Northern District of Illinois

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearm “switch” devices.

JAVAUGHN A. HIXSON, 23, possessed and sold four of the devices, also known as “Glock switches,” in Rockford from October to December of 2020.  Each conversion device is designed and intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun capable of automatically firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger. 

Hixson also illegally possessed a loaded handgun with an extended magazine.  On Jan. 4, 2021, Hixson was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Rockford Police Department.  Hixson ran from the officers and tossed the gun into the snow.  Hixson had previously been convicted of a felony weapons offense and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Hixson pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of illegally possessing machine guns and one count of illegally possessing the firearm. 

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the 66-month prison sentence on Aug. 25, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.  In a written sentencing order, Judge Johnston stated, “The sole and exclusive purpose of Glock switches, which are easily manufactured, is to convert an already dangerous firearm into an extremely dangerous machinegun.  The dangerousness manifests itself not only in the sheer number of bullets that can be emptied from the magazine in the blink of an eye but also in the resulting lack of control of the firearm when discharging it.  The damage a machinegun can inflict is enormous.  The damage — intended and unintended — a handheld machinegun can inflict is just as great.  This offense involved 9 Glock switches, some of which Mr. Hixson sold believing they would be resold to others.”

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.

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, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Chicago-area firearms trafficker to ten years in prison for unlawfully dealing handguns and “switch” devices capable of converting semi-automatic firearms into machine guns.

In September 2020, LEONARD D. JOHNSON supplied at least four “switch” devices, also known as “Glock switches,” to an individual who later sold them to a confidential informant and an undercover law enforcement officer.  The individual and Johnson then split the proceeds.  In December 2020, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Johnson’s residence in Robbins, Ill., and discovered 117 “switch” devices and three handguns that had been converted into machine guns, as well as another handgun, a silencer, three extended magazines, and ammunition.

Johnson was arrested in December 2020 on a federal firearm charge.  He violated his conditions of pre-trial release while continuing to traffic firearms in 2021.  He later fled to Georgia, where he was arrested in March 2022.

Johnson, also known as “Scrap,” 34, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to one count of unlawfully dealing firearms and one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.  U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall imposed the ten-year prison sentence on Aug. 25, 2022.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Lansing, Ill., Police Department and the Midlothian, Ill., Police Department.

“Defendant was a prolific machine gun dealer in the Chicago area,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Glock switches are a prevalent danger in this community that have no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage on enemies and any innocent bystanders who get caught in the spray of bullets.”

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, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man of committing murder to maintain and increase his position in a violent Chicago street gang.

PIERRE ROBINSON, 29, of Chicago, was found guilty of committing murder in aid of racketeering.  The jury returned its verdict on Aug. 25, 2022, after a four-day trial in U.S. District in Chicago.  The conviction is punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., set sentencing for Feb. 8, 2023.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albert Berry III and Margaret Steindorf.

Evidence at trial revealed that Robinson murdered Glenn Houston, Jr., on Dec. 23, 2014, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing Robinson’s position in the Evans Mob street gang.  Robinson shot Houston, 23, multiple times inside a store in the 400 block of East 79th Street in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.  The Evans Mob, also known as “GuttaGang,” is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in narcotics trafficking and committed acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, and assault, to acquire and preserve the gang’s territory on the South Side of Chicago.  Members of the Evans Mob used social media to publicly claim responsibility for their acts of violence, taunt rival gang members, and took steps to prevent law enforcement’s detection of its criminal activities.

ROCKFORD — A federal judge in Rockford today sentenced an Illinois man to 55 years in federal prison for the killing of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner.

A jury earlier this year convicted FLOYD E. BROWN, 43, of Springfield, Ill., of second-degree murder of a federal officer, attempting to kill additional federal officers, assault of federal officers, and multiple firearm offenses.  U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly imposed the sentence after a hearing in federal court.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington Police Department, Loves Park Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Talia Bucci, Scott Paccagnini, and Ronald DeWald.

“Through the violent actions of Floyd Brown, the Keltner family lost a devoted son, husband and father, and the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois lost a dedicated public servant,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Special Deputy Keltner made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation.  His bravery and dedication will not be forgotten.  We remain committed to prosecuting violence against federal law enforcement officers to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Special Deputy Keltner put his life on the line every day to protect and serve his community,” said FBI Acting SAC Johnson.  “Tragically, on March 7, 2019, he paid a terrible price for his dedication.  We will never stop working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to remove violent offenders from our streets and safeguard those who care for our communities.”

Special Deputy Keltner was fatally wounded on March 7, 2019, when members of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement officers attempted to execute a warrant for Brown’s arrest at a Rockford hotel.  Special Deputy Keltner served as a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy and was a sworn member of the task force.  Brown was wanted on a residential burglary charge.   

When the officers attempted to gain access to Brown’s third-floor hotel room, he fired ten shots through the door and nearby walls, narrowly missing a Deputy U.S. Marshal and two Special Deputy U.S. Marshals.  Brown then jumped out of a window and fired a shot that fatally struck Special Deputy Keltner, who was covering the exterior of the hotel. 

Brown was arrested several hours later near Lincoln, Ill., after a high-speed pursuit.

CHICAGO — A man has admitted in federal court that he robbed eight Chicago-area banks over a seven-month period in 2019.

MANUEL MARTINEZ, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of bank robbery.  Martinez admitted in a plea agreement that he robbed a total of eight banks in Chicago and nearby suburbs from April to September of 2019.

Two co-defendants – ANDRES ADAME, 37, of Melrose Park, Ill., and AARON FLORES, 24, of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery apiece and admitted to participating with Martinez in some of the heists.

Each count of bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman set sentencings for Oct. 4, 2022, for Adame; Oct. 13, 2022, for Flores; and Nov. 30, 2022, for Martinez.

The guilty pleas were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Elmwood Park Police Department, Park Ridge Police Department, Franklin Park Police Department, Niles Police Department, and Schiller Park Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Chung.

Martinez, Adame, and Flores admitted to participating in the following robberies:

• Citibank, 3535 N. Central Ave. in Chicago, on Sept. 17, 2019.
• TCF Bank, 1 W. Devon Ave. in Park Ridge, Ill., on Sept. 18, 2019.
• PNC Bank, 10272 W. Grand Ave. in Franklin Park, Ill., on Sept. 26, 2019.
• Fifth Third Bank, 5670 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on Sept. 27, 2019.
• U.S. Bank, 7312 W. Grand Ave. in Elmwood Park, Ill., on Oct. 2, 2019.

Martinez and Adame also admitted to participating in the following robberies:

• Chase Bank, 7007 Dempster St. in Niles, Ill., on April 6, 2019.
• TCF Bank, 9343 W. Irving Park Rd. in Schiller Park, Ill., on Sept. 6, 2019.

In addition, Martinez admitted to robbing Citibank, 3535 N. Central Ave. in Chicago, on April 10, 2019, while Adame admitted to robbing U.S. Bank, 10035 W. Grand Ave. in Franklin Park, Ill., on Feb. 2, 2019, and Chase Bank, 2639 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on April 27, 2019.

ROCKFORD — A DeKalb, Ill., resident was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for bringing undocumented workers to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.  

U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the sentence on LUIS ALFREDO DELACRUZ, 53, after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations.  The DeKalb Police Department assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza Tomlinson.

Delacruz admitted in a plea agreement earlier this year that on Nov. 1, 2015, he knowingly brought an alien to the U.S. to work at Delacruz’s business, Alfredo’s Iron Works in Cortland, Ill.   Delacruz admitted that he paid a smuggling fee to another individual to bring the worker into the country.  Once the worker started working for Delacruz’s business, Delacruz deducted the smuggling fee from the worker’s paychecks, referring to it as an “employee loan repayment.” 

Investigating agents who executed a search warrant at Delacruz’s business found in a desk drawer fraudulent identification documents for an additional ten undocumented workers.  In all, Delacruz admitted that he smuggled at least two people into the U.S. on at least four separate occasions.

ROCKFORD — A Rockford woman has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms.

KIANA MARTIN, 30, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford.

Martin pleaded guilty on May 18, 2022, to misrepresenting to federally licensed firearms dealers that she was the actual transferee or buyer of firearms when, in fact, she was not the actual transferee or buyer of the firearms.  In a plea agreement, Martin admitted that on multiple dates she knowingly made false and fictitious written statements to the firearms dealers in connection with the acquisition of firearms, and then transferred those firearms to known felons who could not legally purchase them.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.

CHICAGO — John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today provided an update on the cross-jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.

The Department of Justice launched the strike force in July 2021 to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking and reduce gun violence.  Led locally by U.S. Attorney Lausch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (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 to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.  The Chicago strike force’s efforts have been substantially enhanced by the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) Gun Investigations Team.

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in Chicago originate outside Chicago and are illegally trafficked into the city.  The strike force has strengthened coordination between law enforcement in Chicago and counterparts in the locations where many of the firearms originate.  In providing the update on the strike force’s efforts, U.S. Attorney Lausch was joined by U.S. Attorneys from around the Midwest.

“Firearms traffickers and straw purchasers enable violence,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Over the past year, the cross-jurisdictional strike force has increased collaboration with our law enforcement partners and enhanced our longstanding efforts to hold accountable individuals or groups who illegally traffic firearms into Chicago.”

“While I am the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, this Office will continue to recognize that combatting violent crime – particularly gun crimes – requires coordinated, multi-jurisdictional efforts among federal and state prosecutors and federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana.  “We know that through these combined efforts the safety of the citizens in our respective communities is improved.  We want all law-abiding citizens to be able to enjoy the many cultural, social, and recreational activities in the Chicagoland area without fear of violence.”

“Whether individuals are trafficking guns from Wisconsin into Chicago or sending guns from other states into places like Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha, we are fully committed to working with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to hold firearms traffickers and straw purchasers fully accountable,” said Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.  “By working together – both within our districts and across the region – we can make all of our communities safer places in which to live and work.”

“Illegal firearms traffickers help fuel the horrific gun violence inflicted on our communities and families,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.  “Working with law enforcement partners across agencies and jurisdictions, our office will continue to prioritize investigations and prosecutions that stem the tide of crime guns onto the streets of all of our communities and hold gun traffickers accountable.”

“Preventing gun violence is a top priority in our district and region,” said Gregory K. Harris, United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.  “These cross-jurisdictional efforts to stem illegal firearm trafficking are an important tool in making our communities safer.”

“Reducing violent crime and gun crimes are top priorities of my office,” said Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.  “The statements expressed here show that violent criminals cannot avoid federal prosecution by fleeing to another state.  There is literally nowhere to run.  We will work with our law enforcement partners across the Midwest to hold violent criminals and gun traffickers accountable and keep our communities safe.”

To investigate and prosecute cases as part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices work closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including ATF, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).  State and local partners in the Northern District of Illinois include CPD, Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockford Police Department (RPD).

In the first year of the strike force, several dozen defendants have been charged or convicted in federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, as illustrated by the examples below.

Northern District of Illinois

• ARSHAD ZAYED, of Orland Hills, Ill., was charged with illegally selling 36 firearms, including “ghost guns” and machine guns, in the Chicago area.  Many of the transactions occurred in a car wash that Zayed managed in the Chicago suburb of Matteson, Ill.  The investigation was conducted by FBI, ATF, CPD, ISP, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
• Two Indianapolis men – DEVANTE T. BROWN and COREY SARTIN – were charged with federal firearm violations for allegedly trafficking ten guns, including four semiautomatic rifles and two “ghost guns,” from Indianapolis to Chicago.  The probe was led by ATF and CPD, with assistance from the Dolton, Ill., Police Department.
• Chicago resident ANTHONY PEREZ-FLORES was charged with trafficking more than a dozen guns, including a “ghost gun” and a machine gun, in Chicago.  Perez-Flores was on parole for a state firearm conviction when he allegedly sold the guns to an undercover officer.  ATF, CPD, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
• DEVON DOW, of Chicago, was charged with trafficking individually manufactured “ghost guns” in Chicago.  Dow allegedly sold seven “ghost guns” to an undercover law enforcement officer on the city’s South Side.  The firearms were considered “ghost guns” because they contained no identifiable serial number and had been manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  HSI and CPD led the probe.
• Five men were indicted for allegedly trafficking guns from St. Louis to Chicago.  The charges accuse ROBERT NARUP, of Washington, Mo., of buying firearms at gun shows throughout the United States and illegally selling them to JEROME BOYKIN, of St. Louis, Mo.  Boykin then allegedly brought the guns to Chicago and sold them to ROGELIO MANCERA, of Schaumburg, Ill., in exchange for marijuana.  The charges accuse Mancera, RODOLFO ORTEGA of Chicago, and HECTOR CHACON of Chicago, with selling the guns on the streets of Chicago.  ATF and CPD’s Gun Investigations Team led the probe, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
• A federal jury convicted JOSEPH GHANDOUR, of Glenview, Ill., of illegally selling a “ghost gun” to a convicted felon in a suburban Chicago grocery store parking lot.  Unbeknownst to Ghandour, the felon to whom he sold the rifle was cooperating with law enforcement.  FBI investigated.
• A man was indicted on firearm charges for allegedly straw purchasing 27 handguns from suburban Chicago stores.  MATTHEW JAMAAL JOHNSON, of Dolton, Ill., allegedly falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer, when, in reality, Johnson purchased the guns on behalf of another individual.  ATF and CPD led the probe.
• Chicago resident ISMAEL SENE was sentenced to a year in federal prison for straw purchasing handguns in the Chicago suburbs.  In one of the transactions, Sene falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer.  In reality, Sene purchased the gun on behalf of an individual whom Sene had reason to believe was a convicted felon who was prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm.  ATF led the probe, with assistance from CPD.
• A suburban Chicago man was sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Kentucky to Chicago.  Many of the guns trafficked by JOHN PHILLIPS, of Lyons, Ill., were later discovered by law enforcement at crime scenes in Chicago.  The investigation was led by ATF’s Chicago office, with assistance from ATF agents in Louisville, Ky.
• PARIS STEELE, of Chicago, was sentenced in August to more than six years in federal prison for unlawfully dealing shotguns and other firearms in Chicago.  While Steele was on bond and awaiting trial, he appeared in videos on social media holding a firearm and threatening violence against others.  ATF and CPD conducted the investigation.
• A Chicago man was charged with making materially false statements in the acquisition of more than 20 firearms.  STOVALL BUCHANAN acquired the guns from suburban Chicago firearms dealers and allegedly lied on federal forms about his home address and the actual buyer of the guns.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.
• Chicago resident JUSTIN GARCIA was charged in August with straw purchasing handguns in a suburban Chicago store on behalf of another individual.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.
• Two days after the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, a Hammond, Ind., man was charged with conspiring to straw purchase the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting.  JAMEL DANZY pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he was a straw purchaser who bought the gun from a firearms dealer in Indiana at the request of a convicted felon who was found in possession of the gun after the shootings of Officer French and her partner.  Danzy is awaiting sentencing.  ATF and CPD led the probe.

Central District of Illinois

• JERON C. MCNEAL, of Peoria, Ill., was sentenced in October 2021 to a year in federal prison for his involvement in a burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer and for giving false statements to federal law enforcement.  A mob smashed the window of the business and approximately nine people entered the store and stole 29 firearms.  McNeal drove a get-away car for some of the looters.  McNeal’s sister, CHAYLA MCNEAL, was sentenced on the same charges in November 2021.  Chayla McNeal stood outside the business, encouraged minor individuals to enter, and appeared to record the looting with her phone.  Both McNeals also later lied to federal agents.  In April 2021, one of the 29 guns stolen – an FNH 40 caliber pistol – was recovered by the Chicago Police Department.
• APRIL ALEXANDRIA SORIANO, of Springfield, Ill., pleaded guilty in October 2021 to making false statements during the purchase of multiple firearms.  Soriano admitted to lying on ATF forms when she indicated she was purchasing the guns for herself when, in fact, she was buying them for someone else.  An ATF gun trace revealed that Soriano purchased five firearms in 2019 and 2020.  A 9mm Taurus handgun she purchased in East Peoria, Ill., was later discovered by law enforcement during a search of Soriano’s then-residence in Peoria, Ill.  A second firearm – a 9mm Ruger handgun – that Soriano purchased in Springfield was later discovered in Chicago following a shooting incident where a victim sustained a gunshot wound.

Northern District of Indiana

• Twenty-four individuals were charged with violating various federal firearms laws, including the straw-purchasing of more than 150 firearms, lying about their eligibility to purchase more than 100 firearms, transferring firearms to a person who resided in another state, and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.  Approximately 30 firearms illegally purchased in Indiana were recovered by law enforcement in Chicago and the Chicagoland area, with some of the firearms being linked to shootings and seized from prohibited persons.  ATF led the investigations, with assistance from law enforcement throughout the Northern District of Indiana.

Southern District of Indiana

• Six individuals were charged with straw purchasing 90 firearms, more than 20 of which were later discovered at crime scenes in Chicago.  ATF led the investigation, with assistance from law enforcement in Chicago.

Eastern District of Wisconsin

• In February, a Chicago man was indicted for an armed carjacking in Milwaukee.  SHAMONTE BRYANT is alleged to have stolen a firearm during the carjacking, driven the stolen car and firearm from Milwaukee to Chicago, and used the firearm during a shooting in Chicago the following day.  The case was investigated by FBI and the Milwaukee Police Department.
• In April, two individuals from Racine County, Wisc., were charged with conspiring to purchase firearms, alter/obliterate the serial numbers, and sell the firearms to others.  As part of the conspiracy, DEANDRE L. RODGERS and VIRIDIANA GARCIA-RAMIREZ are alleged to have purchased at least eleven handguns and one rifle from local gun stores between December 2021 and March 2022.  Garcia-Ramirez entered a guilty plea to the conspiracy in July 2022.  Rodgers’s case remains pending.  The matter was investigated by ATF and the Racine Police Department.
• Between July 2021 and July 2022, three previously convicted felons from Fond du Lac, Wisc. – TREON DENNIS, JASON SPINKS, and SHAKIE DAVIS – entered guilty pleas and were sentenced in federal court for conspiring to have an individual straw-purchase approximately eleven firearms.  According to court records, three of the firearms were recovered at crime scenes in the Chicago area.  Dennis and Davis were sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.  In August 2022, a fourth individual charged in the case, JONATHAN GRIFFIN acknowledged the straw purchases and entered a guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Griffin is set to be sentenced in November.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Fond du Lac Police Department.
• In July, two individuals from Milwaukee – STEPHANIE GRIFFITH and WILLIE STATEN – were charged in federal court with straw-purchasing approximately 23 firearms.  Staten also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Three of the firearms were recovered by law enforcement, including one in Illinois.  Griffith pleaded guilty, while Staten’s case is pending.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Milwaukee Police Department.

Western District of Wisconsin

• SAMUEL SCHILTZ, of Waunakee, Wisc., was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally selling two handguns installed with 30-round magazines and auto sears, which converted the guns into fully automatic machine guns.  Schiltz, who was on probation for a felony drug crime at the time of the sale, told an undercover agent that he also sold cocaine and prescription opiates.  Schiltz offered other firearms for sale, and he offered to install auto sears on other guns.  The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and ATF conducted the investigation.

In addition to the sustained focus on firearms trafficking prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices endeavor to disrupt violent crime by seeking pre-trial detention for defendants who pose a danger to the community and by pursuing appropriate prison sentences to deter dangerous individuals from continuing to cause violence in their communities.  Another critical aspect of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts is Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is an evidence-based program that focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to pursue lasting reductions in crime.

“A primary goal of our office is to reduce violent crime, and we will continue to use every available federal law enforcement tool to keep people safe,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

The strike force’s efforts in Chicago and throughout the country remain active and ongoing.  The public is reminded that charges are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun during an altercation on a Chicago street.

JULIAN ALMANZA, 22, of Chicago, illegally possessed the gun on the afternoon of Jan. 14, 2021, in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood.  At one point during the altercation Almanza stood in the middle of a street and pointed the gun at multiple individuals.  When Chicago Police officers began arriving on the scene, Almanza slid the firearm under a truck.  The officers quickly discovered the gun, which was equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition.

Almanza had previously been convicted of two firearm felonies in state court and was not legally allowed to possess the gun.  He was on parole for the more recent firearm offense at the time of the federal charge.

Almanza pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee imposed a 44-month prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick M. Mott represented the government.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted two men on carjacking charges in connection with the violent thefts of vehicles in the north suburbs of Chicago.

EDSON RESENDEZ and MAVERICK CELA forcibly took vehicles in Morton Grove, Ill., and Skokie, Ill., according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The indictment charges Resendez, 21, and Cela, 21, both of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit carjackings and two counts of carjacking.  Resendez also faces an additional count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Resendez was arrested Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court.  A detention hearing is set for Aug. 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.

Cela is currently in the custody of the state of Illinois.  His arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled. 

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Morton Grove Police Department, and Skokie Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg.

According to the indictment, Resendez and Cela took a Chevrolet Sonic from a victim in Morton Grove on Sept. 11, 2020.  Cela later disposed of the vehicle by lighting it on fire in the 6200 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, the indictment states.

On Sept. 13, 2020, Resendez and Cela took a Lexus GS350 from a victim in Skokie, the indictment states.  The pair later disposed of the vehicle in the 4800 block of South Hermitage Avenue in Chicago, the charges allege.

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 carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count against Resendez carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense.  The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

A federal court today ordered an Illinois company to stop manufacturing and distributing drugs alleged to be adulterated in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

In a civil complaint filed on Aug. 17, the United States alleged that Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals Inc., violated the FDCA at the company’s facility in Morton Grove, Illinois, by manufacturing and distributing adulterated drugs. Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals makes and distributes prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as cough syrups and nasal sprays. The Department of Justice alleged that the company violated the FDCA by failing to have adequate procedures to prevent cross-contamination of equipment, failing to reject drug lots using a contaminated ingredient, and failing to fully investigate the root cause of such contamination. The department also alleged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the company’s facility five times, in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2021, and that many of the violations were repeat violations the FDA had identified in earlier inspections.

The current good manufacturing practice regulations mandate that manufacturers control the processes and procedures by which drugs are manufactured, processed, packed, and held, to ensure that drugs have the identity, strength, quality, purity, and other attributes necessary for their safe and effective use. Drugs not made in conformance with current good manufacturing practice regulations are adulterated and in violation of the law. According to the Justice Department’s complaint, the FDA issued Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals several warnings, including a warning letter to the company in 2017, regarding alleged deficiencies at its facility.

“Drug manufacturers have an important responsibility to ensure drug quality and safety,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with the FDA and take action against manufacturers who fail to abide by laws designed to protect public health.”

“Pharmaceutical companies must manufacture and distribute prescription and over-the-counter drugs in compliance with federal law,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., for the Northern District of Illinois. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our colleagues at the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch to ensure public health is not jeopardized.”

“Current good manufacturing practice requirements are the foundation of a safe and effective national drug supply,” said Director Donald Ashley of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Compliance. “These manufacturing fundamentals are necessary to ensure the public is not put at risk from adulterated drug products. Today is a culmination of the dogged oversight needed to hold drug manufacturers accountable for the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drug products they produce as we work to best protect public health.” 

The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The negotiated consent decree entered by the court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the FDCA, and requires, among other things, that the defendants stop manufacturing, processing, labeling, holding, or distributing adulterated drugs. Further, the defendants must destroy all drugs in the facility, except for those that are medically necessary. 

Senior Litigation Counsels Donald Lorenzen and Christina Parascandola of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, along with Senior Counsel Michele Svonkin and Joshua A. Davenport of the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel, provided valuable assistance.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

The claims resolved by the resolution announced today are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

ROCKFORD — A Texas man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for distributing anabolic steroids through the mail.

DAVID E. HUTCHINSON, 47, of Georgetown, Texas, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of distributing anabolic steroids.  U.S. District Judge John R. Blakey imposed the prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and William Hedrick, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.

According to a written plea agreement, Hutchinson, who used the name “Robolics,” distributed anabolic steroids through the U.S. mail from at least January to November of 2019.  Hutchinson sold a variety of products containing anabolic steroids.  He advertised the steroids through online forums, both directly and through sales representatives.  He took orders via email, and he accepted payment either by cash mailed to a fictitious company or via bitcoin transfer.  Upon payment, Hutchinson shipped orders of anabolic steroids to customers in multiple states.  Hutchinson admitted in the plea agreement that he mailed several parcels containing anabolic steroids to a location in Algonquin, Ill.  The shipments fulfilled orders that were placed by federal law enforcement acting in an undercover capacity. 

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hutchinson’s then-residence in North Carolina on Nov. 21, 2019, Hutchinson was found to be in possession of more than 6,900 grams of anabolic steroids in powder form, several U.S. mail parcels containing anabolic steroids that Hutchinson had packaged for shipment, various mixing and packaging materials, several firearms, a safe containing more than $88,000 in cash, and a cryptocurrency hard wallet containing approximately $87,332 in cryptocurrency.  Hutchinson admitted in the plea agreement that on Nov. 18, 2019, he delivered to a post office in North Carolina a parcel containing samples of his product that he was shipping to Slovakia for chemical analysis.  The following day, he delivered to the post office nine parcels containing anabolic steroids that he was mailing to customers.

CHICAGO — A former senior accountant for a Chicago construction company has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly embezzling millions in company funds.

RICHARD A. MANDARINO entered false payment requests in the construction company’s accounting system, causing checks to be issued to vendor companies for goods and services that Mandarino knew were never provided, according to an indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Mandarino then converted those payments to his and others’ personal use, the indictment states.  Mandarino allegedly concealed the thefts by creating fictitious credits and offsets in the construction company’s accounting system.

Mandarino committed the alleged fraud from 2015 to 2017 while he resided in Canada and worked on the construction company’s Canadian business projects, the indictment states.  The charges allege that Mandarino fraudulently embezzled and obtained more than two million Canadian dollars.

The indictment charges Mandarino, 43, of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, with three counts of wire fraud.  Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. King, Jr.

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 count of wire fraud is punishable by 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.

CHICAGO – Three Chicago-area residents have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $2.75 million in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

SAMUEL W. JACKSON, DAVID L. SULLIVAN II, and ELIZABETH A. CHERVINKO engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) – two sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois.  The indictment charges Jackson, 42, of Chicago, with five counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, while Sullivan, 49, of Naperville, Ill., and Chervinko, 41, of Chicago, are each charged with one count of wire fraud. 

Jackson pleaded not guilty Tuesday during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani.  Arraignments for Sullivan and Chervinko are set for Aug. 17, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Hannibal Ware, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher K. Veatch and Megan Donohue.

Pursuant to the CARES Act, a PPP loan allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend a certain amount of the proceeds on essential expenses, such as payroll, rent, and utilities, while the EIDL provides loan assistance or grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses.

According to the indictment, the defendants in the spring and summer of 2020 submitted fraudulent applications and supporting documents to lenders, loan service providers, and the SBA, in their own names and in the names of related corporate entities, including three Montana-based companies – Dream Builder LLC, Ordained Destination LLC, and Ordained Real Estate LLC – and two Illinois-based companies – Top Flight Real Estate LLC and Tips @ 170 Inc.  The applications and supporting documents contained materially false representations about the defendants’ companies, including the number of purported employees, revenue and payroll amounts, and other expenses, the indictment states.

The indictment alleges that the defendants defrauded lenders of approximately $2.49 million in PPP loans and defrauded the SBA of approximately $256,500 in EIDL funds.  Much of the money was allegedly used for the defendants’ personal benefit, including the purchase of real estate and the lease and purchase of luxury automobiles.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while the maximum penalty for each count of money laundering is ten years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

CHICAGO — A jury has convicted two suburban Chicago men on drug conspiracy charges as part of a federal investigation that disrupted a Mexico-to-Chicago drug pipeline.

SHELDON MORALES and EDUARDO SANTANA conspired with a supplier in Mexico and two inmates in a prison in Texas to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine from Mexico to Evanston, Ill., and Morton Grove, Ill., in 2019.  The drugs were sent in packages from California and Arizona and later sold on the streets in the Chicago area. 

Law enforcement uncovered the drug trafficking activities through the use of wiretapped cellular phones and extensive surveillance.  The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

After a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the jury on Aug. 5, 2022, convicted Morales, 40, of Morton Grove, Ill., and Santana, 45, of Skokie, Ill., on a drug conspiracy charge.  Morales was also convicted of an individual drug charge related to his possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl.  Morales faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life, while Santana faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life.

U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland has not yet scheduled sentencings.

The convictions were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Evanston Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles W. Mulaney, Kirsten Moran, and Jeannice Appenteng represent the government.

CHICAGO — A former vice chancellor for City Colleges of Chicago has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for devising and engaging in a procurement fraud scheme.

SHAROD GORDON was employed by City Colleges of Chicago in a variety of leadership roles, most recently as the Vice Chancellor of Legislative and Community Affairs.  From 2013 to 2017, Gordon obtained kickbacks from vendor-companies in exchange for steering them City Colleges contracts for community canvassing and flyer distribution services.  Some of the companies were formed by Gordon’s City Colleges colleagues and other friends for the sole purpose of applying for the contracts.  In some instances, the work was never performed – even though the companies submitted invoices that caused City Colleges to pay out nearly $350,000.  Upon receipt of the payments, Gordon directed representatives of the companies to give him a portion of the money.

Gordon, 47, of Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge.  U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr., on Wednesday imposed a 66-month prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The Office of Inspector General for the City Colleges of Chicago provided substantial assistance in the investigation. 

“Sharod Gordon abused the public trust for personal profit,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan DeMarco argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Defendant used his government position to deprive underserved college students of honest services in order to line his own pocket.”

Seven other defendants were charged with participating in the fraud scheme.

CHICAGO — A man has been charged in federal court with carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint last week while two children were in the car.

The alleged carjacking occurred on the afternoon of July 27, 2022, at Thorntons gas station, 14840 S. Western Ave. in Posen, Ill.  The victim was entering the driver’s seat of her Kia Optima when KEWAN A. TILLMAN approached, pointed a loaded handgun at her, and demanded the key, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The victim got the two children out the vehicle before Tillman stole the car and drove off, the complaint states.  Tillman quickly lost control of the vehicle, got out, and ran back toward the gas station, the complaint states.  Tillman unsuccessfully attempted to force entry into a parked semi-trailer before placing the handgun in a sewer and then trying to force his way into another vehicle, the complaint states.  The driver of that vehicle pushed Tillman to the ground, and Posen Police officers arrested him, the complaint states. 

The officers then discovered the handgun in the sewer, the complaint states.  A “sear switch” was allegedly affixed to the gun, which could make it capable of firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger.

Tillman, 19, of Calumet City, Ill., is charged with one count of carjacking.  He is currently in law enforcement custody.  An initial appearance in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, 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 Posen Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin Walgamuth.

The federal investigation into the carjacking remains ongoing.

The public is reminded that a complaint 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 carjacking charge is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for laundering cash proceeds from a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims.

HIRENKUMAR P. CHAUDHARI used a phony Indian passport, false name, and false address to open multiple bank accounts in the United States to receive money from victims of the telemarketing scheme.  The scheme involved phone calls from people falsely claiming to be associated with, among other agencies, the Social Security Administration and U.S. Department of Justice, stating that a victim’s identity had been stolen and that it was necessary to transfer money to various bank accounts, including the accounts opened by Chaudhari. 

One of the victims was a retired nurse from Massachusetts who transferred a total of more than $900,000 from her bank and retirement accounts to accounts controlled by Chaudhari or others.  On April 19, 2018 – one day after Chaudhari opened an account and received a $7,000 transfer from the Massachusetts victim – Chaudhari entered a bank branch in Chicago and withdrew $6,500.  Chaudhari engaged in this financial transaction knowing that the money represented proceeds of unlawful activity.

Chaudhari, 29, of Des Plaines, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal money laundering charge.  In addition to the three-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered Chaudhari to pay $6,500 in restitution to the Massachusetts victim.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Rick D. Young.

“The defendant played a pivotal role in a telemarketing scheme by laundering money received directly from elderly victims,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable anyone who attempts to scam elderly victims out of a peaceful retirement.”

“Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Inspector in Charge William Hedrick for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  “The Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting customers from fraud schemes for many years and will continue to investigate and stop those who exploit older Americans for their own illegal gains.”

“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold those accountable who participate in unlawful schemes in an effort to use the good name of the Social Security Administration to prey on elderly Americans,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.  “This individual deliberately created bank accounts using various false identities to manage funds obtained by illegal means.  We will continue to work with our investigative partners to combat Social Security-related phone scams and pursue those who swindle our citizens out of their life savings.”

If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov, or by calling 877-FTC-HELP.  More information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage.

CHICAGO — A man has been indicted on federal firearm charges for allegedly illegally possessing machine guns in Chicago this year.

JUAN INFANTE, 28, of Chicago, is charged with illegal possession of machine guns and illegal possession of firearms as a convicted felon.  Infante had previously been convicted of a felony theft offense and was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.

The indictment accuses Infante of illegally possessing four handguns, two of which were equipped with conversion devices known as “Glock switches.”  The devices transformed the firearms into machine guns capable of automatically firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger.  Infante earlier this year sold two of the guns to an individual who was surreptitiously cooperating with law enforcement, according to a federal criminal complaint previously filed in the case.

The indictment was returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  A date for arraignment has not yet been scheduled.  Infante is currently detained in federal custody without bond after the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a motion for pretrial detention on the basis that Infante posed a danger to the community.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth E. Palmer.

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 FBI 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, U.S. Attorney Lausch 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.  Each count in the indictment is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been arrested on federal firearm charges for allegedly trafficking more than 35 guns, including “ghost guns,” machine guns, and rifles.

ARSHAD ZAYED, 38, of Orland Hills, Ill., is charged with willfully dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing and transferring a machine gun.  Zayed was arrested this morning and made an initial appearance this afternoon in federal court in Chicago.  A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz. 

The charges and arrest were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The Illinois State Police provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jimmy L. Arce, Patrick Mott, and Tiffany Ardam.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Zayed sold approximately 36 firearms on seven occasions this year and last year.  Many of the transactions occurred in a car wash that Zayed managed in Matteson, Ill., the complaint states.  Several of the firearms were considered “ghost guns” because they contained no identifiable serial number and were manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  Some of the firearms, including some of the ghost guns, were machine guns capable of automatically firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger, the charges allege.  Unbeknownst to Zayed, the high-ranking Chicago gang member to whom he sold the guns was cooperating with law enforcement, the complaint states.

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence.  As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with the FBI, ATF, CPD, 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 focus of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.

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 unlawful possession and transfer charge is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the unlawful dealing charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A DeKalb, Ill., man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for possessing and sharing child pornography online.

JACOB MATHLEY, 45, possessed more than 10,000 videos and photos of child pornography on his laptop in 2020.  The images included depictions of children engaged in sadistic and masochistic conduct.  Using the online username “Slamdime,” Mathley posted some of the images to various websites, including sites on the “dark net” or “dark web,” for the purposes of trading child pornography with others. 

Mathley pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal child pornography charges.  U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso sentenced Mathley on July 22, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations.  The Aurora, Ill., Police Department provided valuable assistance.

“Jacob Mathley was a prolific trader of child pornography on the dark net,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Defendant is a danger on the internet and a danger in his community.”

ROCKFORD — A man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for setting fire to a store in Rockford during a period of civil unrest in 2020.

SEAN CARDENAS, 22, of Rockford, pleaded guilty earlier this year to an arson charge.  Cardenas admitted that on May 30, 2020, he used a hammer to break the glass front doors of Burlington Coat Factory, 6260 E. State St.  Wearing a hood and mask to conceal his identity, Cardenas entered the store and used a Molotov cocktail to ignite a fire inside it.

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Tuesday ordered Cardenas to pay restitution of $965,591.

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S Maveus.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for illegally possessing multiple firearms and dealing heroin and crack cocaine.

BRIAN STAFFORD, 42, illegally possessed two loaded handguns and drugs in his vehicle and residence in Bellwood, Ill., on Nov. 2, 2016.  A day earlier, Stafford sold 101 grams of heroin to an individual who, unbeknownst to Stafford, was cooperating with law enforcement.

A federal jury in November found Stafford guilty of one count of possessing heroin and crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, one count of illegal possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking activities.

A separate federal jury in 2019 convicted Stafford of illegally possessing three assault rifles.  All of the handguns and rifles illegally possessed by Stafford were linked to thefts from a cargo train that passed through Chicago in September 2016.

U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman on Tuesday sentenced Stafford to 13 years and four months in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., 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, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Evergreen Park, Ill., Police Department, and the Bolingbrook, Ill., Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee and Alejandro Ortega.

CHICAGO — A man who was previously convicted of a 1993 kidnapping and murder in Chicago has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun.

DARNELL LUCKETT illegally possessed the firearm on March 15, 2017, in Maywood, Ill.  Illinois State Police stopped a vehicle Luckett was driving and discovered the gun under the driver’s seat.  During the stop police also found ammunition, heroin, bath salts, marijuana, a digital scale, and counterfeit cash.

Luckett, 51, of Berwyn, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  Luckett had previously been convicted of multiple state felonies, including the 1993 kidnapping and murder of Darren Payton in Chicago, and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., on Monday imposed a 71-month federal prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  ISP provided valuable assistance.

“The city of Chicago is plagued by gun violence,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Dixon argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Federal gun laws exist to prevent individuals from being armed who have shown they cannot be trusted to responsibly possess a firearm.”

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man on carjacking and firearm charges for allegedly carjacking a rideshare driver’s vehicle at gunpoint in downtown Chicago.

NOAH RANSOM, 18, of Chicago, stole a Lexus RX350 from a Lyft driver on April 9, 2022, according to an indictment and search warrant unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The Lyft driver picked up Ransom and four other men at a downtown Chicago hotel around 4:00 a.m., and shortly thereafter Ransom pointed a gun at the driver and ordered him to stop the car and get out, the search warrant states.  The victim complied and Ransom allegedly drove off with the other men in the victim’s car.  About 90 minutes later, Illinois State Police identified the vehicle on the South Side of Chicago and ordered it to stop, but the car fled, the search warrant states.  After a 25-minute chase, ISP forced the vehicle to a stop in the city’s West Loop neighborhood, arrested Ransom and the others after a foot chase, and discovered a handgun, the search warrant states.

The indictment charges Ransom with carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  The carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count carries a minimum prison term of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the underlying carjacking offense. 

Ransom was arrested Friday.  A detention hearing is set for Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by ISP and the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey.

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.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A man was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison for stealing a vehicle at gunpoint in Chicago and striking a bicyclist while fleeing from police.

On the afternoon of May 27, 2020, ELIAS QUINONES-FIGUEROA forcibly took a Chevrolet Tahoe sport-utility vehicle from a victim who was cleaning the car in the Noble Square neighborhood of Chicago.  Quinones-Figueroa brandished a handgun and drove off in the vehicle after the victim complied with demands to give up the car.  Nearly three hours later, Quinones-Figueroa was driving the carjacked Tahoe when he noticed a Chicago Police vehicle and drove off in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed.  Quinones-Figueroa drove through multiple stop signs and a red light before striking the bicyclist and crashing into a parked car in the city’s West Town neighborhood.

Quinones-Figueroa, 21, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Quinones-Figueroa to seven years for the firearm offense, to be followed by five years and seven months for the carjacking, for a total prison sentence of 12 years and seven months.  Judge Kendall also ordered Quinones-Figueroa to pay $5,000 in compensation to the injured bicyclist and $1,000 in compensation to the victim of the carjacking.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn D. McCarthy.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago physician prescribed opioids to patients without a medical examination or visit and then fraudulently billed Medicare for the nonexistent treatment, according to a criminal charge filed in federal court.

ELIZA DIACONESCU, 73, of Lake Forest, Ill., is charged with one count of health care fraud.  The charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison.  Arraignment is scheduled for July 18, 2022, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez.

The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the DEA; Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten, Charles W. Mulaney, and Ernest Y. Ling.

The charge was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Opioid Task Force, which was formed in 2019 for the purpose of combatting the growing number of unlawful distributions of controlled substances fueling the nation’s opioid crisis.

A criminal information filed Thursday in federal court alleges that from 2016 to 2021, Diaconescu pre-signed blank prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl for patients of her pain clinic in Gurnee, Ill., so that the prescriptions could be provided to the patients when she was not at the clinic.  The patients picked up the pre-signed prescriptions for the opioids from other workers at the clinic without having a contemporaneous examination with Diaconescu, the information states.

Diaconescu then knowingly submitted false claims seeking reimbursement from Medicare for the purported visits, knowing that such visits did not occur.  Diaconescu and others at the clinic created false paperwork indicating that Diaconescu had face-to-face exams with patients when, in fact, the patients had come only to pick up the pre-signed prescriptions and had not visited with Diaconescu, the charge alleges.

The public is reminded that an information 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois today filed a federal civil lawsuit against the CHICAGO CUBS, alleging the team failed to ensure that recent additions and alterations at Wrigley Field were appropriately accessible to individuals with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The lawsuit alleges that the team’s renovation, rehabilitation, expansion, and reconstruction of Wrigley Field – a multi-year undertaking known as “the 1060 Project” – discriminated against individuals with disabilities.  To facilitate the changes made by the 1060 Project, the Cubs rebuilt a sizable portion of the preexisting Wrigley Field facility, including demolishing and reconstructing the bleachers and tearing down most of the lower grandstand and rebuilding it.  These extensive changes were subject to the ADA’s requirements for design, construction, and alterations, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges that throughout the 1060 Project, the Cubs failed to provide wheelchair users with adequate sightlines as compared to standing patrons or incorporate wheelchair seating into new premium clubs and group seating areas.  In the general admission areas, the Cubs designed and constructed the wheelchair seating so that it is largely clustered in the last row of seating sections – in violation of the requirements of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design – and failed to remove architectural barriers to access in unaltered portions of Wrigley Field where it was readily achievable to do so, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, names as defendants the Cubs and other corporate owners and operators of the Wrigley Field facility – CHICAGO BASEBALL HOLDINGS LLC, WRIGLEY FIELD HOLDINGS LLC, and WF MASTER TENANT LLC.  The suit seeks declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief to remedy the alleged ADA violations.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abraham J. Souza and Patrick W. Johnson represent the government.

“The Cubs rebuilt much of Wrigley Field and had ample opportunity – and a significant ADA obligation – to incorporate wheelchair seating and other accessible elements into the updated facility,” said John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to ensuring equal accessibility for individuals with disabilities.”

“For 32 years, the ADA has set clear requirements to ensure that public venues such as sports facilities are accessible,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce the law to ensure that fans with disabilities and their families are able to enjoy their ballpark experience.”

Title III of the ADA prohibits public accommodations, such as sports stadiums, from excluding people with disabilities from enjoying goods, services, privileges, facilities, and advantages provided.  To learn more about the obligations of public accommodations under federal disability rights statutes, call the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301, 800-514-0383 (TTY).

For more information regarding the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat discrimination in public accommodations, please visit the official ADA government website.

CHICAGO — A former investigator for the Illinois Department of Agriculture has been charged with federal civil rights violations for allegedly grabbing and groping several operators of animal care facilities while on duty.

An indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges JOSE GUILLEN, 41, of Melrose Park, Ill., with four counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and one count of obstruction of justice.  Guillen pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment this afternoon in federal court.  A status hearing was scheduled for Aug. 10, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet Bhachu and Diane MacArthur.

Guillen worked for the Illinois Department of Agriculture as an animal and animal products investigator, conducting on-site inspections of animal care facilities in Cook County, Ill., to ensure compliance with state laws.  In his official capacity as an investigator, Guillen had the power to influence whether an animal care facility received a license to operate and could continue in operation after receiving the license.  The indictment accuses Guillen of grabbing and groping the victims in 2019, 2020, and 2021 while Guillen was on duty and acting under color of law as a state employee. 

The obstruction charge accuses Guillen of knowingly providing false testimony during a deposition last year in a federal civil lawsuit filed by one of the alleged victims.  The charge states that Guillen falsely testified under oath that he had accidentally touched the victim’s buttocks during the course of an on-site inspection at an animal care facility, and that he falsely denied touching other alleged victims.

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 obstruction count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while each count of deprivation of civil rights is punishable by up to one year.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

If you have additional relevant information related to the charged offenses or the defendant, you are encouraged to contact the FBI Chicago Field Office at (312) 421-6700.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago doctor who specialized in removing moles to screen for cancer was charged today in federal court with submitting fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare and a private insurer.

JOHN A. GREAGER II owned and operated Cancer Therapy Associates S.C., in Lombard, Ill.  From 2015 to 2021, Greager fraudulently obtained approximately $4.1 million from Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois by submitting fraudulent claims that falsely represented that certain health care services, including mole removal procedures, had been provided to patients, according to a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Greager knew that those services were not provided as represented on the claims and, at times, were medically unnecessary, the information states.   The information also alleges that Greager removed more moles from patients than was medically necessary, and then dictated notes and provided paperwork to employees to submit fraudulent claims for reimbursement for those medical procedures.

The information charges Greager, 74, of Hinsdale, Ill., with one count of health care fraud.  Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Amy K. Parker, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Virginia Hancock.

The public is reminded that an information 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. 

Health care fraud is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A member of a violent Chicago street gang has been sentenced to more than 35 years in federal prison for engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple murders, armed robberies, drug trafficking, and extortion.

TREMAYNE THOMPSON, 38, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a racketeering conspiracy charge.  Thompson admitted in a plea agreement that he conspired with leadership of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity that included using violence and intimidation to protect the gang’s drug dealing activities, primarily on the West Side of Chicago.  Thompson admitted participating in the April 2003 murders of George King and Willie Woods.  Thompson stated in his plea agreement that he shot the victims after receiving instructions to do so from a leader of the Four Corner Hustlers.  In addition to the murders, Thompson sold heroin and crack cocaine and committed multiple armed robberies to further the gang’s interests.

U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin imposed the 427-month prison sentence after a hearing on July 6, 2022, in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  

The investigation was led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Chicago FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), ATF’s Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force, and the Chicago Police Gang Investigations Division.  Additional assistance was provided by the Illinois Secretary of State Police Department, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Illinois Department of Corrections, and Illinois State Police. 

“For nearly two decades, Tremayne Thompson terrorized the West Wide of Chicago as a member and enforcer for the Four Corner Hustlers street gang,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha J. Babu and William Dunne argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The defendant, along with other members of the gang, peddled heroin and crack cocaine, robbed people at gunpoint, extorted others, and murdered men as they stood on city sidewalks.  Every year the defendant is incapacitated is a year that the people who live on the West Side of Chicago are safer.”

Thompson was indicted on the racketeering charge in 2017 along with eight other alleged members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants.  Seven co-defendants pleaded guilty and one went to trial and was convicted.  Thompson is the fourth defendant to be sentenced.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on charges of child pornography and traveling to engage in sexual conduct with a minor.

JEREMIAH HARRIS, 22, of Naperville, Ill., pleaded guilty in February to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.  U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah imposed the prison term Wednesday and ordered that it be followed by eight years of court-supervised release.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The investigation was conducted by the FBI Chicago Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and Chicago Police Department.  The Crystal Lake, Ill., Police Department and FBI Resident Agency in Waco, Texas, provided valuable assistance.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Guzman.

The child pornography conviction involved sexually explicit photographs and videos that Harris repeatedly requested from a 17-year-old boy in 2020.  Harris admitted in a plea agreement that the boy sent the photos and videos of himself to Harris in exchange for $2,000.  Harris also admitted in the plea agreement that he requested and received other images of child pornography from two other minor boys, and he attempted to entice one of them to engage in sexual activity.

The travel charge pertains to Harris traveling in 2019 from Dallas, Texas, to Orlando, Fla., to engage in sexually explicit conduct with a 15-year-old boy.  Harris admitted in the plea agreement that he directed the boy to meet him in a public bathroom, where Harris sexually assaulted him.

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 https://www.missingkids.org/ or calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

CHICAGO — A federal judge today sentenced a Chicago attorney to four months in prison for false statement and tax offenses in connection with funds he received from the failed Washington Federal Bank for Savings.

PATRICK D. THOMPSON, 52, of Chicago, was convicted in February on all seven counts against him, including five counts of willfully filing a false income tax return and two counts of knowingly making a false statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama imposed the sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Catherine Huber, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; Sally Luttrell, Assistant Inspector for Investigations of the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; and Kathryn B. Richards, Chicago Housing Authority Inspector General.  Valuable assistance was provided by the City of Chicago Inspector General’s Office.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Petersen, Brian Netols, and Jeremy Daniel.

According to evidence presented at trial, Thompson from 2011 to 2014 received $219,000 from Chicago-based Washington Federal via a purported loan and other unsecured payments.  He made one re-payment on the loan but then stopped making payments, and he failed to pay interest on the funds he received.  Washington Federal was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined it was insolvent and had at least $66 million in nonperforming loans.  When the FDIC, as successor in interest to Washington Federal, attempted to obtain repayment from Thompson in 2018, he falsely stated that he owed only $110,000 and that those funds were for home improvement.  In reality, Thompson knew he had actually received $219,000 in three separate installments – none of which went towards home improvements – and that $110,000 of it was paid by the bank directly to Thompson’s law firm as Thompson’s capital contribution to the firm.

The tax charges stemmed from Thompson falsely representing on five years of income taxes that he was entitled to a mortgage interest deduction for interest payments made on money he received from Washington Federal, even though he knew the loan was not a mortgage loan and he did not make interest payments as reported on those returns.

CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office today announced federal charges against three individuals in connection with separate violent carjackings in Chicago.

United States v. Kimbrough, 22 CR 330

TRIMANE O. KIMBROUGH, 20, of Chicago, is charged with one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Kimbrough allegedly brandished a semiautomatic handgun and stole a 2010 Mazda 6 from a victim in Chicago on May 2, 2022. 

The carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense. 

Kimbrough is currently in law enforcement custody.  Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled. 

The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police, and the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Northwestern University Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic.

United States v. Clay and Cain, 22 CR 333

ALLEN CLAY, 20, and NARONN CAIN, 25, both of Chicago, are each charged with one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Clay brandished a semiautomatic handgun and Cain brandished a semiautomatic rifle when the pair stole a 2011 Kia Optima from a victim in Chicago on April 25, 2022, the indictment states. 

The carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense. 

Clay and Cain are currently in law enforcement custody.  Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled. 

The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police, and the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Berry III.

~~~

“Our message to would-be carjackers is simple: Committing a senseless act of violence like carjacking will earn you a home in federal prison for a long time,” said John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  “We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to pursue, prosecute, and detain violent carjackers and gun offenders in Chicago.”

“This indictment shows that the Violent Crimes Task Force is hard at work removing carjackers and illegal weapons from our streets,” said Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  “The FBI is committed to using every resource in our arsenal to stop carjackings and make our communities safer.”

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.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been arrested on a federal firearm charge for allegedly illegally possessing a handgun equipped with a device converting it into an automatic weapon.

An indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges PARIS SHEPHERD, 31, with one count of illegal possession of a firearm.  Shepherd had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

The indictment accuses Shepherd of illegally possessing the loaded semiautomatic handgun in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago on June 14, 2022.  The gun was allegedly equipped with a conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch,” which transforms firearms into automatic weapons capable of shooting more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger.

Shepherd was arrested this morning.  He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.

The indictment and arrest were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Steindorf and Paul Schied.

“The illegal possession of firearms equipped with conversion devices poses a grave threat to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Our office is using every available federal law enforcement tool to keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands.”

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch 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 charge in the indictment is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A man who illegally possessed a loaded handgun on a Chicago sidewalk and tried to flee from police has been sentenced to nearly seven years in federal prison.

LAMONT HAGGARD illegally possessed the firearm on the evening of Jan. 4, 2019.  Chicago Police tactical officers observed Haggard reach for an object in his waistband while walking on a sidewalk in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the city’s West Side.  Haggard ran from the officers and discarded the gun in a vacant lot before he was arrested in an outdoor stairwell in the rear of a nearby apartment building.

Haggard, 32, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  Haggard had previously been convicted of multiple state felonies and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle on June 24, 2022, imposed an 80-month prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“The possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is serious in nature,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron R. Bond argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The presence of this loaded firearm in the hands of defendant, and his actions when he possessed it, were a recipe for potential disaster.”

ROCKFORD — An inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of murder, assault, and possession of a weapon in connection with the death of a fellow inmate. 

HOUSTON A. CLYDE, 25, was charged with second-degree murder, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and possession of a weapon, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Rockford.  Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

The three-count indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.

According to the indictment, Clyde and the victim were cellmates at USP Thomson.  On Nov. 27, 2020, Clyde stabbed the victim numerous times with a weapon, resulting in fatal injuries.

Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while the maximum sentence for the assault charge is ten years imprisonment, and the maximum sentence for the possession of a weapon is five years imprisonment.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

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.

CHICAGO — Two Indiana men have been charged with federal firearm violations for allegedly trafficking ten guns, including four semiautomatic rifles and two “ghost guns,” from Indianapolis to Chicago last week.

DEVANTE T. BROWN, 27, and COREY SARTIN, 19, both of Indianapolis, Ind., are charged with conspiracy and willfully dealing firearms without a license.  Brown is also charged with illegally possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon.  Brown and Sartin were arrested Friday.  They are scheduled to make initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago today at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim.

The charges and arrests were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Dolton, Ill., Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jasmina Vajzovic and Paige Nutini.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Brown and Sartin on June 24, 2022, illegally sold ten firearms, including four semiautomatic handguns, four semiautomatic rifles, and two privately made “ghost guns.”  A firearm is considered a “ghost gun” when it contains no identifiable serial number and was manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  The transaction occurred in the Chicago suburb of Calumet City, Ill., the complaint states.  Unbeknownst to Brown and Sartin, the individuals to whom they allegedly sold the firearms were undercover law enforcement officers.  In a text message to one of the undercover officers prior to the deal, Brown allegedly stated, “Trust me we gone keep you with all the artillery.  I come across guns all day long.  We gone do good business together.”

In addition to the ten firearms allegedly trafficked from Indiana, the complaint also accuses Sartin and Brown of selling four other firearms to an undercover officer on May 31, 2022, in a retail store parking lot in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago.  Sartin also allegedly sold a firearm to an undercover officer on April 9, 2022, in the Chicago suburb of Lynwood, Ill., the charges allege.

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence.  As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF, CPD, 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 focus of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.

The public is reminded that a complaint 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.  The illegal possession charge is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the unlawful dealing and conspiracy charges each carry a maximum sentence of five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man who allegedly possessed and transported sexually explicit images of children has been indicted on federal child pornography charges.

BRANDON J. BERGTHOLD, 35, of Frankfort, Ill., is charged with possession and transportation of child pornography, according to an indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The federal charges carry enhanced sentencing penalties, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years, due to a prior qualifying conviction involving a minor, for which Bergthold has had to register as a sex offender.

From July to September of last year, using the screenname “freakybrando86,” Bergthold communicated with and sent images of child pornography to an individual on the Kik online messaging platform, according to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case.  Unbeknownst to Bergthold, the individual with whom he was communicating was an undercover law enforcement officer, the complaint states.  The indictment alleges that on Aug. 7, 2021, Bergthold possessed on his cell phone an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, and that on Oct. 17, 2021, he transported a file containing an image of child pornography.

Bergthold is currently detained without bond in federal custody.  Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The Cook County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro G. Ortega.

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.  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.

CHICAGO — The owner of a suburban Chicago manufacturing company has pleaded guilty to a federal tax offense for withholding millions of dollars in employee payroll taxes but failing to remit the money to the IRS.

As the president and sole owner of Lane Tool & Manufacturing Company Inc. in South Elgin, Ill., EDWARD T. ARNIERI was required to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over to the IRS payroll taxes on wages paid to Lane Tool employees.  Although Arnieri issued paychecks to employees reflecting that the company had withheld income and Social Security amounts from their wages, Arnieri willfully failed to pay the money to the IRS.  This conduct resulted in tax losses from 2010 to 2018 of more than $3.8 million.

Arnieri’s failure to pay over taxes for employees also resulted in the filing of inaccurate individual tax returns for himself, resulting in additional tax losses of nearly $450,000 from 2010 to 2017. 

In total, Arnieri’s tax crimes resulted in total tax losses of more than $4.3 million.

Arnieri, 71, of St. Charles, Ill., pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of willfully failing to pay over taxes.  The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, plus restitution to the U.S. Treasury and State of Illinois.  U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso set sentencing for Sept. 28, 2022.

The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. King, Jr.

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for setting fire to a Chicago Police Department vehicle during a period of civil unrest in downtown Chicago in 2020.

On May 30, 2020, TIMOTHY O’DONNELL ignited a piece of cloth with a lighter and placed the cloth into the fuel filler of the marked CPD vehicle while it was parked in the 200 block of North State Street in Chicago.  The fire spread throughout the vehicle and destroyed it.  O’Donnell set the fire while wearing a “Joker” mask that partially covered his face.  The vehicle was unoccupied, and no injuries were sustained.

At the time of the fire, Chicago Police officers were in the downtown Loop neighborhood of Chicago investigating reports of disorder and unrest.

O’Donnell, 33, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of interfering with law enforcement during the commission of civil disorder.  U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the 34-month prison sentence after a hearing Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  CPD provided valuable assistance.

“The defendant’s crime was extremely serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “He added to the chaos of an already chaotic night for no reason other than to live out his own fantasies.”

CHICAGO — A former Executive Director of the Grayslake Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Grayslake, Ill., was indicted today on federal fraud charges for allegedly misappropriating at least $300,000 from the organization.

KAREN CHRISTIAN-SMITH served as the Chamber’s Executive Director from 2006 to 2019.  From 2013 to 2019, Christian-Smith issued checks from the Chamber’s bank accounts to herself and deposited them into her personal accounts, according to the indictment returned in U.S. District in Chicago.  She then spent the money for her own personal use and benefit, the indictment states.

Christian-Smith attempted to cover up the fraud by submitting false and misleading financial reports to the Chamber’s Board of Directors and false payroll reports to the Chamber’s accounting firm, the charges allege.  She also filed with the IRS false and misleading tax returns that she knew substantially underreported the amount of money she had fraudulently paid herself from the Chamber’s bank accounts, the indictment states.  As a result of the scheme, Christian-Smith fraudulently misappropriated at least $300,000 in funds belonging to the Chamber, the indictment alleges.

The indictment charges Christian-Smith, 56, of Round Lake Beach, Ill., with six counts of wire fraud.  Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Phillip Perlini, Chief of the Grayslake Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual.

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 count of wire fraud is punishable by 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.

CHICAGO — A man who illegally possessed a stolen semi-automatic handgun in Chicago has been sentenced to six years in federal prison.

DEANDRE MORRISON illegally possessed the loaded firearm on Nov. 23, 2019.  Chicago Police pulled over the vehicle Morrison was driving after a suspected traffic violation in the 7800 block of South Essex Avenue in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood.  Police discovered the gun wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle.  The gun had previously been reported stolen in Indiana.

Morrison, 29, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of illegal firearm possession.  Morrison had previously been convicted of multiple state felonies, including a robbery, and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold imposed the federal prison sentence June 16, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“The illegal possession of firearms by felons is a very serious offense that threatens the safety of the public,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Felons who carry loaded firearms will face real consequences — and real punishment — including meaningful time in prison.”

CHICAGO — Former Illinois State Sen. THOMAS E. CULLERTON was sentenced today to a year in federal prison for fraudulently receiving salary and benefits from a labor union.

Cullerton, 52, of Villa Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal embezzlement charge.  U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed the year-and-a-day sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu and Erika L. Csicsila.

Cullerton was hired in 2013 by Teamsters Joint Council 25 as a purported union organizer and remained on the payroll until February 2016.  In addition to receiving a salary, monthly car and telephone allowances, and bonuses, Teamsters Joint Council 25 funded Cullerton’s participation in Teamsters Local Union 734’s health and pension funds, which enabled Cullerton to receive health and welfare benefits.

Cullerton admitted in a plea agreement that he did little to no work as an organizer during the time he was on the union payroll.  When his supervisors requested that he perform his job duties, Cullerton routinely ignored them.

Cullerton fraudulently obtained from Joint Council 25 and its members approximately $169,488 in salary, bonuses, and other benefits, approximately $57,662 in health and pension contributions, and approximately $21,678 in reimbursed medical claims.  Cullerton admitted that he used the embezzled money to pay personal expenses, such as his mortgage, utilities, and groceries.

CHICAGO — Federal charges filed today accuse a Chicago man of shooting a Senior Inspector United States Marshal and his K9 partner during the execution of an arrest warrant earlier this month.

TARRION C. JOHNSON, 19, is charged with one count of using a dangerous and deadly weapon to assault the Senior Inspector U.S. Marshal and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.  The firearm discharge count is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life, while the assault charge is punishable by up to 20 years. 

Johnson is currently in law enforcement custody.  An initial appearance in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sivashree Sundaram.

According to a federal criminal complaint, officers with the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force gathered to arrest Johnson on the afternoon of June 2, 2022, at his residence in the Portage Park neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest Side.  A state arrest warrant accused Johnson of attempted murder and attempted robbery. 

After Johnson refused to comply with law enforcement’s commands to surrender, some of the officers forced entry into his residence, the federal complaint states.  Johnson brandished a firearm at the officers, one of whom then fired a shot at Johnson, the federal complaint states.  Johnson ran into a bedroom and fired approximately three shots through a window at the Senior Inspector U.S. Marshal and his K9 partner, who were standing outside in a rear alley, the charges allege.  The Senior Inspector U.S. Marshal and his K9 partner were struck by bullets and suffered injuries.

Johnson then reemerged from the bedroom and shot at another officer in the residence, striking the officer’s ballistic shield, the complaint states.  Johnson fled the residence and was arrested by law enforcement.

The public is reminded that a complaint 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.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been arrested on federal firearm charges for allegedly trafficking more than a dozen guns, including a “ghost gun” and a machine gun, in the city this year.

ANTHONY PEREZ-FLORES, 27, is charged with willfully dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon.  Perez-Flores was arrested Thursday.  A detention hearing is set for June 22, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim.

The charges and arrest were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department; and Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Perez-Flores sold 13 firearms on ten different occasions in Chicago this year.  The transactions allegedly occurred in an alley in the Dunning neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side.  One of the firearms was considered a “ghost gun” because it contained no identifiable serial number and had been manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  Another of the firearms was equipped with a machine gun conversion device, commonly known as a “switch,” allowing for multiple rounds to be fired with a single pull of the trigger.  Unbeknownst to Perez-Flores, the individual to whom he sold the guns was an undercover law enforcement officer, the complaint states.

Perez-Flores was on parole for a state firearm conviction when he allegedly sold the guns to the undercover officer.  As a previously convicted felon, Perez-Flores was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence.  As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking 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 focus of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.

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 illegal possession charge is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the unlawful dealing charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for persuading or attempting to persuade more than a dozen underage girls to send him sexually explicit images of themselves.

THOMAS VIVIRITO admitted in a plea agreement that in 2018 and 2019 he used Instagram, Snapchat, and text messaging services to persuade or attempt to persuade the minor girls, some of whom were as young as 12 years old, to send him sexually explicit photos and videos.  Vivirito admitted that in some instances he instructed the victims on what type of sexually explicit conduct should be portrayed in the visual depictions of themselves.

Vivirito, 27, of Oak Brook, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal child pornography charge.  U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall imposed the sentence Friday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Naperville, Ill., Police Department, and the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Victim by victim, and message by message, defendant groomed and attempted to groom over a dozen young girls over social media,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley A. Chung and Christine M. O’Neill argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “With each new victim, each sexual message, and each explicit image received or downloaded, defendant robbed young girls of their childhood and wreaked trauma in 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 https://www.missingkids.org/ or calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

CHICAGO — A man who illegally possessed a semi-automatic handgun in Evanston, Ill., and tried to flee from police has been sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison.

DARIUS MORALES illegally possessed the firearm on May 8, 2019.  Evanston Police responded to gun shots fired in an alley and saw a silver Jeep Commander pull out and speed away.  The Jeep led police on a high-speed chase through downtown Evanston until it crashed into a fence in the backyard of a residence.  Morales, who was a passenger in the Jeep, left the gun on the fence and tried to run off.  He was arrested a few blocks away.

A federal jury last year convicted Morales, 32, of Evanston, of illegally possessing the firearm.  Morales had previously been convicted of multiple felonies and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Judge Amy J. St. Eve of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, sitting by designation in U.S. District Court in Chicago, on Friday imposed a 94-month prison sentence.  Judge St. Eve found that Morales was the individual who fired the gun in the alley.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Evanston Police Department; and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannice Appenteng and Charles W. Mulaney.

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted an excavation company employee of paying kickbacks to a suburban Chicago highway commissioner in exchange for approving hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent invoices for purported road work.

MARIO GIANNINI worked at Bulldog Earth Movers Inc., an excavation company in Bloomingdale, Ill.  From 2012 to 2020, Giannini paid more than $280,000 in kickbacks to ROBERT CZERNEK, Commissioner of the Bloomingdale Township Road District, in exchange for Czernek using his official position to approve payment of stone delivery, dump leveling, and storm sewer invoices submitted to the township by Bulldog.  Czernek would leave handwritten notes for Giannini in predetermined places around the Bloomingdale Township Highway Department office and grounds identifying the information that Bulldog needed to include in the fraudulent invoices.  Czernek later approved the invoices knowing that much of the work and services were never performed.  The fraud scheme resulted in Bloomingdale Township issuing more than $800,000 in checks to Bulldog.

The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Monday convicted Giannini, 60, of Bloomingdale, on all 14 wire fraud counts against him.  Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for Sept. 7, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago, and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee and Ashley A. Chung.

Czernek, of Bloomingdale, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wire fraud and admitted accepting the kickbacks and approving the fraudulent invoices.  Czernek agreed to forfeit several items that were criminally derived from the fraud scheme, including a 2014 Lexus RX350, a 1966 Buick Wildcat, and a 1981 Corvette.  Czernek’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The court acquitted a third defendant, DEBRA FAZIO, of Bloomingdale, during trial.

CHICAGO — The former owner of a Chicago home health care company has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.2 million from Medicare through a phony billing scheme. 

HENRY SMILIE was the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Home Physician Services LLC, which arranged in-home health care services for patients who were purportedly elderly and homebound.  From 2012 to 2014, Smilie participated in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting approximately $1.97 million in false claims, causing the federally funded program to pay Smilie’s company at least $1.2 million.  The false claims pertained to “care plan oversight” services that were either not rendered or involved treatment that was far less intricate than portrayed in the claims submitted by Smilie’s company to Medicare.

Smilie, 61, of Lake Zurich, Ill., pleaded guilty to a federal health care fraud charge.  U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso imposed the year-and-a-day sentence Tuesday and also ordered Smilie to pay $1.2 million in restitution to Medicare.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation.

“Smilie’s crime is a significant one,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “In a world that has limited funds to pay for health care, and where budgets are ever-tightening, Medicare paid Smilie and his company for fraudulent claims that could have been used to pay for necessary medical services elsewhere.”

To report health care fraud related to Medicare, log on to https://www.medicare.gov/basics/reporting-medicare-fraud-and-abuse.