Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus police officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute more than eight kilograms of fentanyl and accepting bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine.

 

Marco R. Merino, 45, of Columbus, was arrested by federal agents in September 2021.

 

From June to September 2021, Merino conspired with another Columbus police officer to traffic fentanyl. Merino distributed fentanyl to another individual on at least three occasions and accepted $32,500 for approximately one of the kilograms of fentanyl.

 

In March, April, May, August and September 2021, Merino accepted a total of $45,000 in cash in exchange for protecting the safe transport of at least 47 kilograms of cocaine. Merino possessed a firearm in furtherance of the protection of cocaine. Unbeknownst to Merino, there was no actual cocaine and each of the transactions was controlled by federal law enforcement.

 

“Unlike the purported cocaine involved in transports, the fentanyl that Merino distributed was real,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Merino swore an oath to serve and protect our community as a law enforcement officer, and instead he conspired to traffic enough fentanyl to kill well over one million people.”

 

Court documents detail that Merino tried to recruit a confidential informant to traffic drugs with him. Merino promised law enforcement protection to the individual and said he could intervene if other law enforcement agencies attempted to investigate the confidential informant.

 

Possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is a federal crime punishable by 10 years and up to life in prison. Federal Program Bribery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

Charges remain pending against fellow former Columbus police officer John J. Kotchkoski, 33, of Marengo, Ohio.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; and Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jeremie Adam Elkins, 44, of Newark, Ohio, was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly causing approximately $1 million in fraud while employed as a network engineer at Verizon, Inc.

 

It is also alleged Elkins illegally possessed a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to the 16-count indictment, from July to October 2020, Elkins used his company-issued credit card to pay for personal expenses like hotels/resorts, restaurants, bars, pawn shops and auction houses. Elkins had been employed as a Network Engineer at Verizon.

 

Elkins also allegedly used an old Verizon work order number to place multiple fraudulent orders with vendor W.W. Grainger, Inc. Grainger provides tools and equipment for Verizon service vans.

 

It is alleged Elkins placed 46 unauthorized orders to Grainger and personally picked up the majority of the equipment, which totaled approximately $936,000. He allegedly used the illicit proceeds to purchase two boats and a motorcycle.

 

Court documents detail the defendant placed an additional 20 unauthorized orders to Grainger, for items totaling nearly $954,000, but never obtained the equipment.

 

Elkins is alleged to have caused $24,000 in loss to Verizon and more than $936,000 in loss to W.W. Grainger.

 

When he was arrested in August 2021, Elkins allegedly illegally possessed a pistol. Elkins was previously convicted of a felony crime in Licking County.

 

Elkins is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, five counts of access device fraud and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the charges and commended the investigation by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Brenda S. Shoemaker is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man convicted at trial in summer 2021 of crimes related to creating child pornography of his sexual abuse of a 5-year-old was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 300 months in prison.

 

A jury convicted Christopher M. Sammons, 28, of four child exploitation crimes in June 2021.

 

“Sammons’ conduct is truly some of the worst of the worst,” United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “The defendant molested a 5-year-old child repeatedly and shared pornographic images of the child with others. His prison sentence is deserved. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who abuses the most vulnerable in our society.”

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, on March 11, 2019, an undercover FBI agent in Little Rock, Arkansas, received a message from Sammons regarding sexual interest in children.

Throughout their conversations, Sammons encouraged the undercover agent to “just make some homemade stuff” when discussing the availability of child pornography.

 

Sammons detailed sexually abusing a then 5-year-old victim and also offered to “share her next time if you’re interested in a long-term thing.” Sammons sent the agent child pornography files and suggested plans for he and the agent to exchange videos of themselves sexually abusing minors.

 

Based on IP address information, the investigative lead was forwarded to FBI Columbus and a Task Force Officer here began communicating with Sammons. Sammons told the task force officer he had been sexually abusing the victim for a year.

 

Sammons abused the victim while he was babysitting her and he was scheduled to babysit on the day he had arranged to exchange sexually explicit videos with the undercover agent. Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Sammons’ house before the scheduled babysitting began, preventing Sammons from engaging in the planned pornographic exchange.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati District; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch, Legal Director of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative, represented the United States in this case.

 

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 U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker announced today a Department of Justice settlement agreement with Ohio-based retailer The Kroger Co. The agreement, secured under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will eliminate barriers preventing people with certain disabilities from getting information about COVID-19 vaccinations and booking their vaccination appointments online.

 

Kroger has 2,800 retail grocery stores under the Kroger name and others, with a presence in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

 

The COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Portal for Kroger-branded stores, currently located at https://www.kroger.com/health/pharmacy/covid-care, was not accessible to people with certain disabilities, including those who use screen reader software. For instance, critical medical screening questions, were not read to screen readers users.  These included questions about current COVID-related symptoms, allergies, and reactions to previous vaccines. Further, when a screen reader user selected an available appointment time, the website told them that the available appointment was “unavailable” instead of “selected.”   

 

Under today’s settlement, Kroger will make content about the COVID-19 vaccine, including the forms for scheduling an appointment to get the vaccine, conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Version 2.1, Level AA. WCAG is a set of voluntary industry guidelines for making information on a website accessible to users with disabilities.

 

Kroger also must regularly test the pages of its website that include vaccine scheduling and information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and quickly fix any problems that keep people with disabilities from being able to use these pages.

 

“All individuals deserve a full and equal opportunity to access services like vaccines,” U.S. Attorney Parker said. “This office will continue to partner with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to ensure that equal access.”

 

“Access for people with disabilities should never be an afterthought, including during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When a store’s website is inaccessible, people with disabilities may struggle to get potentially life-saving vaccines for themselves and their loved ones. This agreement helps fulfill the promise of the ADA by ensuring individuals with disabilities have equal access to healthcare.”

 

ADA complaints may be filed online at www.ada.gov/complaint.

 

Anyone in the Southern District of Ohio may also report civil rights violations to the Civil Rights Coordinator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio by emailing [email protected] or calling 614-469-5715. 

 

Assistant United States Attorney Michael J.T. Downey is representing the United States in this matter in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

 

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a former Fairfield and Cincinnati man with crimes related to an online romance fraud scheme.

 

De-love Kofi Amuzu, 23, was arrested on Jan. 13 in the Bronx and will appear in federal court in Cincinnati at 1:30pm today.

 

According to the 10-count indictment, from 2018 until his arrest in 2022, Amuzu conspired with others to perpetrate an online romance fraud scheme and to launder the proceeds of the scheme, including by wiring funds to Ghana. The co-conspirators allegedly created profiles on dating websites using false information and pictures of other individuals.

 

It is alleged that the co-conspirators led victims to believe they were in a romantic relationship with the person pictured in the false online profile and then made misrepresentations to the victims that induced them to transfer or mail money and valuables to members of the conspiracy.

 

According to the charging document, Amuzu used multiple bank accounts in furtherance of the scheme, including a bank account opened in the name of a shell company, Obdomdel Management Agency LLC.

 

Amuzu is charged with conspiring to commit and committing wire and mail fraud, as well as conspiring to launder money and committing money laundering. Each is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Butler County Prosecutor Michael T. Gmoser and Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced the charges. U.S. Attorney Parker also recognized the contributions of Garrett Baker and Susan Monnin of the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as Butler County Prosecutor’s Investigator Steve Isgro. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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CINCINNATI – A Wilmington man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to making interstate threats, a felony offense. The crime arises from his communications online related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol.

 

Justin Stoll, 41, was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021, by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

 

According to court documents, Stoll used the username “Th3RealHuckleberry” on the app Clapper and on YouTube to post videos related to his participation in the Capitol riots.

 

Videos Stoll filmed at the Capitol show that he proceeded past police barricades that other rioters had torn down and yelled profanities at U.S. Capitol Police.

 

The government’s investigation has not yielded evidence suggesting that Stoll entered the Capitol building, engaged in acts of violence, or destroyed property.

 

When Stoll returned to the Southern District of Ohio, he uploaded the videos to social media.

 

Stoll received comments from other individuals in response to his YouTube videos, including from one user who said (s)he had saved Stoll’s video and suggested that Stoll might go to prison. Stoll responded via another video, in which he said, in part:

 

Well, that shows your f------ ignorance because, clearly, the capitol building is owned by the people, so again, nothing will happen. Secondly, I never admitted I went into it, did I? Go watch the video again. Daddy’s not stupid. [Wink.] Third, if you ever in your f------ existence did something to jeopardize taking me away from my family, you will absolutely meet your maker. You can play that for the D.A. in court, I don’t care. If you ever jeopardize me, from being with my family, you will absolutely meet your mother f------ maker, and I will be the one to arrange the meeting.

 

Stoll admitted as part of his guilty plea today that he posted the video for the purpose of making a threat.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into today before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia and Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan are representing the United States in this case.

 

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DAYTON, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a Dayton businessman of crimes related to the fraudulent diversion of funds from an insurance claim.

 

Brian Higgins, 50, was found guilty of three counts of mail fraud and two counts of witness retaliation.

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Jan. 10 before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2014 and 2015, Higgins filed an insurance claim in connection with water damage to the Meeker Creek Residence, an 8,000 square-foot house in Dayton.  Higgins received more than $100,000 in insurance claims that he used for his personal benefit rather than to repair water damage that occurred from a large fish tank.

 

Higgins used money disbursed on the claim to pay for personal expenditures, such as funding a new restaurant space, paying telephone bills, spending money at a casino, and other personal expenses, rather than paying for bona fide repairs and restoration of the home.

 

The defendant submitted invoices and repair cost estimates from a construction vendor to his mortgage company, falsely representing that he intended to buy these products to repair his house.

 

Higgins then diverted the money to himself and paid for travel, hotels and dining out, among other personal expenses.  Higgins used a fraction of the funds from the claim to complete small, cosmetic repairs in an attempt to cover up his scheme.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) announced today’s verdict. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.

 

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CINCINNATI – Fernando Arroyo-Alonso, 59, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to one year and one day in prison for stealing the identity of a disabled United States veteran.

 

The defendant was arrested in Warren County in May 2021 for misusing a Social Security number.

 

According to court documents, in May 2019, Arroyo-Alonso submitted an online application for Title XVI Supplemental Security Income benefits using the identity of a disabled veteran who also receives Title XVI Supplemental Security Income and Veterans Affairs benefits.

 

The defendant used the victim’s identity, date of birth and Social Security number to obtain an Ohio driver’s license in the victim’s name. In actuality, the victim does not reside in Ohio.

 

Arroyo-Alonso also obtained a criminal record while using the victim’s identity.

 

After serving his sentence, Arroyo-Alonso will be deported to Mexico.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Andrew Boockmeier, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. The U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Ohio BMV and the Hamilton Township Police assisted with this investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

 

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DAYTON, Ohio – A Dayton man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to distributing fentanyl and cocaine that resulted in six overdoses in the late hours of New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of New Year’s Day 2019.

 

Kelsey V. Williams, Jr., 40, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Ohio in May 2021 and arrested in June 2021 in Minnesota.

 

According to court documents, on New Year’s Eve 2018 and New Year’s Day 2019, the defendant distributed a fentanyl and cocaine mixture responsible for four fatal and two nonfatal overdoses.

 

Distributing a controlled substance that results in death or serious bodily injury is a federal crime punishable by 20 years up to life in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the plea entered into today before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Ryan A. Saunders are representing the United States in this case.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Operation S.O.S. In July 2018, the Department of Justice announced the launch of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S), a program aimed at reducing the supply of synthetic opioids in 10 high impact areas and identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.

 

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CINCINNATI – A Middletown man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 300 months in prison for his role in a local narcotics conspiracy tied to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico.

 

Donte Holdbrook, 28, was one of 12 individuals charged by a Cincinnati federal grand jury in March 2018 in a narcotics and money laundering conspiracy.

 

Holdbrook’s local drug trafficking organization trafficked more than $1 million in fentanyl and heroin in the region. After Holdbrook was arrested in late 2016, Middletown Police officials reported that fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses in Middletown fell by approximately one third.

 

Members of the group distributed fentanyl from Mexico in Middletown and sent proceeds back to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico. A number of others were charged in San Diego, California, in a related case.

 

The investigation began when undercover FBI agents in San Diego learned that a known Sinaloa Cartel money-laundering boss, Jose Lopez-Albarran, coordinated and conducted multiple bulk cash pickups from a drug trafficking organization within the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Lopez-Albarran was one of 40 defendants charged in the Southern District of California. According to court documents there, he and other members of the Cartel allegedly laundered tens of millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds from the United States to Mexico between 2015 and 2018. Through the investigation in California, law enforcement discovered multiple drug-trafficking cells throughout the United States.

 

The Middletown drug-trafficking cell led by Holdbrook sent drug proceeds back to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico via Lopez-Albarran.

 

Holdbrook was found to be in possession of 366 grams of fentanyl during a traffic stop on Dec. 2, 2017, and he arranged for multiple shipments of fentanyl into the Middletown area.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac, Middletown Police Chief David Birk and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black. Criminal Chief Karl P. Kadon is representing the United States in this case.

 

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged two individuals from Cincinnati with crimes related to making straw purchases of firearms.

 

Jermaine Pulley, 29, and Nylisha Hill, 22, are charged with conspiring to commit a felony against the United States by making false statements during purchases of firearms, including by lying on federal firearms forms.

 

Hill is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court this afternoon.

 

According to the indictment that was unsealed yesterday, Pulley was prohibited from possessing firearms under the terms of his probation. The indictment alleges that Pulley would provide Hill with cash to purchase firearms on his behalf and that the defendants would then make false representations to federal firearms licensees, to the effect that Hill, not Pulley, was the true purchaser of the firearms.

 

It is alleged the defendants visited two area federal firearms licensees on Oct. 12, 2021, in an attempt to purchase multiple firearms.

 

Pulley allegedly attempted to pay for a firearm at Shoot Point Blank – Cincy West, saying that he was paying for the firearm, but that it was for Hill’s use.

 

That same day, the defendants purchased two firearms at Shoot Point Blank – Blue Ash. Shortly after purchasing the firearms, it is alleged they attempted to buy two more.

 

Making a false statement on federal firearms forms is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Conspiring to commit a felony crime against the United States carries a potential penalty of five years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here today to 225 months in prison for armed robbery.

 

Craishon Russell, 32, robbed two auto parts stores at gunpoint in June 2019.

 

According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, Russell brandished a firearm at the AutoZone store on East Main St. in Reynoldsburg. Russell had employees empty the safe and registers, totaling in $1,400 in cash.

 

On June 15, 2019, Russell robbed at gunpoint the O’Reilly Auto Parts store on Gender Road in Canal Winchester.

 

Employees at each store described the assailant’s tattoos, including those on his neck and under his right eye.

 

“Russell’s crimes are very serious – in particular because a firearm was involved in the commission of the offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Several employees and customers were present in both businesses at the time of the robberies making them even more brazen.”

 

On June 19, 2019, Russell was stopped by Columbus Division of Police officers on a complaint of a man waving a gun around. He was arrested after officers discovered a pistol in his vehicle.

 

Russell, also known as “Diablo,” was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020 and pleaded guilty in July 2021 to robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – DeWayne Foster, 39, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for using false identifying information and Social Security Numbers on six occasions over the course of six months.

 

According to court documents, in 2018 and 2019, Foster used the alias “Thomas Walker” along with false Social Security Numbers to apply to rent apartments, purchase vehicles and obtain credit cards and personal loans.

 

In September 2018, Foster used a false SSN to rent a two-bedroom townhome in Sunbury, Ohio, for $1,570 per month.

 

On five other occasions, Foster used the Social Security Number of a minor born in 2007. Within one week in January 2019, Foster illegally used the SSN to obtain a vehicle loan for nearly $26,000, to sign a lease for an apartment in Powell, Ohio, for approximately $25,000, and to apply for a second, $41,000 auto loan.

 

In February 2019, Foster used the false information to obtain a personal credit card with a $2,000 limit. Finally, in March 2019, the defendant applied for a $15,000 loan.

 

Foster is currently serving an eight-year sentence in Union County for local narcotics crimes and will serve 12 months of his federal sentence after he is released from local custody. He is also ordered to pay more than $16,000 in restitution to the victims he defrauded in his federal case.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham and commended the investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and Columbus Division of Police. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local home healthcare provider has agreed to pay half a million dollars to the government and close its operations as part of a False Claims Act settlement.

 

According to court documents, Academy Health Care Services is a home healthcare agency based in Dayton providing service to patients in Ohio, many of whom are disabled and living in group homes.

 

Academy’s owners include Jagdish, Nita and Vijay Patel, all of Ohio.

 

The settlement unsealed today details that the healthcare provider’s billing practices routinely caused Ohio Medicaid to pay at a higher level of reimbursement than warranted by the services provided as well as the setting in which the services were provided.

 

From 2014 until 2017, Academy billed for individual healthcare services when any services it actually provided were in group settings. Further, Academy nurses did not spend the time required with patients to receive reimbursement for individual services. 

 

The healthcare provider will pay $500,000 in total, of which $250,000 is restitution.

 

As part of the settlement, Academy agrees to cease operations no later than June 30, 2022, and agrees that after Dec. 31, 2021, it will no longer provide services to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs, including the Ohio Medicaid program, and will not submit claims for any services provided to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the settlement and commended the work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Ohio Department of Medicaid. Deputy Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek and Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Rawlings are representing the United States in this case.

 

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DAYTON – A Dayton man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today for his role in the summer 2019 kidnapping and subsequent death of Kwasi Casey, whose body was later found in a detached garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton.

 

Antoine Dye, 37, offered a guilty plea to conspiring to kidnapping resulting in death.

 

According to court documents, five co-conspirators kidnapped and abducted the victim at gunpoint on July 7, 2019.

 

Mr. Casey was taken to one of the defendant’s homes, where he was held against his will and beaten with a baseball bat. Another defendant made ransom demands of the victim’s family.

 

The indictment in this case details that Casey escaped on July 8, 2019, but was recaptured and forced into a co-conspirator’s minivan, where the victim was again physically assaulted. Mr. Casey ultimately died as a result of the defendants’ actions.

 

Between July and September 2019, the defendants concealed the victim’s body at a garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton. On Sept. 17, 2019, the defendants set the garage on fire to destroy evidence and the victim’s body. On Sept. 26, 2019, the victim’s burnt remains were recovered from the burnt garage.

 

Other defendants charged in this case include: Eric Blackshear, 42; Markale Thomas, 28; Devon Love, 29; and Ryan Reese, 27.

 

Each of the defendants is charged with conspiring to kidnap the victim, a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

Kenneth L, Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter B Silvain, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith and OCDETF Deputy Chief Christy L. Muncy are representing the United States in this case.

 

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CINCINNATI – A former Hamilton County jail deputy was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 42 months in prison for using unreasonable force while acting under color of law. The former law enforcement officer shoved a suspect in a holding cell with such force that the victim left his feet and collided headfirst with a concrete wall, losing consciousness, splitting open his head, and breaking his leg.

Jason Mize, 35, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in January 2021 to the willful violation of the victim’s Constitutional right to be free from excessive force.

Court documents detail that on August 20, 2016, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 61-year-old individual and brought him to the Hamilton County Justice Center for processing.

While the victim was in medical intake, Mize approached the victim from behind and told the individual to stand. Mize then pushed the victim towards a holding cell, shoving the victim with such force that the victim collided headfirst with a concrete wall. Mize left the victim, who was bleeding from the head, on the floor.

When asked by a supervisor if there was a use of force or anybody was hurt, Mize said no. Mize eventually returned to the cell to raise a curtain on the door to cover the cell’s window. The supervisor then checked the cell and called for the nurse. While the nurse administered first aid, Mize stood outside the cell and drank a soda.

The victim – who was later acquitted of the crime for which he had been arrested – stayed in the hospital for two weeks and suffered a scalp hematoma with lacerations and a leg fracture.

The United States argued at sentencing that Mize’s crime was part of a history of violence as a law enforcement officer. According to court documents, Mize began working as a deputy in 2007 and was laid off in 2008. He was rehired in 2011 and served until his resignation in 2016.  During his time as a deputy, Mize was disciplined more than nine times. At least three of those times were for excessive force. At the time of this offense, Mize had been given a counseling letter on two occasions and suspended without pay at least once.

In April 2017, after his resignation from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Mize stated on Facebook Messenger: “I miss choking people.”

Over the course of the investigation into Mize’s conduct, the defendant lied repeatedly and pressured witnesses not to come forward. 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Ebunoluwa Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.

 

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CINCINNATI – The owner of a Cincinnati-based construction company was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 18 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining employee safety training certificates and embezzling from the company’s pension benefit program.

Ron Craig Estes, owner of R&R Steel, LLC, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black in January 2020 to mail fraud and theft from an employee benefit plan.

According to court documents, Estes devised a scheme in 2015 to skirt Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements by buying fake employee training certifications in order to compete for a contract to provide steel installation and other work for the 8th and Sycamore project in Cincinnati. Estes paid $800 for 10 fake training certificates to avoid the costs and time associated with ensuring that all of the company’s employees had completed appropriate safety training. R&R received the $450,000 contract to do the work.

Court documents also say Estes embezzled between $15,000 and $40,000 from the company’s 401(k) retirement benefit plan established for the workers. Estes completed distribution forms for workers who had left the company and forged the participant’s signature on the distribution checks in order to cash the checks for his own benefit and use.

At sentencing, the United States argued that many of the victims in this case were particularly vulnerable due to being limited English proficient, migrant workers who feared reporting Estes’ criminal activities.  According to court records, the Ohio Department of Commerce found that the company had violated the prevailing wage laws for the 8th & Sycamore project and ordered R&R Steel, LLC to pay $292,276.33, including $150,789.09 in past wages due and $141,487.24 in penalties associated with these violations.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, commended the investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.

If you believe you are a victim of this fraud, please contact the Department of Labor at 1-866-444-3272.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Shelby County man and a Miami County man were sentenced in federal court in Dayton this week for possessing and distributing child pornography.

 

Brian Clark, 47, of Troy, Ohio, was sentenced on Dec. 7 to 120 months in prison for possession of child pornography with a prior offense. Aaron Smith, 31, of Sidney, Ohio, was sentenced on Dec. 9 to 90 months in prison for distribution of child pornography.

 

According to court documents, Clark, who had previously been convicted as a sex offender, collected sexually explicit images of children from 2015 until his arrest in June 2020. Clark possessed approximately 250 images of child pornography. His collection included images of prepubescent children including toddlers, and included depictions of rape, sexual abuse, and sadism. He pleaded guilty in March 2021 to possessing the child pornography images.

 

Court documents detail that Smith amassed a collection of 773 images and 1,670 videos of child pornography. Those images and videos included infants and toddlers and depictions of rape, sexual abuse, bestiality, and sadism. Smith traded child pornography images with others online and discussed his enjoyment of the material with them. Smith pleaded guilty in September 2021 to distributing child pornography.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney announced the sentences imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Franklin County corrections officer was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 97 months in prison for receiving child pornography. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to pay more than $50,000 in restitution to the victims depicted in the images.

 

Daniel P. Heintz, 39, of Columbus, was charged by criminal complaint in February 2021.

 

According to court documents, authorities were alerted to messages sent by Heintz on Kik Messenger in mid-August 2020. In the conversations, Heintz discussed with an Illinois man their mutual sexual interest for children, and exchanged images of themselves and of pornography, including child pornography. Heintz received sexually explicit videos from the man of a girl 13 to 15 years old.

 

An affidavit details that Heintz discussed sexually abusing a minor to whom he had access. He discussed photographing the minor in the victim’s sleep and conduct he would commit – as well as sexual abuse the Illinois man could commit – to the minor victim.

 

On Feb. 11, 2021, law enforcement officials executed search warrants at Heintz’s residence and of his person at his place of employment, the Franklin County Correctional Center on S. Front Street.

 

A forensic examination of his electronics revealed thousands of images of prepubescent minors, some as young as toddler age, engaged in explicit sexual conduct and being sexually abused.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two of the 19 defendants convicted in a Columbus gang-related racketeering conspiracy were sentenced in federal court this week.

 

Brandon Martin, 29, was sentenced yesterday to 24 years in prison. Martin shot and killed William Moore, a rival Poindexter Thug Life Bloods gang member, in March 2013.

 

Terrell Scott Hansard, 24, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison. Hansard drove the vehicle when gang members shot and killed 7-year-old Deoante Fisher in March 2016.

 

The racketeering conspiracy first charged in 2018 includes five murders, at least 26 attempted murders, and other violent and drug-trafficking crimes.

 

The local T&A Crips gang derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly resided.

 

T&A controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.

 

Specifically, co-conspirators in this case have been convicted of five murders:

the murder of Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the area of 431 Ellison Street;

the murder of William Moore on March 15, 2013;

the murder of Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue;

the murder of Quincy Story on January 24, 2015; and

the murder of seven-year-old Deonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and United States Marshal Pete Tobin announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Guatemalan man was sentenced in federal court here for distributing at least five kilograms or more of cocaine on the high seas.

 

In March 2020, Jose Luis DeLeon-Baltazar, 40, was sentenced to 140 months in prison. He was extradited to Columbus from Bogota, Colombia. DeLeon-Baltazar is the second defendant to be extradited to the United States in this case.

 

DeLeon-Baltazar conspired with others to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, via sea and land, through Central America and Mexico to the United States.

 

DeLeon-Baltazar, also known as “Enano,” was indicted in September 2018. 

 

According to court documents, as part of the conspiracy individuals would use “load” coordinators to assist with logistics of cocaine shipments, locate drivers and boat operators for narcotic-laden vehicles and vessels, and secure shared investments from multiple co-conspirators in specific cocaine shipments.  Fishermen and other commercial maritime laborers were allegedly recruited by conspirators to transport cocaine and refueling vessels. 

 

Conspirators paid a “tax” or “fee” to send cocaine through areas controlled by a different drug trafficking organization or cartel.

 

Members of the conspiracy shared information on the activities and locations of law enforcement and military personnel assigned to interdict narcotics shipments. Co-conspirators also sheltered individuals who were at risk of extradition to other countries.

 

Low-level co-conspirators would take responsibility for an entire load of seized cocaine to free higher-level members.

 

DeLeon-Baltazar received multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine transported on go-fast speed boats from Colombia into Guatemala.  Once the cocaine arrived in Guatemala, DeLeon-Baltazar hid the cocaine in buildings in Tecun Uman, Guatemala until the cocaine was transported across Guatemala’s northern border into Mexico.  On May 19, 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a go-fast boat that contained 880 kilograms of cocaine approximately 400 miles south of the Guatemala- Mexico border. That shipment was to be received by DeLeon-Baltazar in Guatemala where he would store it until it was to be transported to Mexico.

 

Additional cocaine shipments seized in this case thus far include:

 

• 720 kilograms of cocaine seized by the United States Coast Guard northwest of the Galapagos Islands on Aug. 18, 2017; and
• 34 kilograms of cocaine seized by the Guatemalan Policia National Civil in San Marcos, Guatemala on or about Nov. 26, 2017.

 

Four defendants were transported to Ohio for prosecution in September 2017, following the 720 kilogram seizure near the Galapagos Islands. That seizure alone included more than 1,584 pounds of cocaine, equaling an approximate street value of $25 million. In total, six defendants have now been convicted in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro announced the sentence imposed on Dec. 7 by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Elizabeth R. Rabe, now a Trial Attorney at the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering Asset Recovery Section and Assistant United States Attorney Kelly A. Norris represented the United States in this case. The case was charged and prosecuted as part of OCDETF, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing DeLeon-Baltazar’s extradition from Colombia.

  

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man who was charged with his half-brother for conspiring to sex traffic minor females was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 188 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release.

 

William Pierce Washington, 40, was charged by a federal grand jury in 2017 with co-defendant William Pierce Washington, Jr., 51.

 

According to court documents, William Pierce Washington, also known as “Bam,” sex trafficked a minor female for at least four months. Washington would routinely get the victim high on drugs, including forcibly injecting the victim with heroin on at least one occasion.

 

Washington would then traffic the teenager to engage in sexual conduct for money. He beat and raped the victim.

 

Court documents in this case detail that Sharonville Police Department officers responded to a motel in Sharonville on April 18, 2017 following the report of a distraught female in the business’s parking lot. The female, a 16-year-old, told officers she had spent several hours in a motel room smoking crack cocaine and engaged in oral sex with an adult male who physically assaulted her.

 

Contact with the adult male and search of his cell phone revealed sexually explicit photos with the victim and text conversations with Washington about arrangements to coordinate the sexual activity for payment to Washington.

 

As part of his sentence, Washington was ordered to pay more than $229,000 in restitution to the victim and to a local county Job and Family Services agency.

 

Washington, Jr. has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Sharonville Acting Police Chief Mark Preuss and other members of the FBI’s child exploitation task force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal jury has convicted Lelon Campbell, 28, of Cincinnati, with distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Nov. 29 before U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in June 2018, Campbell distributed fentanyl. In October 2018, he possessed more than 130 grams of fentanyl and approximately 27 grams of cocaine.

 

A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment against Campbell in November 2021. He was originally charged in 2019.

 

Campbell will be sentenced at a future hearing. He faces at least five years and up to 40 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Ronald H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced today’s verdict. Special Assistant United States Attorney John Zachary Kessler from the Cincinnati City Solicitor’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley represented the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus woman was sentenced in federal court here today and ordered to pay a fine of $250,000, the maximum amount allowed by law, for committing COVID relief fraud. In addition to her fine, she was ordered to pay more than $128,000 in restitution.

 

Janet Jenison, 38, was convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement on a Paycheck Protection Program loan application.

 

Jenison was charged by bill of information in May 2021 and pleaded guilty in July 2021.

 

According to court documents, Jenison submitted three fraudulent applications to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, created by the CARES Act, for Janet Minton Marketing, LLC, a business registered in her maiden name. The applications collectively sought $298,719.67 in fraudulent loans. Two of the applications were approved and a financial institution disbursed $160,247.

 

In support of the three applications, Jenison created false Fifth Third Bank account statements for her business for the period Feb. 8, 2020 to March 6, 2020. The bank statements showed debits for payroll, tax withholding and business expenses.  The business account at Fifth Third Bank was not opened until April 27, 2020.

 

Jenison also submitted false tax documents. One document claimed she elected for her marketing business to be classified as a corporation and was dated Jan. 24, 2020, but the employer identification number on the form was not created until four months later. The defendant also made false claims about federal employment tax deposits.

 

Jenison was interviewed by law enforcement in March 2021 and she admitted to creating the false documents submitted in support of the applications.

 

As part of her sentence, Jenison was ordered to pay $128,783.04 in restitution and to serve five years of probation, including six months of home confinement.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and officials with the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged 14 individuals in a narcotics conspiracy alleged to have occurred for at least the past four years.

 

Each of the defendants is charged with conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

 

According to the indictment unsealed today, the defendants also possessed and distributed heroin and methamphetamine.

 

The co-conspirators were originally charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 15. Thirteen of the defendants have been arrested and will appear in federal court in Cincinnati. Sterling Parish is a fugitive with an outstanding arrest warrant. Any tips or information on the location of Sterling Parish should be sent to FBI Cincinnati at 513-421-4310.

 

An affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint details that Steffen Roberson, also known as “Worm,” was running one of the largest heroin/fentanyl drug trafficking organizations in the greater Cincinnati area. The drug trafficking organization is also alleged to have distributed narcotics in Akron, Ohio, Fairfield, Ohio, and Gary, Indiana, as well.

 

The group was allegedly known to obtain drugs from multiple sources of supply, including in Atlanta and Baltimore. Roberson would allegedly purchase distributable amounts of opioids for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

 

It is alleged that Roberson’s brother, Anthony Roberson, also known as the “Chemist,” manufactured heroin and fentanyl mixtures for the drug trafficking organization by cutting the narcotics with fillers and looking for ways to make the drug mixtures more potent.

 

More than 30 state and federal search warrants have been executed since 2018 on co-conspirators’ residences where large quantities of fentanyl and loaded firearms have been routinely recovered.

 

In total, law enforcement has seized approximately $150,000 in cash, 10 kilograms of fentanyl, multiple vehicles and 28 firearms related to the investigation.

 

Those charged include:

Name

Also Known As

Age

City of Residence

Steffen Roberson

Worm

40

Cincinnati

Anthony Roberson

Don, Chemist

44

Cincinnati

Devon Price

DV

36

Atlanta

Quinton Jennings

Smoke

39

Cincinnati

David Hamler

Chewy

31

Maineville, Ohio

Gregory Donaldson, Jr.

Gotti

32

Cincinnati

Donald Fairbanks III

Don Don

33

Middletown, Ohio

Roderick Smith

Pink

46

Cincinnati

Rashawn Zanders

Rayzo

35

Cincinnati

Sterling Parish

Sterl

36

Cincinnati

Jerome Newton, Jr.

Kodak, Boo

29

Cincinnati

Jimmy Daniel III

Neutron

32

Cincinnati

Alton Beacher

Yog

42

Cincinnati

Juan Marcano

 

47

New York City

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the charges. They commended the cooperative investigation in this case with the Hamilton County Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (RENU), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), the Drug Abuse and Reduction Task Force (DART), Middletown Police Department, Warren County Drug Task Force (WCDTF), Butler County Undercover Regional Narcotics Unit (BURN), Hamilton County Probation Office, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley N. Brucato and Dominick S. Gerace are representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – Kenneth L. Parker was sworn in today as United States Attorney, the chief law enforcement official, for the Southern District of Ohio. President Biden nominated Parker on Sept. 28, and the United States Senate approved his confirmation on Nov. 19.

 

Parker is a lifelong resident of the Cincinnati region and has served as an Assistant United States Attorney there since 1999. The 49-year-old has served in a variety of leadership roles as a federal prosecutor in the Office’s criminal division, including as Criminal Chief (2011 to 2019) and as the District’s OCDETF Chief (2010-2011).

 

Parker graduated from Tuskegee University in 1994 and earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1997. He clerked for the Hon. S. Arthur Spiegel in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

 

He has served as president of the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and of the Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati.

 

Throughout his career, Parker has been consistently dedicated to connecting with the community to promote crime prevention as an essential part of enforcement.

 

“As U.S. Attorney, I am committed to partnering with the community to strengthen relationships between our office, the law enforcement partners with whom we work, and government and non-government agencies,” said Parker. “In other words, building community trust will be an integral part of what we do.”

 

As an alumnus of the Summer Work Experience in Law program, Parker later served as Chair of the program, which seeks to increase the number of African Americans in the legal profession. He has helped expand the program to Hamilton, Dayton and Columbus.

 

The new U.S. Attorney resides in Cincinnati with his wife and their twin daughters.

 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office represents the United States in 48 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The Southern District of Ohio includes the metropolitan areas of Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

 

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus man was sentenced today in federal court to six months in prison, a $50,000 fine and one year of supervised release for criminally interfering with the right to fair housing. His charges stemmed from antisemitic threats the defendant made to his neighbors.

 

Douglas G. Schifer, 66, of Bucyrus, Ohio, threatened neighbors and their guests because of their religion during an outdoor gathering at the neighbors’ residence on Nov. 7, 2020.

 

Schifer was charged by a federal criminal complaint in March and pleaded guilty in June to interfering with the right to fair housing.

 

Plea documents detail that Schifer stated in part, “all you f***ing people, it’s no wonder Hitler burned you people in ovens,” “f***ing Hitler should have gassed you,” and “Jews burn, you belong in ovens.”

 

Court documents say that Schifer also said to the neighbors, “f***ing dog” and “I will poison your dog if it comes back to the fence.” Schifer admitted to threatening to shoot the neighbors and their dog, and to “burn to the ground” a garage the neighbors were remodeling.

 

Schifer shouted other antisemitic slurs, obscenities and other derogatory language about their religion at his neighbors and their guests on Nov. 7, 2020. He also broke one of their windows and spat at one of the neighbors. He also made reference to gassing Jewish people, chopping them up, and burning them in ovens.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill, and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

Carrefour Associates LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cincinnati LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cleveland LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Dayton LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Northeast Ohio LLC; and Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee LLC (Crossroads Hospice), operating in Ohio and Tennessee, have agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for non-covered hospice services.

Hospice care is special, end-of-life care intended to comfort terminally ill patients. Patients admitted to hospice care generally stop receiving coverage for traditional medical care designed to cure their terminal condition and instead receive medical care focused on providing them with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a terminal illness. Medicare patients are considered to be terminally ill and hospice-eligible when they have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illness runs its normal course.

This settlement resolves allegations that Crossroads Hospice knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill. According to the settlement agreement, the United States alleged that from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2014, Crossroads Hospice billed Medicare for hospice care for certain patients with a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease at its Ohio and Tennessee locations who were not terminally ill for at least a portion of the more than three years that the patients received care at these locations. 

“Medicare’s hospice benefit provides critical end of life services that focus on palliative rather than curative care,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensure that hospice services are provided to patients who truly need this care and that patients who are not terminally ill receive appropriate curative care.”

“This office is committed to pursuing providers who put profits ahead of patients,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio. “We will continue to hold accountable those who abuse federal healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”

“The Medicare program provides older Americans with access to health,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee. “When frauds like this are committed by serviced providers, it effectively deprives older Americans of health care resources. Our office will continue to take steps to prevent frauds like this from taking place in order to ensure that the Medicare program’s resources are used effectively.”

“The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis and desire for palliative care, not a hospice provider’s desire to boost its profits,” said Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency is dedicated to safeguarding both the Medicare program and Medicare patients. This settlement reaffirms HHS-OIG’s commitment to holding accountable providers who knowingly submit false claims to Medicare.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Leanne Malone, Jackie Burns and Angela Heck, former employees of Crossroads Hospice, as well as Dr. David Weber, a home health physician in Tennessee. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are: United States ex rel. Leanne Malone et al. v. Carrefour Associates LLC et al., No. 1:15-cv-460 (S.D. Ohio) and United States ex rel. David Weber v. Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee, LLC, No. 2:16-cv-02684 (W.D. Tenn.). Under this settlement, the whistleblowers in the Malone action will receive approximately $1,045,000.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. HHS-OIG assisted in the investigation.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was investigated by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Jonathan Hoerner, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Malek of the Southern District of Ohio and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eileen Kuo of the Western District of Tennessee.

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

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three of six defendants charged this spring with selling liquid psychedelic mushrooms online to customers all over the country have pleaded guilty in federal court in Columbus.

 

James Verl Barlow, 44, of Las Vegas, and Matthew Taylor Barlow, 35, of Murray, Utah, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and Jennifer Helen Cambpell, 42, also of Murray, Utah, admitted her guilt yesterday. Each of the three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a psychedelic mushroom analogue. James Barlow also pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder the drug proceeds.

 

According to James Barlow’s court documents, as part of his guilty plea, he will forfeit approximately $15 million in drug proceeds and property, including millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, more than half a million dollars in cash, a 2016 Tesla Model-X Wagon, and land in Brighton, Colorado, valued at more than $1.5 million, as part of this case.

 

Between November 2013 and April 2021, the defendants sold liquid psychedelic mushrooms in nine milligram vials for approximately $20 each on the darknet through the monikers TRIPWITHSCIENCE and PERFECTSHROOMS. Court documents detail that at least one customer was located in Columbus.

James Barlow used individuals in Nevada, Utah and Maryland to arrange shipments of both powder and liquid mushrooms from Las Vegas, Memphis, and Gulf Breeze, Florida, to customers throughout the United States and Europe.

In total, the investigation by the Central Ohio Cyber Drug Task Force determined Barlow’s organization was responsible for distributing 315 kilograms of powder mushroom analogues and 3,200 kilograms of liquid mushrooms.

The defendants face up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation;  Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, DEA; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the pleas entered into before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – The Department of Justice announced the Cincinnati Police Department will receive more than $6 million in grant funding for law enforcement hiring to advance community policing. Cincinnati is one of two agencies in the Southern District of Ohio to receive the grant funding.

 

More than $139 million was awarded through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The awards provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.

 

Cincinnati Police Department was awarded $6.25 million to hire an additional 50 officers and the Whitehall Police Department is receiving $750,000 to hire six more officers.

 

The COPS Hiring Program is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. Funding for the 183 agencies awarded grants this week will be used to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; seek to address high rates of gun violence and other areas of violence; and combat hate and domestic terrorism.

 

To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp.  For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who pretended to be selling a car and pretended to be an online escort in order to rob victims at gunpoint was sentenced today in federal court to 264 months in prison.

 

Keith Jorel Hudson, 36, brandished a firearm during the robberies and shot and struck two victims.

 

According to court documents, on March 5, 2020, Hudson met up with a victim who had communicated with Hudson on Facebook Messenger regarding a post stating Hudson was selling a black Honda Accord. When the victim arrived at a meetup location on Spencer Court in Columbus, Hudson brandished a firearm and demanded the victim drop his wallet and keys.

 

The victim complied, and as Hudson reached to pick up the wallet, the victim grabbed his own keys and attempted to flee in his car. Hudson blocked the victim from entering his car, pistol whipped the victim, and shot him in the back of the neck. The round entered and exited the victim’s neck, leaving a flesh wound and shattering the victim’s car window.

 

The victim was able to flag down a Columbus police officer a short distance away and was transported to Grant Hospital.

 

On March 20, 2020, a second victim responded to an online advertisement of Hudson’s. This post was a dating advertisement on a personals webpage.

 

The second victim arrived at the Hickory Creek Apartments complex to meet a female and pay her for sexual activity. Instead, Hudson approached him and pointed a handgun at him, demanding cash from him.

 

The victim gave Hudson the $30 he had in his possession and began to leave. The victim attempted to take a picture of Hudson’s license plate when Hudson began shooting at the victim. The victim attempted to flee and Hudson pursued the victim in his vehicle. Hudson fired his gun again near the intersection of Schrock Road and Ambleside Drive and struck the victim in his hand. The gunfire also disabled the victim’s car.

 

Shortly thereafter, Hudson was located by Columbus Police officers and arrested. 

 

Hudson is was charged in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in April 2021 to robbery and discharging a firearm during robbery.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Prichard is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – The founder, owner, CEO and president of a Cincinnati nonprofit was sentenced today in federal court to 48 months in prison for using thousands of dollars for personal expenses instead of paying over payroll taxes to the IRS.

 

Hope 4 Change, a non-profit organization that provided housing and care for adults with developmental disabilities, drug addiction problems and mental disorders, employed between 120 and 180 individuals in 2013 and 2014.

 

Barry Rene Isaacs, the founder, owner, CEO and president of the non-profit, allegedly caused Hope 4 Change to spend thousands of dollars for clothing, massages, beauty care, travel and personal vehicles for Isaacs and his family.

 

According to court documents, Hope 4 Change withheld FICA taxes from its employees’ paychecks but did not pay over the employment taxes to the IRS for five quarters in late 2013 and 2014.  Isaacs, 35, of Cincinnati, also fraudulently applied for an auto loan and credit card using someone else’s social security account number.

 

Isaacs was charged in April 2019. After fleeing the jurisdiction, Isaacs was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Texas in January 2020. He appeared for arraignment in federal court in Cincinnati in February 2020. On April 21, 2021, Isaacs pleaded guilty to willfully failing to pay over employment taxes and aggravated identity theft. 

 

Teela Gilbert, 35, of Cincinnati, Hope 4 Change’s vice president, “student affairs” director and office manager has also been charged and has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

 

As part of his sentence, Isaacs was also ordered to pay approximately $246,000 in restitution to a company from which the co-defendants induced payments for false invoices.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General announced the sentence imposed today by U.S District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A steel carport business headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, is forfeiting $6 million for knowingly employing dozens of undocumented immigrants. Company executives paid to smuggle the undocumented workers from Mexico to the United States and then used them as cheap labor on construction projects throughout the country.

 

All Steel Carport, Inc. pleaded guilty in July 2021 to inducing undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States to generate millions of dollars of proceeds for itself.

 

All Steel performed several millions of dollars’ worth of work in Ohio knowingly using undocumented immigrant workers. The company also purchased trucks in Ohio for the workers, which they titled in the names of “straw owners.”

 

According to court documents, between 2018 and 2019, the company authorized the hiring of dozens of undocumented immigrants to process steel or install carports for the company. All Steel allowed the employees to use fictitious Social Security numbers and other identifying information. The company also provided incentives to the employees. For example, All Steel helped employees obtain driver’s licenses in other states and purchased vehicles for the employees to pay off through deductions in their paychecks.

 

As part of this case, All Steel has also forfeited three vehicles – 2020 Chevy Silverados and Ford F-350s and a 2020 Audi R8 – valued collectively at more than $300,000. 

 

Besides forfeiting $6 million and the vehicles, All Steel was sentenced to three years of probation, a $25,000 fine, and was ordered to provide community outreach with Homeland Security Investigations concerning employment practices. All Steel is ordered to obtain IMAGE certification with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement within one year.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Patel and Callender acknowledged the cooperation of law enforcement in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller are representing the United States in the case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Mustafa Shalash, of Hillard, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of filing a false tax return with the IRS.  Shalash was charged by bill of information on October 22, 2021.

According to court documents, in 2015 Shalash won $1,000,000 on a single lottery ticket.  He received $710,000, and $290,000 was withheld in taxes.  On his 2015 tax return, Shalash reported gambling winnings of $1,069,100 and falsely claimed gambling losses of $1,069,100.  Shalash knew that his actual gambling losses were no more than $300,000. To conceal his gambling winnings, Shalash wired $690,000 abroad, including $440,000 to a bank account under his control in Jordan. 

From 2014 through 2019, Shalash had as much as 409,000–645,803 Dinar, or approximately $576,077–$909,614, in a foreign bank account in Jordan.  In addition to wiring lottery winnings abroad, Shalash accumulated money in foreign bank accounts by transporting more than $10,000 in funds across the U.S. border on multiple occasions.  On July 8, 2015, Shalash purchased a $19,000 cashier’s check and then flew to Jordan, where he deposited the check into his Jordanian bank account.  In April 2016, Shalash purchased two cashier’s checks for $15,000 and $25,000, then flew to Jordan, where he deposited them in his Jordanian bank account.  In none of the cases did Shalash file the required Form 105, Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments. Before he knew he was being investigated, Shalash never filed, as required, a FinCen Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).

On his 2015 tax return, Shalash also failed to disclose that he had a foreign bank account.  Shalash reported to his return preparer that he did not have a foreign bank account.  As a result of his overstating his gambling losses on his 2015 tax return, Shalash caused a tax loss of $255,967 to the IRS.

“Concealing bank accounts overseas and inflating losses on a tax return is a recipe for criminal tax prosecution,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.  “IRS CI will continue to apply substantial resources towards and vigorously investigate criminal tax fraud.”

Filing a false income tax return carries a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $100,000. 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, announced the plea entered before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati woman who applied for and was denied bankruptcy seven times was sentenced in federal court to 17 months in prison for misusing another person’s Social Security number. After pleading guilty to using another person’s SSN to apply an eighth time for bankruptcy, the defendant lied to the probation office about being a veteran and provided a false address before failing to appear at her originally scheduled sentencing hearing.

 

Nicole Ball, 49, was arrested in October 2021 by United States Marshals after failing to appear in court.

 

According to court documents, from 2013 to 2016, Ball filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Ohio using her true SSN. Each case was dismissed, and in February 2017, the bankruptcy court ordered the defendant not to file again for at least three years.

 

In March 2019, Ball illegally used another person’s SSN to file again for bankruptcy.

 

She pleaded guilty in March 2021 to misusing the SSN.

 

After her guilty plea, Ball provided false information to the federal probation office, including claiming that she had served in the United States military when she had not, and providing the office with an address on a street that does not exist.

 

Ball also used the names Nicole Whitaker, Nicole Woodell, Nicole Spivey and Nicole Whitaker-Spivey.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, commended the investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General,  U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Sidney, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 27 years in prison for attempting to produce child pornography and for violating his supervised release while registered as a sex offender from a previous conviction.

 

Charles Lee Frazier, 42, admitted during his guilty plea in March 2021 that he solicited child pornography from impoverished mothers in the Philippines.

 

According to court documents, Frazier used Filipino dating sites to connect with women in poverty. In subsequent Skype chats with the women, he obtained sexually explicit pictures of their children in exchange for money. Specifically, Frazier’s conversations included requests for pornography of naked minor children engaging in sexual conduct with other children or with their mothers. Frazier distributed child pornography to several women, as examples of what images he wanted them to create with their children, or with instructions to show the images to their children to convince them to engage in that behavior.  The defendant also had discussions about committing violent acts against children. For example, he discussed killing infants during sexual assaults.

 

From April through July 2019, Frazier sent money via MoneyGram from a Sidney, Ohio, store to women in the Philippines in exchange for child pornography. Frazier sent approximately $800 to one individual in exchange for nude images of a seven-year-old girl. One of the women in the online chats stated she needed the money from Frazier for food.

 

Frazier was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense. He was convicted in a 2011 federal case for receiving child pornography. He was sentenced to 84 months in prison for that conviction.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Sidney Police Chief William Balling announced the judgment entry filed Nov. 4. Frazier was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case and Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy represented the United States.

# # #

CINCINNATI – The first Chinese intelligence agent ever to be extradited to the United States to stand trial was convicted today by a federal jury in Cincinnati.

 

Yanjun Xu was found guilty on all counts, including conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and stealing trade secrets.

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Oct. 19 before U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. Closing arguments concluded Wednesday.

 

“The jury, by its guilty verdict here today, held Xu accountable for his classic spy techniques,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “Xu conspired to commit economic espionage on behalf of the Chinese government, and he tried to steal the valuable innovation and trade secrets of industry-leading American aviation technology companies. This Office will continue to seek to protect American innovation and hold accountable those who attempt to steal our nation’s science and technology, regardless of status or affiliation, whether civilian, military, or spy.”

“Investigating, arresting, and successfully prosecuting an intelligence officer from the Chinese Ministry of State Security is a victory for the American people and the U.S. intelligence community,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The Chinese Communist government, which tasked Xu, is continuing to operate other spies, hackers, and intelligence officers who are intent on stealing advanced technologies and exploiting U.S. businesses innovations. Government and private industry must strengthen our partnerships to protect our advancements and our national security.”

 

Xu is a deputy division director at the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is the intelligence and security agency for China.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, beginning in at least December 2013, Xu targeted specific companies in the United States and abroad that are recognized as leaders in the field of aviation. He identified individuals who worked for the companies and recruited them to travel to China, often initially under the guise that they were traveling to give a presentation at a university. Xu and others paid the individuals stipends on top of covering travel costs.

 

According to today’s conviction, Xu attempted to steal technology related to GE Aviation’s exclusive composite aircraft engine fan – which no other company in the world has been able to duplicate – to benefit the Chinese state.

 

In March 2017, a GE Aviation employee in Cincinnati was solicited to give a report at a university in China. The employee traveled to China two months later to present at the university and was introduced to Xu. Xu and others paid the employee’s travel expenses and a stipend.

 

In January 2018, Xu requested “system specification, design process” information from the employee and – with the cooperation of the company, who was working with the FBI – the employee emailed a two-page document from the company that included a label that warned about the disclosure of proprietary information.

 

In February 2018, Xu began discussing with the employee the possibility of meeting in Europe during one of the employee’s business trips and asked the employee to send a copy of the file directory for his company-issued computer.

 

Xu traveled to Belgium on April 1, 2018 to meet with the employee and was arrested at that time.

 

The Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs secured Xu’s extradition to the United States, with valuable assistance provided by the government of Belgium, as well as the Belgian Federal Police.

 

Economic espionage is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Theft of trade secrets carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced today’s guilty verdict. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan, Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter, and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie from the Department of Justice’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section represented the United States in this case. Acting U.S. Attorney Patel commended the integral cooperation of GE Aviation throughout the investigation and subsequent prosecution.

 

# # #

A federal jury today convicted Yanjun Xu, a Chinese national and Deputy Division Director of the Sixth Bureau of the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, of conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The defendant is the first Chinese intelligence officer to be extradited to the United States to stand trial.

“This conviction of a card-carrying intelligence officer for economic espionage underscores that trade secret theft is integral to the PRC government’s plans to modernize its industries,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “But this conviction also serves notice that the United States will not sit by as China, or any other nation-state, attempts to steal instead of researching and developing key technology. Instead, and with the support of our allies, we will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable those who try to take the fruits of American ingenuity illegally.”

“The jury, by its guilty verdict here today, held Xu accountable for his classic spy techniques,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio. “Xu conspired to commit economic espionage on behalf of the Chinese government, and he tried to steal the valuable innovation and trade secrets of industry-leading American aviation technology companies. This office will continue to seek to protect American innovation and hold accountable those who attempt to steal our nation’s science and technology, regardless of status or affiliation, whether civilian, military or spy.”

“This was state-sponsored economic espionage by the PRC designed to steal American technology and put Americans out of work,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “For those who doubt the real goals of the PRC, this should be a wakeup call; they are stealing American technology to benefit their economy and military. The FBI is partnering with over 50 U.S. Government agencies to share information and investigative resources to stop the PRC’s illegal activities.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, beginning in at least December 2013, Xu used multiple aliases to target specific companies in the United States and abroad that are recognized as leaders in the field of aviation. He identified experts who worked for the companies and recruited them to travel to China, often initially under the guise that they were traveling to give a presentation at a university. Xu and others paid the experts stipends on top of covering travel costs. According to today’s conviction, Xu attempted to steal technology related to GE Aviation’s exclusive composite aircraft engine fan – which no other company in the world has been able to duplicate – to benefit the Chinese state.

In March 2017, a GE Aviation employee in Cincinnati, Ohio, was solicited to give a report at a university in China. The employee traveled to China two months later to present at the university and was introduced to Xu. Xu and others paid the employee’s travel expenses and a stipend.

In January 2018, Xu requested “system specification, design process” information from the employee and – with the cooperation of the company, who was working with the FBI – the employee emailed a two-page document from the company that included a label that warned about the disclosure of proprietary information.

In February 2018, Xu began discussing with the employee the possibility of meeting in Europe during one of the employee’s business trips and asked the employee to send a copy of the file directory for his company-issued computer.

Xu traveled to Belgium on April 1, 2018, to meet with the employee and was arrested at that time.

Xu was convicted of two counts of conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison for each count and a fine of up to $5 million. Xu was also convicted of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft and two counts of attempted theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison for each count and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan and Deputy Criminal Chief Emily Glatfelter for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs secured Xu’s extradition to the United States, with valuable assistance provided by the government of Belgium and the Belgian Federal Police.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eleven defendants have been convicted and sentenced in a conspiracy to smuggle at least 200 firearms from Ohio to Canada for tens of thousands of dollars.

 

Abdulwahab Sharif Mohamed Hassan, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court today to 72 months in prison.

 

A federal grand jury charged the co-conspirators in indictments returned on Aug. 19, 2020, and Nov. 19, 2020. Defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 months and 1 day to 72 months of imprisonment.

 

The defendants acquired firearms both legally and illegally, stockpiled the firearms, and smuggled them to Canada to re-sell them for a profit.

 

The group bought guns both through private sales and through straw purchases at gun shows.

 

For example, in April 2019, co-conspirators caused two individuals to conduct straw purchases of four firearms at the C&E Gun Show at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.

 

Defendants recruited female drivers to smuggle firearms across the border or to bring money back from Canada through promises of a free trip to Canada, payment, and access to drugs and alcohol.

 

In July 2018, more than $11,000 was seized by law enforcement from two of the defendants on one trip back to Ohio from Canada. Two months later, more than $25,000 in cash was seized from two other defendants at the John Glenn International Airport. For his part, Abdulwahab Hassan reported during the sentencing process that he had approximately $88,000 in cash on hand, despite not having a job during time periods relevant to the firearms-trafficking conspiracy.

 

On various occasions in 2019, individuals related to the conspiracy attempted to travel to Canada and were stopped by law enforcement. During each incident, multiple firearms were discovered in the vehicles.

 

In total, the defendants conspired to smuggle more than 200 guns from Ohio to Canada from approximately July of 2018 through about the middle of 2019. To date, at least 10 of those guns have been directly traced to crimes in Canada.

 

Those convicted in the conspiracy include:

 

Name

Also Known As

Age

City of Residence

Abdulwahab Sharif Mohamed Hassan

China

30

Columbus, Ohio

Omar Sharif Mohamed Hassan

O-Bandz

26

Columbus, Ohio

Jamil Jamal Abdalla

 

22

Columbus, Ohio

Mohamed Abdulkadir Mohamud

Bash

23

Columbus, Ohio

Mohamed Abdi Hirad

Mo Trippin’, Trippin’

21

Columbus, Ohio

Abdirahim Mahmoud Dualeh

A.D.

25

Columbus, Ohio

Shamarke Igal

Marke

25

Columbus, Ohio

Ahmed Ahmed

Seven

22

Columbus, Ohio

Abdiaziz Said Ahmed

Breezy

26

Columbus, Ohio

Ibrahim Ali

Ebey

25

Columbus, Ohio

Mohamed Sharif Ali Mohamed

MoMo

23

Columbus, Ohio

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; United States Marshal Pete Tobin; Ohio Highway Patrol Superintendent Lt. Col. Richard Fambro; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the sentences imposed. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Kelly A. Norris represented the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Access Hospital Dayton, LLC and its owner, Dr. John Johnson, have agreed to pay the United States $374,780 to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for diagnostic testing. Access Dayton and Johnson have also agreed to pay the State of Ohio approximately $50,219 to resolve State of Ohio Medicaid claims.

 

The government alleged that, between January 2014 and December 2019, Access Dayton and Johnson knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Ohio Medicaid for diagnostic laboratory testing (prolactin and ammonia) that was (1) performed during patients’ inpatient stays at Access Dayton, (2) not used in the management of the patients’ condition, and (3) not medically necessary. 

 

Prolactin testing measures the level of prolactin in a person’s blood, which providers use to diagnose pituitary tumors or to determine causes for conditions unrelated to psychosis or substance abuse.  Providers use ammonia testing to diagnose liver dysfunctions or hyperammonemia. 

 

Medicare pays for diagnostic testing ordered by the physician who uses the results in the management of the beneficiary’s specific medical problem. Medicare and Ohio Medicaid generally prohibit separate payment for diagnostic testing performed during an inpatient admission. 

 

“It is crucial that every public dollar available go to treat the drug-addicted and mentally ill,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I am proud of the work by my Health Care Fraud Section and our federal partners to claw back the money to help us continue this fight.”

 

False Claims Act tips and complaints about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). 

 

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Trial Attorney Christopher Wilson of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and Andrew Malek, Deputy Civil Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are representing the United States in this matter.

 

The claims asserted against these defendants are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

 

# # #

An Ohio man, who was scheduled to start jury trial today, pleaded guilty Friday evening to one count of attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS Wilayat Khorasan (ISIS-K).

According to court documents, Naser Almadaoji, 22, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen of Beavercreek, purchased a plane ticket for travel on Oct. 24, 2018, and was arrested at John Glenn International Airport after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.  

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS. Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

Prior to that, between Feb. 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, and he told his contact, whom Almadaoji believed to be part of ISIS, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

Almadaoji pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio; Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division; Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office; Director Alan J. Hill of Oakwood Public Safety; and Green County Sheriff Gene Fischer made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Nicholas A. Dingeldein for the Southern District of Ohio, and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

DAYTON, Ohio – A Beavercreek man who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS Wilayat Khorasan (ISIS-K) has pleaded guilty in federal court.

 

Naser Almadaoji, 22, an Iraqi-born United States citizen, was scheduled to start jury trial today. He pleaded guilty Friday evening to one count of attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.

 

“This is now the second person from the Dayton area held accountable in recent times for trying to join ISIS,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “Whatever grievances might exist with our government, our country, or our way of life, violence is not the answer. Providing material support in whatever form – personnel, services, funding, or otherwise – to designated foreign terrorist groups simply begets more terror, and every effort will be made to hold accountable those who provide such support.”

 

According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on October 24, 2018, and was arrested after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.

 

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS. Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be  an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

 

Prior to that, between February 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

 

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

 

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

 

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

 

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, and he told his contact—whom Almadaoji believed to be part of ISIS—“Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

 

Attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

“This case is another example of how the agents and officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work each day to protect the community and disrupt those intent on aiding and supporting terrorist groups,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The task force brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to expertly investigate developing threats and those who may be focused on violence.”

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Division of the FBI; Alan J. Hill, Oakwood Public Safety Director; and Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer announced the plea entered into before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Nicholas A. Dingeldein and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A London, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison and five years of supervised release for making online threats to individuals connected with a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people access safe abortions.

 

James David Hampton, 41, was charged by a federal grand jury in April 2021 and pleaded guilty in June 2021.

 

According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2020, Hampton searched “Abortion Support Network” on Facebook and commented on the ASN page, in part, “we kill scum like you…we follow you…we stalk you…then we kill you” and “there will be no pity when I myself stand over your cowering body as you beg and weep for your own life…just before I cut your throat.”

 

Hampton added, “we know where you live..your routines..we kidnap your kind…we torture you for information.”

 

He went into graphic detail about how he would cause pain and suffering to his victims before their death, telling one victim: “100 beatings with a hot chain ... then ... I will bury you alive in a whole with bleach water to drink (if you choose to) .. oh, and the earth above your body will be set on fire as well .. consider it a trial run for your time in hell ..”

 

In total, Hampton made more than a dozen threats to at least 10 victims.

 

In addition to the electronic communications, Hampton posted several public Facebook live videos to his profile on Aug. 26, 2020.

 

Hampton is clearly identified in the videos and stated, “My name is James David Hampton and I kill baby murderers.” He warned that a “great and ferocious wrath” was coming and spoke about burning down clinics and executing the doctors in the streets, as well as people who fund abortion clinics.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced its partnership with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division as it launches the department’s new Combatting Redlining Initiative.

 

Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. The new Initiative represents the department’s most aggressive and coordinated enforcement effort to address redlining, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

 

“Redlining is not only harmful in our communities of color, but it is also illegal,” said Acting United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “I want to assure those living in the Southern District of Ohio that we will investigate and hold accountable those who are redlining our communities.”

 

Redlining, a practice institutionalized by the federal government during the New Deal era and implemented then and now by private lenders, has had a lasting negative impact. For American families, homeownership remains the principal means of building wealth, and the deprivation of investment in and access to mortgage lending services for communities of color have contributed to families of color persistently lagging behind in homeownership rates and net worth compared to white families. The gap in homeownership rates between white and Black families is larger today than it was in 1960, before the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

 

This Initiative, which will be led by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, will build on the longstanding work by the Division that seeks to make mortgage credit and homeownership accessible to all Americans on the same terms, regardless of race or national origin and regardless of the neighborhood where they live.

 

The initiative will:

 

• Use U.S. Attorneys’ Offices as force multipliers to ensure that fair lending enforcement is informed by local expertise on housing markets and the credit needs of local communities of color.

 

• Expand the department’s analyses of potential redlining to both depository and non-depository institutions.  Non-depository lenders are not traditional banks and do not provide typical banking services, but engage in mortgage lending and now make the majority of mortgages in this country.

 

• Strengthen our partnership with financial regulatory agencies such as to ensure the identification and referrals of fair lending violations to the Department of Justice.

 

• Increase coordination with State Attorneys General on potential fair lending violations.

            Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.

 

 

# # #

 

 

 

DAYTON, Ohio – Sean T. Porter, 56, of Moraine, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 240 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to solicit nude photos from teenage girls while registered as a sex offender.

 

According to court documents, from October 2020 through January 2021, Porter created seven accounts with the profile names “Sean” and “Mike” on a dating app. In that time, Porter communicated with approximately 52 individuals who identified themselves as minors as young as 11 years old and sent pornographic images of himself to at least 26 suspected minors. He also solicited sexual content from the minors. One of the minors Porter communicated with was an FBI undercover officer who was using two personas of minor females.

 

Porter made a number of requests for the undercover officer to send nude images.  Porter also sent images of himself in an exposed state.  On Valentine’s Day 2021, Porter sent a video of himself engaging in sexual conduct to the agent purporting to be a teenager.

 

Porter committed these acts while on federal supervision after serving 10 years in federal prison for his last offense.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.

 

 

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CINCINNATI – The lead of four defendants convicted of robbing an area chicken wings restaurant at gunpoint was sentenced in federal court to 126 months in prison.

 

Jammell Johnson, 28, of Cincinnati, received a sentence at the top of the federal sentencing guidelines for his role in the armed robbery conspiracy.

 

According to court documents, on July 28, 2019, Johnson and three others – including the restaurant’s manager Michael Jointer – robbed the WingStop on Galbraith Road in Springfield Township.

 

Johnson’s plea documents detail that he and the co-defendants had planned to place a carryout food order around closing time, which WingStop would honor after the restaurant had closed. According to their plan, Johnson and co-conspirator Martez Brown would rob the restaurant and manager Jointer would lead them to the safe. Jointer chose the date based on when the safe would contain the most cash.

 

Springfield Township police officers became aware of the plan and initiated surveillance.

 

A fourth defendant, Dwayne Palmore, purchased clothing items and gloves for use during the robbery and acted as a lookout on scene at WingStop.

 

Johnson and Brown brandished firearms and stole approximately $2,600 in cash from the restaurant.

 

Law enforcement officials used physical and aerial surveillance prior to, during, and after the robbery. Co-conspirators were arrested following vehicle and foot pursuits. Officers deployed nearby K-9 units to help apprehend the defendants.

 

Jointer, Brown and Palmore have each pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Springfield Township Police Chief Rick Bley; and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six additional defendants and new charges involving sex trafficking have been added to a case pending against a Columbus man who allegedly provided individuals cocaine and fentanyl in exchange for criminal acts.

 

Court documents allege Ricco Lamonte Maye, 39, of Columbus, was the head of a loose organization of individuals engaged in various types of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and mail and wire fraud. Maye allegedly used threats, violence and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals continued to carry out his criminal schemes.

 

A federal grand jury has now charged 10 total defendants with crimes related to distributing bulk quantities of fentanyl, crack, cocaine and methamphetamine; a mail and wire fraud conspiracy involving fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance; a conspiracy to threaten potential witnesses; and an alleged conspiracy in which women were sex trafficked to earn drug money.

 

Maye was originally charged by indictment in November 2020 and has remained in federal custody since. A second superseding indictment was unsealed today.

 

According to the second superseding indictment, beginning in at least 2018, Maye’s drug trafficking organization primarily distributed narcotics to addicts in street-level quantities. It is alleged he regularly purchased narcotics from supply sources both inside and outside of Ohio and used addicts to transport the drugs back to Columbus for resale.

 

Court documents say Maye would accept stolen goods, gift cards, Social Security numbers and other items in addition to cash as payment for the drugs.

 

The indictments detail that Maye and other defendants filed for and received more than $30,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Maye allegedly kept all or a portion of the others’ benefits. 

 

It is alleged that Maye initially gave drugs to women for free and later required them to earn drug money through prostitution. The second superseding indictment details that Maye provided the means for the women to engage in prostitution – frequently obtaining hotel rooms, having the women driven to the hotels, providing cell phones, and directing Internet prostitution ads. Maye allegedly collected the prostitution proceeds, enforced specific rules on the women and punished the women through physical violence.

 

Finally, it is alleged that, after his initial arrest on federal charges in November 2020, Maye attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation into his sex trafficking and fraud activities.

 

Specifically, according to court documents, Maye consistently made phone calls to various co-conspirators and potential witnesses in an attempt to determine whether individuals had spoken to or otherwise cooperated with law enforcement. In these communications, he allegedly directed co-conspirators to cause physical harm to potential witnesses against him or directly threatened such potential witnesses with physical harm. Maye allegedly directed some co-defendants to use his Facebook account to reach and threaten others.

 

For example, in November 2020, Maye allegedly directed someone to mix rat poison into fentanyl and give it to a co-defendant he believed could be cooperating with law enforcement.

 

Defendants charged in this case include:

Name

Also Known As

Age

City

Ricco L. Maye

Roscoe

39

Columbus

Airrika N. Anthony

 

33

Columbus

Nicole L. Groves

Nikki

32

Columbus

Kevin E. Pearson

 

58

Columbus

Jasmine R. Weather

Jazmine, Jazmyne, Jaz

23

Columbus

Jacob M. Capan

Jake

28

Pickerington

Danielle C. Ferguson

Dani

31

Columbus

Vincent N. Morrow

V

39

Columbus

Ashleigh A. Davis

Snowflake

28

Chillicothe

Victor Blake

Slim

60

Columbus

 

The drug conspiracy charged in this case is punishable by a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The sex trafficking by force conspiracy charged in this case is punishable by at least 15 years and up to life in prison. Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conspiring to tamper with a witness carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison. Obstructing law enforcement is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Heather A. Hill are representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged a former Belmont County attorney with crimes related to stealing more than half a million dollars from an elderly woman with dementia while acting as the woman’s Power of Attorney.

 

Mark Alan Thomas, 61, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, is charged with four counts of mail fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

According to court documents, from 2012 through August 2019, Thomas defrauded a client while serving as her Power of Attorney. It is alleged that Thomas took the victim’s money without her knowledge or permission to use for his own benefit.

 

The indictment details that Thomas improperly used the victim’s Power of Attorney and his status as a lawyer – even after his law license was revoked in 2015 – to convince various entities, including banks and life insurance companies, to transfer the victim’s money for his use.

 

In May 2012, a family member of the victim obtained a separate Power of Attorney for the victim, and it is alleged that Thomas drafted a revocation of the family member’s Power of Attorney for the victim to sign. At the time, the victim was 85 years old, exhibiting symptoms of dementia, and living in a senior-care facility. Thomas allegedly acted as the notary to verify the victim’s signature on the revocation.

 

The indictment further alleges that Thomas falsely told a banker he needed $200,000 from the victim’s investment account to set up an educational fund that the victim wanted to establish. Once he received the money from the bank, Thomas allegedly transferred the money to himself instead.

 

In January 2014, Thomas allegedly cashed more than $290,000 of the victim’s U.S. Treasury Bonds, then subsequently transferred $200,000 into his law firm’s bank account, and eventually into his own personal bank account.

 

According to the indictment, in 2016, Thomas wrote letters to three life insurance companies purporting to be the victim asking to cash out the victim’s policies and direct all correspondence to Thomas.

 

“In total, the charging document alleges Thomas stole more than $500,000 of the victim’s funds while claiming to act in her best interests as Power of Attorney,” Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel said.

 

“Having power of attorney is not a license to steal,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I am thankful that investigators with my Health Care Fraud unit and our federal partners were able to expose this alleged abuse of trust.”

 

Patel, Yost and FBI Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers announced the charges. The Ohio Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Unit and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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DAYTON – Arland Mills, 43, of Trenton, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for hiring a man to illegally purchase firearms for him.

 

Mills pleaded guilty in federal court in November 2020. He admitted that as part of his scheme, Mills obtained multiple firearms, three of which were later recovered during the execution of a search warrant on Ruskin Road in Dayton where Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge Del Rio was shot on Nov. 4, 2019.

 

“Decisions carry consequences, and here, the consequences of Mills’ illegal gun purchases and sales were dire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel.

 

Delano Wells, 50, also of Trenton, purchased the firearms at a licensed firearms dealer in Middletown on behalf of Mills. Wells was charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 5, 2019, with making false statements on a federal firearms form. Wells lied on ATF Form 4473 by indicating “yes” he was purchasing the firearm for himself and not for anyone else.

Once Wells purchased the firearms, he would provide them to Mills. Mills then either paid Wells a stipend in addition to the cost of the gun, or he forgave a portion of the debt owed to him by Wells.

Wells purchased more than eight firearms in this manner on behalf of Mills, along with several firearm lower receivers. Wells was sentenced to six months of home detention and three years of supervised release.

As part of today’s conviction, Mills will forfeit the 28 firearms that the government seized in this case. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Interim Dayton Police Chief Matt Carper; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); J. William Rivers, Special in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Federal agents arrested two officers with the Columbus Division of Police’s drug cartel unit.

 

Marco R. Merino, 44, of Columbus, and John J. Kotchkoski, 33, of Marengo, Ohio, were allegedly involved in the distribution of approximately seven and a half kilograms of fentanyl. Merino also allegedly accepted bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine.

 

According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Merino allegedly tried to recruit a confidential informant to traffic drugs with him. Merino allegedly promised law enforcement protection to the individual and said he could intervene if other law enforcement agencies attempted to investigate the confidential informant.

 

Court documents detail that Merino intended to gain citizenship in Mexico as part of a plan to launder their drug proceeds. Merino allegedly planned to buy properties in Mexico to run as Airbnb properties and traveled to Mexico in July.

 

Specifically, it is alleged that, in March, April, May, August and September 2021, Merino accepted a total of $44,000 in cash in exchange for protecting the safe transport of at least 27 kilograms of cocaine. Unbeknownst to Merino, there was no actual cocaine and each of the transactions was controlled by federal law enforcement.

 

During the transports of the purported cocaine, it is alleged Kotchkoski made himself available by radio to make any calls that Merino might need, including to other law enforcement officials, to protect the safe transportation of the cocaine. According to an affidavit, cell phone data places Kotchkoski near Merino during the transports.

 

In June and August 2021, Merino allegedly distributed approximately seven and a half kilograms of fentanyl that Kotchkoski provided to him. It is alleged that Merino would make between $60,000 and $80,000 for the sale of the fentanyl.

 

Possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is a federal crime punishable by 10 years and up to life in prison. Federal Program Bribery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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