Northern District of Illinois
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Surreptitiously Recording Boys in YMCA Locker RoomsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for surreptitiously recording thousands of videos of nude boys inside YMCA lockers rooms.
For approximately two decades, MICHAEL PORTER surreptitiously recorded videos of nude boys inside the locker room at three Chicago-area YMCAs, where Porter was a member. Porter placed a video-recording device inside of a bag and then strategically placed the bag on the floor of the locker rooms. Porter sexually abused at least one of the boys, capturing the abuse on video.
During the investigation law enforcement seized from Porter six recording devices, seven cameras, 30 USB drives, hundreds of cassette tapes and DVDs, and two laptops. Law enforcement discovered in his possession 46,563 images and 44,553 videos depicting child pornography, including approximately 2,245 videos produced by Porter.
Porter, 58, pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis on Thursday ordered Porter to pay $63,500 in restitution to victims.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department.
“Michael Porter was a prolific manufacturer and collector of child pornography,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Totten and Elly M. Peirson argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Regardless of whether these images will ever surface again, the victims will live with the trauma imposed upon them by the defendant for the rest of their lives.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing Girl to Produce Sexually Explicit PhotosRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for enticing a 14-year-old girl to produce sexually explicit photos of herself and a younger sibling.
BRANDON T. HANAHAN, 26, of Bridgeview, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal child pornography charges. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the sentence Wednesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
Hanahan admitted in a plea agreement that in 2016 he communicated on Instagram with the 14-year-old girl and enticed her to take sexually explicit photos of herself and send them to him. Over the next several months, Hanahan repeatedly instructed and enticed the girl, who lived in California, to send him explicit photographs. Hanahan also repeatedly asked the girl to send him sexually explicit photos of the girl’s younger sister, who was less than ten years old at the time. The 14-year-old girl complied with Hanahan’s requests and sent him numerous photographs of herself and the sibling via Instagram private messaging.
Law enforcement searched Hanahan’s residence and discovered more than 200 images of child pornography on his electronic devices.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Orange County, Calif., Child Exploitation Task Force and the Santa Ana, Calif., Police Department. The government was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Boat Owner Sentenced to a Year in Federal Prison for Conducting Illegal Charter Operations on Chicago WaterwaysRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A boat owner has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for conducting illegal charter operations on Chicago waterways.
CHRISTOPHER MIKE GARBOWSKI used a 40-foot powerboat known as “Sea Hawk” and “Anchorman” to conduct illegal commercial charter operations on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, including an area in downtown Chicago known by boaters as “the Playpen.” Garbowski from 2017 to 2019 charged money to charter the boat to groups of passengers, such as bachelorette parties, even though he lacked the proper boating credentials and the U.S. Coast Guard had not inspected and certified his vessel.
The Coast Guard notified Garbowski about the federal regulations on multiple occasions, including at Monroe Harbor in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2017, when Coast Guard personnel boarded the boat moments before Garbowski was set to begin a five-hour charter for eight female passengers. As the women were walking down the dock to board the boat, Garbowski called one of them on her cell phone and told her to lie to Coast Guard personnel by pretending they were friends with Garbowski. On multiple occasions, Garbowski both verbally and in writing falsely denied to Coast Guard officials that he was operating a commercial charter service.
Garbowski, also known as “Christopher Michael Garbowski” and “Michael Gunnman,” 37, of Sterling Heights, Mich., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a felony charge of violating an order of the Captain of the Port. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin on Tuesday imposed the year-and-a-day sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Neal R. Marzloff, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Central Field Office. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police provided valuable assistance. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Chapman.
“The Coast Guard regulations are designed to ensure the safety of passengers, crew members, and other vessels and individuals in the waterways,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly violate maritime laws and regulations.”
“Mr. Garbowski’s actions demonstrated consistent disregard for Coast Guard authority and federal regulations concerning passenger vessel safety, putting his unsuspecting, and paying, customers at risk,” said SAC Marzloff.
Federal Indictment Charges Former Thomson Penitentiary Inmate with Murder in Connection with Death of Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A former inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Rockford in connection with the death of his cellmate.
JAVIER GONZALEZ-VALENZUELA, 47, of Sonora, Mexico, is charged with second-degree murder and assault in connection with the Feb. 28, 2021, death of Shay Paniry, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Rockford. Gonzalez-Valenzuela, who was Paniry’s cellmate at the time of the murder, was later released from Thomson but remained in law enforcement custody on an unrelated charge. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the new charges and was ordered to remain detained in federal custody.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincenza L. Tomlinson and Cassandra L. Quaglia.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The maximum sentence for the murder charge is life imprisonment, while the maximum for the assault charge is ten years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Chicago Bank Robber Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for robbing a downtown Chicago bank.
REGINALD DEBERRY and a co-defendant, IESHA BATCHELOR, robbed a Fifth Third Bank branch in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood on Nov. 22, 2019. Deberry served as a lookout near the bank's entrance while Batchelor approached the teller, and, drawing on coaching from Deberry about what to say, said, “I want all the money… no one will get hurt.” After receiving cash, Deberry and Batchelor fled from the area and divided the proceeds.
At the time of the robbery, Deberry was serving a term of court-supervised release for two prior federal bank robbery convictions.
Deberry, 60, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed the sentence Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
Batchelor, 31, of Chicago, also pleaded guilty to a bank robbery charge. She was sentenced in March to a year in prison.
The sentences were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Fred Waller, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“The defendant has shown himself to be a recalcitrant outlier who has engaged in a remarkably consistent pattern of violent offenses throughout his adult life,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.
Suburban Chicago Man Guilty of Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man admitted in federal court that he illegally possessed more than 3,000 videos and images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
MIGUEL ASCENCIOS, also known as “Allison Wou,” 55, of Burr Ridge, Ill., pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of receipt of child pornography. The conviction is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum of up to 20 years. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman set sentencing for Aug. 22, 2023.
Ascencios admitted in a plea agreement that in 2017 and 2018 he used social media and a file-sharing service to receive and share computer files depicting child pornography. Among the thousands of files he possessed were videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers, the plea agreement states.
Two ten-year-old children depicted in the images and videos have been identified as known child victims by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Court at sentencing will determine the amount of restitution owed to victims.
The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Substantial assistance was provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Woman Guilty of Using Threats and Intimidation to Bilk Elderly Victim Out of More Than $1.6 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A woman has admitted in federal court that she used a series of threats and intimidation to bilk an elderly victim out of more than $1.6 million.
LEE TURNER, also known as “Ashley Turner,” 40, of Joliet, Ill., pleaded guilty on May 16, 2023, to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to promote and carry on unlawful activity, namely theft and intimidation. The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah set sentencing for Sept. 8, 2023.
Turner admitted in a plea agreement that from 2018 to 2021 she communicated numerous threats and fraudulent statements to the victim, who was in his seventies and had limited vision. Turner’s communications threatened to expose the victim’s purported criminal activity, even though Turner had no knowledge of any such activity committed by the victim. Turner took on false personas to convey false statements purportedly from others, including alleged gang members, individuals involved in organized crime, prosecutors, journalists, and corrupt law enforcement officers.
In one example cited in the plea agreement, Turner, using the alias “Big Joe,” sent a series of messages to the victim, claiming that the victim had to pay $30,000 to prevent law enforcement from raiding the victim’s residence and a relative’s residence. On June 13, 2019, the victim paid Turner $30,000 to avoid the purported raids, the plea agreement states. The money was one of dozens of similar payments, ranging in value from $5,000 to $66,000, that the victim made to Turner. In all, Turner received $1,611,975 from the victim as a result of the scam, the plea agreement states.
The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the FBI, and Eric Rossi, Chief of the Orland Park Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for a Series of Retail Store Robberies Spanning Multiple StatesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison in connection with a series of retail store robberies in Illinois and Indiana.
In 2016 and 2017, CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR and his co-conspirators carried out two violent robberies and one attempted robbery, using firearms and pepper spray to terrorize store employees and security guards while stealing laptops, iPads, smart watches, and cell phones. During the robberies, Taylor or his co-conspirators physically assaulted and restrained the employees and security guards.
Taylor, 25, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to robbery and attempted robbery charges. U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the ten-year sentence Wednesday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.
Taylor admitted in a plea agreement that on Aug. 5, 2016, he attempted to rob a Best Buy store in Burbank, Ill. Taylor drove a stolen vehicle to the store along with three co-conspirators. Members of the group entered the store and attempted to steal two laptop computers. The group fled in the stolen vehicle, crashing into numerous vehicles during their flight.
On Dec. 16, 2016, Taylor traveled with eight co-conspirators to the Cherry Valley Simply Mac store in Cherry Valley, Ill. Taylor’s co-conspirators forced the employees to the back of the store, pepper sprayed one of them, and stole two computers. Taylor, who was waiting outside, punched an employee who was returning to the store as the robbery was occurring, and then took the employee’s cell phone.
On Dec. 17, 2016, Taylor and his co-conspirators traveled to the Valparaiso Simply Mac store in Valparaiso, Ind., and entered the store with a gun. The group disarmed a security guard, forced the employees and security guard to a back room, and tied them up using zip ties. Taylor, along with his co-conspirators, carried out $69,500 worth of stolen merchandise.
Former Department of Veterans Affairs Procurement Supervisor Guilty of Pocketing KickbacksRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former procurement supervisor at the Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago has admitted in federal court that he pocketed kickbacks from the president of a medical supply company to steer the company product orders that the VA paid for but never received.
While serving as a supervisor in the medical center’s Central Supply department, THOMAS E. DUNCAN received thousands of dollars in kickbacks paid in cash and checks from DANIEL DINGLE, the president of a medical supply company based in the Chicago suburb of Dolton. The checks were made payable to Helping Hands Properties LLC – a third-party entity managed by Duncan – and contained false and misleading memo entries in order to conceal and disguise the existence and purpose of the kickbacks. In exchange for the kickbacks, Duncan used his official position at the VA to fraudulently initiate and approve purchases of products from Dingle’s company, knowing that many of the products would not actually be delivered to the VA.
The fraud scheme began in 2012 and continued until 2019. In late 2018, after Duncan became aware that the VA Inspector General’s Office was investigating his conduct, Duncan created fake invoices from Helping Hands purporting to document work performed for Dingle’s company. Duncan also told Dingle to falsely tell investigators that the payments Duncan received from Dingle’s company were for work performed by Helping Hands.
Duncan, 39, of Chicago, and Dingle, 52, of Riverdale, Ill., each pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger set Duncan’s sentencing for Nov. 30, 2023. Dingle’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
It is the government’s position that the defendants owe restitution of approximately $1,719,219 to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The amount of restitution will be determined by the Court at the time of sentencing.
The guilty pleas were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Gregory Billingsley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Central Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Manschreck.
Indiana Man Charged in Federal Court in Chicago with Unlawfully Transferring Handgun to Illinois ResidentRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An Indiana man has been charged with a federal firearm offense for allegedly unlawfully transferring a handgun to an Illinois resident.
COREY GRAY, 21, of LaPorte, Ind., is charged with one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to an individual who was neither a licensed dealer nor a resident of the same state as Gray. A criminal complaint unsealed today in federal court in Chicago accuses Gray of transferring the firearm to the Illinois resident in the fall or winter of 2021. At the time of the transfer, Gray knew that the purchaser was neither a licensed firearms dealer nor a resident of Indiana, the complaint states.
The Illinois resident to whom Gray transferred the gun died last month, the complaint states. Last week, the gun was discovered by law enforcement in the possession of an individual in Chicago at the time of that individual’s arrest in connection with the murder of a police officer, the complaint states.
Gray was arrested this morning. He made an initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz, who ordered Gray to remain held in federal custody pending a detention hearing on May 22, 2023, at 11:45 a.m.
The charge and arrest were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Fred Waller, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Schied represents the government.
The public is reminded that the complaint contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Two Kentucky Men Charged with Scheming to Obtain Millions of Dollars from Victims in Illinois and Throughout the U.S.Read the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A federal grand jury in Rockford has charged two Kentucky men with fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars from investors and customers throughout the United States, including a business in Boone County, Ill.
The indictment charges MARK CARROLL, 47, of Lexington, Ky., and LUKE CURRY, 36, of Bowling Green, Ky., with six counts of wire fraud. Carroll and Curry were each arrested last week in Kentucky. Arraignments in federal court in Rockford have been scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa A. Jensen.
According to the indictment, Carroll and Curry in 2018 and 2019 created multiple limited-liability companies, including Catapult Marketing, LLC and Catapult Funding LLC, and thereafter fraudulently obtained millions of dollars from victims under false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. The pair allegedly falsely offered a line of credit to victims in exchange for the victims’ initial deposits of about 20% of the loan facility, without actually funding the line of credit. The indictment also alleges that Carroll and Curry fraudulently entered into private loan agreements with victims in which the defendants falsely promised to repay the principal and interest at maturity in exchange for the victims' loan funds, including guaranteeing rates of return. According to the charges, Carroll and Curry did not pay the guaranteed rates of returns and did not pay the victims in accordance with the terms of their agreements.
The arrests and indictment were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Beckman and Lisa Munch.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The FBI is seeking the public’s help in identifying potential victims of the alleged fraud schemes associated with the defendants in this case. The FBI is legally mandated to identify crimes it investigates. Identified victims may be eligible for certain services and rights under federal and/or state law. Responses are voluntary but would be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. If you believe you are a potential victim who has not yet been contacted, please email [email protected] or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Based on the response provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information.
Chicago Doctor and His Wife Held Liable by Jury for Taking Kickbacks and Causing False Medicare Claims; Ordered to Pay Civil Judgment of More Than $3 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has ordered a Chicago doctor and his wife to pay more than $3 million in civil damages and penalties for unlawfully seeking and receiving kickbacks from a home health agency as payment for the doctor’s referrals of Medicare patients. A federal jury in Chicago held them liable earlier this month.
DR. NDUDI ANIEMEKA owns Boycin Medical Clinic in Chicago, and his wife, OBIAGELI ANIEMEKA, serves as the clinic’s administrator. In 2009 and 2010, the Aniemekas asked for and received money and other items of value from the home health agency, Grand Home Health, as payment for Dr. Aniemeka’s referrals of Medicare patients, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Grand then provided home health services to those patients and billed Medicare, in violation of the False Claims Act. The Aniemekas personally took more than $80,000 in kickbacks from Grand in connection with Dr. Aniemeka’s referrals.
After a civil trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, a federal jury earlier this month determined that the Aniemekas’ receipt of kickbacks caused 158 false claims to be submitted to Medicare, resulting in Medicare paying $425,976.32 on those claims. On May 12, 2023, U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer entered judgment against the Aniemekas in the amount of $3,015,928.96, made up of $1,277,928.96 in treble damages and $1,738,000 in civil penalties, pursuant to the False Claims Act.
The judgment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the FBI, and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate M. Flannery and Sarah J. North.
To combat fraud, the False Claims Act permits private individuals to sue for false claims on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The Act also allows the government to intervene or take over the lawsuit, as was done in this case, and to recover three times damages plus civil penalties of up to $11,000 for each false claim submitted during the fraud scheme.
Rockford Man Sentenced to 36 Years in Federal Prison for the Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to 36 years in federal prison on charges of sexual exploitation of children.
U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the sentence Friday on NATHAN TAUCK, 32, and ordered that it be followed by a lifetime of court-supervised release. Judge Reinhard also ordered Tauck to pay $60,000 in restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and R. Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.
Tauck admitted in a plea agreement that in 2015 he knowingly persuaded and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material, which he then shared online via a social media application. Tauck further admitted to possessing more than 600 images and videos of child sexual abuse material, three of which he shared on social media.
Shortly after committing the exploitation offense in Rockford, Tauck moved to Europe and later to China, where he worked as a teacher and engaged in the possession and distribution of child pornography. While in China, Tauck exchanged sexual exploitation materials online with another individual, to whom Tauck indicated he was attempting to purchase an infant with the intent of sexually abusing the child.
Tauck was detained in China and sent back to the United States in 2018 after Homeland Security Investigations collaborated with Chinese authorities.
Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Loaded Gun in RockfordRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A federal judge has sentenced a man to nearly five years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm in Rockford.
U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber on Tuesday sentenced CEDRIC MARKS, 35, to four years and nine months in prison. Marks pleaded guilty last year to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Marks admitted in a plea agreement that on Sept. 4, 2019, he possessed a loaded handgun in Rockford. Marks was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for speeding. He was asked to exit the vehicle after the officer detected an odor of marijuana. Marks reached for a backpack in the vehicle, ignoring the officer’s request to stop, and then defeated the officer’s attempt to handcuff him. Marks then ran, dropping the backpack. He was ultimately arrested with a firearm that was loaded with five rounds of .38-caliber ammunition. The backpack contained ammunition, cash, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
Marks had previously been convicted of a felony and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Rockford Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for “Straw Purchasing” FirearmsRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford woman has been sentenced to federal prison for "straw purchasing” multiple firearms for a convicted felon whom she knew could not legally purchase the guns.
U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard on Wednesday sentenced FELICYA KNOX, 31, to five months in federal prison and seven months of home confinement.
Knox pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of misrepresenting to federally licensed firearms dealers that she was the actual transferee/buyer of three firearms, when, in fact, she was not the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms. In a written plea agreement, Knox admitted that on multiple dates she knowingly made false and fictitious written statements to the firearms dealers, and later transferred the guns to a known felon whom Knox knew could not legally purchase or possess them.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The Freeport Police Department and Stephenson County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Maveus.
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force. As part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.
Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney's Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Husband and Wife Charged in $1.16 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The husband-and-wife operators of a suburban Chicago company schemed with a social worker to fraudulently obtain more than $1.16 million from Medicare, according to a federal indictment returned in the Northern District of Illinois.
RICHARD W. PITTS and TAMMIE J. PITTS operated American Warriors, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation which purported to provide psychotherapy services to residents of senior living facilities in the Chicago area from 2019 to 2021. The indictment alleges that the couple schemed with social worker CHARLO G. JORDAN to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for purported psychotherapy services that were not provided as stated in the claims. The claims falsely stated that residents of the senior facilities had received one-hour, individual psychotherapy sessions, even though the defendants knew that such services had not been provided, the indictment states.
As part of the scheme, Richard Pitts invited residents of the senior facilities to attend breakfast meetings, which often included guest speakers or group activities, as a way to identify Medicare beneficiaries whose information would then be used in support of the fraudulent claims, the indictment states. When the Covid-19 pandemic began and American Warriors could no longer host in-person breakfasts, the company collected residents’ phone numbers for purported “telehealth” therapy and continued to bill Medicare for psychotherapy that was never provided, the indictment states.
In total, the indictment alleges that American Warriors received $1,164,624.61 as the result of fraudulent claims.
The indictment was unsealed Tuesday. It charges Richard Pitts, 67, and Tammie Pitts, 53, both of Calumet City, Ill., and Jordan, 43, of Chicago, with health care fraud. The defendants pleaded not guilty Tuesday during arraignments before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of health care fraud is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Federal Investigation into “Straw Purchasing” of Handguns in Wisconsin Results in Charges Against Chicago-Area Woman and Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago-area woman has been charged in federal court with conspiring to “straw purchase” 19 handguns in Wisconsin on behalf of a convicted felon. The felon was charged as part of the investigation with illegal firearm possession.
SONYA BROWN purchased the guns from licensed dealers at stores and gun shows in Wisconsin and falsely certified on federal forms that she was both a Wisconsin resident and the actual buyer of the firearms, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. In reality, Brown purchased the guns on behalf of a convicted felon with whom she resided in the Chicago area, the complaint states. The felon – SIMONE DUNN – had previously been convicted of murder and other felonies and was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm. Dunn was on parole from the murder conviction when Brown purchased the guns for him earlier this year, the complaint states.
Brown, 49, of Oak Park, Ill., is charged with conspiracy to violate federal firearm laws. Dunn, 49, of Oak Park, Ill., is charged with illegal firearm possession. Both defendants were arrested Monday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes scheduled Brown’s detention hearing for Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., while a detention hearing for Dunn was set for Thursday at 1:00 p.m. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek to have both defendants remain detained pending trial.
The charges were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Substantial assistance was provided by the ATF Milwaukee Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Irene Hickey Sullivan.
“Straw purchasers enable the unlawful possession of firearms and the violence that too often follows,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office is committed to stopping the flow of guns to individuals who cannot legally possess them.”
“When firearms are diverted from the legal market to the illegal market via trafficking schemes such as straw purchasing, it threatens the safety of our communities,” said ATF SAC Amon. “ATF will continue to investigate these important cases in coordination with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners throughout Chicagoland to ensure prohibited persons do not possess firearms.”
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force, the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence. As part of the Chicago Strike Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The conspiracy charge against Brown is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, while the unlawful possession charge against Dunn is punishable by up to ten years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Two Men Arrested for Allegedly Robbing Armored Truck in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two men have been arrested on federal charges for allegedly robbing an armored truck at gunpoint in a Chicago suburb earlier this week.
DEVONTE DAVIS and DARRELL SINGLETON robbed the Brink’s armored truck on Tuesday morning in Homewood, Ill., according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The robbery occurred as two guards were picking up money from a bank inside of a grocery store in the 3100 block of 183rd Street in the Chicago suburb, the complaint states. During the robbery, one of the robbers struck a guard in the head with a firearm, the complaint states. Law enforcement on Tuesday afternoon located the defendants in a residence in Calumet Park, Ill., and took them into custody.
The government will seek to have both defendants remain detained pending trial. Davis, 26, of Chicago, is scheduled for a detention hearing on May 8, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman. Singleton, 18, of Chicago, waived his right to a detention hearing. His case is scheduled for a status hearing on May 10, 2023, before Judge Weisman.
The complaint and arrests were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in Chicago, Calumet Park Police and Fire Departments, Homewood Police Department, Chicago Police Department, Country Club Hills Police Department, Evergreen Park Police Department, Calumet City Police Department, Dolton Police Department, Alsip Police Department, Orland Park Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Lansing Police Department, and Illinois State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elie Zenner and Kirsten Moran.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The robbery charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Member of Violent Chicago Street Gang Convicted in Federal Racketeering and Drug Trafficking ProbeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago has convicted a member of a violent Chicago street gang of participating in a racketeering conspiracy that included murder and attempted murder. The multi-district investigation previously resulted in the convictions of 20 other defendants.
The jury on April 28, 2023, convicted MARDI LANE, 34, of Chicago, after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court. Evidence presented at trial revealed that Lane was a member and known “shooter” of the LAFA street gang, which violently controlled territory in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. The jury found that Lane in 2015 personally participated in a murder and multiple attempted murders.
The conviction is punishable by up to life in federal prison. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., set sentencing for Dec. 8, 2023.
Twenty other defendants were previously convicted as part of the federal investigation. The probe revealed that from 2008 to 2018, LAFA members committed multiple murders, attempted murders, robberies, and witness tampering, while trafficking cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and MDMA in Chicago and Duluth, Minn. LAFA members used violence and intimidation to protect the gang’s enterprise and keep rivals and witnesses in fear of retaliation. Law enforcement during the probe seized 34 firearms, a machete and sheath, approximately a kilogram of cocaine, 78 pounds of marijuana, more than $190,000 in suspected illicit cash proceeds, designer clothing appraised at more than $300,000, Rolex watches, and numerous pieces of jewelry, including two necklaces containing 14-carat gold pendants with the initials “LAFA” written in diamonds.
Lane’s conviction and the results of the investigation were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Eric Carter, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Districts of Northern Indiana and Minnesota; the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; Illinois State Police; Cook County Sheriff’s Office; police departments in Orland Park, Ill., Evergreen Park, Ill., Bolingbrook, Ill., and Joliet, Ill.; the Minnesota-based Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force; Duluth, Minn., Police Department; St. Louis County, Minn., State’s Attorney’s Office; and FBI offices in Minneapolis, Minn., and Indianapolis, Ind. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Trustee Program. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mower, Siva Sundaram, and Simar Khera.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
The 20 defendants previously convicted in this investigation are listed below.
- AKEEM ASAD, 31, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to drug charges. Awaiting sentencing.
- COTTRELL MACKEY, 29, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, including participating in a 2014 murder. Awaiting sentencing.
- DIJON FOSTEN, 34, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, firearm, and drug charges. Sentenced earlier this year to nearly 17 years.
- MARTEZ EASTER, 30, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Awaiting sentencing.
- REGINALD JONES, 29, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, including participating in a murder and attempted murder. Awaiting sentencing.
- CAREY HINTON, 30, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Sentenced in 2022 to 20 years, with a 40-month credit for time served in a related case.
- TONY PARKER, 28, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Awaiting sentencing.
- QUENTIN LUCIOUS, 32, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Sentenced in 2022 to 20 years and seven months, with a 76-month credit for time served in related cases.
- RAKIM ASAD, 30, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, and a firearm offense. Awaiting sentencing.
- HARRIETTE MCPHERSON, 50, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. Sentenced in 2022 to four years.
- DERRICK MCNEAL, 50, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. Sentenced in 2022 to six years.
- RASHAD UNDERWOOD, 46, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a drug charge. Sentenced in 2021 to five years.
- DEONTE BINGHAM, 42, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a firearm charge. Sentenced in 2020 to four years and two months.
- KELVIN EVERETT, 42, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to robbery and firearm offenses. Sentenced earlier this year to nine years and two months.
- GREGORY BLACKWELL, 33, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to robbery and firearm offenses. Sentenced in 2022 to six years.
- QUINCY WRIGHT, 41, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to robbery and firearm offenses. Sentenced earlier this year to four years and five months.
- JERRY PEOPLES, 46, of Chicago, was convicted by a federal jury in 2022 of robbery offenses. Awaiting sentencing.
- RACHAD LUCAS, 42, of Calumet City, Ill., pleaded guilty to drug and firearm charges. Sentenced in 2020 to five years and ten months.
- SINCERE BRANNON, 23, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a firearm charge. Sentenced in 2022 to five years.
- ERNESTO MADRIGAL-GARZA, 34, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to an immigration offense. Sentenced in 2022 to four years.
Former Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Convicted of Federal Tax, Structuring, and Concealment OffensesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago today convicted a former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – a criminal investigative unit within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – on tax, structuring, and concealment offenses.
ANTHONY SABAINI, 41, of Naperville, Ill., was convicted on all counts against him: one count of structuring, one count of willfully engaging in a scheme to conceal a material fact in a matter within the jurisdiction of DHS, and five counts of willfully filing a false federal tax return. The jury returned its verdicts this afternoon after a three-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. A sentencing date was not immediately set.
Sabaini was assigned to HSI’s field office in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. Evidence at trial showed that Sabaini maintained a corrupt relationship with an HSI confidential informant (“CI”). Sabaini tipped off the CI to sensitive law enforcement investigations and protected the CI from other federal law enforcement investigations conducted by the FBI and DEA. In exchange for Sabaini’s protection, the CI paid Sabaini at least approximately $50,000. The evidence showed that Sabaini stole money from HSI that was earmarked for investigative activity. He also stole cash from drug dealers.
Evidence at trial revealed that Sabaini deposited more than $250,000 in cash into a bank account for which he was the sole signatory. He made the deposits through more than 162 transactions, with the amount of each deposit being less than $10,000. The deposits were structured in an effort to evade federal reporting rules, which require financial institutions to notify the U.S. Department of the Treasury about transactions of more than $10,000.
The evidence also showed that Sabaini lied in official HSI memoranda in 2017 and 2018 to protect his corrupt relationship with the CI. In the memoranda, Sabaini knowingly covered up material facts, including that the CI was a target of ongoing criminal investigations conducted by other law enforcement agencies, and that the CI had recently engaged in unauthorized criminal conduct that Sabaini knew would have affected his suitability as a paid HSI informant.
The tax convictions pertained to Sabaini willfully filing false federal tax returns that underreported his total income.
A separate federal jury in 2021 convicted Sabaini’s partner, FERNANDO ZAMBRANO, of lying to investigators during the Sabaini probe. Zambrano was a Palos Heights Police Officer assigned to an HSI task force. Zambrano was sentenced to three months in federal prison.
The convictions of Sabaini were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and Karen Whalen, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General’s Chicago Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Jonathan Shih.
The structuring and concealment charges are each punishable by up to five years in federal prison. Each tax charge is punishable by up to three years.
Defendants in International Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Found GuiltyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The last remaining defendants in an international drug trafficking investigation have been found guilty of multiple drug trafficking charges by a federal jury in Chicago.
Evidence at trial revealed that between May 2016 and August 2017 ANTONIO CARRAZCO-MARTINEZ, 42, of Fort Valley, Georgia, also known as “El B,” JUAN MANUEL BARENAS-REYNOSO, 47, of Chicago, also known as “Chingon,” and NICOLASA BENITEZ DENOVA, 30, of Paige, Texas, also known as “Lio,” conspired with others to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico to the Chicago area. Carrazco-Martinez, who was alleged to have been the leader of the group’s Chicago operations, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin, as well as possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Barenas-Reynoso and Benitez-Denova, who were alleged to have courier-related roles, were found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, as well as possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Benitez-Denova was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 1 kilogram of heroin. Barenas-Reynoso was acquitted of an additional count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Throughout the multi-year investigation, an additional ten defendants were charged:
- Pablo Anibal Vazquez-Duarte, also known as “Compa”, “Topo”, and “Troncan”, who is alleged to be the group’s leader in Mexico and remains a fugitive, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and distribution of a controlled substance.
- Leonardo Alfaro-Sandoval, 35, of Michoacan, Mexico, who remains a fugitive, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
- Ricardo Diaz-Deleon, 34, of Nueva Leon, Mexico, also known as “Diablo”, who remains a fugitive, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
- Scott London Johnson, 36, of Taylor, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine on July 12, 2022.
- Melchor Cardenas, 30, of San Jose, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin.
- Fermin Campos, 41, of Bolingbrook, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin. He was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman on February 24, 2022.
- J’Anthony Lara, 25, of Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman on October 11, 2023.
- Oscar Martinez-Galvan, 25, of Austin Texas, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. His charges were dismissed pursuant to a pretrial diversion agreement on July 29, 2021.
- Ignacio Cordova, 51, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin. He was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman on June 4, 2021.
- Clyde Ford, 61, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. He was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge John R. Blakey on August 16, 2022.
The verdicts were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Substantial assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police, Waukegan Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations Chicago, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Chicago. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine, Alejandro Ortega, and Kirsten Moran.
The investigation was conducted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of OCDETF is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations.
Former Commonwealth Edison Executives and Associates Found Guilty of Conspiring to Influence and Reward Former Illinois House SpeakerRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury has found four former Commonwealth Edison (“ComEd”) executives and associates guilty on all counts charged, including conspiring to influence and reward the former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in order to assist with the passage of legislation favorable to the electric utility company, in addition to multiple bribery and record falsification charges.
The jury found the following defendants guilty of all charges:
- MICHAEL McCLAIN, 75, of Quincy, who worked as a lobbyist and consultant for ComEd after serving in the Illinois House of Representatives in the 1970s and early 1980s.
- ANNE PRAMAGGIORE, 64, of Barrington, who served as CEO of ComEd from 2012 to 2018, and later served as a senior executive at an affiliate of Exelon Corp., of which ComEd was a subsidiary.
- JOHN HOOKER, 74, of Chicago, who served as ComEd’s executive vice president of legislative and external affairs from 2009 to 2012, after which he worked as an external lobbyist for ComEd.
- JAY DOHERTY, 69, of Chicago, who owned Jay D. Doherty & Associates, which performed consulting services for ComEd from approximately 2011 to 2019.
Sentencing dates have not been set. Count 1, charging the conspiracy, has a possible punishment of up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Counts 2, 5, 6, and 8, charging bribery, have a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Counts 3, 4, 7, and 9, charging record falsification, have a possible punishment of up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The verdicts were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Sarah E. Streicker, and Julia Schwartz.
Suburban Chicago Couple Plead Guilty to Child Labor Trafficking and Are Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two Aurora residents have pleaded guilty to two counts each of forced labor and have been sentenced to six and a half years in prison by a federal judge in Chicago.
Per their plea agreements, between February 2019 and February 2020, SANTOS TEODORO AC-SALAZAR, 27, and OLGA CHOC LAJ, 34, who are both Guatemalan citizens, conspired to unlawfully enter the United States with two children who were not their own in order to more easily be allowed entry into the United States and to avoid prolonged detention by U.S. immigration authorities. Once in the United States, Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj harbored the two children (ages 15 and 10 at the time) in a residence in Aurora by, among other things, failing to enroll the children in school, prohibiting them from leaving the residence except in limited circumstances, and instructing them to provide false information to third parties, including law enforcement authorities. Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj also forced the two children to work as their domestic servants and childcare providers and would physically strike and threaten to strike the children if the children did not do as they were told. Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj also forced the older child to work various paying jobs outside the Aurora residence and took nearly all of the earnings from the jobs the child worked.
U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed the 78-month sentence, with a time served credit of 8-months, for Choc Laj on January 27, 2023, and imposed the identical sentence to Ac-Salazar on April 25, 2023. In addition to the 78-month prison sentence, the Court also ordered Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj to pay $98,364 in restitution to the victims.
The sentences are announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations; and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Great Lakes Region. Substantial assistance in the investigation has been provided by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Aurora Police Department, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri.
“This case outlines the extent to which many will go in order to enter and stay within this country, and the prevalence of child trafficking and labor trafficking occurring throughout our country on a daily basis” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “The abuses suffered by the victims in this case are unforgivable. Our Office remains committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in all forms of trafficking and forced labor, and to bringing justice to the victims in these cases”.
“Those responsible for committing these heinous crimes sought to benefit financially by abusing the most vulnerable members of our community,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “Homeland Security Investigations will continue to work with our partners to prioritize the safety of children across the state of Illinois and beyond.”
“Santos Teodoro Ac-Salazar and Olga Choc Laj trafficked two children who they forced to work for them against their will. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who engage in labor trafficking and involuntary servitude, particularly when children are involved,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Chicago Man Indicted for Firearms Trafficking and Selling Machine Gun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for firearms trafficking and possession and sale of machine gun conversion devices, also known as a “switches,” which convert firearms into a fully automatic machinegun.
Per the indictment and a previously filed criminal complaint, from January 24 and continuing until on or about March 30, 2023, ROGELIO CASTANEDA, 29, of Chicago, willfully engaged in the business of dealing firearms when he was not licensed to do so, and possessed and sold “switch” devices. Specifically between February 7 and March 20, 2023, Castaneda is alleged to have sold four firearms and nine machine gun conversion devices to undercover ATF agents on four separate occasions.
The indictment is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Eric Carter, Acting Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McDonnell.
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force. As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with the ATF and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trafficking charge is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, while the possession of a machinegun carries up to 10 years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
California Man Arrested for Trafficking 91 Kilograms of Cocaine Worth $1.8 MillionRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A California man was arrested on a charge of possession with intent to distribute 91 kilograms of cocaine.
RONALD COLEMAN, 43, was stopped on Interstate 88 near Morrison, Ill. by Illinois State Police while driving a semi-truck. During the inspection and investigation, the trooper utilized a narcotics-detection K9, “Roman”, to perform an exterior sniff of the semi-truck. K9 Roman alerted to the presence of a controlled substance, leading to the search of the semi-trailer, where two suitcases were found containing approximately 91 kilograms of cocaine. The investigation revealed that the driver was knowingly transporting the cocaine from California to the Chicago area for further distribution.
Coleman faces a maximum potential penalty of up to life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000,000. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The charge was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Illinois State Police and the Blackhawk Area Task Force provided critical assistance in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.
Suburban Chicago High School Coach Charged with Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago high school track and field coach has been charged with possessing child pornography.
Per the complaint, beginning in the summer of 2022 and continuing until September of 2022, GLEN CLIFFORD MESSMER, 46, of Darien, an assistant track coach at High School A, interacted with at least two minors, Minor A and Minor B, in another State via the social media platforms Snapchat and Telegram. Messmer convinced the two minors to produce child sexual abuse material, in at least one instance providing specific instructions as to how to produce the material he wanted. The complaint alleges that Messmer paid Minor A and Minor B for the child sexual abuse material via CashApp.
On April 25, 2023 law enforcement executed a search warrant at Messmer’s home and identified multiple image and video files that contained child pornography on a computer in the residence. Messmer was arrested and had an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings on April 26, 2023. Messmer is currently detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing before Judge Cummings.
The charge was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rosenbloom.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges are punishable by a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Nine Individuals Charged and Arrested on Various Firearms, Drug, and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Nine individuals have been charged in Chicago, including eight alleged members of the Black P Stone Nation (“BPSN”) street gang, eight Chicagoans, and one suburban resident. The nine defendants have been charged in federal court on an array of charges including possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, firearms trafficking, and trafficking, distribution, and conspiracy to distribute drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, fentanyl-laced heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine.
- Steven Nash, also known as “Redd”, 56, is charged with firearms trafficking (counts 1 and 4), possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl (count 2), and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, namely 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin (count 3).
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Marcus Taylor, 38, of Hinsdale, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
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Josephus Turner, also known as “Jamo”, 35, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely a mixture and substance containing heroin (count 1), distribution of a controlled substance, namely a mixture and substance containing cocaine base (counts 2 and 4), firearms trafficking (count 3), and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl (count 5).
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Calvin Bunting, also known as “White Boy”, 39, is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely 40 grams or more of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl (count 5).
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Antonio Washington, also known as “Itch” and “Britney”, 45, is charged with distribution of crack cocaine.
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Fernando Ramirez, also known as “Enterprise”, 67, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
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Alix Aurel, 47, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, namely, a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
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Andre Howard Jr., also known as “Baby Stone”, 35, is charged with possession of a weapon as a convicted felon.
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Joshua Broughton, ”Twiggz”, 33, is charged with possession of a weapon as a convicted felon.
Defendants Turner, Bunting, Aurel, Howard, Nash, and Broughton are alleged to be members of the Rack City faction of BPSN, which controls territory in the vicinity of W. 93rd St. and S. Halsted St. on the South Side of Chicago. Washington and Taylor are alleged associates of the Rack City faction belonging to another faction of the PBSN. All men have been charged via complaint with the exception of Howard, who was been charged via indictment. During the course of the multi-year investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 62 firearms, approximately 6 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 500 grams of heroin/fentanyl, and approximately 250 grams of crack cocaine.
All nine defendants are in law enforcement custody. Arraignments will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The charges are announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eric Carter, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the Illinois State Police, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Unit, the Internal Revenue Service, and Rosemont Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jimmy L. Arce and Patrick Mott.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum terms of imprisonment for the charges range from 5 to 40 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Three Charged with Participating in Cook County Property Tax Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of a Chicago-area fence installation company, along with two Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) employees, have been charged in a bribery scheme.
As noted within the indictment, from approximately February to November 2017, ROBERT MITZIGA, 65, owner of Fence Masters, Inc. is alleged to have conspired with an executive of another company (Company A), BASILIO CLAUSEN, 51, of Crown Point, Indiana, who was employed by the CCAO as a residential field inspector, LUMNI LIKOVSKI, 47, of Burbank, who was employed by the CCAO as a director of taxpayer services, and Lavdim Memisovski, who was employed by the CCAO as a commercial group leader, to bribe the CCAO employees in return for reduced property assessments for properties owned by Fence Masters and Company A. Mitziga has also been charged separately with bribing Clausen, Likovski, and Memisovski; Likovski has been charged separately with accepting a bribe as a public official.
Memisovski was charged separately by information on July 6, 2022 for conspiring to accept bribes. He pled guilty to having engaged in a bribery scheme with the owner of a Chicago area construction company from 2016 to 2019.
Mitziga’s company, Fence Masters, and Company A had properties in Cook County that were being re-assessed by CCAO. The two companies appealed the re-assessed values of their properties to the CCAO. As agents of the CCAO, Clausen, Likovski, and Memisovski accepted bribes from Mitziga and the Company A executive in the form of golf outings, food, and drinks. In exchange, Clausen and Likovski circumvented the regular system of random assignment of appeals to route the appeals to Memisovski, who reduced the assessed values on the properties.
The indictment is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Didwania and Richard Rothblatt.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges carry a possible sentence range of 5 to 10 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Wives of Convicted Drug Traffickers Plead Guilty to Laundering Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The wives of convicted drug traffickers Pedro Flores and Margarito Flores have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
VIVIANNA LOPEZ, also known as “Mia Flores,” 42, and VALERIE GAYTAN, also known as “Olivia Flores,” 47, both confirmed in their plea agreements that from December 2008 until March 2020, they conspired with each other – as well as others – to conduct financial transactions involving drug proceeds, knowing the transactions were designed in part to conceal the nature of the proceeds. Additionally, their plea agreements state that between at least May 2005 and December 2008, Margarito Flores and Pedro Flores operated a Chicago-based distribution cell for the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltran Leyva Organization, which involved the transportation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and kilogram quantities of heroin per month to customers in Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. This drug trafficking activity generated hundreds of millions of dollars of proceeds from the sale of narcotics.
After their husbands’ cooperation began in November 2008, Lopez and Gaytan stored cash drug proceeds from their husbands’ drug operations, proceeds which they accessed and spent for the benefit of themselves and others until 2020. The charges alleged that the money was spent on various items, including more than $165,000 in private school tuition for children of Vivianna Lopez and Gaytan, more than $99,000 in international and domestic travel by Vivianna Lopez and Gaytan, more than $80,000 for Vivianna Lopez’s residential rent, and approximately $11,000 in child support for a child of one of the incarcerated husbands. Both have agreed to the government’s forfeiture request of $504,858.
Gaytan pleaded guilty on April 14, 2023 and Lopez plead guilty on April 20, 2023. Laura Lopez also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on April 20, 2023. Sentencing dates have not been set. Each count carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The plea agreements are announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Erskine and Erika L. Csicsila.
Chicago Man Charged with Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been charged with child pornography charges for allegedly enticing four minors to produce sexually explicit images.
MICHAEL RAMOS, 46, of Chicago, is charged with four counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of an electronic device containing child pornography, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Ramos is currently detained in federal custody. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment before U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Tucker.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each production count is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years. The possession count carries a maximum sentence of ten years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you or someone you know may have been a victim of Michael Ramos, email the FBI at: [email protected]. All responses are voluntary, and all identities of victims will be kept confidential. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law.
Consultant Sentenced to More Than Four and a Half Years in Prison for Bribing City OfficialsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A consultant has been sentenced to more than four and a half years in federal prison for offering and providing bribes to City of Chicago officials in an effort to benefit his clients.
ROBERTO CALDERO, 70, of Chicago pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in September, 2022. Caldero admitted in a plea agreement that in 2016, he offered and arranged for bribes to be provided to a City of Chicago alderman and a Chicago Public Schools employee in exchange for them taking official actions to benefit Caldero’s clients, who were seeking a custodial services contract at CPS, an honorary street name designation in Chicago, and the renaming of a parcel of property believed to be a Chicago Park District park. The benefits Caldero offered the CPS employee included the prospect of future employment, champagne, discounted event space for a family event, and admission to an annual benefit for a museum. To influence the alderman, Caldero arranged for campaign contributions to be made to political organizations affiliated with the alderman or his ward. Unbeknownst to Caldero, the alderman was cooperating with the FBI.
U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger sentenced Caldero to 57-months on April 14, 2023.
The sentence is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Michelle Kramer and Amarjeet Bhachu.
“Chapitos” Charged in Department’s Latest Actions to Disrupt Flow of Illegal Fentanyl and Other Dangerous DrugsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today announced charges unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, and District of Columbia, against several leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, a transnational drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, and its facilitators across the globe.
“Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world – run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. Today’s actions demonstrate the comprehensive approach the Justice Department is taking to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and save American lives.”
“The fentanyl crisis in America – fueled in large part by the Sinaloa cartel – threatens our public health, our public safety, and our national security,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Today’s indictments target every element of the Sinaloa Cartel's trafficking network and reflect the Justice Department's commitment to attacking every aspect of this threat: from the chemical companies in China that spawn fentanyl precursors, to the illicit labs that produce the poison, to the networks and money launderers and murderers that facilitate its distribution. Just as we have gone on offense against terrorists and cyber criminals around the globe, the Department is now waging a relentless campaign to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl – before it can reach its victims.”
“Today’s indictments send a clear message to the Chapitos, the Sinaloa Cartel, and criminal drug networks around the world that the DEA will stop at nothing to protect the national security of the United States and the safety and health of the American people,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The Chapitos pioneered the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl – the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced – flooded it into the United States for the past eight years and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Over the last year and a half, the DEA proactively infiltrated the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos network, obtained unprecedented access to the organization’s highest levels, and followed them across the world. I am grateful to the men and women of the DEA for their exceptional work on this case, which is the beginning of our work as ‘One DEA’ to dismantle every part of the criminal cartels that are killing Americans at record rates.”
“Far too many Americans have become victims in the national fentanyl crisis. These cartels have shown us they will stop at nothing to manufacture, traffic, and push these dangerous drugs to every corner of our country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictments show that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will never tire in our pursuit not only to shut down their criminal enterprises, but also to go after individuals in their network. I want to thank the FBI team continuing to work on these cases everyday as we join with our law enforcement partners to tackle this national epidemic.”
“This indictment is another example of how this administration is taking on the cartels and their transnational criminal networks, and sending a clear message that we are going to hold them accountable,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “I commend our workforce at Homeland Security Investigations and our federal partners who are relentless in their efforts to stop the scourge of fentanyl. Today’s announcement exemplifies a whole-of-government approach to protecting our homeland that is yielding results.”
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world and is largely responsible for the manufacturing and importing of fentanyl for distribution in the United States. Fentanyl is a dangerous synthetic opioid that is more than 50 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49, and it has fueled the opioid epidemic that has been ravaging families and communities across the United States for approximately the past eight years. Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, with an estimated 196 Americans dying each day from fentanyl.
The Sinaloa Cartel operated as an affiliation of drug traffickers and money launderers who obtain precursor chemicals – largely from China – for the manufacture of synthetic drugs, manufacture drugs in Mexico, move those drugs into the United States, and collect, launder, and transfer the proceeds of drug trafficking. Once led by Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada Garcia, aka El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartel’s members and associates – allegedly including the sons of Guzman Loera, collectively known as the Chapitos – smuggled significant quantities of drugs through Mexico and into the United States. The Chapitos are Ivan Guzman Salazar, 40, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 37, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 36, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 33.
Following Guzman Loera’s arrest in January 2016 and extradition to the United States in January 2017, the Chapitos allegedly assumed their father’s former role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, along with Zambada Garcia and Damaso Lopez Nunez, aka Licenciado. The Chapitos subsequently amassed greater control over the Sinaloa Cartel by allegedly threatening and causing violence against Lopez Nunez, his family, and his associates and, as a result, became principal leaders and drug traffickers within the Sinaloa Cartel.
The indictments being unsealed today demonstrate that the Sinaloa Cartel has been engaged in drug trafficking activities into the United States, and violence, spanning over a decade and a half. The Chapitos are alleged to have repeatedly and consistently transported lethal amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
The Chapitos allegedly used cargo aircraft, private aircraft, submarines and other submersible and semi-submersible vessels, container ships, supply vessels, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor trailers, automobiles, and private and commercial interstate and foreign carriers to transport their drugs and precursor chemicals. They allegedly maintained a network of couriers, tunnels, and stash houses throughout Mexico and the United States to further their drug-trafficking activities. The Chapitos allegedly used these networks to import the drugs into the United States.
Southern District of New York
Fentanyl trafficking, weapons, and money laundering charges were unsealed today in the Southern District of New York against 28 defendants, including three of the Chapitos; top lieutenants and leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel; alleged manufacturers and distributors of the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl; the managers of the violent armed security apparatus that protects the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug trafficking operations; the sophisticated money launderers who repatriate the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug proceeds back to Mexico; and multiple chemical precursor suppliers in China that fuel the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl distribution operation.
According to court documents, Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and their co-conspirators allegedly controlled extensive, multi-faceted, and international operations covering the fentanyl trade. Through these efforts, the Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel allegedly reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by flooding the United States with fentanyl.
Seven defendants are in custody pending extradition proceedings.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez is charged in a separate indictment alleging the same offenses.
The DEA investigated the case with assistance from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle A. Wirshba, Nicholas S. Bradley, Sarah L. Kushner, David J. Robles, and Alexander Li for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided substantial assistance.
Northern District of Illinois
Narcotics, money laundering, and firearms charges were unsealed today in the Northern District of Illinois against four of the Chapitos: Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez.
According to court documents, the charges stem from a decades-long, collaborative, multi-district effort between the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and their law enforcement partners. The indictment alleges that between May 2008 and April 5, 2023, the Chapitos operated a drug trafficking Continuing Criminal Enterprise (CCE), along with additional drug, money laundering, and firearms charges.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez is charged in a separate indictment alleging the same offenses, dating from May 2008 until October 2021, when Mexican authorities arrested him on Jan. 5 in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Ovidio Guzman Lopez remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings.
The FBI Washington Field Office and San Diego Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Nogales Office, DEA’s Chicago Division and San Diego Division, and IRS Criminal Investigations Chicago Office are investigating the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Katharine Wagner and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of NDDS, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine and Erika Csicsila for the Northern District of Illinois, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case. OIA provided substantial assistance.
This case is supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).
District of Columbia
Narcotics, firearms, and witness retaliation charges were unsealed today in the District of Columbia against Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, aka Nini, 31, allegedly one of the Chapitos’ lead sicarios, or assassins.
According to court documents, Perez Salas is allegedly a leader and commander of the “Ninis,” a violent group charged with providing security for the Chapitos. From at least 2012 until February 2021, Perez Salas allegedly conspired to distribute and manufacture cocaine and methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States, used a firearm in furtherance of the alleged drug-trafficking offense, and killed, attempted to kill, threatened, and caused bodily injury to another to intimidate a government witness and informant.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Kate Naseef of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.
This case is supported by the OCDETF.
* * * * *
The U.S. Department of State, through its Narcotics Rewards Program, is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District for California, Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, and HSI made the announcement.
Photos of the fugitives can be obtained at www.dea.gov/fugitives.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
High Level Member of Chicago Gang Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A high-level member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang has been sentenced to 120 months, plus eight years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute wholesale quantities of heroin on the West Side of Chicago.
RAYMOND BETTS, 56, of Riverdale, a so-called “prince” of a nationwide violent street gang, was charged with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute in May of 2019. On eight occasions from December 2018 to March 2019, Betts or a co-conspirator acting on his behalf distributed 136.4 grams of heroin to a law enforcement confidential source. Seven of the distributions occurred in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, while one deal was allegedly conducted in south suburban Riverdale. Throughout his interactions with the confidential source, Betts discussed his plans to expand his drug trafficking enterprise, specifically into Northern Indiana. Betts pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in January of 2023.
Betts’ fellow gang members and co-conspirators ANGELA BELL, 52, of Chicago, and MAURICE WILLIAMS, aka “Big Fella”, “Big Ride” and, “Naz”, 54, of Riverdale both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Williams’ sentencing date is set for July 14, 2023. Bell’s sentencing date is set for May 26, 2023.
The sentence is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff; and Eric Carter, Acting Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan DeMarco represented the government.
The multi-year investigation that led to Betts’ arrest was conducted with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA). The mission of the task forces, which are comprised of agents and officers from numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.
Former Payroll Manager for Chicago Museum Admits to Misappropriating More Than $2 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The former payroll manager for a Chicago museum pleaded guilty today in federal court to misappropriating more than $2 million in museum funds.
According to the written plea agreement, from 2007 to 2020, MICHAEL MAURELLO, 56, of Beach Park, siphoned money from the museum’s payroll account to his personal bank accounts by falsely designating the payments as legitimate compensation to other employees. In his plea agreement, Maurello admitted that he kept spreadsheets and notes to track the misappropriated money so that he could later make reversals within the payroll system to hide his fraudulent scheme. When the museum’s assistant controller asked Maurello in January 2020 about one of the payments, Maurello falsely stated that the transaction had been a test of the payroll system. Maurello then edited and altered a report from the payroll system to conceal information about the misappropriated funds.
Sentencing has been set for September 14, 2023. Maurello faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to 3 years on supervised release. Maurello may also be sentenced to pay a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from his offense, whichever is greater, and he must be sentenced to pay restitution to the museum of $2,308,772.
The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey B. Rubenstein.
Suburban Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Patient MedicationsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago nurse has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of tampering with a consumer product.
SARAH DIAMOND, 30, of Woodstock was employed as the Assistant Director of Nursing at a Chicago-area medical rehabilitation center where she was responsible for dispensing medications to patients. In July and August 2021, Diamond removed morphine from bottles prescribed to patients and replaced it with another liquid, knowing the diluted substance would be dispensed to the patients. Diamond removed the morphine with reckless disregard and extreme indifference for the risk that the patients would be placed in danger of bodily injury.
Diamond diluted a bottle of morphine intended for one of the patients, so that it contained only approximately 26% of the declared amount of morphine; and diluted a bottle of morphine intended for another patient so that it contained only approximately 53% of the declared amount of morphine. Diamond then administered liquid morphine to these patients using the diluted bottles, withholding the remainder of the pain medication intended for them for her own personal use. In total, Diamond removed liquid morphine intended for use by at least five patients at the rehabilitation center, each of whom had been prescribed liquid morphine to manage their pain.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Diamond faces up to a maximum of ten years in federal prison.
The plea is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ronne G. Malham, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. Valuable assistance was provided by the Crystal Lake Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Manschreck.
Former Executives of Outcome Health Convicted in $1B Corporate Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted three former executives of Outcome Health, a Chicago-based health technology start-up company, for their roles in a fraud scheme that targeted the company’s clients, lenders, and investors and involved approximately $1 billion in fraudulently obtained funds.
The individuals convicted by jury verdict today were:
- Rishi Shah, 37, the co-founder and former CEO of Outcome Health (Outcome), which was founded in 2006 and known as Context Media prior to January 2017;
- Shradha Agarwal, 37, the former president of Outcome, who was described as a co-founder; and
- Brad Purdy, 33, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer.
Outcome installed television screens and tablets in doctors’ offices around the United States and then sold advertising space on those devices to clients, most of whom were pharmaceutical companies. According to evidence presented at trial, Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy sold advertising inventory the company did not have to Outcome’s clients, then under-delivered on its advertising campaigns. Despite these under-deliveries, the company still invoiced its clients as if it had delivered in full. Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy lied or caused others to lie to conceal the under-deliveries from clients and make it appear as if the company was delivering advertising content to the number of screens in the clients’ contracts. Purdy and others at Outcome also inflated metrics that purported to show how frequently patients engaged with Outcome’s tablets installed in doctors’ offices. According to the trial evidence, the scheme targeting Outcome’s clients began in 2011, lasted until 2017, and resulted in at least $45 million of overbilled advertising services.
Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy were also convicted of defrauding Outcome’s lenders and investors. The under-delivery to Outcome’s advertising clients resulted in a material overstatement of Outcome’s revenue for the years 2015 and 2016. The company’s outside auditor signed off on the 2015 and 2016 revenue numbers because Purdy caused others to fabricate data to conceal the under-deliveries from the auditor. Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy then used the inflated revenue figures in Outcome’s 2015 and 2016 audited financial statements to raise $110 million in debt financing in April 2016, $375 million in debt financing in December 2016, and $487.5 million in equity financing in early 2017.
Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy lied to investors and lenders to conceal their ongoing under-delivery of advertising campaigns for clients. Shah and Purdy also misrepresented to investors the efficacy of Outcome’s advertising campaigns by concealing the fact that it had failed to meet return-on-investment commitments to clients.
The $110 million debt financing resulted in a $30.2 million dividend to Shah and a $7.5 million dividend to Agarwal; the $487.5 million in equity financing resulted in a $225 million dividend to Shah and Agarwal.
Three other former employees of Outcome pleaded guilty prior to trial. Ashik Desai, the former chief growth officer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud; and Kathryn Choi, a former senior analyst, and Oliver Han, a former analyst, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Desai, Choi, and Han will be sentenced at a date to be determined.
Shah was convicted of five counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Agarwal was convicted of five counts of mail fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, and two counts of bank fraud. Purdy was convicted on five counts of mail fraud, five counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of false statements to a financial institution. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud and 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and mail fraud. Purdy faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the count of false statements to a financial institution. Shah faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a date to be determined. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Shimon Richmond of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant Chiefs William E. Johnston and Kyle C. Hankey of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew F. Madden and Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
“The defendants’ vast scheme damaged the clients, investors, and lenders who supported their business. Although they sought to hide the fraud by silencing whistleblowers and duping auditors, the jury today rightly held the defendants accountable for the losses they caused, which total hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Today’s verdicts demonstrate that this Office and its law enforcement partners will work tirelessly and dedicate the resources necessary to deliver justice for the victims of complex fraud schemes.”
“The scope of this fraud scheme is staggering, with almost $1 billion in victim losses. Today’s conviction is a fitting reminder that deceptive and illegal business practices have very real consequences" said Special Agent-in-Charge Wheeler.
"Today's conviction holds these defendants accountable for deceiving Outcome Health's clients, and fraudulently obtaining approximately $1 billion from its lenders and investors," said Assistant Inspector General Richmond. "The FDIC-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice those who harm lenders, investors, and clients by committing such fraudulent acts."
Former Executives of Outcome Health Convicted in $1B Corporate Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted three former executives of Outcome Health, a Chicago-based health technology start-up company, for their roles in a fraud scheme that targeted the company’s clients, lenders, and investors and involved approximately $1 billion in fraudulently obtained funds.
The individuals convicted by jury verdict today were:
- Rishi Shah, 37, the co-founder and former CEO of Outcome Health (Outcome), which was founded in 2006 and known as Context Media prior to January 2017;
- Shradha Agarwal, 37, the former president of Outcome, who was described as a co-founder; and
- Brad Purdy, 33, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer.
Outcome installed television screens and tablets in doctors’ offices around the United States and then sold advertising space on those devices to clients, most of whom were pharmaceutical companies. According to evidence presented at trial, Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy sold advertising inventory the company did not have to Outcome’s clients, then under-delivered on its advertising campaigns. Despite these under-deliveries, the company still invoiced its clients as if it had delivered in full. Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy lied or caused others to lie to conceal the under-deliveries from clients and make it appear as if the company was delivering advertising content to the number of screens in the clients’ contracts. Purdy and others at Outcome also inflated metrics that purported to show how frequently patients engaged with Outcome’s tablets installed in doctors’ offices. According to the trial evidence, the scheme targeting Outcome’s clients began in 2011, lasted until 2017, and resulted in at least $45 million of overbilled advertising services.
Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy were also convicted of defrauding Outcome’s lenders and investors. The under-delivery to Outcome’s advertising clients resulted in a material overstatement of Outcome’s revenue for the years 2015 and 2016. The company’s outside auditor signed off on the 2015 and 2016 revenue numbers because Purdy caused others to fabricate data to conceal the under-deliveries from the auditor. Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy then used the inflated revenue figures in Outcome’s 2015 and 2016 audited financial statements to raise $110 million in debt financing in April 2016, $375 million in debt financing in December 2016, and $487.5 million in equity financing in early 2017.
Shah, Agarwal, and Purdy lied to investors and lenders to conceal their ongoing under-delivery of advertising campaigns for clients. Shah and Purdy also misrepresented to investors the efficacy of Outcome’s advertising campaigns by concealing the fact that it had failed to meet return-on-investment commitments to clients.
The $110 million debt financing resulted in a $30.2 million dividend to Shah and a $7.5 million dividend to Agarwal; the $487.5 million in equity financing resulted in a $225 million dividend to Shah and Agarwal.
Three other former employees of Outcome pleaded guilty prior to trial. Ashik Desai, the former chief growth officer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud; and Kathryn Choi, a former senior analyst, and Oliver Han, a former analyst, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Desai, Choi, and Han will be sentenced at a date to be determined.
Shah was convicted of five counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Agarwal was convicted of five counts of mail fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, and two counts of bank fraud. Purdy was convicted on five counts of mail fraud, five counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of false statements to a financial institution. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud and 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and mail fraud. Purdy faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the count of false statements to a financial institution. Shah faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a date to be determined. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Shimon Richmond of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI and FDIC-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant Chiefs William E. Johnston and Kyle C. Hankey of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew F. Madden and Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
Superseding Indictment Charges Additional Defendant with Federal Racketeering Offenses and Murder of Chicago RapperRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal superseding indictment unsealed today charges a sixth alleged member or associate of the O-Block street gang with participating in a criminal organization that murdered a Chicago rapper and violently protected the gang and its territories on the South Side of Chicago.
The original indictment alleges that the O-Block gang publicly claimed responsibility for acts of violence in Chicago and used social media and music to increase their criminal enterprise. The O-Block gang allegedly engaged in numerous acts of violence, including the murder of Carlton Weekly, a Chicago rapper also known as “FBG Duck,” on Aug. 4, 2020.
RALPH TURPIN, also known as “Tall” and “Teezy”, 33, of Chicago has been added to the case, charged with one count of committing murder in aid of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering. Turpin’s initial appearance occurred today before Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani. Turpin is currently in federal custody and a detention hearing has been set for April 12, 2023.
Charged in the original indictment in October of 2021, for committing murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, are Chicago residents CHARLES LIGGINS, also known as “C Murda,” 30; KENNETH ROBERSON, also known as “Kenny” and “Kenny Mac,” 28; TACARLOS OFFERD, also known as “Los,” 30; CHRISTOPHER THOMAS, also known as “C Thang,” 22; and MARCUS SMART, also known as “Muwop,” 22. The indictment also charges the original defendants with federal firearm violations and assaults in aid of racketeering.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for] the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eric Carter, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance in the investigation was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Julien, Albert Berry III, and Ann Marie Ursini.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The murder count in the indictment carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison and a maximum potential sentence of the death penalty. One of the firearm counts is also punishable by a maximum potential sentence of the death penalty, while the other firearm count is punishable by a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life. The assault counts are each punishable by a maximum of twenty years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
DeKalb Man Sentenced for Robbery of Jimmy John’s and Heartland BankRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A DeKalb man was sentenced on Thursday for the robbery of a Jimmy John’s in DeKalb and Heartland Bank and Trust in Sycamore.
U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced KEVIN HAGEMEIER, 26, to almost eight and a half years in prison. Hagemeier pleaded guilty in December of 2022 to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to the guilty plea, Hagemeier entered the Jimmy John’s and presented a note to the employee that stated “This Is A Robbery I have a gun in my waist Don’t make me use it and You’ll be able to go home. Give me all the money in the drawer or else some bad thing may happen.” After receiving the money in the register, Hagemeier entered a car driven by an accomplice and left the scene of the robbery. A couple days later, Hagemeier entered Heartland Bank with a similar note stating “I have a weapon. Get $1,400 out of your drawer and give it to me. If I think you told someone or pushed a button, people will get hurt.” Hagemeier received the money and left with the same accomplice from the Jimmy John’s robbery.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The DeKalb Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.
Chicago Man Receives Two Sentences Totaling over Eight Years for Possession of a Firearm and Switch Device While on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two federal judges have sentenced DESHAWN DANZELR, 28, of Chicago to a combined eight years in federal prison for possessing a handgun with an extended magazine and a “switch” that converted the firearm into a fully automatic machinegun.
Less than six months after his discharge from prison on supervised release for a federal contempt conviction, Chicago Police Officers stopped Danzler while driving in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood of Chicago. Danzler, who had a handgun hidden in his crotch, attempted to flee and struggled with the officers for over two minutes before the officers recovered the firearm. Danzler pled guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in October 2022.
At the time of his sentencing, Danzler had four previous felonies, including the contempt of court conviction. In 2015, a rival gang member shot Danzler in the head, wrist, and thigh, and killed Danzler’s neighbor. Danzler could identify the shooter but did not cooperate in the police investigation. Four years later, Danzler refused to testify about the shooting in a federal grand jury investigation and was convicted of criminal contempt of court in proceedings before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald A. Guzman.
A sentence of 62-months was imposed by U.S. District Court Thomas M. Durkin on February 24, 2023 for the firearms charge. On April 6, 2023 Danzler was back in court before Judge Guzman for sentencing on his supervised release violation. Judge Guzman sentenced Danzler to 37-months to run consecutive to the sentence given by Judge Durkin, for a total of eight years and three months of imprisonment.
The sentences are announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Eric Carter, Acting Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Mulaney and Albert Berry III.
“Although he was a victim in the 2015 shooting, that is no longer a basis for lenience” argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Mulaney in the government’s sentencing memo. “Rather than find other ways to protect himself, defendant squandered the ‘last chance’ that Judge Guzman gave to him. By carrying a machinegun on supervised release, and resisting the officers’ efforts to recover it safely, defendant demonstrated that he is a danger to the community.”
Ringleader of Mail Theft Conspiracy Sentenced to 9 Years for Using Credit Cards Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced the ringleader of a mail and identity theft conspiracy to nine years in federal prison for stealing U.S. Postal Service (USPS) customer’s credit cards out of the mail and using their personal identifying information to make unauthorized purchases with the stolen cards.
DAVEY HINES, 30, of Naperville was indicted by a federal grand jury on 1 count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, 1 count of theft or receipt of stolen mail, 4 counts of unauthorized access device fraud, and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft in February 2021 for events which occurred between June 2018 and December 2019. Hines was indicted alongside 10 other individuals involved in the scheme as the result of a multi-agency investigation dubbed “Operation Cash on Delivery.” The investigation identified USPS employees who stole credit cards and other financial instruments and provided them to Hines and others in exchange for cash or other items of value. Hines, who also recruited most of the USPS employees, then worked with his co-defendants to unlawfully obtain the USPS customers’ personal identifying information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers, and fraudulently activate the stolen cards. Over the course of the 19-month conspiracy, Hines and his co-conspirators stole more than 657 credit cards and made more than $462,719 in fraudulent purchases.
Hines plead guilty to 4 counts charging conspiracy, receipt of stolen mail, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft on July 8, 2022. On April 3, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Edmond E. Chang sentenced Hines to 108 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered Hines pay restitution to the victim financial institutions that issued the stolen credit cards. Hines committed the offenses while on court-supervised release following a prior federal conviction for bank fraud in 2015.
The sentence is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Scott Pierce, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office; and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations. The government was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Madriñan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige Nutini and Kirsten Moran.
City of Chicago Held in Violation of Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
A federal judge in Chicago held the City of Chicago liable for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by failing to provide accessible pedestrian signals at signalized intersections throughout the city to those who are blind or have low vision.
In April of 2021, the Justice Department moved to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit that people with visual disabilities brought against the City under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleged that the city fails to provide people who are blind, have low vision or are deaf-blind with equal access to pedestrian signal information at intersections. Pedestrian signal information, such as a flashing “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal, indicates when it is safe to cross the street for sighted pedestrians.
Accessible pedestrian signals (APSs) are devices that provide pedestrians with safe-crossing information in a non-visual format, such as through audible tones, speech messages and vibrotactile surfaces. Since at least 2006, Chicago has recognized the need to install APSs for pedestrians with visual disabilities, specifically identifying the need for such installation in multiple city documents. Yet, while Chicago currently provides sighted pedestrians visual crossing signals at nearly 2,800 intersections, the United States’ suit alleged that — at the time it intervened — fewer than one percent of those were equipped with APSs for people who are blind or have low vision.
On March 31, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo sided with the United States and the private plaintiffs in a decision on both sides’ motions for summary judgment, holding the city in violation of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The court found that the city had provided APS at only a “miniscule portion of the whole,” and thus had failed “to provide ‘meaningful access’ to its network of existing facilities and to ensure that newly constructed signals are designed and constructed in such a manner as to be ‘readily accessible’ by blind individuals.” The case is being handled for the U.S. Attorney’s Office by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Johnson and Sarah J. North as well as by the Civil Rights Division.
“Federal law offers people with visual disabilities the promise of full participation in community life, and safely navigating city streets is a critical part of that,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue pushing for a remedy that fully addresses the discrimination faced by blind people in Chicago.”
“As previously stated, the U.S. Attorney’s Office took action in this case in order to ensure that Chicagoans with disabilities are provided equal access to city services, particularly services where the primary focus is on public safety,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “Our office remains committed to standing up for the rights of all those who reside in and visit the City of Chicago and all other communities across the Northern District of Illinois. We look forward to working with the City of Chicago to identify an appropriate remedy for the future.”
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report.
Suburban Chicago Woman Charged with Filing False Income Tax Returns with the Internal Revenue ServiceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An Orland Park resident and owner of a sandwich shop in Plainfield has been charged with three counts of filing a false tax return.
Per the information, HEYAM P. MALICK, 64, of Orland Park knowingly filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service between the years 2016 to 2020. Malick was the owner and sole employee of Smiley’s Gyros and Beef, located in Plainfield. As charged in the information, Malick is accused of under reporting her income from the business by more than $725,000 over three years.
The charge is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Peabody.
The public is reminded that an information contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge of tax fraud carries a possible sentence of up to three years in federal prison on each count. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
California Man Charged in $23 Million Fraudulent Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A California man has been charged with wire fraud in federal court in Chicago for defrauding multiple investors out of more than $23 million dollars as part of a fake investment scheme.
Per the information, from February 2021 through December 2022, SEAN GRUSD, 31, of California, is alleged to have devised and carried out a scheme to defraud investors in Dylan Ventures LLC, November Acquisitions SPV LLC, and December Acquisitions SPV LLC (collectively, "the Grusd Entities") out of more than $23 million dollars. Grusd falsely represented that the victims’ money would be used to make investments in privately owned businesses. Instead of making those investments, Grusd misappropriated the victims’ funds, using the money to pay personal expenses and purchase luxury items, including expensive cars, vacations, and real estate.
As part of his scheme, Grusd provided victims with false and forged documents, including fraudulent stock certificates that showed November Acquisitions had paid $50 million for shares in Company A; and that December Acquisitions had paid $100 million for shares in Company B; when, in fact, neither of those Grusd Entities purchased shares in either of those companies. Additionally, Grusd provided one victim with a fabricated bank statement for December Acquisitions that he knew falsely reflected a balance of $133 million, when, in fact, the balance in that account was zero.
The charge is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey B. Rubenstein.
The public is reminded that an information contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge of wire fraud carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
South Beloit Woman Found Guilty of Bail-Jumping ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A South Beloit woman was convicted on Friday for her participation in a bail jumping conspiracy following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Rockford.
According to the indictment and evidence at trial, PATRICIA WERSCHIN, aka PATRICIA FRISELLA, 56, conspired with others in June of 2016 to help her son, Adrian Peters, flee to Canada to avoid federal prosecution. In July 2015, Peters was charged with sexual exploitation of minors, a crime that carried a 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. While the case was pending, Peters was on home confinement with a $15,000 cash bond and with Werschin acting as his third-party custodian.
Werschin played a critical part in the conspiracy to help her son try to evade his federal charges by fleeing the country. Instead of ensuring that her son abided by the conditions of pre-trial release, Werschin created fake identification documents for her son to use in Canada, worked with co-conspirators to recruit and pay others to drive her son to the border, and then arranged for court approval for her son to leave the house on June 28, 2016, under the pretext of a doctor’s appointment. Werschin dropped her son off at Rock Cut State Park where he was then picked up and driven to the Canadian border by a co-conspirator. Peters crossed into Canada on foot, but the coconspirator was stopped by border patrol as he pulled away from the crossing. The coconspirator confessed what he knew of the plan and Peters was apprehended in Canada the next day.
Once Werschin learned that border patrol had stopped the co-conspirator, she immediately fled from her home in South Beloit. Werschin traveled through multiple states, eventually crossing into Mexico.
Werschin faces a maximum potential penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The court must impose a reasonable sentence guided by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing for Werschin is scheduled for June 16, 2023. Sentencing for Werschin’s son, Adrian Peters, who was also charged in the conspiracy and previously pled guilty, is scheduled for June 30, 2016. Peters previously pled guilty and was sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment for the original criminal charge.
The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The South Beloit Police Department, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian Border Patrol Services Agency, Illinois Secretary of State, and United States Marshal Service assisted in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus, Talia M. Bucci, and Lisa Munch. AUSA Mike Love and former AUSA Scott Paccagnini provided significant assistance during the investigation.
Suburban Chicago Health Care Company and Its Owner Ordered to Pay False Claims Act Judgment of More Than $25 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former owner of a home visiting physician company in suburban Chicago, who was previously convicted of theft from the Medicare program, has been ordered by a federal judge to pay more than $25 million in damages and penalties as the result of more than 4,000 violations of the False Claims Act.
AJIBOLA AYENI, 63, of Flossmoor, formerly operated DOCS AT THE DOOR, P.C., a home visiting physician company in Matteson, Illinois. In 2017, the government intervened in a sealed whistleblower lawsuit that had been brought against him and other defendants in 2013. The United States filed its own complaint-in-intervention against Ayeni and his wife, JOY H. TURNER-AYENI, 61, of Flossmoor, and their companies, including Docs at the Door, alleging that they had violated the federal False Claims Act by knowingly submitting claims for Medicare payments for services not rendered, services that were not medically necessary, and services that were “upcoded” to a higher level reimbursement than was appropriate or provided. The allegations included that Ayeni and Docs at the Door had submitted thousands of claims for a Medicare service called care plan oversight, which they knew had not been provided. Care plan oversight is a covered Medicare service, where a physician who has certified a plan of care for a home health patient spends an additional 30 minutes in a calendar month performing certain oversight functions that are not related to the certification itself or a face-to-face visit with the patient, which are separately billed.
Also in 2017, Ayeni was charged in a related criminal case alleging care plan oversight fraud. That case resolved in a guilty plea on August 22, 2019, when Ayeni pleaded guilty to one count of theft or embezzlement in connection with a health care benefit program. In his plea, Ayeni specifically admitted that the Medicare program paid Docs at the Door approximately $523,600 from 2011 through June 2015 as the result of 4,367 false claims for the care plan oversight service that he, as the owner and authorized official of the business, knowingly caused to be submitted although he knew that care plan oversight service had not been rendered. He also admitted that he instructed others to create false documentation to support those false claims for care plan oversight.
On March 24, 2023, Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer granted summary judgment to the United States regarding the care plan oversight false claims in its civil case, holding that Ayeni and Docs at the Door are liable under the False Claims Act for those false care plan oversight claims to Medicare based upon Ayeni’s earlier guilty plea and his admissions within the plea agreement. On March 28, 2023, the court entered judgment against Ayeni and Docs at the Door in the amount of $25,589,300, made up of $1,570,800 in treble damages and $24,018,500 in civil penalties.
The ruling is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The government is represented in its civil fraud case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah North. The government was represented in the criminal case against Ayeni by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Daniel and Sarah North.
To combat fraud, the False Claims Act permits private individuals to sue for false claims on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The Act also allows the government to intervene or take over the lawsuit, as it has done in this case, and to recover three times damages plus civil penalties, that ranged from $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim submitted by the defendants during the fraud scheme in this case.
Owner of Chicago Area Construction Company Charged with Bribing Cook County OfficialRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of a Chicago area construction company has been charged with one count of conspiracy to bribe a public official, and two counts of using a facility in interstate commerce (a cell phone) in order to facilitate the acts of bribery.
As noted within the information, from approximately 2016 to June 2019, ALEX NITCHOFF, 56, of Lemont, is alleged to have conspired with other individuals both known and unknown to bribe Lavdim Memisovski, an employee of the Cook County Assessor’s Office who performed the function of Commercial Group Leader. As a commercial group leader, Memisovski assessed property values for Cook County commercial properties and reviewed property tax appeals for commercial properties. Nitchoff, along with other individuals, provided Memisovski with home improvement materials, home improvement services, contracts for electrical work, jewelry, meals, sporting events tickets, and other items of value, intending to influence Memisovski in connection with his work as a Commercial Group Leader. Memisovski, in return, ensured that appeals of property assessments related to Nitchoff and his business associates were routed to himself so that he could extend deadlines for the filing of appeals and reduce assessed property values.
The information is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Didwania and Thomas P. Peabody.
The public is reminded that an information contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge of bribery carries a possible sentence of up to five years in federal prison, and each charge of using a facility of interstate commerce carries a possible sentence of up to five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Suburban Man Found Guilty of Robbing Three Banks and Additional Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury has found a suburban Chicago man guilty of three counts of bank robbery, three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and conspiracy to transfer a firearm to a felon.
As revealed at trial, between May 11 and May 31, 2018, JAMES D. WILLIAMS, 46, of Bartlett, along with a co-conspirator, robbed three banks: Second National Bank located at 323 East Norris Drive, Ottawa on May 11, Norstates Bank located at 5384 Grand Avenue, Gurnee on May 21, and Aurora Bank and Trust located at 2287 West Galena Boulevard, Aurora, on May 31. Prior to the first robbery, Williams obtained an AK-47-style firearm, which he used in each of the three robberies. A day after the second robbery, Williams’ wife, Jessica Sweeney Williams, purchased a handgun. Williams used that handgun, as well as the rifle, in the third robbery. During the third robbery, Williams discharged one of the firearms but did not cause any injuries. Williams and his co-conspirator used disguises during each robbery and traveled in vehicles that were either rented or borrowed.
Sentencing has not yet been set before U.S. District Court Judge John Robert Blakey. Williams faces a sentence of at least 24 years, up to life, in federal prison. Williams’ co-conspirator, Alexis T. Handelman, 25, of Bartlett pled guilty to committing the bank robberies and is awaiting sentencing. Williams’ wife, Jessica Sweeney Williams, pled guilty to providing a firearm to Williams and was sentenced to 24 months in prison by Judge Blakey.
The verdict is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by Ottawa Police Department, Gurnee Police Department, Aurora Police Department, and Palatine Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Edenfield and Jasmina Vajzovic.
Former Chicago Public Schools Employee Sentenced to 18 Months of ProbationRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a former Chicago Public Schools employee to 18 months of probation after he pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
PEDRO SOTO, 48, of Chicago admitted in a plea agreement that he intentionally misled the FBI while the agency was conducting a criminal investigation into Soto’s interactions with a lobbyist and the lobbyist’s colleague regarding the awarding of a custodial services contract valued at approximately $1 billion. Soto was a member of a CPS evaluation committee tasked in 2016 with recommending to the Chicago Board of Education which company or companies CPS should hire to perform the services, and the lobbyist and the lobbyist’s colleague were assisting one of the companies bidding for the contract. Soto admitted in the plea agreement that he repeatedly provided non-public information to the lobbyist’s colleague concerning the award of the contract, and that he had done so, in part, because the lobbyist’s colleague had promised to extend various benefits to Soto. Soto further admitted that in 2019 he intentionally made false statements to the FBI when he denied having provided the lobbyist’s colleague with inside information about the awarding of the contract.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman sentenced Soto 18 months of probation, along with a $3,000 fine and 100 hours of community service on March 16, 2023.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Chicago Board of Education Inspector General’s Office provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet Bhachu and Michelle Kramer.
Rockford Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Banks in Rockford and BelvidereRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A federal judge has sentenced a Rockford man to a total of 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks in Rockford and Belvidere in 2021, and for violating his terms of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the sentence on Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.
DEMONTRION DESHAN PHILLIPS, 29, was convicted after a jury trial in November 2022 of stealing $5,930 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 1700 N. Alpine Rd. in Rockford, on Apr. 7, 2021, and $4,408 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 600 S. State St. in Belvidere, on May 3, 2021. Phillips committed the robberies while on court-supervised release following a prior federal conviction for robbing two banks in Rockford in 2017.
Phillips received an additional 24-month sentence for committing the robberies while on court-supervised release for his prior bank robbery conviction.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.; Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department; and Shane Woody, Chief of the Belvidere Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Talia Bucci and Vincenza L. Tomlinson.