District of New Jersey
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Essex County, N.J., Man Indicted for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refund ChecksRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, N.J., man was indicted today by a federal grand jury for using stolen identities to file false tax returns and obtain more than $1 million in tax refund checks, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Hakeem Awe, 39, of Irvington, N.J., was previously arrested on a Complaint. He was indicted today on one count of mail fraud, one count of filing false claims to the United States government, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Awe acquired the names, Social Security numbers, and other personally identifying information from identity theft victims, and then used this information to commit a three-part scheme: (1) Awe filed false tax returns, using fictitious financial information to make it appear that the filer was entitled to a tax refund; (2) Awe listed the filer’s address as one of several post office boxes that he controlled in and around New Jersey; (3) Awe received the checks at his post office boxes and then deposited them into bank accounts that he controlled.
On the mail fraud count, Awe faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine that is $250,000 or double the total loss or gain, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Bruck of the General Crimes Unit and Jacques S. Pierre of the Special Prosecutions Division, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
13-042Defense counsel: Timothy R. Anderson Esq., Red Bank, N.J.
Awe, Hakeem Indictment
Bergen County, N.J., Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Brother to Violate the Federal Election Campaign ActRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County man admitted today to conspiring with his brother to violate federal election law in connection with contributions to a federal campaign committee, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Benedetto Bigica, 45, of Elmwood Park, N.J., pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Bigica entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Faith S. Hochberg in Newark federal court.According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2005 to April 2008, Benedetto Bigica conspired with his brother, Joseph Bigica, and others to make $21,400 in illegal contributions to the campaign committee of a federal candidate. Benedetto Bigica agreed to serve as a straw contributor along with two other family members for Joseph Bigica, who then reimbursed them for their contributions to the campaign.
Joseph Bigica previously pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of corruptly interfering with the due administration of the internal revenue laws and one count of conspiring to violate the FECA. On Dec. 11, 2012, Judge Hochberg sentenced Joseph Bigica to 36 months on the tax count and 60 months on the FECA conspiracy, to be served concurrently, and ordered $2,141,836 in restitution. No one associated with the campaign has been accused of any wrongdoing.
The conspiracy charge to which Benedetto Bigica pleaded is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is currently scheduled for May 7, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, and criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zahid N. Quraishi and Amy Luria of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
13-043Defense counsel: Michael Baldassare Esq., Newark
Bigica, Benedetto Information
Former Global Wealth Management Firm Employee Arrested on Insider Trading ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An employee of a global wealth management firm (identified only as “Brokerage Firm A”) was arrested at his home this morning on insider trading charges related to Gilead Sciences Inc.’s $11 billion acquisition of New Jersey-based Pharmasset Inc., New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Kevin Dowd, 37, of Boca Raton, Fla., is charged by criminal Complaint with conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Dowd was arrested this morning by agents of the FBI at his home, and is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman in West Palm Beach, Fla., federal court.
According to the Complaint:Dowd was a registered representative in Brokerage Firm A’s Aventura, Fla., branch office and held the titles of second vice president and financial advisor. He joined the firm in 2005 and worked there through late October 2012. A member of Pharmasset’s board of directors was the Aventura branch’s largest customer, and informed his advisors at the Aventura branch that Pharmasset was in the process of being acquired by a large pharmaceutical company, and that the acquisition price was going to be in the high $130s per share.
At approximately 7:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, 2011, Gilead publicly announced that it had entered into an agreement with Pharmasset to acquire the company for approximately $11 billion, or $137 per share in cash. The purchase price represented an approximately 89 percent premium over Pharmasset’s closing price of $72.67 on Nov. 18, 2011. In response to the announcement, Pharmasset’s stock price increased to $134.14 per share at the close of trading on Nov. 21, 2011.
On Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, prior to the public announcement of the Pharmasset acquisition, however, Dowd tipped conspirator J.F., a childhood friend, about the impending Pharmasset acquisition. Immediately following the tip, J.F. transferred $196,000 into a brokerage account he controlled that previously had no money in it and that had not been used for months, and purchased approximately $196,000 worth of Pharmasset stock in that account. J.F. also tipped conspirator “E.B.”, who purchased 100 highly speculative “out-of-the-money” call options in Pharmasset within minutes of J.F.’s purchase of Pharmasset stock.
A few minutes after the public announcement of the Pharmasset acquisition, Dowd called J.F. several times. Later that same morning J.F. and E.B. engaged in a series of phone calls, following which they liquidated the positions in Pharmasset they had built the previous Friday. J.F. netted an illegal profit of $163,621 based on Dowd’s tip, and E.B. made an illegal profit of $544,706 from his sale of his Pharmasset options. In exchange for the tip, J.F. gave Dowd a wooden dock for his jet skis and a cashier’s check for $35,000, which was deposited into Dowd’s bank account on Jan. 5, 2012. Dowd used the money for an in-ground pool at his Boca Raton home.
When confronted by FBI agents in July 2012 about his conduct, Dowd admitted that he told J.F., but falsely stated that he had never received information that Pharmasset was going to be acquired by another pharmaceutical company.
The conspiracy count with which Dowd is charged is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, with the ongoing investigation leading to the criminal Complaint. He also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Market Abuse Unit and Philadelphia Regional Office, under the direction of Daniel M. Hawke for its assistance.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gurbir S. Grewal and Mala Ahuja Harker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
13-041
Defense counsel: Peter Willis Esq., Jersey City, N.J.
Dowd Complaint
Ten Charged in Superseding Indictment in Time Share Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A federal grand jury for the District of New Jersey, sitting in Camden, has returned a 44-count Superseding Indictment against six individuals from southern New Jersey and four others for their alleged roles in a $3 million mail and wire fraud conspiracy involving time share mortgages, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today.
The six indicted defendants from New Jersey are: Adam Lacerda, 28, and his wife, Ashley R. Lacerda, 32, of Egg Harbor Township; Ian Resnick, 37, of Absecon; Steven Cox, 48, of Ventnor City; Francis Santore, 52, of Northfield; and Joseph Diventi, 32, of Somers Point.
Also indicted are: Alfred Giordano, 32, of Hurry County, S.C.; Brian Corley, 27, of Little River, S.C.; Joseph Saxon, 38, of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and Genevieve Manzoni, 46, of Lake Worth, Fla. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Jan. 23, 2013.
Ian Resnick, Joseph Saxon, and Genevieve Manzoni previously were charged by criminal complaint. Adam Lacerda, Ashley R. Lacerda, Steven Cox, Alfred Giordano, Francis Santore, Brian Corley, and Joseph Diventi previously were indicted on the same charges by a federal grand jury sitting in Trenton on May 3, 2012.
The defendants are expected to be arraigned before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the Superseding Indictment and the Complaints previously filed:
In July 2010, law enforcement officers commenced an investigation into The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC. The investigation revealed that beginning at least from March 2009 and continuing to Sept. 1, 2011, the defendants through the VO Group participated in a fraudulent scheme in which representatives of the VO Group called owners of timeshare vacation properties purchased from Flagship Resort Development, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Inc., and other timeshare developers and convinced the owners to submit money to the VO Group, purportedly to pay off their “mortgages” on their timeshares. The VO Group claimed that the timeshare owner could pay off the mortgage balance at a substantially reduced amount – often by as much as 50 percent of the amount of the owner’s original mortgage – by mailing payment to the VO Group at a P.O. Box in Pleasantville, N.J. The VO Group representatives also persuaded timeshare owners to send the VO Group money purportedly to have timeshares cancelled or sold. Rather than paying off the timeshare owner’s mortgage, cancelling the owner’s timeshare, or selling the timeshare, the conspirators kept the timeshare owner’s money for their personal use.
The investigation also revealed that in an attempt to cover up the scheme, the conspirators in most cases engaged in a “bait and switch” tactic by purchasing an additional timeshare in the victim’s name without the victim’s knowledge. The victim purportedly had assented to the purchase based on documents the VO Group previously emailed to the victim for signature even though the victim had been led to believe that the victim was simply paying off the victim’s original timeshare mortgage.
According to the Complaint, during the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers interviewed approximately 225 victims of the conspirators’ scheme identified to date. Many of the victims are elderly, causing them to be more vulnerable to the scheme. The Indictment states that law enforcement has determined that the conspirators defrauded the victims of more than $3 million.
The mail and wire fraud conspiracy charge – with which all defendants named in the Superseding Indictment are charged – is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each additional, substantive charge of mail fraud or wire fraud carries an additional, maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit money laundering charge subjects defendants Adam and Ashley Lacerda to an additional, maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Defendants Adam and Ashley Lacerda also face an additional, maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison for each substantive money laundering count in which they are charged.U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents from the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; and special agents from the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Panella, New York Region, for the investigation leading to today’s Indictment. He also thanked the N.J. Department of Labor, Benefit Payment Control Unit, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyson M. Oswald and R. David Walk, Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of the fraud should contact the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency at 609-677-6400.
13-039
Defense counsel:
Adam Lacerda: Marc Neff Esq., Philadelphia, and Mark E. Cedrone Esq., Philadelphia
Ashley Lacerda: Charles Nugent, Marlton
Ian Resnick: Michael E. Reilly Esq., Philadelphia
Steven Cox: Jeffrey M. Miller Esq., Philadelphia
Alfred Giordano: Martin I. Isenberg Esq., Gibbsboro
Francis Santore: Robert A. Mintz Esq., Philadelphia
Brian Corley: José L. Ongay Esq., Camden
Joseph Saxon: David S. Rudenstein Esq. Philadelphia
Genevieve Manzoni: Ralph A. Jacobs Esq., PhiladelphiaLacerda, Adam and Ashley, et al., Superseding Indictment
Nine Charged in $10 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Nine people involved in a long-running, large-scale mortgage fraud scheme that caused losses of approximately $10 million were charged in two Complaints with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jose Luis Salguero Bedoya, also known as Jose Salguero, 36, of Elizabeth and Verona, N.J.; Paul Chemidlin, Jr., 41, of Morganville, N.J.; Delio Coutinho, 50, of Colonia, N.J.; Joseph DiValli, 44, of Jackson, N.J.; Christopher Ju, 26, of East Brunswick, N.J.; Carmine Fusco, 44, of East Hanover, N.J.; Jose Martins, 31, of Newark, N.J.; Yazmin Soto-Cruz, also known as Yazmin Soto, 32, of Elizabeth, N.J.; and Kenneth Sweetman, 32, of Lyndhurst and Nutley, N.J., were arrested this morning by FBI special agents.
Salguero, Chemidlin, Coutinho, DiValli, Ju, Fusco, Martins, Soto, and Sweetman, are scheduled for initial appearances and bail hearings this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark.
According to the Complaints:
From March 2008 to July 2012, the defendants engaged in multiple mortgage fraud conspiracies targeting at least 15 properties in and around Newark and Elizabeth, N.J. The defendants mortgage frauds took several forms, including obtaining control of properties through fraudulent “short sale” transactions, short sale flips, and identity theft. They submitted materially false mortgage loan documents to lenders in order to obtain loan proceeds, which the defendants then used for their own financial gain. The defendants also obtained money through various sales to straw buyers.
From March 2008 to June 2010, Salguero, Coutinho, Ju, and Soto conspired with each other and others to release liens on encumbered properties via fraudulently arranged short sale transactions. This allowed the defendants to profit from new fraudulent mortgage loans obtained on the properties from other mortgage lenders. To complete the short sale transactions, the defendants submitted materially false closing and other documents to mortgage lenders. They submitted materially false mortgage loan applications to mortgage lenders to obtain new mortgage loans on properties in and around Elizabeth, New Jersey, including a property on Fulton Street.
From March 2011 to July 2012, Salguero, Chemidlin, DiValli, Fusco, Martins, and Sweetman submitted false mortgage loan applications to mortgage lenders for a property on Smith Street, Elizabeth. The defendants submitted gift letters to mortgage lenders that falsely stated that the borrower was obtaining the funds necessary to close the real estate transaction from a relative or friend in the form of a gift, when the funds used as the borrowers’ down payments were actually provided by Salguero. The defendants also submitted false appraisal reports in order to support inflated property values and therefore obtain mortgage loans in larger amounts. The defendants formed limited liability companies (“LLCs”) in the names of companies similar to those of licensed title companies in order to open bank accounts in the LLC names to conceal the defendants’ identities and to control the receipt and distribution of fraudulently obtained mortgage loan proceeds. They submitted fraudulent documents that misrepresented Salguero’s ownership in various properties and the disposition of mortgage loan proceeds related to various transactions. The defendants then distributed fraudulently obtained mortgage loan proceeds to themselves and others and concealed those distributions by failing to include them on the HUD-1 Settlement Statements.
As a result of the mortgage fraud schemes described in the two Complaints, which involved at least 15 properties, the defendants and others defrauded financial institutions out of approximately $10 million.
The defendants played different roles in the schemes. Salguero was a real estate investor who, along with his girlfriend, Soto, provided much of the funds used by the defendants to perpetuate their fraudulent schemes. Coutinho was a loan officer at a Northern New Jersey mortgage brokerage company; he submitted false documents in support of the schemes. Chemidlin provided fraudulent real estate appraisals for the defendants although he was not a licensed real estate appraiser. DiValli was a loan officer at a Northern New Jersey mortgage brokerage company who also submitted false documents in support of the schemes. Ju negotiated the fraudulent short sale real estate transactions. Fusco and Sweetman conducted fraudulent real estate closings for the defendants although they were not licensed attorneys or title agents. Martins was a bank employee who facilitated certain financial transactions for the defendants.
The criminal Complaints charge each of the defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited law enforcement agents of the FBI Newark Mortgage Fraud Task Force for the investigation leading to today’s charges. Specifically, U.S. Attorney Fishman thanked special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Maria Kelokates, special agents of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region of Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cary Rubenstein, special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Inspector General Steve Linick, special agents of the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), under the direction of Special Inspector General Christy Romero, and special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Gaetano Gregory.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lakshmi Srinivasan Herman, Aaron Mendelsohn, and Charlton Rugg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
The charge and allegations contained in the Complaints against each defendant are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
13-038Coutinho, Delio et al. Complaint
Chemidlin, Pau et al. ComplaintMajor New Jersey Hospital Pays $12.5 Million to Resolve Kickback AllegationsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The Cooper Health System has agreed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the State of New Jersey to pay $12.6 million to settle allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act and New Jersey False Claims Act by making improper payments to physicians under so-called “consulting” and “compensation” agreements as it sought to build its cardiology program.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Executive Assistant N.J. Attorney General John Hoffman, and Thomas O’Donnell, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Inspector General region that includes New Jersey, announced the settlement, which was unsealed today.
“Payments to outside physicians by hospitals require heightened scrutiny because those payments may be improper if they are based on patient referrals,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “Such kickback arrangements interfere with the physician-patient relationship and can lead to problems of overutilization and increased costs. Federal health care participants, such as Cooper, who run afoul of the prohibitions against kickbacks must be held responsible.”
“Cooper has taken responsibility for its past misconduct,” said Executive Assistant Attorney General Hoffman. Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa is recused from the Cooper matter. “We commend Cooper for implementing substantial internal reforms and accountability measures designed to address the government's concerns and avoid any future transgressions."“People in Medicare and Medicaid should be confident that health providers are not being inappropriately influenced by financial gain," said Special Agent in Charge O’Donnell. “We will aggressively pursue all those who abuse Federal programs for personal gain.”
According to the results of the joint investigation:
The United States and New Jersey contend that from Oct. 1, 2004, through December 31, 2010, Cooper recruited local outside physicians to serve on the Cooper Heart Institute Advisory Board (“CHIAB”). Physicians were paid approximately $18,000 a year to attend four meetings over the course of any given year. The United States and New Jersey allege that at least one purpose of these payments was to induce the referral of patients to Cooper, that the payments did, in fact, induce such referrals to Cooper, and that Cooper’s subsequent billing of the Medicare and Medicaid programs for services resulting from those tainted referrals were in violation of federal and state anti-kickback and self-referral laws and thus, false claims.
The civil settlement agreement is between (1) the United States of America – acting through the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and on behalf of the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS OIG); (2) the State of New Jersey; and (3) the Cooper Health System. In resolution of the federal and state civil claims, Cooper has agreed to pay $10,200,000 to the United States and $2,300,000 to the State of New Jersey. Cooper has further enacted and agreed to maintain a number of corporate reforms designed to enhance accountability, training, and other aspects of its compliance operations.
The settlement resolves a False Claims Act suit by a physician who was recruited to take part in the CHIAB, but, instead, recognizing its potentially unlawful purpose, demurred and filed a whistleblower – “qui tam” – action. The qui tam provisions of both the federal and state False Claims Acts permit private individuals, known as relators, to file such actions and share in a portion of the proceeds recovered.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of HHS OIG, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge O’Donnell, for the investigation leading to today’s settlement. Acting New Jersey Attorney General Hoffman also credited Deputy Attorney’s General Michelle Weiner and Lisa Kutlin for their handling of this matter.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Dauenheimer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark, and Deputy Attorney General Samuel Cornish of the N.J. Attorney General’s OfficeThe claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there have been no admissions of liability.
13-040
Defense counsel: John M. Vazquez Esq., Michael Critchley Sr. Esq., both Roseland, N.J
Cooper Health Settlement Agreement
Cooper, Signed OrderThree Charged with Operating Online Counterfeit Credit Card Retailer Responsible for Estimated $34.5 Million in FraudRead the Press Release
Fakeplastic.net Taken Over By Federal Law Enforcement,
Ongoing Investigation Has Led to 11 Additional ArrestsNEWARK, N.J. – Three men who allegedly ran a one-stop online shop selling counterfeit credit cards and holographic overlays, to be used by criminals to make fake identifications, face federal charges in an ongoing investigation that has already resulted in 11 additional arrests, including a customer facing federal charges.
New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins for the Western District of North Carolina announced the charges today.
Sean Roberson, 39, of Palm Bay, Fla., who allegedly ran the site, is charged in an amended complaint, unsealed today in the District of New Jersey, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods or services; and conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with authentication features. A superseding indictment returned today in the Western District of North Carolina charges Roberson’s two conspirators, Vinicio Gonzalez, 30, of Melbourne, Fla., and Hugo Rebaza, 31, of Palm Bay, Fla. with conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. The superseding indictment also charges a customer of the website, Nashancy Johnny Colbert, 27, of Charlotte, N.C., with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. All four men are expected to appear this week in U.S. District Courts in Newark and Charlotte to face the charges. Roberson is expected to appear in Newark federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk. The North Carolina court dates have not yet been set.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) assumed control of the website, fakeplastic.net, on Dec. 5, 2013, and made more than 30 controlled deliveries of ordered materials – not allowing those materials to leave law enforcement control. Those controlled deliveries have resulted in 11 additional arrests of alleged fakeplastic customers, including Colbert, being handled by federal, state and local prosecutors across the United States.
“According to the complaint, Sean Roberson and his conspirators ran a large-scale, online operation filling custom orders for counterfeit cards,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “This made-to-measure service provided the last link in the chain necessary for criminals to make money from stolen credit card numbers and identities.”
U.S. Attorney Tompkins stated, “This ring of computer criminals ran an online one-stop shop where counterfeit credit cards were a mouse click away. As consumer fraud becomes more sophisticated, law enforcement and prosecutors across the country are joining forces to pull aside the veil of cyberspace anonymity and take down criminal enterprises that pilfer the identities of innocent victims for personal gain.”
“This investigation is yet another example of the unrelenting pursuit of cyber criminals by federal law enforcement,” said Newark FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to identify and investigate individuals that try to hide in the supposed anonymity of Internet crime organizations in order to steal from innocent parties.”
“The defendants in this alleged criminal enterprise used convenience, greed and their technical ability to commit a massive fraud,” USPIS Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates. “Their undoing came when they underestimated the vigilance of Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners to bring to justice anyone who uses the U.S. Mail for illegal activities.”
According to the amended complaint unsealed today in Newark federal court and charging documents filed in the Western District of North Carolina:
The FBI and the USPIS have been investigating the online retail shop, fakeplastic.net, since January 2013. The site specialized in selling high-quality, custom-made counterfeit credit and debit cards (collectively, “payment cards”) as well as holographic overlays used to create fake driver’s licenses.
Roberson began selling counterfeit cards and related items as early as April 2011 and launched the fakeplastic website in June 2012. Roberson owned and operated the site with the assistance of Gonzalez and Rebaza. Since April 2011, Roberson and his conspirators fulfilled orders for approximately 69,000 counterfeit credit cards – both embossed and unembossed – more than 35,000 holographic stickers used to make counterfeit cards appear more legitimate and more than 30,000 state identification card holographic overlays. The orders – more than 3,600 parcels – were shipped through the U.S. mail.
Gonzalez was primarily responsible for manufacturing the counterfeit payment cards, packaging the contraband for mailing and placing U.S. Express Mail envelopes in the mail for delivery to the fakeplastic customers. The conspirators used a storage facility in Florida to store supplies and to manufacture the counterfeit payment cards and Gonzalez frequently visited the storage unit to create the custom-embossed cards and to prepare mail packages. Law enforcement arrested Gonzalez on Dec. 4, 2013, while he was in the storage space – seizing computers, printers, counterfeit cards, an embosser and other contraband.
Rebaza was a “runner” for the criminal operation, responsible for picking up packages containing criminal proceeds and supplies from a “mail drop” for the fakeplastic website.
Colbert was a members-only customer of the website, who placed and received orders of counterfeit payment cards delivered to him through the mail. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Jan. 3, 2014, at Colbert’s Charlotte residence seizing, among other things, 41 counterfeit payment cards embossed with Colbert’s name or the names of other individuals. Law enforcement also recovered a discarded U.S. Express Mail envelope sent from the fakeplastic website.
Using a conservative estimate of loss of $500 associated with each counterfeit payment card (derived from the federal sentencing guidelines estimation of loss associated with stolen payment card information), law enforcement estimates the losses associated with just the counterfeit payment cards trafficked by Roberson and his conspirators at more than $34.5 million. Roberson personally made more than $1.7 million from the scheme.
The fakeplastic website was used by various groups of criminals across the country often referred to as “carding” or “cash out” crews. These crews buy stolen payment card numbers and related information – referred to as “track data” or “dumps” – which typically appear on the magnetic stripe on the back of legitimate payment cards. Illegal vendors of that information usually get it through hacking or skimming operations involving the installation of specialized equipment at ATM locations or point-of-sale terminals. The stolen data is ultimately put on a blank card and used to make unauthorized transactions.
More sophisticated cash out operations use custom-made counterfeit payment cards embossed with the same account numbers that have been encoded on the back of the card, and often acquire fake identification cards in order to reduce the likelihood of detection from law enforcement.
The criminal underground has evolved from fractured, regional operations to an Internet-based market where buyers and sellers across the globe can advertise, purchase and transmit stolen track data. The fakeplastic website brought the physical tools needed by cash out operations to the world of e-commerce, as it eliminated the need for crews to purchase expensive hardware.
By December 2013, the site had more than 400 members. Members with access to the fakeplastic website and seeking to purchase counterfeit payment cards could browse the website’s available counterfeit card templates. Members could then choose whether to input specific information to be embossed on the cards and whether they wanted additional authentication features – such as holographic stickers.
At one time the website accepted Liberty Reserve online currency, but shortly after federal charges against Liberty Reserve were made public in the Southern District of New York in May 2013, the fakeplastic website stopped accepting that currency and began accepting Bitcoin, a cryptographic-based digital currency. As set forth on the site’s “news” section, Bitcoin was viewed as a “safe” and “anonymous” method of payment for contraband.
The maximum potential penalties for each count are as follows:
DefendantCharge
Maximum Penalty
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
30 years; $1 million fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
Gonzalez
Rebaza
ColbertConspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud
30 years; $1 million fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
Roberson
Gonzalez
RebazaConspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods or services
10 years; $2 million fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
Roberson
Conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with authentication features
20 years; $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
U.S. Attorneys Fishman and Tompkins credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ford in Newark; and inspectors of the USPIS, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates in Newark and Inspector in Charge Keith Fixel in Charlotte, for the ongoing investigation. The Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division is a partner in the prosecution. The U.S. Attorneys also thanked the Charlotte Division of the U.S. Secret Service and Rutherfordton, N.C., Police Department for their vital roles.
The government is represented in the District of New Jersey by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Pak of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan, both of the office’s Economic Crimes Unit, and Barbara Ward of the office’s Asset Forfeiture and money laundering unit; in the Western District of North Carolina by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom O’Malley and Ben Bain-Creed; and in Washington by CCIPs Trial Attorney Evan Williams.
The charges and allegations contained in the various charging instruments are merely accusations and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
14-025Defense counsel:
Sean Roberson: Assistant Federal Public Defender Patrick McMahon, Esq.
Hugo Rebaza: Jose Rodriguez Esq., Orlando, Fla.
Vinicio Gonzalez: Christopher C. Fialko Esq., Charlotte; Ernest Leo Chang Esq., Melbourne, Fla.
Nashancy Colbert: Laura M. Cobb, James Bradley Smith, Esqs., CharlotteRoberson, Sean Complaint
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Exhibit G
Exhibit H
Exhibit I
Exhibit J
Exhibit K
Exhibit L
Exhibit M
Exhibit N
Exhibit OMonmouth County, N.J., Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. - A Monmouth County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for possessing child pornography on his computer, including violent video images, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Danial Hillman, 28, of Atlantic Highlands, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to one count of an Indictment charging him with possession of child pornography. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:As early as Dec. 6, 2010, undercover law enforcement officers downloaded videos and images of child pornography from Hillman on the Internet via peer-to-peer file sharing software. The images downloaded by federal investigators from Hillman’s shared directories included three videos of three children, all under the age of 12, being sexually abused. Law enforcement officers from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Atlantic Highlands Police Department, who executed a search warrant at Hillman’s home on April 12, 2011, seized multiple computers, one of which contained images depicting child pornography, including sadistic conduct and other violent images involving minors.
U.S. Attorney Fishman praised special agents of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, in New Jersey under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees; the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni; and the Atlantic Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerry Vasto, with the investigation leading to today's sentence.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Hillman to five years of supervised release, with computer-use monitoring. He must register as a sex offender.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Clabby of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Charles F. Clark Esq., Freehold, N.J.Essex County, N.J., Man Charged in Union County CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, N.J., man appeared in Newark federal court today in connection with charges arising out of a carjacking that occurred in December 2012 in Union County, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Larry Brown, 22, of Newark, is charged by Complaint with one count of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence, and intimidation, and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The defendant appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor and was detained.
According to the criminal Complaint:During the morning of Dec. 26, 2012, Brown approached an individual who was sitting in a parked 2012 BMW X5 in Hillside, N.J. Brown pointed a firearm at the victim, tapped on the vehicle’s window with the gun, and ordered the victim to get out of the car. A second individual robbed the victim of the victim’s personal items. Brown and the other individual then entered the victim’s vehicle and fled the area.
Later that same day, the victim’s vehicle was located in East Orange, N.J., and law enforcement officers observed two individuals, one of whom was Brown, walking away from the carjacked vehicle.
The carjacking count with which Brown is charged is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The charge of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other prison term. Each of the two counts also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Andrew M. McLees; the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Rick Fuentes, Superintendent; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; the Hillside Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Robert B. Quinlan; the East Orange Police Department, under the leadership of Chief William Robinson; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow; as well as criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Colone and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Donnelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: John Yauch Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, NewarkBrown, Larry Complaint
Essex County, N.J., Man Sentenced to 207 Months in Prison for Robbing 10 BanksRead the Press Release
Also Discharged Weapon in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence
TRENTON, N.J. – An Essex County, N.J., man was sentenced to 207 months in prison for federal bank robbery charges and discharge of a firearm in connection with bank robbery, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Maurice Richardson, 43, of Irvington, N.J., was arrested Dec. 1, 2010, by officers of the Old Bridge Police Department. He previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to Counts 12 and 13 of the 13-count Indictment charging him with robbing a Capital One Bank branch and assaulting people during the course of the robbery.
Richardson also admitted nine additional bank robberies, for a total of 10, as follows:
Date
Bank
Location
Commerce Bank
Morris Township, N.J.
May 31, 2008
Commerce Bank
Rahway, N.J.
July 27, 2008
Commerce Bank
Nutley, N.J.
Sept. 28, 2008
Commerce Bank
Nutley, N.J.
April 6, 2009
Capital One Bank
Marlboro, N.J.
Dec. 21, 2009
Capital One Bank
Marlboro, N.J.
July 3, 2010
Capital One Bank
Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.
Aug. 6, 2010
TD Bank
Howell, N.J.
Sept. 1, 2010
Capital One Bank
Paramus, N.J.
Dec. 1, 2010
Capital One Bank
Marlboro, N.J.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Richardson entered the banks and gave notes to the tellers, which variously demanded money in large bills, stated that he had a gun, and threatened he would shoot the tellers if they did not comply. Witnesses at some of the robberies observed the defendant leaving the crime scenes in a burgundy SUV.
On Dec. 1, 2010, a Marlboro police officer observed a burgundy Chevrolet Suburban with tinted windows entering Route 9 North from a street adjacent to the Capital One Bank's parking lot. After an approximately one-mile pursuit, the vehicle struck a concrete wall in Sayreville, N.J., and came to a stop. Richardson was apprehended when he got out of the SUV and attempted to flee. A 9 mm bullet was found in the vehicle, and a 9mm handgun was found after a search of the area near where Richardson crashed. It was the third time he had robbed the same bank branch in less than two years.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Richardson fo three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $50,646.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the Old Bridge Police Department, Sayreville, Police Department, Marlboro Police Department, Howell Police Department, Morris Township Police Department, Rahway Police Department, Nutley Police Department, Hasbrouck Heights Police Department and Paramus Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Michael A. Armstrong Esq., of Willingboro, N.J.
Essex County, N.J., Man Arrested for Stealing Oxycodone from Manufacturing FacilityRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, N.J., man who worked at a facility in Elizabeth, N.J., that manufactured oxycodone was arrested this morning for stealing more than 8,500 pills from the facility, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Edwin Hernandez, 48, of Irvington, N.J., was charged by Complaint with possession and distribution of Oxycodone. He was scheduled to make his initial court appearance later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court.
According to the Complaint:Hernandez was previously employed at a company identified as “Company 1,” one of the largest United States manufacturers of oxycodone, at the company’s Elizabeth, N.J., facility. On Nov. 21, 2012, Hernandez was observed by another employee scooping large amounts of 30 mg oxycodone pills into a quart-sized plastic bag. A subsequent search of Hernandez’ locker by security, pursuant to corporate policy, revealed a backpack containing 8,591 30mg oxycodone pills. The street value of the stolen pills ranges from $170,000 to $250,000.
Oxycodone, also known as “oxy,” is a narcotic analgesic or painkiller and is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. Demand for oxycodone-based prescription pain medication has grown to epidemic proportions in the United States, and dealers profit by selling such medication on the street. Oxycodone-based Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse, and users will often crush and snort the pills or dissolve and inject them to get an immediate high. This abuse can lead to addiction and overdose, and, sometimes death.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert G. Koval, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel V. Shapiro of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crime Unit in Newark.The charge and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel:Hernandez, Edwin Complaint
Member of Multi-State Pharmaceutical Theft Scheme Admits Possession and Sale of Stolen GoodsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Florida man today admitted his role in conspiring to possess a stolen interstate shipment of prescription respiratory medicine manufactured by a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., that was stolen while on route by tractor-trailer from Texas to a customer in Florida, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Reynaldo Tapanes, 46, of Miami, Fla., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to an Information charging him with conspiring to possess the stolen prescription medicine, as well as an additional count of conspiracy to receive and sell stolen L’Oreal hair care products.
On May 3, 2012, Tapanes was charged in a Complaint with conspiracy to deal in stolen goods with Ernesto Romero-Vidal, a/k/a “Bemba,” of Hallandale, Fla.; Rocke R. Lopez-Batista, a/k/a “El Nino;” and Ariel Garcia, of Coral Gables, Fla. Tapanes and Romero-Vidal were charged with conspiracy to receive and sell the stolen L’Oreal hair care products, and Tapanes, Lopez-Batista, and Garcia were charged with conspiracy to possess the stolen Mylan pharmaceuticals. Romero-Vidal and Lopez-Batista were also charged with conspiracy to receive and sell stolen Sandoz prescription respiratory medicine.
Eight other defendants were also charged on May 3, 2012, in two separate Complaints, as part of the same long-term investigation by the FBI into illegal trafficking of pharmaceuticals and other stolen goods.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 8, 2009, a tractor-trailer containing pharmaceutical products manufactured by a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., was stolen in Tampa. Mylan has estimated the value of the stolen pharmaceuticals – which included Ipratropium Bromide Inhalation and Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solutions – to have a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of approximately $264,000.
Tapanes admitted that from September 2009 through October 2009, he conspired with others to possess the stolen prescription respiratory medicine. On Oct. 20, 2009, Tapanes and a conspirator delivered samples of the stolen prescription medicine to a confidential source in Elizabeth, N.J. Nine days later, Tapanes and a conspirator delivered a tractor-trailer containing the stolen prescription respiratory medicine to the confidential source. Tapanes admitted that he received a payment. Later that same day of $140,000 in cash at the home of one of the conspirators in payment for the sale and delivery of the stolen prescription respiratory medicine.
Tapanes admitted he conspired with others to receive and sell the stolen L’Oreal hair care products. On Oct. 21, 2009, Tapanes and a conspirator delivered the stolen L’Oreal hair care products to a warehouse in Newark. The products had been shipped from Ohio and were destined for a customer in Florida when they were stolen in Florida in August 2008. L’Oreal has estimated the value of the stolen hair care products – which included shampoo, mousse, and hair color gels – to have a WAC of approximately $330,000. Tapanes also admitted that he and a conspirator received approximately $40,000 in cash from a confidential source in a Toys-R-Us parking lot in North Bergen, N.J., for the sale and delivery of the stolen goods.
The charges against the other defendants remain pending. These charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.On both of the conspiracy counts, Tapanes faces a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen; and detectives of the North Bergen Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert J. Dowd, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Litigation Counsel Leslie Faye Schwartz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane H. Yoon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
13-032Defense Counsel: John C. Whipple Esq., Chatham, N.J.
Tapanes, Reynaldo Information
Hudson County, N.J., Man Indicted for Distributing Images of Child Sexual Abuse over the InternetRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, N.J., man was charged today in an Indictment with one count each of possessing and distributing images of child sex abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jonathan Martin, 23, of Jersey City, N.J., and Short Hills, N.J., was previously arrested on a Complaint and is currently in federal custody.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
On August 7, 2012, special agents of the FBI executed a search warrant at Martin’s Jersey City residence and seized digital evidence containing more than 2000 images depicting child sexual abuse, including prepubescent minors and portrayals of sadistic or masochistic conduct. The digital evidence seized included 50 files previously downloaded from Martin by law enforcement agents working in an undercover capacity on a publicly available peer-to-peer network.
On the distribution count, Martin faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Acting Police Director Robert Kakoleski and Chief Thomas Comey with the investigation leading to today’s Indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Alan Zegas Esq., Chatham, N.J.Martin, Jonathan Indictment
Former Employee of Concrete and Material Company Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former employee of Atlantic County Concrete and Material Co. admitted today evading federal income taxes on nearly $700,000 she received in 2008, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Nancy Armienti, 59, of Elmer, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden federal court to an Information charging her with one count of tax evasion.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
During 2008, Armienti took $589,947 from her employer through cash withdrawals and payments to QVC for items she ordered. Armienti created false business expense records to conceal her receipt of these funds and instructed the company’s bookkeeper to record the cash withdrawals and QVC payments as business expenses. Armienti failed to file a 2008 federal income tax return and failed to pay the IRS the income tax due on the $682,129 in total income she received in 2008.
The tax evasion charge to which Armienti pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing is currently scheduled for April 23, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. David Walk Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Richard Coughlin Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden
Armienti, Nancy Information
Hudson County, N.J., Pediatrician Charged with Fraudulently Billing Medicaid for Nearly $1 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, N.J., pediatrician was arrested at his home this morning for fraudulently billing Medicaid $900,000 for wound-repair treatments on children that were never rendered, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Badawy M. Badawy, M.D., 50, of Bayonne, N.J., a licensed pediatrician who owns and operates Sinai Medical Center of Jersey City LLC, a medical practice focusing primarily on pediatrics and family medicine, billed Medicaid thousands of times for nearly $900,000 worth of wound repairs on children and adolescents. He was charged by Complaint with healthcare fraud and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court.
According to the Complaint:
From January 2004 through December 2008, Badawy billed Medicaid, through its
managed care companies, for certain wound repairs more frequently than any other service provider in the State of New Jersey. His claims for these supposed treatments represented a strong majority of all such claims submitted to Medicaid by all New Jersey medical providers during this time period, including 99.4 percent of all claims for the suturing or stapling of facial wounds larger than 30 centimeters.Virtually all of these claims, which were submitted for supposed wound repairs on children, were fraudulent. Badawy’s patient charts for a large sample of these children who supposedly received treatment revealed no entry, notation, or other evidence, such as suturing or other closing methods, to support his claims that these procedures were actually performed.
The Complaint also identifies by initials 10 children whom Badawy claimed to have treated for wound repairs on numerous occasions.
∙ From April 2004 through June 2007, Badawy purportedly treated three children on 28 separate occasions for a total of 49 procedures involving some type of wound repair. According to the children’s mother, none of these children has ever had a cut that required stitches or other methods of wound closure.
∙ From March 2006 through February 2007, Badawy submitted eight claims for facial wound repairs, including two 30-centimeter facial wound repairs, on a single teenager during four different visits. According to the teenager, he had never seen Badawy for wounds to his face or other body parts.
∙ From July 2005 through July 2007, Dr. Badawy supposedly performed 15 wound repairs, including six 30-centimeter facial wound repairs, on a boy on eight separate occasions. According to the boy, he was never treated for a cut to his face.
The charge of health care fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the crime.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas O’Donnell, and the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Scott B. McBride of the U.S. Attorney’s Health Care and Government Fraud Unit.13-030
Defense counsel: Michael J. Keating Esq., Cranford, N.J.Badawy Complaint
Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Launder Drug Proceeds, Distribution of CocaineRead the Press Release
More than $4M in Cash, 89 Kilograms of Cocaine Seized from Organization
CAMDEN, N.J. – A California man today admitted his role in a drug trafficking organization from which the government has seized $4.6 million and intercepted 89 kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Edgar Bracamonte, 39, of California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to an Information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 to 150 kilograms of cocaine and with one count of conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, U.S. Attorney Fishman announced.
According to documents filed in this case and related cases, and statements made in court:Bracamonte was a member of a sophisticated drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for transporting cocaine from California to New Jersey and elsewhere. In an effort to avoid detection from law enforcement, the cocaine was transported in secret compartments of tractor trailers, including in gas tanks. Once in New Jersey, the cocaine was stored in a warehouse in Passaic County and in “stash houses.” The narcotics proceeds, too, were funneled from New Jersey back to California in hidden compartments of tractor trailers.
From February 2011 through November 2011, law enforcement seized $4.6 million and 89 kilograms of cocaine from the DTO. Fifteen people connected with the DTO have been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, of whom 13 have entered guilty pleas to either conspiracy to distribute narcotics and/or conspiracy to launder money.
The conspiracy to distribute narcotics count to which Bracamonte pleaded guilty is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison and a fine of $10 million. The conspiracy to launder money count is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert G. Koval, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney José R. Almonte of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Angel Navarro Esq., Los Angeles, Calif.
Bracamonte, Edgar Information
Two Newark, N.J., Men Charged with Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Newark, N.J., men are expected to appear in federal court this afternoon after being charged with armed robbery of the Golden Palace jewelry store in Orange, N.J., U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Charles Madison, 41, and Antonio Moore, 44, both of Newark, N.J., are charged by Complaint with one count of robbery and one count of weapon possession. They will make a court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz in Newark federal court.
According to the Complaint:
On August 6, 2012, Madison, Moore, and a co-conspirator agreed to rob the Golden Palace jewelry store. Madison agreed to supply the weapons and serve as the getaway driver, while Moore and the co-conspirator agreed to rob the store at gunpoint. In the early evening of August 6, Moore and the co-conspirator entered the store, pulled stockings over their faces, drew weapons, and demanded that the store’s employees empty all of the jewelry from the display cases.
At one point during the robbery, Moore stated that the employees were taking too long to hand over the jewelry. Moore then approached a 22-year-old female employee and punched her in the head, knocking her against the wall and causing her to collapse to the ground.
After taking approximately $120,000 in jewelry from the store, Moore and the co-conspirator ran into the street and jumped into a white Ford pick-up truck driven by Madison. Approximately one hour later, N.J. State Police pulled over the vehicle on South Orange and Speedway avenues in Newark. All three men were inside. Troopers found dozens of pieces of gold jewelry scattered across the back seat of the car, along with two pairs of stockings and a pair of work gloves. Underneath the car, tucked into the spare tire wheel well, troopers retrieved two firearms, including a semi-automatic handgun with a large-capacity magazine.
If convicted on the robbery charge, both men face maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s Complaint. Fishman also thanked the Orange Police Department and the N.J. State Police for their assistance and cooperation on the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Bruck of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.13-024
Madison, Charles Et. Al. Complaint
Two Essex County, N.J., Men Charged with CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – One of two Essex County, N.J., men arrested in connection with a gunpoint carjacking in March 2012 is expected to make his initial appearances in court today, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sharod Culp, 19, and Anthony Jefferson, 19, both of Newark, are charged by Complaint with one count of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence, and intimidation, and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Culp is scheduled to make his initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz. Jefferson was arrested in Florida and will make his initial court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun 3rd in Tampa federal court.
According to the Complaint:During the morning of March 11, 2012, Culp and Jefferson approached two individuals who were sitting in a parked 2009 Hyundai Sonata in the area of Patterson Street in Newark. Culp pointed a firearm at the victims, and both Culp and Jefferson ordered the victims to get out of the car. After robbing, taunting and threatening the victims, Culp and Jefferson fled the area in the carjacked vehicle.
The carjacking count is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The charge of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other prison term. Each of the two counts also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; the Newark Police Department, under the leadership of Director Samuel A. DeMaio and Chief Sheilah A. Coley; and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray; as well as criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Colone of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Donald McCauley Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, NewarkCulp, Sharod Et. Al. Complaint
Former Jersey City Health & Human Services Assistant Director and Zoning Official Sentenced to 30 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Previously Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Attempted Extortion
NEWARK, N.J. – Former Jersey City Health & Human Services Assistant Director and zoning official Maher A. Khalil was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for conspiring to commit extortion.
Khalil, 42, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an Information charging him with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Khalil admitted he accepted bribes from a government cooperating witness in return for attempting to obtain real estate development approvals for the cooperating witness, and for facilitating bribe payments to other municipal officials.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between March 2008 and July 2009, Khalil accepted a total of $72,500 in corrupt payments from the cooperating witness, Solomon Dwek, in exchange for his official influence as a Jersey City official in favor of Dwek and for facilitating introductions and corrupt payments to other municipal officials willing to accept corrupt payments for helping Dwek obtain development approvals. Khalil accepted cash bribe payments on numerous occasions in exchange for assistance in obtaining approvals for a property on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City.
Khalil also said he accepted bribe payments from Dwek after arranging meetings between Dwek and various Jersey City municipal officials who, in exchange for corrupt payments, would help Dwek get approvals.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares sentenced Khalil to one year of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit $72,500.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; and IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccion, for its role in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.
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Defense counsel: Michael F. Pedicini Esq., Morristown, N.J.Former Citibank Employee Convicted for Stealing and Hiding More Than $1.3 Million from Wall Street Titan William SalomonRead the Press Release
Also Convicted of Failing to Pay More Than $250,000 in Taxes
NEWARK, N.J. – A former Citibank employee was convicted today of stealing more than $1.3 million from William Salomon, a 98-year-old former managing partner of Salomon Brothers, which was later acquired by Citibank, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.Karen Febles, 48, of Wallington, N.J., who worked as an executive assistant for Citibank, helping Salomon with his personal and professional finances, was convicted by a jury of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, and two counts of tax evasion, after a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court.
“Karen Febles took advantage of her position as an executive assistant to loot her employer’s bank accounts of nearly $2 million,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “By betraying her employer’s trust, Febles financed a luxurious lifestyle she could not otherwise have afforded. Today’s jury verdict ensures she will soon find out the true cost of her choices.”Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, Shantelle P. Kitchen said, “This case shows that the appearance of success can be a mask for a tangled web of financial lies. Today, justice is served as Karen Febles is being held responsible and will now have to face judgment for her criminal conduct.”
Acting Special Agent David Velazquez said: “The FBI remains committed to vigorously investigating individuals who violate positions of trust. Karen Febles took advantage of her unique relationship with her employer in order to fulfill her selfish need for luxurious items and trips. Today’s verdict sends a message to others, in similar positions of trust, that these activities will be fully investigated by the FBI.”
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
From at least 2000 through September 2011, Febles worked as an executive assistant for Citibank in New York City. Her duties included assisting Salomon with his finances. As part of her employment, Febles had exclusive control over Mr. Salomon’s bank accounts and routinely prepared and negotiated checks on his behalf. Febles was terminated by Citibank in September 2011.Between 2007 and September 2011, at least $1.3 million of Mr. Salomon’s funds went from his bank accounts directly into Febles’ 21 bank accounts, including two accounts that she maintained for her minor son. A review of hundreds of checks written by Febles revealed that the checks had been altered by Febles – after they had been signed by Mr. Salomon – to add additional sums of money. Once issued, Febles negotiated many of these checks, in cash, for the altered amount.
At the same time that more than $900,000 in checks and almost $400,000 cash went from Mr. Salomon’s bank accounts into Febles’ accounts, Febles spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury purchases. These included, in just a five-month period in 2011, $52,720 in cash for a 2011 Range Rover; $34,650 in cash for a Mercedes-Benz; $43,200 in cash for one year’s rent of a three-bedroom home in Clifton, N.J.; and more than $45,000 in cash for six months’ rent on two apartments in Palisades Park, N.J. Febles’ purchases also included more than $115,000 on vacation and travel expenses; $56,000 rent on a four-bedroom home in Mahwah, N.J.; more than $20,000 on other automobile payments; and more than $20,000 on personal expenses, including entertainment, meals, travel, and clothing. During this time, Febles never earned more than $50,000 per year in take-home pay from Citibank.
In addition to the evidence of Mr. Salomon’s money going into Febles’ bank accounts and the evidence of Febles’ expenditures, the evidence at trial also established that Febles transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars that she stole from Mr. Salomon from her accounts into custodial bank accounts that she maintained for her minor son. The jury found that Febles transferred these funds to her son in order to conceal her bank and wire frauds.
In the tax years 2009 and 2010, Febles failed to disclose to the IRS any of the money that she stole from Mr. Salomon. In those two years, she claimed tax refunds of $14,839 and $9,293, respectively. Had Febles disclosed the money that she stole from Mr. Salomon on her tax returns in 2009 and 2010, she would have owed almost $70,000 to the United States in 2009 and more than $200,000 to the United States in 2010.
The bank fraud count carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Each of the four counts of wire fraud carry a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Each of the three counts of money laundering carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each of the two counts of tax evasion carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Kitchen in Newark, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Velazquez in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s conviction.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Mendelsohn of the Economic Crimes Unit and Evan Weitz of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
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Defense counsel: Edward J. McQuat and Richard Langweber, New York
Camden County, N.J., Man Admits Illegal Sale of 14 GunsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, N.J., man today admitted selling guns without a license and illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Eric J. Reed, 44, of Pennsauken, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to an Information charging him with one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of transferring a firearm to a previously convicted felon.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between May 2012 and August 15, 2012, Reed bought 14 firearms from Pennsylvania gun shops and gun shows, which he then transferred for resale to his nephew, Ammie Steward, a/k/a “Beav,” a/k/a “B,” 37, of Pennsauken, a previously convicted felon who served a substantial prison term for manslaughter. Steward then resold the firearms.Reed purchased the firearms in Pennsylvania after fraudulently obtaining a Pennsylvania driver’s license. The 14 firearms included five pistols, seven handguns, and two rifles. Steward sold them to a witness cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Reed also admitted to using a power tool to obliterate the serial numbers on the 14 guns. A number of the firearms were sold along with ammunition magazines, and seven of the guns were sold along with high-capacity magazines. On at least one occasion, Reed purchased and gave to Steward for resale a firearm (a Kel Tec PLR-16 .223-cal. pistol) along with a box of ammunition. On a separate occasion, Reed purchased and then transferred to Steward for resale a rifle that contained a bayonet. All 14 weapons are now in the custody of law enforcement.
On Dec. 19, 2012, Steward, pleaded guilty before Judge Bumb to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 25, 2013.
The illegal dealing count to which Reed pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the transfer of a firearm to a previously convicted felon charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Donald J. Soranno, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Pennsauken Police Department, under the direction of Chief John J. Coffey.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Maggie Moy, Esq., Assistant Federal Public DefenderReed Information
Ocean County, N.J., Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Infant Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, N.J., man today admitted using a computer in his home to distribute images of child pornography, including images of infants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Arthur Frazer Jr., 34, of Lanoka Harbor, N.J., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an Information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Frazer admitted distributing images of infant child pornography via email using a computer located in his residence in December 2010. He also admitted to possessing more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer and accessories, which were seized from his residence in February 2012. Frazer acknowledged that among the images of child pornography he possessed and distributed were images which depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults, including material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. Frazer was previously charged by Complaint with distribution of child pornography in February 2012 and has been in custody since his arrest.
The count to which Frazer pleaded guilty carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, followed by a mandatory minimum of five years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 30, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Squad assigned to Innocent Images, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wolfe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense Counsel: Andrea Bergman Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton
Frazer Information
Contractor Sentenced to Six Months’ Home Confinement for Violating Clean Air Act in Asbestos Removal JobRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Bergen County, N.J., man was sentenced today to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement, for conspiring to violate the federal Clean Air Act by improperly removing asbestos from a building, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Vele Bozinoski, 61, of Elmwood Park, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to an Indictment charging him with violating the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards and with conspiring with others to commit that offense. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
In February 2007, Bozinoski hired workers to remove insulation at the former Garden State Paper Mill, a facility that contained more than 160 linear feet of asbestos-containing material. Bozinoski conspired with others to fail to thoroughly inspect the facility for the presence of asbestos or to notify the Environmental Protection Agency of the presence of asbestos, prior to commencing insulation removal, as was required by federal law. Bozinoski also conspired with others to fail to ensure that material containing asbestos was wet prior to stripping it off pipes and other facility components or to seal asbestos-containing material in leak-tight containers until it was collected for disposal.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; and special agents of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William V. Lometti, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen P. O'Leary of the U.S. Attorney's Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Lori M. Koch Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
Bergen County, N.J., Man Convicted of Distributing, Receiving and Possessing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, N.J., man was convicted today of two counts of distribution of child pornography, two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
The jury returned the guilty verdict against Martin J. Villalobos, 41, of Lodi, N.J., following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
As part of an undercover investigation, special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations discovered an individual sharing images of child pornography over the internet. Agents used the IP address of the computer to identify Villalobos as the individual sharing the child pornography. After obtaining a search warrant, agents found Villalobos in a locked bedroom with eight computer hard drives, more than 100 DVDs and other electronic media. A forensic analysis of the materials found in Villalobos’s bedroom revealed that he was in possession of more than 5,000 photographs and more than 150 videos of minors and prepubescent minors, nude and/or engaged in sexual acts with one another and with adults. Other evidence found in Villalobos’s possession showed that he routinely used the internet to solicit, receive and distribute child pornography.
The receipt and distribution counts each carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The possession count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of ICE HSI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s conviction.
The government is represented Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph B. Shumofsky and Nicholas P. Grippo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Pro se
Newark Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Carjacking and Related CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark man was sentenced today to 150 months in prison for his role in an April 2011 carjacking of a victim at gunpoint in Elizabeth, N.J., U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jirrod Parker, 25, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an Indictment charging him with one count each of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence and intimidation; use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:On April 10, 2011, Parker approached an individual who was walking toward his parked Lexus. Parker pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the individual’s chest and demanded “everything,” including the victim’s car keys and wallet. Parker then drove off in the victim’s Lexus sedan. Shortly thereafter, Parker crashed the stolen Lexus during pursuit by the Elizabeth Police, and fled on foot through a residential area, with a police officer giving chase. Parker attempted to evade the police by breaking into a home, but was apprehended in front of the residence.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Parker to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $7,867.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; the Elizabeth Police Department, under the leadership of Police Director James Cosgrove; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. This case was brought as part of a cooperative effort between federal, state, county and local law enforcement to address a spike in carjacking and related crimes in northern New Jersey.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirley U. Emehelu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.13-018
Defense counsel: Thomas Ashley Esq., NewarkMonmouth County, N.J., Heating and Air Conditioning Operator Sentenced to Five Months in Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Monmouth County man who owned several air conditioning businesses was sentenced today to five months in prison and five months house arrest for evading payment of taxes and penalties over several years, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Mark Trawinski, 59, of Morganville, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an Information charging him with willfully attempting to evade payments of accrued employer’s quarterly federal taxes and the associated trust fund recovery penalties. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Trawinski owned and operated three heating and air conditioning businesses: Air Joy Service, Heating and Cooling Corp.; Air Joy Service Inc.; and Air Joy Sheet Metal. As the owner of those companies, Trawinski was required to report the employment taxes for all his employees to the IRS by filing IRS Form 941. Trawinski was also required to pay to the IRS the employment taxes for his employees on a quarterly basis. For various tax quarters ending between March 31, 2002, and Sept. 30, 2007, Trawinski filed Forms 941 for his various businesses, but did not pay the employment tax liabilities reported.At various times between 2006 and 2008, the IRS assessed $713,759 in Trust Fund Recovery Penalties against Trawinski for the previously assessed employment tax liabilities and started collection actions against him. In 2005, Trawinski purchased a vacation home in Port Orange, Fla., for $1 million, although he caused the deed and mortgage to be placed in his mother’s name. Between 2005 and 2010, Trawinski made $544,673 in mortgage payments with checks drawn on the heating and air conditioning businesses’ bank accounts and other accounts.
In 2007, Trawinski filed a bankruptcy petition in an attempt to have his debts discharged. During the bankruptcy proceeding, he failed to list the Florida vacation home as an asset on his bankruptcy petition.
In June 2009, the Small Business/Self Employment Collections Division of IRS levied several of Trawinski’s bank accounts to recoup the trust fund recovery penalty. In November 2009, Trawinski met with an IRS agent and submitted a Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals, which was signed under penalty of perjury. He failed to disclose his ownership of the Florida vacation home. Trawinski also falsely told the agent that his son ran the heating and cooling business even though his son had no experience in the business. Trawinski further said he was not receiving a salary and that he had no assets or income of any kind.In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Trawinski to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $713,759 to the IRS.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Defense attorney: Michael Mattaliano Esq., Hackensack, N.J.Camden County, N.J., Man Admits Conspiring to Distribute 13 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
Was Free on Bail Pending State Murder Charges at the Time
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, N.J. man today admitted attempting to purchase 13 kilograms of cocaine for distribution in and through New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jamal Herrin, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an Information charging him with one count of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The investigation into Herrin began in April 2012, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Herrin – who was on bail pending state murder charges – was interested in purchasing large quantities of cocaine. Herrin admitted that he negotiated the purchase of 13 kilograms of cocaine and amassed more than $325,000 to purchase the cocaine.Herrin faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 15, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Camden Resident Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert G. Koval in Newark; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; the Rowan University Police Department; the Winslow Township Police Department; the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office; and local law enforcement agencies in support of the Camden division of the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas task force.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Brian J. McMonagle Esq., Philadelphia
Herrin Information
Newark Man Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of A Semiautomatic PistolRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark man with prior felony convictions was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a semiautomatic pistol, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Clarence Noel, 50, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an Information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Walls imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 24, 2011, Noel knowingly possessed a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson Chief’s Special, model CS45, in Newark. Noel was found with the pistol after previous felony convictions.In addition to the prison term, Judge Walls sentenced Noel to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Donald J. Soranno, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Newark Police Department, the N.J. State Police and the acting Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, for their important roles in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lorraine S. Gerson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Peter Carter Esq., Federal Public Defender’s Office, Newark
Former Pennsville, N.J., Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Child Pornography InvestigationRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former Pennsville, N.J., police officer today admitted obstructing the FBI’s investigation of his alleged possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Robert Waterman, 31, of Wrightstown, N.J., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an Indictment charging him with one count of obstruction of a federal investigation in connection with his destruction of a computer hard drive.
According to the Indictment and statements made in court:
Waterman was formerly a police officer with the Pennsville Police Department. On March 4, 2010, while he was still a member of that department, FBI special agents told Waterman that he was being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography. During the plea hearing, Waterman admitted that following this interview with the FBI, he located a hard drive in his garage and placed it in his patrol car. Waterman admitted that he then broke apart the hard drive’s green printed circuit board into small pieces while in his patrol car at the police department. Waterman admitted he did this to obstruct the FBI’s investigation.
The obstruction count to which Waterman pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled sentencing for April 18, 2013. Waterman remains released on a personal recognizance bond of $100,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John Brosnan in Philadelphia with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. Fishman also thanked the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor John T. Lenahan, and officers of the Pennsville Police Department, for their cooperation and assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Skahill and Amy Luria of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.
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Defense counsel: Maggie Moy Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, CamdenWaterman, Robert Indictment
Somerset County, N.J., Man Pleads Guilty to Concealing Income from Undeclared Swiss and Indian Bank AccountsRead the Press Release
Agrees To Pay $2.3M Penalty
NEWARK, N.J. – A Somerset County, N.J., man today admitted using corporations in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars he held in secret bank accounts in Switzerland and India, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced.
Sanjay Sethi, 52, of Watchung, N.J., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an Information charging him with conspiracy to conceal assets in undeclared bank accounts from the IRS.Sethi also failed to file a Report of Foreign Bank or Financial Accounts (FBAR) with respect to his foreign accounts. U.S. citizens who have an interest in, or signature or other authority over, a financial account in a foreign country with assets in excess of $10,000 are required to disclose the existence of such account on Schedule B, Part III, of their individual income tax returns. They must file an FBAR with the U.S.Treasury disclosing any financial account in a foreign country with assets in excess of $10,000 in which they have a financial interest, or over which they have signature or other authority.
“Our criminal laws do not tolerate those who use foreign accounts to conceal their assets,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “Cheating the government out of tax dollars hurts all honest taxpayers.”“This guilty plea serves as another warning to those who still think they can hide their assets offshore through the use of shell companies, nominees, and foreign bank accounts,” said Assistant Attorney General Keneally. “On behalf of all honest taxpayers, we will continue to seek out and prosecute those who engage in these criminal activities.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:Sethi schemed with bankers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland to conceal his assets and income derived from those assets. He used nominee and shell companies formed in tax-haven jurisdictions to conceal his ownership and control of assets from the IRS. Sethi and his co-conspirators used bank accounts in the name of shell companies and nominees, and filed false and fraudulent tax returns with the IRS in order to conceal his ownership of the foreign accounts.
From 2001 to 2009, Sethi met with his co-conspirators and opened numerous undeclared bank accounts in India and Switzerland, and used shell companies to transfer millions of dollars to undeclared offshore accounts. The total tax loss to the Government was between $80,000 and $200,000.
The conspiracy to conceal assets count to which Sethi pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gain from the offense, together with the costs of prosecution. Sethi has agreed to file true and accurate tax returns and to pay to the IRS all taxes and penalties owed, in addition to the $2.4 million penalty imposed for his failure to disclose the foreign accounts. Sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2013.
Fishman credited Special Agents with IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Trial Attorney Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Department of Justice Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mack of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Healthcare and Government Fraud Unit.13-010
Defense counsel: Bryan Skarlatos and Amy Walsh Esqs., New York
Sethi Information
Owners of Charter Fishing and River Cruising Boat Companies Sentenced to Prison, Probation, for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A father and daughter who own and operate Bogan’s Deep Sea Fishing Center in Brielle, N.J., were sentenced today for failing to report or pay income taxes on a large portion of the money they took in while running their business, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
William H. Bogan Sr., 77, was sentenced to six months in prison and six months home confinement with electronic monitoring. His daughter, Sharon Bogan, 47, was sentenced to two years of probation. The defendants previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to Informations charging them with income tax evasion. Judge Wolfson imposed the sentences today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Bogan Sr. and Sharon Bogan owned and operated a number of charter fishing and river cruising boats located in Brielle and Point Pleasant, N.J. From 2004 through 2009, the Bogans kept for their personal use a large portion of the business receipts received by their charter fishing and river cruising boats – primarily payments in the form of cash and checks made out to “Captain Bogan” – and failed to report these receipts on their respective personal income tax returns. William Bogan admitted that in 2006 alone, he failed to report more than $300,000 in income he diverted from the charter fishing and river cruising boats. William Bogan further admitted that he maintained a “second set of books,” which was recovered by special agents of the IRS during a search of his personal residence and which he used to record the amount of income he received but did not report to the IRS.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wolfson sentenced William Bogan to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, with the investigation that resulted in today’s sentences.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel:
William Howard Bogan Sr.: Kevin H. Marino Esq., Chatham, N.J.
Sharon Bogan: Lawrence S. Horn Esq., Newark, N.J.Hunterdon County, N.J., Man Indicted for Social Security Disability FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hunterdon County, N.J., man who previously owned his own private detective firm was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with conspiring to commit Social Security disability fraud, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
David M. Disney, 45, of Alexandria Township and Saddle River, N.J, and formerly of DM Disney & Associates, is charged in a three-count Indictment with conspiring with a former girlfriend to fraudulently obtain $144,000 in disability insurance benefits from the Social Security Administration between 2003 and 2008. Disney appeared in Newark federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz and U.S. District Court Judge Faith S. Hochberg for his initial appearance and arraignment.
According to the Indictment, unsealed today:
As a result of a head injury he suffered in January 2003, Disney applied for disability insurance payments in the fall of 2003, claiming an inability to work, take care of himself or his finances, or even concentrate for more than five minutes. Based on that application, Disney and his two dependent children were deemed eligible for monthly disability benefit payments to replace his lost income. By signing the application, Disney agreed to notify the Social Security Administration if there was any improvement in his medical condition or if he regained the ability to work and earn income. A former girlfriend of Disney’s, who worked for his private detective firm, also signed forms attesting to his inability to work or earn any income.
However, during the time that Disney was receiving disability benefits, he continued to perform surveillance for clients of DM Disney & Associates, to testify before the New York State Workers' Compensation Board on behalf of clients, and even applied to renew his New Jersey Private Detective License and purchase a handgun. Between 2003 and 2008, Disney collected more than $144,000 in monthly disability payments to which he was not entitled by continuing to make false statements to the Social Security Administration and underreporting the income that he was earning.
Disney is charged in Count One of the Indictment with Conspiracy, in Count Two with Social Security Disability Fraud and in Count Three with Theft of Government Property. Counts One and Two are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. On Count Three, Disney faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Edward J. Ryan of the New York Field Division, with the investigation leading to the Indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: James Patton Esq., Livingston, N.J.Disney Indictment
Hudson County, N.J., Teacher Charged with Distributing Images of Child Sexual Abuse over the InternetRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A permanent substitute teacher at a private school in Jersey City was arrested today after law enforcement officers discovered alleged child pornography on a computer at his residence, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Guy West, 44, of Jersey City, N.J., is charged by Complaint with one count of distributing images of child sex abuse over the Internet. West will make his initial court appearance tomorrow before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz in Newark federal court.
According to the criminal Complaint;
On Dec. 18, 2012, West distributed videos and images depicting child sexual abuse on the Internet via peer-to-peer file sharing software, to which others had access in shared directories. Special agents of the FBI executed a search warrant today at West’s residence, seizing digital evidence that contained numerous images depicting child sexual abuse, including material that involved prepubescent minors and material that portrays sadistic or masochistic conduct. The digital evidence seized included three files previously downloaded from West by law enforcement agents working in an undercover capacity on the peer-to-peer network.
On the child pornography distribution count, West faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, the Jersey City Police Department and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Candace Hom Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, NewarkWest, Guy Complaint
Attorney Arrested in Connection with $30 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An attorney formerly licensed in New Jersey was arrested this morning in connection with a long-running, large-scale mortgage fraud scheme which caused losses of more than $30 million, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Michael Rumore, 54, of Lyndhurst, N.J., is charged by Complaint with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and with money laundering. Rumore and seven other co-conspirators were charged by complaint in September 2012. He made his initial appearance and had a bail hearing this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz in Newark.
According to the Complaint:
From September 2006 to May 2008, the Rumore and the other defendants engaged in a long-running, large-scale mortgage fraud conspiracy through a mortgage company called Premier Mortgage Services (“PMS”). The conspirators targeted properties in low-income areas of New Jersey (the “subject properties”). After recruiting “straw buyers,” the defendants used a variety of fraudulent documents to make it appear as though the straw buyers possessed far more assets, and earned far more income, than they actually did. The defendants then submitted these fraudulent documents as part of mortgage loan applications to financial institutions.
Relying on these fraudulent documents, financial institutions provided mortgage loans for the subject properties. The defendants then split the proceeds from the mortgages among themselves and others by using fraudulent settlement statements (“HUD-1s”), which hid the true sources and destinations of the mortgage funds provided by financial institutions. Once the money was entered into accounts they controlled, the defendants shuttled funds among various other accounts, in amounts greater than $10,000 per transaction. In reality, as opposed to the defendants’ false representations and fraudulent documents, the straw buyers had no means of paying the mortgages on the subject properties, and many of the subject properties entered into foreclosure proceedings. In total, the conspirators and others defrauded financial institutions out of more than $30 million.
Rumore, an attorney licensed in the State of New Jersey, served as the settlement agent on mortgage loans brokered by other conspirators – Isaac DePaula, Adilson Silva, and Lester Soto – for various Subject Properties. Rumore used his status as an attorney to further the fraudulent scheme, including by convening closings, receiving funds from lenders, and preparing HUD-1s that purported to reflect the sources and destinations of funds for mortgages on subject properties, when in fact, the HUD-1s were neither true nor accurate. At or following the closings, Rumore disbursed mortgage loan proceeds directly to PMS, Soto, DePaula, and Silva, including amounts not reflected on the HUD-1s. Rumore received a fee for each fraudulent loan in which he participated.
The criminal Complaint charges Rumore with one count of bank fraud conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; and special agents of the IRS, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen for the investigation leading to today’s Complaint. Fishman also thanked the Social Security Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Edward Ryan, for its role in the investigation.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit and Zach Intrater of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack nObama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
The charge and allegations contained in the Complaint against each defendant are merely
accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
13-013Rumore, Michael Complaint
Ocean County, N.J., Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for taking pornographic pictures of two minors, ages 6 and 3, in Pennsylvania, and distributing those pictures to other individuals between 2008 and 2010, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.Dwayne Tucker, 26, of Bayville, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to an Information charging him with one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
“The severe sentence imposed on this defendant is commensurate with the harm he caused his victims,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “As this case shows once again, so-called ‘child pornography’ is the recorded sexual assault of a child. The producers of this material are dangerous and must be treated accordingly by the judicial system.”“This sentence should serve as a warning to those who seek to victimize and rob young children of their innocence,” said Andrew McLees, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Newark. “HSI will maintain its unrelenting commitment to protecting our children by bringing child predators to justice, a fact evidenced by the significant sentence which Tucker received.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:In addition to taking and distributing the pictures, Tucker admitted to possessing more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer and accessories, which were seized from his Bayville residence in December 2010. Tucker acknowledged that among the images of child pornography he possessed were images which depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults, including material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.
Tucker was previously charged by Criminal Complaint with possession of child pornography in December 2010, and by Indictment with distribution and possession of child pornography in February 2012. He has been in custody since his arrest in December 2010.In addition to the prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Tucker to lifetime supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agentsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge McLees, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wolfe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense Counsel: Hal Haveson Esq., Princeton, N.J.
Medical Assistant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bill Medicare for Unlicensed Physician’s ServicesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A medical assistant at a pair of large medical services companies with offices in New Jersey and New York admitted today to conspiring with the companies’ chief executive officer to defraud Medicare over a four-year period by performing illegal, unlicensed physicians’ services for patients, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Mario Roncal, 61, of Woodland Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In 1988, Roncal received a medical degree from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since that time, however, he was never licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey, New York, or any other state in the United States. In 2000 and 2002, Roncal was advised by the N.J. Board of Medical Examiners that he were ineligible to obtain a medical license in New Jersey because his medical school was not accredited and he lacked certain requirements for international medical students to obtain a license in the United States.
From 2004 to the present, Roncal was employed ostensibly as a medical assistant for Cardio-Med Services LLC, in New Jersey, and for Comprehensive Healthcare & Medical Services LLC, in Manhattan and Queens, New York. These companies were owned and operated by the CEO and head physician at Cardio-Med and Comprehensive Healthcare, who is a board-certified cardiologist licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey and New York, and who is identified in the Indictment as the “CEO-Physician.”
According to Roncal, from 2004 through at least 2008, he conspired with the CEO-Physician to cause Cardio-Med and Comprehensive Healthcare to submit false billing claims to Medicare representing that physicians’ services had been provided by the CEO-Physician when those services had, in fact, been provided by Roncal. Roncal admitted that he held himself out to fellow employees and to patients as “Dr. Roncal,” and that he examined new patients as well as the CEO-Physician’s follow-up patients. He also admitted that he ordered diagnostic tests for patients; diagnosed patients with medical conditions, diseases, and the like; and recommended and prescribed courses of treatment, including surgery and enhanced external counter pulsation (or “EECP”), for patients. Roncal stated that he intentionally ordered unnecessary diagnostic tests for the patients he unlawfully treated, and that he willfully misdiagnosed patients with diseases and conditions such as coronary artery disease and angina, for the purpose of fraudulently prescribing and administering treatments of EECP, at the direction of the CEO-Physician. To disguise that he, rather than the CEO-Physician, was providing these physicians’ services to patients, Roncal forged the CEO-Physician’s signature on paperwork associated with these unlawful services, including on prescription pads and patient charts.
The count to which Roncal pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 17, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. O’Donnell; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Marie Kelokates; the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Ryan; IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen; and criminal investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, for the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott B. McBride the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Health Care and Government Fraud Unit.
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Defense counsel: Alan D. Bowman Esq., NewarkRoncal Indictment
Medical Assistant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bill Medicare for Unlicensed Physician’s ServicesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A medical assistant at a pair of large medical services companies with offices in New Jersey and New York admitted today to conspiring with the companies’ chief executive officer to defraud Medicare over a four-year period by performing illegal, unlicensed physicians’ services for patients, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Mario Roncal, 61, of Woodland Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In 1988, Roncal received a medical degree from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since that time, however, he was never licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey, New York, or any other state in the United States. In 2000 and 2002, Roncal was advised by the N.J. Board of Medical Examiners that he were ineligible to obtain a medical license in New Jersey because his medical school was not accredited and he lacked certain requirements for international medical students to obtain a license in the United States.
From 2004 to the present, Roncal was employed ostensibly as a medical assistant for Cardio-Med Services LLC, in New Jersey, and for Comprehensive Healthcare & Medical Services LLC, in Manhattan and Queens, New York. These companies were owned and operated by the CEO and head physician at Cardio-Med and Comprehensive Healthcare, who is a board-certified cardiologist licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey and New York, and who is identified in the Indictment as the “CEO-Physician.”
According to Roncal, from 2004 through at least 2008, he conspired with the CEO-Physician to cause Cardio-Med and Comprehensive Healthcare to submit false billing claims to Medicare representing that physicians’ services had been provided by the CEO-Physician when those services had, in fact, been provided by Roncal. Roncal admitted that he held himself out to fellow employees and to patients as “Dr. Roncal,” and that he examined new patients as well as the CEO-Physician’s follow-up patients. He also admitted that he ordered diagnostic tests for patients; diagnosed patients with medical conditions, diseases, and the like; and recommended and prescribed courses of treatment, including surgery and enhanced external counter pulsation (or “EECP”), for patients. Roncal stated that he intentionally ordered unnecessary diagnostic tests for the patients he unlawfully treated, and that he willfully misdiagnosed patients with diseases and conditions such as coronary artery disease and angina, for the purpose of fraudulently prescribing and administering treatments of EECP, at the direction of the CEO-Physician. To disguise that he, rather than the CEO-Physician, was providing these physicians’ services to patients, Roncal forged the CEO-Physician’s signature on paperwork associated with these unlawful services, including on prescription pads and patient charts.
The count to which Roncal pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 17, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. O’Donnell; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Marie Kelokates; the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Ryan; IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen; and criminal investigators at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, for the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott B. McBride the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Health Care and Government Fraud Unit.
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Defense counsel: Alan D. Bowman Esq., NewarkRoncal Indictment
Founder and President of Venture Development Associates Inc. Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – The founder and president of Venture Development Associates Inc. (“VDA”), a Farmingdale, N.J., company that presents itself as a provider of corporate financing, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for defrauding an Illinois man out of nearly $50,000, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Michael Peniston, 54, of Farmingdale, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to an Information charging him with one count of wire fraud in connection with obtaining nearly $50,000 in a false investment scheme from a victim who resided in La Grange, Ill. As part of his plea agreement, Peniston also agreed to pay back $199,169 to a total of four victims. Judge Thompson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In February 2008, Peniston, through VDA, presented an agreement to the victim that falsely represented that Peniston would use the victim’s capital to acquire “via lease procedure” a “bank instrument” valued at 500,000,000 Euros. The agreement falsely stated that Peniston would use this bank instrument to purchase “Medium Term Notes” that he would sell at a profit, and that he would pay half the profits to the victim investor. That month, in reliance on these false promises, the purported investor made three wire transfers totaling almost $50,000 to a VDA bank account controlled by Peniston.
After these transfers, Peniston and VDA continued to falsely communicate with the investor that the transactions for Medium Term Notes were imminent, and, later, that they had taken place. Later in February, Peniston promised the Illinois investor a $37.4 million payment per week over a period of 40 out of 56 weeks. In April 2008, Peniston sent a letter to the victim, stating that the “transaction” had been concluded and the funds had been forwarded to the Bank of New York.
Peniston never acquired a “bank instrument,” nor any Medium Term Notes. Instead, he spent the investor’s money on personal expenditures.
In late July 2011, Peniston again communicated with the Illinois investor, promising him restitution. To follow up that communication, Peniston faxed the victim a copy of a check for $200,000 and a shipping label, to make it appear that Peniston was providing these funds to an attorney for payment to the victim. Peniston admitted that he made these communications knowing that they were false.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Thompson sentenced Peniston to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Clabby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: David Schafer Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, TrentonFormer New Jersey Law Firm Employee Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Stealing More Than $500,000 from Law FirmRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – The former bookkeeper of a law firm based in Ocean County, N.J., was sentenced to 21 months for defrauding her former employer by stealing more than $500,000 from the firm, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sharon Wetter, 53, of Forked River, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an Information charging her with one count of mail fraud. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Wetter admitted that between 2004 and October 2010, she embezzled from her former employer, referred to in court documents only as the “law firm,” by wrongfully writing checks from the bank accounts of the firm to pay her outstanding personal credit card balances and to make car payments. Wetter concealed those payments by altering the law firm’s electronic books and records to make it appear that the checks were for legitimate business expenses. Wetter, who had access to checks and bank accounts in order to perform her duties as the firm’s bookkeeper, used that access to divert more than $500,000.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Wetter to three years of supervised release, ordered Wetter to make restitution in the amount of $521,596.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Red Bank office of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, for their work in the investigation of this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton Office.13-009
Defense counsel: Anthony Simonetti Esq., Hightstown, N.J.
Former New Jersey Law Firm Employee Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Stealing More Than $500,000 from Law FirmRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – The former bookkeeper of a law firm based in Ocean County, N.J., was sentenced to 21 months for defrauding her former employer by stealing more than $500,000 from the firm, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sharon Wetter, 53, of Forked River, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an Information charging her with one count of mail fraud. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Wetter admitted that between 2004 and October 2010, she embezzled from her former employer, referred to in court documents only as the “law firm,” by wrongfully writing checks from the bank accounts of the firm to pay her outstanding personal credit card balances and to make car payments. Wetter concealed those payments by altering the law firm’s electronic books and records to make it appear that the checks were for legitimate business expenses. Wetter, who had access to checks and bank accounts in order to perform her duties as the firm’s bookkeeper, used that access to divert more than $500,000.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Wetter to three years of supervised release, ordered Wetter to make restitution in the amount of $521,596.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Red Bank office of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, for their work in the investigation of this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton Office.13-009
Defense counsel: Anthony Simonetti Esq., Hightstown, N.J.
Two Essex County, N.J., Men Charged in Connection with Stealing Three Cars in One DayRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Essex County, N.J., men appeared in Newark federal court today in connection with charges arising out of three carjackings that occurred on the same day in March 2012 in Essex and Hudson counties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Louis Holmes, 24, of Newark, is charged in a five-count Complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking; three counts of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence, and intimidation; and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rosendo Perez, 24, of Irvington, is charged in the same Complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking; one count of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence, and intimidation; and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Both were already in state custody when they were charged by Complaint on Dec. 20, 2012. They both made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court today.
According to the criminal Complaint:On the afternoon of March 27, 2012, Holmes and Perez approached two individuals who were sitting in a parked 2009 Acura TL in the area of South 17th Street in Newark. Holmes pointed a firearm at the victims, and both Holmes and Perez ordered the victims out of the car. Holmes and Perez then fled the area in the carjacked vehicle.
That night, Holmes accosted an individual who was approaching a parked 2010 Nissan Maxima, in which another individual was sitting. The car was parked in a McDonald’s parking lot on Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City. Holmes pointed a firearm at the victims, demanded the car keys, and ordered one victim out of the car. Holmes then fled the area in the carjacked vehicle.
One hour later, Holmes approached an individual who was standing near a 2008 Nissan Altima in the area of Mt. Pleasant Avenue in Newark. Holmes pointed a firearm at the victim and demanded the car keys. Holmes then fled the area in the carjacked vehicle.
Leader of Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate Fraud Scheme Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Defrauded Investors in Multiple States and Abroad; Defendant Faces
Up to 25 Years in PrisonTRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, N.J., man today admitted that he ran a real estate investment fraud scheme that caused $200 million in losses and then laundered the proceeds of the scheme, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Eliyahu Weinstein, a/k/a “Eli Weinstein,” a/k/a “Edward Weinstein,” a/k/a “Eddie Weinstein,” 37, of Lakewood, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to two counts of the Indictment pending against him: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Weinstein’s trial on these charges was scheduled to start Jan. 7, 2013. Weinstein’s co-defendant, Vladimir Siforov, is charged in the Indictment with three counts of wire fraud and remains a fugitive.Under the terms of the plea agreement, which Judge Pisano accepted today, Weinstein may be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. He must also provide a full accounting of all monies paid to him during the period covered by the Indictment. Weinstein has also agreed to forfeit $2 million in seized property and pay restitution to the victims of his offenses. Sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2013.
“Weinstein shamelessly exploited investors’ trust, using doctored documents for properties he didn’t own – including in a town that doesn’t exist – and continued to commit crimes while out on bail,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “With false promises of sound investments and charitable donations, he stole $200 million, spending freely on fancy cars, jewelry and gambling trips. And in using victims’ money to collect Judaica, Weinstein robbed from his own community’s present to stockpile artifacts of its past.”FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez said: “Mr. Weinstein came to the wrong conclusion when he assumed he would never be held accountable for his criminal activity. His greed got the best of him and he will pay a heavy price before the law for the frauds he committed.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:From June 2004 through August 2011, Weinstein orchestrated – with the help of Siforov and others – a real estate investment fraud scheme, headquartered in Lakewood, that has resulted in multi-million dollar losses to victim investors.
To induce victims to invest, Weinstein and others made various types of materially false and misleading statements and omissions. Weinstein and others told victims that Weinstein’s inside access to certain real estate opportunities allowed him to buy a particular piece of property at a below-market price. Weinstein and others also told victims that their money would be used to purchase a specific property, and the property would be quickly resold – or “flipped” – to a third-party purchaser that Weinstein had lined up. Victims were also told that the victims’ money would be held in escrow until the closing of a purported real estate transaction.
Weinstein bolstered his lies by creating, and causing to be created, various types of fraudulent documents, including “show checks,” which Weinstein led victims to believe represented Weinstein’s investments in specific transactions, but which in fact were never deposited; forged checks, which had actually been negotiated for small amounts, but which Weinstein altered so as to appear worth millions of dollars; and various kinds of phony legal documents, including mortgages, and deeds.Weinstein and others initially targeted victims from the Orthodox Jewish community to which Weinstein belonged, exploiting his standing in, and knowledge of, the customs and practices of this community to further the scheme. This type of illegal activity is commonly referred to as “affinity fraud,” and refers to investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups, such as religious or ethnic communities, the elderly, or professional groups. The perpetrators of affinity fraud scams frequently are, or pretend to be, members of the group, and they exploit the trust and friendship that exist in groups of people who have something in common.
Weinstein abused the Orthodox community’s practice of engaging in transactions based on trust, and without paperwork, to obtain money from his victims without substantial written records. He would then falsely represent that specific real estate transactions existed, that the victims’ monies were used to fund those transactions, or that the victims’ profits from those transactions were being “rolled” into new investments. Weinstein also used a portion of the fraud’s proceeds to fund “charitable and religious contributions,” which he used to elevate his reputation within the Orthodox Jewish community.By 2010, Weinstein had tarnished his reputation in the Orthodox Jewish community due to the massive losses caused by his fraud scheme and found it difficult to obtain more money to further the scheme from within the Orthodox Jewish community. In April 2010, Weinstein and others began soliciting victims from outside of the Orthodox Jewish community, whom they defrauded out of additional millions of dollars.
Weinstein also used millions of dollars fraudulently obtained from his victims to fund his own lavish spending, including millions of dollars worth of antique Judaica and other artwork; a multi-million dollar collection of jewelry and watches; gambling in Las Vegas and elsewhere; and Weinstein’s personal expenses, including millions of dollars in credit card bills, millions of dollars in legal bills, and luxury car-lease payments.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also credited agents of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for their important contributions to the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Intrater and Gurbir S. Grewal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit and by Rachael A. Honig, Deputy Chief of the Office’s Criminal Division.The charges and allegations against Siforov are merely accusations, and he is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crime.
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Defense counsel: Robert J. Cleary Esq., New York
Weinstein, Eliyahu Indictment
Former High-Ranking N.J. Department of Corrections Official Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for ExtortionRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Lydell B. Sherrer, a former deputy commissioner of the N.J. Department of Corrections (“NJDOC”), was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for attempting to obtain $10,000 from an employee in exchange for securing that person’s continued employment with the department or its private contractor, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sherrer, 53, of Neptune, N.J., who previously served as deputy commissioner of the NJDOC and as assistant commissioner of its Division of Programs and Community Services, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to Count One of an Indictment charging him with the extortion of a cooperating witness identified in court filings as “Individual One.” Sherrer was previously charged in a 12-count Indictment with extortion and bribery for soliciting money from five separate employees or former employees of NJDOC between February 2010 and October 2010 in exchange for his official action and assistance. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:Following Individual One’s layoff notice from the NJDOC in April 2010, Sherrer said he could secure Individual One’s continued employment with the NJDOC or with private entities that contracted with the NJDOC in exchange for $10,000. Sherrer admitted that on May 17, 2010, he accepted $5,000 in cash from Individual One as an installment of the agreed upon $10,000. Sherrer said he solicited and received $69,000 in bribes between 2006 and 2008 from the five individuals identified in the Indictment and from three additional people. Sherrer agreed to forfeit $9,000, which represented proceeds of his criminal activity, and to pay approximately $22,500 in restitution.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Sherrer to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $22,500 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked the N.J. Department of Corrections Special Investigation Division for their cooperation and assistance throughout the investigation.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Skahill and J Fortier Imbert of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.
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Defense counsel: Lisa Van Hoeck Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, TrentonMorris County, N.J., Man Admits Distributing Images of Child Sexual Abuse over the InternetRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, N.J., man today admitted possessing and distributing over the Internet images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Khalil Survey, 39, of Lake Hiawatha, N.J., was previously arrested on a Complaint and later charged by Indictment with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. He pleaded guilty to both counts of the Indictment today before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court.According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Survey's home on August 4, 2011, and seized a computer, an iPhone, and several electronic storage devices that contained images and videos of child pornography. The devices included 46,353 images of child sexual abuse, including 983 images involving infants or toddlers and 783 images involving sadomasochistic abuse. On Survey’s iPhone law enforcement found photographs he had taken of himself downloading child pornography onto his home computer.
On the distribution count, Survey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees in Newark, with the investigation leading to today's guilty plea.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Bruck of the U.S. Attorney's Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
13-001Defense counsel: Joseph Rotella Esq., Newark
Survey Indictment