Northern District of New York
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Attorney General William P. Barr Announces the Designation of Antoinette T. Bacon as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New YorkRead the Press Release
Attorney General William P. Barr announced today that Antoinette T. Bacon has been designated as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 3345(a)(3). Bacon will replace U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, who announced his resignation upon his appointment as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
As Acting U.S. Attorney, Bacon will serve as the Northern District of New York’s chief federal law enforcement officer, supervising an office of approximately 49 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 49 support staff, and 15 contract support staff. Bacon will be responsible for prosecuting federal criminal offenses and representing the United States in civil litigation in the district.
“I am pleased that the President has designated Toni Bacon as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Her contributions to the initiatives she oversaw while working for the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are a testament to her relentless commitment to protect and serve all Americans. I know the Northern District will find Toni to be an exceptional prosecutor and dedicated leader.”
“I’m honored and humbled to be designated as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. I look forward to working tirelessly with my fellow federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to continue the effort to make the community safe for all,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon. “I thank Grant Jaquith, a fellow career prosecutor, for his three decades in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and wish him well in his new role on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. His selfless service is truly inspiring.”
Prior to her appointment, Bacon served as the Department’s National Elder Justice Coordinator. During her tenure, Bacon spearheaded three of the largest sweeps of Elder Fraud cases, expanded the Department’s efforts to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting older Americans, and launched the Money Mule Initiative and National Nursing Home Initiative to protect older Americans from fraud schemes and abuse.
As an Associate Deputy Attorney General, she assisted the Deputy Attorney General in formulating and implementing policies, including the landmark, bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Legislation – The First Step Act.
Bacon is a seasoned and recognized litigator, most notably for leading prosecutions of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio (NDOH). In the NDOH, she earned her reputation for her commitment to root out corruption. She successfully prosecuted nearly 100 targets and led one of the largest corruption cases in this country’s history. Dubbed the Cuyahoga County Corruption Case, this nine-year investigation involved the prosecution of 60+ public officials and business executives, including a County Commissioner, a County Auditor, a Cleveland City Council member, two sitting judges, nine attorneys including five former prosecutors, two union leaders, and two senior hospital executives. The prosecution inspired an overhaul in Cuyahoga County government.
Following her outstanding efforts in NDOH, Bacon went on to serve as the national White Collar Crime Coordinator at the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where she collaborated with prosecutors in all 94 U. S. Attorney’s Offices, federal agencies, law makers, corporate counsel, and other stakeholders to address our nation’s most serious economic crime threats.
Bacon first joined the Department of Justice through the Honors Program, as a Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division, where she investigated international price fixing cartels. Prior to joining the Antitrust Division, Antoinette clerked for the Honorable Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Virginia. She earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government from American University.
Attorney General William P. Barr Announces the Designation of Antoinette T. Bacon as Acting U.s. Attorney for the Northern District of New YorkRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Attorney General William P. Barr announced today that Antoinette T. Bacon has been designated as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 3345(a)(3). Bacon will replace U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, who announced his resignation upon his appointment as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
As Acting U.S. Attorney, Bacon will serve as the Northern District of New York’s chief federal law enforcement officer, supervising an office of approximately 49 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 49 support staff, and 15 contract support staff. Bacon will be responsible for prosecuting federal criminal offenses and representing the United States in civil litigation in the district.
“I am pleased that the President has designated Toni Bacon as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Her contributions to the initiatives she oversaw while working for the Office of the Deputy Attorney General are a testament to her relentless commitment to protect and serve all Americans. I know the Northern District will find Toni to be an exceptional prosecutor and dedicated leader.”
“I’m honored and humbled to be designated as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. I look forward to working tirelessly with my fellow federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to continue the effort to make the community safe for all,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon. “I thank Grant Jaquith, a fellow career prosecutor, for his three decades in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and wish him well in his new role on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. His selfless service is truly inspiring.”
Prior to her designation, Bacon served as the Department’s National Elder Justice Coordinator. During her tenure, Bacon spearheaded three of the largest sweeps of Elder Fraud cases, expanded the Department’s efforts to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting older Americans, and launched the Money Mule Initiative and National Nursing Home Initiative to protect older Americans from fraud schemes and abuse.
As an Associate Deputy Attorney General, she assisted the Deputy Attorney General in formulating and implementing policies, including the landmark, bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Legislation – The First Step Act.
Bacon is a seasoned and recognized litigator, most notably for leading prosecutions of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio (NDOH). In the NDOH, she earned her reputation for her commitment to root out corruption. She successfully prosecuted nearly 100 targets and led one of the largest corruption cases in this country’s history. Dubbed the Cuyahoga County Corruption Case, this nine-year investigation involved the prosecution of 60+ public officials and business executives, including a County Commissioner, a County Auditor, a Cleveland City Council member, two sitting judges, nine attorneys including five former prosecutors, two union leaders, and two senior hospital executives. The prosecution inspired an overhaul in Cuyahoga County government.
Following her outstanding efforts in NDOH, Bacon went on to serve as the national White Collar Crime Coordinator at the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where she collaborated with prosecutors in all 94 U. S. Attorney’s Offices, federal agencies, lawmakers, corporate counsel, and other stakeholders to address our nation’s most serious economic crime threats.
Bacon first joined the Department of Justice through the Honors Program, as a Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division, where she investigated international price fixing cartels. Prior to joining the Antitrust Division, Antoinette clerked for the Honorable Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Virginia. She earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government from American University.
Letter Carrier Indicted for Stealing from the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Thomas J. Joslin, age 57, of North Syracuse, New York, made his initial appearance today on charges that he stole gift cards from mail entrusted to him when he was a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. The charges were announced by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
The indictment alleges that Joslin stole gift cards from multiple pieces of mail intended for delivery to other people on various dates in 2019. The three felony charges in the indictment each carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Troy Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Selvin Joiner, age 29, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to distributing crack cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division.
Joiner admitted that on June 28, 2020, he sold approximately 26 grams of cocaine base (a/k/a crack cocaine) to a buyer in Troy.
Joiner faces up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years, and a fine of up to $1 million, when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Fredrick J. Scullin, Jr. on December 9, 2020. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the DEA and its Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Giglio Suarez.
Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Crack Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert J. Chaires, age 40, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to twice distributing crack cocaine in 2017.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Chaires admitted that on January 20, 2017 and again on March 2, 2017, he sold more than 28 grams of cocaine base (a/k/a crack cocaine) to a buyer in Schenectady.
Chaires faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. on December 8, 2020. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Schenectady Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Saratoga County Drug Dealer Sentenced to 20 Years for Fentanyl Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Steven M. Boice, age 30, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for distributing furanyl fentanyl that caused an overdose death in Saratoga County in February 2017.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Saratoga Springs Police Department Chief Shane Crooks.
In pleading guilty in November 2019, Boice admitted that he sold controlled substances, including furanyl fentanyl, from his residence in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Early on February 3, 2017, he sold approximately 50 small envelopes, each containing furanyl fentanyl, to B.L., a Saratoga County man who overdosed and died that same day. Boice has also admitted that when B.L. arrived at his house on February 3, B.L. seemed incoherent, but Boice sold him drugs anyway. B.L. ingested some of the fentanyl while at Boice’s residence and fell down while leaving. Boice and his roommate put B.L. on their back porch in the cold air and sat with him for approximately 45 minutes, slapping him to keep him awake. B.L. “snapped back into it,” according to Boice, and left Boice’s residence. B.L. died at home later on February 3 after ingesting more fentanyl sold to him by Boice. (The roommate died months later, also due to a drug overdose.)
United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith stated: “Steven Boice did not care whether his customers lived or died. Today’s sentence holds him responsible for the avoidable and senseless death of a young man, and the daily pain and suffering of that man’s wife and parents. Heroin and fentanyl dealers should take notice that they are accountable for the overdoses of their customers, and that a 20-year prison term could be in their future.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan stated: “Too many lives were changed because of a drug transaction in Saratoga Springs. This investigation traced a drug overdose to a local drug trafficker whose actions caused a man’s death, a family’s loss, and a 20-year prison sentence. This case also emphasizes the consequences of drug trafficking and reminds traffickers that law enforcement won’t rest until those responsible are brought to justice.”
Saratoga Springs Police Chief Shane Crooks stated: “Today, thanks to the hard work of all agencies involved, Steven Boice was held accountable for his actions. While this does not remove the pain that the family of B.L. has gone through, I can only hope that it will help bring them some closure.”
On February 10, 2017 – a week after B.L.’s death – law enforcement executed a search warrant on Boice’s residence in downtown Saratoga Springs, and found furanyl fentanyl packaged for sale and 2 firearms. Boice admitted to possessing a total of 363 green-colored envelopes containing furanyl fentanyl.
Boice also admitted to possessing 2 firearms to protect his drugs and drug proceeds. When law enforcement entered his house on February 10, 2017, Boice had a loaded Mossberg Maverick shotgun, leaning against a wall of his bedroom and directly next to the door, and a loaded DPMS Panther Arms .223-5.56 mm semi-automatic rifle, under his bed.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, to begin after Boice’s release from prison.
This case was investigated by the DEA and its Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force; the Saratoga Springs Police Department; and the New York State Police. The Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Capital Region Gang Member Sentenced to over 16 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Darrell Chapman, also known as “Bishop” and “Sly Foxx,” age 40, was sentenced today to 198 months in prison for narcotics and gun offenses.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett, and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Chapman is a self-described founder of the East Bishop Family, a set of the Bloods operating in the Capital Region. In pleading guilty, Chapman admitted to regularly obtaining distribution-size quantities of cocaine and heroin in New York City, which he and others sold in the Albany area. In addition to Albany, Chapman’s drug-distribution operations reached as far as Rochester, New York, and to Pennsylvania.
In the early-morning hours of October 18, 2017, Chapman was stopped returning to Albany from New York City with 250 grams of heroin. Later in the day, law enforcement seized over 100 grams of cocaine from Chapman’s jewelry store, “The Freezer,” on South Pearl Street in Albany, and seized digital scales, a money counter, and $3,910 in cash from Chapman’s home in Rensselaer. In searching a Chevy Malibu parked behind Chapman’s home, law enforcement seized approximately 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, cutting agent, and additional digital scales. Law enforcement also seized four handguns and two rifles, some of which were loaded, and over 100 rounds of ammunition. Chapman admitted he used the guns to protect his drugs and drug proceeds.
In 1997 and 1998, Chapman was convicted in state court of robbery, attempted robbery, and criminal sale of a controlled substance, and was on parole at the time of his arrest on October 18, 2017.
Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release, to begin after Chapman is released from prison. The terms of Chapman’s supervise release prohibit him from associating with any member, associate, or prospect of the Bloods, or any other criminal gang, club, or organization.
This case was investigated by the New York State Police and FBI, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck.
Cayuga County Man Charged with Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard J. Potter, Jr., age 55, of Springport, New York, was arrested today on charges of receipt of child pornography and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Potter appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks. A registered sex offender based on a 2003 state felony conviction related to the sexual abuse of a minor, Potter was ordered detained pending the resolution of his case.
The criminal complaint unsealed today alleges that Potter used a computer to receive images and videos of child pornography from the Internet, and stored thousands of digital copies of those images and videos on cellular telephones. In addition, Potter is alleged to be in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun following a previous felony conviction.
If convicted of receipt of child pornography, Potter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years and a maximum term of 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Computer Crimes Unit (CCU), and the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Utica Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Aaron Bohannon, 53, of Utica, New York, pled guilty yesterday to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2020, at which time Bohannon faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 50 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Bohannon also will be required to register as sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
As part of his guilty plea, Bohannon admitted that he sexually exploited his victim from at least 2018 through June of 2019, recorded the abuse, and distributed the sexually explicit material to others. Bohannon further admitted that he distributed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors.
This case was investigated by the New York State Police, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Utica Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Troy Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Distributing Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Hakeem Mauzon, age 29, of Troy, New York, was sentenced on Tuesday to 63 months in prison for distributing crack cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division.
Mauzon was also ordered by Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby to serve a period of 4 years of supervised release following his term of incarceration, and to forfeit to the government $4,560 in proceeds from his drug trafficking activity.
Mauzon pled guilty to distributing over 28 grams of crack cocaine in November 2018 in Troy. At his guilty plea, Mauzon admitted to selling crack cocaine on three other occasions in 2018 in Troy, for a total of approximately 200 grams among the four sales.
This case was investigated by the DEA and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Giglio Suarez.
Herkimer County Woman Sentenced to Serve 18 Months for Stealing Social Security FundsRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Shannon Hardy Sekel, age 33, of Herkimer, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 18 months in federal prison for her guilty pleas to Conspiracy to Steal Government Funds and Bank Fraud, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Special Agent in Charge John Grasso-Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General (“SSA-OIG”), New York Field Division, and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.
The sentence imposed yesterday followed the defendant’s guilty plea in May 2018, in which Sekel admitted that she conspired from 2009 to 2013 with her mother, TammyLynn Sterling Barthelmess, to steal the social security benefits paid to D.W., a deceased man whose death was unknown to the Social Security Administration. D.W.’s remains were discovered in an advanced state of decomposition inside a dog-crate behind an unoccupied house owned by TammyLynn Sterling Barthelmess, Sekel’s mother and co-conspirator. Following the death of D.W., Barthelmess and Shannon Hardy Sekel used his checking account to steal Social Security retirement benefits that were deposited in the account each month. Barthelmess and Sekel wrote hundreds of checks from D.W.’s checking account until the payments stopped in May 2013 after his skeletonized remains were found and reported to Little Falls Police. Thereafter, an investigation conducted by the New York State Police and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General determined that Social Security retirement payments paid into D.W.’s checking account following his death were stolen by Sekel and Barthelmess.
In imposing sentence yesterday, Shannon Hardy Sekel was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release following completion of her prison sentence, and ordered to pay restitution (with her co-conspirator) to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) in the amount of $110,910.00.
Sekel’s co-conspirator, TammyLynn Sterling Barthelmess, pled guilty during trial on February 26, 2020, and was sentenced on August 5, 2020 to serve 24 months in prison, a three (3) year term of supervised release, and ordered to pay (with Sekel) $110,910.00 restitution to the U.S. Social Security Administration.
This case was investigated by the United States Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG”), the New York State Police, and the City of Little Falls Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamara B. Thomson and Richard R. Southwick, with assistance from the Herkimer County District Attorney’ Office.
Halfway House Escapee Sentenced to 21 MonthsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Autumn Saglimbeni, age 35, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for escaping from Horizon House Residential Re-entry Center on November 7, 2019, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.
Saglimbeni pled guilty on March 11, 2020. As part of her guilty plea, she admitted that in October 2015, she was committed to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for a term of 77 months, and that, while she was serving the remainder of her prison term at a federal halfway house, she left the halfway house without permission.
In addition to a term of imprisonment, Saglimbeni will be required to serve a post-imprisonment supervised release term of 3 years.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
Greene County Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Thomas Squires, age 35, of Cairo, New York, was arrested yesterday and charged with attempting to entice a child.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The criminal complaint alleges that between July 27, 2020 and August 19, 2020, Squires exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator who was posing as a child. In those messages, Squires repeatedly asked the child for naked photos of the child, and sent photos of his own genitalia. Squires further asked to meet the child in person at a pre-determined location in Cairo, to engage in sexual acts with the child in his car. On August 19, 2020, Squires traveled from his residence in Cairo to the pre-determined location to meet and have sex with the child. Squires was encountered by law enforcement upon his arrival and arrested.
Squires appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Christian Hummel, and was detained pending a detention hearing set for August 24.
The charge filed against Squires carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Williams.
Anyone who wants to provide law enforcement with information about the defendant should contact the FBI Albany Field Office at (518) 465-7551.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Bronx Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – William Gonzalez, age 56, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty on Tuesday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
As part of his guilty plea, Gonzalez admitted that between August 2018 and September 2019, he distributed at least 5 kilograms of cocaine to a co-conspirator by meeting the co-conspirator in a parking lot in Saratoga Springs, New York, and exchanging cocaine for cash. Gonzalez admitted that he knew the co-conspirator would further redistribute the cocaine. Gonzalez further admitted that on September 25, 2019, he sold 1 kilogram of cocaine to the co-conspirator in exchange for cash.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2021 before Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, at which time Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and a maximum sentence of up to life in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The defendant agreed in his plea agreement to forfeit to the United States the proceeds of his illegal activity.
The following co-defendants were previously charged and/or sentenced:
On July 13, 2020, Nestor Cordero-Hernandez was sentenced to 87 months in prison to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.
On March 12, 2020, Victor Aguero Vasquez was indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and distribution of cocaine. On November 22, 2019, April Allen was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charges against these defendants are merely allegations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
Green Island Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK - Arthur Gurbey, age 48, of Green Island, New York, pled guilty on August 12 to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Sentencing is scheduled for December 15, 2020 before Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. Gurbey faces a minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
As part of his guilty plea, Gurbey admitted that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with a person he believed to be a 15-year old girl, whom he attempted to meet in person in Saratoga County, on November 27, 2018. He also admitted to using his cellphone to receive images and videos of child pornography. A forensic review of Gurbey’s phone revealed that it contained over 100 image and video files depicting the sexual abuse of children
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. Powers.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Texas Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Computer Hacking and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK –Tyler C. King, age 31, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with his hacking of a New York-based technology company.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith stated: “Tyler King hacked into a major technology company, damaged its systems, stole its data, and laughed about it, all from the comfort of his sofa in Texas. He will now serve 57 months in federal prison. Those interested in hiding behind their keyboards to steal information and damage property should take today’s sentence as a stark reminder that computer hacking is a serious business with serious consequences. I thank the FBI for its exceptional work in bringing King to justice.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Relford stated: “This kind of behavior is not a prank, and it isn’t harmless. Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder that cybercrime is a serious threat and the FBI is prepared to go to any lengths to apprehend criminals like Mr. King.”
Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy ordered King to serve a 2-year term of supervised release, to begin after King is released from prison, and to pay a fine of $15,000 and $21,159 in restitution.
The evidence at King’s 5-day trial, in November 2019, established that he conspired with Ashley St. Andria in 2015 to gain access to the computer network of a New York-based technology company that employed St. Andria. While on the company’s network, King and St. Andria created unauthorized administrator accounts that gave them access to proprietary company information, including real-time access to the emails of senior company executives, personnel files, and financial records.
In response to the company shutting down the fake administrator accounts, King regained access to the network with the assistance of St. Andria, stole proprietary business records, and – through a series of sophisticated steps, including the use of password-cracking programs – bypassed the company’s security measures. In doing so, King illegally used the credentials of two company employees based overseas. The jury convicted King of conspiring to commit computer fraud, computer fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
In June 2020, King pled guilty to obstructing justice by falsifying evidence for use at his November 2019 trial.
King’s co-conspirator, Ashley St. Andria, age 31, of Irving, Texas, pled guilty to computer fraud on August 15, 2018 and was sentenced by Judge McAvoy to time served, and 2 years of supervised release, in March 2020.
This case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne A. Myers and Joshua R. Rosenthal.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to Nearly Eight Years in Prison for 110 Gang-Related RICO ConvictionRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jason Lebron, 28, of Syracuse, NY, was sentenced today to serve 92 months in federal prison based on his previous guilty plea for violating the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Chief Kenton Buckner, City of Syracuse Police Department.
In imposing sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also ordered Lebron to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment. As part of his guilty plea, Lebron admitted that he was a member of the 110 Gang operating in the city of Syracuse, and that he repeatedly distributed cocaine base (“crack”) in the gang’s territory. In imposing sentence, the Court found that the 110 Gang members regularly possessed and used firearms to facilitate their drug trafficking, and that the defendant was aware of such use.
Jason Lebron was one of 14 defendants charged with violating RICO based on their membership in the 110 Gang. The other 13 men have all pled guilty or been convicted at trial. Co-defendant Damani Prince was sentenced in October 2019 to 6.5 years in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release; and co-defendant Rashawn Wynn was sentenced in July 2020 to 92 months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release. The remaining defendants in the case are awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Syracuse Police Department, and the Gang Violence Task Force, which consists of members of the Syracuse Police, the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Corrections, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas Commandeur and Kristen Grabowski.
This prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
ValueWise CEO Michael Mann Pleads Guilty to $100 Million FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael T. Mann, age 50, of Saratoga County, New York, pled guilty today to orchestrating a years-long fraud that caused more than $100 million in losses to banks, financing companies, and other businesses.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Mann operated ValueWise Corporation, based in Clifton Park, New York, as well as subsidiary companies including MyPayrollHR.com LLC. In pleading guilty, he admitted that from 2013 to September 2019, he engaged in a fraudulent scheme to deceive banks and financing companies into loaning his companies tens of millions of dollars. Because Mann could not repay the loans with legitimate business revenues, he expanded the fraud, by stealing and diverting millions of dollars that were entrusted to his payroll companies, and engaging in the daily kiting of millions of dollars among bank accounts he controlled.
Mann’s scheme collapsed in early September 2019, when one of his banks froze his accounts, setting off a chain of events that left his payroll companies unable to make payroll for hundreds of small business customers nationwide.
United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith stated: “Michael Mann’s fraud was staggering. He caused more than $100 million in losses and wove a web of deception so complex that it eventually ensnared hundreds of small businesses and several thousand workers across the country. Today’s plea is the start of holding him accountable for the terrible harm he inflicted on these victims, as well as the banks and other companies that trusted him with their money and believed his sophisticated lies.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Relford stated: “Michael Mann’s deception directly impacted thousands of people across the country. Helping himself to those funds left the businesses who trusted him with their payroll unable to pay their employees who survive on timely paychecks. While many of the businesses were able to recover, others experienced irreparable hits to their reputations. Today’s admission of guilt is a small step forward in their process to rebuild. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and charge those who willingly defraud our citizens and banking institutions.”
Mann pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, nine counts of bank fraud, and one count of filing a false tax return.
Mann’s scheme had multiple layers, including:
- Mann obtained tens of millions of dollars in loans from three financing companies, located in New York, Colorado and California, respectively, by falsifying his companies’ revenues and receivables. Mann falsely told the financing companies that Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (“UHG”) and its subsidiary OptumInsight Inc. (“Optum”), owed millions of dollars to his companies. Mann created fake invoices reflecting the fictitious debt and assigned them to the financing companies as collateral for the loans.
- Mann fraudulently obtained a line of credit (“LOC”) from several Capital Region banks, which had grown to $42 million by 2019. To obtain the LOC, Mann created companies whose sole purpose was to further the fraud by generating fake invoices, disguising sources of funds, and artificially inflating his assets; falsely represented to the banks that his fake businesses had revenues and receivables based on consulting work for Optum/UHG and other well-known companies, including 3M, Best Buy and T-Mobile; hid the tens of millions of dollars in loans he was receiving from the financing companies, and that he was using the LOC to pay down these loans; and provided false financial statements, and individual and corporate tax returns, to his outside auditor, which in turn made inaccurate reports to the banks.
- Mann misappropriated payroll monies, entrusted to MyPayrollHR and another company, by changing the instructions for digital Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) files that were supposed to transmit payroll from MyPayrollHR’s customers (employers) to the employees of the customers. Although his companies’ contracts with Cachet Financial Services specified that ACH transfers would route payroll funds from the employers’ accounts to a designated Cachet trust account and then directly to the customers’ employees, Mann changed the instructions inside digital ACH files provided to Cachet, in order to divert payroll funds from MyPayrollHR’s customers into accounts he controlled at Pioneer Bank. When Pioneer Bank froze Mann’s corporate accounts on or about August 30, 2019, it froze the payroll funds in those accounts, and caused several thousand people across the country to not receive a payroll payment. Cachet, as the guarantor of the payroll funds, paid about $7.2 million to the employees of MyPayrollHR’s customers.
Mann is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2020 by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn. He will be sentenced to 2 years in prison on the aggravated identity theft conviction, and, on the other charges, faces maximum terms of 3 years (filing a false tax return), 20 years (wire fraud conspiracy), and 30 years (bank fraud). A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Mann has agreed to entry of an order requiring him to pay $101,038,793.31 in restitution, and to forfeit assets including $14,522,474.90 already seized by the Government, 30,000 common shares of Pioneer Bancorp Inc. already seized by the Government, and a 2020 Jeep Gladiator.
Mann is the second person to plead guilty in connection with this fraud. On February 6, 2020, former Optum employee Luke E. Steiner, age 32, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, pled guilty to conspiring with Mann to defraud two financing companies out of millions of dollars.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, as well as Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Barnett and Cyrus P.W. Rieck.
Troy Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Botsford, age 24, of Troy, New York, was arrested on Monday and charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The criminal complaint alleges that between July 14, 2020 and August 10, 2020, Botsford exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. On August 10, 2020, Botsford traveled from Troy to Cohoes, New York, to meet and have sex with a 13-year-old child at a predetermined location. Botsford was encountered by law enforcement and arrested.
Botsford appeared in court yesterday for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Christian Hummel. Today, Botsford waived his right to a detention hearing, subject to renewal of that right upon further notice.
The charge filed against Botsford carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, including investigators from the Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Williams.
Anyone with information about this defendant is encouraged to contact the FBI Albany Field Office at (518) 465-7551.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Three Arrested in Connection with International Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Three men have been arrested for their roles in a $46.8 million money laundering scheme involving the smuggling of cut rag tobacco into Canada from the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent In Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CID).
Edgar M. Baker, Jr., age 46, of Southern Pines, North Carolina; Jeffrey Doctor, age 48, of Washington, D.C.; and Carey Terrance, age 39, of Hogansburg, New York, were arrested last week following their indictment on July 23, 2020, on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The indictment alleges that, from approximately 2013 to 2016, the defendants worked together and with others to acquire cut rag tobacco and smuggle it into Canada, where it was made into contraband cigarettes. Members of the conspiracy sold the contraband cigarettes, making substantial profits by avoiding taxes and duties, and used some of their profits to buy more cut rag tobacco that they sent into Canada.
Funds to purchase the cut rag tobacco were sent from Canada, often through the Northern District of New York, to North Carolina. Once purchased, the cut rag tobacco was delivered to warehouses and buildings in the Northeastern United States, including on the Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation, where it was staged for smuggling into Canada. Each truckload of cut rag tobacco in the scheme (totaling over 18 million pounds) was worth approximately $3 million in lost tax revenue for the Canadian and Quebecois governments.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the funds involved in the conspiracy, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by HSI and IRS-CID, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C. Powers.
Jefferson County Woman Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Amber Decker, age 26, of Antwerp, New York, was sentenced in federal court today to serve 264 months (22 years) in federal prison for her part in the sexual exploitation and hands-on abuse of a two year old child, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In June 2019, Decker pled guilty to all counts of a seven-count indictment, admitting that she, together with her husband, Logan Decker, conspired to and sexually exploited the child for the purpose of producing images and videos of the abuse. Decker admitted that on several occasions in July and August, 2018, while she was living in Jefferson County, New York, and her husband was located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, she videotaped her sexual abuse of the two-year-old, and uploaded the video files to a cloud storage account for her husband to view.
United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a term of supervised release of 20 years to follow Decker’s term of incarceration, at which time she will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Logan Decker pled guilty to the same offenses, and is scheduled for sentencing on September 23, 2020.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Syracuse Resident Agency, the New York State Police, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Illegal Re-entry into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Santiago Ordonez Felipe, age 47, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced today to time served (36 days in jail) for illegally re-entering the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas E. Feeley, Director of the Buffalo Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Ordonez Felipe admitted as part of his guilty plea that he is a citizen of Guatemala, and that he was removed from the United States to Mexico on August 18, 2015 after he was arrested by Border Patrol while illegally entering Arizona from Mexico. On July 7, 2020, he was found by an ICE Officer in Whitehall, New York. A check of fingerprint records verified the prior removal.
This case was investigated by ICE-ERO and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Chatham Man Sentenced to 60 Months on Drug and Firearm ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Carlos Rivera, age 43, of Chatham, New York, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division; and Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett.
Rivera was also ordered to serve a period of 6 years of supervised release following his term of incarceration, and to forfeit to the government $7,000 in proceeds from his drug trafficking activity, as well as a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun.
Rivera admitted that in September 2018, he possessed approximately 479.5 grams of cocaine, including 79.5 grams of cocaine in his bathroom, and 400 grams of cocaine in his garage hidden in plastic containers that the he had magnetically attached to his car; a scale; and drug packaging material. In Rivera’s bedroom, officers found a Mossberg 535 12 gauge shotgun; 12 gauge ammunition on the floor near the shotgun; additional ammunition in his closet; and $5,000 in his dresser.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Anderson.
Troy Man Admits to Trafficking 10 Kilograms of HeroinRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Mario Figueroa-Portalatin, age 41, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute at least 10 kilograms of heroin.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and Rensselaer County Sheriff Pat Russo.
In pleading guilty, Figueroa-Portalatin admitted that for two years ending in March 2020, he sold at least 10 kilograms of heroin, which he acquired from a source of supply in New York City. From March 2018 to March 2020, he traveled to New York City once a month, on average, and each time purchased between 500 grams and 1 kilogram of heroin that he brought back to Troy, packaged, and sold.
On March 30, 2020, Figueroa was the subject of a traffic stop in Troy. Police officers seized a black canvas bag, on the front passenger floorboard of his vehicle, that contained approximately 200 grams of heroin that Figueroa intended to sell that day to a customer. Law enforcement then executed warrants on Figueroa’s apartment and another apartment in the same building, and seized $34,001 in drug trafficking proceedings. In Figueroa’s bedroom, officers found a Hi-Point model JHP .45 caliber pistol.
Figueroa will be sentenced on December 8, 2020 by Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, as well as post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by DEA Albany and the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
North Country Man Sentenced for Making a False Statement to the VARead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Alex Cheney, age 55, of Moriah, New York, was sentenced today to 3 years of probation and 100 hours of community service for making a false statement to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in order to receive Individual Unemployability benefits.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Field Office.
As part of his guilty plea, Cheney admitted that he falsely certified on an employment questionnaire that he was not employed or self-employed at any time during the prior 12 months when he was, in fact, working in construction and earning wages.
This case was investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
Broome County Man Arrested on Charges of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard O’Hara, age 31, of Glen Aubrey, New York had an initial appearance in federal court in Binghamton, New York yesterday on charges that he attempted to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity that would constitute a crime in New York. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As alleged in the criminal complaint, O’Hara responded to a public message on a social networking website and then communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer who he believed to be a parent and 10-year-old daughter. O’Hara was arrested after he showed up at a house expecting to engage in sex acts with the girl, after promising her gifts if she engaged in sex acts with him.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Following his initial appearance in Court, the defendant was detained pending further proceedings. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Ontario Man Charged with Bulk Cash SmugglingRead the Press Release
PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Jade Martin, age 25, of Cornwall Island, Ontario, Canada, made his initial appearance today in federal court in Plattsburgh, on charges that he knowingly concealed $256,910 in United States currency in his car, with the intent to evade currency reporting requirements, and attempted to transport that currency from the United States into Canada.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Robert Dwyer, Massena Port Director, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
A complaint alleges that on August 4, 2020, Martin concealed $256,910 in two boxes, and drove with these boxes to the Massena, New York, Port of Entry, where he attempted to transport them into Canada. The complaint further alleges that CBP Officers discovered the cash during an outbound inspection, after Martin denied traveling with more than $10,000 in currency. Federal law requires a person to report the transportation of currency over $10,000 upon exiting the United States. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations, and Martin is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The felony charges against Martin carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. If convicted, Martin may also be ordered to forfeit to the United States any property involved in the offense.
This case is being investigated by HSI and CBP, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shira C. Hoffman.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Nicholas Tarbell, age 32, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 63 months in prison for conspiring to distribute marijuana and money laundering, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Gregory S. Oakes, Oswego County District Attorney.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Tarbell admitted that between approximately January and August 2017 he received bulk quantities of marijuana from a source of supply. Tarbell sold marijuana he received and sent proceeds from some of those sales back to his source of supply by courier. As part of his guilty plea, Tarbell admitted to distributing and/or possessing approximately 350 kilograms of marijuana.
In addition to his term of imprisonment, the court also sentenced Tarbell to 4 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay a money judgment in the amount of $469,184.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Oswego County Drug Task Force, comprised of Special Agents of HSI, members of the City of Oswego Police Department, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, Investigators from the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, the SUNY Oswego Police Department and Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
Miami Man Arrested in Connection with Nationwide Gas Station Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Another Florida resident has been arrested in connection with an access device fraud and money laundering scheme, for stealing credit and debit card numbers of gas station customers across the country, including in Albany, Broome and Montgomery Counties in the Northern District of New York.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Inspector in Charge Joseph Cronin, Boston Division, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The defendant arrested today was Yanio Montes De Oca, age 33, of Miami, Florida, charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Yesterday, four other defendants were arrested:
- Yudiel Ceballos, age 33, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
- Arley Gonzalez, age 34, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
- Marlon Palacios, age 36, of Miami and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft; and
- Yuny Hurtado Rodriguez, age 31, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
These defendants were charged in a superseding indictment, which was unsealed yesterday. An initial indictment in this case, unsealed in October 2019, resulted in the arrests of:
- Joan Jesus Manso Dieguez, age 33, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering;
- Atnetys Ferreira, age 40, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering; and
- Hugo Hernandez, age 32, of Miami Lakes, Florida, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to the superseding indictment, from April 2016 through approximately December 2018, certain defendants – those charged with conspiring to commit access device fraud – built gas station skimming devices and installed those devices inside gas pumps so that they could steal credit and debit card data of customers who used the “pay at the pump” function to purchase gasoline. The defendants then used that data to create fraudulent debit and credit cards, which they or co-conspirators used to obtain money orders, gift cards, cash, and other merchandise. The indictment also alleges that certain defendants – those charged with conspiring to launder money – engaged in financial transactions with money orders and gift cards obtained through the scheme, to conceal the source of the funds and transfer money to bank accounts controlled by the members of the conspiracy.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Albany Field Office and USPIS Boston Division, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Miami and Pittsburgh, the USPIS Miami Division, and the United States Secret Service Miami Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Emily C. Powers.
Herkimer County Woman Sentenced to 24 Months for Stealing Social Security FundsRead the Press Release
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – TammyLynn Sterling Barthelmess, age 62, of Little Falls, New York, was sentenced today to serve 24 months (two years) in federal prison for her guilty pleas to Conspiracy to Steal Government Funds and three Counts of Bank Fraud, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Special Agent in Charge John Grasso-Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General (“SSA-OIG”), New York Field Division, and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett.
The sentence imposed today followed the defendant’s guilty plea during trial on February 26, 2020, in which Barthelmess admitted that she conspired from 2009 to 2013 with her daughter, Shannon Hardy Sekel, to conceal the death of D.W., a tenant of hers (Barthelmess) in Little Falls, New York. Barthelmess and others caused the body of D.W. to remain hidden until it was discovered in Little Falls on May 1, 2013, in an advanced state of decomposition inside a dog crate behind an unoccupied house owned by the defendant. Following the death of D.W., TammyLynn Sterling Barthelmess and Shannon Hardy Sekel used the checking account of D.W. to steal Social Security retirement benefits that were deposited in the account each month. The defendant and Sekel wrote hundreds of checks from D.W.’s checking account until the payments stopped in May 2013 following the discovery of D.W.’s body. As a further part of her previous guilty plea, Barthelmess admitted to making false statements to New York State Police Investigators who interviewed her after D.W.s skeletonized remains were located and reported to the City of Little Falls (New York) Police on May 1, 2013.
In imposing sentence today, Barthelmess was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release following completion of her prison sentence, and ordered to pay restitution to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) in the amount of $110,910.00.
Shannon Hardy Sekel, the defendant’s daughter, previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to Steal Government Money and Bank Fraud. Her sentencing is scheduled for August 19, 2020 in Binghamton, New York.
This case was investigated by the United States Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG”), the New York State Police, and the City of Little Falls Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamara B. Thomson and Richard R. Southwick, with assistance from the Herkimer County District Attorney’ Office.
Four More Arrested in Connection with Nationwide Gas Station Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Four more people have been arrested in Florida and Pennsylvania in connection with an access device fraud and money laundering scheme, for stealing credit and debit card numbers of gas station customers across the country, including in Albany, Broome and Montgomery Counties in the Northern District of New York.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Inspector in Charge Joseph Cronin, Boston Division, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The four defendants arrested today are:
- Yudiel Ceballos, age 33, of Miami, Florida, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
- Arley Gonzalez, age 34, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
- Marlon Palacios, age 36, of Miami and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft; and
- Yuny Hurtado Rodriguez, age 33, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
An initial indictment in this case, unsealed in October 2019, resulted in the arrests of:
- Joan Jesus Manso Dieguez, age 33, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering;
- Atnetys Ferreira, age 40, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering; and
- Hugo Hernandez, age 32, of Miami Lakes, Florida, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to the indictment, from April 2016 through approximately December 2018, certain defendants – those charged with conspiring to commit access device fraud – built gas station skimming devices and installed those devices inside gas pumps so that they could steal credit and debit card data of customers who used the “pay at the pump” function to purchase gasoline. The defendants then used that data to create fraudulent debit and credit cards, which they or co-conspirators used to obtain money orders, gift cards, cash, and other merchandise. The indictment also alleges that certain defendants – those charged with conspiring to launder money – engaged in financial transactions with money orders and gift cards obtained through the scheme, to conceal the source of the funds and transfer money to bank accounts controlled by the members of the conspiracy.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Albany Field Office and USPIS Boston Division, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Miami and Pittsburgh, the USPIS Miami Division, and the United States Secret Service Miami Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Emily C. Powers.
Guilderland Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Blake Spears, age 39, of Westmere, Town of Guilderland, New York, pled guilty today to sexual exploiting a child.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Spears admitted that on December 1, 2018, he used his phone to video-record himself masturbating while standing over a sleeping child. He also admitted to using a phone messaging application to distribute, to others, videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children.
Spears, who has been in custody since his arrest on February 15, 2019, faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, as well as a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, when United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentences him on December 1, 2020. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Syracuse Man Charged with Filing False Tax Returns and Failing to File a ReturnRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Glen Zinszer, 50, of Liverpool, New York, made his initial appearance yesterday and was arraigned in federal court in Syracuse, on charges that he filed false federal tax returns and failed to file a tax return when he was required to do so. Following the court appearance, Zinszer was released on conditions of supervision pending trial. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As alleged in the indictment, Zinszer failed to report as income on his tax returns hundreds of thousands of dollars that he withdrew from a company called Brazzlebox that he was operating in Syracuse, New York. It is further alleged that Zinszer used the money he withdrew from Brazzlebox’s accounts to finance personal expenses and obligations, including the payment of mortgages on personal properties, cash withdrawals for personal use, retail purchases, stays at hotels and spas, and personal telephone and internet service. The indictment also alleges that Zinszer failed to file a federal income tax return for tax year 2016 when he was required to do so.
The felony charges against Zinszer carry a maximum prison sentence of up to three years per count, a fine of up to $100,000 per count, and a term of supervised release of up to one year. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Geoffrey J.L. Brown.
Orange County Men Indicted on Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Peter Mami, age 41, and James Taylor, age 32, both of Orange County, New York, were indicted yesterday with possessing and intending to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
According to the indictment and a previously filed criminal complaint, on March 2, 2020, Taylor and Mami possessed with the intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of cocaine. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Taylor and Mami each face at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
Utica Men Sentenced for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
UTICA, NEW YORK – Abner Peralta, age 31, and Luis Colon, age 35, both of Utica, were sentenced today after previously being found guilty after trial of drug trafficking charges. Peralta was sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison, followed by a 4-year term of supervised release and forfeiture of $650.00. Colon was sentenced to time served. The sentences were announced by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division.
Earlier this year, Peralta and Colon were found guilty after a five-day jury trial in federal court in Utica of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in the Utica area from October 2016 to October 2017. The jury also found Peralta guilty of possession with intent to distribute of 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine). The evidence at trial showed that Peralta and Colon conspired with each other and others to distribute cocaine in the Utica area and that Peralta, the head of the conspiracy, had access to kilogram-quantities of cocaine. The evidence also showed that Peralta maintained a drug “stash house” in Utica where he kept drugs and drug packaging materials. During the trial, a fingerprint analyst testified that he identified Peralta’s fingerprints on some of the drug packaging material seized from the stash location. The cocaine base Peralta possessed with the intent to distribute was found during a search warrant executed at this location in October 2017. The evidence at trial also included testimony that law enforcement officers searched Peralta’s house and found multiple items in the garage that tested positive for cocaine residue, including a digital scale.
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with assistance from the New York State Police, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Rome Police Department, Utica Police Department, Cortland Police Department, Investigators from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office; U.S. Border Patrol; and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry & Thomas Sutcliffe.
Troy Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Distributing and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kurtis Walter, age 27, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to serve 78 months in prison for distribution and receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office.
United States District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Walter to 15 years of supervised release, to begin following his term of imprisonment. Walter will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Walter pled guilty on January 23, 2020. At that time, he admitted that in November 2017, he used a laptop computer equipped with an Internet-based instant messaging and file-sharing application to distribute child pornography. He also admitted to using the same laptop to search for and download child pornography, which he accessed through sites located on the Internet’s so-called dark web. Walter’s laptop and external devices contained approximately 98 video files and 2,349 image files depicting child pornography.
This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon. This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Fort Edward Man Charged with Attempted Sex Trafficking of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Timothy J. Bush, 49, of Fort Edward, New York, appeared on July 23, 2020 in federal court on charges that he attempted to patronize a child under the age of 14 for a commercial sex act, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to the criminal complaint filed in this case, on July 23, 2020, the defendant arranged to pay a woman $100 to have sex with her eleven-year-old daughter. The woman was an FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity. On July 28, 2020, Bush was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Bush faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years, and up to life following any term of incarceration, a fine of up to $250,000, and will be required to register as a sex offender.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shira C. Hoffman. This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 60 Months as Felon Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Luis Matos, age 31, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 60 months in federal prison for his possession of four (4) firearms as a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Kenton Buckner, City of Syracuse Police Department (SPD). In addition to the 60-month prison sentence imposed today, Matos was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release when he is released from incarceration.
In pleading guilty previously, Matos admitted that he was a convicted felon when he possessed three (3) rifles sold during an undercover ATF and SPD firearms purchase operation in Solvay, New York, on December 19, 2018. He further admitted that he possessed a fourth rifle sold during a second undercover purchase in Syracuse on January 14, 2019. Luis Matos was a previously convicted felon (Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B New York State felony from July 2018) and was on probation at the time he possessed the firearms in this case.
This case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Syracuse Police Department-Special Investigations Division (SPD-SID). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime
Former Saratoga Race Course Worker Sentenced to 65 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Francisco Alarcon Badillo, age 29 and a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced on Friday to 65 months in prison for selling crystal methamphetamine while employed as a worker at the Saratoga Race Course.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Saratoga Springs Police Department Chief Shane Crooks.
In pleading guilty in January, Badillo admitted that he sold crystal methamphetamine from May 2019 to August 2019, while residing at and working on the grounds of the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Badillo admitted to hiding the drugs in various locations within the Race Course property, including his dorm room. He admitted to selling more than 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the DEA and its Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Saratoga Springs Police Department, with assistance from the New York Racing Association. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to Nearly Eight Years in RICO Gang CaseRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Rashawn Wynn, age 43, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 92 months in prison for violating the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as part of the 110 Gang, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), and Chief Kenton Buckner, City of Syracuse Police Department.
In imposing sentence, Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also ordered Wynn to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment. As part of his guilty plea, Wynn admitted that he was a member of the 110 Gang operating in the City of Syracuse. Wynn further admitted that he repeatedly distributed crack cocaine in 110 Gang territory during 2017 and 2018, and that he was supplied crack cocaine by other 110 Gang members. In imposing sentence, the Court found that the 110 Gang members regularly possessed and used firearms to facilitate their drug trafficking, and that the defendant was aware of such use.
Wynn was one of 14 defendants charged in the case for violating RICO based on their membership in the 110 Gang. The other 13 men have all pled guilty or been convicted at trial. Co-defendant Damani Prince was sentenced in October 2019 to serve six and one-half years in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release. The remaining defendants in the case are awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Syracuse Police Department, and the Gang Violence Task Force, which consists of members of the Syracuse Police, the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Corrections, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas Commandeur and Kristen Grabowski.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Syracuse Man Sentenced on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Troy Jackson, age 43, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 46 months in prison for his conviction for participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division, Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett, Sheriff Eugene Conway, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and William J. Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney. The defendant was also ordered to serve a period of six years supervised release following his term of incarceration, and to forfeit to the government $7,000 in proceeds from his drug trafficking activity.
Pursuant to his plea agreement in this case, Jackson admitted that during the summer of 2018, he repeatedly acquired multiple ounces of cocaine from his co-defendant Daitwaun Fair, which he (Jackson) then redistributed to others. This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York State Police, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Commandeur.
Schenectady Man Arrested on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Daniel Scotsross, age 28, of Schenectady, New York, was arrested last week and charged with attempting to possess with the intent to distribute N-dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), a hallucinogen similar to lysergic acid diethylamide (“LSD”), announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Scotsross appeared last week before United States Magistrate Daniel J. Stewart and was released pending further proceedings. The criminal complaint alleges that on July 22, 2020, Scotsross accepted a package addressed to him at his Schenectady residence that contained what he expected to be over ten kilograms of tree-bark laced with DMT. Thereafter, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Scotsross’s Schenectady residence, seizing quantities of DMT and LSD, and substances and equipment used to manufacture and process DMT and LSD for distribution. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge filed against Scotsross carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of supervised release of three years to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the assistance of the Schenectady Police Department, Albany County Sheriff’s Department, and the New York State Police Crime Scene Emergency Response Team, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
U.S. Attorney's Office Commemorates 30th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sunday, July 26, 2020, marks the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a critical civil rights law that aims to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is proud to play a pivotal role in the Justice Department’s enforcement efforts under the ADA.
“The ADA has improved the lives of all Americans by ensuring that people with disabilities have access and equal opportunity, but some still encounter barriers,” said United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith. “Our commitment to the fair and just enforcement of the ADA’s requirements is unwavering. We will not rest until every American is able to participate fully in our society.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has prioritized enforcing the ADA to vindicate the rights of people with disabilities in several recent matters. These efforts include:
• Ensuring Equal Access to Polling Places. The Justice Department’s ADA Voting Initiative focuses on protecting the right of individuals with disabilities, and a hallmark of that initiative is helping jurisdictions increase accessibility at polling places. As part of that initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reviewed polling places throughout the Northern District of New York over the past four years and has helped boards of elections identify and remedy barriers to voting.
• Ensuring Equal Access to Municipal Programs and Services. Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, entered into an agreement with the City of Hudson to ensure that its programs and services are accessible to persons with disabilities. The agreement requires the City to identify and remove barriers to program access as well as to implement measures to ensure equal access to its programs and services.
• Ensuring Effective Communication by Medical Providers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Effective Communication initiative, initiated compliance reviews of area medical providers to ensure that they had procedures and policies to provide effective communication with patients who have sight, hearing, and speech impairments.
The promise of the ADA is its wide-ranging efforts to eliminate disability discrimination across the range of services, programs, and activities that most Americans take for granted, but were largely inaccessible to individuals with disabilities prior to the law’s enactment. Whether in employment, areas of civic life, or in the day-to-day activities and access to goods and services that we all enjoy, the ADA ensures that individuals with disabilities enjoy the same opportunities as all Americans to participate in everything this nation has to offer.
Over the past 30 years, the United States has undertaken the challenge of changing perceptions about disability, tearing down barriers to equality, and altering the systems that have historically excluded people with disabilities. Today, the Justice Department commemorates the many ways that the ADA has transformed society—by replacing exclusion with access, segregation with integration, and limitations with self-determination.
For more information about the 30th Anniversary of the ADA, please visit https://www.ada.gov/.
More information about the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Rights Unit and its enforcement efforts is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/civil-division.
To file a complaint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline, please visit the portal at [email protected], call (518) 618-1619, or complete this form https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ndny/pages/attachments/2015/04/09/civil_rights_complaint_form.pdf.
To file a complaint with the Department, please visit the Civil Rights Division’s portal at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/. For more information about the ADA, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 126 Months for Cocaine PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tyshawn Warren, age 35, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to serve 126 months in federal prison for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also imposed a 6-year term of supervised release, to begin once Warren is released from prison.
On July 18, 2019, following a traffic stop in Potsdam, New York, Warren was found in possession of more than 37 grams of cocaine powder. At the time of his arrest, Warren had previously been convicted of two (2) felony controlled substance offenses.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, and the Village of Potsdam Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shira C. Hoffman.
Ithaca Man Sentenced to 60 Months on Drug Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Robert Payne, age 39, of Ithaca, New York, was sentenced today to serve five years (60 months) in prison for his conviction for participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Field Division, Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett, Sheriff Eugene Conway, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and William J. Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney. The defendant was also ordered to serve a period of four years supervised release following his term of incarceration, and to forfeit to the government $112,500 in proceeds from his drug trafficking activity.
Pursuant to his plea agreement in this case, Payne admitted that during the summer of 2018, he distributed roughly 2.5 kilograms of cocaine to his co-defendant Daitwaun Fair. This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York State Police, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Commandeur.
Syracuse Woman Charged with Tax FraudRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Phoenix Phan, age 61, of Syracuse, made her initial appearance and was arraigned today in Federal Court in Syracuse, New York on charges that she filed false federal income tax returns for herself, and aided and assisted in the filing of false federal income tax returns for others as part of her tax preparation business. Following today’s court appearance, Phan was released pending trial. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”).
As alleged in the indictment, Phan failed to report gross receipts on her personal income tax returns for tax years 2013-2017. The indictment also alleges that Phan aided and assisted others in filing false federal income tax returns, including by falsely reporting: (1) business income that the taxpayer did not earn (to increase a tax credit); (2) rental losses; and/or (3) that the taxpayer had a filing status (e.g., head of household) that the taxpayer did not actually have.
The charges against Phan carry a maximum sentence of three years in prison per count, a fine of up to $100,000 per count, and a term of supervised release of up to one year. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
Saratoga County Man Charged with Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Thomas Kopach, age 33, of Gansevoort, New York, was arrested yesterday on a charge of transporting child pornography.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
A criminal complaint alleges that in February 2020, Kopach knowingly emailed a video depicting the sexual abuse of a minor. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted of the charge set forth in the complaint, Kopach faces at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, and a fine of $250,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statue the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Following several initial hearings before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, Kopach remains detained pending a detention hearing on July 28.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation may call HSI’s Albany office at (518) 220-2129.
This case is being investigated by HSI, with assistance from the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Williams.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Dominican Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Illegal Re-entry into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jose Gonzalez-Reyes, age 53, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas E. Feeley, Director of the Buffalo Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Gonzalez-Reyes admitted as part of his guilty plea that he is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, and that he was removed from the United States to the Dominican Republic on June 5, 2002 and again on July 27, 2011.
On March 21, 2018, he was found by an ICE Officer in the Albany County Jail. A check of fingerprint records resulted in the discovery of the prior removals. Gonzalez-Reyes was an inmate at the Albany County Jail after his arrest for selling controlled substances in the city of Albany during the summer of 2017. Gonzalez-Reyes was convicted in Albany County Court of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, Third Degree, and sentenced on November 2, 2018 to 30 months in state prison .
This case was investigated by ICE-ERO and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Long Island Felon Sentenced to Nearly 9 Years in Prison for Possessing a Loaded Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Hassan Raheem, age 43, of Uniondale, New York, was sentenced today to 106 months in prison for possessing and intending to distribute crack cocaine, and possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and John B. Devito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States Senior District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also ordered that Raheem serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
As part of his December 3, 2019 guilty plea, Raheem, who has 6 prior felony convictions, admitted that on July 26, 2016, he possessed a loaded .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol and 17 grams of crack cocaine packaged for distribution at a motel in Colonie, New York. He further admitted that he intended to sell the crack cocaine, and that he possessed the pistol in order to guard against the potential theft of his drugs and drug proceeds.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Colonie Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon
Amsterdam Man Sentenced to 37 Months on Heroin and Fentanyl ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edwin Rodriguez, a/k/a “Chaka,” age 31, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for possessing and intending to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and City of Amsterdam Police Chief John “JJ” Thomas.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 4-year term of supervised release, to begin once Rodriguez is released from prison.
On May 15, 2019, Rodriguez was the subject of a traffic stop in Amsterdam. In pleading guilty, he admitted that he was stopped while driving to meet a drug customer to whom he planned to sell 100 grams of heroin. As Amsterdam Police Officers were arresting Rodriguez for driving with a suspended license, a vacuum-sealed bag of powder fell out of his pant leg. The bag contained 100.3 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl.
Also on May 15, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Rodriguez’s Amsterdam residence. In the apartment’s kitchen, they found an empty bleach bottle, with a hidden compartment containing 1.78 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, which Rodriguez intended to sell.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Amsterdam Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.