his brother, Bienvenido Gonzalez. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that the Gonzalez brothers regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors in New Haven and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in federal charges against 23 individuals, including four other brothers of Antonio and Bienvenido Gonzalez.
Antonio Gonzalez, Bienvenido Gonzalez and several co-defendants were arrested on March 15, 2017. On that date, investigators seized a kilogram of heroin from a vehicle that a co-defendant had driven to a stash house used by Bienvenido Gonzalez, and more than 400 grams of heroin and $10,000 in cash from the stash house itself. Investigators also seized $1,500 from Antonio Gonzalez, and approximately $119,000 from a bank account in Puerto Rico connected to Antonio Gonzalez.
The investigation revealed that Bienvenido Gonzalez used the proceeds from the heroin trafficking enterprise to purchase a New Haven barbershop, fund a drag racing team, purchase roosters for cockfighting, gamble, and travel.
Antonio Gonzalez has been detained since his arrest. On January 18, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, one kilogram or more of heroin
Bienvenido Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on March 28, 2018, he was sentenced to 144 months of imprisonment.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.
Meriden Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking of 3 TeensRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CARLEN DAVIS, 37, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 188 months of imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for sex trafficking three teenage girls, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2015 and 2016, Davis recruited harbored and transported three females, who at the time were 14, 15 and 16 years old, to engage in commercial sex acts. Davis used the website Backpage to advertise the minor victims’ services, and he transported the girls to various Connecticut hotels, including hotels in Meriden, Milford and Hamden, where they worked in prostitution for Davis.
On December 9, 2016, Davis was arrested on related state charges. He has been detained since his arrest and the state charges are pending.
On August 17, 2017, Davis pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
In September 2006, Davis was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 150 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. Due to changes in the federal crack cocaine sentencing guidelines, Davis had his sentence reduced in December 2013 to 130 months of imprisonment. He was released from federal prison in June 2014.
Judge Shea sentenced Davis to a concurrent 60-month prison term for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Connecticut Human Trafficking Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Meriden Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia E. King and Sarala V. Nagala.
Hartford Man Guilty of Sex Trafficking Minors, Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found CHRISTOPHER HAMLETT, also known as “Cadi” and “Cadillac Black,” 25, of Hartford, with multiple federal offenses related to the sex trafficking of minors.
A trial before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden began on October 9 and the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of a nine-count indictment this morning.
When he is sentenced, HAMLETT faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
According to the evidence at trial, between August and November 2017, HAMLETT recruited and enticed two minor female victims to engage in prostitution at hotels in Hartford and Wethersfield. In order to solicit clients for the minors, HAMLETT took sexually explicit photographs of each minor and submitted them to the website Backpage.
HAMLETT began to recruit a 17-year-old minor into prostitution during their first meeting. HAMLETT agreed that the minor victim could keep 60 percent of the money she made from prostitution customers, and he would take 40 percent. The minor victim saw customers for approximately three months. The evidence at trial included text messages between HAMLETT and prostitution clients, and text messages from HAMLETT to the minor victim. In the text messages to the minor victim, HAMLETT told the victim how much to charge, and threatened the victim when he thought she had not given him his full share of the money.
The trial evidence also showed that HAMLETT facilitated the prostitution of a second minor victim who was then 16 years old, using Facebook Messenger to send her clients and explain particular sexual acts.
HAMLETT also posted Backpage advertisements for an adult woman who worked for him in prostitution.
The jury found HAMLETT guilty of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, five counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to promote commercial sex, and two counts of production of child pornography.
HAMLETT has been detained since his arrest on February 8, 2018.
This matter was investigated by the Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Sarala V. Nagala.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LAPRESE GOLLMAN, 43, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court document and statements made in court, on May 30, 2018, GOLLMAN was arrested after he drove to New Haven in an attempt to purchase four kilograms of cocaine. Investigators seized $100,000 from GOLLMAN at the time of his arrest.
GOLLMAN has been detained since his arrest. On July 16, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine.
On June 23, 2008, GOLLMAN was sentenced in the District of Massachusetts to 126 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine. He was released from federal prison in December 2014 and was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest in May 2018. Judge Bolden sentenced GOLLMAN to a concurrent 30-month prison term for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
New London Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS GONZALEZ, 48, of New London, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for his role in a southeastern Connecticut heroin trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation that began after several heroin overdoses in southeastern Connecticut, including two overdose deaths involving a heroin and fentanyl mix that occurred in January 2016. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Michael Luciano operated a drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin to numerous street-level dealers, including GONZALEZ, in southeastern Connecticut.
On December 12, 2017, a grand jury in Hartford returned a 25-count superseding indictment charging GONZALEZ, Luciano and 19 other individuals with various heroin trafficking offenses. GONZALEZ was arrested on December 14, 2017. On June 5, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of use of a telephone to facilitate the commission of a drug trafficking felony. He has been detained since his arrest.
Luciano, of New London, has been detained since his arrest on November 14, 2017. On June 27, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, one kilogram or more of heroin.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force East and the New London, Norwich, Waterford, Attleboro (Mass.) and Freetown (Mass.) Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Dave Vatti and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Milford Man Arrested, Charged with Defrauding Elderly IndividualRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that, on October 11, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging CHRISTOPHER J. SAKELARAKIS, 34, of Milford, with fraud and money laundering offenses stemming from an investment scheme that defrauded an elderly victim of $60,000.
SAKELARAKIS was arrested this morning. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A.L. Merriam in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, and was released on a $60,000 bond.
As alleged in the indictment, SAKELARAKIS held himself out as having the necessary qualifications, experience and abilities to provide investment services to a victim-investor. SAKELARAKIS falsely represented to the victim-investor that he had a number of investment clients, that he was making a substantial profit including by day trading, and that he had a contact in an investment firm who provided him with stock tips. SAKELARAKIS also represented that he would invest in stocks, options and other financial instruments on behalf of the victim-investor and that his compensation would be a commission on 10 percent of the profits.
It is further alleged that, in October 2017, the victim-investor provided SAKELARAKIS with a $60,000 check. Within days after receiving and depositing the check, SAKELARAKIS withdrew $30,000 in cash, and then made additional cash withdrawals, including several large withdrawals at ATMs. SAKELARAKIS spent a portion of the funds at stores such as Armani Exchange, Foot Locker, Macy’s and Gamestop. In October and November 2017, SAKELARAKIS made several false representations in e-mails to the victim-investor relating to the status of the “investments” and the victim-investor’s account. No funds were ever returned to the victim-investor.
The indictment charges SAKELARAKIS with five counts of wire fraud and three counts of securities fraud, offenses that carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count. The indictment also charges SAKELARAKIS with one count of money laundering, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wilton Police Department and Greenwich Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this case has been brought as part of the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative (EJI). To learn more about EJI, please visit www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Fourth Defendant Charged in Immigrant Kidnapping and Extortion Scheme Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on October 12, 2018, PASCUAL RODRIGUEZ, 50, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in New York, New York, pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court to one count of kidnapping.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on multiple occasions, Rodriguez approached victims after they exited buses at the Port Authority in New York. The victims included women, men and children from Central American countries who did not speak English and were seeking asylum in the U.S. Rodriguez, sometimes posing as an immigration officer, falsely told the victims that their connecting bus was unavailable and asked the victims for a phone number of a family member in the U.S. He then contacted family members and informed them that the victims could not travel by bus, and that he would arrange for the transportation of the victims in exchange for money. He then brought the victims to his co-conspirator, Lucilo Cabrera, who then drove the victims around for hours, refusing to release them until their families agreed to pay money.
Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport on January 4, 2019, at which time Rodriguez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Rodriguez has been detained since his arrest on January 23, 2018.
On March 9, 2018, a federal jury in Bridgeport found Cabrera, Francisco Betancourt and Carlos Antonio Hernandez guilty of offenses related to this extortion and kidnapping scheme. They also await sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
Shelton Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing XanaxRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KAMIL GOLEBIOWSKI, 27, of Shelton, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of distribution of alprazolam, also known as Xanax.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 9, 2017, the Seymour Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to a report of a suspected overdose at a residence in Seymour. At the residence, medical personnel pronounced a 29-year-old male deceased. Investigators seized drug and non-drug evidence from the scene, including the victim’s cell phone.
The State of Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner determined the victim’s cause of death to be acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine, etizolam, fentanyl, flubromazolam and heroin.
Analysis of the victim’s cell phone identified two individuals who purchased heroin and what they believed to be Xanax pills for the victim shortly before the victim died. GOLEBIOWSKI was subsequently identified as a source of supply for Xanax pills.
Between August 2017 and May 2018, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of Xanax pills from GOLEBIOWSKI. Analysis of the pills revealed that some of them were counterfeit. In early June 2018, investigators intercepted two packages mailed from Canada and addressed to GOLEBIOWSKI. The packages contained approximately 1,400 counterfeit Xanax pills.
GOLEBIOWSKI was arrested on June 19, 2018.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for January 4, 2019, at which time GOLEBIOWSKI faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
GOLEBIOWSKI is released on a $300,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, Shelton Police Department and Seymour Police Department, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Norwalk Doctor Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Drug Distribution and Health Care Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, announced that BHARAT PATEL, 71, of Milford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 54 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug distribution and health care fraud offenses.
“A lengthy prison term is appropriate for any physician who abandons his oath and profits by selling prescriptions for opioids, by overprescribing these highly addictive drugs to patients – many of whom illegally distributed the drugs they received, and by defrauding our healthcare system,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “This doctor’s criminal conduct contributed to the ongoing opioid epidemic as tens of thousands of narcotic pills were dispensed to individuals who didn’t need them and shouldn’t have them. I thank the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad, the Norwalk Police Department and the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office for their excellent investigative efforts in this case.”
“The reckless action by Dr. Patel is not only a violation of the Controlled Substance Act but a betrayal of the public trust,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Boyle. “Today’s sentence not only holds Dr. Patel accountable for his crimes, but serves as a warning to those who are fueling the opioid epidemic in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA pledges to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure that these rules and regulations are followed.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2011 to July 2017, PATEL was a physician operating out of Family Health Urgent Care, formerly known as Immediate Health Care, located at 235 Main Street in Norwalk. During this time, PATEL saw numerous patients who had no legitimate medical purpose to see PATEL and only came to his medical practice in order to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances, primarily hydrocodone or oxycodone. Some of those patients were enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare and paid for PATEL’s services, and had the prescriptions paid for, by those programs.
PATEL knew, and also was advised by pharmacists and his staff, that the prescriptions he was providing to his patients were medically unnecessary. For example, PATEL had patients to whom he prescribed oxycodone or hydrocodone whose urine/blood tests showed no signs of opioid ingestion. He also had patients to whom he prescribed oxycodone or hydrocodone whose urine/blood tests showed that they had other narcotics in their systems and that a prescription for oxycodone or hydrocodone would be a contraindication. PATEL ignored the warnings and continued to prescribe controlled substances to these patients outside of the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
On numerous occasions, PATEL wrote prescriptions to patients who paid him $100 in cash for each prescription. At times, PATEL provided patients medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone or hydrocodone, which he left at a liquor store next door to his practice. Patients retrieved the prescriptions by exchanging an envelope with cash in it for the prescriptions.
PATEL wrote hundreds of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone, and received $158,523.95 as a result of this and related criminal conduct. He has forfeited this money to the government.
PATEL has been detained since his arrest on July 12, 2017. On June 25, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone, and one count health care fraud.
PATEL has surrendered his federal controlled substances registration to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Norwalk Police Department, with the critical assistance of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
Father and Son Plead Guilty to Defrauding Numerous State Affordable Care Act ProgramsRead the Press Release
Jeffrey White, 60, and Nicholas White, 33, both of Twin Peaks, California, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to conspiring to defraud Affordable Care Act programs in at least 12 states of more than $27 million.
U.S. Attorney John H. Durham of the District of Connecticut, Special Agent in Charge Phillip Coyne of the Boston Regional Office of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Special Agent in Charge Brian C. Turner of the FBI’s New Haven Division, Special Agent in Charge Kristina O’Connell of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jeffrey White and his son, Nicholas White, conspired to defraud health care plans operating under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA,” commonly referred to as “Obamacare”) in Connecticut and other states by fraudulently enrolling individuals in ACA plans in states where the individuals did not live. In order to further the conspiracy, the Whites created phony residential leases using fictitious landlords in various states, including locations in Danbury, Farmington, Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut. The Whites also used an online application to obtain false cell phone numbers for the individuals with area codes that made it appear that the individuals lived at the fictitious addresses, and provided the false cell phone numbers to the ACA plans. If anyone at the ACA plan called the false local number, the call would ring through to a phone controlled by the Whites.
In order to enroll the individuals in an ACA plan, the Whites paid the insurance premiums for the individuals, and also paid to have the individuals transported to California where the individuals were placed in expensive residential substance abuse treatment programs. The treatment programs then billed the ACA plans for thousands of dollars of treatment each week, including claims for expensive laboratory tests such as blood or urine toxicology screenings.
The treatment programs paid the Whites thousands of dollars for each referral, and some programs arranged for the Whites to receive a percentage of the money the treatment programs received from the ACA health insurance plans. In order to maximize their proceeds from the fraud scheme, the Whites enrolled the individuals in ACA plans in states that paid the highest amount for substance abuse treatment, even though the individuals did not live in those states.
In pleading guilty, the Whites admitted that their scheme resulted in more than $27 million in losses to ACA plans across the country, including plans in Connecticut, Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
“This case is believed to be the first of its kind involving fraudulent enrollment of individuals in ACA plans on a national scale,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “Health care fraud on ACA plans results in higher insurance premiums for residents in the affected state who are seeking health insurance. We greatly appreciate the outstanding work by the federal law enforcement agencies in identifying and investigating this fraud scheme that cost insurers more than $27 million. This investigation is ongoing.”
“The ACA was implemented to expand health insurance coverage, not to line the pockets of crooks,” said HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Coyne. “Healthcare fraud affects all Americans and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners to rid the system of fraud, waste and abuse.”
“The Whites conspired to defraud the Affordable Care Act, a program created to provide essential health care services to our nation’s uninsured,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Turner. “The Whites exploited both the opioid epidemic and the ACA by enrolling people with serious drug addictions into insurance programs for the sole purpose of enriching themselves and so-called rehabilitation centers. The ACA was not enacted to fill the coffers of greedy health care professionals. The FBI is fully committed to investigating health care fraud in both government and private health insurance programs alike, and to bringing to justice those who commit such fraud.”
“Health care fraud is not a victimless crime,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge O’Connell. “Schemes of this magnitude ultimately hurt the taxpaying citizens who suffer from higher insurance premiums and reduced patient services. IRS will continue to lend our financial expertise to identify and prosecute those offenders who corrupt our health care system.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service continuously seeks to identify and stop complex fraud schemes,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Cronin. “By circumventing the processes that are in place, the Whites created substantial losses to Affordable Care Act programs in multiple states. We will continue our work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who are engaged in these types of fraudulent activities.”
Jeffrey White and Nicolas White each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson scheduled sentencing for January 4, 2019. The Whites are released on bond pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health Human Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the Connecticut Affordable Care Act exchange, known as Access Health CT, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance with the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.
New Haven Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Gun and Robbery OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS JOHNSON, 27, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for robbery and firearm offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 30, 2016, at approximately 1:41 a.m., New Haven Police officers were dispatched to Ferry Street after a report that a person had been shot. At the scene, officers found two victims. One victim had been shot in the left elbow and was bleeding heavily, and the other victim was bleeding from the nose.
The investigation, which has included witness interviews, DNA evidence, ballistics evidence and footage from a surveillance video, revealed that JOHNSON and Shaquille Richardson attacked the two victims after they exited a convenience store in an attempt to steal marijuana and money from the victims. JOHNSON shot one of the victims in his elbow, and Richardson struck the other victim in the face with a gun.
Officers apprehended Richardson near the scene of the robbery. When Richardson was found, he was bleeding from a gash to his hand where one of the victims had slashed him with a knife in self-defense. JOHNSON was arrested on July 28, 2016, during a motor vehicle stop. At the time of his arrest, JOHNSON possessed the firearm he used during the robbery.
On April 4, 2018, JOHNSON pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Richardson pleaded guilty to related charges on January 31, 2018, and awaits sentencing.
JOHNSON and Richardson have been detained since their arrests.
This matter was investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Groton Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that WILLIAM MILLETT, 28, of Groton, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for a child pornography offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an HSI investigation revealed that an internet protocol (IP) address associated with MILLETT was being used to access child pornography. On November 7, 2017, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of MILLETT’s Groton residence and seized several electronic devices, including a thumb drive. Forensic analysis of the thumb drive revealed 198 images and two videos of child pornography, as well as multiple instructional guides related to the sexual abuse of children. An additional 37 images of child pornography were recovered from MILLETT’s email account.
MILLETT has been detained since his arrest on November 9, 2017. On June 20, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and Town of Groton Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Bridgeport Man Admits Selling Heroin While Awaiting Sentencing for Selling Heroin to Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DARRYCK NORRIS, 25, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to distributing heroin while released on bond and awaiting sentencing for a prior heroin distribution offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 8:49 p.m. on October 27, 2016, Milford Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a residence in Milford and found an unresponsive 37-year-old male slumped over in the downstairs living area of the residence. Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures and administered two doses of the opiate antidote Narcan, which had no effect. The victim was pronounced deceased. Officers searched the immediate area and seized four empty baggies and one full baggy that contained suspected heroin. Each of the bags was stamped with the same brand stamp.
Officers also seized the victim’s iPhone. Analysis of text messages revealed that the victim had ordered heroin from NORRIS earlier that day. Witness interviews and further cellphone analysis revealed that the victim had purchased heroin from NORRIS for several months prior to the victim’s overdose.
On November 1, 2016, members of the DEA and Milford Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from NORRIS in Bridgeport. The heroin bags purchased were stamped with the same stamp that was found on the bags seized from the overdose victim’s residence.
NORRIS was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 3, 2016, and was released on a $50,000 bond. On May 17, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of heroin.
Judge Underhill allowed NORRIS to remain released on bond pending sentencing, and granted NORRIS’s request to attend the U.S. District Court’s Support Court program.
On February 16, 2018, NORRIS was arrested by the Bridgeport Police Department and charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell, and other offenses. Subsequent investigation revealed that NORRIS had been distributing heroin between approximately December 2017 and his arrest on February 16.
When he is sentenced, NORRIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count of distribution of heroin. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
NORRIS is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport Resident Office, the DEA’s New Haven Task Force, and the Milford and Bridgeport Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
6 Members of New Rochelle Drug Trafficking Organization and 3 Members of Bridgeport Drug Trafficking Organization Charged with Narcotics ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, William F. Sweeney, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the New England Division of the DEA, Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, New Haven, and Joseph F. Schaller, the Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department, announced the results of a coordinated operation earlier today, in which federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested six defendants in Westchester County, New York, and three defendants in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Ten defendants are charged in two federal indictments, unsealed today. Seven of the defendants were charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine and 50 grams and more of methamphetamine in and around New Rochelle, New York, since at least April 2018. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut has charged an additional three defendants with narcotics offenses, including conspiracy to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine. Those defendants arrested today who are charged in the federal indictment in the Southern District of New York were presented in White Plains federal court today before Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: “Our Office is committed to ridding New York neighborhoods of highly addictive and extremely dangerous drugs. And we will continue to help coordinate our efforts with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and local and federal law enforcement agencies.”
Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham stated: “We allege that these individuals were responsible for bringing significant amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine into our state. I thank our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their diligent efforts in these cases, and our counterparts in the Southern District on New York for coordinating with us in these investigations and today’s take down of the most significant members of this organization.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office William F. Sweeney stated: “The distribution of illegal narcotics continues to be a scourge on our communities. As alleged, these defendants profited from trafficking cocaine and methamphetamines at the expense of those subjected to all the negatives wrought by these substances. Today’s charges should serve as a reminder that the FBI, through our Westchester County Safe Streets task force, will continue to target these offenders and the impact they are having on our communities.”
FBI Special Agent-in-Charge of the New Haven Office Brian C. Turner stated: “Despite the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis in our communities, this indictment should make it abundantly clear that we at the FBI, along with all of our law enforcement partners, have not lost sight of the other illicit drugs and those that traffic them. Together we will continue to pursue those that seek to pollute our communities.”
DEA New York Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt stated: “Earlier this year, DEA joined forces with FBI and the New Rochelle Police Department to dismantle a drug trafficking organization operating in Westchester and Fairfield Counties. By shutting down this family-run methamphetamine operation, lives will be saved. I applaud the efforts of our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney’s Offices Southern District of New York and District of Connecticut.”
DEA New England Special Agent-in-Charge Brian D. Boyle stated: “DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling large-scale poly drug trafficking organizations like this one operating in the Bridgeport, Connecticut, area. As we all know, drug trafficking, along with the gun and physical violence that often accompanies it, ravages the very foundations of our families and communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts to seek and bring to justice anyone who engages in these crimes.”
New Rochelle Police Commissioner Joseph F. Schaller stated: “This is another example of the excellent work being performed by the joint federal, state and local drug enforcement task forces operating in Westchester and Fairfield Counties. The City of New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Police Department thank our law enforcement partners in this operation for their exceptional efforts and invaluable assistance in removing a significant number of dangerous drug traffickers from the streets of our city.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court:
From April 2018 up to October 2018, ULYSSES LOPEZ, VALENTINO LOPEZ, and CHRISTIAN LOPEZ conspired to distribute five kilograms and more of powder cocaine and 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, and FELIPE BARAJAS, a/k/a “Felipe Barajas Gallegos,” JOSE OCEGUERA, a/k/a “Cande,” FELIPE CORTES, and SATURNINO OLIVER FARIAS, a/k/a “Genaro Robles,” conspired to distribute five kilograms and more of powder cocaine.
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in New Haven federal court:
From March 2018 through June 26, 2018, RAFAEL LOPEZ-MACIAS, a/k/a “Rafa,” a/k/a “Martin Sanchez,” JAIME LOPEZ, a/k/a “Compa,” and JUAN CARLOS FIGUEROA, a/k/a “Chaito,” conspired to distribute 500 grams or more of powder cocaine. In addition, on June 26, 2018, RAFAEL LOPEZ-MACIAS possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, and on June 7, 2018, JAIME LOPEZ possessed with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine.
The defendants charged in White Plains federal court each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison. The defendants charged in New Haven federal court each face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the respective judges.
Mr. Berman and Mr. Durham praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, DEA, the Connecticut State Police, and the New Rochelle, Norwalk and Stamford Police Departments. Mr. Berman also thanked the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut for its ongoing coordination in the case.
This case is also the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Deininger and Celia Cohen of Southern District of New York’s White Plains Division, and by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Kaplan and Lauren Clark of the District of Connecticut.
The charges contained in the Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
West Haven Man Sentenced to 140 Months for Drug Trafficking, Attempt to Destroy Body of Murder VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MAURICE WEARING, 29, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 140 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for drug trafficking and his role in an attempt to destroy the body of a victim of a related murder with a homemade pipe bomb on July 4, 2015.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on July 4, 2015, an explosion took place on Wintergreen Avenue in Hamden. Responding law enforcement located a deceased white male, who had been wrapped in plastic garbage bag material and bound by rope material, in a wooded area close to where the explosion had occurred. An explosive-type device and debris were also located in close proximity to the body. The victim, who had also sustained three apparent gunshot wounds, was subsequently identified as Edward Brooks, 39, of West Haven.
After West Haven Police informed investigators that Brooks had been residing with Christopher Miller at 59 Front Avenue in West Haven, and that Miller and other residents of 59 Front Avenue were subjects of an ongoing narcotics investigation, investigators executed a state narcotics search and seizure warrant at 59 Front Avenue and seized numerous items, including pipe bomb making materials that were consistent with the materials found at the Wintergreen Avenue explosion scene, approximately 16 grams of cocaine base (“crack cocaine), approximately 10.6 grams of methamphetamine and narcotics packaging material. Investigators also seized a surveillance DVR, which captured video surveillance from eight cameras placed around the residence.
The investigation revealed that, in the early morning hours of July 4, 2015, Miller shot Brooks three times with a firearm that was equipped with a silencer, at their residence. Miller and Wearing then wrapped Brooks’ body in plastic, drove the body to the wooded area in Hamden, placed a homemade pipe bomb underneath Brooks’ body, and detonated the pipe bomb in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The investigation further revealed that in the year prior to Brooks’ murder, Miller, Wearing and others distributed at least 1.6 kilograms of crack cocaine, as well as other narcotics.
On August 18, 2017, Wearing pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), and one count of possession of an explosive by a convicted felon.
On April 5, 2017, Miller pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and explosive device in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On August 22, 2018, he was sentenced to 360 months of imprisonment.
Miller and Wearing also were charged with related state offenses.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut State Police and West Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards in coordination with the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Killingworth BankRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LAVON YOUNG, 39, of Union City, New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for bank robbery.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately noon on January 27, 2018, YOUNG and David C. Earl drove to a Key Bank branch located on East Main Street in Branford, and planned to rob the bank. They both exited the car wearing dark upper-body clothing. YOUNG also wore a dark, hooded sweatshirt and a green “scream mask” over his face. Earl wore a mask over his lower face, sunglasses over his eyes, and a red-hooded sweatshirt under his overcoat. The two men walked up to the bank entrance and pulled on the doors, but they were locked. They returned to their car and drove off.
Less than an hour later, YOUNG and Earl drove to a TD Bank branch on Route 81 in Killingworth. Dressed the same way when they had attempted to enter the Key Bank in Branford, YOUNG and Earl entered the TD Bank, told everyone to get down and demanded money from the tellers or else they would “blow their heads off.” Earl possessed a pellet gun during the robbery. A teller handed over multiple stacks of bills, totaling $9,754, and YOUNG and Earl fled.
YOUNG and Earl threw most of the money out of the windows of their car while driving from the bank, and while being pursued by law enforcement. They were eventually apprehended by East Haven Police. Investigators successfully recovered $9,479 of the $9,754 taken during the robbery.
YOUNG and Earl have been detained since January 27, 2018. On July 11, 2018, YOUNG pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Earl, also of Union City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to the same charge on May 15, 2018. He awaits sentencing.
YOUNG’s criminal history includes a federal conviction for robbing a bank in Linden, New Jersey, in December 2008. In May 2013, he was sentenced in the District of New Jersey to 63 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in March 2017 and committed the Killingworth bank robbery while on supervised release. Supervised release violation proceedings for YOUNG are pending in the District of New Jersey.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, Branford Police Department and East Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Kopel and Douglas Morabito.
Former Waterbury Resident Sentenced to Prison for Violating Sex Offender Registration LawRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BYRON ELLIOTT VAUGHN, 32, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2009, VAUGHN was convicted in the Commonwealth of Virginia of rape. He was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration, suspended after serving two years, and 15 years of probation. VAUGHN also was ordered to comply with lifetime sex offender registration requirements.
VAUGHN was released from prison in November 2009, registered as a sex offender in Virginia and verified his registration as required through 2012.
In 2015, VAUGHN failed to update his sexual offender registration in Virginia, failed to advise Virginia of his change of residence to Connecticut, and failed to register in Connecticut as a sex offender when he moved to Connecticut and applied for employment in Waterbury in November 2016. VAUGHN worked a hospital in Waterbury until he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on August 9, 2017, on a violation of probation warrant that was issued in Virginia in December 2015.
VAUGHN has been detained since his arrest. He pleaded guilty on June 18, 2018.
VAUGHN was convicted in Virginia of the probation violation and was sentenced to 77 months of imprisonment suspended after 60 months. Judge Underhill ordered that 18 months of the 24-month federal sentence will run concurrently with the Virginia sentence, and six months will be consecutive to the Virginia sentence.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Former Bristol Attorney Admits Theft of $169,000 from Conserved PersonsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JODI ZILS GAGNE, 43, of Bristol, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of mail fraud related to her theft of more than $169,000 from individuals for whom she served as a court-appointed conservator.
According to court documents and statements made in court, ZILS GAGNE, an attorney, was a court-appointed conservator for several individuals in Connecticut. A conservator is a person appointed by the probate court to oversee the financial or personal affairs of an adult who is incapable of managing his or her finances or unable to care for himself or herself. Beginning in approximately May 2015, ZILS GAGNE defrauded several conserved individuals by misappropriating their money and overbilling them. The money that ZILS GAGNE misappropriated was intended for the conserved persons’ medical care, housing, bills, personal expenses, and legitimate conservator fees. ZILS GAGNE also misrepresented, or failed to disclose, material facts about her conservatorship activities to the Bristol probate court and others.
Through this scheme, ZILS GAGNE defrauded six victims of a total of $169,402.74. She defrauded one victim of approximately $130,000, and appropriated $113,000 of that money under the guise of an “investment” when, in fact, it was a 10-year note that paid only a prime rate and was signed between her (as the victim’s conservator) and ZILS GAGNE’s husband. The money was used to fund her husband’s start-up company, a Bristol-based internet radio station. The terms and details of this transaction were only disclosed after extended proceedings in the probate court, during which ZILS GAGNE made false statements, sometimes under oath, to the probate court.
ZILS GAGNE is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on January 23, 2019, at which time she faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
ZILS GAGNE is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
In September 2018, a Connecticut Superior Court judge suspended ZILS GAGNE from the practice of law.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenwich Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel and the New Britain State’s Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Heroin to Monroe Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CAREEM BENTLEY, also known as “C-Lows,” 35, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin to an overdose victim.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 23, 2016, Monroe Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a residence in Monroe on a report of a suspected drug overdose. At the scene, responders encountered an unresponsive 37-year-old male lying on the floor. The male was pronounced deceased. Investigators seized the victim’s cellphone, multiple folds of suspected heroin, and other items, and subsequently concluded that the victim purchased heroin from BENTLEY in the late evening of November 22, 2016.
BENTLEY was arrested on a criminal complaint on April 26, 2017. On August 14, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of heroin.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the Monroe Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
New London Tax Preparer Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that YVES AUBOURG, 49, of New London, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to a federal tax offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, AUBOURG prepared more than 2,000 federal tax returns for the 2011 through 2015 tax years through a tax return preparation practice he operated in New London. AUBOURG falsified information on numerous returns that he prepared for clients by fabricating the existence of education expenses, fabricating deductions for business expenses and charitable contributions, and by claiming exemptions for fictitious dependents.
Through AUBOURG’s preparation of false tax returns, including his own tax returns, the government lost a total of $264,870.
AUBOURG pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for January 15, 2019.
AUBOURG is required to make full restitution to the government. The IRS is taking action to recover unpaid taxes from AUBOURG’s clients, and his restitution figure will be reduced as money is recovered from his clients.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Crack Cocaine Charges, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAVON MOORNING, 39, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and crack cocaine. MOORNING also admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal convictiion.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 15, 2011, MOORNING was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 100 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. In December 2014, the sentencing judge reduced MOORNING’s sentence to 84 months of imprisonment to give MOORNING credit for time that he had served in state custody on related charges. MOORNING was released from federal prison on June 1, 2018.
On June 15, 2018, MOORNING sold heroin and crack cocaine to an individual working with law enforcement. On July 9, 2018, MOORNING sold heroin to the same individual. When officers arrested MOORNING on July 24, 2018, he possessed additional amounts of heroin and crack cocaine.
MOORNING is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer on January 9, 2019, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on the new charges, and up to two years of imprisonment for violating the terms of his supervised release.
MOORNING has been detained since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
Sixth Member of Violent New Haven Gang Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEJUAN WARD, also known as “Hot Boi,” 21, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to racketeering and firearm charges stemming from his role in a violent street gang.
According to statements made in court, the New Haven Police Department’s Shooting Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been investigating approximately 40 unsolved shootings in New Haven and Hamden. Ballistic examination of recovered cartridge cases determined that three firearms were used in 18 shootings committed in or around New Haven in 2016. The investigation has revealed that the firearms were possessed by members and associates of the Goodrich Street Boys (“GSB”), a New Haven street gang, and that GSB members also were involved in a number of other shootings in 2016, many of them retaliatory against rival gang members.
On August 3, 2017, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment charging WARD and five other GSB members with racketeering, attempted murder, firearm and narcotics trafficking offenses. The indictment alleges that, between September 2015 and May 2016, GSB members and associates were involved in six gang-related shootings that caused injuries to five individuals.
WARD pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. In pleading guilty, WARD admitted that he and other GSB members sold drugs, and that he was present when a rival gang member was shot on September 17, 2015.
At sentencing, the government will present evidence that WARD was the shooter during this incident.
The charge of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and the charge of possession of a firearm during an in relation to a crime of violence carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of five years.
WARD is detained pending sentencing. Judge Shea scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 28, 2018.
The other five defendants also have pleaded guilty and are detained while awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF and the New Haven Police Department. The FBI, Hamden Police Department and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office have provided critical assistance in the investigation.
An instrumental component of this investigation has been the work of the Connecticut State Crime Laboratory in utilizing the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to analyze ballistics evidence.
This matter is being prosecuted in the District of Connecticut by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
East Lyme Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Heroin to Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, 27, of East Lyme, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin to an overdose victim.
This prosecution is part of an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, early in the morning of June 4, 2016, East Lyme Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a vehicle parked on the side of a road with its engine running and found a 25-year-old male slumped over dead in the driver’s seat, and a young child in the rear seat. Investigators also found a torn wax paper baggy in the man’s hand and several other baggies under his body.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Connecticut subsequently determined that the victim died from acute heroin and fentanyl toxicities.
The investigation revealed that, shortly before he overdosed, the victim met STEVENS at STEVENS’ East Lyme residence, and STEVENS provided heroin to the victim at that time.
STEVENS was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on July 8, 2016. On May 11, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of heroin.
STEVENS who is released on a $50,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on November 8.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force with the assistance of the East Lyme Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Laraia.
Citizen of Honduras Pleads Guilty to Reentering U.S. after Being DeportedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAVIER VASQUEZ MARTINEZ, 39, a citizen of Honduras last residing in Meriden, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, VASQUEZ MARTINEZ was deported from the U.S. to Honduras in May 2016 following two state convictions for operating under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, and one conviction for failure to appear.
VASQUEZ MARTINEZ subsequently reentered the U.S. illegally.
On July 2, 2018, VASQUEZ MARTINEZ was arrested by the West Haven Police Department and charged with two counts of evading responsibility resulting in injury/property damage and one count of operating a motor vehicle without a license.
The investigation revealed that VASQUEZ MARTINEZ, using the name “Merary Vasquez,” also had two state convictions in 2007 for operating under the influence.
Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for December 20, 2018, at which time VASQUEZ MARTINEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
VASQUEZ MARTINEZ has been detained since his arrest.
The state charges from July 2018 are pending.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Alleged Latin Kings Members Charged with Kidnapping and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Hartford Police Chief David Rosado today announced that, on October 2, 2018, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging five alleged members of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation (“Latin Kings”) with kidnapping a firearm offenses.
The four-count indictment charges each of the following individuals with one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, one count of carrying and using a firearm in during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence:
LUIS PITT, a.k.a. “Macho,”Cuz-o,” 23, of Hartford
JONATHAN OTERO, a.k.a. “Jax” 25, of Hartford
PEDRO CARILLO, a.k.a. “P,” 23, of Hartford
ANTHONY CARILLO, a.k.a. “Boogie,” 20, of Hartford
JOSUE FRANCO, a.k.a. “Sway,” 23, of HartfordPitt and Anthony Carillo were arrested today. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and are detained. Otero, Pedro Carillo and Franco are incarcerated in state custody for unrelated offenses.
As alleged in the indictment, on January 26, 2018, Franco and Anthony Carillo lured an individual (“the victim”) to a residence on Benton Street in Hartford. When the victim entered the residence, Pitt and Otero were waiting. Pitt, Otero, Anthony Carillo and Franco then threatened, assaulted, and tortured the victim and prevented him from leaving the residence. After the victim was restrained, Pedro Carillo arrived at the residence and participated in the ongoing assault and torture of the victim. At times, the victim was threatened and assaulted with a firearm.
The indictment alleges that the defendants forced the victim to call his father and demand a ransom. The victim was threatened that, if the victim’s family did not pay the ransom, the victim would be harmed or killed.
It is alleged that the victim was moved to different locations in order to obtain the ransom. The victim eventually escaped.
The kidnapping charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and the firearm charges carry a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of seven years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division has provided critical assistance to the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Waterbury Man Charged with Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment yesterday charging PATRICK ROGERS, 38, of Waterbury, with one count of possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon.
As alleged in court documents, ATF received information that ROGERS was distributing heroin and was interested in acquiring firearms. In August and September 2018, an ATF special agent working in an undercover capacity made two controlled purchases of suspected heroin from ROGERS. ROGERS then agreed to provide a quantity of heroin to the undercover agent in exchange for two firearms. ROGERS was arrested on September 26, 2018, after he met the undercover agent at a location in Waterbury and took possession of two firearms that he traded for 160 bags of heroin.
The indictment alleges that ROGERS was convicted in state court in 1998 of sale of a hallucinogen or narcotic and robbery in the second degree, in 2008 of violation of a protective order, and in 2016 of possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The charge of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
ROGERS has been detained since his arrest.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
New Haven Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HERSON GONZALEZ, also known as “Titi,” 39, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a New Haven drug trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization led by Herson Gonzalez’s brothers, Bienvenido and Antonio Gonzalez. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that Bienvenido and Antonio Gonzalez purchased bulk quantities of heroin from individuals in New York and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including Herson Gonzalez, in New Haven and elsewhere.
The investigation resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.
Herson Gonzalez was arrested on March 16, 2017. On January 16, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
Bienvenido Gonzalez and Antonio Gonzalez pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 28, Bienvenido Gonzalez was sentenced to 144 months of imprisonment. Antonio Gonzalez awaits sentencing.
Herson Gonzalez’s criminal history includes 13 criminal convictions. After pleading guilty in this federal case and while released on bond pending sentencing, he was arrested on state charges in Bristol. He subsequently pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and assault in the third degree.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Heroin and Fentanyl to Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE GONZALEZ, also known as “Montana,” “Beat Montana” and “Carl Montana,” 22, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three months of home confinement and four years of supervised release, for selling heroin and fentanyl to an East Hartford overdose victim.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 10:30 a.m., on April 26, 2017, East Hartford Police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to a residence on Main Street in East Hartford on a report of an unconscious male who was not breathing. First responders located a 20-year-old male on the couch in the living room and pronounced him deceased. At the scene, investigators located and collected drug paraphernalia, several empty wax baggies, and the victim’s cellphone.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined that the victim’s death was caused by “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of alprazolam, fentanyl and heroin.”
The investigation, which included witness interviews and analysis of the victim’s cellphone, revealed that the victim traveled to Hartford the night before his death and purchased heroin/fentanyl from GONZALEZ. Analysis of another individual’s cellphone revealed that GONZALEZ sold heroin and fentanyl from at least December 2016 through April 2017.
GONZALEZ has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on November 30, 2017. On May 22, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and fentanyl.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the East Hartford and Monroe Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis. The DEA Task Force includes participants from the Bristol, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Willimantic and Windsor Locks Police Departments, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Branford Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling Stolen Goods OnlineRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM REIDELL, 42, of Branford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to three months of imprisonment, followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release, for his role in a large-scale fencing operation. Judge Shea ordered REIDELL to perform 150 hours of community service while on supervised release.
According to the evidence presented during the trial of REIDELL and his co-defendant, George J. Connelly, Jr., Connelly and another co-defendant, Paul Muzyka, operated a licensed secondhand store, Ace Amusements, located at 42 Kimberly Avenue in New Haven. At Ace Amusements, Connelly and Muzyka knowingly purchased stolen property from “boosters,” who typically were shoplifters with opioid addictions. The boosters stole the goods from retail stores such as Home Depot, Target, CVS, and Lowe’s, and sold the goods at Ace Amusements for approximately one-third of their retail prices. Connelly and Muzyka then resold the stolen goods at Ace Amusements, and also online at websites such as eBay. Connelly and Muzyka also sold property to resellers, including REIDELL, who then resold the property online using online websites.
The trial evidence showed at least $1.5 million in sales on eBay from 2007 to 2016 by individuals, including REIDELL, who purchased stolen items at Ace Amusements to resell online.
On May 23, 2018, REIDELL was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and one count of interstate transport of stolen property. Connelly was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and two counts of interstate transport of stolen property.
On March 16, 2018, Muzyka, of North Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and one count of interstate transport of stolen property.
REIDELL, who is released on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on December 3, 2018.
On October 1, 2018, Connelly was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and was ordered to forfeit an interest of $86,220.85 in a house he owns on Tuttle Drive in New Haven, $10,338.68 that was seized from his and Ace Amusements’ bank accounts, and $13,078.67 in cash that was seized from his person and from various locations inside Ace Amusements on January 25, 2016.
Muzyka is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the New Haven, North Haven, Milford, West Haven, Wallingford, Hamden and Orange Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and David T. Huang.
Retired Nurse Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTINE MILES, 59, of Windsor Locks, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug trafficking and money laundering offenses related to the distribution of heroin and various prescription medications.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in approximately 1998, MILES and others conspired to possess and distribute heroin, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and alprazolam. MILES is a retired nurse.
On August 4, 2016, members of the North Central Narcotics Task Force and the DEA conducted a court-authorized search of MILES and Montoya’s residence at 350 North Street in Windsor Locks and seized a large quantity of various prescription medications, approximately two pounds of marijuana, $10,093 in cash and more than $13,000 in gift cards. MILES and her husband, Oscar Montoya, were arrested on state charges after the search.
The investigation revealed that, through this drug trafficking conspiracy, MILES and Montoya amassed more than $700,000 in a number of individual and jointly held bank accounts. The investigation also revealed that, after MILES’ arrest on state drug charges in August 2016, MILES and Montoya used $17,359 of drug proceeds to purchase 11 U.S. Postal Service money orders and a bank cashier’s check payable to a New Jersey-based moving company for a planned move from Connecticut to New Mexico.
MILES and Montoya were arrested on federal charges on November 16, 2017, and have been detained since their arrests. On February 2, 2018, another court-authorized search of their North Street residence revealed additional drug evidence and $41,904 in cash.
On May 15, 2018, MILES pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and alprazolam, and one count of engaging and attempting to engage in a monetary transaction affecting interstate commerce, involving criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000.
As part of this case, MILES and Montoya agreed to forfeit their Windsor Locks residence and $767,056.74 seized from the residence and multiple bank accounts.
Montoya pleaded guilty to the same charges and, September 4, 2018, was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
On May 22, 2018, Miles’s daughter, Christy Miles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and alprazolam. She awaits sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Resident Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the valuable assistance of the North Central Narcotics Task Force and the Windsor Locks, Enfield, Vernon, East Windsor and Manchester Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David X. Sullivan and Patrick F. Caruso.
New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Role in Large-Scale Fencing OperationRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GEORGE J. CONNELLY, JR., 48, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a large-scale fencing operation.
According to the evidence presented during the trial of CONNELLY and his co-defendant, William Reidell, CONNELLY and another co-defendant, Paul Muzyka, operated a licensed secondhand store, Ace Amusements, located at 42 Kimberly Avenue in New Haven. At Ace Amusements, CONNELLY and Muzyka knowingly purchased stolen property from “boosters,” who typically were shoplifters with opioid addictions. The boosters stole the goods from retail stores such as Home Depot, Target, CVS, and Lowe’s, and sold the goods at Ace Amusements for approximately one-third of their retail prices. CONNELLY and Muzyka then resold the stolen goods at Ace Amusements, and also online at websites such as eBay. CONNELLY and Muzyka also sold property to resellers, including Reidell, who then resold the property online using online websites.
The trial evidence showed at least $1.5 million in sales on eBay from 2007 to 2016 by individuals, including Reidell, who purchased stolen items at Ace Amusements to resell online.
On May 23, 2018, CONNELLY was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and two counts of interstate transport of stolen property. Reidell was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and one count of interstate transport of stolen property.
On March 16, 2018, Muzyka, of North Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and one count of interstate transport of stolen property.
As part of the sentence, Judge Shea ordered CONNELLY to forfeit an interest of $86,220.85 in a house he owns on Tuttle Drive in New Haven, $10,338.68 that was seized from his and Ace Amusements’ bank accounts, and $13,078.67 in cash that was seized from his person and from various locations inside Ace Amusements on January 25, 2016.
CONNELLY, who is released on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on December 3, 2018.
Reidell, of Branford, is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow, and Muzyka is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the New Haven, North Haven, Milford, West Haven, Wallingford, Hamden and Orange Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and David T. Huang.
Greenwich Man Sentenced to Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PASQUALE F. FURANO, 48, of Greenwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 12 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for tax evasion.
According to court documents and statements made in court, FURANO is the sole owner of Pasquale Furano Landscaping, which generated business income by providing landscaping and snowplowing services to approximately 150 to 200 commercial and residential customers in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York. For the 2009 through 2013 tax years, FURANO underreported more than $2.5 million in gross receipts on his federal tax returns. For those five years, FURANO falsely reported total taxable income of $264,697 when his actual total taxable income was $1,751,727. Consequently, he only paid a total of $44,213 in federal taxes when he actually owed an additional $540,182.
The investigation revealed that FURANO evaded the payment of his federal taxes by negotiating approximately 2,436 client checks, totaling approximately $1,295,990.23, at the bank for cash rather than depositing the checks into his business accounts, sometimes cashing up to 38 checks in one day. FURANO also did not disclose to his tax return preparer his receipt of cashed client checks and other deposited client checks.
On October 16, 2014, IRS special agents conducted a court-authorized search of FURANO’s residence and seized handwritten business records of his actual gross receipts and $613,842 in cash.
Prior to his sentencing, FURANO paid the IRS $1,099,471.87, which represents all of the back taxes he owed for the 2009 through 2013 tax years, plus interest and penalties.
FURANO also has paid the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) $112,360 in sales tax he collected from his customers from 2009 to 2013, but did not pay to the DRS.
On March 15, 2018, FURANO pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.
FURANO, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on November 2, 2018.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.
3 New Haven Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that three New Haven men have pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to various charges related to their roles in a violent street gang.
According to statements made in court, the New Haven Police Department’s Shooting Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been investigating approximately 40 unsolved shootings in New Haven and Hamden. Ballistic examination of recovered cartridge cases determined that three firearms were used in 18 shootings committed in or around New Haven in 2016. The investigation has revealed that the firearms were possessed by members and associates of the Goodrich Street Boys (“GSB”), a New Haven street gang, and that GSB members also were involved in a number of other shootings in 2016, many of them retaliatory against rival gang members.
On August 3, 2017, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment charging MILTON WESTLEY, CLIFFORD BRODIE, SEDALE PERVIS, DEJUAN WARD, MICHAEL BELLE, and MICHAEL VIA with racketeering, attempted murder, firearm and narcotics trafficking offenses. The indictment alleges that, between September 2015 and May 2016, GSB members and associates were involved in six gang-related shootings that caused injuries to five individuals.
On September 21, 2018, SEDALE PERVIS, also known as “Scope,” 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In pleading guilty, Pervis admitted that, on September 2, 2016, he possessed a distribution quantity of marijuana, and also possessed a loaded Ruger model P85, 9mm handgun. During the investigation, law enforcement also recovered a .380 caliber firearm that contained Pervis’s DNA.
Pervis admitted that he knew that other GSB members planned to use the 9mm firearm to shoot an individual on May 27, 2016. Ballistics from both the 9mm and .380 firearm were found at the scene of the shooting on that date. The investigation revealed that the 9mm and .380 caliber firearms also were used in other shootings.
On September 26, 2018, CLIFFORD BRODIE, also known as Cliff G,” 21, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. In pleading guilty, Brodie admitted that he and other GSB members sold cocaine and heroin. He also admitted that he was present and brandished a firearm at a February 6, 2016, shooting of rival gang members during which a bystander was shot and almost died. He further admitted that, on April 4, 2016, after rival gang members were shot by a fellow GSB member, he drove the assailants home.
On September 27, 2018, MICHAEL BELLE, also known as “MB,” 20, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity. In pleading guilty, BELLE admitted that he was present at the January 23, 2016, shooting at a rival gang member’s house. He also admitted that he and other GSB members agreed to shoot an individual on April 3, 2016, because the individual had information that led to the conviction of a GSB member.
The charge of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. As to Pervis, the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of five years. As to Brodie, the charge of possession of a firearm during an in relation to a crime of violence carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of seven years.
Milton Westley, also known as “Reese,” and Michael Via, also known as “Mike Live,” previously pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.
All of the defendants who have pleaded guilty are detained pending sentencing.
Dejuan Ward is awaiting trial. As to Ward, U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Durham noted that this prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF and the New Haven Police Department. The FBI, Hamden Police Department and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office have provided critical assistance in the investigation.
An instrumental component of this investigation has been the work of the Connecticut State Crime Laboratory in utilizing the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to analyze ballistics evidence.
This matter is being prosecuted in the District of Connecticut by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Citizen of the Dominican Republic Sentenced to Prison for Supplying Heroin to New Haven Drug RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAFAEL NEFTALI CASTILLO BAEZ, 34, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in the Bronx, N.Y., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for supplying heroin to a New Haven drug trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization led by Bienvenido and Antonio Gonzalez. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that the Gonzalez brothers purchased bulk quantities of heroin from CASTILLO BAEZ and other New York suppliers and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors in New Haven and elsewhere. CASTILLO BAEZ regularly traveled from New York to Connecticut to deliver up to a kilogram of heroin at a time to the Gonzalez organization.
The investigation resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.
CASTILLO BAEZ has been detained since his arrest on March 24, 2017. On May 25, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
CASTILLO BAEZ, who illegally entered the U.S. in 2010, faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Bienvenido Gonzalez and Antonio Gonzalez pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 28, Bienvenido Gonzalez was sentenced to 144 months of imprisonment. Antonio Gonzalez awaits sentencing.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.
Springfield Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in ATM "Jackpotting" SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARGENYS RODRIGUEZ, 22, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for his role in an ATM “jackpotting” scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the matters stems from investigation into malware attacks on ATM machines in Connecticut and elsewhere. In a scheme commonly referred to as “jackpotting,” individuals use malware that is designed to cause an ATM to eject all of the U.S. currency contained in the machine. As part of the scheme, individuals dressed as legitimate repair technicians install malware on an ATM. Other individuals then proceed to extract all of the cash from the ATM.
On January 27, 2018, Citizens Bank investigators contacted police after they observed what appeared to be a jackpotting attack on an ATM in Cromwell. On that date, Cromwell Police encountered RODRIGUEZ and Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz near an ATM that had been compromised with malware and was in the process of dispensing $20 bills. A search of RODRIGUEZ and Fajin-Diaz’s vehicle revealed tools and electronic devices consistent with items needed to compromise an ATM machine to dispense its cash contents. RODRIGUEZ and Fajin-Diaz were found in possession of approximately $5,600 in cash, but the investigation revealed that a total of $63,200 was taken from the ATM on that date.
The investigation further revealed that, on January 22, 2018, RODRIGUEZ, Fajin-Diaz and others illegally obtained $63,820 from a Citizens Bank ATM in Rhode Island.
Judge Bryant ordered RODRIGUEZ to pay restitution in the amount of $121,355.38.
On June 18, 2018, RODRIGUEZ pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
RODRIGUEZ, who is released on a $250,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on November 26, 2018.
Fajin-Diaz, a citizen of Spain, pleaded guilty to the same charge on June 12, 2018, and awaits sentencing. He has been detained since his arrest on January 27.
This investigation is being conducted by the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, U.S. Secret Service, Connecticut State Police, Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, Middlesex State’s Attorney’s Office, Cromwell Police Department, Middletown Police Department and Greenwich Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
Southeastern Connecticut Doctor Pays $99,912 to Settle Allegations under the False Claims ActRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that HELAR CAMPOS, MD, a physician with a practice in New London and Norwich, has entered into a civil settlement with the government in which he will pay $99,912 to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act.
The allegations against CAMPOS involve fraudulent billing to Medicare and Medicaid for evaluation and management (“E&M”) services, commonly referred to as physician office visits. The government alleges that CAMPOS submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid for E&M services that were not performed in accordance with program requirements. The government alleges that CAMPOS “upcoded” certain office visit services, submitting claims to Medicare and Medicaid by using a higher-paying billing code when services with lower-paying billing codes were actually provided. Specifically, the government alleges that CAMPOS submitted claims for E&M services under CPT code 99214 when he should have submitted the claims under CPT code 99213 or 99212, which are less complex services, reimbursed at a lower rate.
To resolve his liability under the False Claims Act, CAMPOS will pay $99,912 to reimburse the Medicare and Medicaid programs for conduct occurring from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012.
Under the False Claims Act, the government can recover up to three times its actual damages, plus penalties of $11,181 to $22,363 for each false claim.
This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne F. Thidemann with the assistance of Auditor Kevin A. Saunders.
U.S. Attorney Durham encouraged individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force (203) 785-9270 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Company Owner, Employee, Charged with Falsely Certifying Bridge Inspection Vehicles, Related OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that that, on September 5, 2018, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a superseding indictment charging DANIEL McCLAIN, 65, of Spotsylvania, Virginia, and KENNETH MIX, 60, of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, with federal offenses related to the false certification of bridge inspection vehicles.
McClain and Mix appeared today in Hartford federal court and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges.
According to the superseding indictment, Under Bridge Inspection (“UBI”) vehicles are vehicles that contain a moveable boom with a platform. The vehicles are used to conduct inspections of bridges by positioning the vehicle on top of the bridge and, using the boom, lifting a platform carrying inspectors alongside or beneath a bridge deck. “Company A” rents or leases bridge access equipment, including UBI vehicles, to engineering companies and government agencies for use on bridge inspection and bridge maintenance projects. Company A’s UBI vehicles travel on interstate highways to job locations throughout the U.S. Company A has several locations, including one in Connecticut.
McClain is the sole owner and president of Company A, and Mix is an employee of the company. The indictment alleges that, between approximately January 2012 and January 2015, McClain and Mix participated in the creation of false or fictitious Certificates of Unit Test/Examination of Material Handling Device for the UBI vehicles in Company A’s fleet. The Certificates, which were provided to an investigator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), represented that a UBI vehicle was examined and that the examination met federal requirements when McClain and Mix knew that, in fact, an examination was not conducted as set forth on the Certificates.
In addition, the indictment alleges that McClain falsified records in a federal investigation when he submitted an internal investigation report with false statements relating to a fatal accident that occurred on August 26, 2015. McClain also transmitted false and fraudulent documentation to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in order to persuade officials to lift a moratorium preventing Company A from doing business in Connecticut while an investigation was conducted.
The indictment charges McClain and Mix with two counts of use of a false document, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count. The indictment also charges McClain with one count of falsifying records in a federal investigation, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
McClain and Mix are released pending trial.
Mix was originally charged in an indictment that was returned on March 6, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
ADA Settlement with KinderCare Ensures Access to Child Care Programs for Children with DiabetesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that KinderCare Education LLC (“KinderCare”) of Portland, Oregon, has entered into a settlement agreement with the government to resolve allegations that KinderCare’s child care programs and other services were not accessible to children with Type 1 diabetes who are dependent on insulin injections, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).
KinderCare currently operates approximately 1,800 facilities in the U.S., and the settlement agreement applies to all of KinderCare’s facilities.
The matter was initiated by a complaint filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut by Connecticut’s Center for Children’s Advocacy (CCA) alleging violations of Title III of the ADA. Specifically, the complaint alleges that KinderCare refused to assist two children who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes with insulin administration. A third complaint against KinderCare by the parent of another child with Type 1 diabetes was filed by CCA during the course of the investigation. The government determined that KinderCare’s national policy and practice was that KinderCare staff would not directly administer insulin to children via a syringe or pen. Instead, KinderCare required parents of the children identified in the complaint to appear at its facility to administer the insulin to their children or hire another person, at the parents’ own expense, to do so.
Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public accommodation. KinderCare is a private entity that operates child care facilities that are places of “public accommodation” within the meaning of Title III of the ADA.
The settlement agreement resolves complaints that KinderCare was discriminating against three children with insulin dependent diabetes, on the basis of disability, by failing to make certain reasonable modifications for those children. Under the agreement, KinderCare is obligated to take critical steps toward improving access for children with Type 1 diabetes, including revising its policies and procedures, revising its training, and performing initial and ongoing assessments of the need for reasonable accommodations. KinderCare must evaluate each request on an individualized basis, relying on objective evidence and current medical standards.
KinderCare has agreed that “where a parent or guardian and a child’s physician or other qualified health care professional deem it appropriate … for a child to be assisted in diabetes care by a layperson, training child care staff members to assist with routine diabetes care tasks, including the administration of insulin by pen, syringe, or pump, is generally a reasonable modification under the ADA, unless KinderCare can demonstrate that the individual circumstances cause a fundamental alteration,” as defined under the ADA.
KinderCare also has agreed to pay $8,000 to each of the three Complainants to resolve this matter.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate and aggressively enforce violations of the Americas with Disabilities Act, especially violations that affect children and other vulnerable residents of Connecticut,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “Parents rely on dependable childcare in order to work or go to school, and every child should have equal access to childcare and educational facilities. I thank KinderCare’s management for their cooperation during this investigation and for addressing these ADA issues without the need for litigation. Their actions will ensure that children with Type 1 diabetes can enjoy the same benefits that other children enjoy, while giving their parents the confidence that staff will be trained to ensure that their children are well cared for.”
The agreement is effective for three years, during which time the U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor KinderCare’s compliance.
A copy of the settlement agreement may be found here.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Owner of Connecticut and New York Pizza Restaurants Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax ChargeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that STEVEN CIOFFI, 32, of Stamford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to a federal tax offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, CIOFFI owned 50 percent of Nepperhan Restaurants Group, Inc., doing business as ReNapoli Pizza, in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and Pinocchio Pizza in Pound Ridge, New York. He also owned 25 percent of Odell Pizza, Inc., doing business as Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford, Connecticut. CIOFFI’s business partner owned the other interests in these entities, as well as other pizza restaurants.
CIOFFI and others in the businesses engaged in a practice whereby cash was removed from the cash register and not deposited into the restaurant’s operating bank account. The businesses’ outside bookkeeper and accountant used the bank records to determine business gross receipts. When cash was removed from the register and not deposited into the business bank account, the cash would not be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. CIOFFI also knew that certain employees had their wages paid in cash, and that a certain number of the employees were paid either a portion or the entirety of their wages “off the books.” By paying various expenses in cash and “off the books,” CIOFFI, his business partner and others facilitated the manipulation of net income reported to the IRS and the underpayment of withholding taxes to the IRS.
As a result of the scheme, the loss to the IRS in income taxes and employment taxes for the 2013 through 2015 tax years was $122,177.59.
CIOFFI pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years, a fine of up to $250,000, and full restitution to the IRS.
A sentencing date is not scheduled. CIOFFI is released on a $40,000 bond pending sentencing.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Massachusetts Man Admits Paying Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity over SkypeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM GAUVIN, 43, of Andover, Massachusetts, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to one count of receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately October 2016 and March 2017, GAUVIN, using the name “Will Wiggins,” solicited a 17-year-old boy in Connecticut to engage in sexually explicit conduct over Skype. In exchange for the minor victim transmitting visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct to GAUVIN, GAUVIN paid the minor victim more than $3,000 using PayPal. GAUVIN also asked the minor victim to persuade his brother, who was 15, to engage in sexually explicit conduct in exchange for money.
GAUVIN resided in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the time of the criminal conduct.
Judge Shea scheduled sentencing for December 20, 2018, at which time GAUVIN faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
GAUVIN was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 1, 2017. He is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the Worcester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Fairfield County Cardiologist Sentenced to Prison for Insider TradingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWARD J. KOSINSKI, MD, 70, of Weston, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to six months of imprisonment, two years of supervised release and a $500,000 fine for insider trading.
On November 28, 2017, a jury found KOSINSKI guilty of two counts of securities fraud-insider trading. According to the evidence presented during the trial, on January 29, 2014, KOSINSKI, a cardiologist, entered into a Clinical Study and Research Agreement with an authorized agent of Regado Biosciences, Inc., formerly a Delaware corporation whose common stock traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “RGDO.” KOSINSKI, as a principal investigator for Regado’s clinical trial, was required to maintain in strict confidence all confidential information he received from Regado or its agent during the course of the clinical trial. In May 2014, KOSINSKI owned 40,000 shares of Regado common stock.
On June 29, 2014, KOSINSKI and other principal investigators received an email from the clinical trial team stating that there had been several allergic reactions during the clinical trial, the acceptance of new subjects was put on hold and the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”) would be reviewing the recent events. On June 30, 2014, while in possession of this non-public information, KOSINSKI sold his 40,000 shares of Regado common stock for between $6.59 and $7.00 per share. On July 2, 2014, after the close of the market, Regado publicly announced that the DSMB initiated an unplanned review of the clinical trial and patient enrollment had been suspended until the DSMB completed its review. On July 3, 2014, the stock fell $3.95 from the day’s previous closing price, to close at $2.81.
By selling his shares of Regado stock KOSINSKI avoided a loss of approximately $160,000.
On July 29, 2014, KOSINSKI and other principal investigators received an email from the clinical trial team stating that a death occurred in the clinical trial and that the trial was on hold. On July 31, 2014, while in possession of this material, non-public information, KOSINSKI purchased 50 Regado common stock put option contracts with a strike price of $2.50. On August 25, 2014, before the market opened, Regado publicly announced that it permanently halted the clinical trial and the price of Regado common stock fell approximately 60 percent. KOSINSKI then purchased 5,000 shares of Regado common stock for approximately $1.13 per share and exercised his put options, netting more than $3,000.
KOSINSKI, who is released on a $500,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on January 4, 2019.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Cherry and Jonathan Francis.
In a related federal civil matter, KOSINSKY has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Securities and Exchange Commission v. Edward J. Kosinski 3:16-cv-01322)
Torrington Man Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that SERAFINO CANINO, 52, of Torrington, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to one count of tax evasion.
According to court documents and statements made in court, CANINO was employed by and had an ownership interest in Innovative Concepts Corporation (“ICC”), a company that manufactured and distributed small power and hand tools. ICC contracted with factories in Asia through intermediaries located in Taiwan. The intermediaries were responsible for, among other things, negotiating with the factories in Asia, ensuring the shipment of manufactured products to ICC, and invoicing ICC for the manufacturing of its products.
From 2008 through 2011, CANINO engaged in fraudulent billing using two of ICC’s intermediaries in Taiwan whereby CANINO instructed the intermediaries to charge ICC an inflated price and kick back the overage to CANINO using overseas bank accounts and an overseas corporate entity. Through this scheme, CANINO improperly received more than $633,000 in income. CANINO failed to disclose this illegal income to his accountants who prepared his federal tax returns, and he failed to report the income on his 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 tax returns. The total tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service was $186,358.
CANINO is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on December 17, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and more than $430,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan L. Wines.
Texas Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual Activity over the InternetRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TRAVIS W. McCOY, 24, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for enticing minors to engage in sexual activity over the internet.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately August 2015 and March 2017, while he was attending college and living in New London, McCOY used internet-based video chatting services, including Kik and Google Hangouts, and internet-based gaming systems, such as Xbox Live, to entice four minor males between the ages of 9 and 14 to engage in sexually explicit conduct over video-chatting services, such as Skype. McCOY either took screen shots of the minors engaged in sexual activity, or requested and received from the minors digital images and videos in which the minors are depicted engaging in sexual activity. McCOY also sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the minor victims.
The investigation revealed that McCOY initially met one of the minor victims at a summer camp in Texas where McCOY had worked as a camp counselor.
The investigation further revealed that McCOY maintained three Dropbox accounts and gave the password to one of the accounts to a person living in Los Angeles as a way to share and receive child pornography. The Dropbox accounts contained 684 images and more than 89 hours of videos of child pornography, and were accessed by people around the world. There is no evidence that McCOY distributed any of the images or videos he received from the four minor victims he enticed.
McCOY has been detained since his arrest on June 28, 2017. On June 27, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New London Police Department and the Houston Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Two Individuals Charged with Cashing over $60,000 in Stolen Postal Money OrdersRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, today announced that, on September 18, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a five-count indictment charging JAMES LEBEL, 40, of no certain address, and MICHELLE BARBEAU, 51, of Brooklyn, Conn., with offenses related to the theft of U.S. Postal money orders.
LEBEL was arrested yesterday and is detained pending a hearing that is scheduled for September 26. BARBEAU was arrested today and was released on a $100,000 bond.
As alleged in the indictment, BARBEAU was employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the Wauregan Post Office in Plainfield. Between April and September 2017, LEBEL and BARBEAU conspired to take blank U.S. Postal money orders from the Wauregan Post Office and imprint them in various denominations. LEBEL then cashed more than $60,000 in fraudulently imprinted postal money orders at other post offices.
The indictment charges LEBEL and BARBEAU with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment also charges LEBEL with four counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
Norwich Man Charged with Distributing Fentanyl on the Dark Web, Possessing Automatic WeaponRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on September 6, 2018, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an 11-count indictment charging BARRY DUCLOS, 39, of Norwich with fentanyl analogue trafficking and firearm possession offenses.
DUCLOS appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. DUCLOS has been detained since his arrest on a criminal complaint on February 12, 2018.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, between September 2017 and February 2018, DUCLOS operated a vendor page known as “Dream Market” on the dark web. DUCLOS, using the alias 1NOLEFB1, advertised the sale of fentanyl analogues on Dream Market. He then used the U.S. Mail to ship fentanyl analogues to customers who paid for the drugs using Bitcoin.
A search of DUCLOS’s residence at the time of his arrest revealed a YHM rifle with multiple magazines, two of which were extended magazines. The firearm was loaded with a round in the chamber. Investigators also located and seized a quantity of fentanyl from the residence.
It is further alleged that DUCLOS was convicted in state court, in February 2001, of sale of narcotics and, in March 2017, of larceny in the third degree.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges DUCLOS with one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 10 grams or more of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. The indictment also charges DUCLOS with eight counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl analogues, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count. DUCLOS also is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and offense that carries a mandatory consecutive five-year term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards.
New Jersey Heroin Supplier Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAVID MONSERATTE TORRES, 30, of New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 170 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation headed by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Stamford Police Department, Norwalk Police Department and Connecticut State Police into a drug trafficking organization led by Wilfredo Gutierrez, also known as “Bean” and “Big Pun,” and his brother, Bobby Gutierrez, also known as “B.O.” The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical surveillance, revealed that Wilfredo Gutierrez, Bobby Gutierrez and others conspired to distribute at least 10 kilograms of heroin in Fairfield County between September 2015 and May 2016. TORRES was the Gutierrez brothers’ main source of heroin for several years.
TORRES was arrested on May 31, 2016. On July 5, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and admitted that he was involved in the distribution of more than 30 kilograms of heroin.
After TORRES pleaded guilty and while he was released on bond pending sentencing, an investigation revealed that he had purchased U-47700, a synthetic opioid also known as “Pink,” over the dark web. On March 7, 2017, TORRES was arrested by the DEA in New York. A search of his person and vehicle revealed approximately 60 grams of U-47700, approximately 100 grams of heroin, and $8,600 in cash.
TORRES has been detained since his arrest on March 7, 2017.
Nine individuals were charged as a result of the investigation. All pleaded guilty, and TORRES is the last to be sentenced.
On March 16, 2017, Wilfredo Gutierrez was sentenced to 180 months of imprisonment and, on April 24, 2017, Bobby Gutierrez was sentenced to 160 months of imprisonment. Bobby Gutierrez also was ordered to forfeit $171,462 in cash.
On April 13, 2018, TORRES pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. He awaits sentencing in that case.
The DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force includes members from the Bridgeport, Stamford, Stratford, Norwalk, Milford and Trumbull Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Kaplan and Heather Cherry.
Greenwich Man Charged with Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on September 12, 2018, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging LEONID POLLAK, also known as “Lenny,” 58, of Greenwich, with federal offenses related to an investment fraud scheme.
POLLAK was arrested this morning. He appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained.
As alleged in the indictment, POLLAK owned a Norwalk-based company that organized trade shows and expositions throughout the U.S. In mid-2013, POLLAK induced an acquaintance to invest $290,000 in a new business venture that was supposed to organize similar expositions in Ukraine. Instead of using the money to build the new business, POLLAK spent nearly all of it on unrelated business and personal expenses, including POLLAK’s home mortgage loan, groceries and clothing, automobiles, and private school tuition.
The indictment charges POLLAK with six counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and two counts of illegal monetary transactions, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and U.S. Secret Service, with assistance from the Greenwich Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi M. Perry.