District of New Hampshire
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Manchester Man Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced today that Ryan Freeman, 27, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of bank robbery. Freeman was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, which will begin when he is released from prison.
Information based on court filings and statements made at the change of plea hearing established that Freeman entered the TD Bank on South River Road in Bedford, New Hampshire on July 26, 2015. He approached a teller, demanded $10,000, and threatened to blow her brains out if she did not comply. The teller provided a sum of money to Freeman and he left the bank. Witnesses saw him leave the bank in a gold Volvo, which was later recovered after being abandoned near Exit 4 on Interstate 293. Images from the bank clearly established that Freeman committed the robbery.
The case was investigated by the Bedford Police Department with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police Forensics Laboratory and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Don Feith.
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Hudson Man Sentenced for Stealing Deceased Mother’s Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Robert H. Duquette, 74, of Hudson, was sentenced today to one year of probation, and was ordered to pay $39,984 in restitution, including an immediate payment of $12,000, to the Social Security Administration, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Duquette’s mother was
receiving widow’s benefits from the Social Security Administration at the time of her death in October 2006. After her death, Social Security continued to deposit these monthly benefits into a bank account Duquette held jointly with his mother. However, neither Duquette nor any other individual was entitled to receive the benefits on his deceased mother’s behalf. Duquette failed to advise Social Security that it was making payments erroneously to his deceased mother. Instead, he used the funds deposited into the account for his own personal expenses for over seven years. Because the error was not reported to Social Security, Duquette was able to convert approximately $101,250 in Social Security benefits to his own use.
Duquette, who pleaded guilty to one count of Theft of Public Money on October 17, 2016, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph A. DiClerico, Jr.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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Epsom Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that on February 28, 2017, Christopher Barker, 23, of Epsom, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made during the change of plea hearing, Concord Police conducted an undercover operation to purchase a firearm from Barker in March 2016. When Barker arrived to the deal, Concord Police arrested him and seized two firearms from his vehicle. At the time, Barker was prohibited from possessing any firearms as a result of a previous felony conviction.
Barker is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and by the Police Departments of Concord and Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Hartford, Vermont, as well as by the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgie Konesky and Shane Kelbley.
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Manchester Woman Sentenced for Heroin and Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Jeannette Hardy, 26, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison based upon her conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
According to court documents, the defendant distributed drugs in the Manchester, New Hampshire area since at least July of 2014. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement recovered approximately 1.8 kilograms of fentanyl and $198,000 in drug proceeds from an apartment occupied by the defendant and another individual. In addition, law enforcement seized approximately $560,000 in drug proceeds from a safe deposit box. The defendant was not employed at the time of the conspiracy and the currency recovered by law enforcement constituted proceeds of the defendant’s drug distribution conspiracy.
Hardy, who previously had pleaded guilty, also must serve a five-year term of supervised release, following her release from prison.
All of the drug proceeds previously were forfeited to the United States.
“The state of New Hampshire is faced with a fentanyl and heroin crisis unlike ever before,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Those suffering from a fentanyl and heroin substance use disorder need treatment and recovery, but those that distribute and profit from spreading this misery need to be held accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively seek and bring to justice anyone who distributes these drugs.”
United States Attorney Rice said, “This prosecution is an example of the ongoing efforts of this office to prosecute those who are distributing fentanyl in New Hampshire. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identity and prosecute distributors of fentanyl and to seize the proceeds from their unlawful and deadly drug distribution businesses.”
According to statistics maintained by the State of New Hampshire, over half of the drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2015 and 2016 were related to fentanyl. Because a single gram of heroin or fentanyl can be used to create multiple individual dosage units that can be sold “on the street,” the quantity of fentanyl involved in this case could have generated large numbers of individual doses of fentanyl, each of which had the potential to cause a fatal overdose.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky and Donald Feith.
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Nashua Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that Wilfredo Tanon Rodriguez (56), pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents and statements made during Tanon’s plea hearing, on July 1, 2016, the Nashua Police Department dispatched several officers to a city apartment complex parking lot. The officers were dispatched in response to a citizen complaint about drug dealing activity at that location. The ensuing police surveillance resulted in the traffic stop of a vehicle in which Tanon was riding in the front passenger seat.
Tanon consented to a search and the police found approximately 279 grams of cocaine in his possession. After his arrest, Tanon admitted that, at the time of the traffic stop, he had been delivering the cocaine to a third party. Two firearms were found in a car belonging to Tanon which was parked in the apartment complex that was the focus of the original police surveillance.
Tanon is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2017.
The driver of the car in which Tanon was riding, Luis D. Capo-Nieves, is scheduled to be tried on a related charge on March 8, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Nashua Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced today that Leeland Eisenberg, of Concord, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to one count of bank robbery.
Information based on court filings and statements made at the change of plea hearing established that the Citizen’s Bank located at 875 Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire, was robbed by a lone white male on August 2, 2016 at approximately noon. The robber walked into the bank, approached the teller station and handed a teller a robbery note that stated “No alarms. No dye packs. I have a gun and I will shoot you and others if you put a dye pack in. Fill the bag with cash now.” The robber was an older white male with dark hair, eyeglasses, and wearing a blue jacket.
A witness in the vicinity of the bank identified the robber as Leeland Eisenberg. The witness had known Eisenberg in the past and recognized Eisenberg as he left the bank. An image of the robber taken by the bank’s security system was distributed to law enforcement. Law enforcement officers familiar with Eisenberg also identified the robber as Eisenberg after reviewing the images.
Eisenberg was arrested by two Manchester officers in the area of the Pine Street Cemetery at that evening. At the time of his arrest he had ten bags of what appeared to be crack cocaine on his person. Subsequent laboratory testing of the material in the bags established it was powder cocaine.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 9, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald Feith.
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Boscawen Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that
Patrick J. Brooks, II, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to possessing oxycodone with intent to distribute. Brooks (37) lived in Boscawen prior to his arrest.
According to court documents and statements made during Brooks’ plea hearing, in June and July 2016, a Concord police detective officer made a series of undercover purchases of oxycodone from an individual who, during those transactions, told the undercover detective that Brooks was her supplier and had been selling oxycodone for eleven years. On July 20, 2016, police officers executed a search warrant at Brooks’ Boscawen home. The execution of the warrant yielded nearly 2,000 oxycodone pills and approximately $20,000 in cash. The cash recovered from Brooks’ home included currency that the Concord police detective used to buy oxycodone in one of the undercover transactions.
Brooks is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Concord Police Department with important assistance from the Boscawen Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Epsom Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Misusing Another's Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Gordon Daigle a/k/a Gordon Hill, 38, of Epsom, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for misusing a Social Security number, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 6, 2015, Daigle applied for a New Hampshire Non-Driver Identification Card using another person’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number. He produced a Social Security card and a birth certificate in the other person’s name with his application to the Department of Motor Vehicles as means of identification. On May 23, 2016, Daigle was apprehended by the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force as a result of warrants issued by the Wyoming Board of Parole and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Parole Board for parole violations. He provided Task Force officers with the other person’s name, and he was in possession of the New Hampshire Non-Driver Identification Card issued in the other person’s name, but bearing his picture, and the matching Social Security card when he was taken into custody. Fingerprint analysis confirmed that the individual arrested by the Joint Fugitive Task Force was Daigle.
Daigle, who pleaded guilty on October 24, 2016, will serve three years of supervised release after he is released from custody.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the United States Marshal’s Service, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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Ossipee Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Jeffrey Lamarche, 39, of Ossipee, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Information based on court filings and statements made in court established that on May 24, 2016, Lamarche was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by a New Hampshire State Trooper on the Exit 4 ramp off Interstate 95. During a consensual search, the trooper recovered approximately 44.6 grams of fentanyl and 5.8 grams of cocaine from Lamarche.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 31, 2017.
United States Attorney Rice stated that, “Fentanyl is responsible for the vast majority of overdoses deaths in New Hampshire. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute individuals who are responsible for distributing this deadly drug.”
The case was investigated by the New Hampshire State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.
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New Hampshire Man Sentenced to Prison in Computer Hacking and “Sextortion” Scheme Involving Multiple Female VictimsRead the Press Release
A New Hampshire man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for remotely hacking into the online accounts of dozens of teenaged female victims and sending them threatening online communications, in some instances containing sexually explicit photos, in order to force the victims to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Emily Rice of the District of New Hampshire and Resident Agent in Charge Tim Benitez of the U.S. Secret Service’s Manchester, New Hampshire, Field Office made the announcement.
Ryan J. Vallee, 23, formerly of Laconia, New Hampshire, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro of the District of New Hampshire. Vallee pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2016, to a 31-count superseding indictment charging him with 13 counts of making interstate threats, one count of computer hacking to steal information, eight counts of computer hacking to extort, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of cyberstalking. On March 16, 2016, while Vallee was awaiting trial, he was re-arrested on new criminal charges and has remained in custody since then. The names of the victims are being withheld from the public to protect their privacy.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea and evidence presented at sentencing, from 2011 through March 2016, Vallee, using various aliases that included “Seth Williams” and “James McRow,” engaged in a computer hacking and “sextortion” campaign designed to force dozens of teenaged victims – many of which he personally knew – to provide him with sexually explicit photographs of themselves and others.
Vallee employed a variety of techniques to force his victims to cede to his “sextortionate” demands. For example, according to the plea agreement, he repeatedly hacked into and took control over the victims’ online accounts, including their email, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Once he had control of these accounts, Vallee locked the victims out of their own accounts and, in some cases, defaced the contents of the accounts, he admitted. In at least one instance, Vallee hacked into a victim’s Amazon.com account, which stored her payment information and shipping address, then ordered items of a sexual nature and had them shipped to the victim’s home. Vallee also admitted that in some instances, he obtained sexually explicit photos of the victims and their friends and distributed them to the victims, their friends and their family members. With at least one victim, Vallee created a Facebook page using an account name that was virtually identical to the victim’s real Facebook account name, with one letter misspelled, he admitted. He then posted sexually explicit photos of the victim on this fake Facebook page and issued “friend requests” to the victim, her friends and her family members, according to the plea agreement.
Vallee admitted that he repeatedly sent threatening electronic communications to his victims, usually by using spoofing or anonymizing text message services, in which he threatened his victims that unless they gave him sexually explicit photographs of themselves, he would continue with the above-described conduct. According to the admissions in the plea agreement, when most of the victims refused to comply with Vallee’s demands and begged him to leave them alone, Vallee responded with threats to inflict additional harm.The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Belmont Police Department. Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold H. Huftalen of the District of New Hampshire prosecuted the case.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced to Prison in Computer Hacking and "Sextortion" Scheme Involving Multiple Female VictimsRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H. – A New Hampshire man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for remotely hacking into the online accounts of dozens of teenaged female victims and sending them threatening online communications, in some instances containing sexually explicit photos, in order to force the victims to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Emily Rice of the District of New Hampshire and Resident Agent in Charge Tim Benitez of the U.S. Secret Service’s Manchester, New Hampshire, Field Office made the announcement.
Ryan J. Vallee, 23, formerly of Laconia, New Hampshire, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro of the District of New Hampshire. Vallee pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2016, to a 31-count superseding indictment charging him with 13 counts of making interstate threats, one count of computer hacking to steal information, eight counts of computer hacking to extort, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of cyberstalking. On March 16, 2016, while Vallee was awaiting trial, he was re-arrested on new criminal charges and has remained in custody since then. The names of the victims are being withheld from the public to protect their privacy.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea and evidence presented at sentencing, from 2011 through March 2016, Vallee, using various aliases that included “Seth Williams” and “James McRow,” engaged in a computer hacking and “sextortion” campaign designed to force dozens of teenaged victims – many of which he personally knew – to provide him with sexually explicit photographs of themselves and others.
Vallee employed a variety of techniques to force his victims to cede to his “sextortionate” demands. For example, according to the plea agreement, he repeatedly hacked into and took control over the victims’ online accounts, including their email, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Once he had control of these accounts, Vallee locked the victims out of their own accounts and, in some cases, defaced the contents of the accounts, he admitted. In at least one instance, Vallee hacked into a victim’s Amazon.com account, which stored her payment information and shipping address, then ordered items of a sexual nature and had them shipped to the victim’s home. Vallee also admitted that in some instances, he obtained sexually explicit photos of the victims and their friends and distributed them to the victims, their friends and their family members. With at least one victim, Vallee created a Facebook page using an account name that was virtually identical to the victim’s real Facebook account name, with one letter misspelled, he admitted. He then posted sexually explicit photos of the victim on this fake Facebook page and issued “friend requests” to the victim, her friends and her family members, according to the plea agreement.
Vallee admitted that he repeatedly sent threatening electronic communications to his victims, usually by using spoofing or anonymizing text message services, in which he threatened his victims that unless they gave him sexually explicit photographs of themselves, he would continue with the above-described conduct. According to the admissions in the plea agreement, when most of the victims refused to comply with Vallee’s demands and begged him to leave them alone, Vallee responded with threats to inflict additional harm.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Belmont Police Department. Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold H. Huftalen of the District of New Hampshire prosecuted the case.
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North Carolina Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Manufacturing ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Jamie Smith, 28, of Raleigh North Carolina was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to one count of possession of materials to manufacture methamphetamine, and one count of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about January 29, 2016, co-defendants picked up Jamie Smith from a bus station in Vermont. Soon after getting in the car, Smith dictated a list of ingredients used for making methamphetamine which a co-defendant wrote down a piece of paper. During the drive from Vermont to Lebanon, New Hampshire, Smith and his co-defendants made various stops to purchase ingredients used for making methamphetamine. After purchasing the necessary ingredients, the defendants returned to a residence in Lebanon, New Hampshire where Smith began the process of making methamphetamine. When police arrived, he attempted to dispose of the methamphetamine mixture by pouring it in a toilet, which the Court determined created a substantial risk of harm to human life and the environment.
A search warrant executed at the residence uncovered materials that a New Hampshire State police forensic laboratory chemist determined are collectively consistent with methamphetamine manufacturing via the one-pot method. The chemist also determined that two samples taken from the apartment indicated the presence of methamphetamine. In addition, the defendant admitted to making threats to a potential witness in an attempt to dissuade that witness from testifying at his sentencing hearing.
United States District Judge Joseph DiClerico sentenced Smith. In addition to the term of incarceration, Judge DiClerico ordered Smith to serve, upon his release from prison, a term of supervised release of 3 years.
“This sentence reflects DEA’s strong commitment to bring to justice those that manufacture methamphetamine,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “DEA and its local, state and federal law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to keep this highly addictive drug off the streets of New Hampshire. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue anyone who manufactures this poison.”
“Methamphetamine manufacturing presents a serious danger to the public. Too often, those who attempt to manufacture this illegal drug do so in a way that presents a high risk of fires and explosions. Each day, brave law enforcement officers in New Hampshire are at risk of encountering these toxic and potentially deadly clandestine laboratories. I commend the Drug Enforcement Administration for its ongoing efforts to protect our state from these dangerous drug labs,” said U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lebanon, New Hampshire Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.
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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Serve Two Years in Prison for Role in Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Felipe Antonio Reyes Eduardo was sentenced to a term of two years in federal prison based upon his prior guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements in court, Reyes acted as a runner in a series of fentanyl transactions with an undercover law enforcement officer in New Hampshire and Massachusetts from December of 2015 to February of 2016. Reyes, 20 years old, resided in Lawrence, Massachusetts, before his arrest in this case.
According to statistics maintained by the State of New Hampshire, the vast majority of the drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2016 were related to fentanyl. Because a single gram of heroin or fentanyl can be used to create multiple individual dosage units that can be sold “on the street,” the quantity of fentanyl involved in this case could have generated hundreds of individual doses of fentanyl, each of which had the potential to cause a fatal overdose.
“Those suffering from the disease of opioid addiction need access to treatment and recovery,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “But, those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of New Hampshire need to be held accountable for their actions. In response to the ongoing opioid epidemic DEA and its local, state and federal law enforcement partners are committed to bringing to justice those that distribute this poison.”
U.S. Attorney Rice said, “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the individuals who are putting fentanyl and other deadly drugs on the streets of New Hampshire. By aggressively enforcing the law, providing treatment to those suffering with addition, and educating the community about the risks of fentanyl, the law enforcement community in New Hampshire is working to combat the fentanyl problem in this state on a daily basis.”
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Hampshire Drug Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Massachusetts Man Sentenced for 204 Months for Heroin and Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Rafael Nicolas Lopez-Carrasco, a/k/a Jose Casellas, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to a federal indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court documents, the defendant distributed drugs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since at least July of 2014. On June 24, 2015, the defendant supplied approximately two kilograms of fentanyl to a third person who had the drugs delivered to an address on Winter Street in Manchester, New Hampshire. On June 25, 2016, law enforcement seized an additional three kilograms of fentanyl as the defendant was attempting to deliver it in Massachusetts. A search of the defendant’s residence in Lawrence led to the discovery of an additional one kilogram of fentanyl and 922 grams of heroin. Law enforcement also seized $12,000 in United States currency, several kilograms of cutting agent and three firearms.
The defendant’s 204-month sentence was ordered to run concurrently to a 10 to 12 year sentence he is serving in Massachusetts. He will be deported after completing his federal sentence.
“I commend the Manchester Police Department and the DEA on their thorough investigation of this case leading to the seizure of such a significant quantity of drugs and drug proceeds,” stated United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice. “Prosecuting those individuals who introduce dangerous narcotics into our community, and ensuring that they do not profit from doing so, is a critical priority of my office.”
"Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in New Hampshire," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. "Fentanyl and heroin are causing overdose deaths across the Granite State in record numbers, and DEA is committed to aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who are coming from out of state to distribute these poisons across New Hampshire in order to profit and destroy people's lives and wreak havoc in our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners."
According to statistics maintained by the State of New Hampshire, the vast majority of the drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2016 were related to fentanyl. Because a single gram of heroin or fentanyl can be used to create multiple individual dosage units that can be sold “on the street,” the quantity of fentanyl involved in this case could have generated hundreds of individual doses of fentanyl, each of which had the potential to cause a fatal overdose.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky and Donald Feith.
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Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced that Ryan Freeman, 27, of Manchester, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of bank robbery.
Information based on court filings and statements made at the change of plea hearing established that Freeman entered the TD Bank on South River Road in Bedford, New Hampshire on July 26, 2015. He approached a teller, demanded $10,000, and threatened to blow her brains out if she did not comply. The teller provided a sum of money to Freeman and he left the bank. Witnesses saw him leave the bank in a gold Volvo, which was later recovered after being abandoned near Exit 4 on Interstate 293. Images from the bank clearly established that Freeman committed the robbery.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 1, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Bedford Police Department with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police Forensics Laboratory, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Don Feith.
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Manchester Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Partcipating in Oxycodone Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Jose Nunez (61) of Manchester, was sentenced to serve eight years in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone pills, a conspiracy to launder money, distributing controlled substances, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
Court documents and statements in court showed that Nunez was part of group of drug traffickers who were distributing the pills in Manchester, New Hampshire. During a law enforcement investigation in 2013 and 2014 that included the use of controlled purchases of drugs and multiple wiretaps, investigators learned that Nunez, Samuel Garcia, Jennifer Nunez, and others were actively involved in the distribution of oxycodone pills. On multiple occasions, intercepted calls showed that members of the conspiracy (including Jose Nunez and Raul Hernandez) traveled to New York, obtained pills from a source of supply (Manuel Tirado), and then brought them back to New Hampshire. On one occasion, Jose Nunez was stopped in Massachusetts while transporting $18,900 in cash that was to be used to pay for oxycodone pills that were being supplied by Tirado.
Several targets of the investigation were arrested in Manchester on August 27, 2014. Hernandez was arrested as he attempted to deliver over 600 oxycodone pills to the residence of Samuel Garcia and Jennifer Nunez on Eastern Avenue in Manchester, New Hampshire. A search warrant was executed at that residence and hundreds of additional pills, as well as over $30,000 in cash and three firearms, were recovered from that location. Garcia, Jennifer Nunez, and Johanna Nunez were arrested that day. Jose Nunez was arrested in October of 2014, after returning to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
Jose Nunez pleaded guilty on March 6, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. After serving his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for a period of three years.
All of the other individuals who were involved in this conspiracy also have pleaded guilty.
Samuel Garcia (36) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. He is awaiting sentencing.
Jennifer Nunez (26) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Distribution of a Controlled Substance; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. She is awaiting sentencing.
Johanna Nunez (30) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; and (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. On June 23, 2015, she was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Raul Hernandez (29) pleaded guilty on March 17, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance and (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. On June 23, 2015, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
An additional defendant, Edward Anthony Hiciano Beltre, is a fugitive.
A source of supply for the organization, Manuel Tirado, pleaded guilty to participating in a drug conspiracy and failure to appear on August 23, 2016. On January 3, 2017, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
In addition to these defendants, several additional individuals who obtained oxycodone from this organization and resold it to customers have pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy charges. Ryan Demers, William Alba, Bonnie Labrie, Krystal Mailhot, and Yonajaira Galarza Ramos have all entered guilty pleas in federal court.
Demers was sentenced on September 22, 2015, to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. That sentence was affirmed on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Labrie was sentenced on March 11, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Alba was sentenced on June 17, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Mailhot and Ramos are awaiting sentencing.
"The DEA is committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who illicitly distribute oxycodone,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Opiate abuse is a major problem in New Hampshire and throughout New England. The diversion of prescription pain killers, in this case oxycodone, contributes to the widespread abuse of opiates, is the gateway to heroin and fentanyl addiction, and is devastating our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in the Granite State and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue any group or individual that traffics these drugs.”
U.S. Attorney Rice stated, “Many individuals begin their journey to addiction through oxycodone use. While these pills have a legitimate medical use, the illicit distribution of these potentially addictive drugs has been a significant factor in the development of the opioid crisis that is affecting New Hampshire. The U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to work with the law enforcement community to stop the flow of opiates and opioids onto the streets of New Hampshire. We also will aggressively prosecute individuals who possess or use firearms while trafficking in drugs.”
This investigation was the product of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. This particular investigation involved cooperative efforts of federal and local law enforcement entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Farley and Debra M. Walsh.
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Dover Man Pleads Guilty to Migratory Bird Possession ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice, announced that Jeremiah S. Loui pleaded guilty in federal court to a misdemeanor charge of illegally possessing and selling a bird of prey protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Loui, thirty-one years old, lives in Dover, N.H.
According to court documents and statements made during today’s hearing, Loui sold a taxidermied Accipiter gentilis, commonly known as a Northern Goshawk, on the internet. He also sold or possessed fourteen other taxidermied birds of prey protected under either the MBTA or a similar wildlife statute, the Wild Bird Conservation Act. Loui made false statements to a law enforcement officer investigating his offenses.
Birds of prey, including the Northern Goshawk, play an important role in ecosystems here in the United States and across the globe. "This investigation demonstrates the commitment of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and bring to justice those who exploit protected resources for personal gain” said Honora Gordon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
United States Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone accepted Loui’s guilty plea and scheduled his sentencing for May 9, 2017. He is subject to a statutory maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000 or both. As part of his plea agreement, Loui agreed to forfeit any interest he has in any of the fifteen protected birds.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with valuable support from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Massachusetts Resident Pleads Guilty for Role in Attempted Illegal Gun Purchase in HooksettRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that Anthony Sok Say pleaded guilty in federal court to joining an illegal scheme to purchase a firearm. Sok Say pleaded guilty to one count of the federal crime of Conspiracy to Make a False Statement in Connection with the Attempted Acquisition of a Firearm. Sok Say, 25 years old, lived in Lowell, Massachusetts, prior to his arrest.
According to court documents and statements made during today’s hearing, Sok Say and a co-conspirator, Grace Corcoran, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, New Hampshire on October 21, 2015. Sok Say solicited Corcoran, a New Hampshire resident to buy a hand gun for Sok Say. As a resident of Massachusetts, Sok Say could not purchase a hand gun in New Hampshire himself. Under federal law, it is illegal for a firearms dealer to sell handguns to an individual from another state.
In connection with the attempted hand gun purchase, Corcoran filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter gun purchases. On that form, Corcoran falsely certified that she was the “actual purchaser” of the hand gun. The transfer of firearms was never accomplished because employees of the firearms dealer became suspicious, declined to complete the transaction and notified the authorities.
Sok Say’s sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2017. Corcoran pleaded guilty to a related charge on January 12, 2017, and is scheduled for sentencing on April 25, 2017.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce gun crime in America through, among other things, community outreach and vigorous prosecution of firearms offenses.
This matter was investigated by the Bedford Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Errol Woman Convicted of Making False Statements to the U.S. Department of AgricultureRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that on January 26, 2017, a jury found Suzanne Brown, age 51, of Errol, New Hampshire, guilty of twelve counts of making a material false statement to a federal agency in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(2), after a five-day trial in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
The trial began on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 and ended with the jury’s verdict on January 26, 2017. The guilty verdict means that the jury found that on twelve occasions Brown made false statements and representations in documents submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Brown, acting as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (“NHIAF”), submitted documents certifying that NHIAF had paid thousands of dollars to employees for services rendered. These statements were made in order to draw down funds from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant. The statements were false because NHIAF had not paid the employees for their services. In nine of the twelve submissions to the USDA, Brown created fraudulent invoices purportedly prepared by one or more employees outlining the services they performed and money they were owed.
Brown’s sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Joseph N. LaPlante is scheduled for May 11, 2017.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Aframe and Georgiana Konesky. Former Assistant United States Attorney Nick Abramson previously was involved in the matter.
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Dover Man Sentenced for Role in Interstate ProstitutionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Edmond A. Mitchell, 37, of Dover, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 52 months in prison in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire for his role in interstate prostitution, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court records and statements in court, on August 29, 2014, Mitchell was involved in bringing two women from New Hampshire to Portland, Maine, to engage in prostitution. Mitchell arranged for a third party to drive him and the two women to Portland, Maine, and Mitchell rented two hotel rooms in Portland, Maine. The women posted ads on Backpage.com offering “escort services” in the Portland, Maine, area and they provided some or all of the proceeds from their prostitution activities in Maine to Mitchell.
On September 15, 2016, Mitchell pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting transportation for prostitution.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations of the Department of Homeland Security and the Hampton, New Hampshire, Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark S. Zuckerman.
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New Hampshire Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security, Medicaid, and Food Stamp FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Mary Sosa, 57, of Amherst, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to three counts of Making False Statements, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sosa began receiving Social Security disability benefits in 1997. She also received Medicaid benefits since July 2013 and Food Stamps, also known as SNAP benefits, beginning in July 2014. Eligibility for each of these benefits programs is based, in part, on the applicant having limited income and resources. In assessing a married individual’s eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, Medicaid, and Food Stamps, the income of the applicant’s spouse is considered.
Sosa married in September 2001, but she failed to disclose her marriage to Social Security as required. Instead, she reported that she was never married. When she finally admitted to Social Security in 2014 that she was married, she falsely stated that her husband moved out of their residence two days after their wedding. Similarly, in connection with her claims for Medicaid and Food Stamps, Sosa erroneously informed the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services that she was never married and she failed to identify her husband as a member of her household. Her husband’s income would have rendered her ineligible to receive any Supplemental Security Income benefits, Medicaid, and Food Stamps. As a result of concealing her marriage and her husband’s true residence from the Social Security Administration and from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Sosa fraudulently received $91,669.38 in disability benefits, $21,524.59 in Medicaid, and $1,963 in Food Stamps.
Sosa is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2017. She was released on conditions pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Special Investigations Unit, with assistance from the Town of Amherst Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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New Hampshire Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking of a Minor in Connection with Interstate Prostitution EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Steven Tucker, 31, of Manchester, N.H., was charged yesterday in a 3-count indictment in the District of New Hampshire with sex trafficking of a minor, use of a facility of interstate commerce to operate a prostitution enterprise, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
According to allegations in the indictment, Tucker sold heroin out of his residence and used the internet, cellular telephones, and prepaid debit cards to prostitute women and a minor girl as part of an interstate prostitution enterprise. According to court documents, Tucker profited from operating the prostitution enterprise.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted of sex trafficking of a minor, Tucker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Maintaining a drug-involved premises carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, and using a facility of interstate commerce to promote an unlawful activity carries a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.
The scheduled trial date is set for March 21, 2017.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Manchester Police Department of New Hampshire. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold Huftalen of the District of New Hampshire and Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
New Hampshire Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking of A Minor in Connection with Interstate Prostitution EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Defendant Charged with Selling Heroin and
Prostituting Women and a Minor Girl for his Profit
CONCORD, N.H. – Steven Tucker, 31, of Manchester, N.H., was charged on Wednesday, Jan. 25, in a 3-count indictment in the District of New Hampshire with sex trafficking of a minor, use of a facility of interstate commerce to operate a prostitution enterprise, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
According to allegations in the indictment, Tucker sold heroin out of his residence and used the internet, cellular telephones, and prepaid debit cards to prostitute women and a minor girl as part of an interstate prostitution enterprise. According to court documents, Tucker profited from operating the prostitution enterprise.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted of sex trafficking of a minor, Tucker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Maintaining a drug-involved premises carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, and using a facility of interstate commerce to promote an unlawful activity carries a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.
Tucker was arraigned today in United States District Court in Concord, New Hampshire. A trial date has been scheduled for March 21, 2017.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Manchester Police Department of New Hampshire. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold Huftalen of the District of New Hampshire and Trial Attorney Vasantha Rao of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
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Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H.: Allan Yianakopolos, 49, of Manchester, New Hampshire, pled guilty on Thursday in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
A joint investigation by the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Manchester, the Manchester, New Hampshire Police Department, and the Bedford, New Hampshire Police Department resulted in the seizure of various electronic devices from Yianakopolos’s Manchester residence. A search of those devices revealed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 10, 2017.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Task Force in conjunction Homeland Security Investigations Manchester, and the police departments of Manchester and Bedford, New Hampshire. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana Konesky.
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Former Inmate at FCI-Berlin Pleads Guilty to Drug PossessionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice, announced today that Jason Ponder, 36, an inmate who had been at the Federal Correctional Institution in Berlin, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty today to possessing contraband in the prison. Ponder possessed a quantity of the synthetic cannabinoid known as AB-Fubinaca, a controlled substance. Ponder was transferred to another federal prison after the incident.
On March 12, 2016, Ponder was visited by his girlfriend and a minor child. While the three were in the prison’s Visitation Room, the girlfriend passed three small white packages to Ponder. The correctional staff monitoring the visitation room saw the activity and it was captured on the prison’s security cameras. Ponder’s visit was immediately terminated and the girlfriend surrendered two packages of material to prison officials. Laboratory analysis of the material confirmed it was a AB-Fubinaca.
Synthetic cannabinoids are green leafy materials that have been sprayed with chemicals. These products (commonly referred to as “spice” or “K2”) are often marketed as incense or potpourri. Although the products are often sold in packages labeled as “not for human consumption,” the products are smoked in order to obtain a high. The chemicals that are sprayed on the products to produce the high are often illegal controlled substances or analogues of illegal controlled substances. The ingestion of these types of illegal products has caused some users to experience a variety of medical side effects and has led to numerous hospitalizations.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 8, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Ponder has agreed to serve an eight-month sentence that will be begin after he completes his current sentence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was prosecuted by AUSA Don Feith.
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Derry Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charges Related to Sales of Synthetic CannabinoidsRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Tony Aoude, 45, of Derry, New Hampshire pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the sales of synthetic cannabinoid products.
Aoude pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Travel Act and Conspiracy to Receive Misbranded Products. According to court documents and statements in court, in 2013 and 2014, Aoude sold synthetic cannabinoid products at stores that he operated in Londonderry and Hooksett, New Hampshire. These products contained XLR11 and AB-FUBINACA, which are illegal controlled substances. The products were sold in packages with false and misleading labels that stated that the products were “not for human consumption” or were “legal in 50 states.” Despite being aware that the products were intended for human consumption, he sold various forms of the product that bore multiple labels, including “Toxic Blue Magic” and “Caution Platinum.”
During the course of a law enforcement investigation, undercover officers asked to purchase quantities of these products for resale in Florida. Despite being told by a co-conspirator (Robert Costello) that the products were unlawful in Florida, Aoude arranged for the undercover officers to purchase the drugs at his store in Londonderry. He also received payments for facilitating the shipment of additional products to Florida.
Sentencing for Aoude has been scheduled for May 4, 2017.
This investigation led to the arrest and prosecution of multiple individuals. Costello, who provided synthetic cannabinoids to Aoude, is serving a 60-month federal prison sentence. Kyle Hurley, who arranged to manufacture and distribute these drugs, is serving a 114-month prison sentence.
Synthetic cannabinoids are green leafy materials that have been sprayed with chemicals. These products (commonly referred to as “spice” or “K2”) are often marketed as incense or potpourri. As in this case, the packaging materials often contain attractive logos that are designed to appeal to young people. Although the products are often identified as “not for human consumption,” the products are smoked in order to obtain a high. The chemicals that are sprayed on the products to produce the high are often illegal controlled substances or analogues of illegal controlled substances. The ingestion of these types of illegal products has caused some users to experience a variety of medical side effects and has led to numerous hospitalizations.
“There is a misconception that synthetic cannabinoids, known on the street as synthetic marijuana, K2, and spice, are safe. Synthetic cannabinoids are anything but safe,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “They are a toxic cocktail of lethal chemicals with serious health and safety risks. This investigation represents local, state and federal law enforcement’s efforts to combat this emerging public threat.”
U.S. Attorney Rice agreed, saying, “while we are in the midst of an opioid epidemic, some individuals may believe that synthetic cannabinoids are a safe alternative for those looking to get high. These products are far from safe. They are made in highly unsanitary conditions and users have no idea what potentially deadly chemical may be inside these glossy packages. This packaging can give consumers a false sense of security about using a product that could harm or kill them.”
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad led the investigation in collaboration with the US Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. The investigators also received the invaluable assistance of DEA-NH/HIDTA and DEA’s Air Wing, the New Hampshire and Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, Portsmouth Police Department, Somersworth Police Department, Kingston Police Department, the Dover Police Department, the Londonderry, Police Department and the York and Kittery, Maine Police Departments. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Farley and Charles Rombeau.
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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Alexander Ortega, of Barnesville, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud.
Ortega pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Landya McCafferty to an Indictment that had been returned by the Grand Jury on March 23, 2016.
According to court filings and statements in Court, between February 7, 2014, and March 13, 2014, Ortega opened a bank account with counterfeit checks and then, using certified bank checks from that account, and the ATM/Debit card associated with the account, he withdrew funds fraudulently, causing a total loss of approximately $34,163.93.
Ortega will be sentenced at 11:00 AM on May 2, 2017.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Lebanon, and Enfield, New Hampshire Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega is prosecuting this case.
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Two Plead Guilty to Credit Card Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced that Elvis Barban Chavez, 45, and Dairon Julio Jimenez Roja, 26, both of Texas, pleaded guilty to identity theft and conspiracy to commit credit card fraud. A third individual, Franciso Tamayo Noguera, is scheduled for trial in February.
According to documents that were filed in United States District Court and statements made during the change of plea hearings, Roja, Chavez, and Noguera traveled from Austin, Texas to New Hampshire in late December 2015 and early January 2016. Once they arrived in New Hampshire, they began purchasing gift cards at various retail stores in the area, including the Sam’s Club store in Hudson, New Hampshire. The group obtained the credit card information for various individuals, including numerous New Hampshire residents, by downloading the information from a skimmer that was hidden in a gas pump at a store in Londonderry, New Hampshire. After downloading the information, the group used it at the self-checkout counters at the retail stores to purchase gift cards in the amount of $200. The total estimated loss is greater than $15,000.
On January 12, 2016, the Hudson Police Department were notified that the group was in the store purchasing gift cards. The police responded to the store and pursued the group into Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, where they were arrested by the Tyngsborough Police. Numerous cards and a skimming device were found in the vehicle.
A sentencing hearing for Mr. Chavez is scheduled for May 7, 2017. sentencing hearing for Mr. Roja is scheduled for May 9, 2017. Both defendants have entered into plea agreements with the United States which, if accepted by the court, provide for a prison sentence of 24 months and one day.
The case was investigated by the Hudson Police Department, the Londonderry Police Department, the Manchester Police Department, the Tyngsborough Police Department and the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. Numerous other departments and the staffs at various Sam’s Club stores assisted in the investigation.
The public is reminded that Mr. Noguera is presumed innocent of the charges listed in the indictment.
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Mexican Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States After Previous DeportationRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Gerardo Solis-Rojas, of Mexico, was sentenced to ten months in federal prison after pleading guilty, on November 21, 2016, to illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported.
Solis-Rojas was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officers on August 31, 2016, after they developed information that Solis-Rojas was present in the United States after having been deported on three previous occasions.
Solis-Rojas now faces likely deportation.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega prosecuted this case.
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Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States After Having Been Previously DeportedRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Victor Lopez-Mejia, of Honduras, has pleaded guilty to re-entering the United States after having been deported previously.
Lopez-Mejia pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Landya McCafferty to an Indictment that had been returned by the Grand Jury on October 19, 2016.
According to court filings and statements in Court, on May 1, 2016, Lopez-Mejia was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding by a New Hampshire State Police Trooper. While the Trooper was checking the identity of the vehicle operator and occupants, Lopez-Mejia jumped from the vehicle and began to run away, but was apprehended after a short foot pursuit. A Deportation Officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations in Manchester was then contacted for assistance in positively identifying Lopez-Mejia. A subsequent records check ultimately confirmed that Lopez-Mejia had in fact been deported previously to Honduras.
Lopez-Mejia will be sentenced at 11:00 AM on April 20, 2017 and faces likely deportation after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega is prosecuting this case.
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Haverhill Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy and Gun Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Juan Rojas, 32, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today to (1) conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone and cocaine and (2) conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rojas appeared before United States District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe to enter his guilty plea.
According to documents that were filed in court and statements in the plea proceeding, Rojas admitted that he and others participated in the distribution of cocaine and oxycodone pills in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. During a court-authorized wiretap investigation, law enforcement officers intercepted calls in which Rojas obtained quantities of oxycodone and cocaine, which he then supplied to others, including Franklyn and Mara Morillo. The Morillos then arranged to distribute the drugs to customers. Rojas was arrested on August 18, 2015, and approximately 110 grams of cocaine were recovered from a vehicle he was operating.
During the wiretap investigation, officers also intercepted calls indicating that Rojas and another individual (Oscar Rosario) were planning to rob a drug dealer. Intercepted calls showed that Rosario traveled from New Hampshire to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he obtained a firearm from Rojas. A law enforcement officer later stopped Rosario and recovered the firearm before it could be used to commit the robbery.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 10, 2017.
Rojas is one of six individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on September 23, 2015, and charged with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances. The other defendants are: Mara Morillo, 41, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Franklyn Morillo, 41, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Jorge Medina, 25, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Justin Bartimus, 35, formerly of Methuen, Massachusetts; and Michael Lally, 28, of Salem, New Hampshire. All of the other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Rojas and Rosario were charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rosario previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad led the investigation with assistance from the Haverhill, Massachusetts Police Department, the Methuen, Massachusetts Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Farley.
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New York Man Sentenced 15 Years in Prison for Participating in Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy and Failing to Appear in CourtRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Manuel Tirado (34) of New York City, was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 15 years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone pills and failing to appear in Court.
Court documents and statements in court showed that Tirado was a New York-based source of supply who provided oxycodone pills to a group of drug traffickers who were distributing the pills in Manchester, New Hampshire. During a law enforcement investigation in 2013 and 2014 that included the use of controlled purchases of drugs and multiple wiretaps, investigators learned that Samuel Garcia, Jennifer Nunez, and others were actively involved in the distribution of oxycodone pills. Wiretap conversations revealed that Tirado arranged to supply some of these pills. On multiple occasions, intercepted calls showed that members of the conspiracy (Raul Hernandez and Jose Nunez) traveled to New York, obtained pills from Tirado, and then brought them back to New Hampshire. On one occasion, Jose Nunez was stopped in Massachusetts while transporting $18,900 in cash that was to be used to pay for oxycodone pills that were being supplied by Tirado.
Several targets of the investigation were arrested in Manchester on August 27, 2014. Hernandez was arrested as he attempted to deliver over 600 oxycodone pills to the residence of Samuel Garcia and Jennifer Nunez on Eastern Avenue in Manchester, New Hampshire. A search warrant was executed at that residence and hundreds of additional pills, as well as over $30,000 in cash, and three firearms were recovered from that location. Garcia, Jennifer Nunez, and Johanna Nunez were arrested that day. Jose Nunez was arrested in October of 2014, after returning to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
Tirado was later indicted on a drug conspiracy charge. On July 23, 2015, he was arrested in New York. He was released on bond by a judge in New York and was directed to appear for an arraignment in federal court in New Hampshire on August 4, 2015. Tirado did not appear in Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested again in New York on August 17, 2015.
Tirado pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy charge and the failure to appear charge on August 23, 2016.
All of the other individuals who were involved in this conspiracy also have pleaded guilty.
Samuel Garcia (36) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. He is awaiting sentencing.
Jose Nunez (61) pleaded guilty on March 6, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). He is awaiting sentencing.
Jennifer Nunez (26) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Distribution of a Controlled Substance; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. She is awaiting sentencing.
Johanna Nunez (30) pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; and (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. On June 23, 2015, she was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Raul Hernandez (29) pleaded guilty on March 17, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance and (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. On June 23, 2015, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
An additional defendant, Edward Anthony Hiciano Beltre, is a fugitive.
In addition to these defendants, several additional individuals who obtained oxycodone from this organization and resold it to customers have pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy charges. Ryan Demers, William Alba, Bonnie Labrie, Krystal Mailhot, and Yonajaira Galarza Ramos have all entered guilty pleas in federal court.
Demers was sentenced on September 22, 2015, to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. That sentence was affirmed on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Labrie was sentenced on March 11, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Alba was sentenced on June 17, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Mailhot and Ramos are awaiting sentencing.
“The DEA is committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who illicitly distribute oxycodone,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Opiate abuse is a major problem in New Hampshire and throughout New England. The diversion of prescription pain killers, in this case oxycodone, contributes to the widespread abuse of opiates, is the gateway to heroin and fentanyl addiction, and is devastating our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue any group or individual that traffics these drugs.”
U.S. Attorney Rice stated, “Many individuals begin their journey to opiate addiction through oxycodone use. While these pills have a legitimate medical use, the illicit distribution of these potentially addictive drugs has been a significant factor in the development of the opiate crisis that is affecting New Hampshire. The U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to work with the law enforcement community to stop the flow of opiates and opioids onto the streets of New Hampshire. This includes identifying and prosecuting sources who are arranging to bring these dangerous drugs into our state. This office also will take aggressive steps to prosecute those who disregard court orders by failing to appear in court.”
This investigation was the product of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. This particular investigation involved cooperative efforts of federal and local law enforcement entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John J. Farley and Debra M. Walsh.
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Methuen Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl and HeroinRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Emily Gray Rice, United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, announced today that Luis Martin Carvajal Gonzalez, also known as Wilfredo Laboy, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and heroin, as well as possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Carvajal Gonazalez, 34, sold heroin and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions in December of 2015. The transactions occurred at retail stores in Salem, New Hampshire. On February 9, 2016, the defendant (who previously has used the name Wilfredo Laboy) arrived at a store parking lot in Salem to conduct another drug deal. When law enforcement officers approached, he ran away and attempted to throw “fingers” of drugs as he fled. He was apprehended and approximately 156 grams of fentanyl were recovered.
Carvajal Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2017.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Rice said, “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to identifying and prosecuting those who attempt to profit from the sales of deadly drugs. We continue to work each day to stop the flow of fentanyl and heroin into New Hampshire and to reverse the escalating number of drug-related deaths in our state.”
"Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in New Hampshire," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. "Fentanyl and heroin are causing overdose deaths across the Granite State in record numbers, and DEA is committed to aggressively pursuing Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who are coming from out of state to distribute these poisons across New Hampshire in order to profit and destroy people's lives and wreak havoc in our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners."
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police, and the Salem, Manchester, and Methuen (Massachusetts) Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Farley.
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Seven Indicted on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Concord, New Hampshire—United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced four indictments charging seven individuals with drug trafficking activities in Manchester, New Hampshire. The following individuals were arrested and arraigned on Monday, December 19:
In one indictment, Elizabeth Salinas Roldan, age 41, of Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Ashley Salinas Soto, age 22, of Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine; and Celestino Nieves Vasquez, age 41 of Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine.
In another indictment, Brandin Melendez, age 33, of Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine base and Victor Alvarado, age 28, of Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base.
Michael J. Hernandez, age 26, of Lowell, MA, was charged with distribution of fentanyl.
Yeoffred Cruz Ramos, age 32, of Manchester, was charged with distribution of heroin.
Each of these individuals has been arrested this week and appeared in federal court. Trials have been scheduled for February 2017.
In announcing the indictments, U.S. Attorney Rice said, “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking. While we encourage efforts to obtain and provide treatment for those who are addicted to drugs, the enforcement of federal drug laws is also important part of our strategy to combat the opiate crisis that is afflicting New Hampshire.” U.S. Attorney Rice also stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The epidemic of opioid abuse is devastating our communities,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Today’s arrests strike at the heart of the problem – dealers who fuel the cycle of addiction and overdose. The FBI will do everything it can to disrupt the sale and distribution of illegal drugs to make our neighborhoods safer.”
The charges are the product of an investigation of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. Other and state and local authorities involved in the investigation include the Manchester Police Department, the Hudson Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Nashua Police Department, and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Probation and Parole. Investigators also received the invaluable assistance of DEA-NH/HIDTA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
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Project Safe Childhood - Derry Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – David Morel, Jr., 31, of Derry, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty on December 19, 2016, in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
In February 2014, the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Derry Police Department developed information linking online images of child pornography to Morel’s residence in Derry, New Hampshire. In April 2016, a search warrant was obtained and executed on Morel’s computer, which contained numerous videos depicting young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Morel is scheduled for sentencing in March 2016, and faces a maximum prison term of 10 years, to be followed by a term of at least 5 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the Derry Police Department, in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations Manchester and the New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Helen Fitzgibbon and Shane Kelbley.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Seekonk Massachusetts Man Found Guilty of StalkingRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that a jury found David Ackell, 48, of Seekonk, Massachusetts, guilty of interstate stalking. The trial began on December 13, 2016 and concluded today when the jury returned its verdict after deliberating for approximately four hours. Ackell’s victim was a resident of New Hampshire.
According to public documents and statements made in court, in 2013, Ackell and the victim met through social media and developed an online relationship. In the course of that relationship, Ackell coerced the victim into sending him nude photographs of herself and then threatened to harm her by publicly disseminating the images to family and friends.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 11, 2017. The charge of interstate cyberstalking carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Before the sentencing hearing, the United States Probation and Pretrial Services Office will prepare a sentencing investigation report for the court to consider in determining what sentence to impose. The advisory federal sentencing guidelines will be one of the factors considered by the court in determining a sentence.
Mr. Ackell was released on conditions pending the sentencing hearing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hancock, New Hampshire, Police Department, and the Seekonk, Massachusetts, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon and Assistant United States Attorney Robert Kinsella.
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New Hampshire to Receive $1.3 Million Grant for Combating Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H.— United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice and core team partners from the Manchester Police Department, Child and Family Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations and Give Way to Freedom announced a grant of $1.3 million from the United States Department of Justice that will support the efforts of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force as it works to formalize and enhance existing efforts, and build statewide capacity to combat human trafficking.
With this grant the Collaborative aims to create comprehensive and specialized services for all victims of human trafficking, investigate and prosecute sex and labor trafficking cases, and support data collection and analysis that will help guide the state in developing best practices for an informed response.
United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice said, “This grant brings much-needed funding that will substantially enhance our ability to pursue human trafficking investigations and prosecutions in the future. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement and community partners to identify and prosecute individuals who are engaged in human trafficking. We will work tirelessly to bring these criminals to justice in a way that is sensitive to the needs of the victims of this very serious crime.”
“Fundamental to the Collaborative’s efforts is the understanding that human trafficking impacts vulnerable people and populations, and any true response must include support to prevent and address vulnerability in whatever form it may take,” explained Erin Albright, Regional Program Director of Give Way to Freedom.
“In order to effectively investigate human trafficking, we must give primary consideration to the needs of the victim. A victim who can tell their story and testify as a competent witness is key to a successful human trafficking investigation and prosecution. Unless we can address the needs of the victim – whether that be by facilitating long-term care, or by assisting with potential immigration benefits – our efforts to hold traffickers responsible will be hindered. To this end, combatting human trafficking requires a multi-disciplinary approach, as we have established here in New Hampshire,” added Matt Etre, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), HSI Boston.
“We’ve seen first-hand how trafficking, both sex and labor, is impacting people of all ages here in New Hampshire, especially those in vulnerable or marginalized circumstances,” says Erin Kelly, Runaway & Homeless Youth program director at Child and Family Services. “This collaborative will serve as a powerful first step and formidable force against human trafficking in New Hampshire."
Chief Nick Willard, Manchester Police Department said, "The Manchester Police Department is proud to be a part of this Collaborative Task Force that will address Human Trafficking. This grant allows us to move forward in developing a multi-disciplinary, victim centered approach to addressing the ever increasing number of Human Trafficking cases that are coming to light in the city of Manchester and throughout the state of New Hampshire."
BACKGROUND: The Manchester New Hampshire Police Department (MPD) and Child and Family Services of New Hampshire (CFS) jointly submitted a 2016 Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Task Force grant to the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, which includes more than 30 NH-based law enforcement, service providers, attorneys, state agencies, and other community stakeholders gathered for the purpose of improving the statewide response to human trafficking. The Collaborative is further supported by members of a Core Team including The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire (USAO/NH), ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Give Way to Freedom (GWTF). The grant was awarded to New Hampshire for $1.3 million over three years.
Additional information on the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force and the work of the Core Team’s investigation, service to survivors, data collection and training can be found at Give Way to Freedom’s website:
http://www.givewaytofreedom.org/initiatives/New-Hampshire-Task-Force.php
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Former Gate City Woman Pleads Guilty in Tax Refund and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Gladys Maria Pena Dominguez pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in an illegal scheme to use stolen personal identifying information to file false federal income tax returns and steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S. Treasury. Pena pleaded guilty to one count each of the federal crimes of Theft of Government Property, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Conspiracy. Pena, 34 years old, is a resident of the Bronx, N.Y., and a former resident of Nashua, N.H.
According to statements made during the hearing, from January 2012 to December 2013, Pena couriered at least 130 U.S. Treasury tax refund checks from New York, N.Y., to a co-conspirator in New Hampshire, who gave Pena cash in return. As Pena knew, the checks had been obtained from the Internal Revenue Service by conspirators who induced the IRS to issue the checks based upon false tax returns that the co-conspirators had filed using the names and Social Security numbers of real people without their consent or knowledge. The co-conspirators also reported false mailing addresses on the tax returns to cause the IRS to mail the fraudulently derived Treasury tax refund checks to locations that they controlled. The government alleged that the aggregate face value of the checks exceeds $1.1 million.
United States District Judge Landya McCafferty took Pena’s guilty plea and scheduled her sentencing for March 16, 2017. Pena is subject to a statutory maximum sentence of seventeen years in prison, fines of up to $750,000 or both.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit, principally by its Manchester, N.H., field office, with assistance from its field office in New York, N.Y. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Bay Stater Pleads Guilty in Illegal Scheme to Buy Firearms in HooksettRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Michael Younge pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in an illegal scheme to purchase firearms. Younge pleaded guilty to one count of the federal crime of Aiding and Abetting the Making of a False Statement in Connection with the Attempted Acquisition of a Firearm. Younge, 26 years old, lived in Framingham and Boston, Massachusetts, prior to his arrest.
According to court documents and statements made during the hearing, Younge, two associates and Younge’s girlfriend, Tasha Gardner, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, N.H., on July 15, 2015. Younge and the one of the associates, facilitated by the second associate, solicited Gardner to buy hand guns for Younge and the first associate. Gardner agreed. Younge and the first associate were both convicted felons and therefore could not legally buy a firearm themselves. Younge and the first associate were also both residents of Massachusetts. Under federal law, it is illegal for a firearms dealer to sell hand guns to out-of-staters. Gardner attempted to purchase the firearms for Younge and the first associate. In connection with that attempt Gardner filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter gun purchases. On that form, Gardner falsely certified that she was the “actual purchaser” of the two hand guns. The transfer of firearms was never accomplished because employees of the firearms dealer became suspicious and declined to complete the transaction.
United States District Judge Landya McCafferty took Younge’s guilty plea and scheduled his sentencing for March 16, 2017. He is subject to a statutory maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Younge is detained pending trial. Gardner pleaded guilty to a related charge on November 4, 2016, and is scheduled for sentencing on February 21, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Bedford Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H.—United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Marcos Nieves, 40, previously of Manchester, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
According to the indictment and other statements made in court, members of the Manchester Police Department obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s Manchester residence in connection with an investigation into a non-fatal shooting on August 8, 2015. While executing the search warrant, they recovered two stolen AK-47 style weapons, several firearm magazine clips, ammunition, drugs, drug dealing paraphernalia, and personal documents identifying Nieves in a bedroom closet. At the time, Nieves was prohibited from possessing any firearm as a result of at least one prior felony conviction.
NIEVES has been in state custody since August 8, 2015. He previously pleaded guilty to narcotics charges in Hillsborough County in connection with the controlled substances recovered during the execution of the search warrant, and is serving a sentence of 2 to 4 years in New Hampshire State Prison.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 17, 2017.
This matter was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Manchester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
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El Salvadoran Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United States After Having Been Previously DeportedRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Wilfredo Cuellar-Mejia, of El Salvador, has pleaded guilty to reentering the United States after having been deported previously.
According to court filings and statements in Court, on May 1, 2016, the defendant was arrested by a Manchester police officer for Driving While Intoxicated. A Deportation Officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations in Manchester was then contacted for assistance in positively identifying the defendant. A subsequent records check ultimately confirmed that the defendant had in fact been deported previously to El Salvador.
Cuellar-Mejia will be sentenced at 10:00 AM on March 16, 2017, and faces likely deportation after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega is prosecuting this case.
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Gonic Woman Sentenced in Connection with Drug Distribution Causing DeathRead the Press Release
CONCORD – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced today that Jazzmyn Rood, 42, of Gonic, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and one year supervised release after pleading guilty to misprision of a felony in connection with the distribution of a controlled substance resulting in the death of her daughter Evangelique Tarmey.
According to documents that were filed in United States District Court and statements at the sentencing proceeding, the defendant was staying at the Riviera Motel with her boyfriend Mark Ross and Tarmey. On October 16, 2015, Ross traveled with Tarmey and another to Lawrence, Massachusetts, in order to obtain a quantity of heroin. Ross returned to the Riviera Motel and injected Rood with the drug and then injected himself with the drug. Ross provided a quantity of the drug to Tarmey and told Rood he had done so. The following morning, Tarmey was found dead in the motel room. The New Hampshire Medical Examiner later found that Ms. Tarmey died of acute fentanyl intoxication.
The Rochester Police responded to the motel on the morning of October 17, 2015. Rood was interviewed by the police and denied that Ross or she had used any controlled substances during the prior evening.
United States Attorney Rice said, “I want to thank the Rochester Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their work on this case. Fighting the opioid epidemic is a multi-pronged, team effort. One facet of our attack is to prosecute those who are criminally responsible for causing drug overdoses. We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute the individuals who distribute drugs that cause overdose deaths and those who provide the police with false information in those investigations.”
“Anytime there is a loss of life involving a drug overdose it is a tragic event; but even more so in this case given the young age of the victim,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Those suffering from the disease of fentanyl and heroin addiction need access to treatment and recovery. But, those responsible for distributing these lethal drugs like fentanyl and heroin to the citizens of New Hampshire and those who conceal or provide false information need to be held accountable for their actions. In response to the ongoing opioid epidemic DEA and its local, state and federal partners are committed to bringing to justice those that distribute this poison.”
In April 2016, the United States Attorney’s Office and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office announced the formation of an inter-office team of prosecutors who will work together to prosecute individuals who cause opiate overdoses in New Hampshire. This prosecution, initiated before the creation of the joint team, is an example of the type of case that will be generated by the team.
The case was investigated by the Rochester Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the investigation.
Raymond Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Raymond Dostie, Jr., 61, of Raymond, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of Theft of Public Money.
According to public records in the case and statements made in court, Dostie began receiving Social Security disability benefits in December 2005. In September 2012, Dostie started working as a personal care attendant. His income from this job rendered him ineligible to receive any disability benefits. Dostie did not report this work activity to the Social Security Administration (SSA), but instead, he falsely told the SSA that he had worked part-time as a driver and a custodian, only, reporting wages that did not affect his eligibility for benefits. In early 2015, Dostie admitted to investigators that he had concealed his work and income as a personal care attendant from the SSA in order to continue receiving disability benefits. To that end, from September 2012 through December 2014, Dostie stated that he was paid for this work by checks, all of which were made payable to his wife, because he knew these earnings would have rendered him ineligible for benefits. As a result of his concealment, Dostie was able to convert approximately $68,140.90 in disability benefits to his own use that he would not have received if the SSA had been aware of his actual work activity and income.
Dostie is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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Manchester Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Heroin and Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Zakee Stuart-Holt, 34, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison based upon his convictions for conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl and money laundering. The defendant previously had pleaded guilty to those offenses.
According to court documents, the defendant distributed drugs in the Manchester, New Hampshire area since at least July of 2014. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement recovered approximately 1.8 kilograms of fentanyl and $198,000 in drug proceeds from an apartment occupied by the defendant and another individual. In addition, law enforcement seized approximately $560,000 in drug proceeds from a safe deposit box in the defendant’s name. The defendant was not employed at the time of the conspiracy and the currency recovered by law enforcement constituted proceeds of the defendant’s drug distribution conspiracy.
“I commend the Manchester Police Department and the DEA on their thorough investigation of this case leading to the seizure of such a significant quantity of drugs and drug proceeds,” stated United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice. “Prosecuting those individuals who introduce dangerous narcotics into our community, and ensuring that they do not profit from doing so, is a critical priority of my office.”
“Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in New Hampshire,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Let this sentence serve as an example to Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals who distribute fentanyl and heroin in order to profit and destroy people’s lives, that DEA is committed to aggressively pursue and hold you accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire to intensely go after anyone who traffics these drugs.”
According to statistics maintained by the State of New Hampshire, over half of the drug overdose deaths in New Hampshire in 2015 were related to fentanyl. Because a single gram of heroin or fentanyl can be used to create multiple individual dosage units that can be sold “on the street,” the quantity of fentanyl involved in this case could have generated hundreds of individual doses of fentanyl, each of which had the potential to cause a fatal overdose.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky and Donald Feith.
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Honduran Man Sentenced for Illegally Re-Entering the United States After Previous DeportationsRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Alexander Alcerro-Romero, of Honduras, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported.
According to public records and statements in court, in March of 2016, a deportation officer learned that Alcerro-Romero was illegally present in the United States after having been deported on two previous occasions. During a motor vehicle stop on April 11, 2016, Alcerro-Romero could not produce a U.S. driver’s license and later acknowledged that he was not lawfully in the United States. A fingerprint match subsequently confirmed his identity and his prior deportations.
Alcerro-Romero, who pleaded guilty on July 6, 2016, faces likely deportation after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega prosecuted this case.
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Mexican Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United States After Having Been Previously DeportedRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Gerardo Solis-Rojas, of Mexico, has pleaded guilty to reentering the United States after having been deported previously.
Solis-Rojas pleaded guilty before United States Chief District Judge Joseph Laplante to an Indictment that had been returned by the Grand Jury on August 24, 2016.
According to court filings and statements in Court, during an interview with a federal deportation officer, the defendant acknowledged that his name was Gerardo Solis and that he was a citizen of Mexico. The defendant also acknowledged that he was not in the United States legally. A subsequent records check ultimately determined that the defendant been deported to Mexico on six previous occasions.
At the time of the plea, a date and time for sentencing had not yet been set. Solis-Rojas faces likely deportation after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega is prosecuting this case.
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Honduran Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States After Previous DeportationRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Salvador Lopez-Hernandez, of Honduras, was sentenced to 8 months in prison after pleading guilty, on August 16, 2016, to illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported.
Silva-Hernandez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officers on June 15, 2016, after they developed information that Lopez-Hernandez was present in the United States after having been deported on one previous occasion.
Silva-Hernandez faces likely deportation after serving his sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega prosecuted this case.
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Bay State Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing Self-Built Guns in New HampshireRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that today Raymond L. Blackmer, III, 52, was sentenced to a term of 70 months in federal prison. Blackmer, formerly of Easthampton, Massachusetts, previously had pleaded guilty to the federal crime of Illegal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
According to statements made in connection with Blackmer’s earlier guilty plea, the Easthampton (Massachusetts) Police Department learned on November 6, 2015, that Blackmer intended to travel from Massachusetts to New Hampshire with one or more firearms. Information further indicated that Blackmer had assembled the firearms in his workshop in Easthampton, Massachusetts from component parts that he had purchased on the Internet.
Later that day, surveillance officers watched Blackmer leave his home with the suspected firearms and then drive across the Massachusetts border into Winchester, New Hampshire. Upon crossing the border, Blackmer was stopped by other law enforcement officers who executed a federal search warrant on Blackmer’s car.
Inside the trunk of Blackmer’s car were two AR-15 style rifles, rifle sites and a loaded magazine. During a later search of a premises in Massachusetts that Blackmer used as a workshop, Easthampton police found nine firearms in various states of assembly, at least five of which were sufficiently complete to qualify as firearms under federal law. In connection with his plea, Blackmer admitted that, at the time of the traffic stop and the execution of the warrants, he previously had been convicted of felonies on at least five prior occasions. It is unlawful for a convicted felon to possess firearms.
United States District Judge Steven J. McAuliffe imposed the sentence against Blackmer. In addition to the prison term, Judge McAuliffe imposed a criminal fine of $1000 and ordered Blackmer to serve three years of supervised release after his release from prison. While on supervised release, Blackmer will be required to abide by certain restrictions on his activities and other conditions set by the Court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in both Manchester, New Hampshire and in Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as the Easthampton, Massachusetts Police Department and the New Hampshire State Police. The Office of the District Attorney for the Northwest District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provided important support. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce gun crime in America.
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Concord Man Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Mail FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Ronald Mason, 47, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for mail fraud offenses that involved the theft of more than $650,000, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice. Mason previously pleaded guilty on June 1, 2016.
In October 2004, Mason was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release for a federal offense he committed in Texas. While Mason was serving that sentence, the owner of Financial Resources Management, Scott Farrar, and Farrar’s business associate, Donald Dodge, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire to stealing more than $30 million from FRM’s investors.
After Mason was released from prison, he absconded from his federal supervision and a warrant was issued for his arrest. To avoid being arrested, Mason used a false last name and moved to Concord, New Hampshire. He then caused letters to be sent to more than 100 people who Farrar and Dodge defrauded by falsely promising to use their money to build the Abbott Village condominiums in Concord. Three people responded to the letter. When Mason met with them, he lied to them about his personal wealth and his experience as a real estate developer. Over the next several months, he stole more than $520,000 from the former FRM victims by falsely promising to use their money to complete Abbott Village and for other real estate projects in New Hampshire.
When Mason’s efforts to steal money from these former FRM victims stalled, he concealed his status as a fugitive and provided false information about his personal wealth to steal more than $130,000 from two other people.
The case was investigated by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, the United States Secret Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kinsella.
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Manchester Resident Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Andrew Michael Dufresne, a 44-year-old Manchester resident, was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 63 months in prison for robbing the People’s United Bank at 1750 Elm Street in Manchester, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
According to court records and statements in court, on April 9, 2014, Cook entered the federally-insured bank and handed a note to a bank teller that stated, “GIVE ME THE MONEY.” Dufresne then reached into the teller’s cash drawer and took several bundles of bills and fled the bank. Bank alarms were activated and the Manchester Police Department released a statement concerning the robbery, including surveillance photos of the defendant. Shortly thereafter, the police received phone calls from individuals who identified Dufresne as the robber.
The defendant was arrested on April 11, 2014, in Methuen after crashing a stolen car in that city. He was prosecuted in Massachusetts on charges unrelated to the bank robbery and is currently incarcerated on those charges. The defendant, who pleaded guilty on June 29, 2016, will serve his federal sentence after completing his current period of incarceration.
This case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon.
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