District of Maryland
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Waldorf Man Indicted Federally for Impersonating a Deputy U.S. Marshal and for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Antione William Tuckson, age 37, of Waldorf, Maryland, for federal charges of false impersonation of an officer and employee of the United States and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment was returned on May 12, 2022, and unsealed upon his arrest on May 20, 2022. A federal criminal complaint was filed on May 19, 2022 charging co-conspirator Nijea Nicole Rich, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland with impersonating a federal officer and conspiracy to impersonate a federal officer. Rich was also arrested on May 20, 2022.
Tuckson and Rich had their initial appearances late on May 20, 2022 in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan ordered that Tuckson be detained pending trial, and ordered that Rich be released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.
The indictment and criminal complaint were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes; Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to the two-count indictment, the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint and other court documents, Tuckson and Rich purported to be and identified themselves as a Deputy United States Marshal. The indictment alleges that Tuckson illegally possessed a 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol.
According to court documents and information presented to the Court at the initial appearance and detention hearing, Tuckson allegedly has a history of impersonating law enforcement officers and since December 2020, Tuckson has allegedly used the registered trademark “USMS Special Services,” along with police-style vehicles equipped with red and blue flashing lights, weapons, a fake identification card and badge, and other law enforcement gear to pose as a Deputy United States Marshal.
As detailed in court documents, on March 6, 2022, while working as an armed security guard with a canine companion at a restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Tuckson allegedly attempted to detain two patrons who had disputed their bill. Court documents allege that Tuckson then falsely held himself out as a Deputy United States Marshal to Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”) officers in an attempt to justify his unlawful possession of a firearm. When confronted by PGPD officers as to Tuckson’s status as a federal officer, Tuckson allegedly had Rich pose as his supervisor within the United States Marshals Service in communications with PGPD. Police arrested Tuckson and recovered a loaded 9mm firearm from Tuckson’s hip during the search incident to his arrest.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, shortly after Tuckson was arrested, Rich, wearing police-style clothing, arrived on the scene and claimed to Prince George’s County Police officers that the canine was her emotional support animal and was also a patrol dog owned by Tuckson. Rich was wearing tan tactical pants, was armed with a handgun, and carried two sets of handcuffs, a radio, and what appeared to be an expandable baton. At one point, Rich allegedly stated to the officers, “You locked up a U.S. Marshal?” Officers contacted the Prince George’s County Animal Services Division (“ASD”), who took custody of the canine.
Early the next morning, Rich allegedly identified herself as a U.S. Marshal and displayed an identification card that said U.S. Marshal to an ASD employee, who was unloading the canine from a van. Rich allegedly told the ASD employee that the man arrested was a U.S. Marshal and that the dog was a working dog and belonged to the Marshals Service. According to the affidavit, Rich arrived in a black sedan that looked like a police vehicle and was wearing a black Kevlar vest. The ASD employee released the dog to Rich.
As detailed in the affidavit and other court documents, U.S. Marshals Service personnel searched its databases and found no record that Tuckson or Rich are or ever were U.S. Marshals or employees of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Law enforcement executed a search of Tuckson’s home on May 20, 2022, and recovered firearms, including an AR-style rifle and a pistol-grip pump-action shotgun.
If convicted, Tuckson and Rich each face a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison for impersonating a Deputy U.S. Marshal and Rich faces a maximum of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy. Tuckson also faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment or a criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment or criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter L. Cooch, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threats Against Dr. Anthony Fauci and Other Federal and State Health OfficialsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., age 56, most recently of Snowshoe, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to making threats against a federal official, specifically for sending emails threatening harm to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the current Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Connally further admitted threatening Dr. Francis Collins, the former Director of the NIH, Dr. Rachel Levine, currently the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a Massachusetts public health official and a religious leader.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge George Adams, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to Connally’s plea agreement, from December 28, 2020 to July 25, 2021, Connally used an anonymous email account from a provider of secure, encrypted email services based in Switzerland, to send a series of emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the current Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (“NIAID”) and the Chief Medical Advisor to President of the United States, threatening to harm and/or kill Dr. Fauci and members of his family. One of the emails threatened that Dr. Fauci and his family would be “dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire.” On April 24, 2021 alone, Connally sent seven threatening emails starting at 10:05 p.m.
As detailed in Connally’s plea agreement, also on April 24, 2021, beginning at 9:34 p.m., Connally sent Dr. Francis Collins, the then-Director of the NIH, a series of four emails threatening Dr. Collins and his family with physical assault and death if Dr. Collins did not stop speaking about the need for “mandatory” COVID-19 vaccinations.
As stated in his plea agreement, Connally admitted that he sent the threats to Drs. Fauci and Collins with the intent to intimidate or interfere with the performance of their official duties and with the intent to retaliate against Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins for performing their official duties, including discussing COVID-19 and its testing and prevention.
Connally also admitted sending emails threatening harm to three other individuals. Specifically, on November 24, 2020, Connally sent a series of six threatening emails to Dr. Rachel Levine, then Secretary of Health for the State of Pennsylvania, at Dr. Levine’s email account at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The subject lines and body of the emails threatened Dr. Levine with physical violence and death. Similarly, on August 31, 2020, Connally sent an email threatening physical violence and death for a public health official in Massachusetts. Finally, on April 21, 2021, Connally sent a series of four threatening emails to four individuals who work for a religious institution in Newark, New Jersey. The four emails threatened physical violence and death to a religious leader at the institution.
Investigation revealed that the anonymous encrypted email account was associated with Connally. On July 27, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Connally’s rental residence in Snowshoe, West Virginia, as well as on his vehicle seizing five Apple laptops and two cellular telephones belonging to Connally.
Connally faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for threats against a federal official. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for August 4, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HHS OIG for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajeev R. Raghavan and Jessica C. Collins, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Covid-19, Unemployment, Insurance, and Aggravated Identity Theft SchemesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Idowu Raji, age 40, of Baltimore County, Maryland, to 94 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft in relation to multiple financial schemes. The Court also ordered Raji to pay $1,793,472 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Lewis of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; and Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service– Washington Division.
According to his guilty plea, in 2020, Raji conspired with multiple other individuals to defraud, use, and traffic in unauthorized access devices and obtain more than $900,000 in unemployment insurance and other COVID-19 related benefits. Moreover, from October 2018 to November 2020, Raji conspired with multiple individuals, including Adewumi Abioye, age 35, of Randallstown, Maryland and Lukman Salam, age 37, of Delaware, to defraud multiple businesses, individuals, and financial institutions to illegally obtain more than $750,000.
In furtherance of the access device conspiracy, Raji admitted arranging for the delivery of fraudulent unemployment insurance cards to his co-conspirators, providing instructions on the use of the cards, and obtaining a portion of the fraudulently obtained proceeds. In total, Raji admitted that he was involved in fraudulent unemployment claims that used the identities of more than 50 real people and caused more than $900,000 in losses to state and the federal governments.
Raji admitted using an encrypted text messaging application to carry out his crimes, including to coordinate the use of unemployment insurance and COVID-19 related benefits, obtain and transfer the personal identifying information of real individuals, and receive unemployment debit cards that were mailed to addresses in Maryland and loaded with fraudulently obtained benefits. Raji also directed the use of the fraudulently obtained debit cards to engage in point of sale and ATM transactions. He also used the state and federal government funds intended for disaster relief for his own benefit.
As part of his wire fraud conspiracy, co-conspirators Salam and Abioye used fake identification documents to open bank accounts, which Raji then coordinated the use of the accounts to receive fraud proceeds. For example, in November 2019, Salam opened a bank account at a financial institution using a fake passport with the alias “Chris Hobert.” In December 2019, the email account of a supervisor at a victim business was hacked, and an email was sent to the victim business that fraudulently claimed that another business had changed its payment instructions. As a result, the victim business sent a $33,200 wire to a fraudulent account opened by Salam. Raji worked with his co-conspirators to move the funds to another account registered under the alias “Michael Stone,” and to eventually gain access to the fraud proceeds.
Further, in July 2020, Raji fraudulently applied for a $31,200 Paycheck Protection Program loan on behalf of a business, Yours Truly LLC. Raji claimed that his business had more than $132,000 of gross revenue in the prior year when, in fact, it did not. Moreover, Raji did not spend the proceeds of the loan on employee salaries and other appropriate expenses required by the PPP loan.
As stated in his plea agreement, when Raji was arrested by federal agents in November 2020, he made multiple false statements to agents, including that he had never been involved in business email compromise schemes, wire fraud, or unemployment insurance fraud. Raji also falsely claimed that he never used Yours Truly LLC when he had received federal loans through the entity less than six months before the interview.
In April and May 2022 co-defendants Abioye and Salam were sentenced to 27 months and 30 months in federal prison; respectively for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Hameed Adesokan, Olatunde Vincent, Akolade Ojo, and Damilola Lawal will be sentenced later this year in related cases.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from its 22 member Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DSS, the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md.
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Baltimore Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud in Relation to the Sale of Two Baltimore PropertiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Philip Abramowitz, age 50, of Pikesville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of his guilty plea, Abramowitz will be ordered to pay $373,684 in restitution.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Shawn A. Rice of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.
According to his guilty plea, from May 2016 to April 2017, Abramowitz and others conspired to defraud two financial institutions by fraudulently obtaining Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans and property under false pretenses. Specifically, Abramowitz used his company 163 N. Potomac St., LLC., to facilitate the fraudulent sales of his Potomac Street, Baltimore, Maryland properties.
For example, in May 2016, Abramowitz sold one of his Potomac Street properties (Property 1) to a family member (Relative 1) and entered into an agreement with Relative 1 to purchase the property using an FHA-insured loan. The FHA is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders. To qualify for the FHA-insured loans, the buyer must use the residence as their primary residence, disclose any familial or business relationship between the seller and buyer, and disclose the source of the money the buyer intends to use for the down payment and closing costs.
As stated in his guilty plea, Relative 1 applied for and received a $294,566 FHA-insured loan with a mortgage company (Mortgage Company 1) by falsely representing Abramowitz’s bank account records as his own. Relative 1 and Abramowitz also concealed their familial relation from Mortgage Company 1 by submitting false company filings during the loan application process, having Abramowitz’s property manager (Property Manager 1) pose as the sole seller and manager of 163 N. Potomac St., LLC and arranging Property Manager 1 to sign the FHA-loan contact as the official seller of the property. Abramowitz’s ownership of 163 N, Potomac St., LLC. or involvement in the sale was never disclosed.
To meet the requirements of the loan procurement process, Abramowitz gave Relative 1 $10,500 to pay for the closing costs for Property 1 as Relative 1 did not have the financial means to make the purchase. Based on the fraudulent financial information presented during the loan application process, Mortgage Company 1 loaned Relative 1 $294,566 for the purchase of Property 1. The majority of the loan proceeds were subsequently deposited into Abramowitz’s bank account. Ultimately, Relative 1 never used Property 1 as a primary residence and rented the property to tenants for a year before ceasing mortgage payments and allowing the property to fall into foreclosure.
Further, Abramowitz arranged the sale of his second Potomac Street property (Property 2) in March 2017 to another family member (Relative 2) using an FHA-insured loan. To facilitate the sale of Property 2, Relative 2 applied for an FHA-insured loan with another mortgage company (Mortgage Company 2). Using the same manner to defraud Mortgage Company 1, Abramowitz concealed his familial relation to Relative 2, falsely listed his property manager as the sole seller and owner of Property 2 and submitted multiple fraudulent documents to Mortgage Company 2, including an LLC affidavit of title asserting that no other person or entity had ownership in Property 2.
In a similar manner as the sale of Property 1, Abramowitz violated FHA-loan requirements by providing Relative 2 $8,750 for the closing costs of the sale, misrepresented his own bank account information as Relative 2’s in the FHA-loan procurement process, and received the majority of the loan proceeds to his personal bank account. Relative 2 never used Property 2 as a primary residence or paid monthly mortgage payments to Mortgage Company 2 which caused the property to fall into foreclosure.
Abramowitz faces a maximum of 30 years in prison followed up by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for August 9, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HUD-OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin J. Clarke, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Easton Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Posing as a Teenage Boy on Social Media to Entice Minor Females to Send Him Sexually Explicit Images and Videos of ThemselvesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - Angel Gabriel Arroyo-Angelino (“Arroyo”), age 34, a Mexican citizen residing in Easton, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Arroyo admitted that he pretended to be a teenage boy on social media accounts, in order to induce minor females to produce and send to him, sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Allen Lowrey of the Easton Police Department; and Talbot County State’s Attorney Scott G. Patterson.
According to his guilty plea, from December 24, 2017 through September 11, 2018, Arroyo used the alias “Elias Garcia” to create a social media account. Arroyo used the social media account to persuade, induce, and coerce four minor victims to produce and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Arroyo initiated contact with each of the minor victims on social media and told the victims that he was 16 years old. Arroyo used a profile picture depicting a teenaged boy to manipulate the minors he met online. Arroyo complimented the minors, sent them images of flowers and money, and made other romantic overtures to the minor victims. From these communications, Arroyo knew that the victims were underaged minors. Despite that knowledge, Arroyo persuaded the victims to send him nude images, often sending them cash in the mail if they sent the sexually explicit images and videos he requested.
The social media platform became aware of Arroyo’s misconduct in May of 2018 and terminated his Elias Garcia account. The social media platform also alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) and submitted a Cybertip detailing a sexually explicit online conversation that Arroyo had with one of the victims, a 15-year-old female (Victim #3), which culminated in the minor sending Arroyo a sexually explicit video of herself.
After receiving the Cybertip, investigators at the Easton Police Department obtained a series of search warrants for online and phone accounts associated with the “Elias Garcia” persona, and after gathering additional information, obtained a search warrant to search Arroyo’s residence in Easton, Maryland on September 11, 2018. While executing the search warrant, detectives discovered a white envelope in Arroyo’s bedroom that contained a $50.00 bill. The envelope was addressed to an individual later identified as a 12-year-old female and Victim #3’s name was handwritten in the area where “sender” information is customarily placed. Investigators discovered that Arroyo had been engaging in communications with the 12-year-old minor through social media, offering her money in exchange of sexually explicit photos.
In addition to the white envelope, investigators also discovered a black cell phone hidden in Arroyo’s bedroom. A subsequent review of the contents of the cell phone revealed sexually explicit images of several of the minor victims, as well as evidence linking Arroyo to the “Elias Garcia” communications and to another alias “Emiel Quiross” Arroyo used to create an additional social media account. Investigators obtained a search warrant to search this newly discovered alias account and discovered that Arroyo used the “Emiel Quiross” account to coerce and entice two additional minor victims, Victim #5 and Victim #6, to produce and send to him, sexually explicit images of themselves. Arroyo employed a similar pattern to manipulate Victim #5 and Victim #6, by pretending to be a 16-year-old boy and offering the minor females cash in exchange for sending him close-up images of the victims’ genitals. The “Emiel Quiross” account was created by Arroyo after the social media platform shut down his “Elias Garcia” account.
On September 11, 2018, after voluntarily waiving his Miranda rights Arroyo agreed to speak with investigators. During the interview, Arroyo admitted that the cell phone and white envelope found in his bedroom belonged to him. Arroyo claimed that he was using the envelope to mail money to his “ex-girlfriend.” When asked why Victim #3’s name was handwritten on the top-left “sender” portion of the envelope, Arroyo denied knowing Victim #3, and claimed that he made up the name of a female to place on the envelope so his “ex-girlfriend’s” new boyfriend would not become suspicious regarding the source of the money she received in the envelope. During the interview, Arroyo used another alias when identifying himself to investigators and did not provide his real name.
Arroyo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life in prison for enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Chief United States District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for October 4, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
As stated in his plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Arroyo will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Easton Police Department and the Talbot County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Colleen E. McGuinn, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Agrees to Pay $296,870 to Settle Federal False Claims Act Allegations of Billing for Unsupervised Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic ServicesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health in Easton, Maryland (“Shore Health”), has agreed to pay the United States $296,870 to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the United States for radiation therapy and diagnostic services that lacked the required supervision from a physician.
The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and by Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General.
“It is imperative that Medicare and other federal health care programs are protected from fraud because those programs are funded through taxpayer dollars,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “The United States Attorney’s Office will hold accountable those providers who defraud federal health care programs.”
“Providers who submit false claims to Medicare are undermining the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect valuable taxpayer dollars from fraud.”
Shore Health is a part of the University of Maryland Medical System and primarily serves the needs of Maryland residents in Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Kent counties. According to the settlement agreement, from January 16, 2014 through July 5, 2018, Shore Health billed Medicare for radiation therapy and diagnostic services. During this time period, Medicare covered radiation therapy and diagnostic services furnished in an outpatient setting when rendered under the direct supervision of a physician. “Direct supervision” means that the physician must be immediately available to furnish assistance and direction throughout the performance of the procedure. It does not mean that the physician must be present in the room when the procedure is performed. At all relevant times, Shore Health had only one physician, John Mastandrea, M.D., available to supervise radiation therapy and diagnostic services. This settlement resolves allegations that on many occasions, Dr. Mastandrea was performing uninterruptible radiation oncology services at a separate location while unsupervised radiation therapy and diagnostic services were being performed at Shore Health.
This matter arose from a lawsuit filed by J. Phillip Sawyer, a former employee of Shore Health, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and obtain a portion of the government's recovery. The civil lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. John Phillip Sawyer v. Shore Health System and John Mastandrea, 18-cv-02228-JKB (D. Md). As part of the settlement, Mr. Sawyer will receive $51,952.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations. The settlement is not an admission of liability by Shore Health nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HHS-OIG for their work in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Vaccarella, who handled this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Washington, D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Committing an Armed Robbery and Two Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Rashaun Onley, age 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal charges of committing an armed commercial robbery, carjacking, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Don Hayes of the City of Alexandria, Virginia Police Department; Chief Charles “Andy” Penn of the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
According to his guilty plea, in the early morning of February 5, 2021, Onley and a co-defendant entered a convenience store in Silver Spring, Maryland, selected some items from the shelves, and approached the counter. Onley grabbed a convenience store employee, Victim 1, by the shirt, struck Victim 1 in the head, led Victim 1 behind the counter, and forced Victim 1 to his knees. Onley then brandished a black semiautomatic handgun and ordered Victim 1 and Victim 2, another employee, to open the cash register. Victim 2 opened the cash register and Onley and the co-defendant removed the cash from the register and fled. Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department (“MCPD”) recovered video surveillance footage showed Onley and his co-defendant committing the robbery.
Also on February 5, 2021, at approximately 4:57 p.m., in Alexandria, Virginia, three men carjacked at gunpoint a dark gray Volkswagen Tiguan with Pennsylvania registration plates (“Volkswagen”). Victim 3, the driver, reported that he had just parked his vehicle when one suspect told Victim 3 to get out of the vehicle, while a second suspect pointed a black handgun at Victim 3. Victim 3 began to get out of the car but was grabbed by a suspect and pulled away from the vehicle. All three suspects fled in the Volkswagen. Victim 3 reported that his iPhone was still inside the vehicle.
As detailed in Onley’s plea agreement, a little more than one hour later, Onley, his co-defendant, and Co-Conspirator 1 carjacked at gunpoint Victim 4, who was driving a Lexus ES300 (“Lexus”) in Silver Spring. Onley approached Victim 4 first with a gun in his hand and stated, “I’m gonna blow you up, give me your money and keys.” Onley’s co-defendant, who also was armed with a gun, approached Victim 4 and demanded his car keys. Co-Conspirator 1 was driving the Volkswagen. Fearing for his life, Victim 4 handed over his property. Onley’s co-defendant drove the Lexus away, while Onley got into the front passenger seat of the Volkswagen and fled the scene. A short time later the Lexus was located abandoned nearby.
According to the plea agreement, approximately two minutes after the carjacking of the Lexus, Onley and the co-defendant approached Victim 5, who was sitting in a Mercedes ML350 sport utility vehicle (“Mercedes”). Onley ordered Victim 5 to “get out” while he pointed a gun at her. Victim 5 exited in fear for her life, while Onley and his co-defendant took Victim 5’s vehicle and fled the scene. MCPD officers interviewed Victim 5 and obtained surveillance footage relating to the carjacking.
Less than 30 minutes later, Onley and his co-defendant were seen arriving in the Volkswagen on surveillance video capturing the outside of the co-defendant’s residence, an apartment building located in Washington, D.C. They both were wearing the same clothing visible in the surveillance videos of the Silver Spring carjacking of the Mercedes and in the robbery of the convenience store. A short time later, Onley exited the building and stood on the front porch, where he removed a mobile phone from his pocket, smashed the phone on the concrete porch, and threw the phone in the front dirt or lawn area of the building. Law enforcement recovered the smashed phone two days later and confirmed that it was the iPhone belonging to Victim 3 that was left inside of the Volkswagen.
Later that evening, the carjacked Mercedes parked in front of the Volkswagen. Onley and his co-defendant came out of the apartment building, went to the driver’s side of the Mercedes, and spoke with the three occupants of the vehicle. After a few minutes, the three occupants exited the Mercedes, got into the Volkswagen, and drove away. Onley and his co-defendant went back into the apartment building.
That same evening, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) saw the carjacked Volkswagen traveling in Washington D.C. After a pursuit, the occupants of the Volkswagen, including Co-Conspirator 1, bailed out of the vehicle. MPD located and arrested Co-Conspirator 1. The Maryland license plate from the carjacked Mercedes was also located a short distance away.
On February 17, 2021, the Mercedes was recovered from the street in front of the co-defendant’s apartment building.
Late in the evening of February 26, 2021, the co-defendant and Onley were ‘livestreaming’ and posting on social media about being at a hotel party in Arlington, Virginia. Law enforcement established surveillance on Onley and his co-defendant at the hotel and continued to monitor the co-defendant’s social media account, where they were able to see semiautomatic handguns in the hotel room. MCPD officers apprehended Onley and the co-defendant in the hotel room. Prior to being apprehended, the co-defendant threw a bag from the hotel room window, which law enforcement promptly recovered. The contents of the bag included two loaded firearms and 21 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition.
Onley and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Onley will be sentenced to between 12 years and 16 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 19, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Onley has been detained since his arrest.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the City of Alexandria Police Department and the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Posing as a 16-Year-Old Boy to Persuade, Induce, and Entice at Least Three Minor Victims to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct in Order to Produce Images and Videos of Such ConductRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Derrell Lamar Hooker Orange (“Hooker Orange”) age 37, of Brandywine, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to enticement of a minor to produce child pornography and to possession of child pornography. After Hooker-Orange entered his guilty plea, U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel ordered the defendant into U.S. Marshal custody because he determined that Hooker-Orange was a danger to the community.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police and Sheriff Michelle Cook of the Clay County, Florida Sherriff’s Office.
According to his plea agreement, from at least July 2020 through October 2020, Hooker-Orange, posing as a 16-year-old boy name “Lamar Thompson,” communicated with Victim 1, a 12-year-old girl living in Florida. Hooker-Orange admitted that Victim 1 disclosed to him that she was in “junior high.” During their communications, Hooker-Orange, using the Thompson persona, sent text messages requesting sexually explicit videos from Victim 1, including on August 29, 2020 and October 11, 2020, which Victim 1 then sent to Hooker-Orange.
On March 16, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hooker Orange’s residence and seized his iPad and iPhone. Forensic review of Hooker Orange’s devices revealed images and videos of child pornography, including sexually explicit videos of Victim 1.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Hooker-Orange also communicated with three other minor victims, Victim 2, Victim 3, and Victim 4, through text messages and a secure communication application. As he did with Victim 1, Hooker-Orange posed as a 16-year-old boy and requested sexually explicit images and videos from Victim 2, Victim 3, and Victim 4, which the victims sent to him. Based on the forensic analysis of his devices, Hooker-Orange knew that Victims 3 and 4 were only 11 years old. In addition, on February 21, 2021, Hooker-Orange sent text messages to Victim 2, who resided in Florida, indicating that he had traveled to her residence. The text messages included a screen shot of a Lyft route to the area of Victim 2’s residence, as well as a video of the apartment complex where Victim 2 lived at that time, with a text stating, “I’m outside.” Victim 2 did not meet Hooker-Orange.
According to his plea agreement, Hooker-Orange also participated in numerous chats using a cross-platform messaging service with enhanced encryption to transmit and receive material depicting minors, including prepubescent minors, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For example, in a chat with another user of the messaging service in March 2021, the other user asked Hooker-Orange to “Trade.” In response, Hooker-Orange sent approximately 74 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and received approximately 98 such videos.
Hooker Orange and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Hooker-Orange will be sentenced to between 151 and 262 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 17, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Maryland State Police, and the Clay County, Florida Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica C. Collins and Leah Grossi, who are prosecuting the federal case.
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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Multiple Violent MurdersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Milton Portillo Rodriguez, a/k/a “Little Gangster”, a/k/a “Seco”, age 26, to life in federal prison for a racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit murder in aid or racketeering, as well as related violent crimes in aid of racketeering, including three murders, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13.
On January 24, 2022, a federal jury convicted Portillo Rodriguez of the racketeering charges, along with co-defendants Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 21; Oscar Armando Sorto Romero, a/k/a “Lobo,” age 23; and Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Picaro,” age 24, after a three-month trial. Portillo-Rodriguez and Sandoval-Rodriguez were also convicted of multiple counts of murder in aid of racketeering.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Portillo Rodriguez, Sandoval Rodriguez, and Joya Parada were members of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique. Co-defendant Oscar Sorto Romero was part of the Parque Vista Locos Salvatruchas (“PVLS”) clique.
The evidence at trial established that between 2015 and 2017, Portillo Rodriguez and his co-defendants engaged in a pattern of racketeering, drug trafficking, extortion, murder, and brutal acts of violence against suspected rivals of the gang in an effort to increase MS-13’s power in the Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Anne Arundel County areas of Maryland.
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed during the trial, from 2015 through 2017, the Fulton clique of MS-13 sought to increase its presence in Frederick, Wheaton, and Annapolis, Maryland through numerous acts of violence, extortion, and drug sales. Trial evidence focused on the defendants’ participation in at least four grisly murders of those suspected of association with rival gang members carried out in 2017.
Trial evidence related to Portillo Rodriguez focused on his participation in several murders including the murder of a 17-year-old victim on March 31, 2017. During this murder, Portillo Rodriguez, Sandoval Rodriguez, Joya Parada, and other gang members lured Victim 1 to an Annapolis, Maryland park where they stabbed Victim 1 to death and subsequently dismembered Victim 1. After murdering Victim 1 and removing the victim’s heart, the defendants buried the body, disposed of the evidence, and smoked marijuana to celebrate the murder. As a result of their participation in the murder of Victim 1, certain gang members were promoted within MS-13.
On June 24, 2017, Portillo Rodriguez participated in the murder of Victim 2, a female victim MS-13 members believed to have been associated with a rival gang. Portillo Rodriguez aided in the planning of the murder and helped lure Victim 2 into a car with another MS-13 member and a female associate. Victim 2 believed she was meeting the female associate for a date. After Victim 2 entered the vehicle, another MS-13 member stopped the car and allowed Portillo Rodiguez and another MS-13 gang member to enter on both sides of the vehicle to trap Victim 2 in the middle. Portillo Rodriguez and others then forced Victim 2 onto the backseat floor at knifepoint. Eventually, the MS-13 members took Victim 2 to a wooded area in Crownsville, Maryland where MS-13 members caused Victim 2 to lose consciousness, removed Victim 2’s clothing, and decapitated Victim 2 with a machete. Portillo Rodriguez and Sandoval Rodriguez participated in the murder by stabbing and slashing the victim’s body with a machete, dismembering the body, and burying the body in a wooded area. As a result of their participation in the murder of Victim 2, Portillo Rodriguez, Sandoval Rodriguez, and other gang members were promoted within MS-13.
Additionally, on August 5, 2017, Portillo Rodriguez and Sorto Romero participated in the planning and murder of Victim 3 at an Annapolis, Maryland park. After Victim 3 was lured to the park, Victim 3 was hit on the head with a hammer and slashed with a machete until he died. The evidence presented at trial revealed that the victim was a low-level member of MS-13 suspected of warning one of his relatives, who was believed to be a member of a rival gang, that he was an MS-13 target.
More than 30 MS-13 gang members and associates have been convicted in this and a related case.
On April 20, 2022, Chief Judge Bredar sentenced Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 20, to 50 years in federal prison, for a racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and related violent crimes in aid of racketeering. Oscar Sorto Romero was sentenced to life in federal prison on May 6, 2022, for a racketeering conspiracy and for racketeering, as well as related violent crimes in aid of racketeering, including two murders. Sandoval Rodriguez faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25, 2022, at 3:30 p.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in the investigation, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Zachary Stendig, and Anatoly Smolkin, who prosecuted this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Consent Decree Approved Between the United States and Baltimore-Based Pharmacy and Pharmacist Alleged to Have Illegally Dispensed Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett approved the United States’ consent decree with Ketan K. Dankhara, a Baltimore-based pharmacist, and Falls RX, LLC d/b/a Ultra Care Pharmacy Baltimore (“Ultra Care”), resolving the United States’ civil allegations that Dankhara and Ultra Care violated the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) in illegally dispensing controlled substances.
The consent decree was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division.
“Under the Controlled Substances Act, pharmacists and pharmacies assume a critical gatekeeping function to prevent the diversion of controlled substances,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Just as prescribers cannot use their prescription pad as a blank checkbook to write prescriptions for controlled substances, the CSA and its regulations make clear that pharmacists have a corresponding responsibility to ensure the legitimacy of the prescriptions they fill. We will hold responsible those in the supply chain—manufacturers, distributors, prescribers, and retail pharmacies—who violate the CSA and illegally distribute controlled substances, fueling Maryland’s drug addiction epidemic.”
“Our pharmacists play a key role in the proper dispensing of controlled substances, helping patients, and protecting us all against the dangers of drug diversion,” stated Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division. “When pharmacists ignore ‘red flags,’ their dispensing contributes to the opioid epidemic. We at the DEA are working hard, every day, to investigate such behavior, and keep our communities safe.”
The Government alleges that shortly after Ultra Care opened for business, Dankhara knowingly filled fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, ignoring red flags that should have acted as warning signs that the prescriptions were not legitimate. More specifically, on several occasions between at least May and September 2020, an individual came to Ultra Care and attempted to fill controlled substance prescriptions for a number of people at the same time, many of whom had never previously been to the pharmacy. At least several dozen of these prescriptions were fraudulent. Some of the fraudulent prescriptions were for the same drug, strength, and quantity, and were from the same prescriber and some were prescribed by an OB/GYN to individuals who were biologically male. Notwithstanding these red flags, Dankhara made no attempt to determine whether the prescriptions were legitimate, nor did he otherwise resolve the red flags. Further, on at least one occasion, Dankhara indicated on a fraudulent prescription that he spoke with the prescriber when, in fact, Dankhara later admitted that he had no such conversation. The Government alleges that Ultra Care is liable for these deficiencies.
Under the consent decree, in addition to paying a $15,000 civil monetary penalty, Dankhara and Ultra Care are required to identify certain red flags—including when a patient presents prescriptions written in the names of other people without a valid justification, and when the patient is biologically male and presents prescriptions from an obstetrician or gynecologist. Before filling prescriptions bearing those red flags, the consent decree requires Dankhara and Ultra Care to document in detail any indications of abuse or diversion and the steps they took to ensure that the prescription was valid and was issued for a legitimate medical purpose, and that the prescription would not be abused or diverted for illegitimate purposes. Under the consent decree, if the DEA determines that Dankhara or Ultra Care have violated any provision of the consent decree and/or if Dankhara or the Pharmacy do not implement the corrective action the DEA orders, the DEA can order Dankhara and Ultra Care to cease ordering, distributing, or dispensing controlled substances immediately.
The consent decree is not an admission of liability by Ketan Dankhara or Ultra Care, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
The Court’s approval of this consent decree should remind pharmacists and pharmacies that the Department of Justice intends to use all tools at its disposal—both criminal and civil—to combat the controlled substances epidemic which continues to plague the United States, including here in Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA Washington Division’s Office of Diversion Control, Baltimore District Office for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorney Alan C. Lazerow, who handled the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Baltimore Man Facing Federal Charges for Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Access Device Fraud in Relation to an Alleged Counterfeit Card Encoding SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Leroy Holmes, age 61, of Baltimore, Maryland, for the federal charges of bank fraud, identity theft, and access device fraud in connection with a scheme to re-encode gift cards with the stolen financial information of multiple victims, then use the cards to purchase fuel for truckers at half price, in exchange for cash. The indictment was returned on May 10, 2022.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad.
According to the seven-count indictment, from October 2019 to March 2022, Holmes allegedly defrauded financial institutions by creating and using credit and debit card information encoded on gift cards to make fraudulent purchases without authority from cardholders or financial institutions. Holmes allegedly re-encoded gift cards to charge as credit and debit cards using the real banking information of victims at gas stations where he sold gas to truck drivers for half price.
As alleged in the indictment, some of the counterfeited credit and debit cards created and used by Holmes contained unemployment insurance benefits provided to victims from the state of California and were used without each victim’s knowledge or permission. According to the indictment, Holmes used, created, or possessed at least 594 counterfeit credit and debit cards, resulting in a loss of at least $170,000.
If convicted, Holmes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for bank fraud, 15 years in federal prison for access device fraud, and two years in federal prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, USPIS, the Secret Service, the Department of Labor-OIG, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Ray, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. For more information about resources available to report fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Former Archdiocese of Baltimore Roman Catholic Priest Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor Who He Met Through a ChurchRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Fernando Cristancho, age 65, of Bel Air, Maryland, to 22 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor who he met through the church to engage in illegal sexual activity. Cristancho also admitted that he produced nude images of four other minor victims. Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Cristancho must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger, Jr.
“Cristancho is finally being held accountable for his horrific crimes. Let this sentence serve as a deterrent to anyone that seeks to sexually abuse children, especially those in trusted positions intended to be a safe place and haven for children.” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will relentlessly pursue and prosecute predators that exploit the trust of children and families.”
According to his guilty plea, Cristancho was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Colombia, South America, in 1985 and moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he worked as an assistant priest. In approximately 1999, Cristancho was granted faculties to work as a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and worked as a priest in Baltimore County, and at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Harford County. In 2002, the Archdiocese of Baltimore revoked Cristancho’s faculties to work as a priest in the Archdiocese.
As stated in his plea agreement, John Doe was 11, 12, and 13 years old at the time of the offenses against him. John Doe’s family were members of St. Ignatius. Soon after Cristancho arrived at St. Ignatius in 1999, he began to spend time with John Doe’s family outside of church, including meals at restaurants and the family’s home, and at family gatherings. John Doe also became a lector at the church, with Cristancho working with him and coaching him in that process.
Beginning when John Doe was 11, Cristancho asked John Doe for back rubs; offered John Doe alcohol; took John Doe to dinner, kissed John Doe, told John Does that he loved him; and acted as if they were in a romantic relationship. Cristancho also showed John Doe pornography and suggested they do the same sexual activities.
After Cristancho was no longer working at the church, he arranged to hold religious services in the home of a parishioner, with John Doe performing as a lector or altar server. Additionally, in the summer of 2002, Cristancho invited himself to attend John Doe’s family’s camping trip and arranged to sleep next to John Doe in a tent. Following the camping trip, Cristancho arranged for John Doe to assist around Cristancho’s house, including with his infant children. Eventually, Cristancho arranged to have John Doe spend the weekend at Cristancho’s house which John Doe did on a regular basis well into 2003. It was during these weekends that Cristancho sexually abused John Doe. Cristancho sexually abused John Doe from 2002 through at least Fall 2003.
In September 2017, Cristancho went to a retail pharmacy to use the store’s photo printing equipment. When a store employee assisted Cristancho, they observed several photos of naked children and an image of what appeared to be a bite mark on a young boy’s buttocks on Cristancho’s smartphone. The employee subsequently made a report.
Law enforcement initiated an investigation, and a search warrant was executed at Cristancho’s residence on September 19, 2017. During the search warrant, investigators seized various digital devices including a smartphone. A subsequent forensic examination of the phone resulted in the discovery of nude photos and videos of four other minor victims, with most of the images being recorded when the victims were less than five years old.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution and thanked the Harford County Child Advocacy Center for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Colleen E. McGuinn, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Foreign National Who Fled and Was Later Extradited from the United Kingdom Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud in Relation to Theft of over 2,600 Checks from Religious InstitutionsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Florin Vaduva, age 31, of Dania Beach, Florida pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Vaduva will be ordered to pay at least $1,085,151.42 in restitution.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Quenton Sallows, of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Toni Dezomits of the Cary, North Carolina, Police Department; and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office.
According to his guilty plea, from June 2018 to January 2021, Vaduva, Mateus Vaduva, Nicole Gindac, Daniel Velcu, Marian Unguru, Vali Unguru, and others conspired to steal checks from the U.S. mail intended for religious institutions and deposit the illegally obtained funds into multiple fraudulent bank accounts at various victim financial institutions. Conspirators, including Vaduva, conducted the thefts by driving to roadside mailboxes of churches and other religious institutions and removing the mail, specifically targeting donation checks.
As part of the scheme to defraud, Vaduva and other co-conspirators fraudulently opened bank accounts at victim financial institutions under false identities. Conspiracy members often opened fictitious bank accounts with the aid of a conspiracy member that was an employee at one of the victim financial institutions.
Vaduva and his co-conspirators fraudulently negotiated the stolen checks at the victim financial institutions by depositing the stolen checks into bank accounts by means of ATM transactions. Subsequently, Vanduva and his co-conspirators withdrew money from the fraudulently opened bank accounts and spent the proceeds using debit cards.
For example, from January 2020 to May 2020, Vaduva deposited or participated in the deposit of at least 49 stolen checks totaling at least $27,508.84 from churches located in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia into five fraudulently opened bank accounts. The total of stolen checks deposited into those accounts totaled approximately $36,660.91. Over the course of the conspiracy, conspiracy members received approximately at least $1,085,151.42 from 2,657 stolen checks. After becoming aware of the investigation, Vaduva fled to the United Kingdom. He was later apprehended on September 5, 2021 and was extradited to the United States.
Vaduva faces a maximum of 30 years in prison followed by up to 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department, and the Williamson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Oxon Hill Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy and for Illegal Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Zaid Rushdan, age 41, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, yesterday to 126 months in federal prison, followed by seven years of supervised release, on charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of stolen firearms.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Charlie Patterson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from at least December 2020 until February 11, 2021, Rushdan conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over one kilogram of phencyclidine (“PCP”) and over 28 grams of crack cocaine.
Specifically, the DEA began investigating Rushdan, a co-conspirator, and others for distributing narcotics in Southern Maryland and the District of Columbia. Agents determined that Co-Conspirator 1 was transporting drugs and drug proceeds to facilitate Rushdan’s drug trafficking business after seeing Co-Conspirator 1 at Rushdan’s apartment on multiple occasions, leaving and picking up bags at the apartment while traveling to and from drug trafficking locations.
On February 11, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rushdan’s apartment and seized: over a gallon (4,486 grams) of PCP with a purity of between 7% and 12%; approximately 299 grams of powder cocaine; approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine; plastic baggies containing pills and powders, subsequently identified to include 50 grams of heroin and 81.35 grams of Eutylone; approximately seven pounds of marijuana; seven handguns; two rifles; approximately 652 rounds of ammunition; and $14,485 in cash.
Rushdan admitted that the $14,485 in cash were proceeds of his drug trafficking business and the firearms were used, or were intended to be used, to facilitate his drug trafficking. As detailed in his plea agreement, Rushdan also knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that four of the firearms were stolen, specifically, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, a Springfield Armory .45 ACP pistol, a Smith and Wesson 9x19mm pistol, and an Auto-Ordnance Corporation .45 ACP pistol.
“The outcome of this case is the result of extremely great work done by the individuals that took part in this investigation. We can thankfully say, there is one less criminal off of our streets. We at ATF work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from people who endanger our neighborhoods,” said Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson. “We will continue to work collaboratively with all of our partners to combat violent crimes in an effort to maintain public safety.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the ATF, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Town of Vienna, Virginia Police Department, the Alexandria, Virginia Police Department, the Virginia State Police, the Arlington, Virginia Police Department, the Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and the Fairfax County Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Kibbe and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Montgomery County Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl that Led to an Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Enitan Mouroukeji Agbi, a/k/a “Anton Agbi,” and “Tone,” age 38, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to distribution of fentanyl. Agbi admitted that Victim 1 died as a result of using drugs that Agbi distributed.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Darryl McSwain of the Maryland National Capital Park Police; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; and Chief Victor Brito of the City of Rockville Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on August 10, 2020, just prior to Victim 1’s fatal overdose, Victim 1 contacted Agbi by telephone to obtain heroin/fentanyl. Victim 1 agreed to meet Agbi at Hotel A in Gaithersburg, where Agbi was staying. Victim 1 texted Agbi when Victim 1 arrived at the location and Agbi went out the Victim 1’s car to complete the transaction. Surveillance video from Hotel A, as well as cell site location records, confirmed that Victim 1 was in the vicinity of the hotel and that Agbi left the hotel and walked towards Victim 1’s car. A short time later, Victim 1’s car left the area and went straight home, without making any other stops.
At about 10:00 p.m. on August 10, 2020, Victim 1 was found dead in her bedroom. Law enforcement officers located a clear plastic baggie containing .42 grams of fentanyl mixed with heroin and a straw next to Victim 1’s body. No other people were in Victim 1’s residence at the time of Victim 1’s death and Victim 1 lived alone. An autopsy determined that Victim 1’s cause of death was acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, despropionyl fentanyl, and morphine. Victim 1 was an otherwise healthy individual.
After August 25, 2020, Agbi relocated to Hotel B in Germantown, Maryland. On August 28, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Agbi’s hotel room in Hotel B. Officers recovered approximately 10 clear plastic capsules containing a total of approximately 2.76 grams of fentanyl mixed with heroin, knotted bags containing a total of approximately 2.6 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, and drug distribution paraphernalia, including a digital scale and sandwich bags used to package controlled substances (and which were consistent with the clear plastic baggie found with Victim 1 on August 10, 2020).
Following the search, Agbi was placed under arrest. Agbi admitted that he was a user and distributor of opioid drugs and that he met with Victim 1 on August 10 at Hotel A and provided Victim 1 with opioid drugs. He stated that Victim 1 used opioid drugs Agbi provided in his presence.
Agbi and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Agbi will be sentenced to 114 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for September 20, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department the Maryland National Capital Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the City of Rockville Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Joel Crespo, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and click on the “Save A Life” link.
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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Oscar Armando Sorto Romero, a/k/a “Lobo,” age 23, to life in federal prison for a racketeering conspiracy and for racketeering, as well as related violent crimes in aid of racketeering, including two murders, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. On January 24, 2022, a federal jury convicted Sorto Romero of the racketeering charges, along with co-defendants Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 21, Milton Portillo-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Little Gangster,” age 26; and Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Picaro,” age 24, after a three-month trial. Portillo-Rodriguez and Sandoval-Rodriguez were also convicted of multiple counts of murder in aid of racketeering.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Sorto Romero was a member of the Parque Vista Locos Salvatruchas (“PVLS”) clique and his co-defendants were members of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique.
The evidence at the three-month trial established that between 2015 and 2017, the defendants engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and brutal acts of violence against suspected rivals of the gang in an effort to increase MS-13’s power in the Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Anne Arundel County areas of Maryland.
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed during the trial, from 2015 through 2017, the Fulton clique of MS-13 sought to increase its presence in Frederick, Wheaton, and Annapolis, Maryland through numerous acts of violence, extortion, and drug sales. Trial evidence focused on the defendants’ participation in four grisly murders of those suspected of association with rival gang members carried out in 2017.
Trial evidence related to Sorto-Romero focused on his participation in two of those four murders. First, on April 2, 2017, the gang kidnapped an individual from Silver Spring, Maryland and brought him to a wooded area in Frederick, where he was killed with knives and machetes before being buried in a shallow grave. Before being taken to Frederick, the victim, who was extremely intoxicated, was held in a basement laundry room in Wheaton, Maryland by members and associates of MS-13, including by co-defendant Joya Parada. Inside the laundry room, the victim was forced to remove his shirt so that gang members could examine his tattoos to satisfy themselves that the victim was associated with a rival gang and should therefore be killed.
Sorto Romero was contacted by members of MS-13 to assist with the victim’s murder. He agreed to assist as long as other, more junior gang members could participate to move up in the gang. Sorto Romero arranged vehicles to transport the victim and other members of MS-13 to the wooded area in Frederick where the victim would be killed. Sorto Romero and others went to the laundry room where the victim was being held, and they placed him in the backseat of a car in which Sorto Romero was a passenger. In the meantime, Joya Parada and other members of MS-13 went to the woods in Frederick with weapons and a shovel to dig a grave and to wait for the victim’s arrival. Sorto Romero eventually arrived with the victim, delivering the victim to other members of MS-13 who were waiting, including Joya Parada. A member of MS-13 incapacitated the victim by hitting him in the head with a tree branch. Joya Parada and others then dragged the victim through the woods to the hole they had dug for the victim’s grave. They placed the victim face down on the ground next to the hole and stabbed and slashed his body repeatedly with a machete. Joya Parada personally participated in this murder not only by slashing the victim with the long edge of the machete blade, but also by plunging the point of the machete into the victim’s back numerous times. The victim died as a result of the blunt force trauma, stabbing, cutting, and chopping inflicted by Joya Parada and his co-conspirators. Sorto Romero then picked up several gang members who participated in the murder to drive them home. During their drive back, MS-13 members stopped to dispose of the machete in a storm drain and threw a shovel away in a dumpster.
On August 5, 2017, MS-13 lured another victim to Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. When he arrived, the victim was hit in the head with a hammer and slashed with a machete until he died. The trial evidence revealed that the victim was a low-level member of the PVLS clique of MS-13 (the same clique as Sorto Romero) and was suspected of warning one of his relatives, who was believed to be in a rival gang, that he was an MS-13 target. Sorto Romero and co-defendant Portillo Rodriguez participated in the planning and execution of the murder of this victim. Once the victim arrived, an MS-13 member who was part of the PVLS clique hit the victim in the head with a hammer. The victim screamed after he was hit. Then, members of MS-13 dragged the victim to a hole that had been dug deeper in the woods. Sorto Romero and Portillo Rodriguez assisted in digging the hole earlier that day. Once at the hole, Sorto Romero, Portillo Rodriguez, and other members of MS-13 took turns striking the victim’s neck and shoulder area with a machete in an unsuccessful effort to decapitate the victim. Although they were unable to decapitate the victim, Sorto Romero, Portillo Rodriguez, and others struck the victim numerous times until he died. The victim was then buried in a clandestine grave in the park. After the murder, members of MS-13 took clothing and other evidence to a nearby house where the clothing was burned in a grill.
According to trial evidence, these murders were all intended to maintain and increase the status of MS-13, as well as allow individual MS-13 members to maintain or increase their status within the gang.
More than 30 MS-13 gang members and associates have been convicted in this and a related case.
On April 20, 2022, Chief Judge Bredar sentenced Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 20, to 50 years in federal prison, for a racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and related violent crimes in aid of racketeering. Portillo-Rodriguez and Sandoval-Rodriguez each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison for each of the murder in aid of racketeering charges. Chief Judge Bredar has scheduled sentencing for Portillo Rodriguez for May 13, 2022, at 10 a.m and for Sandoval Rodriguez for May 25, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in the investigation, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Zachary Stendig, and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Elkton Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography of Minor FemalesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Johnny William Kyte, age 62, of Elkton, Maryland to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of child pornography.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; the Cecil County State’s Attorney James Dellmyer; and Chief Carolyn Rogers of the Elkton Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on September 10, 2020, the Elkton Police Department responded to a complaint regarding images of child pornography located within Kyte’s residence and initiated an investigation into Kyte’s criminal conduct in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations.
After the execution of numerous search warrants, investigators discovered several digital devices controlled and owned by Kyte that contained images of child pornography. Investigators were able to identify and locate the minor victims who were depicted in the images. Subsequent investigation revealed that from August 2014 to July 2017, Kyte produced numerous sexually explicit images of two prepubescent females, including close-up images displaying the lewd and lascivious display of the minor victim’s genitals. Kyte used a variety of devices to produce the images including at least two digital cameras, a cell phone camera, and other devices.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Cecil County, and the Elkton Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Colleen McGuinn, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Eastern Shore Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $1.8 Million from a Salisbury Corporation Where He WorkedRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Duane G. Larmore, age 47, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a wire fraud conspiracy and to aggravated identity theft in connection with the theft of more than $1.8 million from Shore Appliance Connection, where Larmore worked.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, from mid-September 2016 through about March 2020, Larmore conspired with others to steal more than $1.8 million from a Salisbury, Maryland company, Shore Appliance Connection, owned and operated by Owner #1 and Owner #2, that sold household appliances as well as mattresses and bedding. Larmore was an employee at Shore Appliance whose duties included maintaining the books and records for the company.
Specifically, Larmore and his co-conspirators stole over $1 million from Shore Appliance to use for their own purposes, including to make investments and to pay business expenses for the co-conspirator’s business, without the knowledge and consent of the owners of Shore Appliance. For example, Larmore invested in the following: in 2016, a $100,000 investment with T.H.; a $95,000 investment with GenFinance II, PLC, London, U.K., which then required an additional $300,000, and then additional funds for a surety bond and travel abroad; in 2018, an investment through W.S. of $35,000 and an investment through J.B. of $50,000; and in 2019 - 2020, investments and expenses through I.P. and E. P.-S. to obtain U.S. currency purportedly returned to the United States from humanitarian relief projects abroad, and other similar investments. The charges included wire transfers from Shore Appliance’s account to a co-conspirator’s business account and from there to banks in the U.K. and Hong Kong. No investment paid any return to the schemers.
To conceal how much money had been removed from Shore Appliance and to obtain cash, Larmore used the identities of the owners to enter into factoring contracts. Factoring is a means by which businesses, like Shore Appliance, can obtain cash quickly by leveraging accounts receivable. As detailed in the plea agreement, the factoring contracts purportedly between Shore Appliance and various factoring companies, provided cash deposits to Shore Appliance's bank accounts but encumbered the accounts receivable of Shore Appliance and required payments and interest of more than $725,000. In addition, Larmore used his position of trust with Shore Appliance and signature authority over its bank accounts to draw on Shore Appliance’s lines of credit with two separate financial institutions to obtain another $200,000 in cash to conceal his use of Shore Appliance’s funds.
To obtain contracts with factoring companies for Shore Appliance, Larmore used his own email address and cell phone number with factors but identified that email address and cell phone number as belonging to Owner #1. Larmore also allegedly provided the factors with details of the owners’ identities, including dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and Maryland drivers' licenses, without their permission.
To conceal the fact that the owners were not aware of and had not approved the factoring contracts, the signatures of the owners were forged and the fraudulent signatures were witnessed or notarized by the co-conspirator; and Larmore and a female employee of his co-conspirator posed as the owners in telephone conversations with representatives of the factoring companies. Finally, when the co-conspirator’s business was having financial difficulties, at the co-conspirator’s request, Larmore provided funds from Shore Appliance for his co-conspirator's companies.
In all, Larmore paid $739,295.28 of Shore Appliance’s funds, without the officers and owners’ knowledge or consent, to invest in fraudulent schemes that never paid any money back. Larmore caused an additional loss of $171,548.67 by transferring funds to his co-conspirator or the co-conspirator’s companies. Larmore caused Shore Appliance to lose an additional $731,250.07 in fees and other payments to factors and to factoring brokers. Larmore also caused Shore Appliance to draw on its bank lines of credit and pay extra interest to those banks in the amount $208,395. Thus, the factoring arrangements and advances on Shore Appliance's lines of credit in total caused Shore Appliance to lose in actual funds $939,645. However, Shore Appliance as of March 2020 still owed the factors almost $270,000. For all of Larmore’s conduct, actual cash losses to Shore Appliance totaled $1,850,488.94 and intended losses totaled $2,137,674.74.
As part of his plea agreement, Larmore will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties stipulate is $1,850,488.94
Larmore faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for a wire fraud conspiracy and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce K. McDonald, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. For more information about resources available to report fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Dentist Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Obtaining Medicaid Funds and Paying Recruiters to Refer Medicaid Beneficiaries to His Dental Office in Exchange for KickbacksRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Edward T. Buford III, age 70, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2022, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and healthcare fraud. As part of his guilty plea, Buford will be required to pay $1,267,630 in restitution.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division; and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
According to his guilty plea, from January 2013 to May 2018, Buford and others devised and executed a scheme to defraud Medicaid for the District of Columbia by filing fraudulent Medicaid claims for dental services to Medicaid beneficiaries, receiving the fraudulently obtained funds from Medicaid, and recruiting Medicaid beneficiaries to fuel the scheme through the payment of kickbacks and bribes.
Buford was a licensed dentist in Washington, D.C. and the owner and Chief Executive Officer of International Dental Associates, Inc. (IDA), a dental clinic located in Washington, D.C. Before 2015, Buford was enrolled as a Medicaid provider, however, in April 2015, Medicaid suspended payments to Buford under his provider number.
After Buford’s provider number was suspended in 2015, Buford and his business partner/IDA manager (Co-conspirator 1) continued to submit claims to Medicaid through IDA’s provider number. In April 2016, Buford and Co-conspirator 1 re-enrolled IDA as a provider in Medicaid. Within IDA’s application, Buford and Co-conspirator 1 failed to disclose Buford’s suspension from Medicaid.
Buford and his co-conspirators caused the submission of Medicaid claims by Buford and IDA for a variety of dental services, including dentures. As part of the conspiracy, Buford and Co-conspirator 1 offered and paid kickbacks to Co-conspirator 2 and other patient recruiters in exchange for referring Medicaid beneficiaries to IDA for dental services, even though Medicaid would not pay claims had it known they were procured through kickbacks. Medicaid paid substantially more for dentures than for many other dental services, including dental cleanings, and Buford and Co-conspirator 1 paid Co-conspirator 2 larger cash kickbacks for beneficiaries that agreed to be fitted for dentures—approximately $50 per beneficiary—than for beneficiaries who only agreed to receive dental cleanings.
At Buford and Co-conspirator 1’s direction, Co-conspirator 2 offered Medicaid beneficiaries cash bribes to induce them to visit and accept dental services from IDA. Buford and his co-conspirators typically paid higher amounts to beneficiaries who agreed to be fitted for dentures than those who only agreed to receive cleanings. Even though dentures required multiple visits to fit and deliver, Buford and his co-conspirators paid the beneficiaries only for the initial visit—after which Buford and his co-conspirators could bill Medicaid for the dentures—and numerous beneficiaries never returned to IDA after receiving the cash bribe. Accordingly, Buford and his co-conspirators stored hundreds of undelivered dentures on IDA’s premises, many of which had been billed to and paid for by Medicaid.
As part of the scheme to defraud, Buford maintained a Post Office box in Silver Spring, Maryland as IDA’s billing address and received the fraudulently obtained funds at that location. For example, on September 21, 2017, Buford caused Medicaid to mail a check for $17,397 to the Maryland P.O. box for services purportedly provided to 11 Medicaid beneficiaries.
Based on the amount that Medicaid paid to Buford and IDA for dentures that were not delivered, the actual loss to Medicaid was at least approximately $1,267,630.
Buford faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and healthcare fraud. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 3, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, HHS-OIG, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, SSA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica C. Collins and Rajeev R. Raghavan, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Waldorf Air Force Lieutenant Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Jason Daniel Ort, age 36, of Waldorf, Maryland, late yesterday to 11 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for transportation of child pornography, specifically videos Ort had surreptitiously recorded using a hidden camera in a bathroom, as well as other images and videos he possessed. Judge Chuang also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Ort must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Brigadier General Terry Bullard, Commander Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
According to his guilty plea, between September 28, 2020, and October 1, 2020, Ort knowingly transported videos containing child pornography from Maryland to New York.
As stated in his plea agreement, on October 2, 2020, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in New York (OCSO) received a complaint from an adult (Individual 1) that Ort had placed a black spy camera in Individual 1’s bedroom while visiting the individual’s home. On October 1, 2020, Individual 1 located the camera, which contained an SD card. Upon review of the SD card’s contents, Individual 1 discovered a video of a minor female using the bathroom and lifting up her dress to wipe herself. Individual 1 observed a video of Ort entering the bathroom and adjusting the camera. According to military records, Ort was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Maryland and was scheduled for leave during that time to visit Individual 1’s residence in New York.
In an interview with OCSO officers, Ort admitted to placing the camera in Individual 1’s bedroom and that he placed the camera in several other locations, including in a bathroom at another residence in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Ort said that he watched the videos for sexual pleasure and knew that his actions were wrong.
As a result of their investigation, OCSO seized multiple electronic items in New York, including the spy camera containing the SD card and Ort’s laptop. A subsequent forensic review of the SD card revealed at least 10 video files depicting minor females using the bathroom and bathing. Ort recorded these videos using the spy camera placed in the bathroom of the Pocomoke City, Maryland residence in and around December 2019 and January 2020. The camera appeared to be positioned under the sink, facing the toilet and the shower. Throughout the videos, four minor females were recorded with their genitals exposed while either showering or using the toilet.
A forensic review of the Ort’s laptop revealed hundreds of files constituting child pornography. Some of the files depicted prepubescent minors engaged in sex acts.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on November 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ort’s Waldorf, Maryland residence and recovered numerous electronic devices including a 1 TB digital hard drive, a 500 GB hard drive, and a second laptop with a 1 TB hard drive.
Upon review of one of the hard drives, law enforcement found video files that were duplicates of or compilations of clips from the videos found on the SD card depicting the minor victims. Further, a forensic review of the second laptop located at Ort’s residence revealed a search for “production of child pornography charge” and “Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Pornography” on October 7, 2020.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for their work in the investigation and thanked the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Collins who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for His Role in a Maryland Casino and Hotel KidnappingRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Christopher Allen Young, a/k/a “40,” age 26, of Washington, D.C., to 126 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to Young’s guilty plea, on February 3, 2021, Young, Darius Young a/k/a “Mup”, Anthony Hebron, Lamar Perkins, and Co-conspirator 1 worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel. Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 met Victim A at the casino and hotel, where they made the false promise that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C. At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Co-conspirator 1’s car with Hebron and Co-conspirator 1.
At 8:12 a.m., Young received a call from Hebron. A minute later, Young called Mup to report that Co-conspirator 1 and Hebron had “snatched” Victim A. Young advised Mup that he was going to split the proceeds of the robbery with Co-conspirator 1 and Hebron and would pay Mup from his share. Young added that, if Victim A “gets feisty, I don’t want to have to crush him.”
A short time later, Co-conspirator 1 and Hebron arrived in Southeast D.C. with Victim A, and Young and Mup got in the car. Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A, while Young and the co-conspirators took Victim A’s personal items, including Victim A’s wallet, cellphone, and watch (which had been purchased for approximately $500), and the key to Victim A’s hotel room. Young and the co-conspirators then demanded the code to the safe in Victim A’s hotel room. After Victim A refused to provide the code to the safe, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun, and Victim A gave up the code to his safe. Hebron then forced Victim A out of the vehicle.
Young and Mup then exited the vehicle with Victim A, while Co-conspirator 1 and Hebron drove back to the casino and hotel. Young and Mup then led Victim A, at gunpoint, to a boiler room inside an apartment building in Southeast D.C. Inside the boiler room, Young and Mup physically assaulted Victim A and demanded that Victim A disclose the PIN number for his ATM card and provide details about items located in Victim A’s hotel room.
According to the plea agreement, members of the conspiracy were seen on surveillance footage leaving Victim A’s hotel room with a backpack and roller suitcase, which contained items they had stolen from the room, including an Xbox, at least $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash.
Soon after learning that Co-conspirator 1 and Hebron had stolen Victim A’s valuables from his hotel room, Young and Mup left the boiler room, leaving Victim A behind.
Just a few moments later, law enforcement located Victim A near the apartment building, with blood running down his face and a wound on his forehead. Victim A also appeared to have suffered cuts on his mouth and eye, and a broken nose.
Following the robbery and assault, Young and his co-conspirators discussed the kidnapping and robbery on a phone call. Young told the co-conspirators that he was not worried about Victim A talking to law enforcement because Victim A would be too afraid after Young and Mup threatened him. Young said he told Victim A, “If the police come, or anything come, I got your address. Mom…your little brother, all them is gone!”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington, and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also praised the Prince George’s County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Silver Spring Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for a Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving High End VehiclesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Francis Arthur, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland on May 2, 2022, to one year and a day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a money laundering conspiracy and for money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud victim account holders at a credit union. As part of his sentence, Arthur has been ordered to pay $339,000 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Department of Police.
According to the evidence presented at Arthur’s trial, from October 2016 through April 2017, Arthur and his co-conspirators engaged in financial transactions designed to conceal the nature, source and ownership of the proceeds of a fraud scheme to obtain cash from victim account holders at a Maryland credit union. Specifically, the evidence showed that the conspirators transferred, withdrew cash, and caused cashiers’ checks to be issued from the proceeds of a fraud scheme. Arthur and his co-conspirators then used the funds to purchase motor vehicles to conceal that the funds were derived from a fraud scheme.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Secret Service and the Montgomery County Department of Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Sullivan and U.S. Attorney Christian Nauvel of the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Longtime Employee of a Harford County, Maryland Manufacturer Pleads Guilty to Leading a $29 Million Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Eugene Andrew DiNoto, age 51, of Bel Air, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, engaging in an illegal monetary transaction, and filing a false tax return, in connection with a kickback scheme that defrauded his employer of more than $29 million.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, Eugene DiNoto was a longtime employee of Company 1, a family-owned global business headquartered in New York, but with manufacturing facilities in Belcamp and Abingdon, Maryland, both in Harford County. Beginning in 2012, DiNoto and another employee, Elliott Kleinman, began to use their management positions at Company 1 to execute a fraudulent billing scheme whereby they would get illegal kickbacks from various drum vendors doing business with Company 1, which used drums to store and transport its products. As the facility managers, DiNoto and Kleinman oversaw the purchasing and storing of drums for use at the Harford County manufacturing facilities. They also had authority to review drum invoices and authorize payments to the drum vendors.
Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., is the owner and President of Tunnel, Barrel & Drum Co, Inc. (TBD), located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, and of another drum supply company called Hartford Fibre Drum, Inc. (Hartford), both of which did business with Company 1. After TBD became a drum supplier to Company 1, DiNoto and Kleinman entered into arrangement with Urcioli whereby TBD could continue selling drums to Company 1 if Urcioli agreed to fraudulently invoice Company 1 for more drums than TBD actually sold and delivered to the company. If Urcioli agreed to falsify its invoices in this way, DiNoto and Kleinman said that they and TBD could split the extra money Company 1 paid TBD for the made-up drum deliveries 50/50. DiNoto told Urcioli that he would split his share of the kickbacks with Elliot Kleinman 75/25. Urcioli agreed to participate in the false billing scheme.
From approximately January 2012 to January 31, 2020, DiNoto contacted Urcioli at least once a week to discuss the number and type of drums that he actually wanted delivered to Company 1’s Maryland facilities. During the same conversation, DiNoto told Urcioli how many additional drums to charge, but not deliver, to Company 1 from TBD, and later from Hartford, Urcioli’s other company. After Urcioli created the invoices that fraudulently billed Company 1 for both delivered and undelivered drums, DiNoto approved the invoices and sent them to Company 1’s headquarters to be paid.
Urcioli also created a handwritten purchase order ticket that summarized the breakdown of actual and bogus drum orders and how the kickback amounts were calculated. Urcioli would put a copy of the purchase order ticket in an envelope along with DiNoto’s and Kleinman’s share of the kickback amount payable via checks from TBD and Hartford, and then send the envelope to their personal residences in Harford County, Maryland.
Sometimes, the invoices were not written as DiNoto had instructed, and he would call Urcioli and tell him to send a corrected invoice of adjust the kickback amounts. Occasionally, DiNoto would correct an arithmetic mistake on Urcioli’s purchase order ticket, take a photograph of the changes he made to the ticket, and then email the corrected ticket back to Urcioli.
Urcioli wanted to pay the kickbacks to DiNoto and Kleinman by check so the payments would look like payments to drum wholesalers and be deductible as a cost of goods sold on TBD’s tax returns. DiNoto told Urcioli to make his kickback checks payable to a company linked to DiNoto, called “Sandpiper Enterprises.” Kleinman advised that he wanted his kickback checks payable to a company he formed called “EDK Management, LTD.” Urcioli agreed, and in addition to making the kickback checks drawn on TBD and Hartford accounts payable to those companies, Urcioli wrote the word “drums” on the checks to further the pretense of legitimate purchases.
DiNoto admitted that even though Sandpiper Enterprises was not engaged in any business, he maintained a commercial bank account for Sandpiper Enterprises at a local financial institution, where he deposited all the kickback checks he received. Before accessing the criminal proceeds, DiNoto routinely transferred all or part of the money into one of the personal bank accounts he maintained at the same bank. DiNoto would then withdraw the funds from his personal account or write a personal check against the balance.
Between January 2012 and January 31, 2020, Urcioli falsely invoiced Company 1 a total of $20,300,757. TBD and Hartford kept half that amount while the remaining funds were sent to DiNoto and Kleinman. DiNoto’s share of the kickbacks was approximately $7,071,106. Over the same eight-year period, DiNoto used other drum vendors besides TBD and Hartford to execute his scheme to defraud Company 1. On behalf of those other vendors, DiNoto submitted and approved invoices totaling approximately $9,197,181, resulting in a total loss to Company 1 of approximately $29,497,938.
For the period of 2017 through 2019, none of the more than $7 million in kickbacks DiNoto received for his role in the fraudulent billing scheme appeared as income on the tax returns DiNoto filed with the IRS, resulting in a loss to the U.S. government of approximately $1,374,694.
DiNoto faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for engaging in an illegal monetary transaction; and a maximum of five years in federal prison for filing a false tax return. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby scheduled sentencing for DiNoto on July 13, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Elliott Dennis Kleinman, age 68, of Bel Air, Maryland and Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., age 78, of Park Ridge, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Harry M. Gruber, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Hospital Employee Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Exploitive Images of an Unconscious Victim PatientRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Donald Benson, Jr., age 42, of Nottingham, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to production of child pornography.
The plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on September 18, 2016, while working at a Maryland hospital as a patient sitter, Benson sexually assaulted a 15-year-old female (Victim 1) while she was unconscious. Additionally, Benson took 13 pictures of the sexual assault on Victim 1 and emailed those pictures to his personal email account. Benson used Victim 1’s birthdate as the subject of the email which was also visible in the pictures that Benson produced.
As stated in is plea agreement, in December 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report regarding child pornography activity on Benson’s email account. Between August 2015 to December 2019, Benson uploaded 337 files of possible child pornography.
During the investigation into Benson’s criminal conduct, investigators determined that several of the images Benson had emailed himself depicted images of minors being sexually assaulted including the images that Benson captured of Victim 1 while she was in an unconscious state.
On February 6, 2020, investigators executed search warrants at Benson’s residence and seized various electronic devices. On Benson’s electronic devices, investigators located several images and files of child pornography and a CD that depicted a naked prepubescent female with her legs spread and genitals exposed. This CD contained images of child pornography from 1999 to 2013.
In an interview with law enforcement, Benson informed investigators that he took pictures of Victim 1 while working in an official capacity and while Victim 1 was unconscious. He also informed law enforcement that he took the exploitive pictures of Victim 1 when her father stepped out of the room to take a phone call.
Benson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for August 3, 2022, at 9:15 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, HSI, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary W. Setzer and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm After Being Shot in a Violent Interaction in BaltimoreRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Tony Oliver, age 42, of Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on June 28, 2019, Oliver and Oliver’s friend (Victim 1) were shot on the 1400 block of Ward Street in Baltimore. Based on CCTV cameras, statements, and jail calls, investigators learned that two male suspects first approached Victim 1 and shot him in the head and chest on the 1400 block of Ward Street. As Oliver approached the area in his vehicle, the male suspects shot at Oliver, hitting him in his hand and arm. Investigators later recovered multiple pieces of evidence at the scene including a trail of blood, a 9mm firearm, and 9mm shell casings from inside Oliver’s car.
As part of the investigation, officers located the 9mm firearm under a bush at the scene. In a video viewed by law enforcement, officers saw Oliver near the bush in which the 9mm firearm was located. BPD homicide detectives subsequently recovered the firearm, tested the firearm for Oliver’s DNA, and discovered Oliver’s DNA on the firearm. Oliver knew that he had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Additionally, as detailed in his guilty plea, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) requested Oliver’s cellphone pending a search and seizure warrant. However, before giving the phone to the detectives, Oliver purposely threw it on the ground and broke it. Due to the damage to the phone, investigators were unable to retrieve information from the cellphone. The phone was believed to contain information regarding Victim 1’s murder.
Investigators subsequently captured several conversations between Oliver and an incarcerated individual (Individual 1) in which Oliver and Individual 1 discussed the shooting. For example, on July 11, 2019, in a conversation between Oliver and Individual 1, investigators believed that Oliver described the circumstances leading to the shooting, including how Oliver was driving the vehicle, parked next to a corner store, and tossed his firearm immediately after the shooting, and that Oliver believed that another individual recovered the firearm from the scene because an associate of Oliver’s could not locate the firearm when Oliver sent the associate to retrieve it. Based on the call, Oliver did not believe that law enforcement recovered the firearm.
Oliver faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for August 19, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai Everett, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Career Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Possession with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Khary Owens, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, during September and October 2020, detectives from the Baltimore Police Department conducted covert surveillance on a residence in the 500 block of Sheridan Avenue in Baltimore, after receiving information that the residence was being used for drug trafficking. Detectives saw Owens engage in hand-to-hand drug transactions on the porch and on the sidewalk outside of the residence.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and for Owens’ person, which was executed on October 7, 2020. Owens was seen walking to the house, wearing a vest and a backpack, which he hung up on the front porch of the home. When Owens saw the detectives approaching the residence, he ran through the front door and up the stairs, where he threw a package containing 58 vials of cocaine out of the second story window and into the back yard. Detectives staged in the back yard saw the package come out the window and recovered it. Subsequent laboratory analysis revealed that the vials contained cocaine.
Owens was arrested and the backpack he left on the front porch was searched. From the backpack, detectives recovered a medicine bottle filled with a suspected cutting agent, red zip tie baggies, and a .45-caliber pistol loaded with eleven cartridges of .45-caliber ammunition.
Owens and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Owens will be sentenced to between eight and 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for October 20, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gamper, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Files False Claims Act Lawsuit Against Maryland Contractor and OwnerRead the Press Release
The United States has filed a lawsuit against government contractor Intelligent Fiscal Optimal Solutions LLC (iFOS) and its owner, Tawanda M. Smith, both of Columbia, Maryland, alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false invoices to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in connection with a contract for staff augmentation services awarded by DHS to iFOS.
According to the United States’ complaint, iFOS and Smith coordinated with then DHS official Kenneth J. Buck, to steer a contract to iFOS. iFOS and Smith planned for Buck to enter into a subcontract with iFOS following his departure from DHS pursuant to which Buck would serve as the Strategic Advisor for the DHS contract, a role that would necessitate him communicating directly with his successor at DHS on behalf of iFOS. iFOS and Smith were allegedly aware of federal conflict-of-interest rules that limited Buck’s ability to communicate directly with DHS officials on behalf of iFOS during a mandatory “cooling off” period that applies to former government officials such as Buck, and they allegedly misled DHS contracting personnel by falsely representing that a different iFOS employee would serve as the Strategic Advisor and concealing their planned involvement of Buck. After the contract was awarded, iFOS and Smith allegedly submitted false invoices to DHS contracting personnel that concealed the extensive work performed by Buck on the contract, which allegedly included improper communications with his DHS successor that violated federal conflict-of-interest laws. The complaint further alleges that iFOS and Smith violated material contract requirements that mandated a background investigation be completed for all iFOS personnel, which Buck never completed. Earlier this month, Buck settled civil claims relating to his alleged role in the scheme.
“The government’s conflict-of-interest rules protect the integrity of the government’s procurement process,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This lawsuit demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to pursue those who make false statements that undermine the government’s ability to enforce these important safeguards, or who otherwise misrepresent their compliance with critical contractual requirements.
“The federal procurement system has strict policies to prevent corruption and contract manipulation,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “These ethics and conflict of interest policies must be enforced to ensure that government contract awards are beyond reproach. In partnership with our investigative partners, our office will continue to hold accountable those who weaken the integrity of our procurement system.”
“I appreciate the continued partnership between DHS OIG and the Justice Department, which helps ensure the integrity of DHS programs,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). “This lawsuit should serve as a deterrent to individuals intent on defrauding the government.”
The lawsuit is captioned United States v. Intelligent Fiscal Optimal Solutions LLC, et al., No. 22- CV No. 1:22-cv-01053-JMC (D. Md.), and is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
DHS OIG is investigating.
Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Justice Department's Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt for the District of Maryland are handling the case.
The claims asserted in the United States’ complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Former FEMA Employee Pleads Guilty to Aiding in the Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Shanta Johnson, age 44, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding in the preparation of false tax returns.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General.
According to her guilty plea, from January 2013 through at least April 2016, while employed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”), Shanta Johnson prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on behalf of her taxpayer clients. As detailed in court documents, Johnson prepared at least some of these returns while at work at FEMA. The false items on these tax returns included false deductions, fictional businesses and business expenses, and fake education expenses – all of which were designed to increase her clients’ tax refunds. Johnson charged money for her services and, in many cases, directed a portion of her clients’ refunds into more than twenty bank accounts she controlled. Johnson did not report the income she received for preparing tax returns on her own tax returns. In total, Johnson prepared at least 194 tax returns. She created and used numerous email accounts to establish accounts in the names of her clients on the online tax preparation software she used to make it appear as if her clients were preparing their own tax returns. Johnson did not list herself as the paid tax preparer on any of them, as required under IRS rules. She caused a tax loss to the IRS of $217,424.
Johnson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to between six and 15 months in federal prison and will be required to pay restitution to the IRS. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 30, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg commended the IRS-CI and DHS-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Comptroller’s Office for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham and Trial Attorney Sam Bean of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Married Couple Facing Federal Indictment for a Series of Fraud Schemes, Including Passport Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a Andrews Oduro, age 39, and Charmaine Miesha Brown, age 43, both of Germantown, Maryland, for conspiracies to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding. The indictment was returned on April 28, 2022, and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Lewis of the U.S. Department of the State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.
As detailed in the indictment, Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a Andrews Oduro was a Ghanaian national who entered the United States in May 2013. Oduro married Charmaine Miesha Brown, a United States citizen, in January 2014 and in 2021, obtained legal permanent resident status in the United States through his marriage to Brown. During this time, Oduro and Brown resided together with Oduro’s two children, Child A and Child B, and four of Brown’s children, including Child C.
According to the five-count indictment, from December 2014 through April 2021, Oduro and Brown conspired to obtain United States passports for non-United States citizen family members who were not entitled to receive such passports, through the use of false statements and fraudulent identity documents. Once passports were issued on the basis of the false and fraudulent applications, Oduro and Brown arranged for the transportation of non-United States citizen family members to the United States using the fraudulently issued passports.
For example, on December 1, 2014, Brown allegedly submitted an application for a passport in the name of her son, Child C, but bearing the photograph of Child A. The indictment alleges that Child A later used the fraudulent passport to enter the United States illegally. On March 16, 2015, Oduro and Brown allegedly applied for a passport in the name of Child A and submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate, falsely stating that Brown was Child A’s mother, in support of the application. The indictment alleges that on March 17, 2020, Oduro and Brown applied for a passport in the name of Child B and again submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application that falsely stating that Brown was Child B’s mother. On August 5, 2015, Oduro also allegedly submitted a passport application in the name of a United States citizen, but bearing the photograph of Oduro’s sibling, who is not a United States citizen.
According to the indictment, from August 2016 through April 2021, Oduro and Brown conspired to receive Child Care Subsidy Program payments to which they were not entitled. The Child Care Subsidy Program provided reimbursement to low-income families for childcare and direct payments to both professional and informal providers of childcare to low-income families. The indictment alleges that Brown and Oduro falsely reported to the State of Maryland that Individual F, a friend, was watching their children, when in truth and in fact, Oduro assumed Individual F’s identity to pose as a paid childcare provider to his own child and stepchildren. The indictment alleges that Oduro and Brown used the personally identifying information (PII) of Individual F, without the victim’s knowledge or permission, to receive approximately $95,320 in Child Care Subsidy Program payments to which they were not entitled.
Finally, the indictment alleges that on March 5, 2018, Oduro and Brown defrauded creditors and the bankruptcy trustee, by filing a fraudulent Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition using the name and partial social security number of Individual F seeking the discharge of over $80,000 in debts and tax obligations to the State of Maryland that Oduro incurred using the name and PII of Individual F. On June 21, 2018, Oduro appeared at the discharge hearing in the bankruptcy court and identified himself as Individual F, presenting a Pennsylvania driver’s license Oduro had fraudulently obtained in the name of Individual F. As a result of the fraudulent bankruptcy petition in the name of Individual F, the indictment alleges that Oduro and Brown cause the entry of an order discharging approximately $49,317 in debt that Oduro incurred in the name of Individual F.
If convicted, Oduro and Brown each face a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit passport fraud; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud; a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft; a maximum of 5 years in prison for bankruptcy fraud; and a maximum of 5 years in prison for false statements in bankruptcy. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland United States Attorney’s and Drug Enforcement Administration Highlight Efforts in Fight Against Opioid Abuse Amidst Increased Overdose TrendsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office are teaming up to publicize the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day being held at various sites across Maryland and the country on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
National Drug Take Back Day is a nationwide event in which citizens can safely and anonymously dispose of unused prescriptions at DEA drop off location sites for free. The nationwide effort aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible method of disposing of prescription drugs and educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Maryland has approximately 100 available sites. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek Barron will be participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day with the DEA as well as other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials at 5305 Village Center Dr, Columbia, MD from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police Department.
“Over the course of the last year, the state of Maryland has seen a significant increase in drug overdoses and crimes that exploit the opioid epidemic. For example, fentanyl, a drug that can be consumed safely when prescribed by a physician, can be severely addictive and has plagued countless Maryland families. Thanks to the DEA’s efforts and the abundance of collection sites, individuals can safely dispose of unused medications that could lead to prescription drug abuse” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “I encourage all Marylanders to dispose of unused and unneeded prescription drugs in their homes by participating in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday or by visiting https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find a collection site near them”.
DEA and our state and local partners throughout the area will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms. DEA will also accept vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers, only after the batteries are removed from the devices. If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal. Liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs cannot be dropped off. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home. Go to https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines or https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/collecting-and-disposing-unwanted-medicines.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, prescription drugs can be disposed of at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors at any time throughout the year, and at many local law enforcement agency sites.
Recent Federal Prosecution of Opioid Cases:
United States v. Rodney Mondell Coby: On April 13, 2022, Rodney Mondell Coby, a/k/a “Cuz,” age 33, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. According to the evidence presented at trial, Coby distributed kilograms of fentanyl to resale and personal use customers of the course of several years. On at least two occasions, Coby and others distributed fentanyl to two individuals who later died as a result of the consumed fentanyl. During an executed search warrant at Coby’s apartment, law enforcement recovered 5 firearms, 159 rounds of ammunition, 121 individual baggies of fentanyl, and $22,000 in cash amongst other items.
United States v. Dwight Antonio Pitts: On March 1, 2022, Dwight Antonio Pitts, age 47, of Hanover, Maryland, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his participation in a drug distribution conspiracy involving large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, shipped through the U.S. Mail from California to Maryland. Pitts admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, it was foreseeable that he and the other conspirators distributed approximately 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl; approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine; and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana.
United States v. Justina Aburime: On January 11, 2022, Justina Aburime, age 53, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and one count of distribution and dispensing of oxycodone. From February 2017 to February 2020, Aburime conspired with others, including Thomas Charles Johnson, to distribute and dispense oxycodone outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose at Personal Touch Medical Spa, LLP (PTMS), a Largo, Maryland pain management clinic. During her employment with PTMS, Aburime also allowed an unauthorized person to write oxycodone prescriptions using her medical credentials. Specifically, Aburime allowed PTMS’s owner—who was not authorized to prescribe controlled substances—to prescribe oxycodone to individuals using pre-signed blank prescriptions bearing Aburime’s name and DEA registration number. Aburime faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for each count.
For more information on opioid abuse and where you can find help, please visit /media/1138691/dl?inline.
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Money Launderer for International Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Two Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Eunice Nkongho, a/k/a “Eunice Bisong,” age 40 of California, late today to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain goods using what appeared to be a military e-mail address, but was actually a registered Yahoo e-mail address. Judge Hazel also ordered Nkongho to pay restitution of $399,780. A federal jury convicted Nkongho of the money laundering charges on October 15, 2021, after a seven-day trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement's Washington Field Office.
According to testimony at the seven-day trial and to court documents, a co-conspirator of Nkongho’s established and used what was purported to be a U.S. Navy e-mail address, authentic forms, titles, addresses and other indicia to pose as a U.S. government contracting agent and fraudulently obtain merchandise, including large-screen televisions, specialized communications equipment, iPhones and iPads. Much of the fraud scheme was conducted from outside the United States, including from Nigeria. Three victim companies—one that provided wireless voice and data services that was headquartered in Washington State, one that was a wholesale audio-video distributor and manufacturer’s representative located in Virginia, and a defense contractor that designed, manufactured, and marketed communications equipment that was headquartered in Maryland—shipped merchandise, without prior payment, to co-conspirators on the East Coast. Those individuals then shipped the stolen items to other co-conspirators on the West Coast, where they were sold.
Specifically, the evidence at trial proved that Nkongho twice received bags of cash from a co-conspirator in a gas station parking lot in Los Angeles, which was proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained Apple products. Nkongho then laundered the money through two separate series of complex transactions involving at least five bank accounts and, in doing so, both promoted the ongoing criminal activity and concealed the illegal source of the funds. After multiple transactions, Nkongho wired some of this money to a co-conspirator in Nigeria in a way that would avoid transaction reporting requirements.
Similarly, the evidence at trial proved that Nkongho engaged in other transactions to conceal the nature and ownership of proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained televisions. In one of the conspiracy’s final acts, Nkongho provided a bag filled with more than $110,000 in cash to another co-conspirator so he could compensate other conspiracy members for their role in the television scheme.
Eight of the nine defendants charged in this case, including Nkongho, have been convicted for their roles in the fraud scheme. The final defendant, Eunice Nkongho’s husband, Peter Unakalu, is a fugitive.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI Washington Field Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Adam K. Ake, who are prosecuting the case.
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Jessup Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Tommie Miller, age 36, of Jessup, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on March 2, 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Miller’s apartment. Miller and his girlfriend were the only occupants of the apartment at the time of the search. From a backpack found the main bedroom, agents seized a pistol loaded with 34 rounds of ammunition; an AR-style pistol with an obliterated serial number and three magazines containing 93 rounds of ammunition; 14 additional rounds of ammunition; one bag of cocaine; 25 gel capsules; and four bags of heroin. Also from the bedroom, agents recovered $3,000 from a box on the floor; a lower receiver for a handgun from the attached bathroom; and a bag containing empty gel capsules from a closet near the main bedroom. A search of the kitchen revealed an AR-style magazine with 25 rounds; a digital scale; a bag of cocaine; and drug paraphernalia.
Miller admitted that the drugs, the manner in which they were packaged, the presence of drug paraphernalia, and the amount of cash indicate his intent to distribute the drugs and that the firearms were possessed in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.
Miller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for July 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Oldham, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland Announces Comprehensive Community Outreach Approach and Recent Convictions in the Project Safe Neighborhood Gun Violence Reduction ProgramRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the comprehensive community outreach strategy that is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program (PSN). We are also announcing convictions in several federal cases involving firearms and fentanyl as examples of the enforcement prong of PSN.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland remains vigilant in the effort to reduce gun violence and the trafficking of controlled substances to ensure safer communities. However, prosecution alone is not enough to combat the impact of guns and drugs in throughout our communities. Our strategy to reduce violent crime statewide not only focuses on the prosecution of violence and the distribution of deadly drugs but by also by building community outreach and prevention efforts. As part of these efforts, we are committed to providing returning citizens with re-entry resources to reduce the number of individuals cycling in and out of the criminal justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I encourage all returning citizens and their families to attend re-entry resource fairs in Baltimore and Prince George’s County where they can learn more about employment, housing, healthcare, and other support services. Our mission is clear – we plan to not only prosecute crime, we plan to prevent it.”
In the effort to positively influence students, bring awareness to parents and educators, and encourage previous offenders to pursue a crime-free future, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland provides training and outreach to schools, as well as supports and participates in previous offender re-entry efforts including:
Re-Entry Resource Fairs:
On April 27, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is co-hosting a re-entry resource fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Baltimore War Memorial located at 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202. This event will feature information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.
On April 20, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland supported a re-entry resource fair hosted by the Bridge Center at Adam’s House and Employ Prince George’s. This event featured information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.
Gang Culture and Our Children: How You Can Make a Difference: This presentation examines the impact gang culture is having on our children and focuses on the negative influences that traditional, nontraditional, and hybrid gangs have on our youth. It is designed by a certified Maryland Police and Training Commissions instructor and Gang Awareness trainer and meets the training mandates of the Maryland Safe Schools Act.
Project Safe Neighborhood/Project Safe Childhood Ballpark Outreach: During the summer of 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office and its federal law enforcement partners offer a wide range of prevention and intervention literature for youth. Future outreach will include outreach at Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds, Aberdeen Ironbirds, and Bowie Baysox baseball games.
Our office is also available to assist local communities and groups in identifying federal and state grant resources; provide guest speakers on a wide variety of public safety issues; and help connect individuals and groups to assist and protect their communities. For more information on our office’s community outreach programs, or for questions, please visit our community outreach page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
In addition to our commitment to community outreach and engagement as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods this program also brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Some highlights of the United States Attorney’s Office’s recent PSN prosecutions include:
United States v. Earl LeRoy Griffin Jr.: On April 19, 2022, Earl Leroy Griffin Jr., age 45, of Sunderland, Maryland was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, on September 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s residence and on his vehicle as part of a drug investigation. In Griffin’s locked vehicle, law enforcement recovered a stolen .40 caliber handgun, powder cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana. The vehicle was registered to Griffin. When he was searched incident to his arrest, Griffin had the keys to his vehicle and $1,870 in cash in his pockets. Griffin had four previous felony drug convictions and knew that as a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
United States v. Aaron Arthur Fields: On April 1, 2022, Aaron Author Fields, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl and to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine. According to his guilty plea, as the result of a Howard County fatal overdose, law enforcement discovered phone communications that indicated that an individual had made arrangements for the victim to purchase controlled substances from Fields. Additionally, investigators recovered three grams of heroin, believed to have purchased from Fields, from an individual during a traffic stop. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Field’s residence and recovered over 126 grams of cocaine, 28 grams of crack cocaine, and $1,911 in cash. Fields admitted that he distributed controlled substances to Victim 1 and that the death of Victim 1 resulted. Fields faces a maximum sentence of 240 months in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances and for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and faces a maximum of 480 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Fields is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2022.
United States v. Zaid Rushdan: In February 2022, Zaid Rushdan, age 41, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute PCP and crack cocaine, and to possession of stolen firearms. Investigators determined that co-conspirators transported drugs and drug proceeds to facilitate Rushdan’s drug trafficking business after investigators observed their frequent trips to Rushdan’s apartment. In February 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rushdan’s apartment and seized a number of items including over a gallon (4,486 grams) of PCP, approximately 299 grams of powder cocaine, approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine, seven handguns, two rifles, approximately 652 rounds of ammunition, and $14,485 in cash. Rushdan also knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that four of the firearms were stolen. Rushdan is expected to be sentenced to at least 121 months, but not more than 151 months in federal prison on May 5, 2022.
United States v. DeAundre Keys: In February 2022, DeAundre Keys, age 35, of Lexington Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. As stated in Keys’ guilty plea, Keys sold fentanyl to three individuals. One of the three individuals became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland concluded that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl and alcohol intoxication. During an executed search warrant on Keys’ apartment in March 2021, law enforcement recovered 30.07 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin, acetaminophen, 06-Monoacetylmorphine; drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale with fentanyl residue; a cutting agent; and plastic glassine baggies used for narcotics packaging and distribution; a Polymer 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine containing 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one round of 9mm ammunition on the floor; two .40 magazines; an empty 30 round magazine; and $7,080 in cash, which were proceeds of Keys’ drug sales. The seized firearm was a ghost gun—privately made with parts manufactured outside Maryland, which has no serial number and is not a registered firearm. Keys knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition. Keys is expected to be sentenced to between 120 months and 144 months in federal prison on May 24, 2022.
United States v. Gibran Nelson-Smith: In October 2021, Nelson-Smith, age 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin, and crack cocaine and fentanyl. In 2018 and 2019, Nelson-Smith exercised a supervisory role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated in and around the Baltimore area. Nelson-Smith admitted that he endorsed the use of firearms by members of the organization to maintain security in the areas where drugs were being sold, and also endorsed the use or threatened use of violence by members of the organization to protect the drug sales activities of the organization. As the result of an executed search warrant at Nelson-Smith’s residence, law enforcement recovered several firearms, cash, and multiple controlled substances containing heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. Nelson-Smith agreed that over the course of the conspiracy, he and his conspirators distributed at least a kilogram of heroin, at least a kilogram of crack cocaine, at least 250 grams of cocaine, and at least 10 grams of fentanyl.
United States v. Bobby Cannon: In December 2021, Bobby Cannon, age 24, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to committing two murders and participating in the violent criminal conspiracy, the Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon (“NFL”) Criminal Enterprise. As a member of the NFL enterprise, Cannon admitted to distributing over one kilogram of heroin, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine. Cannon and his co-conspirators also participated in violent criminal activities including murder, illegal firearm possession, witness intimidation and more. Specifically, in 2018, Cannon shot and killed an individual on behalf of the NFL Criminal Enterprise (Victim 1). Victim 1 was believed to have been a federal witness cooperating with law enforcement. Cannon also shot and killed Victim 1’s girlfriend. Further, Cannon planned and attempted to murder another individual (Victim 2) in exchange for money from the NFL Criminal Enterprise in January 2019. Despite being shot y Cannon multiple times, Victim 2 survived the shooting. However, Victim 2 sustained life-threatening injuries. Cannon is expected to be sentenced to between 348 months and 432 months in federal prison on June 1, 2022.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines local, state and federal law enforcement efforts; community outreach; and public awareness, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Man Admits to Possessing Kilograms of Fentanyl and Heroin with Intent to Distribute Those Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Rajeim Ali Bradshaw, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on June 20, 2019, Baltimore County Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Bradshaw’s Baltimore residence. As a result of the executed search and seizure warrant, officers located approximately 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, and a significant amount of drug manufacturing, packaging, and distribution paraphernalia including respirator masks which are commonly worn by individuals during the packaging of fentanyl. Law enforcement was also able to obtain Bradshaw’s DNA from one of the respirator masks found in his home. Additionally, officers located a series of drug-related messages including a text message in which Bradshaw stated that he was “still working” accompanied by a picture of Bradshaw in a respirator mask.
In addition to the drugs and paraphernalia seized at Bradshaw’s residence, law enforcement also recovered a .40 caliber pistol, a rifle, and $48,433 in cash from Bradshaw’s bedroom. Bradshaw admits that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities and that he possessed the heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute the drugs.
Bradshaw and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Bradshaw will be sentenced to 136 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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MS-13 Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering Offenses Connected to Five Murders in Maryland and VirginiaRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced today to life in prison for his conduct in connection with La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise, also known as MS-13.
MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
According to court documents, Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno aka Insolente, aka Trankilo, 24, of Landover, Maryland, was convicted on multiple racketeering-related offenses on Nov. 23, 2021 after a four-week trial. Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine.
According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Alvarado-Requeno and his co-defendant, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, aka Reaper, 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or Sailors) clique through a pattern of illegal activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Corea Diaz was sentenced to life in prison on April 1, 2022.
Evidence showed that the gang ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory” and trafficked in illegal drugs. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
The Sailors clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules. Evidence presented at trial showed that in June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered members of the Sailors clique to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg. Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenaged victim and stabbed him 153 times. The victim did not belong to any gang.
In March 2017, a member of the Sailors clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area had a dispute with a local high school student. In response, Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the minor. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, the Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.
According to evidence presented at trial, among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang. In December 2016, Alvarado-Requeno directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old member of MS-13 who was suspected of talking to the police. The victim’s remains were discovered 18 months later in the woods outside of Germantown, Maryland.
The case was investigated by the FBI, HSI, the DEA’s Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Hagan and William Moomau for the District of Maryland.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tip lines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.
MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and Conspiring to Commit Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced El Salvadorian national Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland to life in federal prison, for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13, and for three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, as well as for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine. Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of those charges on November 23, 2021 after a four-week trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D'Antuono, of the FBI Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Bedford County (VA) Sheriff Michael W. Miller.
“The brutal and tragic violence perpetrated by Alvarado-Requeno and his fellow MS-13 gang members is totally unacceptable. Today’s sentence sends the message that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and our local and state partners are working together to remove these violent international gang members to keep our communities safe from the threat of MS-13,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.
“Members of the Sailors Clique of MS-13, including Alvarado-Requeno, spread fear in local communities using violence and extortion,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “He directly participated in the brutal murder of a teenager, and directed and planned four other homicides with his MS-13 co-conspirators. With today’s sentence, he will no longer be able to commit—or direct others to engage in—brutal, senseless violence against members of our communities.”
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said, “The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office has for years been dedicated to pursuing MS-13 across Long Island and dismantling the organization piece by piece, successfully prosecuting key leadership in our area and blunting gang violence in our communities. This work, however, does not end at our county borders. We are proud to have participated in the collaborative investigative effort that led to the prosecution of this dangerous criminal and further diminishes MS-13’s impact.”
MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Alvarado-Requeno and his co-defendant, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or “Sailors”) Clique through a pattern of racketeering activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Evidence showed that the gang ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.” The gang also trafficked in illegal drugs, including marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
The Sailors Clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules. The evidence showed that in June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered members of the Sailors Clique to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg. Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenaged victim and stabbed him 153 times. In fact, the victim did not belong to any gang.
In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia area had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Alvarado-Requeno and Corea-Diaz organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the high schooler. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, the Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.
Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim “ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing.” The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang. In December 2016, Alvarado-Requeno directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old member of MS-13 who was suspected of talking to the police. The boy’s remains were discovered eighteen months later in the woods outside of Germantown, Maryland.
The jury made special findings beyond a reasonable doubt that as part of the racketeering conspiracy Alvarado-Requeno murdered two other individuals and as part of the racketeering conspiracy Corea Diaz conspired to murder a third person.
On April 1, 2022, Judge Xinis sentenced Miguel Angel Corea Diaz to life in prison. Corea Diaz was convicted of the racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite commended the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, HSI, the DEA Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan, and Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the case.
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Former Employee of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge Relating to a Scheme to Provide Fraudulent Maryland Driver’s Licenses to Applicants Who Paid a FeeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Marion Rose Payne, age 55, of Harwood, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to produce and transfer identification documents without lawful authority, specifically, Maryland driver’s licenses.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to her plea agreement, from at least July 2015 through March 2016, Payne and Co-Conspirator 2 were both employees of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and worked in the Largo, Maryland branch office. Payne’s duties at the MVA included the issuance of Maryland driver’s licenses.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Payne and Co-conspirator 2 conspired with Warner Antonio Portillo to produce and transfer Maryland driver’s licenses without lawful authority. Specifically, Portillo and others met with prospective Maryland driver’s license applicants who were willing to pay money to obtain a driver’s license illegally, typically because the applicants were aliens without legal status in the United States or were otherwise unable to obtain a lawfully issued driver’s license. The applicants paid Portillo and others between $800 and $5,000 in cash for each fraudulently issued Maryland driver’s license.
Portillo or the applicants gave Payne and/or Co-Conspirator 2 the names, addresses, and other information that applicants wished to appear on their Maryland driver’s licenses. Portillo provided the applicants and Payne and/or Co-Conspirator 2 with fraudulent documents necessary to obtain a Maryland driver’s license, including proof of payment of taxes, proof of Maryland residence, a valid license number from Motor Vehicle Departments in other states, and an identification document. Portillo and others assisted the applicants to travel to the Largo branch of the MVA, and directed the applicants to Payne’s or Co-Conspirator 2’s workstation, where applicants obtained Maryland driver’s licenses produced by Payne or Co-Conspirator 2 without lawful authority. Payne knew that the documents used in support of the driver’s licenses were fraudulent.
For example, on January 6, 2016, January 12, 2016, and February 11, 2016, Payne and Portillo met in the parking lot of the MVA Largo Branch. After each meeting Payne produced six, eight, and seven fraudulent driver’s licenses, respectively. During the conspiracy, the documents provided to obtain the fraudulent Maryland driver’s licenses included at least four Virginia DMV licenses and a bank statement belonging to real people that were used multiple times during the conspiracy. The conspiracy resulted in the unlawful production and transfer of at least 276 Maryland driver’s licenses. In exchange for the improperly issued driver’s licenses, Portillo paid Payne at least $25,000 in cash and gifts.
Payne faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the conspiracy. As part of her plea agreement, Payne will also be required to pay a money judgment of at least $25,000, which constitutes assets derived from or obtained by Payne as a result of the conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.
Warner Antonio Portillo, age 36, of Manassas, Virginia, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Investigation and Security Services for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Mund, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for a $1.5 Million Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Brandon Ross, a/k/a “Shaba X”, age 33, of Los Angeles, California to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a large-scale money laundering conspiracy. As part of his guilty plea, Ross will be required to pay at least $1,500,000 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to his plea agreement, from October 2015 to January 2017, Ross, Peter Unakalu, Khalid Razaq, Saul Eady, Troy Barbour, and others participated in a scheme to launder proceeds of criminal activity by fraudulently obtaining technology-related merchandise without payment and selling the merchandise in furtherance of the money laundering scheme.
As part of the scheme to defraud, Ross convinced three technology-related companies (victim companies) that his co-conspirators were authorized to make purchase agreements and then caused the victim companies to ship specialized communications equipment, cell phones, computers, and large screen televisions to co-conspirators without payment. Ross and his co-conspirators subsequently sold or disposed of the fraudulently obtained property after receiving them. These transactions were designed to conceal the true nature, location, source, and ownership of the unlawful proceeds.
It was further part of the conspiracy that Ross received the fraudulently obtained proceeds and engaged in a series of bank and wire transfers to his co-conspirators in the effort to conceal the criminal nature of the scheme. For example, on November 28, 2016, Ross deposited $7,500 in cash into Razaq’s bank account. Then on December 2, 2016, Ross wired $2,955 to Unakalu, who was located in Nigeria, and falsely reported that it was for family support. Additionally, in January and February 2017, Barbour paid a Maryland-based moving company to transport flat-screen televisions from Virginia to California. On March 1, 2017, Ross provided Razaq $108,570 in cash as Razaq’s share of the proceeds from the scheme.
Based on bank records, the value of the goods, surveillance footage, and financial and business records from the victim companies, the loss to the three victim companies was more than $1,500,000.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the DOD-OIG and HSI for their work on the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Customs and Border Protection for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Adam K. Ake, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Texas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Months’ Long Cyberstalking Campaign Sparked by an Unrequited Love InterestRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Desmond Babloo Singh, age 20, of Temple, Texas, late yesterday to 18 months in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for two counts of cyberstalking.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from April 18, 2020, to November 24, 2020, Singh used more than 100 different social media accounts, phone accounts, and various electronic communication tools to send harassing messages to Victim 1. The hundreds of public social media posts, text messages, and private social media messages included threats of death, bodily injury, sexualized violence, and racial slurs. Many of the accounts created and used by Singh incorporated Victim 1’s name, making it appear as if the accounts were owned and operated by her.
In early 2020, Singh sent Victim 1 online communications expressing his romantic interest in her. After Victim 1 rebuffed Singh’s advances and asked him not to contact her, Singh commenced a months’ long cyberstalking campaign against both Victim 1 and Victim 2, the latter of whom Singh viewed as a romantic rival.
Singh frequently used the fraudulent accounts he created to denigrate Victim 1’s character, appearance, and make the assertion that Victim 1 was “obsessed” with him. Singh’s harassing conduct included, among other things, numerous implied threats of bodily injury or death. For instance, Singh used a fraudulent social media account to send Victim 1 an image in which the faces of her and her family members were superimposed on the faces of several individuals hanging from nooses. In another edited picture, Singh superimposed Victim 1’s mother’s face on the body of a grieving woman at a grave site.
On or about July 19, 2020, Victim 1 received a “follow” request on a social media platform from an account that Singh created. On this account, Singh had posted pictures of Victim 1 and her family home. Additionally, Singh posted Victim 1’s parents’ address in Maryland and stated there would be a party there the following day. The following day, July 20, 2020, a Baltimore County Police Department employee received an anonymous email telling law enforcement to investigate a possible bomb at the parents’ home. Law enforcement officers responded to the residence only to learn that the bomb threat was a hoax. The federal investigation into Singh’s conduct revealed that Singh had solicited another individual to make the anonymous claim, in order to provoke an emergency police response to Victim 1’s parents’ home, referred to as “swatting.”
In furtherance of his harassment campaign against Victim 1, Singh also posted Victim 1’s personal information online including her birthdate, name, personal phone number, school, social media identities, and other identifying information. This form of online harassment is commonly referred to as “doxing”.
During the investigation of Singh’s harassment campaign, investigators discovered notes in Singh’s phone that documented his plans to harass Victim 1, including the plans to physically assault Victim 1’s family members, post over 10,000 messages relating to Victim 1’s friends, harass Victim 2, and take pictures of Victim 1 in real life.
Singh not only harassed Victim 1, but he also harassed Victim 2, whom he perceived to be a romantic rival. As he had done with Victim 1, Singh created numerous social media accounts incorporating Victim 2’s real name and publicly posted his personal information. Using an anonymous account, Singh posted a video of an unidentifiable person knocking on the door of Victim 2’s former residence with a caption telling Victim 2 to answer the door. Singh later posted the same video on an online platform which included Victim 2’s name, the former address of Victim 2, and a statement stating that he went to Victim 2’s residence to fight Victim 2.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Upper Marlboro Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Heroin and Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Charles Benjamin Stewart, Jr., age 49, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on April 18, 2022, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine; for illegally transporting a firearm obtained out of state; and for possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from at least June 2016 through July 2017, Stewart conspired with Patrick Nathan Broxton, Stephen Eugene Clark, Jr., Stephen Michael Kinnison, Robert Eugene Davidson, and others to distribute heroin and cocaine in Calvert and Prince George’s County. Stewart obtained heroin from Broxton and then sold smaller quantities of heroin to Kinnison, Davidson, and others. Stewart also supplied cocaine to Kinnison and others for further distribution.
During the course of the conspiracy, Stewart regularly communicated with Broxton, Clark, Kinnison, Davidson, and others, both in person and via phone calls and text messaging, to arrange narcotics transactions. Between September 8, 2016 and February 10, 2017 law enforcement arranged controlled purchases of heroin from Stewart on four occasions, totaling 23 grams. Law enforcement also obtained court-authorized wiretaps for the cellular telephones used by Stewart, Broxton, Clark, Kinnison, and Davidson.
For example, between April 11 and 13, 2017, Stewart and Broxton communicated by telephone to arrange a heroin transaction at a convenience store in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Law enforcement conducted surveillance and saw Broxton meet Stewart at the convenience store, where Stewart bought 150 grams of heroin. Immediately following the meeting, Stewart returned to his residence and contacted one of his customers to see if the customer needed more heroin.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on three occasions between April 15 and May 6, 2017, Stewart purchased a total of more than 210 grams of cocaine from Clark. For example, on April 24, 2017, Stewart arranged by phone to purchase 4.5 ounces of cocaine from Clark for $4,000. Later that day, law enforcement surveilled the meeting at a fast-food restaurant in Prince George’s County, where Stewart and Clark completed the transaction.
On July 6, 2017, law enforcement executed search warrants at locations associated with the drug distribution conspiracy, including Stewart’s two residences in Upper Marlboro. From Stewart’s residences, law enforcement recovered, among other things, a total of approximately 138 grams of heroin; approximately three grams of cocaine, crack cocaine and procaine (a local anesthetic drug); a prescription pill bottle containing approximately 89 Oxycodone pills; approximately three grams of a white powdery substance consisting of cocaine, heroin, caffeine, and diphenhydramine (an antihistamine); approximately 15 grams of cocaine; a total of $40,235 in cash; and drug paraphernalia, including an electric grinder and digital scale, both with heroin and cocaine residue; two bottles of Mannitol powder (a cutting agent); and empty zip-lock baggies. Stewart admitted that he possessed the controlled substances, baggies, and grinder as part of his drug trafficking business and intended to distribute the drugs.
In addition, law enforcement officers also located and seized a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with nine rounds of ammunition and a spare magazine loaded with nine rounds of .40 caliber ammunition; a 9mm luger caliber semi-automatic pistol; a 12-gauge pump-action firearm; nine rounds of 9mm ammunition; approximately 21 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition; seven 12-gauge shotgun shells; and approximately $16,687 in cash. Stewart admitted that he possessed the firearms and ammunition in furtherance of his drug trafficking business. Further investigation revealed that the 12-gauge pump-action firearm and the .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol were both stolen. Stewart also admitted that, between January 24, 2014 and July 6, 2017, he caused the transportation of a Smith and Wesson model SD9VE, from outside Maryland to his residence, while he was on probation.
Co-defendants Patrick Nathan Broxton, age 50, of Ellicott City, Maryland; Stephen Eugene Clark, Jr., age 57, of Laurel, Maryland; Stephen Michael Kinnison, age 47, of Lusby, Maryland; and Robert Eugene Davidson, age 32, of Sunderland, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to between 19 months and 10 years in federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the ATF, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Doctor Facing Federal Indictment for COVID-19 Healthcare Fraud Scheme is Part of a Nationwide Coordinated Law Enforcement Action to Combat Health Care Related COVID-19 Fraud Announced by the Justice Department TodayRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted Ron Elfenbein, M.D., age 47, of Arnold, Maryland, for three counts of healthcare fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and other insurers for patients who received COVID-19 tests at sites operated by the defendant. The indictment was returned yesterday.
The Department of Justice today announced the criminal charges against Elfenbein and 17 other defendants in nine federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various fraud schemes involving health care services that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in over $149 million in COVID-19 related false billings to federal programs and theft from pandemic assistance programs. In connection with the enforcement action, the department seized over $8 million in cash and other fraud proceeds.
The Maryland indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas Sobocinski for the FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Amy K. Parker for the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG).
“The indictment alleges that Ron Elfenbein took advantage of a national health crisis to line his own pockets,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron. “Our office has and will continue to investigate and prosecute fraud by anyone who used the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud individuals or the government.”
“The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Unit and our partners are dedicated to rooting out schemes that have exploited the pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s enforcement action reinforces our commitment to using all available tools to hold accountable medical professionals, corporate executives, and others who have placed greed above care during an unprecedented public health emergency.”
“This COVID-19 health care fraud enforcement action involves extraordinary efforts to prosecute some of the largest and most wide-ranging pandemic frauds detected to date,” said Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Kevin Chambers. “The scale and complexity of the schemes prosecuted today illustrates the success of our unprecedented interagency effort to quickly investigate and prosecute those who abuse our critical health care programs.”
Today’s announcement by the Department of Justice builds on the success of the May 2021 COVID-19 Enforcement Action and involves the prosecution of various COVID-19 health care fraud schemes. Multiple defendants offered COVID-19 testing to induce patients to provide their personal identifying information and a saliva or blood sample. The defendants are alleged to have then misused the information and samples to submit claims to Medicare for unrelated, medically unnecessary, and far more expensive tests or services.
For example, according to the Maryland indictment, Elfenbein owned and operated Drs ERgent Care, LLC, d/b/a First Call Medical Center and Chesapeake ERgent Care. Drs ERgent care operated drive-through COVID-19 testing sites in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties. The indictment alleges that Elfenbein instructed the employees of Drs ERgent Care that, in addition to billing for the COVID-19 test, the employees were to bill for moderately complex office visits, lasting between 30 and 39 minutes for existing patients and between 45 and 59 minutes for new patients, even though Elfenbein knew that the visits lasted five minutes or less. Further, the indictment alleges that Elfenbein, through Drs ERgent Care, submitted or caused the submission of claims totaling more than $1.5 million to Medicare and other insurers for office visits that were not provided as represented and were ineligible for reimbursement.
“It is unconscionable that this defendant sought to line his own pockets during a global pandemic by grossly overbilling Medicare and other insurers for these vital healthcare services during a time of national crisis,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski. “If the allegations against Dr. Elfenbein, and the 17 others that were charged today are proven, they should be ashamed of their conduct and will be held accountable for their criminal actions.”
In another type of COVID-19 health care fraud scheme announced today, defendants are alleged to have exploited policies that were put in place by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to enable increased access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The attempt to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic by targeting beneficiaries and stealing from federal health care programs is unconscionable,” said Inspector General Christi A. Grimm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners at the federal and state level to ensure that bad actors who perpetrate egregious and harmful crimes are held accountable.”
“The OPM OIG has no tolerance for providers that profit off of the COVID-19 pandemic by defrauding the federal health care programs,” said Amy K. Parker, Special Agent in Charge, OPM OIG. “We are grateful to work with our law enforcement partners to hold the wrongdoers accountable for their flagrant fraud schemes.”
Today’s announcement also includes charges brought against two additional defendants for schemes targeting the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). The PRF is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted in March 2020 that provided financial assistance to medical providers to provide needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19. In total, 10 defendants have been charged with crimes related to misappropriating monies intended for frontline medical providers and three have pleaded guilty.
The law enforcement action also includes charges against manufacturers and distributors of fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards, who intentionally sought to obstruct the HHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their efforts to administer the nationwide vaccination program and provide Americans with accurate proof of vaccination. While not part of today’s announcement, in Maryland a federal criminal complaint was previously filed charging Amar Salim Shabazz, age 23, of Owings Mills, Maryland, for mail fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged distribution of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Additionally, the Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it has taken an additional 28 administrative actions against providers for their alleged involvement in fraud, waste and abuse schemes related to the delivery of care for COVID-19, as well as schemes that capitalize upon the Public Health Emergency.
“We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud, waste and abuse in our federal health care programs,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The administrative actions CMS has taken protect the Medicare Trust Funds while also safeguarding people enrolled in Medicare.”
Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and Assistant Chief Justin Woodard of the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Gulf Coast Strike Force in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force and the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Strike Forces (SF) in Brooklyn, the Gulf Coast, Miami, Los Angeles, and Newark, as well as the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Maryland, District of New Jersey, District of Utah, Northern District of California, and Western District of Tennessee, prosecuted these cases. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the department’s website at: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/case-summaries.
The SF is a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI, and HHS-OIG. In addition, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of the Inspector General, and other federal and local law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement action.
The law enforcement action was brought in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.
The Fraud Section leads the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.
An indictment, complaint, or information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Elfenbein faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the three counts of healthcare fraud and Shabazz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ incarceration each for mail fraud and for obstruction of justice. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HHS-OIG, DCIS, the FBI, and OPM-OIG for their work in the Elfenbein investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Phelps and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section, who are prosecuting the case. United States Attorney Barron also commended HSI, USPIS, HHS-OIG, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the Shabazz investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Sean R. Delaney, who are prosecuting that case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.
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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal Prison for a Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar yesterday sentenced Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 20, to 50 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and related violent crimes in aid of racketeering, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. On January 24, 2022, a federal jury convicted Joya Parada, along with Milton Portillo-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Little Gangster,” age 26; Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Picaro,” age 22; and Oscar Armando Sorto Romero, a/k/a “Lobo,” age 22; on those charges after a three-month trial. Portillo-Rodriguez, Sandoval-Rodriguez, and Sorto Romero were each also convicted of multiple counts of murder in aid of racketeering.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. The defendants were members of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) and Parque Vista (“PVLS”) cliques.
The evidence at the three-month trial established that between 2015 and 2017, the defendants engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and brutal acts of violence against suspected rivals of the gang in an effort to increase MS-13’s power in the Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Anne Arundel County areas of Maryland.
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed during the trial, from 2015 through 2017, the Fulton clique of MS-13 sought to increase its presence in Frederick, Wheaton, and Annapolis, Maryland through numerous acts of violence, extortion, and drug sales. Joya Parada was a member of the Fulton clique of MS-13. Trial evidence related to Joya Parada focused on his participation in two grisly murders of individuals suspected of association with rival gang members carried out in 2017. First, on March 31, 2017, the gang lured a 17-year old from Annapolis to Wheaton Regional Park, where they stabbed him over 100 times, dismembered him, removed his heart, and buried him in a clandestine grave. Specifically, Joya Parada arrived at Wheaton Regional Park with other MS-13 members to dig the grave before the victim arrived there and participated in the murder by stabbing, cutting, and dismembering the victim.
Two days later, the gang kidnapped another individual from Silver Spring, Maryland and brought him to a wooded area in Frederick, where he was killed with knives and machetes before being buried in a shallow grave. Before being taken to Frederick, the victim, who was extremely intoxicated, was held in a basement laundry room in Wheaton, Maryland by members and associates of MS-13, including by Joya Parada. Inside the laundry room, the victim was forced to remove his shirt so that gang members could examine his tattoos to satisfy themselves that the victim was associated with a rival gang and should therefore be killed.
Co-defendant Sorto Romero and others went to the laundry room where the victim was being held, and they placed him in the backseat of a car in which Sorto Romero was a passenger. In the meantime, Joya Parada and other members of MS-13 went to the woods in Frederick with weapons and a shovel to dig a grave and to wait for the victim’s arrival. Sorto Romero eventually arrived with the victim, delivering the victim to other members of MS-13 who were waiting, including Joya Parada. A member of MS-13 incapacitated the victim by hitting him in the head with a tree branch. Joya Parada and others then dragged the victim through the woods to the hole they had dug for the victim’s grave. They placed the victim face down on the ground next to the hole and stabbed and slashed his body repeatedly with a machete. Joya Parada personally participated in this murder not only by slashing the victim with the long edge of the machete blade, but also by plunging the point of the machete into the victim’s back numerous times. The victim died as a result of the blunt force trauma, stabbing, cutting, and chopping inflicted by Joya Parada and his co-conspirators.
Based on his participation in this murder, Joya Parada earned the new nickname “Little Jason,” a reference to a character from a horror movie franchise who used a machete to kill his victims.
According to trial evidence, these murders were all intended to maintain and increase the status of MS-13, as well as allow individual MS-13 members to maintain or increase their status within the gang.
More than 30 MS-13 members and associates have been convicted in this and a related case.
Portillo-Rodriguez, Sandoval-Rodriguez, and Sorto Romero each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison for each of the murder in aid of racketeering charges. Chief Judge Bredar has scheduled sentencing for Sorto Romero for May 6, 2022, at 10 a.m.; for Portillo Rodriguez for May 13, 2022, at 10 a.m.; and for Sandoval Rodriguez for May 23, 2022, at 3:30 p.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in the investigation, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Zachary Stendig, and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Longtime Employee of a Harford County, Maryland Manufacturer Pleads Guilty to Participating in a $20 Million Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Elliott Dennis Kleinman, age 68, of Bel Air, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion, in connection with a kickback scheme that defrauded his employer of more than $20 million.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, Kleinman was a longtime employee of Company 1, a family-owned global business headquartered in New York, but with manufacturing facilities in Belcamp and Abingdon, Maryland, both in Harford County. Beginning in 2012, Kleinman and another employee (Employee 1) began to use their management positions at Company 1 to execute a fraudulent billing scheme whereby they would get illegal kickbacks from various drum vendors doing business with Company 1, which used drums to store and transport its products. As the facility managers, Kleinman and Employee 1 oversaw the purchasing and storing of drums for use at the Harford County manufacturing facilities. They also had authority to review drum invoices and authorize payments to the drum vendors.
Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., is the owner and President of Tunnel, Barrel & Drum Co, Inc. (TBD), located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, and of another drum supply company called Hartford Fibre Drum, Inc. ( Hartford), both of which did business with Company 1. After TBD became a drum supplier to Company 1, Kleinman and Employee 1 entered into arrangement with Urcioli whereby TBD could continue selling drums to Company 1 if Urcioli agreed to fraudulently invoice Company 1 for more drums than TBD actually sold and delivered to the company. If Urcioli agreed to falsify its invoices in this way, Employee 1 and Kleinman said that they and TBD could split the extra money Company 1 paid TBD for the made-up drum deliveries 50/50. Employee 1 told Urcioli that he would split his share of the kickbacks with Elliot Kleinman 75/25. Urcioli agreed to participate in the false billing scheme.
From approximately January 2012 to January 31, 2020, Employee 1 contacted Urcioli at least once a week to discuss the number and type of drums that Employee 1 actually wanted delivered to Company 1’s Maryland facilities. During the same conversation, Employee 1 told Urcioli how many additional drums to charge, but not deliver, to Company 1. After Urcioli created the invoices that fraudulently billed Company 1 for both delivered and undelivered drums, Employee 1 approved the invoices and sent them to Company 1’s headquarters to be paid.
In addition, Urcioli would create a handwritten purchase order ticket that summarized the breakdown of actual and bogus drum orders and how the kickback amounts were calculated. Urcioli would put a copy of the purchase order ticket in an envelope along with Employee 1’s and Kleinman’s share of the kickback amount payable via checks from TBD and Hartford, and then send the envelope to their personal residences in Harford County, Maryland. In December 2013, Urcioli told Employee 1 about Hartford, the other drum supply company Urcioli owned. After receiving records that proved that Hartford was a legitimate company, Employee 1 and Urcioli agreed to expand the kickback scheme to include Hartford.
Urcioli wanted to pay the kickbacks to Kleinman and Employee 1 by check so the payments would look like payments to drum wholesalers and be deductible as a cost of goods sold on TBD’s tax returns. Kleinman advised that he wanted his kickback checks payable to a company he formed called “EDK Management, LTD.” Urcioli agreed, and in addition to making the kickback checks drawn on TBD and Hartford accounts payable to that company, Urcioli wrote the word “drums” on the checks to further the pretense of legitimate purchases.
Between January 2012 and January 31, 2020, Urcioli falsely invoiced Company 1 a total of $20,300,757. TBD and Hartford kept half that amount while the remaining funds were sent to Employee 1 and Kleinman. Kleinman’s share of the kickbacks was approximately $2,307,121. Kleinman opened and maintained two commercial bank accounts for EDK, one in the name of “EDK Management Ltd,” and the other in the name of “EDK Management Ltd t/a Main Street Cigars,” a retail store he owns, located in Bel Air, Maryland. Kleinman deposited the drum vendor’s checks into EDK’s business account, where it was withdrawn as cash, spent on personal expenses, or transferred to the bank account for Main Street Cigars.
For the period of 2017 through 2019, TBD paid Kleinman a total of approximately $1,034,911 in kickbacks for his role in the fraudulent billing scheme. Kleinman’s 2017 through 2019 income tax returns filed with the IRS did not report those kickback payments as personal or business income, resulting in a loss to the U.S. government of approximately $291,143.
Kleinman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a maximum of five years in federal prison for tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby has not yet scheduled sentencing.
Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., age 78, of Park Ridge, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return for his role in the scheme and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Harry M. Gruber, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Laurel Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Kyle Elio Ripper, age 25, of Laurel, Maryland, yesterday to 188 months in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, specifically, production of child pornography. Judge Gallagher also ordered Ripper to pay $36,000 in restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Sheriff Joseph Gamble of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Ripper’s guilty plea, on January 17, 2020, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation after discovering evidence that an adult male had sexual contact with a 14-year-old male (Minor Victim 1).
As detailed in his plea agreement, on March 10, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at Ripper’s residence and on his vehicle and seized several electronic devices, including a laptop containing a 500 GB internal hard disk drive, a 2 TB external hard drive, and a cell phone. Upon further investigation and review of Ripper’s phone, investigators discovered that Ripper had communicated with minors via the internet and engaged in sexual relations with at least two minor victims.
Specifically, a forensic review of Ripper’s cell phone revealed that on December 28, 2019, Ripper engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with Minor Victim 1 in which Ripper requested Minor Victim 1 to send Ripper an image of Minor Victim 1’s genitals. Ripper also asked to film a sexual encounter with the victim. Ripper traveled to the victim’s residence, engaged in sexual relations with the minor victim, and made videos documenting the sexual encounter on his cell phone. Additional evidence from Ripper’s cell phone revealed that in January 2020, Ripper also communicated with a 16-year-old male victim (Minor Victim 2). During their communications, Ripper requested, and received, at least one sexually explicit image of Minor Victim 2. According to communications on Ripper’s phone, Ripper traveled to Minor Victim 2’s residence in Baltimore to pick up the victim, and then took the victim to Ripper’s residence in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Ripper then engaged in sexual acts with Minor Victim 2 and produced a video documenting his sexually explicit conduct with Minor Victim 2 using his cell phone.
Additionally, a forensic review of Ripper’s hard drives and laptop revealed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. For example, Ripper’s computer contained over 4,000 images and videos of child pornography, including a nine-minute video depicting the sexual abuse of a female toddler and multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of an infant.
Ripper admitted that he knew Minor Victim 1 was 14-years-old before he engaged in sexual acts with the victim and Ripper admitted that he drove to the minor’s residence to engage in sexual relations with Minor Victim 1 on two occasions. Ripper also admitted to having sex with Minor Victim 2.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Talbot Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine L. Duey and Abigail Ticse, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Capitol Heights, Maryland Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Federal Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Billy Lorenzo Bush, age 38, of Capitol Heights, Maryland to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Toni M. Cosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on June 8, 2020, officers discovered Bush passed out and unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was involved in a single-vehicle accident. Bush was the sole occupant in the vehicle. Upon further inspection, officers saw baggies of marijuana spilling out of a backpack and a handgun on the front passenger seat.
After additional PGPD officers arrived on the scene, officers broke the driver’s side window to unlock the doors and remove Bush from the vehicle. As a result of the search of Bush’s vehicle, officers recovered a .40 caliber handgun loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, 1,100.80 grams of marijuana, digital scales, empty baggies, and 47.55 grams of a substance containing PCP. Bush became responsive upon his removal from the vehicle and was subsequently taken into custody when they searched Bush incident to his arrest, officers found on his person 102.29 grams of a substance containing eutylone.
Bush agrees that he possessed the marijuana and eutylone and intended to distribute them to others. Bush also agrees that he possessed the .40 caliber firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Collins, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Calvert County Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Earl Leroy Griffin, Jr., age 45, of Sunderland, Maryland, yesterday to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. A federal jury convicted Griffin of that charge on December 17, 2021, which qualified him for armed career criminal status and enhanced sentencing guidelines.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.
According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, on September 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s residence and on his vehicle as part of a drug investigation. In Griffin’s locked vehicle, law enforcement recovered a stolen .40 caliber handgun, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition; powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana; and three Maryland driver’s licenses bearing Griffin’s name and photo. The vehicle was registered to Griffin. When he was searched incident to his arrest, Griffin had the keys to his vehicle and $1,870 in cash in his pockets.
Griffin had four previous felony drug convictions and knew that as a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The jury acquitted Griffin on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Morgan and Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Capitol Heights, Maryland Narcotics Dealer Sentenced to over Six Years in Federal Prison for Drug Distribution and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Larry Francis Newman, Jr., age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 76 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Cosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on September 5, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Newman’s Capitol Heights, Maryland residence. As a result of the search warrant, officers recovered a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 28.22 grams of crack cocaine divided into 547 individual baggies, 40.19 grams of cocaine, 106 vials of PCP, a bottle containing 21.71 grams of PCP, several empty vials containing PCP residue, and a digital scale from Newman’s bedroom. Newman knowingly possessed the crack cocaine, cocaine, and PCP with the intent to distribute them. Newman possessed the loaded firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Michael Morgan, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and click on “Save A Life - Opioid Abuse”.
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Baltimore Narcotics Supplier and Tester Admits to Transporting More Than Two Kilograms of Cocaine to Maryland for a Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Joseph Grigsby, age 51, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.
According to his guilty plea, from April 2020 to November 2020, Grigsby was a member of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in and around the Baltimore area. Grigsby worked as a narcotics tester and transporter for the DTO by traveling to New York to obtain heroin and to Philadelphia to obtain cocaine on behalf of the DTO. Upon his return to Baltimore, Grigsby delivered narcotics to the DTO leader.
In late June 2020, federal agents assigned to the Baltimore Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force began intercepting electronic and wire communications occurring over multiple cellphones used by the DTO leader. For example, on July 25, 2020, agents intercepted several of the DTO leader’s conversations in which he discussed obtaining three kilograms of cocaine from a supplier for one of the DTO’s mid-level cocaine distributors. In the conversation with the mid-level DTO distributor, the DTO leader agreed to obtain three kilograms of cocaine and sell the cocaine to the DTO distributor for $41,000 per kilogram. Later that day the DTO leader communicated with Grigsby and told him to prepare for the drive to Philadelphia to obtain the cocaine supply and sent Grigsby the address of the supply location in Northwest Philadelphia. The DTO leader and a co-conspirator (Co-conspirator 1) subsequently drove to Grigsby’s residence to meet Grigsby, and another individual (Individual 1). In two separate vehicles, the pair drove to the agreed-upon supply location in Northwest Philadelphia, obtained at least two kilograms of cocaine, and traveled back to Maryland. Following the drug transaction, the DTO leader, Grigsby, Co-conspirator 1, and Individual 1 traveled to an Owings Mills, Maryland gas station where agents observed Grigsby transfer a box that contained two kilograms of cocaine into the car in which the DTO leader was operating.
In addition to his work as a narcotics transporter, Grigsby also tested narcotics for the DTO. For example, in an intercepted call with the DTO leader on November 12, 2020, Grigsby provided a quality assessment of a drug sample. In this conversation, Grigsby stated that the sample was a “7.5 out of 10” and that the sample was “good” in his opinion.
As stated in Grigsby’s plea agreement, on November 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search and seizure warrant at the DTO leader’s stash apartment where investigators located digital scales, hydraulic presses, packaging materials, and approximately 218 grams of a mixture containing multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl and heroin.
Grigsby faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2022, at 2 p.m.
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and click on “Save A Life - Opioid Abuse”.
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Four Baltimore Area Men Facing Federal Indictment for Three Kidnappings and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment late yesterday charging four Baltimore area men with federal charges for: kidnapping and robbery conspiracies; kidnapping; carjacking; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and attempted robberies of businesses. The following are charged in today’s indictment:
Dennis Allen Hairston, age 32, of Windsor Mill, Maryland;
Donte Davon Stanley, age 31, of Rosedale, Maryland;
Davonne Tramont Dorsey, age 28, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland; and
Franklin Jay Smith, age 32, of Catonsville, Maryland.Dorsey, Stanley, and Smith are in custody on related state charges and are expected to have initial appearances in U.S. District Court on May 2, 2022. Hairston is in federal custody in Pennsylvania on unrelated charges. His initial appearance has not been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Albert J. Peisinger, Jr.
According to the 12-count indictment, from May 3, 2021 through August 26, 2021, the defendants planned and organized the kidnapping of three victims, J.H. and two employees of check cashing businesses, victims A.T. and A.K. The defendants also allegedly planned and organized the carjacking of A.T. and J.H. The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed with the goal of robbing the check cashing businesses where victims A.T. and A.K. each worked and to steal cash and other items of value from J.H. The defendants allegedly posed as police officers, using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar, to stop the victims and their vehicles, and according to the indictment, brandished firearms and a blow torch during and in relation to the kidnappings. The indictment alleges that after the defendants removed the victims from their vehicles, they bound and blindfolded each victim and put them into the defendants’ vehicle. With respect to A.K. and J.H. the indictment alleges that after they were carjacked, the defendants stole the victims’ vehicles and had someone follow them in the victim’s vehicle.
As detailed in the indictment, on May 5 to May 6, 2021, the defendants followed victim A.T. from the check cashing business where she worked and, posing as law enforcement officers, used the law enforcement-type light bar to pull over A.T.’s vehicle. Wearing police vests and badges, the defendants allegedly brandished firearms to remove A.T. from her vehicle, handcuffed her, placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles, blindfolded her, and stole her vehicle. While driving with victim A.T., Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, Smith, and others allegedly burned victim A.T. with the blow torch in an attempt to get information from A.T. in order to access the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to remove all the cash from the business.
On May 15 to 16, 2021, the indictment alleges that the defendants and others approached victim J.H. in his vehicle in Edgewood, Maryland, and again used a law enforcement-type light bar to pull over J.H. Wearing police vests and badges, the defendants allegedly brandished firearms to kidnap victim J.H., placed him into the rear of one of their vehicles, duct-taped his eyes and mouth, and stole his vehicle. Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, Smith and others drove J.H. in one vehicle and allegedly burned victim J.H. with a blow torch to obtain cash and other items from him.
Further, the indictment alleges that on August 2 to August 3, 2021, Hairston, Stanley and Dorsey approached victim A.K. as she left the check cashing business where she worked. The indictment alleges that, as with the previous victims, Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, and others, wearing police vests and badges, brandished firearms to kidnap victim A.K. and placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles equipped with law enforcement-type lights, and blindfolded her. While driving with victim A.K., Hairston, Stanley and Dorsey allegedly used the firearms to threaten A.K. to gain access to the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to steal all the cash from the business.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the kidnapping conspiracy and for each count of kidnapping; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the robbery conspiracy and for each count of attempted robbery; a maximum of 25 years in federal prison for each count of carjacking; and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for each count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Abigail E. Ticse, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Two Defendants Admit to Participating in the Kidnapping of a Victim at Maryland Hotel and CasinoRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain”, age 23, of Washington, D.C., and Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a “Mup”, age 29, also of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today and Tuesday, respectively, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino. Darius Young also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to their guilty pleas, on February 3, 2021, Young, Hebron, co-defendant Christopher Young, age 26, of Washington, D.C., co-defendant Lamar Perkins, age 27, of Washington, D.C., and Co-conspirator 1 worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.
As stated in their pleas, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 met Victim A at a hotel and casino, where they made the false promise that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C. At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Co-conspirator 1’s car with Hebron.
At 8:13 a.m., co-defendant Christopher Young called Darius Young to report that Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 had “snatched” Victim A. Soon after Co-conspirator 1, Hebron, and Victim A arrived in Southeast D.C., Darius and Christopher Young entered into Co-conspirator 1’s vehicle with Victim A inside. Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A. At that time, Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 took Victim A’s personal items including Victim A’s wallet, cell phone, hotel room key, and a watch valued at $500.
Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 then demanded the code to Victim A’s hotel safe. When Victim A refused, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun. In response, Victim A told the co-conspirators the code to the hotel safe. Hebron then forced Victim A out of the car. Darius and Christopher Young then exited the vehicle with Victim A as Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 drove back to the hotel and casino to burglarize Victim A’s hotel room.
As Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 traveled back to the hotel and casino, Darius and Christopher Young led Victim A at gunpoint to a boiler room inside a Southeast D.C. apartment building. Darius Young then called Perkins and directed him to look out for police or anyone else that might hear or see Darius and Christopher Young with Victim A. Inside the boiler room, Darius and Christopher Young repeatedly assaulted Victim A, threatened his life, demanded Victim A’s PIN number to his ATM card, and demanded information about the items located in his hotel room. Darius and Christopher Young then relayed this information to Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 by phone.
Simultaneously, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 accessed Victim A’s hotel room where they stole Victim A’s property, including a gaming system, $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash.
As stated in their plea agreements, after conspiracy members stole Victim A’s hotel items, and left Victim A inside the Southeast D.C. apartment building, law enforcement saw Darius and Christopher Young walking away from the building. Moments later, law enforcement located Victim A, who had sustained several injuries, including a bloody wound on his forehead, a broken nose, and cuts on his mouth and eye.
Co-defendants Lamar Perkins and Christopher Young pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in February 2022 and are scheduled to be sentenced in May 2022.
Darius Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to between 12 and 13.5 years in federal prison. Hebron and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts his plea agreement, Hebron will be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled their sentencings for June 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. and August 8, 2022, at 10 a.m.; respectively.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington, and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also praised the Prince George’s County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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