District of Idaho
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Tensed Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Mark Allen Daves, 51, of Tensed, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States Magistrate Court for assault, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Daves was placed on two years of supervised probation. During his probation term, Daves will report to jail for four consecutive weekends, he is not allowed to possess any firearms, and he is prohibited from drinking alcohol or going to bars, among other restrictions. United States Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale also ordered Daves to pay a $1,250 fine. He pleaded guilty to the charge on January 21, 2015.
According to court documents, Daves admitted to hearing shots fired while he was in his home in Tensed, Idaho. He took his shotgun to investigate. Daves fired his shotgun and then confronted a hunter. Daves indicated an argument ensued and he was fearful the shotgun would be used against him. Likewise, the victim reported that he was afraid Daves was going to use the shotgun to shoot him. Daves shot off all rounds in the shotgun and hit the hunter in the chest with his gun. The victim and defendant differed in their versions of how those shots were fired. Daves is a former San Diego jail deputy. During the sentencing U.S. Chief Magistrate Candy W. Dale told Daves she considered it a serious offense and jail time needed to be imposed in order to have specific and general deterrence. All parties noted how tragic the situation could have turned out. “If anything, we hope the lesson learned is to call law enforcement if you have a concern,” said Olson. “Do not simply take matters into your own hands.”
The case was investigated by CDA Tribal Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Boise Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Meth and Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rodolfo Antonio Ortega, 29, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine for distribution, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to court proceedings, Ortega was arrested in a Boise hotel parking lot on October 21, 2014. When the officers searched his car they found a loaded .357 Colt revolver, 9.5 ounces of methamphetamine, scales, baggies, and about $4,774 in cash. Ortega admitted that he is a convicted felon and knowingly possessed the firearm. Ortega has two prior felony convictions. He also admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine with intent to distribute it. According to his plea agreement, Ortega acknowledges that he is a Career Offender, which will enhance the sentencing guideline range applicable to his case.
The penalty for possession of meth with intent to distribute it is not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years. Punishment as a Career Offender increases the punishment range. Ortega’s sentencing is set for July 7, 2015 before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
The Indictment was handed down on November 13, 2014. The case was investigated by the Boise City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Boise Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Meth and Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rodolfo Antonio Ortega, 29, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine for distribution, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to court proceedings, Ortega was arrested in a Boise hotel parking lot on October 21, 2014. When the officers searched his car they found a loaded .357 Colt revolver, 9.5 ounces of methamphetamine, scales, baggies, and about $4,774 in cash. Ortega admitted that he is a convicted felon and knowingly possessed the firearm. Ortega has two prior felony convictions. He also admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine with intent to distribute it. According to his plea agreement, Ortega acknowledges that he is a Career Offender, which will enhance the sentencing guideline range applicable to his case.
The penalty for possession of meth with intent to distribute it is not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years. Punishment as a Career Offender increases the punishment range. Ortega’s sentencing is set for July 7, 2015 before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
The Indictment was handed down on November 13, 2014. The case was investigated by the Boise City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Nampa Man Sentenced to 75 Months in Prison for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
BOISE – Guadalupe Serrano, 36, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced today to 15 months for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and was sentenced to an additional 60 months consecutive for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Serrano to serve three years of supervised release following his 75 month prison term. Serrano pleaded guilty to the charges on February 11, 2015.
According to information presented in court, Nampa police officers stopped a black BMW Serrano was driving on June 19, 2014. A police drug-detection dog sniffed the BMW and alerted to the odor of illegal drugs. During a later search of the BMW, officers located two baggies containing methamphetamine, a digital scale, $10,200, two loaded firearms, and ammunition. The firearms were identified as a Bersa, .380 ACP pistol, and a Glock, 9 millimeter pistol. Serrano admitted that the firearms were stolen.
Serrano’s case is part of a larger long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang, which is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley. Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation. Serrano was the first to be sentenced. Four others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing including Jose Manuel Menchaca, 35, Nicole Danelle Nieto, 31, Brandi Marie Larrea, 31, and Tara Noelle Rivera, 30, all from Nampa. Guillermo Farias Jr., 29, also from Nampa has signed a plea agreement and is awaiting a court hearing to enter his guilty plea. Five others are scheduled for trial including Johhny Lee Martinez, 33, Michael David Bradshaw, 31, Richard Lobato, 51, all from Nampa, Isaac Bright, 21, from Caldwell, and Kenny P. Breedlove, 35, from California. Three other defendants have outstanding warrants, including Jose Enrique Olvera Jr., 51, Ruben Rodriguez, 36, and Veronica Cantu, 26, all from Nampa.
This case and the other related cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.
The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
Last of 20 Defendants Sentenced in Large-Scale Meth Distribution RingRead the Press Release
BOISE – David Echevarria, 51, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced today to 110 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered the defendant to pay a $2,500 fine. Echevarria pleaded guilty on January 30, 2015.
The distribution ring involved two distribution cells in the Treasure Valley: one led by Jason Holmberg now serving a prison term of 180 months, the other by Andrew Polney now in federal prison on a 130-month sentence. Co-defendant, Kenneth Jones, in Sacramento, California, supplied multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine, which was transported to the Treasure Valley for distribution. Jones is serving a prison term of 130 months. The group operated from about June 2012, through the time of the various arrests on April 18, 2013, and May 23, 2013. On April 9, 2013, Echevarria was stopped with approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine which he had obtained from Polney.
“Investigation and prosecution of large distribution organizations such as this are very demanding, but the effort is essential for keeping our communities safe and reducing this destructive substance in our area,” said Olson. “For many of these defendants, facing prosecution, accepting responsibility, admitting guilt, and being sentenced has been very beneficial in helping them to return to a productive life free of destructive drugs.”
The case is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Boise Police Department, Meridian Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and Nampa Police Department. Other federal agencies participating in the OCEDTF program include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. Marshals Service.
The OCDETF program is a federal, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Kuna Man Sentenced for False Statement Involving Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOISE - Del E. Weech, 59, of Kuna, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court to six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for making false statements involving social security benefits, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Weech to pay $13,004 in restitution. Weech pleaded guilty to the charge on February 9, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, Weech admitted that he signed a statement, under penalty of perjury, that his stepdaughter had not received her $14,929 benefits check from the Social Security Administration (SSA), causing the SSA to issue a partial payment in the amount of $9,838. In fact, Weech had already cashed the check. On two other occasions, Weech lied to the SSA, stating that he had not received his own monthly social security benefits, causing repayments to be generated. Weech then cashed his original checks and collected the repayments. In total, Weech stole $13,004 from the SSA.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney as part of a partnership venture between the Social Security Administration Office of General Counsel and the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute social security fraud.
Former Executive of Nuclear Power Company Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOISE - Jennifer R. Ransom, 40, of Meridian, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to one count of securities fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Her guilty plea was to Count Five of the pending indictment. The grand jury returned the indictment against Ms. Ransom on November 14, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Ransom was the Senior Vice President of Administration of Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (“AEHI”). AEHI was a development stage company headquartered in Eagle, Idaho that planned to construct and operate a nuclear power plant in Payette County, Idaho.
According to the plea agreement, Ransom joined AEHI in late 2007. Prior to joining AEHI, Ransom took and passed the Series 63 examination, one of the tests required to become a licensed Securities Agent, and knew it was wrongful and unlawful to engage in conduct that was designed to defraud or deceive investors by artificially controlling or fraudulently affecting the price of securities. Notwithstanding, she agreed with her co-defendant, Donald L. Gillispie, the former President and CEO of AEHI, and other “nominees” to a scheme to defraud or deceive AEHI investors.
According to the plea agreement, the scheme involved Gillispie and Ransom recruiting nominees to make purchases of AEHI stock on the market for the express purpose of artificially inflating the market price of AEHI stock. Ransom personally helped recruit one of the nominees. Without investors’ knowledge, Gillispie and Ransom provided AEHI funds, obtained almost exclusively from investors, to two of the nominees to fund their market purchases of AEHI stock.
According to the plea agreement, investors who purchased AEHI stock directly from AEHI, through Private Placement Memoranda (PPM), were offered a price discounted from the market price that nominees were attempting to inflate. However, PPM investors could only purchase restricted AEHI stock, which they could not sell for six months to one year. On September 9, 2009 through September 11, 2009, Ransom assisted a nominee in making purchases of AEHI stock on the market. The purpose of these purchases was to artificially increase the market price of AEHI stock, which was trading above the PPM price. During the next two months, private investors bought approximately $516,885 worth of AEHI restricted stock at the lower PPM price.
According to the plea agreement, Ransom received shares of AEHI stock as executive compensation. From June of 2010, through September of 2010, a period during which attempts were being made to artificially inflate the market price of AEHI stock, Ransom sold approximately 1,000,000 of her shares and received approximately $675,326 in return, of which approximately $580,780 was the proceeds of securities fraud.
As part of the plea agreement, Ransom agreed to forfeit $580,780, the proceeds of the securities fraud offense she pleaded guilty to, and to pay restitution.
The charge of securities fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for July 27, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.
"This defendant personally gained by deceiving investors,” said Olson. “Her guilty plea both acknowledges the wrongfulness of her conduct and sends the clear message to others that the U.S. Department of Justice and its investigating partners will take strong actions to identify and prosecute those who manipulate securities markets for personal gain.”
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Bonners Ferry Man Pleads Guilty to Violent ATM Theft in McCallRead the Press Release
BOISE — Matthew Taber Annable, 40, formerly of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to bank larceny by use of a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit bank larceny, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Sentencing is set for June 10, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge.
According to court documents, on January 10, 2014, Annable and his co-defendant Nathan Paul Davenport, aiding and abetting each other, broke into and stole cash from an automated teller machine (ATM) located at the Idaho First Bank in McCall, Idaho. The indictment alleges that Davenport possessed, carried, used, and discharged a firearm, specifically a Ruger semiautomatic rifle, in connection with the offense. Davenport admitted that he used the rifle to shoot at pursuing McCall police officers. Annable was aware that Davenport shot at pursuing officers because Davenport and Annable communicated over an open cell phone connection during the larceny. During Davenport’s heist from the ATM, Annable drove about nearby waiting to pick up Davenport in an escape vehicle. As part of the conspiracy, the indictment charged both men with other ATM larcenies committed against Idaho Banking Company in Boise and Meridian on January 5, 2014, and a string of ATM larcenies in December, 2013 and January, 2014, which occurred in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, as well as in Idaho.
Davenport pleaded guilty on March 30, 2015, to bank larceny by use of a dangerous weapon, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony crime, and conspiracy to commit bank larceny. He will be sentenced on June 22, 2015.
Annable and Davenport were arrested without incident on January 12, 2014, in Orem, Utah, in connection with a separate ATM robbery in Wyoming. The two men were in custody on the Wyoming charges prior to being transported to Boise on the Idaho charges. In the District of Wyoming, both men pleaded guilty to single counts of ATM theft and aiding and abetting and each received a fourteen month prison sentence.
The charge of bank larceny by use of a dangerous weapon as charged in the Idaho indictment is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. The charge of conspiracy to commit bank larceny is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Idaho State Police, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office, and the McCall Police Department.
Boise Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Weapons ChargeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Anton Philip Raider, 23, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced today to five years in prisons followed by five years of supervised release for possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Raider to forfeit four firearms, and ordered that his federal sentence run concurrently to his state sentencing for aiding and abetting second degree murder.
According to court proceedings, a search warrant was served at the defendant’s residence located on West Red Maple Drive, Boise, Idaho. The warrant was issued in state court as part of an investigation into a double homicide that occurred the night before. The defendant was found to be in possession of approximately three pounds of marijuana, which was located in a safe in the defendant’s bedroom closet. Raider admitted to knowingly and intentionally possessing the marijuana with the intent to distribute it to others. Also found in the defendant’s closet were four firearms and miscellaneous rounds of ammunition. Raider admitted that he knowingly possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime.
The case was investigated by the Boise Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Last of Four “Spice” Conspirators SentencedRead the Press Release
BOISE – Mark Ciccarello, 37, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to launder money, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Ciccarello to pay $4.5 million in asset forfeiture, and to pay a $3,000 fine. Ciccarello will self-surrender, as directed by the United States Bureau of Prisons.
Ciccarello is the last of the defendants charged with manufacturing controlled substance analogues and laundering the money from selling these substances nationwide. The Indictment alleged that Ciccarello and three co-conspirators, Troy Palmer, William Mabry, and Robert Eoff, conspired to purchase and import from China chemicals known as AM2201, UR-144, and XLR11, which they use to treat innocuous plant matter to make “spice”Ca synthetic cannabinoid similar to substances—including JWH018—listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The most popular spice product they made was called “Zombie Matter,” which also became the name of the marketing enterprise set up by Ciccarello. The Indictment alleged that they conspired to launder money illegally obtained through spice manufacturing and distribution.
According to court documents, Ciccarello admitted that he was a leader in a conspiracy to conduct financial transactions in connection with a “spice” manufacturing and distribution business, beginning in March 2011. Ciccarello also admitted to knowingly participating in and directing the financial activity of the business by engaging in bank and other financial transactions, through both domestic and foreign financial institutions. The transactions consisted of the proceeds of illegal spice sales and other specified unlawful activity and, in many cases, the transactions conducted through financial institutions separately consisted of criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000; most of the transactions occurred in Idaho, Washington and California.
The case is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Boise Police Department, Meridian Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and Nampa Police Department. Other federal agencies participating in the OCEDTF program include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. Marshals Service.
The OCDETF program is a federal, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Drug Dealer Sentenced to 60 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Sergio Garcia, 25, of Rexburg, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court to 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Garcia to forfeit $7,500 in proceeds from his crime. Garcia pleaded guilty to the charge on January 28, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, with the assistance of at least two other individuals, Garcia sold methamphetamine six times to someone working with the police. The sales all took place in eastern Idaho and were usually for one ounce of methamphetamine.
Garcia’s codefendant, Uriel Garcia, was charged with distributing methamphetamine on September 4, 2013. A warrant for his arrest remains active.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Madison, Fremont, and Bonneville County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Idaho Falls Police Department, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Idaho State Police.
Two More Defendants from Georgia Plead Guilty in Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Clarence Collins, 34, of Douglasville, Georgia, and Mikki Williams, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia, each pleaded guilty today in United States District Court for their roles in a credit card fraud scheme that targeted local retailers in October of 2014, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. They were indicted by a federal grand jury on November 13, 2014.
Collins pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. According to the plea agreement, Collins traveled to Idaho, along with his co-defendants, for the purpose of making fraudulent purchases of gift cards and prepaid debit cards from retail stores, using stolen credit card numbers encoded onto stock debit cards. Collins admitted to obtaining the stock debit cards encoded with unauthorized credit card numbers, and making purchases at retail stores on October 5, 2014. In all, Collins admitted to traveling to five separate retail stores, and making eight total purchases, using five different credit card numbers that he was not authorized to use. Upon his arrest, Collins was found in possession of seven debit cards encoded with unauthorized credit card numbers. Sentencing is set for June 17, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years, a term of supervised release of not more than one year, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $100. As part of his plea, Collins also agreed to forfeit $49,953.41 in cash proceeds of the charged offenses.
Williams pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony. According to the plea agreement, Williams admitted knowing that her co-defendants were engaged in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud by using stolen credit card numbers encoded onto Vanilla debit cards. Williams admitted receiving Visa debit cards that were the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Upon her arrest, she was found in possession of eight pre-paid debit cards that were the proceeds of fraud. Williams admitted that, despite her knowledge of the fraud scheme, she did not report the offense to the authorities, but rather provided false information about her knowledge of the offense and the source of the fraud proceeds, and concealed the proceeds of the fraud.
Misprision of a felony is punishable by up to three years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Collins and Williams were indicted, along with Rakeen Anderson, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia; Kyandre Banks, 34, of Lilburn, Georgia; Terrance Barimah, 26, of Floranceville, Georgia; Jean Estinville, 26, of Lawrenceville, Georgia; Rashine Kale, 38, of Lawrenceville, Georgia; Charles Moore, 25, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Jonathan Penn, 20, of Suwanee, Georgia; and Brian Treadwell, 25, of Buford, Georgia, on charges relating to a wire fraud and identity theft scheme. Banks, Estinville, Kale, Moore, Penn, and Treadwell were each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Anderson was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Barimah was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and illegal possession of device-making equipment.
Co-defendant Brian Treadwell is scheduled for sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill on June 16, 2015. Co-defendant Jonathan Penn is scheduled for a change of plea hearing before Chief U.S. Magistrate Candy W. Dale on April 23, 2015. Co-Defendant Rakeen Anderson is pending a change of plea hearing to be scheduled. Co-Defendants Barimah, Estinville, Kale, and Moore are currently scheduled for a jury trial on April 27, 2015. Co-defendant Kyandre Banks remains a fugitive.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
Tribal Member Sentenced for Robbery on Coeur d'Alene ReservationRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - David Ray Crowe, Sr., 46, of Worley, Idaho, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for robbery of a smoke shop on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. During the term of supervised release, Crowe will have to submit to searches of his person, home and automobile, he will have to refrain from bars and alcohol consumption, and submit to drug testing up to five times per month. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Crowe to pay restitution in the amount of $20,348.44 to the store and victim. Crowe pleaded guilty to the charge on November 20, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Crowe admitted that on January 3, 2014, he went into the Stubby Lake Smoke Shop in the early morning hours and threatened an employee with a knife. He demanded money, her car keys and told the employee not to scream or he would kill her. Crowe took cash, cartons of cigarettes, a laptop computer and the employee’s 2012 Subaru Forester. The United States prosecuted the case because the events occurred within the boundaries of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation and Crowe is an enrolled tribal member.
“I commend the collaborative efforts of the tribal and federal law enforcement officers,” said Olson. “My office will continue to vigorously prosecute violent crimes in Indian Country and work with the tribal authorities to make the reservations safer places to live and work.”
The case was investigated by Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sandpoint Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Brent Anthony Stevens, 31, of Sandpoint, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in federal court to possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Stevens was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on August 19, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, between July 22, 2013, and September 12, 2013, investigators with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) observed that a computer in Sandpoint, Idaho, was making sexually explicit images of minors available on the internet. ICAC investigators were able to determine that the images were being shared from a computer at Stevens’ residence and obtained a search warrant.
Stevens was present during the search warrant’s execution. He admitted to downloading child pornography and told investigators they would find it on his computer. A computer forensic examiner later found child pornography on a computer and a thumb-drive seized from Stevens. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children determined that Stevens’ child pornography collection included images of minors from multiple states, including Washington, Colorado, California, and Utah, as well as several foreign countries.
The charge of possession of sexually explicit images of minors is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, and up to lifetime supervised release.
Sentencing is set for July 21, 2015, before United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.
The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Idaho Attorney General’s Office, United States Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These agencies participate in the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children. For more information about the Idaho ICAC Task Force and a list of all the participating agencies, visit www.icactaskforce.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Nampa Woman Pleads Guilty to Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BOISE – Tara Noelle Rivera, 30, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boise to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Rivera was indicted on November 13, 2014.
According to court documents, Rivera admitted to selling methamphetamine to a police informant on three separate occasions in March 2014. Rivera also admitted to selling a 9 millimeter pistol to the informant. Rivera’s case is part of a larger long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang, which is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley. Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation.
Distribution of methamphetamine is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for June 17, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
This case and the other related cases are the result of a joint investigation by theTreasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
Lapwai Woman Admits to Concealing Person from ArrestRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Nicole Shannon Rose Two Moon, 30, of Lapwai, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Coeur d’Alene to concealing a person from arrest, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Two Moon was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 18, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Two Moon admitted that in April and May of 2014, she allowed Delbert George to stay at her house knowing a federal warrant had been issued for his arrest in March of 2014. Two Moon let him stay there to help George avoid detection on the warrant.
The charge of concealing person from arrest is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for July 21, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.
“I commend the collaborative efforts of law enforcement,” said Olson. “Harboring a fugitive is a serious crime which creates a potentially dangerous situation for all of those involved.”
The case was investigated by the Nez Perce Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Bonners Ferry Man Pleads Guilty to Violent ATM Theft in McCallRead the Press Release
BOISE — Nathan Paul Davenport, 35, formerly of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday to bank larceny by use of a dangerous weapon and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony offense, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Davenport was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 9, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, on January 10, 2014, Davenport and his co-defendant, Matthew Taber Annable, aiding and abetting each other, broke into and stole cash from an automated teller machine (ATM) located at the Idaho First Bank in McCall, Idaho. Davenport possessed, carried, used, and discharged a firearm, specifically a Ruger semiautomatic rifle, in connection with the offense. Davenport admitted that he used the rifle to shoot at pursuing McCall police officers. As relevant conduct, the indictment charged both men with other ATM larcenies committed against Idaho Banking Company in Boise and Meridian on January 5, 2014, and a conspiracy to commit a string of ATM larcenies in December, 2013 and January, 2014, which occurred in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, as well as in Idaho.
Davenport did not challenge forfeiture allegations filed for the purpose of forfeiting firearms connected with the crimes, and proceeds of the crimes.
Davenport and Annable were arrested by FBI agents without incident on January 12, 2014, in Orem, Utah, in connection with a separate ATM robbery in Wyoming. The two men were in custody on the Wyoming charges prior to being transported to Boise on the Idaho charges. In the District of Wyoming, both men pleaded guilty to single counts of ATM theft and aiding and abetting and each received a fourteen month prison sentence.
Davenport’s sentencing is set for June 22, 2015, in front of U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge. Annable’s plea hearing is scheduled for April 20, 2015, also before Judge Lodge.
The charge of bank larceny by use of a dangerous weapon as charged in the Idaho indictment is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. The charge of use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony offense is punishable by a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
The case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Idaho State Police, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office, and the McCall Police Department.
San Jose, California Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Related Charges in IdahoRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Miguel Gutierrez-Munoz, 40, of San Jose, California, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Gutierrez-Munoz was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 23, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, between February 18, 2014 and March 20, 2014, there was an agreement between the defendant and others to distribute methamphetamine. On March 20, 2014, the defendant assisted a co-defendant in storing in excess of fifty grams of methamphetamine at a storage shed in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This methamphetamine was intended to be distributed to other individuals.
Gutierrez-Munoz’ charge is punishable by ten years to life in prison, a maximum fine of ten million dollars, and at least five years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for June 24, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in conjunction with, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bonneville County Sherriff’s Office, Idaho Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, and the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office.
The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Nampa Woman Pleads Guilty to Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BOISE – Brandi Larrea, 31, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Larrea was indicted on October 15, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Larrea admitting selling methamphetamine at her residence in Nampa, Idaho, on five separate occasions in January and March of 2013, and from March to May of 2014, totaling 33.3 grams of actual methamphetamine. In June of 2013, law enforcement agents with the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the defendant's residence pursuant to a search warrant and discovered 24 grams of actual methamphetamine and digital scales.
Distribution of methamphetamine is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As part of her plea, Larrea also agreed to forfeit at least $1,835.00 in cash proceeds of the charged offenses.
Sentencing is set for June 17, 2015 before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
This case and the other related cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force iscomprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
Idaho Falls Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Her Deceased Mother’s Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Wendy K. Banks, 55, of, Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to theft of government funds, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. She was indicted by a grand jury on November 20, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Banks admitted that between June 2009 and January 2014, she stole $29,600.20 of her deceased mother’s monthly social security benefits. After her mother’s death, Banks maintained the joint bank account she had shared with her mother. Banks forged her mother’s signature or wrote “for deposit” on the social security checks and deposited them in the joint account, eventually changing the checks to direct deposit in the joint account.
The charge of theft of government funds is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for June 23, 2015 in Pocatello before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney as part of a partnership venture between the Social Security Administration Office of General Counsel and the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute social security fraud.
Boise Man Sentenced for Internet Sex CrimeRead the Press Release
BOISE - William Bryon Chest, 41, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for transfer and attempted transfer of obscene images to minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chest pleaded guilty on January 15, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, in April and May 2014, Chest sent sexually explicit images accompanied by graphic sexual messages to a 13-year-old girl from Oregon and convinced her to send nude photos of herself to him using the social media website “Kik.” “Kik” is an instant messaging service based in Canada that is available as an application for smart phones. The FBI in Portland was notified and an agent took over the girl’s identity and continued to communicate with Chest. According to the plea agreement, Chest sent obscene images to the undercover agent, and twice discussed plans to travel to Oregon to meet the teen girl for sex, although he never actually did so. Chest was arrested at his home in Boise on September 25, 2014, and has remained in custody since.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Portland and Boise, assisted by officers from the Boise Police Department and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Two Men Plead Guilty to Bank Robbery in Twin FallsRead the Press Release
BOISE - Juan Loredo, 22, and Shawn Smith,19, both from Salinas, California, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery by use of dangerous weapons and brandishing of firearms during the commission of a felony offense, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, on November 20, 2014, the defendants robbed the First Federal Bank in Twin Falls, Idaho. As the men entered the bank, Loredo brandished a sawed-off shotgun, and Smith brandished a semi-automatic pistol at the tellers and manager. They stole more than $7,000, all of which was recovered by police when the men were arrested after a high-speed vehicle chase, and foot pursuit.
Sentencing is set for June 9, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge. The men will continue to be held in custody awaiting their sentences.
The charge of bank robbery by use of a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000. In addition to the bank robbery, Juan Loredo faces an additional period of not less than 10 years of incarceration consecutive to any other punishment, and a maximum fine of $250,000 for brandishing the short-barreled shotgun during the crime of violence. Shawn Smith faces an additional period of not less than seven years consecutive to any other punishment for brandishing the pistol during the crime of violence.
“Those who use firearms to commit violent crimes will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” said Olson.
The men were apprehended by, and the case was investigated by, the Twin Falls Police Department. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted in the investigation and prosecution of these offenses.
Blackfoot Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Dude Galloway, 34, of Blackfoot, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to assaulting a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 28, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, on March 18, 2014, Galloway was arrested by the Fort Hall Police Department on an active arrest warrant and was transported by Fort Hall police officers to the Fort Hall Correctional Center. While at the jail, corrections officers attempted to get the defendant to change into jail-issued clothing. While doing so, the defendant struck a Fort Hall Corrections officer in the face with his hands. The federal assault on an officer law deems Fort Hall corrections and police officers to be federal officers.
Assault on a federal officer is punishable by up to eight years in prison, supervised release of up to three years, and a fine of up to $250.000.
Galloway is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
The case was investigated by the Fort Hall Police Department.
Reno, Nevada Man Sentenced for Aggravated Identity Theft for Fraudulent Credit Card Use in BoiseRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rapphel Johnson, 28, of Reno, Nevada, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Johnson to pay a $5,000 fine, and serve one year of supervised release following the prison term.
Johnson was indicted in September 2014, for access device fraud (credit card fraud) and aggravated identity theft. According to the plea agreement, Johnson admitted that on September 1, 2014, he and a co-defendant knowingly used counterfeit credit cards containing the account numbers of real people to make a number of fraudulent purchases in Boise at stores including Rite Aid, Subway, T-Mobile, Finish Line, and Macy’s. In particular, Johnson admitted using a counterfeit credit card, with another person’s account number, to purchase a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 at the Boise Towne Square Mall. Additionally, Johnson admitted that when he was contacted by police at a motel room rented with a counterfeit credit card, he threw several counterfeit credit cards out the motel room window.
Johnson’s co-defendant, Elizabeth Carter, is scheduled for sentencing on May 12, 2015.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft for Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Brian Treadwell, 25, of Buford, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Sentencing is set for June 16, 2015, before U.S. District Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Treadwell was indicted, along with Rakeen Anderson, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia; Kyandre Banks, 34, of Lilburn, Georgia; Terrance Barimah, 26, of Floranceville, Georgia; Clarence Collins, 34, of Douglasville, Georgia; Jean Estinville, 26, of Lawrenceville, Georgia; Rashine Kale, 38, of Lawrenceville, Georgia; Charles Moore, 25, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Jonathan Penn, 20, of Suwanee, Georgia; and Mikki Williams, 24, of Atlanta, Georgia on charges relating to a wire fraud and identity theft scheme. Banks, Collins, Estinville, Kale, Moore, Penn, Treadwell, and Williams were each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Anderson was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Barimah was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and illegal possession of device-making equipment.
According to the plea agreement, Treadwell traveled to the District of Idaho, along with his co-defendants, for the purpose of making fraudulent purchases of gift cards and prepaid debit cards from retail stores, using stolen credit card numbers encoded onto stock debit cards. Treadwell admitted to obtaining the stock debit cards encoded with unauthorized credit card numbers, and making purchases at retail stores on October 5, 2014. In all, Treadwell admitted to traveling to four separate retail stores, and making eight total purchases, using six different credit cards numbers that he was not authorized to use. Upon his arrest, Treadwell was found in possession of 10 debit cards encoded with unauthorized credit card numbers.
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years, a term of supervised release of not more than one year, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $100. As part of his plea, Treadwell also agreed to forfeit $49,953.41 in cash proceeds of the charged offenses.
Co-defendants Anderson, Barimah, Collins, Estinville, Kale, Moore, Penn, and Williams are currently scheduled for a jury trial on April 27, 2015. Co-defendant Kyandre Banks remains a fugitive.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects $88,000 for Costs of Suppressing Two Escaped Prescribed BurnsRead the Press Release
BOISE — U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that her office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit has settled a lawsuit for fire suppression costs against John Faulkner and Faulkner Land and Livestock Company. The office collected $88,000. The case involved two fires: the “Faulkner” fire in September, 2008 and the “Castlerock” fire in September, 2010. Both fires started when prescribed burns on Faulkner land near Gooding, Idaho escaped to federal land on a windy afternoon. Idaho burn permits require permit-holders to provide adequate containment equipment and personnel to contain private burns. The permits also require citizens to refrain from burning in windy conditions. Crews from the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service provided a ground and air attack to suppress the fires in dry and steep terrain.
The United States owns, manages, and administers various parcels of public lands through the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. Both agencies suppress uncontrolled wildfires within their jurisdiction pursuant to mutual aid and cooperative agreements. The money collected will reimburse the agencies for funds expended.
“Tactics, communication and human safety are of the utmost importance in order to prevent putting firefighters and private citizens in harm’s way,” said Olson. “We are pleased that our agencies can work cooperatively with efficiency. We are also pleased to be able to recover more than $88,000 for future fire suppression efforts,” Olson added. “We will continue to make strong efforts to ensure that in appropriate cases private parties who cause fires reimburse the taxpayers for putting out fires that burn or threaten federally managed land.”
Two Plead Guilty to Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jose Manuel Menchaca, 35, and Nicole Danelle Nieto, 31, both of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty in United States District Court to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
Nieto, who pleaded guilty yesterday, sold methamphetamine to a police informant on two occasions in June 2014, according to information presented in court. Law enforcement agents located additional methamphetamine when they searched Nieto’s residence on June 18, 2014. On that same date, Nieto admitted she was selling methamphetamine.
Menchaca, who pleaded guilty today, sold methamphetamine to a police informant on three separate occasions, according to the plea agreement.
A federal grand jury indicted Menchaca and Nieto in two separate indictments filed on October 15, 2014. Although charged separately, the cases are both part of a larger long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang, which is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley. Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation.
The charge against Menchaca is punishable by a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine up to $5 million, and a minimum of 4 years supervised release. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 28, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The charge against Nieto is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and at least 3 years of supervised release. She is scheduled for sentencing on May 26, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
These cases and the other related cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
Sentencing in Assault on Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Caitlin Eagle, 25, of Fort Hall, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court to twelve months and one day in prison, and six months in a halfway house, followed by three years of supervised release, for assault on a federal officer, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
On February 18, 2014, Fort Hall police were dispatched to an area in Fort Hall after a report of shots fired. The caller said the persons involved were dressed in black and were running from the area. The responding officer arrived in the area and saw a person in a black coat. The officer tried to talk with the person, but she continued walking away from the officer. The person, later identified as Eagle, gave the officer a false name and was uncooperative. The officer smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her person, a violation of Fort Hall tribal law, and the officer attempted to arrest her. As the officer tried to handcuff her, she became combative and struck the officer in the face several times. The officer was able to handcuff Eagle and with the help of another officer was able to get Eagle into the police car. The injured officer was treated at the hospital for abrasions on his cheek and nose.
The case was investigated by the Fort Hall Police Department.
Two Florida Women Sentenced to Prison for Check Cashing SchemeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jennifer A. Gallagher, 32, of Margate, Florida, and Danielle M. Cook, 29, of Pembrooke Pines, Florida, were each sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Gallagher and Cook to serve three years of supervised release, and to jointly pay $26,500 in restitution. Both women pled guilty on December 18, 2014.
According to the plea agreements, Cook and Gallagher admitted that, between August 9th and 13th, 2014, they traveled to the District of Idaho to participate in a scheme to defraud financial institutions by cashing stolen checks. In particular, Cook and Gallagher admitted to obtaining stolen checks and driver's licenses, altering their appearances, including by the use of wigs, such that they would closely resemble the photographs on the stolen driver's licenses, then cashing the stolen checks through the far lane of numerous banks in the Treasure Valley. At least twelve such checks were cashed by Cook and Gallagher.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Ada County Sheriff's Office, the Meridian Police Department, and the Boise Police Department.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced for New Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
BOISE - William Clarence Brower, 51, of Hazelton, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday by Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill to 110 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for two counts of transfer of obscene images to minors and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Brower pled guilty on November 25, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, the investigation began in February 2014, when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received a request for assistance from the Massachusetts State Police regarding an unknown adult male using the social media website “Kik” messenger to send photographs of an erect penis to a 10-year-old female in Massachusetts. An undercover detective took over the child’s online identity and made the suspect aware that “she” was 10 years old. The suspect replied, “C00000l. I don't mind that you are so young,” followed by sexually explicit comments. After having learned he was communicating with a ten-year-old, the suspect continued to send similar pictures and sexual comments directed at the child.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated investigation, sheriff’s deputies in Maricopa County, Arizona, received a complaint from a family in Mesa, Arizona, that their 13-year-old daughter had been receiving unsolicited sexually explicit text messages from an unknown individual using “Kik” messenger. The messages were accompanied by images of an erect penis. The investigators in Massachusetts and Arizona independently developed information suggesting that an individual with last name Brower in Hazelton, Idaho, was responsible.
According to the plea agreement, Idaho ICAC investigators learned that the suspect, William Clarence Brower, of Hazelton, is a registered sex offender. He had been convicted in 2008 of felony indecent exposure in Twin Falls County. They served a search warrant at Brower’s residence on February 21, 2014. A forensic examiner found more than 24,000 digital images considered relevant to the investigation on Brower’s cell phone. These included pictures depicting child pornography, child erotica, images of a male subject wearing female undergarments, numerous images of a male exposing his penis, and non-pornographic images of numerous young females that appear to have been obtained through a social media application or web site. Brower was interviewed and took responsibility for using his cell phone to send using “Kik” messenger hundreds of sexually explicit photos of himself to random persons, most of whom he knew were under the age of 18. Brower also admitted that he possessed images and videos of child pornography.
The case was investigated by the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Boise Police Department, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of State Police of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Jerome County Sheriff’s Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Justice Department Surpasses $2 Billion in Awards under the Radiation Exposure Compensation ActRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced today that it has awarded more than $2 billion in compassionate compensation to eligible claimants under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
The RECA was enacted in 1990 as a non-adversarial alternative to litigation for individuals who contracted certain illnesses following exposure to radiation as a result of the United States’ atmospheric nuclear testing program and uranium ore processing operations during the Cold War. Congress expanded the scope of the law’s coverage in 2000. In its present form, the RECA provides lump sum compensation awards to individuals who contracted specified diseases in three defined populations: uranium miners, millers and ore transporters who are eligible for $100,000 per claim; participants in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests who are eligible for $75,000 per claim; and individuals who lived downwind of the Nevada Test Site (downwinders) who are eligible for $50,000 per claim.
“RECA claimants worked in hazardous occupations and were subjected to increased risk of disease to serve the national security interests of the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This extraordinary statute provides partial restitution to these individuals and their families for the sacrifices they made during a critical time in our nation’s history.”
Compensation has been awarded to individuals residing in every state. Since 1990, nearly 43,000 claims have been filed and 32,000 claims have been approved. Residents of the Four Corners Region of the American southwest have filed the majority of RECA claims. The department has awarded more than 9,400 claims filed by residents of Arizona, valued at more than $500 million. Approximately 3,800 claims filed by residents of New Mexico have been awarded, valued at nearly $350 million, and approximately 5,800 claims filed by Utah residents have been awarded, valued at approximately $330 million. Colorado residents have received awards in more than 3,200 claims, valued at more than $213 million.
Awards to Native American claimants total approximately $264 million distributed among members of 17 different tribes. The department has awarded more than 2,800 claims filed by members of the Navajo Nation, valued at more than $212 million. In addition, the department has awarded more than $24 million to members of the Laguna Pueblo Tribe and more than $9 million to members of the Apache Tribes.
Since 1990, the department has awarded more than 3,600 claims filed by veterans, civil servants and contractors who participated onsite in atmospheric nuclear tests, valued in excess of $266 million. Nearly $100 million of this compensation was awarded following a surge in claims filed in 2011 and 2012.
“This benchmark reflects the department’s efforts to help thousands of U.S. citizens reach closure on a unique chapter of our history,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kali N. Bracey of the Civil Division’s Torts Branch. The RECA is administered by the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program, a component of the Constitutional and Specialized Torts Litigation section within the Torts Branch.
The Department of Justice is a part of a broad inter-agency network that includes the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Energy, comprising the comprehensive federal radiation compensation system. Eligibility determinations are routinely coordinated with these agencies.
The RECA will expire on July 9, 2022, and claims received after that date will be barred. Individuals interested in filing a claim may visit the department’s RECA website or contact the Radiation Exposure Compensation Program at 800-729-7327.
Worley Man Sentenced for Theft from the Benewah MarketRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Adam Lee SiJohn, 26, of Worley, Idaho, was sentenced today to six months in prison for his part in the theft of more than $22,000 from the Benewah Market in Plummer, Idaho, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered SiJohn to pay $22,665.04 in restitution. SiJohn was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on October 21, 2014, and pleaded guilty to theft from a tribal organization on December 10, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, SiJohn admitted that on the late evening and early morning of August 20 and 21, 2014, he and his two co-defendants devised a plan to rob the Benewah Market. SiJohn as given the keys and the combination to the store safe. SiJohn took three bank bags from the safe. The bags contained cash and checks totaling $22,655.04.
The case was investigated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Repeat Bank Robber Sentenced to 99 MonthsRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE - Ricky Allen Fisher, 35, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced today to 99 months in federal prison for bank robberies he committed in Ontario, Oregon and Cottonwood, Idaho, announced U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson. U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge increased Fisher’s sentence from 87 to 99 months because Fisher committed the bank robberies within days of being released from prison. Judge Lodge also ordered Fisher to pay restitution to each of the three banks he robbed. Fisher pleaded guilty to the charges on December 8, 2014.
In his plea agreement, Fisher admitted to being released from federal prison on May 6, 2014. Fisher left the prison and took a bus to Idaho. He arrived on May 9, 2014, and was taken to Ontario, Oregon, where he robbed a Chase Bank of $1,600. Five days later he entered U.S. Bank in Ontario, Oregon, demanded cash and left with $1,334.00. On May 16, 2014, Fisher robbed the U.S. Bank in Cottonwood, Idaho and took $2,324.00. Fisher was driven to each bank by Jennifer Balfe, 19, who previously pled guilty and was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Lewiston City Police, Idaho State Police, Ontario City Police, Cottonwood City Police and Idaho County Sheriff’s Office.
Salt Lake City Woman Arrested for Threatening a Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Joan Osborn, 57, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was arrested today for threatening to assault and murder a Utah federal judge, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho is handling the prosecution, rather than the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah, in accordance with Department of Justice policy because the federal judge sits in the District of Utah. Osborn was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on February 25, 2015.
Osborn is scheduled to appear in court on March 2, 2015, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Evelyn J. Furse at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City.
If convicted, the charge is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct and is not evidence of guilt. A person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Arizona Couple Sentenced to Prison for Large Load of Heroin and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jess Ramirez-Orta, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced today to eight years in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Ramirez-Orta’s girlfriend and co-defendant, Marina Morales, 24, also of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Ramirez-Orta and Morales to forfeit $150,000 in cash proceeds. Ramirez-Orta was ordered to serve five years of supervised release, while Morales was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
According to the court documents, Ramirez-Orta and Morales agreed to transport 5.3 pounds of heroin and 4.2 pounds of methamphetamine from Phoenix, Arizona to Seattle, Washington. As the couple was passing through Twin Falls, Idaho, they were stopped for driving 87 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone. Neither the driver, Ramirez-Orta, nor the passenger, Morales, had a valid driver’s license. The heroin and methamphetamine was discovered in the trunk of the rental car they were driving. Morales had no prior felony convictions, while Ramirez-Orta had previously been convicted of Burglary and Felony Assault. Ramirez-Orta was on felony probation at the time of his arrest in Idaho.
The case was investigated by the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Nevada Woman Pleads Guilty to Access Device FraudRead the Press Release
BOISE – Elizabeth Carter, 21, of Reno, Nevada, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to one count of access device fraud for using counterfeit credit cards, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Sentencing is set for May 5, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Carter, and co-defendant Rapphel Johnson, who already pleaded guilty, were indicted in September 2014, for access device fraud (credit card fraud) and identity theft. According to the plea agreement, Carter admitted that on September 1, 2014, she and Johnson knowingly used counterfeit credit cards containing the account numbers of real people to make a number of fraudulent purchases in Boise at stores including Rite Aid, Subway, T-Mobile, Finish Line, and Macy’s. In particular, Carter admitted using a counterfeit credit card, with another person’s account number, to purchase items at T-Mobile at the Boise Towne Square Mall. Additionally, Carter admitted that when she and Johnson were contacted by police, at a motel room rented with a counterfeit credit card, Johnson threw several counterfeit credit cards out the motel room window. The co-defendant, Johnson, is set for sentencing on March 16, 2015.
A violation of access device fraud is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $100.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
Fort Hall Man Pleads Guilty to Theft from a Tribal OrganizationRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Demetrius Anthony Gomez, 28, of Fort Hall, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to theft from a tribal organization, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Gomez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 28, 2014.
On April 2, 2014, Gomez, an off-duty employee of the Sage Hill Travel Center, a gas station, convenience store and casino on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, near Exit 89 from Interstate 15, entered the travel center at about 3:50 am. The defendant told his fellow employee at the front desk that he was checking the schedule. The defendant went to the rear office and a few minutes later walked out and exited the store. The fellow employee became suspicious of the defendant and checked the back room. He reviewed the surveillance recording of the room and saw that the defendant had removed money from the safe in the room. A review of the surveillance recording in the front part of the store later showed that the defendant re-entered the store while the fellow employee was checking the back office. The defendant then removed additional money from a box under the cash register. An audit showed $1,984.00 missing. The money belongs to the Sage Hill Travel Center, which is an Indian tribal organization of the Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
Theft from a tribal organization is punishable by imprisonment up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge.
The case was investigated by the Fort Hall Police Department.
Day Trader Pleads Guilty to Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
POCATELLO - Michael Justin Hoopes, 41, of Rexburg, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Hoopes pleaded guilty pre-indictment to a criminal information filed by the U.S. Attorney.
According to the plea agreement, Hoopes admitted that from 2007 through February of 2011, he engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in various investment opportunities he offered. Specifically, Hoopes solicited investors to provide him with capital he represented he would use in his commodities futures day trading activities and to invest in Connected Lyfe, a publicly traded company.
Hoopes misrepresented to investors that he earned returns day trading in excess of 20 to 25 percent, that he would invest all of the capital they provided in day trading and pay them from the profits generated by their investments, and he would receive personal compensation only from profits he made above the 20 to 25 percent return. Hoopes provided false monthly account statements to investors documenting the purported positive returns. Further, regarding Connected Lyfe, Hoopes misrepresented that an investor would double their investment within one year and would bear little risk of loss.
In reality, Hoopes did not invest all of the capital he received, used much of it for personal expenses, including to pay credit card bills, and paid “positive” returns to existing investors primarily from the capital raised from new investors. Between 2007 and February of 2011, Hoopes received in excess of $9 million from investors. Of this amount, the defendant did not invest and misappropriated approximately $620,000 for his own personal use. Contrary to monthly account statements showing positive returns, he lost most of the remainder day trading and in other failed investments.
The charge of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The charge of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for May 12, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.
Owner of San Gabriel Valley Surrogacy Agency Pleads Guilty to Ripping Off Would-Be Parents who Paid for Egg DonationsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The owner of a Glendora egg donation and surrogacy company pleaded guilty late this afternoon to a federal wire fraud charge and admitted defrauding would-be parents, egg donors and surrogates over the course of more than three years.
Allison Layton, a 38-year-old resident of Star, Idaho, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge George H. Wu.
Layton, who owned and operated Miracles Egg Donation and sometimes used the name Allison Jarvie, lived in Glendora during the course of the scheme.
Between August 2008 and January 2012, would-be parents – who in the surrogacy and egg donation world are known as intended parents – paid thousands of dollars for egg donation and surrogacy services that Miracles promised to coordinate. Layton took money – often tens of thousands of dollars – from the intended parents, but, instead of putting the funds into escrow accounts to be withdrawn only for certain costs related to the surrogacy or egg donation, Layton used the money for her own personal expenses or to cover unpaid costs related to other clients.
As a result of Layton’s misappropriation of client funds, egg donors, surrogates, attorneys and others often were not paid for all the services they provided and intended parents often did not receive all the services for which they had paid. At least one investor in Miracles also lost money.
When the donors, surrogates and intended parents sought to recover their money and costs, Layton would lull them into believing they would be repaid through false assurances that payments had already been made or would be made soon.
As a result of the fraud scheme, more than 40 victims lost more than $270,000.
As a result of her pleading guilty to wire fraud, Layton faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Layton is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Wu on May 28.
The investigation into Layton was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mexican National Sentenced as Leader and Organizer of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
BOISE — Juan Pablo Villasenor-Villa, 25, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced yesterday to 288 months in prison for continuing criminal enterprise involving the unlawful growing of thousands of marijuana plants, and possession of large quantities of harvested marijuana with intent to distribute it, as well as damage to federal public lands, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Villasenor-Villa to pay $33,265 in restitution, to pay a $500 special assessment, and to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison. Villasenor-Villa, the organizer and leader of two marijuana growing operations, was convicted on November 4, 2014, following a one-week jury trial.
“This lengthy sentence reflects the seriousness of this offense and size of these marijuana operations, the need for just punishment, and especially the need for deterrence,” said Olson. “If other people intend to be involved in this type of abuse of public lands, they need to consider the consequences of a sentence like this.”
Villasenor-Villa is the final defendant to be sentenced in connection with the two marijuana growing operations discovered in the Boise National Forest in September 2013. The court previously sentenced the other participants who were working in the marijuana growing operation under the direction of Villasenor-Villa. Jose Ayala-Talavera was sentenced to 111 months for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance, injury to government property, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Marcos Solano-Farias was sentenced to 30 months for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and injury to government property. Carlos Cerda-Carpio was sentenced to 27 months for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Gilberto Duran Contreras was sentenced to 30 months for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance and injury to government property. Mariah Villasenor-Rodriguez, Villasenor-Villa’s wife, was sentenced to 21 months for possession of more than 100 kilograms of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The two outdoor marijuana growing operations were located in the Boise National Forest, a few miles from Highway 21 in Boise County. Ayala-Talavera, Solano-Farias, and Cerda-Carpio were captured by law enforcement officers at a camp located next to a marijuana grow site on Rabbit Creek, with 1,411 live plants, as well as harvested marijuana. According to the plea agreements, investigators found and seized two semi-automatic handguns, an AK-47 type rifle in the camp, and several hundred marijuana plants that had already been harvested from the growing operation. Investigators located and eradicated all live marijuana plants. Law enforcement officers also found a related grow site at Beaver Creek, where they removed 5,463 marijuana plants. Duran-Contreras was arrested near this site. Investigators recovered harvested marijuana in one-pound, heat-sealed packages from Villasenor-Villa’s house and from a relative’s house in Caldwell, Idaho. They also recovered $68,500 in large bills of U.S. currency during the arrest of his wife and co-defendant, Mariah Villasenor-Rodriguez on September 12, 2013, in Caldwell.
“Vigorous prosecution of those who grow illegal drugs on federal land is a high priority of this office,” said Olson. “Those who operate marijuana grows not only traffic in illegal drugs, but they also damage wildlife and the environment and, through their possession and possible use of firearms, they pose a significant danger to all Idahoans who seek to use our national forests for hiking, hunting and recreation purposes. Drugs and guns are a dangerous and often violent combination. Today’s sentence demonstrates that the federal agents and federal prosecutors will carefully target those who use or possess firearms for unlawful drug businesses.”
The case is the result of an investigation through the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Land Management, and United States Forest Service, with assistance from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, City/County Narcotics Unit (Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and Caldwell Police Department), the Idaho National Guard, Meridian Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Spokane Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Washington State Police.
The OCDETF program is a federal, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Photo 1168: Miles of irrigation tubing of several dimensions were removed from the Rabbit Creek grow, along with eradicated marijuana plants. This photo shows one load hauled out with long-lines by helicopter.
Photo 1189: A forest road at the trail entrance in the Boise National Forest near Little Beaver Creek. Juan Pablo Villasenor-Villa provides supplies for marijuana workers and gives them directions.
Member of “Traveling Group” of Fraudsters SentencedRead the Press Release
BOISE — Myron Pardon, 26, from Southfield, Michigan, was sentenced yesterday to six month in prison for aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Pardon to serve six months in a half-way-house after his release from prison, followed by six months of home detention and three years of supervised release. During his supervised release, Pardon can have only one credit card in his possession. Pardon pleaded guilty to the charges on November 13, 2014.
Pardon, co-defendant Brandt Stewart and others were part of a “traveling group” from Detroit, Michigan, that traveled to southern Idaho in December, 2013, and February, 2014, to make purchases at large “box stores” using counterfeit credit cards. Pardon knowingly and with intent to defraud used counterfeit credit cards to purchase “general use” charge cards at ten stores in Twin Falls, Boise and Meridian causing losses in the amount of $4,340.15. Some of the credit cards fraudulently used by Pardon belonged to actual account holders, thus constituting aggravated identity theft.
Stewart has entered a plea of guilty to similar charges and will be sentenced on April 28, 2015. A second co-defendant, Matthew Lane, will be transferred to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, in Detroit, where Lane will plead guilty. No hearing date has been set in Detroit.
“Vigorous prosecution of those who travel here to carry out schemes to defraud Idaho citizens and businesses is a priority of this United States Attorney’s Office,” said Olson. “My office will work effectively and aggressively with local police departments and federal law enforcement agencies to put a quick end to these schemes.”
The case is the result of a joint investigation result of the Boise Police Department, United States Secret Service, and U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Worley Women Plead Guilty in Theft from Benewah MarketRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE B Camille Ellen Desautel, 45, and Twilla Marie St. Pierre, 37, both of Worley, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to theft from the Benewah Market, a Coeur d'Alene tribal organization, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Desautel and St. Pierre were indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on October 21, 2014.
According to court documents, Desautel and St. Pierre admitted that on August 21, 2014, they, along with a co-defendant, entered the closed market and stole cash and checks totaling approximately $22,650.
The charge of theft from a tribal organization is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing for Desautel and St. Pierre is set for April 28, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene. Co-defendant Adam Lee SiJohn pleaded guilty on December 10, 2014, and will be sentenced on March 3, 2015.
The case was investigated by Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lapwai Man Sentenced for Escape and Probation ViolationsRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE B Solomon Elias Wheeler, 34, of Lapwai, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court to a total of 13 months in prison, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge ordered Wheeler to serve seven months in prison for escape, consecutive to six months in prison for two supervised release violations.
In July 2012, Wheeler was sentenced to eight months in prison and five years supervised release for violating federal sex offender registration laws and giving a false statement to an FBI agent. In June 2014, Wheeler was alleged to have violated his supervised release and was placed back into federal custody. Later that month, Wheeler petitioned for a medical furlough. The court granted the medical furlough, finding that Wheeler needed a medical procedure. The court ordered Wheeler to report back to jail in early July 2014, following treatment. Wheeler did not return to jail and remained out of custody until his arrest in September 2014.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service with the assistance of the Nez Perce Tribal Police Department.
Investment Advisor SentencedRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE B JoAnn Jackson, 63, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U. S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Jackson to serve three years of supervised release, to pay $811,084.32 in restitution and to serve 200 hours of community service. Jackson pleaded guilty on November 20, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Jackson admitted that in 1994, she became a licensed stock broker in Idaho. Early in her career, Jackson came into contact with a victim, who eventually put all of her investment accounts under Jackson’s care. Jackson developed a scheme to misappropriate the victim’s money by transferring the funds from the victim’s account into other accounts, eventually obtaining the benefit of the money stolen. Jackson was remanded into federal custody immediately following the sentencing.
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.
Second California Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft for Retail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rocio Contreras-Loya, 40, of Sante Fe Springs, California, 31, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Sentencing is set for April 27, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Contreras-Loya was indicted, along with Arleen Cifuentes, 31, of Riverside, California, and Ivan Fonseca, 30, of Richmond, California in September 2014, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices. According to the plea agreement, Contreras-Loya engaged in a retail scheme between July 2013 and July 2014, whereby she defrauded retail stores by applying for, and obtaining, credit accounts in the identities of unknowing third party victims. Contreras-Loya then used the credit accounts to fraudulently purchase merchandise and gift cards. Contreras-Loya admitted she received, from co-defendant Cifuentes, victim identification information and false California Driver's Licenses in the victims' names, containing Contreras-Loya's photo. Contreras-Loya admitted that she and her co-defendants executed the scheme on at least fifteen occasions in the District of Idaho. Cifuentes and Contreras-Loya were arrested shortly after executing the scheme at the Boise Town Square Mall.
Wire Fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Aggravated Identity Theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years, a term of supervised release of not more than one year, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $100. As part of her plea, Contreras-Loya also agreed to forfeit $26,777.13 in cash proceeds of the charged offenses.
Co-defendant Arleen Cifuentes pled guilty to one count of Wire Fraud and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft on January 27, 2015. Her sentencing is also scheduled for April 27th before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Co-defendant Ivan Fonseca remains a fugitive.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
Oregon Man Sentenced for Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
BOISE - Scott L. Austin, 52, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced today by visiting Senior District Judge Justin L. Quackenbush to 12 months and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release for to attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. He pleaded guilty on October 28, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, Austin admitted that on various occasions between the summer of 2011, and October 2013, he engaged in sexually explicit chats with an undercover police officer and a person he believed was the officer’s minor child. Austin admitted that on August 9, 2011, while chatting online with the supposed minor, whom he had been told was 13 years old, in a chat room titled “Incest,” he sent three sexually explicit images accompanied by contemporaneous sexually explicit chats directed at the minor. The images he sent appeared to be minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct, although the identity and ages of the persons depicted could not be determined. In August and September of 2013, Austin emailed the detective in his undercover capacity and said he was going to be in Boise and asked to meet with him and his daughter.
Austin showed up at the predetermined location on October 11, 2013. A detective and a young female police officer waited at the location. Austin drove by several times and sent a text message, “got spooked,” and asked, “Are you a cop?” Austin requested that the two individuals kiss as he drove by so he could see them. Then, Austin stopped and had a brief conversation with the undercover detectives. He said that he was curious and that he may not have enough time tonight, and he wanted to see about meeting tomorrow.
Austin also told the male undercover officer that, “I would feel comfortable if she would just like flash me,” suggesting that the female show her breasts. Austin then said, “Maybe we should try to get together tomorrow.” The detective asked him if he had a hotel room, or where they would go and Austin said he could get a hotel room. He further stated, “I have been kind of curious; I just don’t know if I want to cross that line. So I am just nervous about it.” Austin also said he wanted to see the female clearer to determine if she was the same person he had seen in photos (the undercover detective had previously sent G-rated images of the female detective to Austin, claiming she was his “daughter”), and asked the detectives to turn their dome light on so he could see her. He then said he wanted to go, and drove away.
The case was investigated by the Boise Police Department, which is a member of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children. For more information about the Idaho ICAC Task Force and a list of all the participating agencies, visit www.icactaskforce.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Caldwell Man Sentenced in Tire Dumping CaseRead the Press Release
Boise - Terry Dorton Anderson, 49, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced today at the federal courthouse in Boise, Idaho on two felony counts of illegally damaging public land by dumping hundreds of old tires, United States Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Anderson to five years of probation so he can work to pay mandatory restitution of $14,500 for clean-up of Squaw Creek Canyon, and restitution in the amount of $7,157 for clean-up of land near Highway 78. Anderson can receive credit for the Highway 78 restitution if he cleans up and properly disposes of the hundreds of tires from the Highway 78 location to BLM’s satisfaction by June 15, 2015.
Anderson pleaded guilty on November 5, 2014. At his plea hearing, he admitted that, between July and December, 2012, he dumped hundreds of junk tires in Owyhee County on federal public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the steep-walled Squaw Creek Canyon area below Highway 95 south of Marsing, and on a dirt road near Mile Post 4 of Highway 78.
At sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Haws told the Court: “The creation of this good Earth did not result in any ‘trash lands;’ the only ‘trash lands’ are those disgraced areas trashed by some people. And one dump on public lands tends to get replicated by more people dumping there. This abuse of public land has to stop.” Chief Judge Winmill said that environmental crimes are clearly in the category of actions—like serious crimes against people—that have serious impact upon our nation. He noted that we live on a planet we can’t leave, “so we have an obligation to maintain the environment and protect it.”
“Dumping of junk tires or any kind of waste is a scourge on lands used by the public throughout southern Idaho,” said Olson. “Investigation and prosecution of these cases is a priority for the BLM and for this office. We will continue to join with our state and county partners to protect Idaho’s precious public land resources.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Land Management with the assistance of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office.
SQUAW CREEK
HIGHWAY 78
Lapwai Man Sentenced for Making False Statements to a Federal Official and Failing to AppearRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Delbert Daniel George, 31, of Lapwai, Idaho, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for making false statements to a federal official and failing to appear in court, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Visiting U.S. District Judge Fremming Nielsen ordered George to spend 36 months in prison for lying to federal agents and a consecutive 21 months for George’s failure to appear for sentencing on that charge.
“The consecutive sentences demonstrate that failing to appear is a serious matter,” said Olson. “Respect for the law, and for the courts, are the cornerstone of a civilized society. My office will continue to prosecute those who obstruct justice or fail to abide by the court's directives.”
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Nez Perce Tribal Police.
Member of “Traveling Group” of FraudstersRead the Press Release
BOISE — Brandt Stewart, 29, of Southfield, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The defendant appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush at the federal courthouse in Boise. Sentencing is set for April 28, 2015, before Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
According to the plea agreement, Brandt Stewart, co-defendants Myron Pardon and Matthew Lane and others, were part of a “traveling group” from the Detroit, Michigan area that traveled to southern Idaho in December 2013 and February 2014, to make purchases at large “box stores” using counterfeit credit cards. Stewart knowingly and with intent to defraud used counterfeit credit cards to purchase “general use” charge cards at ten stores in Twin Falls, Boise and Meridian causing losses in the amount of $4,105.43. Some of the credit cards fraudulently used by Stewart belonged to actual account holders, thus constituting aggravated identity theft.
Stewart, Pardon and Lane were indicted by a federal grand jury on April 9, 2014. Co- defendant Pardon has pleaded guilty to similar charges and will be sentenced on February 2, 2015, before Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Trial is currently set for February 2, 2015, for co-defendant Lane at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The charge of fraudulent use of a credit card carries a penalty of not more than 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a penalty of not more than 10 years in prison with a mandatory minimum penalty of not less than two years in prison consecutive to the penalty imposed for other counts.
“Vigorous prosecution of those who travel here to carry out schemes to defraud Idaho citizens and businesses is a priority of this United States Attorney’s Office,” said Olson. “My office will work effectively and aggressively with local police departments and federal law enforcement agencies to put a quick end to these schemes.”
The case is the result of a joint investigation result of the Boise Police Department, United States Secret Service, and U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
California Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft for Retail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOISE – Arleen Gadrina Cifuentes, 31, of Riverside, California, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Sentencing is set for April 27, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Cifuentes was indicted, along with Rocio Contreras-Loya, 40, of Sante Fe Springs, California, and Ivan Fonseca, 30, of Richmond, California, in September 2014, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of 15or more unauthorized access devices. According to the plea agreement, Cifuentes engaged in a retail scheme between July 2013 and July 2014, whereby she defrauded retail stores by applying for, and obtaining, credit accounts in the identities of unknowing third party victims. Cifuentes then used the credit accounts to fraudulently purchase merchandise and gift cards. Cifuentes admitted obtaining victim identification information from a third party, running credit reports on the victims, and obtaining California driver's licenses in the victims' names, containing her photo, or a photo of her co-defendants. Cifuentes admitted that she and her co-defendants executed the scheme on at least 15 occasions in the District of Idaho. Cifuentes and Contreras-Loya were arrested shortly after executing the scheme at the Boise Town Square Mall.
Wire Fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years, a term of supervised release of not more than one year, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $100. As part of her plea, Cifuentes also agreed to forfeit $26,777.13 in cash proceeds of the charged offenses.
Co-defendant Rocio Contreras-Loya is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on January 30, 2015. Co-defendant Ivan Fonseca remains a fugitive.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.