Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging Moses Slanger Wright, 69, of Philadelphia, PA, with fraudulently attempting to obtain citizenship, fraud in immigration documents, false statements in relation to naturalization, and perjury in connection with his fraudulent attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship.

During Liberia’s First Civil War, the Armed Forces of Liberia was locked in a brutal campaign for control of the country with various rebel groups, most notably Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia. The Indictment alleges that the defendant, when applying for U.S. citizenship, was not truthful about his activities during Liberia’s First Civil War while he was a member, and ultimately the commanding general of, the Armed Forces of Liberia. According to the Indictment, Wright either personally committed, or ordered Armed Forces of Liberia troops under his command to commit numerous atrocities, including but not limited to, the following list of acts: 1) persecution of civilian noncombatant Gio and Mano tribesmen; 2) murder of civilian noncombatants; 3) assault of civilian noncombatants; 4) false arrest of civilian noncombatants; and 5) false imprisonment of civilian noncombatants.

In May 2013, Wright, who had been granted asylum in the U.S. in 2000 and lawful permanent residency in 2008, applied for U.S. citizenship. In applying for both asylum and lawful permanent residency, the defendant lied about his conduct during Liberia’s First Civil War. During his August 2016, in-person citizenship (naturalization) interview, Wright falsely swore and falsely certified under penalty of perjury that “[his citizenship] application, and the evidence submitted with it, [were] all true and correct.” His application included his false denials that he had: 1) “ever persecuted (either directly or indirectly) any person because of race, religion, national origin,  membership in a particular social group, or political opinion;” 2) “ever committed a crime or offense for which [he was] not arrested;” and 3) “ever given false or misleading information to any U.S. Government official while applying for any immigration benefit or to prevent deportation, exclusion, or removal.” Additionally, while under oath, the defendant falsely answered similar queries posed by the examining USCIS officer.

“Wright sought to escape to the United States and start anew, where he lied about his appalling wartime conduct on federal immigration forms and to the faces of U.S. officials. The United States will not be a safe haven for human rights violators and war criminals,” said United States Attorney Romero.

“HSI is committed to upholding the law, both within the United States and abroad. Moses Wright, the former commanding general for the Armed Forces of Liberia, is alleged to have misrepresented his participation in the First Liberian Civil War when he came to the United States, hiding his leadership of forces that committed -- with his participation and under his command -- persecutory atrocities against innocent civilians,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia. “HSI continues steadfastly in our commitment to ensure the United States will never be a safe haven for those who seek to flee from atrocities they commit abroad.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 165 years in prison and a $7,000,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia Field Office with assistance from HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center in Washington D.C., the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the United States Embassy in Liberia, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linwood C. Wright, Jr. and First Assistant United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, together with other federal law enforcement officials announced today charges against 19 defendants for defrauding federal programs funded by the CARES Act and designed to provide a financial safety net for Americans during the pandemic.  Collectively these defendants sought to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program of over $24 million.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly called the CARES Act, was intended to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• The PPP authorized banks to provide forgivable loans to small businesses for the specific purpose of enabling the businesses to meet payroll expenses and retain employees. 
• Under the EIDL program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided low interest loans for small businesses to obtain financial relief due to any disruption or harm to their business resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The loan proceeds were required to be used on normal operating expenses, such as working capital and payroll. 
• The PUA program provided emergency unemployment compensation to workers who were unemployed as a result of the pandemic but who were not eligible for regular unemployment compensation.

Each of the 19 defendants is alleged to have defrauded one or more of these programs.  As alleged in 4 indictments and 7 informations, each defendant applied or conspired with others to apply for benefits even though they knew they were not eligible for the benefits.  They each were responsible for submitting false applications to fraudulently obtain the benefits.  They each succeeded in fraudulently obtaining emergency benefits or helping others to obtain emergency benefits.  In some cases, the defendants are also alleged to have spent the emergency funds, not to make payroll or for other authorized business purposes, but instead spent the money on personal items.

Frank Hamilton, 52, of Simi Valley California; Michael Jones, 55, of Azusa, California; Kenny Tran, 38, of Diamond Bar, California: Tina Chen, 39 of Diamond Bar, California; Tim Park, 37, of Northridge, California; Peter An, 37, of Chatsworth California; Joe Greco, 42, of Simi Valley, California; Edwin Bonilla, 36, of Los Angeles, California are charged with conspiring to defraud the SBA and numerous financial institutions of over $9.4 million. These defendants submitted over 33 applications for PPP and EIDL loans seeking over $9.4 million in loans, $7 million of which were funded. From January 2018 through August 2021, Barrie Osborne (a co-conspirator previously charged who is now deceased), Frank Hamilton, Michael Jones, Kenny Tran, Tina Chen, Tim Park, Peter An, Joe Greco, and Edwin Bonilla used shelf corporations (which exist on paper but have no functioning business and no employees) to apply for over $9.4 million in SBA loans, including PPP loans and EIDL loans. After the conspirators obtained $7 million in loan payments, they took steps to transfer the funds among themselves in an effort to disguise the transfers as payroll payments. Part of the proceeds were used to trade in the stock market, and in addition, defendant Hamilton paid off his home mortgage; defendant Jones took luxury vacations and purchased a fleet of used vehicles.

Francis J. Battista, 37, of Aston, Pennsylvania, filed 19 fraudulent applications for PPP and EIDL loans in 2020 and 2021, seeking over $10 million in loans.  Battista allegedly supported his fraudulent loan applications by submitting fake tax documents, bank records and payroll summaries.  He succeeded in obtaining $8.4 million in loan funds, and he caused the funds to be spent on unauthorized purchases and debts and laundered a significant portion of the funds.  He allegedly used emergency pandemic funds to purchase a Limited Edition CPO Range Rover Sport 4WD, to make a down payment for a real estate deal, to settle old business debts, and to engage in stock trading.  The government has located and seized $6.3 million of those funds through forfeiture proceedings.

Resondoe Bradley, 44, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who ran a tax business and also worked as a contractor with the SBA processing EIDL loan applications during the pandemic, filed over 50 fraudulent EIDL loan applications and obtained approximately $3.4 million in funded loans.  Two of Bradley’s clients have also been charged. Tamara Wheeler 50, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, filed a false EIDL application and obtained over $180,000 in loan proceeds. Ryan Killebrew, 31 Philadelphia Pennsylvania, filed a false EIDL application and obtained $125,000 in EIDL loan funds. 

John Columbo, 53, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed multiple fraudulent applications for EIDL and PPP loans worth over $700,000 and as a result he received over $550,000 in funds to which he was not entitled. Columbo allegedly obtained both EIDL and PPP funds by falsely stating the finances of companies, including the number of employees, the wages paid to employees, and the intended use of the emergency funds.  To fraudulently increase the number of employees, he submitted a payroll schedule with false social security numbers for purported employees.  To make other applications for emergency benefits, he allegedly used companies that had in fact closed all business and were defunct years before the pandemic, but which he falsely represented to be going concerns.  He is also charged with obstruction of justice for filing false tax returns to make his loan applications appear to be truthful.

Lamar Ebron 35, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Lamott Ebron, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are charged with filing fraudulent applications for PUA benefits in their own names, as well as the names of thirteen other persons, and obtained over $400,000 in PUA benefits.  These defendants are also charged with filing fraudulent applications with the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation to obtain benefits under the Renters Assistance Program, another federally funded program under the CARES Act.  The Renters Assistance Program was meant to help renters unable to pay their rent due to loss of income caused by the pandemic.  In their fraudulent applications, the defendants are alleged to have sought rental assistance in the names of multiple renters on a single property, listed different landlords for the same property, sometimes used their own names as tenant or landlord, or used the names of others.

Vincent Rotondi, 44, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, who was employed as a detective by the City of Philadelphia in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, filed multiple claims for PUA benefits and obtained over $30,000 to which he was not entitled.  In addition to filing fraudulent applications, Rotondi is alleged to have filed 40 false weekly certifications in which he reported that he was not working and received no income, despite the fact that he was working full-time during that period for the City of Philadelphia.

Steven Ball-Vaughn, 39, Oreland, Pennsylvania, filed multiple fraudulent applications for PPP and EIDL program loans, and obtained over $70,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled.  Ball-Vaughn allegedly submitted fraudulent applications to three banks and, despite the requirement that the funds be used for business expenses, he used program funds for personal and unauthorized expenses, including at restaurants, theme parks, electronic stores and gambling sites.

Michael Daniels, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who was employed at the time of the offense by the City of Philadelphia as a constituent services representative for a member of Philadelphia City Council, was charged with theft of public money for taking over $27,000 worth of PUA benefits.  Daniels allegedly certified repeatedly that he was unemployed and not receiving any income, while he was employed and being paid by the City of Philadelphia.

Tai Brown, 19, of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, was charged with theft of public money and the government is seeking forfeiture of $44,238 in PUA funds that are proceeds of the offense.

“Our office has been able to bring charges against these 19 defendants, who deliberately defrauded programs of over $24 million that were intended to help individuals who lost their jobs because of the pandemic and small businesses that were struggling to survive during the global pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “Thanks to the hard work of our agency partners in the Covid Fraud Working Group of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, we are protecting the integrity of our taxpayer funded programs from fraudsters, a priority for our office and our law enforcement partners.”

“The Covid pandemic has caused serious hardships for so many families and businesses,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “But then, you’ve got all the criminal opportunists who apparently looked at pandemic relief programs as their golden ticket. Together with our partners, the FBI continue to doggedly pursue anyone defrauding the federal government like this. You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that ‘easy money’ won’t seem so easy after all.”

“The charges announced today show IRS-CI’s commitment to defend the integrity of the pandemic relief programs,” said Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation.  “IRS-CI will continue to aggressively investigate those who schemed to defraud these programs that were intended to help struggling individuals and businesses.”

“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance programs. We will continue to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“Instead of using these government funds to help keep small businesses afloat and provide financial relief to those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, these individuals are alleged to have stolen the money for their own personal use and enrichment, taking it out of the hands of those who truly needed it,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia. “HSI is proud to join our partners in the Covid Fraud Working Group as we continue to focus our efforts on uncovering fraud schemes perpetrated during the pandemic.”

“Attempts to defraud the government, and ultimately our nation’s community members with legitimate businesses within our financial infrastructure, will not go unanswered for,” said U.S. Secret Service Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Michael Centrella. “So long as efforts to exploit pandemic relief funds continue, so will Secret Service investigators and our partners ceaseless investigative work to ensure our national financial environment remains safe and secure.”

“This indictment demonstrates the commitment of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to investigate and bring to justice those who would corruptly manipulate and use IRS resources in order to exploit Federal programs for unlawful personal gain,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Department Justice and our law enforcement partners in this effort.

“Fraudsters that conspired to falsify information in order to access funds vital to the nation’s small businesses for personal gain will be brought to justice,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “OIG will continue to relentlessly root out fraud and protect the integrity of SBA’s programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”

These cases were investigated by special agents of seven different federal agencies – FBI, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigations, United States Secret Service, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  All of these agencies are members of the Covid Fraud Working Group of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  The Working Group, begun in March 2020 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, combines resources and expertise of nineteen federal agencies and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to fight pandemic-related fraud. These cases are being prosecuted by AUSA Judy Smith; AUSA Nancy Potts, AUSA David Metcalf, AUSA Nancy Rue, AUSA Tim Lanni and Trial Attorneys David A. Stier and Patrick B. Gushue of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today a new executive leadership team to lead the Office’s enforcement mission. 

“This seasoned leadership team of career public servants will bring to bear an extraordinary breadth and depth of experience and judgment to meet the threats our communities face.  Whether addressing gun violence, the flow of fentanyl, opioids and other dangerous drugs, domestic and international terrorism, ruinous financial fraud and schemes, corrupt officials, or the exploitation of our vulnerable communities, each member of this team has dedicated their professional life to seeking and doing justice with integrity and impartiality.  Always seeking to do the right thing, the right way, and for the right reasons, they will continue to vigorously and tirelessly work together to protect our communities and to seek justice for victims,” U.S. Attorney Romero said.

Ms. Romero named Assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr. as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.  Mr. Thayer joined the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in 1993 through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.  As a Trial Attorney in the Division’s Criminal Section, he investigated and tried hate crime and law enforcement brutality cases across the country, including U.S. v. Davis, the first capital civil rights prosecution and conviction.  In 1998, Mr. Thayer joined the Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting a wide variety of crimes as a member of the Narcotics Unit, and in 2002, transferred to the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he served as a line prosecutor and then as Deputy Chief of its public corruption unit.  In 2005, Mr. Thayer took a leave of absence to prosecute war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where he spent six years prosecuting and convicting at trial eight high-level Bosnian Serb military commanders for their roles in the 1995 genocide of over seven thousand Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, the largest massacre on European soil since The Holocaust.  Upon returning to the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2011, Mr. Thayer served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Trenton branch office, then as Deputy U.S. Attorney, responsible for overseeing the office’s mission in New Jersey’s twelve middle and southern counties.  In 2015, Mr. Thayer returned to the Office, where he served in the National Security and Cyber Crime unit.  Mr. Thayer has received numerous Department of Justice and agency awards, including the Department of Justice Director’s Award twice, the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Director’s Award, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director’s Award, and the Department of Justice John Marshall Award.  Mr. Thayer earned a B.A., cum laude with Distinction in the Major, from Yale University, and his J.D. as a Public Interest Scholar from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ms. Romero named Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard P. Barrett as Chief of the Criminal Division.  Mr. Barrett joined the Office in 1990, and has served in a variety of supervisory positions, including Chief of the Firearms unit; Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for Violent Crime, Firearms and Narcotics; and Chief of the Corruption, Civil Rights and Labor Racketeering unit.  Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Barrett served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for five years in the Rape Prosecution unit.  Mr. Barrett has prosecuted and tried numerous notable public corruption cases, and recently received the Department of Justice’s John Marshall Award for his work in United States v. Linda Weston, at al.  Weston and her four co-defendants were convicted of racketeering and historically significant violations of the Shepard/Byrd/Hate Crime Act for targeting mentally disabled victims over a period of ten years while stealing their disability and Social Security payments; beating them; confining them in locked closets, basements, and attics; depriving them of adequate food and medical care, and directly causing the deaths of two, who died while in captivity.  Mr. Barrett is also an Adjunct Professor at Temple University School of Law, where he teaches courses in Corruption Law and Policy, International Criminal Law, and Trial Advocacy.  He is the co-author of Lessons of Yugoslavia Rape Trials:  A Role for Conspiracy Law in International Tribunals, 88 Minnesota Law Review 30 (2003).  Mr. Barrett earned a B.A. from Temple University, and his J.D. from Temple University School of Law, where he was on the Law Review. 

U.S. Attorney Romero also named two veteran prosecutors in the Office as Deputy Criminal Chiefs who will report to Mr. Barrett.

U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Perricone was named as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for Narcotics and Violent Crime.  Mr. Perricone joined the Office in 1994, most recently serving as Chief of the National Security and Cyber Crime unit since 2018, and is the Office’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council Coordinator.  He previously served as Chief of Narcotics and Organized Crime from 2005 to 2018.  Mr. Perricone has prosecuted and tried numerous significant cases in the Office, including complex fraud, narcotics, and violent crime, including murder for hire, and received the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award.  Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Perricone was an Assistant District Attorney in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for eleven years, the last four of which were in the Homicide unit.  For the past fifteen years, Mr. Perricone has also been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, teaching Trial Advocacy and coaching its Mock Trial Team. Mr. Perricone has also been an instructor at the National College of District Attorneys and at the National Advocacy Center.  He earned a B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. 

Ms. Romero named Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine E. Sykes as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for White Collar Crime.  Ms. Sykes joined the Office in 1997, serving in the Organized Crime Strike Force for eleven years.  She has most recently served as the Deputy Chief of the National Security and Cyber Crime unit.  Ms. Sykes previously served for eight years as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for Narcotics, Organized Crime, and Violent Crime, and as Senior Litigation Counsel.  Ms. Sykes has prosecuted numerous organized criminal enterprises, including Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra, outlaw motorcycle gangs, national and international narcotics traffickers and money launderers, and murder for hire conspiracies.  Ms. Sykes has received the Attorney General Award for Special Achievement, and the FBI Director’s Award, among others.  Ms. Sykes began her career with the Department of Justice in 1992 as an Honors Attorney in the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs Section, and then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia.  She earned her B.A. from Pennsylvania State University, and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory David will continue to serve as Chief of the Civil Division.  Prior to his selection as Civil Chief in 2018, Mr. David led several significant civil cases on behalf of the Office, including a multi-district False Claims Act investigation that resulted in a $150 million settlement with Amedisys, the largest DOJ recovery ever against a home health company.  Mr. David has been involved in numerous other affirmative civil enforcement resolutions, and has also defended the United States in a variety of different cases that the Office handles. Mr. David is a member of the Civil Chief’s Working Group, a component of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, and also chairs its Frauds Subcommittee.  Mr. David earned a B.A. with high distinction from the University of Virginia and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a senior editor of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. He began his legal career serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Anthony J. Scirica, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and then worked as a litigator for the Philadelphia law firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller before joining the Office.

Two experienced Deputy Civil Chiefs will continue to report to Mr. David

Susan R. Becker is the Deputy Chief for Defensive Litigation. She joined the Office in 2002, and has served as Deputy Chief since 2016.  She has taught numerous appellate writing classes at the National Advocacy Center and regularly teaches deposition skills and tort law programs for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.  Prior to joining the Office, Ms. Becker clerked for the Honorable Harvey Bartle, III, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, then practiced labor and employment law at Ballard Spahr, LLP.  Ms. Becker earned a B.A. from Williams College and her J.D. from George Washington Law School.

Charlene Keller Fullmer is the Deputy Chief for Affirmative Litigation.  Ms. Fullmer joined the Office in 2007, and has served as Deputy Chief since 2014.  Ms. Fullmer led the team that investigated off-label promotion by Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, resulting in a $2.2 billion global settlement, the largest settlement for a single drug.  Ms. Fullmer also served on the team that investigated off-label promotion and kickback allegations against Pfizer, leading to a $2.3 billion civil and criminal settlement, at the time the largest health care fraud settlement in DOJ’s history. For these efforts, Ms. Fullmer was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Fraud Prevention, among others. She is also the recipient of the Attorney General Award for Exceptional Service.  Ms. Fullmer began her federal service career in the Honors Program in 1996, and served as an Attorney Advisor for the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, followed by six years in private practice at Duane Morris, LLP.  Ms. Fullmer earned a B.A., cum laude, from Lehigh University, and her J.D., cum laude, from Temple University School of Law, where she was on the Law Review.  

PHILADELPHIA – Jacqueline C. Romero, who has served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for over 16 years, was sworn in today as the United States Attorney for the District.

The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Juan R. Sánchez, administered the oath of office to Ms. Romero, who was nominated by President Biden to serve as U.S. Attorney on April 21, 2022 and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on June 13, 2022. A public investiture ceremony will be held on a date to be announced in the coming weeks.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and I am humbled by the opportunity to lead an office in which I have worked for so many years,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “I look forward to continuing to work with the dedicated men and women in the Justice Department, and those in law enforcement agencies at state and local levels, in pursuit of our shared values of protecting Americans’ civil rights, public safety, and the rule of law.”

Prior to her appointment as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Romero was an Assistant United States Attorney representing the government in both affirmative and defensive civil litigation, as well as criminal prosecutions and appeals. She prosecuted cases involving firearms, drugs, fraud, environmental, civil rights, and tax matters, and defended cases including tort, employment, civil rights, and administrative law matters. For the past seven years, Ms. Romero served as the Civil Rights Coordinator for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, supervising all civil rights investigations in the District. She was also assigned to the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Strike Force, focusing on fraud, opioid abuse, and civil rights prosecutions. Finally, Ms. Romero also had collateral duties with Federal Reentry Court (STAR program), Philadelphia Youth Court, and the Office’s Hiring Committee. In addition to her work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Romero has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law Trial Advocacy Program for over five years, and has been a volunteer faculty member with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy for the last four years.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Romero previously served as Senior Counsel for the United States Mint where she served as in-house counsel giving advice to the Mint on manufacturing processes, the unionized workforce, and international e-commerce; as a Trial Attorney with the Justice Department’s Commercial Litigation Section; and as a Litigation Associate with the firm Lowenstein Sandler PC in New Jersey. She is a former fellow of both the German Marshall Fund and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, has served as President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania in 2018 and has served on its Board, as well as the Board of the LGBTQ Bar Association of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Judicial Commission. Further, she is a lifetime member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and served on its Special Commission on Law Enforcement Reform and Racial Justice and on its Latina Commission.

As U.S. Attorney, Ms. Romero is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which is one of the nation’s most populous districts with over 5 million people residing within its nine counties (Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties), covering about 4,700 square miles.  Ms. Romero supervises a staff of approximately 140 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and a similar number of non-attorney support personnel at offices in Philadelphia and Allentown.

Jennifer Arbittier Williams, who for the past 18 months served as Acting U.S. Attorney and then as Court-appointed U.S. Attorney, announced that she will remain with the Office for a period of time to assist with the transition before moving on. Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., was appointed to serve as the Office’s First Assistant U.S. Attorney.

Ms. Romero is the 40th U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an office that was established in 1789. She resides in Philadelphia, PA, and is the first woman to be appointed by a President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold the position. She is also the first woman of color and the first person to identify as LGBTQIA+ to lead the Office. Ms. Romero earned her B.A., magna cum laude, with a major in English and a minor in Political Science from the College of New Jersey, and earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School, Newark.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Rodney Kent a/k/a “Hott Rodd”, a/k/a “Hott,” 50, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted at trial of sex trafficking, arising from his forcible coercion of a minor to engage in prostitution.

In September 2018, Kent was charged by Indictment for sex trafficking of a minor via force, fraud and coercion stemming from his actions to traffic the victim. The defendant and the victim first met on a digital social networking application in June 2016. Kent then met the victim, who was a teenager, and transported the victim to a house where he manipulated the victim into posing for photographs. The defendant then advertised the minor victim for sex on Backpage.com over the course of several weeks; during this time he also verbally and physically abused the victim, including using cigarettes to burn the victim. The victim was eventually able to escape from the defendant’s house and alert law enforcement. In April 2018, the Justice Department seized Backpage, which was the Internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children.

“The crime that this defendant committed is one of the most devastating to victims that our Office prosecutes,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Kent forced a young person, a minor child, to sell their body for his own greed and financial gain. We will continue to work collectively to investigate these destructive crimes against the most vulnerable victims.”

“While this defendant will face years in prison for his vile actions, his victim will carry the effects of those actions for the rest of their life,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire. “The FBI works tirelessly to find and capture the monsters who prey on our children. To those who participate in this brand of evil as a means to make a living – we are looking for you, we will find you, and you will find yourself paying the price inside the walls of penitentiary.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tinicum Township Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra M. Lastowski and Vineet Gauri.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Adam Teichman, DPM, Thomas Rocchio, DPM, R T Equity Holdings LLC (“R T Equity”), and PA Foot & Ankle Associates LLC (collectively, “PA Foot”) have agreed to pay $181,758 to resolve liability under the False Claims Act for the alleged improper billing of “Sanexas” devices.

Drs. Teichman and Rocchio are podiatrists and co-owners of PA Foot & Ankle Associates LLC, with office locations in Allentown, Easton, Northampton, and Lansford, Pennsylvania. From approximately September 2019 through March 2021, PA Foot submitted over 7,000 claims for payment to Medicare involving application of an RST Sanexas neoGEN-Series device (“Sanexas”), often billed with accompanying vitamin injections under various procedure codes (97012, 97016, 97032, 97112, G0283, and 99072) and injection codes (96372, J1955, J3411, J3415, J3420, and J3490). 

Sanexas is an electric stimulation device marketed by RST Sanexas, Inc. (“RST”) to treat various forms of pain and other medical conditions.  It consists of a large central unit and electrical leads that are temporarily affixed to the area being treated.

PA Foot principally used Sanexas treatment for patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy. Patients at PA Foot received treatment on an outpatient basis and typically received two treatments per week for twelve weeks, for a total of 24 treatments.  Treatment times generally lasted approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  In conjunction with Sanexas treatment, PA Foot injected patients with a vitamin blend. The United States contends that Medicare did not permit reimbursement of Sanexas or vitamin injections used in conjunction with Sanexas in the way in which PA Foot administered them.  In particular, National Coverage Determination 160.7.1 states:  “Electrical nerve stimulation treatments furnished by a physician in his/her office, by a physical therapist or outpatient clinic are excluded from coverage by § 1862(a)(1) of the Act.”   Similarly, Local Coverage Determination (“LCD”) L35456 reinforces that “[t]he use of electrostimulation alone for the treatment of multiple neuropathies or peripheral neuropathies caused by underlying systemic diseases is not medically reasonable and necessary.”  Other LCDs contain the same or similar statements, such as L35457, L37642, L35222, and L36850.

The United States Food and Drug Administration cleared Sanexas as substantially equivalent to a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (“TENS”) in January 2003. Sanexas treatment was not FDA cleared for use in combination with vitamin injections, the vitamin blend was not FDA approved, and the vitamin blend was produced in bulk, rather than prescribed for individual patients. 

The United States contends that vitamin injections used in conjunction with Sanexas treatment as PA Foot administered them do not fall under the limited coverage available for prescription drugs under Medicare Part B.  Several LCDs reinforce that vitamin injections that act as nerve blocks are not medically reasonable and necessary, such as L35456, L35457, L37642, L35222, and L36850.

“Providers cannot blindly rely on a marketer’s advice or a medical billing service, especially when a healthcare billing scheme sounds too good to be true,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We would encourage anyone who may have been involved in similar billing to come forward voluntarily and self-disclose the misconduct.”

Williams continued, “we appreciate Drs. Teichman and Rocchio’s willingness to promptly negotiate a resolution in this matter, and we will continue working closely with our partners at CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country to hold accountable those responsible for causing similar false claims to be submitted.”

“We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working hard with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our federal healthcare programs,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “Patient care and safety are top priorities for us, and every dollar saved is critical to the sustainability of our Medicare program and the needs of our beneficiaries.”

“Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is required of all health care providers,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “HHS-OIG, CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to evaluate and pursue inaccurate billings of Sanexas and similar devices.”

The settled civil claims are allegations only. There has been no determination of civil liability. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.  The investigation and settlement were handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. Wolfish, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Civil Division Chief Gregory B. David, and Auditors Dawn Wiggins and Andrew Schobert.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that George Steve Rugel, 46, of Reading, PA, was sentenced to fourteen years in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., for possessing with intent to distribute the dangerous narcotic fentanyl. In addition to the fentanyl, other drugs including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as firearms were found inside the defendant’s Reading apartment that he used as a stash house for his drug distribution activities.

In November 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents and Task Force Officers based in New York City and Allentown into Rugel’s distribution of the dangerous narcotics fentanyl, heroin, and other controlled substances in New York City and in the Reading area of Berks County. During the investigation, Rugel delivered fentanyl to individual in New York. When Rugel attempted a second delivery of fentanyl to an individual in Reading in June 2020, he was arrested by DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers. At the time of his arrest, Rugel was found in possession of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl in his car, and a loaded firearm on his person. The investigation also led to the discovery of Rugel’s apartment in Reading, where he stored additional controlled substances, including another kilogram of fentanyl, and firearms.

“Drug distribution and gun violence are an epidemic in cities like Reading and across the Eastern District, and the federal government is aggressively prosecuting these crimes to get dangerous criminals like this defendant off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “George Rugel was a large-scale, armed drug trafficker, which put our community in grave danger. We want to thank the DEA and the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, and all of our involved law enforcement partners for their hard work and dedication.”

“Rugel not only trafficked in illicit fentanyl, a dangerous street drug that is largely responsible for the overdose crisis, but also carried a loaded handgun at the same time,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division.  “His criminal behavior involving both drugs and guns are representative of two of the most pressing threats that are endangering the safety of our communities.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Allentown Resident Office, Berks County District Attorney’s Office Detectives, and Reading Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary A. Futcher and Kishan Nair.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Samuel Bullock, 72, of Langhorne, PA, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,501,261 restitution by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson for his orchestration of a tax fraud scheme to avoid paying nearly $1.3 million in federal income taxes, and millions more in interest and penalties.

In February 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false federal tax return, and one count of willful failure to file a federal tax return, all relating to his efforts to avoid paying taxes on income from his construction business. In 2009, after the defendant had repeatedly failed to file his federal income tax returns, the Internal Revenue Service secured liens for more than $1.9 million that the defendant owed in taxes, interest and penalties. The defendant responded by taking steps to avoid collection by arranging to have his business income paid over to a sole proprietorship that he had set up in the name of his spouse, including providing his clients with new Forms W-9 with his spouse’s Social Security number and opening a new business checking account in his spouse’s name as the alleged sole proprietor. The defendant then reported his own income on the tax return of his spouse, using the filing status “Married filing separately.” Although he was aware that he had earned income and was obliged to file a federal income tax return, Bullock failed to do so.

“Samuel Bullock’s scheme to enrich himself and avoid paying his fair share of income taxes victimized honest American taxpayers and business owners who do pay their tax obligations,” U.S. Attorney Williams said. “By ignoring the IRS and its legitimate demands for information from him, the defendant created a self-inflicted wound: compounding his already-significant tax debt. This type of fraud will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted by this Office.”

“Every American who pays his or her taxes can breathe easy knowing that tax cheats, like Mr. Bullock, are being held accountable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “IRS-CI has several investigative tools at its disposal to detect schemes like this. Those who think that they can outsmart the IRS should think again.”

The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that David Elmakayes, 26, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney for using an explosive device to damage an ATM machine and for illegally possessing a firearm.

The defendant was charged on June 18, 2020, with malicious damage of property with an explosive device and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, charges which were the result of an incident that occurred during a period of civil unrest and protests in Philadelphia in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to the largely peaceful protests, incidents of looting, burglary, arson, destruction of property, and other violent acts occurred.

On the night of June 3, 2020, the defendant used an explosive device to heavily damage an automated teller machine on the sidewalk at 217 East Westmoreland Street in North Philadelphia. When he was arrested a short time later, police discovered that had three more explosive devices in his possession, as well as a .32 caliber pistol and other firearms.

“This defendant took advantage of a volatile situation on the streets of Philadelphia to commit a dangerous act that could have injured many people,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Damaging property with an explosive device and illegally carrying a firearm are federal crimes which our Office will aggressively prosecute. Elmakayes will now spend 15 years in prison for these crimes.”

“This defendant possessed and recklessly used an explosive device which had the potential to cause significant damage and injure countless people,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Office. “ATF is committed to protecting our communities from harm and working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt violent activity.” 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. LaBar

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has resolved its civil suit on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of Labor against Local 98, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“Local 98”) for violating the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (“LMRDA”). In the settlement announced today, Local 98 has agreed to conduct its next nominations and election of officers under the Secretary of Labor’s supervision.

“Elections belong to the people, and union members have a federally-protected right to free and fair union elections,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Today’s agreement will protect the civil rights of all Local 98 members and ensure every member in good standing can freely exercise their rights to seek elected office and nominate and vote for candidates of their choosing without intimidation or fear of reprisal from those in positions of power.”

In its January 2021 complaint (Secretary of Labor v. Local 98, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Civ. No. 21-96 EDPA), the United States alleged that Local 98, through its incumbent officers and their supporting members, intimidated and threatened other members who sought to challenge incumbent union leadership in the union’s June 2020 elections, causing these members to withdraw from nominations. As a result, incumbent union leadership ran unopposed and all officers – including the president and five executive board members – were declared reelected without opposition. The United States alleged that Local 98’s interference, threats, and retaliation against the intended challengers violated its members’ rights under the LMRDA to nominate, be nominated, and vote for or otherwise support the candidates of their choice without improper interference or threat of reprisal.

In the civil lawsuit, the United States alleged that Local 98 convinced three of its members to withdraw from nominations in its June 2020 officer election through a pressure campaign orchestrated by its entrenched leadership, including then-Business Manager John Dougherty and President Brian Burrows. The alleged campaign included a promise by Dougherty to a member intending to run for office that Dougherty would associate the member with offensive comments on a website “if he ran with [an opposition] ticket” and threats such as “If you ain’t with me, you’re against me!” and “It’ll be a long three years if you lose.” It included an unannounced and knowingly unwelcome visit by business agent Robert Bark to a member’s home two nights before nominations, which “put the fear of God” into the member’s wife and family. It also included an in-person nomination requirement imposed by incumbent president Burrows that both required challengers to walk a “gauntlet” of Dougherty supporters to be nominated for office and violated the union’s constitution. Finally, it included enlisting a member’s elder relative and former Local 98 business agent to deliver a message that supporting a challenging candidate for office would disgrace the family’s generations-old reputation in the union.

The United States further alleged that Local 98, which at the time was controlled by a slate of officers that had not changed in years, had a pattern of interfering with the efforts of rank-and-file members to run for local union office since at least 2014. Dougherty resigned as Business Manager of Local 98, a position he had held since 1993, in November 2021, the day after he was convicted on federal conspiracy and corruption charges.

Under the agreement announced today, Local 98 will conduct its next regular election for the offices of president and five executive board members under the Secretary’s supervision.

“Today’s agreement will help ensure every Local 98 member will have his or her voice heard in a free and fair officer election. If you interfere with anyone’s rights to vote, or to seek office, the United States will hold you accountable,” Williams said.

“The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) is committed to protecting the rights of union members by ensuring that every member can participate fully in a fair union officer election,” said OLMS Northeastern Regional Director Megan Underwood.  “We will work to ensure that the rights of IBEW Local 98 members are protected during the upcoming officer election.”

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

The civil investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), and is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren DeBruicker.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that David Roda, 36, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by Criminal Information with insider trading.

The defendant was an employee of Penn Interactive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, Inc., and served as its Director of Backend Architecture. The Information alleges that in this capacity, Roda learned in early July 2021 that Penn National was considering a potential acquisition of Score Media and Gaming, Inc., and knew that he had a duty to keep this information confidential. Nonetheless, on July 22, 2021, using this material, non-public information, Roda purchased 200 Score Media call option contracts for approximately $13,000.  Moreover, after a senior officer at Penn Interactive informed Roda in August 2021 that the acquisition would be announced within days, Roda allegedly purchased 300 more Score Media call option contracts for approximately $7,000. The following day, Penn National announced its agreement to acquire Score Media, and Score Media’s stock price rose drastically.  The defendant then closed out his Score Media call option contracts for approximately $580,000, netting personal profits of approximately $560,000.

“Insider trading undermines faith in our financial markets and harms ordinary investors who play by the rules,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As alleged, David Roda placed himself above the law by using information to which he had privileged access to cheat the market and other investors. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity of the financial markets.”

“David Roda allegedly traded on material, non-public information and made out like a bandit,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Insider trading like that is patently unfair to investors and a direct threat to the integrity of our financial markets. The FBI takes this crime seriously, and if you decide the risk of such illegal behavior is worth the potential reward, know that we will investigate and ensure you’re held accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Murray. The parallel civil enforcement proceeding was filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Philadelphia Regional Office, under the direction of Norman Ostrove.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Terrance Darby, 41, of Philadelphia, PA, and Ontavious Plumer, 32, of Due West, South Carolina, were charged by Superseding Indictment with gun trafficking offenses in connection with their scheme to straw purchase and transport across state lines almost 60 firearms.

Specifically, the defendants were charged with unlicensed dealing and transport of firearms, and conspiracy to engage in unlicensed dealing of firearms and to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer. Darby was also charged with drug trafficking and gun possession stemming from his possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and unlawful possession of two firearms in his home in November 2021.

According to the Superseding Indictment, between November 2020 and February 2021, the defendants conspired with at least four other individuals to illegally straw-purchase almost 60 firearms from federally licensed gun shops in South Carolina, then transport these firearms via car into Philadelphia. Darby would allegedly place orders for firearms with Plumer, who would then direct co-conspirators to straw purchase firearms and transport them to Darby and his co-conspirator in Philadelphia.

This Superseding Indictment is the third set of charges brought by this Office in the last two months targeting the illegal trafficking of firearms from southern states into Philadelphia, a large northeastern city, a fact pattern which is known as the ‘iron pipeline.’ In April 2022, multiple defendants were Indicted in two federal cases involving the unlawful trafficking of approximately 400 firearms up the ‘iron pipeline’ into the city.

“Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced strategies to fight violent crime, including cracking down on firearms trafficking and the ‘iron pipeline,’ and our Office announced the indictment of fourteen people engaged in that that black-market business. With today’s charges, we have shut off yet another valve to stem the flow of guns into Philadelphia,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Our Office is working with urgency and determination to get guns off the streets of our city.”

“At a time when our communities have seen a spike in violent gun crime, it is more important now than ever that we hold those accountable for criminal actions,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “The diligence of our local, state, and federal partners prevented more guns from circulation into the community, as the indictment alleges.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Eugene Johnson, 54, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison, and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh for committing an armed bank robbery in North Philadelphia.

In January 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges including armed bank robbery and using, carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges arose from an incident in February 2021, when Johnson entered the Citizens Bank branch at Germantown Avenue and Broad Street in the Nicetown section of the city armed with a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun and stood in line to wait for a teller. When the defendant approached the victim teller, he placed two $20 bills in the teller window tray and stated, “I need change, I need ones,” and the teller handed Johnson forty $1.00 dollar bills. Johnson then shoved a plastic bag through the teller window slot and stated, “Give me everything, give me everything, give me everything!,” and “I got a gun,” while putting his right hand down by his right hip. The teller, fearing for her life, filled the bag with money and gave it to the defendant. Johnson then walked away from the teller counter and entered the vestibule at the front entrance of the bank, while the teller activated the bank’s alarm system. Upon activation, Johnson became trapped in the man-trap security system doors and was locked inside. The defendant then fired several rounds from his semi-automatic handgun into the glass door of the front entrance in an effort to escape before he was arrested by a responding officer.

“This defendant terrified and threatened the lives of bank employees who were just attempting to do their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “And when he became detained in the bank’s security system, he lashed out and recklessly fired his weapon – an action which could have resulted in injuries or death. This case demonstrates why our All Hands On Deck initiative is so important: we are investigating and prosecuting the most dangerous criminals to get them off the streets and behind bars.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José R. Arteaga.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced today that former U.S. Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 79, of Philadelphia, PA, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election for orchestrating schemes to fraudulently stuff the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Pennsylvania elections.

39th Ward, 36th Division

Specifically, Myers admitted in court to bribing the Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, Domenick J. Demuro, in a fraudulent scheme over several years. Demuro, who was charged separately and pleaded guilty in May 2020, was responsible for overseeing the entire election process and all voter activities of his Division in accord with federal and state election laws.

The voting machines at each polling station, including in the 39th Ward, 36th Division, generate records in the form of a printed receipt documenting the use of each voting machine. This printed receipt, also known as the “results receipt,” shows the vote totals, and the Judge of Elections and other Election Board Officials at each polling place attest to the accuracy of machine results.

Myers admitted to bribing Demuro to illegally add votes for certain candidates of their mutual political party in primary elections. Some of these candidates were individuals running for judicial office whose campaigns had hired Myers, and others were candidates for various federal, state, and local elective offices that Myers favored for a variety of reasons. Myers would solicit payments from his clients in the form of cash or checks as “consulting fees,” and then use portions of these funds to pay Demuro and others to tamper with election results.

After receiving payments ranging from between $300 to $5,000 per election from Myers, Demuro would add fraudulent votes on the voting machine – also known as “ringing up” votes – for Myers’ clients and preferred candidates, thereby diluting the value of ballots cast by actual voters. At Myers’ direction, Demuro would add these fraudulent votes to the totals during Election Day, and then would later falsely certify that the voting machine results were accurate. Myers is also accused of directing Demuro to lie to investigators about the circumstances of the bribes and the ballot-stuffing scheme.

39th Ward, 2nd Division

Myers also admitted to conspiring to commit election fraud with a former Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 2nd Division in South Philadelphia, Marie Beren. Beren, who was charged separately and pleaded guilty in October 2021, was the de facto Judge of Elections and effectively ran the polling places in her division by installing close associates to serve as members of the Board of Elections. Myers admitted that he gave Beren directions to add votes to candidates supported by him, including candidates for judicial office whose campaigns actually hired Myers, and other candidates for various federal, state, and local elective offices preferred by Myers for a variety of reasons.

Myers acknowledged in court that on almost every Election Day, Myers transported Beren to the polling station to open the polls. During the drive to the polling station, Myers would advise Beren which candidates he was supporting so that Beren knew which candidates should be receiving fraudulent votes. Inside the polling place and while the polls were open, Beren would advise actual in-person voters to support Myers’ candidates and also cast fraudulent votes in support of Myers’ preferred candidates on behalf of voters she knew would not or did not physically appear at the polls.

During Election Day itself, Myers conferred with Beren via cell phone while she was at the polling station about the number of votes cast for his preferred candidates. Beren would report to Myers how many “legit votes,” meaning actual voters, had appeared at the polls and cast ballots. If actual voter turnout was high, Beren would add fewer fraudulent votes in support of Myers’ preferred candidates. From time to time, Myers would instruct Beren to shift her efforts from one of his preferred candidates to another. Specifically, Myers would instruct Beren “to throw support” behind another candidate during Election Day if he concluded that his first choice was comfortably ahead.

Beren and her accomplices from the Board of Elections would then falsify the polling books and the List of Voters and Party Enrollment for the 39th Ward, 2nd Division, by recording the names, party affiliation, and order of appearances for voters who had not physically appeared at the polling station to cast his or her ballot in the election. Beren took pains to ensure that the number of ballots cast on the machines was a reflection of the number of voters signed into the polling books and the List of Voters. After the polls closed on Election Day, Beren and her associates would falsely certify the results.

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote has been illegally cast or if the integrity of just one election official is compromised, it diminishes faith in process,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Votes are not things to be purchased and democracy is not for sale. If you are a political consultant, election official, or work with the polling places in any way, I urge you to do your job honestly and faithfully. That is what the public deserves and what the federal government will enforce.”

“One thing you can say about Ozzie Myers: his values have long been out of whack,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Decades ago, he valued a fake sheikh’s bribes more than the ethical obligations of his elected federal office. This time around, he valued his clients’ money and his own whims more than the integrity of multiple elections and the will of Philadelphia voters. Free and fair elections are critical to the health of our democracy, which is why protecting the legitimacy of the electoral process at every level is such a priority for the FBI.”

“The guilty plea entered today is a satisfying culmination of tireless work by our Pennsylvania State Troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice.  It is imperative the citizens of this Commonwealth have faith in a fair voting process.  We will remain committed to prioritizing these investigations and working with our federal partners to fully investigate and prosecute anyone who attempts to impede or alter the election process.”  Captain James Cuttitta, Director, Special Investigations Division, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric L. Gibson and Richard P. Barrett with assistance from Richard C. Pilger, Director of Elections Crimes Branch, Criminal Division, Public Integrity Section, U.S. Department of Justice.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Michael Goldner, 51, of Malvern, PA, was convicted today at trial of tax evasion and failing to file tax returns, charges arising from his scheme to use his cash and his employer’s business bank accounts to hide his actual income and therefore avoid paying his legitimate tax obligations.

In June 2021, the defendant was charged by Indictment, and a Superseding Indictment was filed in November 2021 charging the defendant with one count of tax evasion and two counts of failure to file personal income tax returns. Evidence presented at trial showed that for the tax years 2013 through 2017, Goldner reported more than $4 million in income and $1.8 million in tax due, of which he paid less than $100,000. Further, from 2016 to 2020, the defendant evaded the payment of these outstanding taxes while earning a substantial income. Instead of depositing his paychecks into a personal bank account, he cashed the checks and used his employer’s business accounts to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal expenses, including rent, a second home, groceries, private school and dance lessons for his child, country club dues, and restitution from a prior fraud conviction for which he was on federal probation. For the years 2016 and 2017, the defendant filed tax returns that failed to report this additional income from his employer. For tax years 2018 and 2019, the defendant failed to file a return altogether.

“The American tax system provides government services critical to our people,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Every time someone cheats the tax system, the burden of providing vital services increases on taxpayers who pay their fair share. As a professional accountant, this defendant knew what his obligations were and willfully chose to ignore them, even while he was on federal probation for a previous fraud conviction. The jury’s verdict has sent a clear message that tax cheats will not be tolerated.”

“Mr. Goldner went through great lengths to not pay taxes, including hiding money from the IRS,” said Yury Kruty, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. “In all the steps he took to hide his money, he failed to account for the hallmark expertise IRS Special Agents possess when it comes to following the money. Mr. Goldner thought he could fly under the radar, but the verdict returned today shows how futile his efforts were.”

“‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ really shouldn’t be a fraudster’s mantra,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “But Michael Goldner apparently thought he’d give it a whirl. Hopefully, this second federal conviction will be more impactful than his first. To put it plainly: if you keep defrauding the government and cheating honest taxpayers, the FBI and our partners are going to keep locking you up.”

The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Ignall and Department of Justice Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Tax Section Jack Morgan.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that four individuals from Reading, PA, were convicted at trial of offenses including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion of a minor; various violent crimes in aid of racketeering offenses including kidnapping and assaults with dangerous weapons; sex trafficking including of minors; and firearms offenses; all arising from their membership and association in a violent gang called “The Sevens,” which took control and operated out of a 50-room boarding house on South 4th Street in the City of Reading. 

The individuals convicted at trial are:

• Shaquile Newson, 29;
• Alexander Malave, 31;
• Karvarise Person, 33;
• James Goode, 47.

In January 2020, fourteen defendants were charged by Superseding Indictment in connection with this case. The charges stemmed from a years’ long investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Reading Police Department into a racketeering conspiracy operating out of the boarding house as far back as December 2017 until roughly March 2019. Evidence presented at trial showed that multiple acts of violence in furtherance of the criminal enterprise were carried out as well as numerous acts involving the sex trafficking and attempted sex trafficking of women and minors.   Victims were raped, shot, assaulted with batons, stabbed with a knife, and hit with a hammer. A minor was forced to have a sexual encounter with a gun held to her head.  Sexually explicit photographs of a minor were also used to advertise the gang’s sex trafficking business. All fourteen people originally indicted have now been convicted of charges related to this case.

“The Sevens gang was a vicious and depraved group of sadistic thugs who clearly had no reservations about using and destroying human beings for their own greed,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Thanks to the hard work of the trial team and investigators, we have stopped this violence and the Sevens will no longer menace the streets of Reading. Our Office is committed to working with all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to rid our District of the scourge of human trafficking and the trauma that it inflicts.”

“The defendants in this case committed truly heinous acts, treating living, breathing human beings like commodities for their own greed and profit.  With this verdict, we hope the victims traumatized by The Sevens gang receive a measure of justice key to their healing,” said Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker. “This investigation took years to conduct and the single-minded commitment of HSI special agents, Reading Police Department detectives and officers, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  HSI is grateful to our partners and will continue with our dedication to dismantle human trafficking operations and connect victims with services they need.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Reading Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sherri A. Stephan and Justin Ashenfelter.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Anthony Jones, 38, of Wilmington, DE, was sentenced to 21 years in prison, 10 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to his victims by United States District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro for his role in a sex trafficking ring that victimized vulnerable children and young women throughout the mid-Atlantic.

In April 2019, following a two-week trial, the defendant was found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and three counts of sex trafficking of minors by force, fraud, and coercion.

The evidence at trial showed that Anthony Jones helped manage the sex trafficking enterprise led by co-defendant Dkyle Bridges. The multi-year sex trafficking conspiracy preyed on teenage girls and young women looking for a home and support. Once lured into the trafficking circle, the victims were compelled to engage in commercial sex acts in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and elsewhere, for the co-defendants’ financial benefit. Co-defendant Bridges used violent and coercive tactics to force the victims to remain in his sex trafficking operation – including pouring water on them to keep them awake, choking them, and assaulting them. Defendant Anthony Jones, and his co-defendant and brother Kristian Jones, helped Bridges run the ring by handling logistics including providing security, collecting money, and reserving hotel rooms.

The investigation began in November 2016, when a Tinicum Township police officer stopped a vehicle that had recently left a hotel known to be frequented by individuals engaged in prostitution. The driver admitted to the officer that he had just met a prostitute at the hotel and had arranged the “date” through a website called Backpage.com. Law enforcement went to the room that the customer had visited, and discovered Kristian Jones, two minor girls, condoms, and cell phones containing communications with Bridges about the sex trafficking conspiracy.  The room had been rented by Anthony Jones.  

Bridges and Kristian Jones were also convicted after trial for their roles in this sex trafficking conspiracy and both were sentenced last year. Bridges was sentenced to 35 years in prison; and Kristian Jones was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“Anthony Jones and his coconspirators used the bodies of children for their own financial benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “This sentence of 21 years and the decades-long sentences handed down to his codefendants reflect the seriousness with which the federal justice system will treat defendants convicted of sex trafficking offenses. We will continue to work collectively to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes committed against some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

“Anthony Jones and his co-defendants sexually exploited women and girls for profit, across multiple years and state lines,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “All have now been brought to justice and received lengthy prison sentences, which we hope will bring their victims some comfort. The FBI and our partners are working every day to shut down these predatory sex traffickers who see vulnerable human beings as little more than walking dollar signs. If you’re being victimized, or know of someone being trafficked, please reach out to us at 215-418-4000 or tips.fbi.gov. You can do so anonymously if you like.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation – Philadelphia with assistance from the Tinicum Township Police Department; Newark, Delaware Police Department; Delaware State Police; Delaware River Bay Authority; and Philadelphia Police Department; and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza and Department of Justice Trial Attorney with the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) Jessica L. Urban.

A Delaware man was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for trafficking minor and young adult victims throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Anthony Jones, 38, of Wilmington, Delaware, was convicted by a federal jury in April 2019 following a 14-day trial. Jones was found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors by force, fraud or coercion, and of sex trafficking three minors by force, fraud or coercion. According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, Jones and his codefendants – Dkyle Bridges and Kristian Jones – ran a prostitution enterprise in which girls and young women were sex trafficked throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and elsewhere. Bridges was the violent ringleader who used force and threats to cause the victims to engage in commercial sex acts. Kristian and Anthony Jones helped Bridges run the ring, including by providing security and reserving hotel rooms. The investigation began in November 2016 when local police rescued minors who had been advertised for prostitution on Backpage.com, and subsequent investigation uncovered additional victims.

Jones was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to the victims.

Bridges was sentenced in March 2021 to 35 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution to the victims. Kristian Jones was sentenced in June 2021 to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,160 in restitution to the victims.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Tinicum Township Police Department; Newark Police Department; Delaware State Police; Philadelphia Police Department; Delaware River & Bay Authority and Wilmington Police Department.

Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Priya T. De Souza of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Tyleel Scott-Harper, 25, of Chester, PA, was sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Chief Judge Juan R. Sanchez for narcotics and firearms offenses in furtherance of the activities of the violent street gang, Third Bone, that sold large amounts of crack, cocaine, and heroin in downtown Chester, PA.

In October 2019, 22 individuals including the defendant were arrested and charged in parallel indictments with drug trafficking and firearms offenses. These 22 defendants were members of rival drug trafficking groups operating next to each other in territories occupying the west side of Chester.  The two rival groups were the “3rd Bone” (or “3BM”) and the “William Penn” (“the Pen” or “Ject Boyz”).

Scott-Harper and 12 of his “3rd Bone” co-conspirators were charged in a 70-count Indictment alleging conspiracy to distribute crack, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin (one count); distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (57 counts); unlawful use of a communications facility in furtherance of a drug felony (five counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (three counts); felon in possession of a firearm (two counts); and aiding and abetting. As a member of 3rd Bone, Scott-Harper infused a dangerous drug into the community of Chester, and used violence and threats of violence to control the group’s territory and enforce drug debts. For his part, in August 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute and distribution of crack cocaine, use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“The defendant and his co-conspirators in 3rd Bone, together with the defendants in the William Penn gang, terrorized the Chester community for years with their drug dealing and associated violence,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Scott-Harper dealt dangerous narcotics and illegally possessed weapons to further his drug-dealing business, and for that he will now spend nearly a decade in prison. Thanks to the efforts of investigators at the FBI and DEA, the 3rd Bone and William Penn drug operations have been permanently shut down, making the streets safer and improving the quality of life for the Chester community.”

“Tyleel Scott-Harper and his 3rd Bone crew used threats and violence to maintain control of their territory, as they steadily poisoned the city of Chester by dealing dangerous drugs,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to freeing our communities from the clutches of violent drug gangs, which have zero regard for the incredible damage they do to people’s lives and quality of life.”

"Chester is a community that has been disproportionately affected by the drug trade," said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. "That Scott-Harper was in a gang that engaged in the sale of multiple dangerous street drugs and used firearms to protect and further their drug-trafficking activities adversely impacted the overall quality of life for the citizens of Chester."

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. It is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Chester Police Department Narcotics Unit, with assistance from the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Delaware County Drug Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Chester Township Police Department, the Ridley Township Police Department, and the Sharon Hill Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meaghan Flannery and Matthew Newcomer.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Mitchell Spivack, 62, of Collegeville, PA, was charged by Information with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and healthcare fraud. These charges are the result of a joint investigation between the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

As alleged in the Information, Spivack owned Verree Pharmacy located in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia and was the pharmacist in charge. Verree operated as a small neighborhood pharmacy for more than thirty years. During that time in business, Spivack and his coconspirators allegedly cultivated Verree’s reputation as an “easy fill” and “no questions asked” pharmacy for oxycodone and other dangerous and addictive opioid drugs. By 2016, Verree was the largest purchaser of oxycodone among retail pharmacies in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Spivack and his coconspirators filled prescriptions for wholesale quantities of high-dose oxycodone despite obvious alterations to the prescriptions and other red flags indicating that the drugs were not for a legitimate medical purpose. In addition, Spivack and other employees of Veree submitted entirely fraudulent claims to health care benefit programs for prescription drugs not dispensed. These drugs were designated in patient profiles as “BBDF” which was an acronym for “Bill But Don’t Fill.” From 2013 through 2019, Medicare and other insurers paid over $450,000 for these bogus claims.

“Pharmacies and pharmacists engage in the deepest violation of the community’s trust when they exploit their access to opioids and other controlled substances and illegally dispense the drugs for their own financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “It is even more disturbing when pharmacists take advantage of their position of trust by fraudulently billing Medicare and other federal health care programs for bogus prescription drugs. Our Office will use every resource it has to pursue and hold these individuals accountable. I am grateful for the support and investigative teamwork that the DEA, HHS-OIG, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office provided in this important matter.”

“We know that nearly 80% of those who use heroin first started with misusing a prescription opioid,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “The defendant is charged with filling prescriptions outside of medical standards for the highly addictive drug oxycodone. Diversion of these drugs perpetuates the existing opioid crisis that killed 5,438 Pennsylvanians last year. Pharmacies and medical professionals have a responsibility under the law to dispense these drugs only when appropriate. Our office is committed to continuing to work with our federal partners to hold medical professionals like Mitchell Spivack accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, a special assessment and an order of restitution.

If the public has any information regarding Verree Pharmacy or any other health care fraud allegation, individuals should contact the HHS-OIG hotline at 800-HHS-TIPS.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil suit against Spivack, his company, and employees alleging healthcare fraud and violations of the Controlled Substances Act. The criminal case was investigated by the Philadelphia Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, HHS-OIG, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation. The criminal case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney M. Beth Leahy and Special Assistant United States Attorney Linda Montag, who was specially designated by the AG. The civil case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony D. Scicchitano.  

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Brian David Cortes, a/k/a “Bambi”, 36, of Allentown, PA, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl for the distribution of the dangerous narcotic fentanyl.

In February 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to distributing 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing heroin and fentanyl. The charges stemmed from a 2021 investigation into drug-trafficking activities occurring at the defendant’s barbershop on Tilghman Street and his garage on North 4th Street, both in Allentown. Law enforcement conducted multiple controlled buys of fentanyl from the defendant and other individuals during the investigation and in June 2021 executed numerous search warrants at residences and the two businesses, leading to the seizure of over 1,000 grams of fentanyl and $100,000.

“Fentanyl is one of the deadliest narcotics flooding the streets of our country, and this defendant made sure there was a steady supply of it right here in eastern Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Cortes operated two successful, legitimate businesses, but that wasn’t enough.  So he let his greed corrupt those enterprises, turning them into drug trafficking locations. Our Office is doing everything it can to uncover and disrupt these dangerous operations.”

"Illicit fentanyl is a dangerous street drug that has had a devastating and deadly impact across the Commonwealth and the nation at large," said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division.  "That Cortes distributed significant amounts of fentanyl out of his legitimate businesses is all the more troubling." 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing "Illicit fentanyl is a dangerous street drug that has had a devastating and deadly impact across the Commonwealth and the nation at large," said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division.  "That Cortes distributed significant amounts of fentanyl out of his legitimate businesses is all the more troubling." all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Allentown Residence Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles J. Volkert, Jr.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Daniel Castelli, 68, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release by United States District Court Senior Judge R. Barclay Surrick for racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

In January 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment stemming from his involvement in criminal activity with and for the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra, also known as the LCN, the mafia, and the mob. The Philadelphia LCN is one of a number of LCN organized crime families based in various cities throughout the United States. The goal of the LCN in Philadelphia and elsewhere is to make money through the commission of various crimes, including illegal gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, and extortion.

According to court documents, and the defendant’s guilty plea, Castelli was an associate of the LCN who worked with LCN members and other associates to commit crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, and loansharking. The defendant pled guilty to his involvement with the LCN for that conduct as well as for an effort in 2016 to obtain a kilogram of cocaine, intended for later resale, on behalf of other LCN members and associates.

“Even though the Philadelphia mob has been weakened over the decades due in large part to persistent law enforcement, the organization and its criminal activities are still very much a problem and are damaging the communities in which it operates,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting anyone who is committing serious federal crimes like these, and we will not rest until the mob is nothing but a bad memory.”  

“The Philadelphia LCN is committed to criminality, it seems, with Daniel Castelli admitting he took part,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “He helped the organization make money through all manner of illegal activity, including drug dealing, posing a clear danger to the community. The FBI will continue to target those engaged in organized crime, as we work every day to make Philadelphia safer.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including its Philadelphia Field Division and Atlantic City Resident Agency, as part of a long-running investigation, with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ortiz and Justin Ashenfelter, and Trial Attorneys Alexander Gottfried and Brendan Woods of the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Gang Section.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Jason Weigand, 51, of Sinking Springs, PA, was convicted at trial on thirty counts involving multiple charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft arising from his elaborate scheme to steal money from his own financial advisory clients.

In October 2017, the defendant was charged by Indictment, which was then superseded several times. Further, while the defendant was out on bail awaiting trial, he committed additional fraud crimes, which resulted in a second indictment. Weigand was ultimately charged with thirty counts involving multiple counts each of wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, unauthorized access to a computer, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and committing offenses while on bail.

During the nearly 15 years that he served as an investment advisor and proclaimed himself a knowledgeable and reputable source of investment advice, the defendant repeatedly stole money from his clients and went to great lengths to cover up his thefts. Weigand laundered the stolen funds by passing them through a variety of bank accounts, and he even hacked into one client’s email account and accessed emails between the client and another investment advisor.

“Weigand has proven himself to be serial fraudster with no respect for the law or the fiduciary obligations of a financial advisor, and today a jury agreed,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Rather than serving his clients, he served himself. Prosecuting financial fraud, and thereby safeguarding innocent investors who stand to lose everything, will always be a priority for this Office.”

“With today’s guilty verdict, Jason Weigand’s victims may finally find some closure on their abuse at the hands of this serial fraudster,” said Postal Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division Damon Wood.  “Mr. Wiegand was dishonest in his dealing with them, and not surprisingly, that dishonesty extended through trial.  Fortunately, a jury saw through his dishonesty and found him guilty of fraud. Postal Inspectors, picking up the work of investigators from the Pennsylvania State Department of Banking and Securities, along with prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office, saw this investigation through seven years of delays, a pandemic, continued criminal conduct by the defendant, and a nearly three-week trial.  I applaud the tireless efforts of the investigators and prosecutors on this case.”

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Pennsylvania State Department of Banking and Securities, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Shapiro and Christopher J. Mannion.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Bruce Minor, 46, of Philadelphia, PA, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney in connection with his scheme to embezzle money from his former employer, the Philadelphia Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).

In April 2022, the defendant was charged in a one-count Criminal Information with theft of government funds stemming from his theft of $487,000 in Veterans Affairs travel reimbursement funds, which he helped administer as part of his official duties as an travel clerk. In order to perpetrate the theft, Minor created fraudulent travel reimbursement claims in the names of at least three other VAMC employees and then diverted the fraudulently obtained funds into bank accounts he controlled. According to court documents, in an email to VAMC management, the defendant admitted to stealing approximately $13,000 in travel funds, though subsequent investigation showed that he stole upwards of $487,000 between December 2015 and September 2019.

“Injured veterans – and all Americans – deserve public employees who do their jobs honestly, without gaming the system to line their own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “While the VA was focused on providing high-quality care and programs to the men and women who served our country, the defendant selfishly took advantage of his position to perpetrate this fraud scheme and cheat the taxpayers who fund these services.”

“Today’s guilty plea should send a message to those who would use their position to steal taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “This greed wastes precious funds that could otherwise be used to provide care and benefits to our nation’s veterans. The VA OIG appreciates the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout this investigation and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold wrongdoers accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Diviny.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Antoine Jordan-Harris, 22, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Karen S. Marston for his participation in a robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store during a period of civil unrest in Philadelphia.

In April 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The charges arose from an incident in the early morning hours of October 27, 2020, when the defendant—armed with a baseball bat and a handgun—entered a 7-Eleven on North Broad Street. Moments later, and without provocation, the defendant lifted his bat and proceeded to strike and break a television and multiple displays throughout the store. With the baseball bat in his left hand, the defendant approached the checkout counter and removed a handgun from his hoodie pocket. The defendant raised the handgun at the cashier who ducked behind the counter for cover. Then, the defendant reached over the counter, pointed the handgun at the cashier, and demanded the money from the store register. The defendant continued to point the handgun at the cashier and began to count down from 10 while the cashier struggled to empty the registers. After receiving the money, the defendant fled from the store.

“The defendant was so determined to rob this store that he came prepared to terrify and intimidate with two different weapons,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “His complete disregard for other people and for the law is appalling. Hopefully others will learn from the example set by this case -- if you rob a store in Philadelphia with a firearm, you are going to face serious federal prison time as a result. Our Office is committed to being ‘All Hands On Deck’ working with our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice.”

“As a result of this sentencing, Philadelphia is a safer place for our citizens,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This incredibly violent crime is exactly what ATF, and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating. We will continue to identify the most violent offenders and see they are held accountable for their heinous acts.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roberta Benjamin and Lauren Stram.

Two New Jersey men have pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for their roles in falsifying vehicle titles as part of a long-running odometer roll-back scheme.

According to court documents, Felix Granowski, 58, of Matawan, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Granowski owned a used car dealership based in New Jersey. Today, Alec Morgunov, 34, of Manalapan, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in connection with his work at Granowski’s dealership.

As part of their plea agreements, Granowski and Morgunov admitted that between 2012 and 2016, they engaged in a scheme to sell high-mileage, used vehicles with false, low-mileage readings entered on the vehicles’ odometers and titles. According to court filings, the defendants purchased high-mileage vehicles from individuals, arranged to alter the vehicles’ odometers to reflect false, lower mileage readings, and then obtained motor vehicle titles reflecting those false, lower mileages. Granowski and Morgunov then used the fraudulent title documentation and artificially lower odometer readings to sell the vehicles, including at an auction located in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. By deceiving purchasers into believing the vehicles had fewer miles than they actually had, defendants sold the vehicles at inflated prices, resulting in consumers paying more for the vehicles than they would have paid had they known the true mileages.

“When individuals misrepresent the mileage on used cars, they deceive consumers into paying more money for those cars while also hiding vital information that can impact vehicle safety and repair costs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to protecting consumers by prosecuting individuals who engage in this type of fraud.” 

“We’re proud of our collaboration with the Department of Justice to investigate odometer fraud,” said Deputy Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “Our top priority is keeping people safe on the road. Anyone who thinks they’ve been a victim of odometer fraud, needs to contact their state enforcement office. They can also visit our website, NHTSA.gov, for helpful information on how to detect a vehicle that may have had its odometer rolled back.”

In pleading guilty, Granowski and Morgunov admitted that they were part of a scheme that caused at least 118 cars to be sold with rolled-back odometers and falsified titles, resulting in consumer losses of at least $674,606.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, respectively. Granowski and Morgunov each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy to commit securities fraud charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The NHTSA Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Natalie N. Sanders and Ryan E. Norman of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Rue of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecutors for the case.

NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (800) 424-9393 or (202) 366-4761. More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/811284.pdf.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Rosezanna Czwalina, 70, of, of Morton, PA, was sentenced to one year in prison, one year supervised release, and was ordered to pay $112,846 restitution by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond for committing tax fraud.

In June 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to five counts of filing materially false tax returns in connection with her efforts to avoid paying her duly owed tax obligations. Czwalina, who had been the elected tax collector and treasurer for Ridley Township, Delaware County, PA from 2009 until her resignation in 2021, was authorized to retain, as a supplement to her income, fees paid for tax certifications and generation of duplicate tax bills.  However, the defendant failed to report those retained fees as income on her federal income tax returns for the years 2014 through 2018.

“The American tax system provides government services critical to our people,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Every time someone cheats the tax system, the burden of providing vital services increases on taxpayers who pay their fair share. As an elected official responsible for collecting taxes and managing public money, this defendant knew what her obligations were and willfully chose to ignore them.”

“As the township’s own tax collector, Czwalina well knew the importance of tax revenue to the proper functioning of government,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “And yet, for years, she knowingly shorted the federal system and its taxpayers by failing to report her true income. Elected officials must be held to the highest of ethical standards and when their actions cross into criminality, the FBI and our partners won’t hesitate to investigate and hold them properly accountable.”           

“Honest taxpayers are fed up with the likes of Czwalina, who knowingly disregarded her legal duty to pay her fair share of taxes year after year,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty.  “It is our hope that the sentence she received would deter would-be tax cheats.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K.T. Newton.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Paul Robinson, 32, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison, and six years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter for distributing narcotics as part of the Hilltop Drug Trafficking Group (DTG), an organization responsible for putting large amounts heroin and other narcotics including crack cocaine, oxycodone and fentanyl on the streets of West, Southwest, and Northwest Philadelphia, and Upper Darby between 2013 and 2018.

In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to multiple felony narcotics charges including distribution of controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances near a school, stemming from his role in the Hilltop organization. The DTG operated seven days a week from approximately 9:00 am until midnight as a phone order/delivery service, through which customers called a cell phone number belonging to the leaders of the organization, including Robinson, to place orders for illegal narcotics. The customers were then redirected to “runners,” who would meet the customers on the street, often entering the customers’ vehicles, to deliver the narcotics in exchange for payment. Hilltop was a violent group that often defended its territory and narcotics with firearms, and through distribution of narcotics is responsible for multiple overdose deaths.

“This case is an excellent example of all levels of law enforcement collaborating to dismantle a dangerous drug trafficking operation putting deadly narcotics on streets all across Philadelphia and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “This defendant directly threatened the safety of children by conducting the business of drug dealing adjacent to schools and playgrounds, actions for which he will now spend the better part of two decades behind bars.”

The case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philadelphia Police department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Harrell and Everett Witherell.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Christopher Gehris, 47, Phoenixville, PA, was sentenced today to one year and two months in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay over $94,000 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg for embezzling that amount from the Phoenixville Area School District (PASD).

In February 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to embezzlement from a program receiving federal funding and admitted that he stole approximately $94,613 from the PASD. In 2006, the defendant was hired as a controller for the PASD’s Business Office and later promoted to business manager. In 2018, he was appointed to serve as the Director of Finance. From 2013 until 2019, Gehris cashed checks made payable to himself and to “cash,” received checks and direct deposits into his personal checking account for “start-up money” for student activities, stole cash from school programs, and obtained gift cards for personal expenditures – all in furtherance of his embezzlement scheme. He also admitted that he hid his thefts by altering receipts and falsifying reports submitted to the Board of School Directors.

“The defendant stole nearly $100,000 from a public school district, money, some of which was specifically allocated for student activities meant to enhance their educational experience,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Criminals that embezzle public money from schools are ripping off hundreds of students while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund them.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Phoenixville Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terri A. Marinari.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Resean Lewis, 25, and William McIntyre, 27, both of Philadelphia, PA, were arrested and charged by Indictment with attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with a shooting that occurred earlier this year when they attempted to rob a convenience store in Northeast Philadelphia. Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court on these charges today and were detained pending trial.

The Indictment alleges that on February 1, 2022, the defendants entered the Big A Market corner store on Torresdale Avenue in the Wissinoming section of the city just before 4:00 a.m., and attempted to rob the business. Lewis went behind the counter armed with what appeared to be a Tec9 style firearm and announced a robbery. McIntyre followed just behind Lewis, armed with a pistol that he pulled from his waistband. The store manager happened to have his dog with him in the store at the time. When the dog realized that Lewis had come back to the employee area, it jumped up and distracted Lewis, giving the store clerk a chance to draw a weapon that the store keeps for protection. The clerk then shot Lewis multiple times.  McIntyre, who was standing right behind Lewis, immediately returned fire and struck the store clerk multiple times.

“When I announced the All Hands On Deck initiative over one year ago, I vowed that we would do all we could to stop the violent crime ravaging our city and support the Philadelphia Police Department in its work,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I also put criminals on notice that we were doubling down on our efforts to identify, arrest and charge them in the federal system for their crimes. The indictments of these defendants show that we have kept our word to focus on getting the most violent individuals off the street and behind bars.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Arnell Moore, 18, of Philadelphia, PA was charged by Indictment with carjacking and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in the City of Philadelphia earlier this year.

Court documents allege that on the night of March 18, 2022, the defendant and at least two accomplices called in a food delivery order to an abandoned residential property in Northeast Philadelphia, and then carjacked the unsuspecting delivery driver at gunpoint when he arrived. The police recovered the stolen vehicle a few days later, and a subsequent search of Moore’s bedroom led to the recovery of the phone used to make the delivery order as well as a loaded semi-automatic firearm, which is alleged to have been used during the carjacking.

“The charges announced today against this defendant exemplify the type of rapid results we have promised to deliver through the Carjacking Task Force and the ‘All Hands On Deck’ initiative,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As alleged, Moore and his accomplices set up an innocent delivery driver and stole his vehicle, which he relies on for his livelihood. Enough is enough – if you commit a serious violent crime like an armed carjacking in our city, you can expect the feds to show up on your doorstep.”

“ATF is standing true to our decree by holding violent offenders accountable,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Our mission is to combat violent firearm crimes, and this is exactly the type  of case our task force is set out to investigate.  If you commit a carjacking, you will be investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department, the ATF, FBI and our local, state, and federal partners.”

The swift action to investigate and federally charge these defendants is the result of the newly formed Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which is comprised of members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the task force is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify and refer for federal prosecution all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

If convicted on all charges, the defendant faces a mandatory seven years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew T. Newcomer.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Anthony Francis Nero, 48, of Norristown, PA, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison, and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for sending threatening communications and cyberstalking in connection with a shooting at the offices of the Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters last year.

In January 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted to sending an electronic message over the Internet in January 2021 to the Montgomery County Democratic Party (MCDP) that threatened “random acts of violence” and stated “you should probably beef up security.” Later that month, MCDP officials discovered that the front window to MCDP’s office, located in Norristown, PA, had been shot through three times by a firearm. Ballistics tests by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau confirmed that two spent rounds recovered from the MCDP’s office were fired by Nero’s .45 caliber pistol.

“In the midst of a politically tumultuous time in our Nation, Anthony Nero sent a threatening communication and then followed up on his threats with a violent act that could have resulted in catastrophic injury, or worse,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I want to thank our partners in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and all agencies at the federal, state and local levels for their dedicated work on this case.”

“I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in prosecuting this defendant for terroristic threats against the Montgomery County Democratic Committee. There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our democracy, and our law enforcement will continue to stand together to make sure that those who act in this way are brought to justice,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. 

“Anthony Nero first used words as his weapon, sending threatening messages to frighten people whose views he didn’t agree with,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “He then escalated exponentially when he loaded his gun, drove to the MCDP office, and fired off those rounds. No one should have to fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger. That’s why sending threatening communications is a crime, and why the FBI and our partners take threats so seriously as we work to protect and serve everyone in our communities.”    

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norristown Police Department, Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vineet Gauri and Josh Davison, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen A. McLaughlin

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Robert Fryer, 40, of Perkasie, PA, was sentenced today to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $3,364,622 in restitution to the USGA and forfeit the $1,150,000 in profits he amassed by United States District Judge Michael M. Baylson for participating in a conspiracy to steal and sell more than $3.3 million worth of U.S. Open Golf tournament tickets from Fryer’s former employer, the United States Golf Association (“USGA”).

In October 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty and admitted that he sold the tickets for roughly $1.2 million to two different Philadelphia-area ticket brokers, Jeremi Michael Conaway, 46, of West Chester, PA (who owns and operates Eagle Eye Ticketing Management) and James Bell, 70, of Glen Mills, PA (who owns and operates Sherry’s Theater Ticket Agency), both of whom were previously sentenced to prison for their roles in the conspiracy.

Beginning in 2013 in connection with the U.S. Open held at the Merion Golf Club, while working for the USGA in their admissions office, Fryer realized that he could exploit a weakness in the USGA’s ticket tracking protocol and steal tickets to the U.S. Open without the knowledge of the USGA. Rather than notify his employer of this flaw, Fryer admitted that he stole thousands of U.S. Open tickets in connection with the U.S. Open at Merion and arranged to sell the stolen tickets to Conaway, who at the time worked for another ticket brokerage in the area. Fryer continued to steal and sell tickets to Conaway for every subsequent U.S. Open through 2019, and he would have stolen tickets to the 2020 U.S. Open except it was held without fans that year due to the pandemic. Further, in connection with the 2017 U.S. Open, the defendant also sold stolen U.S. Open tickets to Bell, who operated another local area ticket brokerage. All told, Fryer admitted to stealing more than $3 million worth of U.S. Open tickets and selling them for approximately $1.2 million to his two co-conspirators, who themselves sold the tickets for a profit.

“This defendant stole revenue from an American institution and legitimate business that pays taxes, employs many, supports a non-profit organization, and brings excitement and income to our district with U.S. Open events at courses like the Merion Golf Club,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Criminals that conduct ticket schemes like this prey on the excitement surrounding big events; fans should remember that any item with a low price that seems ‘too good to be true’ should be cause for caution and concern.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.

PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Andrew Berkowitz, 62, of Huntington Valley, PA was sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $40,000 fine and almost $4 million in restitution by United States District Judge Paul Diamond for running a prescription “pill mill” from his medical practice which he operated in Philadelphia under the name ‘A+ Pain Management.’ Judge Diamond also ordered that the defendant shall forfeit fraud proceeds of approximately $3.4 million and four real properties.

In January 2020, Berkowitz pleaded guilty to 19 counts of health care fraud, and 23 counts of distributing oxycodone outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, charges for which he was indicted in June 2019. The defendant fraudulently billed insurers for medically unnecessary physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and prescription drugs, and for treatments not provided at all. Regardless of their complaint, at every visit patients received a “goodie bag” which was a tote bag filled with prescription drugs for which Berkowitz submitted pharmacy claims through his company, Bucks Philadelphia Medical Care Group. The “goodie bags” typically included a combination of drugs including topical analgesics such as Relyyt and/or Lidocaine; muscle relaxers such as Chloroxazon and/or Cyclobenzaprine; anti-inflammatories such as Celecoxib and/or Nalfon; and Schedule IV controlled substances such as Tramadol for pain; and/or Eszopiclone and Quazepam for insomnia and anxiety. The defendant obtained payments from insurers of more than $4,000 for each bag by falsely asserting that the drugs were for the benefit of the patient when, in reality, Berkowitz was the real beneficiary.

As part of the fraud scheme, Berkowitz also prescribed oxycodone to “pill-seeking” patients in exchange for their tacit approval that he would submit excessive claims to the patient’s insurer for the “goodie bag” and other medically unnecessary services. From 2015 through 2018, Berkowitz obtained more than an estimated $4 million in fraudulent proceeds from his scheme.

The defendant is also subject to a civil judgement in which he is obligated to pay approximately $1.8 million as a result of civil False Claims Act liability for false claims submitted to Medicare, and subject to a permanent prohibition on Berkowitz ever prescribing, distributing or dispensing controlled substances ever again.

“Doctors who dare engage in healthcare fraud and drug diversion, two drivers of the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities, should heed this sentence as a warning that they will be held responsible, criminally and financially,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Our office will continue to root out healthcare fraud and drug diversion in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in all its forms.”

“Doctors are supposed to treat illness, not feed it,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Andrew Berkowitz prescribed patients unnecessary pills and handed out opioids to addicts. He then made millions by billing Medicare and other insurance programs for these drugs and for treatments that never happened. Health care fraud is costly on many levels, whether it’s the unlawful diversion of Medicare funds, medication, or both. That’s why these cases are a priority for the FBI and our partners on the Health Care Fraud Task Force.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Philadelphia Police Department; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. The criminal charges are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney M. Beth Leahy. The related civil investigation, litigation, and resolution are being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony D. Scicchitano and Sarah Grieb.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Anthony Lucidonio, Sr., 84, of Philadelphia, PA, and Nicholas Lucidonio, 56, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before United States District Court Judge Gerald McHugh to charges related to their conspiracy to defraud the United States for the purpose of impeding, impairing, or obstructing the Internal Revenue Service in the assessment and collection of employment taxes.  The defendants, who were indicted in July 2020, are owners of Tony Luke’s, a cheesesteak and sandwich restaurant located in South Philadelphia. In pleading guilty, the defendants admitted to participating in a tax fraud scheme to evade payroll taxes between 2006 and 2016.

According to evidence summarized at today’s hearing, the defendants paid a significant number of their employees and partially “off-the-books.” To avoid withholding and paying over to the IRS employment taxes of the “off-the-books” amount, defendants gave their employees paychecks that reflected a portion of the employees’ hourly wages with the required taxes withheld. However, the wages the defendants paid and reported in this fashion represented only a portion of the true hours the employees worked. The Lucidonios then directed their employees to endorse their paychecks and give them back to the defendants and their restaurant managers. In exchange for return of the endorsed payroll checks, defendants provided their employees envelopes containing cash. This process allowed the defendants to understate the hours each employee worked. The scheme caused Tony Luke’s accountant to substantially understate the wages paid to the employees, and subsequently, the payroll taxes due to the United States.

According to a plea memorandum filed with the court, the government intends to prove at the defendants’ sentencing hearing that the government lost between $550,000 and $1.5 million as a result of the defendants’ scheme.

“This tax fraud scheme victimized honest taxpayers in two ways: first, by hiding the restaurant’s revenue from the IRS and second, by avoiding employee payroll taxes,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Tony Luke’s is an iconic brand in our region, but that is no excuse or explanation for the fraud these defendants perpetrated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these types of crimes.”

“While they successfully misled their accountant, they could not do the same when it came to the IRS,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Cases like this underscore the expertise IRS Special Agents possess and their ability to track down unreported wages paid to employees. Today, Anthony Lucidonio Sr. and Nicholas Lucidonio have taken a step in the right direction by admitting their guilt and accepting responsibility for their actions.”

The case was investigated by the Criminal Investigative Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John N. Kane of the Tax Division of the Department of Justice, and Assistant United States Attorney Richard P. Barrett.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Vaugh Simon, 29, of Pearland, TX, was sentenced today to one year and three months in prison, and was ordered to pay a total of more than $1.9 million restitution, including more than $1.7 million to Cisco Systems Inc., by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for operating a sophisticated warranty claim scheme which targeted multiple tech companies. Simon was also ordered to separately forfeit more than $178,000 in criminal proceeds that he earned through his fraud.

In June 2020, the defendant pleaded guilty to 22 counts of mail fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, two counts of filing a false tax return, and one count of tax evasion. Simon’s conviction stems from a complex scheme he perpetrated with several co-schemers in order to defraud Cisco, Sony Electronics, The Neat Company, Canon USA, APC by Schneider Electric, iRobot Corporation, and Skullcandy, Inc., out of various electronics and expensive computer hardware, by submitting to these manufacturers hundreds of false warranty claims seeking the advance replacement of more than $4 million worth of products. While not every false claim was successful, more than 200 of the claims did deceive the manufacturers, and Simon successfully induced them to ship more than $1.9 million worth of merchandise to him, most of which he sold via the internet or to computer equipment resellers.

The fraud scheme involved the registration of false domain names and the creation of false e-mail addresses, which were used to submit the false warranty claims under false identities. Simon typically obtained legitimate serial numbers for items that he did not own and then contacted the manufacturers, using the false identities and the false email addresses he had created, and claimed to be the owner of computer hardware or other electronic items that were supposedly broken and supposedly covered by warranties. The defendant knew how to explain the supposed problem in such a way that the items in question could not be fixed through trouble shooting and would instead require replacement. Simon promised to return the supposedly broken items as soon as he received the advance replacements, and he gave false addresses to which the replacement warranty items could be shipped. Simon then sold most of the replacement items at a deep discount and never returned any of the supposedly broken items, because he never owned them in the first place.

The primary victim of Simon’s fraud was Cisco. With respect to Cisco, between November 2014 and June 2017, Simon and two co-schemers submitted 284 false warranty claims using false identities for products they did not own. Of these, 209 successfully deceived Cisco into shipping Cisco hardware worth more than $1.7 million, all of which Simon and his co-schemers sold. Simon’s scheme was uncovered through the work of Cisco’s internal investigation team, which identified the suspected fraud and contacted the FBI, which then began a joint criminal investigation with the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID).

In addition, the IRS-CID determined that Simon had filed false tax returns in 2014 and 2016, and also criminally evaded the payment of income taxes for 2015, during which time he earned over $400,000 through his fraud yet failed to declare that income to the IRS. Simon is the second person sentenced as part of this investigation: Justin David May, 32, of Wilmington, DE, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison in June 2021.

“Warranties are designed to make consumers whole by replacing faulty products, not to be exploited by scammers looking to turn an illegal profit,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Warranty fraud is not a victimless crime, rather, companies which support employment for thousands of workers stand to lose millions of dollars, which was the case here. The defendant's scheme caused real harm, and for that he will now spend time behind bars. I would like to thank the FBI and IRS for their dedication and partnership in this matter.”

“Simon not only stole from these companies, but he also stole from the American public and the IRS,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “The loss of his liberty, along with restitution is the price he now has to pay.”

“Vaughn Simon took advantage of these companies’ warranty programs to score nearly $2 million in free merchandise,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “That’s not ‘gaming the system’ — that’s blatant, out-and-out fraud. To anyone else engaged in a scheme like this, know that the FBI will work to shut you down and hold you accountable for your actions.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Guy Menard Charles, 51, of Naples, FL, was convicted after trial of 23 counts of fraud and identity theft for filing false federal income tax returns as part of a scheme to fraudulently reduce taxes and inflate the tax refund amounts claimed on tax returns he prepared for his clients.

The defendant owned and operated Menard Tax Services in Florida. A co-conspirator, based in Philadelphia, recruited clients for the business and purchased personal identifying information for dependents, which Menard used on a number of the clients’ federal tax returns. In addition to the false dependent information, the defendant also included on various returns false income, education credits, and federal fuel tax credits. As a result of the tax returns with false information being filed, the U.S. Treasury issued tax refunds to the taxpayers to which they were not entitled. The defendant and his co-conspirator split the preparation fee for their services.

“Our nation’s taxing system relies upon tax preparers to apply our tax laws honestly in order to help clients accurately report income and pay their fair share of federal taxes, not bend or ignore the rules,” said U.S. Attorney Williams.  “The defendant manipulated his clients’ tax filings at the expense of honest taxpayers who take seriously their legal obligation to file complete and accurate federal income taxes each year.”

“Fraudsters like Guy Menard Charles give honest tax return preparers a bad name”, said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Guy Menard Charles had a duty to his clients to prepare tax returns that comply with the law and are complete and accurate. Evidence presented during this trial showed that he failed to do so.  The guilty verdict returned by the jury is another reminder that there is no tolerance for such criminal conduct.”

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Ignall and Christopher Mannion.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that two separate investigative teams working in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania were honored for their exemplary service to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by recovering millions of dollars in healthcare fraud matters.

The first team, comprised of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scicchitano, Landon Y. Jones III, and Rebecca Melley, received the 2022 Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) Award for “Excellence in Promoting Quality, Safety, and Value” for their investigation and resolution with several companies concerning alleged generic drug price fixing.

The second team, comprised of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Frey, Matt Howatt, Civil Division Chief Gregory David, Auditor Dawn Wiggins, Investigator Frank O’Connor, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crutchlow, received a 2022 HHS-OIG Honor Award for “Advancing Excellence and Innovation in recognition of outstanding teamwork and excellence for investigations, recoveries, and cost savings identified through P-Stim investigations.” 

Generic Drug Price Fixing Investigations

This family of investigations into generic drug prix fixing led to three generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Sandoz Inc., and Apotex Corporation, paying a total of $447.2 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) arising from conspiracies to fix the price of various generic drugs. These conspiracies allegedly resulted in higher drug prices for federal health care programs and beneficiaries. 

Between 2013 and 2015, all three companies allegedly paid and received compensation prohibited by the Anti-Kickback Statute through arrangements on price, supply, and allocation of customers with other pharmaceutical manufacturers for certain generic drugs manufactured by the companies. Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., headquartered in New York, paid $213.2 million to the government to settle these claims. The Taro drugs allegedly implicated in this scheme address a wide variety of health conditions, and include etodolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and arthritis, and nystatin-triamcinolone cream and ointment, a combination of an antifungal medicine and steroid used to treat certain kinds of skin infections.  Sandoz Inc., headquartered in New Jersey, paid a settlement of $185 million. The Sandoz drugs at issue include benazepril HCTZ, used to treat hypertension, and clobetasol, a corticosteroid used to treat skin conditions.  Apotex Corporation, headquartered in Florida, paid a $49 million settlement in connection with its sale of pravastatin, a drug used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

P-Stim Investigations

Through a proactive data analysis, this team helped uncover a scheme of improper billings involving electro-acupuncture devices, branded among other names as P-Stim and Stivax. These devices are applied with an adhesive and insertion of a limited number of needles; they do not involve surgery, anesthesia, or take place in an operating room. Federal healthcare programs do not reimburse at all for them, but the devices were marketed and billed as reimbursable as surgically implanted neuro-stimulators. This team led the national Department of Justice effort to apply analytics to healthcare claims data to identify providers who inappropriately billed federal healthcare programs for P-Stim devices, and to investigate and hold accountable responsible marketers and distributors. This effort resulted in several resolutions with responsible parties and coordination with dozens of other U.S. Attorney’s Offices as to other provider investigations for a total recovery of over $25 million. 

“Proactive efforts, relationship-building with other DOJ components and government agencies, and data analytics were the foundation for the excellent results of these two investigative teams,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We thank the Inspector General for recognizing their work and we thank the HHS OIG case agents who made these results possible.”

“Congratulations and thank you to our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “These awards recognize the outstanding teamwork and support provided by the DOJ-EDPA Civil Division’s attorneys, support staff, and analysts which resulted in the recovery of millions of dollars in HHS health care funds. HHS-OIG looks forward to continued collaboration with our Civil Division partners, as we work together, to protect the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs from financial harm.”

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Laye Sekou Camara, a/k/a “K-1,” a/k/a “Dragon Master,” 43, of Mays Landing, NJ,was arrested and charged by Criminal Complaint and subsequent Indictment on the charge of use of an immigration document obtained by fraud. 

In 1997, after a civil war and years of political upheaval, Charles Taylor was elected president of the West African nation of Liberia. In 1999, Liberia’s second civil war began. Primarily, two rebel groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), waged war against Taylor’s government. LURD’s stated objective was to remove Taylor from the presidency of Liberia. Liberia’s second civil war, much like its first, was characterized by brutality, war crimes, and atrocities, many of which were perpetrated by LURD rebels. Furthermore, in waging its war against Taylor’s government, LURD recruited and used child soldiers. According to the Indictment, Camara was a LURD general.

The Indictment alleges that in June 2011, Camara submitted an application for a non-immigrant visa to the United States. In that application Camara falsely contended, among other things, that he: 1) was not a member of a tribe; 2) had never served in or been a member of a rebel group or insurgent organization; and 3) had never committed, ordered, incited, assisted or otherwise participated in political killings or other acts of violence. Camara’s application was approved and he was issued a non-immigrant visa which he used to enter the United States.

The Indictment further alleges that in June 2012, United States immigration authorities reviewed an application that Camara submitted for a United States immigrant visa. In this application, Camara falsely contended, among other things, that he: 1) was not seeking and had not sought a visa, entry into the United States, or any immigration benefit by fraud or misrepresentation; and 2) had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers. Camara’s application was approved and he was issued an immigrant visa which he used to enter the United States. Upon his entering and being admitted to the United States pursuant to his immigrant visa, Camara became entitled to, and did, receive a Green Card, evidencing his authorized permanent residence in the United States.

Finally, as alleged in the Indictment, in June 2017, in seeking a Pennsylvania state identification card, Camara presented his fraudulently obtained Green Card to PennDOT officials as evidence of his immigration status, that is, his lawful permanent residence in the United States.

“As alleged in the Indictment, this defendant attempted to evade accountability for his horrific involvement in Liberia’s brutual civil wars by fraudulently obtaining U.S. immigration documents,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Due to the hard work and perseverance of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, he can no longer run and hide from justice.”

“HSI is committed to upholding the law, both within the United States and abroad,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia Field Office. “The defendant in this case, Mr. Camara, is alleged to have served as a high-ranking general for a rebel group that fought in the Second Liberian Civil War, all the while employing tactics of unimaginable brutality, including the recruitment of child soldiers. This indictment alleges Mr. Camara then attempted to shield his violent past when he came to the United States by failing to disclose his affiliation with the rebel group.  Investigations like this one are a chief priority of the No Safe Haven mission, and HSI will continue to work tirelessly to investigate those who attempt to evade justice for crimes they committed overseas. We will not allow the United States to be a safe haven for those attempting to hide from their past.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linwood C. Wright, Jr. and Kelly M. Harrell, with assistance from Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour and Historian Christopher Hayden from the United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s, Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to call the HSI tip line at: 1-866-DHS-2423 (1-866-347-2423). Callers may remain anonymous.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Michael George, 31, of Broomall, PA, was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $4,790 in both forfeiture and restitution by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for committing four bank robberies over the course of about a week in March 2020.

In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery in connection with three incidents at banks in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia and one on the Main Line in Montgomery County, PA. George admitted to robbing the TD Bank on East Butler Street in Philadelphia on March 7, 2020; the Wells Fargo Bank on Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia on March 16, 2020; the WSFS Bank on Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia on March 16, 2020; and the PNC Bank on Youngsford Road in Gladwyne on March 17, 2020. During each robbery, George threatened a bank employee with death for failure to comply with his demand for money; he stole a total of nearly $4,800 from the banks.

“This defendant terrified and threatened the lives of bank employees who were just doing their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “He is clearly a danger to the community – not stopping at one robbery but escalating to four in a matter of days. This case demonstrates why our All Hands On Deck initiative is so important: we are investigating and prosecuting the most violent criminals to get them off the streets and behind bars.”

“Michael George was a crime spree unto himself, responsible for four bank robberies in 10 days," said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "He threatened the bank employees he victimized, making them fear for their lives. It was imperative to get him off the street quickly before anyone was physically harmed. This sentence nips his burgeoning bank robbery career in the bud and holds him accountable for his bad actions. The FBI and our partners are committed to making our communities safer by bringing these violent offenders to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lower Merion Police Department, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Jayne.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Mark Manigault, 44, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced to seven years in prison, and three years of supervised release by Senior United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick after having been found guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

In February 2020, the defendant, a four-time convicted felon and repeat parole violator, was convicted after trial of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stemmed from an incident in September 2016 during which Manigault possessed a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition while loitering on a street in West Philadelphia with another armed man. Investigating Philadelphia Police officers found two firearms hidden in the wheel well of a parked car nearby. Using surveillance footage from the bar and from a private residence down the street, officers determined that Manigault and the other individual possessed the firearms and had placed them in the wheel wells.

“Prosecuting, deterring and preventing violent crime in Philadelphia are top priorities of this Office and our ‘All Hands On Deck’ initiative,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Illegal gun possession poses a serious threat to public safety because it often leads to violence; therefore, we are committed to working with the Philadelphia Police Department and our law enforcement partners to combat this threat.”

“ATF will always investigate violent criminals found in illegal possession of firearms,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Working with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will do everything within our power to reduce violent crime in Philadelphia by holding violent offenders accountable for continually disregarding the law.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Kristian Reyes, 35, of Philadelphia, PA, was arrested today by federal agents and charged by criminal complaint with firearms and drug offenses in connection with an incident earlier this year, during which a Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) officer was shot while executing a warrant for the arrest of the defendant.

The defendant is charged with using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. According to the publicly filed complaint, Reyes was the subject of an active arrest warrant for state probation and parole violations. On February 11, 2022, Philadelphia Police SWAT Officers went to arrest the defendant at a property on the 100 block of West Lehigh Avenue in the Fairhill section of the city. After announcing themselves and receiving no response, officers breached the front door and went up a narrow stairwell to attempt to enter the third-floor apartment. The officers once again announced themselves as they made their way up the stairs. While they waited for equipment to gain access to the apartment, the leader of the SWAT entry team heard multiple popping sounds from inside the apartment and then felt a stinging sensation in his chest. When he looked down, he realized he had been shot.

The PPD SWAT officer was rushed to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement officers later determined that the ceramic plate in the SWAT officer’s ballistics vest prevented more serious injury and likely saved his life.

Ultimately, the defendant was apprehended after attempting to escape by jumping from a third-floor window onto the roof, with a gun in his hand. Investigators recovered a Glock 9mm pistol from the roof. Ballistics comparison later confirmed that the gun was used in the shooting. Investigators also obtained a search warrant for the third-floor apartment and recovered fired cartridge casings, nearly 100 additional rounds of ammunition, and an enormous inventory of alleged narcotics including over 3,500 fentanyl pills, heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, cocaine, and nearly $3,000 cash.

“As we have said many times since launching the All Hands On Deck initiative, our Office and our federal partners are doing everything we can to support the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecute cases federally when appropriate,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Here, as alleged in the complaint, the defendant brazenly and recklessly fired a weapon through a wall at law enforcement officers in the middle of the day in busy neighborhood; an offense that certainly meets the criteria for federal prosecution. We are committed to bringing the full might of the federal justice system to this battle against criminals in our city.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison with a thirty-five year mandatory minimum sentence.

The case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Martin.

This case is part of the DEA’s new initiative, Operation Overdrive, aimed at combatting the rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths plauguing American communities. Operation Overdrive, which launched February 1, 2022, uses a data-driven, intelligence-led approach to identify and dismantle criminal drug networks operating in areas with the highest rates of violence and overdoses. DEA, working in partnership with its fellow federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, has mapped the threats and initiated enforcement operations against those networks in 34 locations across 23 states.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Ronald DeWitt Vines, 50, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond for an armed robbery he and his accomplices, who were two of his sons, attempted to carry out in Bucks County in late 2017.

In August 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of attempted armed bank robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, in connection with his attempt to commit the armed robbery of the PNC Bank branch on Buck Road in Holland, PA, in November 2017. To execute the robbery, Vines’ son, Elijah Vines (who was previously sentenced to five years and one month in prison), placed a handgun against the side of a bank employee’s head, forcing her to open the bank door as she arrived for work that morning. A second bank employee screamed when she realized the bank was being robbed. Vines and his accomplices, sons Elijah and Solomon Vines, quickly fled the bank in a getaway vehicle before being stopped by Northampton Township Police Officers responding to a 911 call. A search by officers of the getaway vehicle uncovered one loaded semi-automatic handgun, one loaded rifle, and two body armor vests.

“This defendant terrified and threatened the lives of bank employees who were just attempting to do their jobs, and he convinced his sons – young men with their whole lives ahead of them – to help him pull it off,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The simple fact is that this family is a danger to the community. This case demonstrates why our All Hands On Deck initiative is so important: we are investigating and prosecuting the most violent criminals to get them off the streets and behind bars.”

“Imagine the terror of that bank employee when the gun was put to her head,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Make no mistake, this was a violent crime, and the fact that Vines and his sons fled empty-handed doesn’t lessen the severity of their actions one bit. Fortunately, local police officers quickly saw and stopped the family’s getaway car before they could try again somewhere else. The FBI is gratified Vines is finally being held accountable for this shameful scheme in which he involved his own children.”

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Northampton Township Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José R. Arteaga.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Gongda Xue, 52, formerly a resident of Allschwil, Switzerland, a legal permanent resident of Switzerland and citizen of China, was convicted after trial of charges related to his participation in a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pertaining to biopharmaceutical products under development from January 2010 to January 2016.

During the offense conduct, Gongda Xue worked as a scientist at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (“FMI”) in Switzerland, which is affiliated with Novartis. His sister, Yu Xue, worked as a scientist at GSK in Pennsylvania. Both the defendant and his sister conducted cancer research as part of their employment at these companies.  Their research was sensitive and confidential.  Consequently, GSK and FMI required Yu Xue and Gongda Xue respectively to sign confidentiality agreements as part of their employment.  While the defendant performed basic research for publication in journals, the defendant’s sister performed research relating to GSK’s anti-cancer drugs under development. Evidence presented at trial showed that the defendant knew that GSK’s research could prove incredibly valuable, and that it was proprietary and confidential. 

While working for their respective entities, the defendant and his sister betrayed their employers and shared confidential information for their own personal benefit.  Gongda Xue created Abba Therapeutics AG in Switzerland and Yu Xue and her associates formed Renopharma, Ltd., in China. Both companies intended to develop their own biopharmaceutical anti-cancer products.  Renopharma received direct funding and support from the government of China.  Gongda Xue stole FMI research into anti-cancer products and sent that research to Yu Xue.  Yu Xue, in turn, stole GSK research into anti-cancer products and sent that to Gongda Xue.  Yu Xue also provided hundreds of GSK documents to her associates at Renopharma.  Renopharma then attempted to re-brand GSK products under development as Renopharma products and attempted to sell them for billions of dollars. Renopharma’s own internal projections showed that the company could be worth as much as $10 billion based upon the stolen GSK data. 

Fortunately, in January 2016, the FBI arrested Yu Xue and her Renopharma associates, seized e-mail accounts containing the stolen GSK data, and seized the funds in a Renopharma bank account in order to prevent Renopharma from achieving its goals and monetizing the stolen GSK information.  Gongda Xue was charged in 2018 and extradited from Switzerland to the United States in December 2019. 

Two former GSK employees, Yu Xue and Lucy Xi, have pleaded guilty for their roles in sending GSK trade secrets to Renopharma.  Yu Xue's sister, Tian Xue, pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy for agreeing to launder the substantial ill-gotten gains which Renopharma expected to receive.  One of the directors of Renopharma, Tao Li, also pleaded guilty for his role in conspiring to steal GSK trade secrets.  The other director of Renopharma, Yan Mei, is a fugitive who currently resides in China. 

“This defendant illegally stole trade secrets to benefit companies controlled by himself and his sister, one of which were financed by the Chinese government,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The lifeblood of companies like GSK is its intellectual property, and when that property is stolen and transferred to a foreign country, it threatens thousands of American jobs and disincentivizes research and development. Such criminal behavior must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“When a company like GSK spends billions on research and development to bring new drugs to market, the theft of valuable trade secrets poses a significant operational threat,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “When those secrets are stolen on behalf of a global adversary, it also endangers the security of our nation and the stability of our economy. The FBI will continue to bring all our investigative resources to bear to hold accountable criminals like Xue and his codefendants who steal intellectual property to benefit themselves and the Government of China. Our relationships with private sector partners like GSK are critical to disrupting such costly activity and bringing those responsible to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Livermore and J. Jeanette Kang.  Extradition assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs.  The U.S. Attorney would also like to thank GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis for their extraordinary cooperation on this important investigation.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Arthur Rowland, a/k/a “Bo,” 41, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted after trial of multiple narcotics offenses, along with his earlier conviction for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm, arising from his participation in a large scale interstate methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.

In December 2018, the defendant was arrested pursuant to an Indictment charging him and four other individuals with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and related charges. Ultimately, a second Superseding Indictment charged Rowland and five others with participating in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that acquired hundreds of pounds of Mexican methamphetamine in Los Angeles, shipped the illegal narcotics back to the Philadelphia area for distribution here, and in turn transferred many thousands of dollars back to the California-based sellers to pay for that methamphetamine. In addition to the drug conspiracy, Rowland was also charged with possessing with intent to distribute about nine pounds of methamphetamine from packages that he had shipped to multiple Philadelphia-area locations, and with possessing two AK-47 style assault type weapons and a semi-automatic handgun while being a felon, and with using those same weapons in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

“Rowland and his co-conspirators shipped tons of drugs from one end of this country to the other through a large and sophisticated trafficking enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Today’s conviction demonstrates our Office’s commitment to taking down these types of criminal organizations and cutting off the supply of deadly drugs in order to keep our communities safe.”

“Arthur Rowland was part of a conspiracy that saw vast amounts of meth brought into and sold in the Philadelphia area,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “This conviction is a win for the FBI and all of our partners as we work together to get dangerous drugs and criminals off the street. The ultimate goal here is to eliminate the drug trade and concomitant gun violence plaguing so many communities.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Shapiro and Timothy Stengel.

PHILADELPHIA –United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Tammy Simpson, 49, of Pocono Lake, PA, was charged by Indictment with wire fraud and filing false tax returns. These charges stem from the defendant’s employment with Metal Traders, Inc., d/b/a Triad Metals International (“Triad”), where she worked as the Assistant Controller for fourteen years.  

The Indictment alleges that between 2012 and when she was terminated in October 2019, Simpson used her position at Triad to steal company money and use it to pay personal expenses charged to her credit cards and to make payments on personal loans. She allegedly did so by paying her personal credit card bills and loan payments with electronic transfers from the company’s business checking account. The defendant is also alleged to have kept credit cards from employees who had left the company and used them to charge personal expenses including airfare and other entertainment expenses for her family and friends, and to pay her personal tax liabilities and those of other individuals for whom she prepared tax returns. None of these payments or transfers were for legitimate business expenses of her employer. The Indictment further alleges that Simpson failed to report the money stolen from the company as income on her tax returns for tax years 2015 through 2018.

The Indictment seeks forfeiture of $3,199,192.68, which represents the total amount of money Simpson allegedly embezzled from her now former employer.

“This defendant allegedly swindled almost more than three million dollars from her former employer over the better part of a decade,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Instead of doing the right thing and performing her job honestly as the assistant controller for this company, she took advantage of her position and chose the greedy path. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect innocent individuals and businesses from being victimized by financial fraud.”

“Tammy Simpson’s company entrusted her with key accounting duties,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Little did they know their longtime employee would take full advantage of that trust, allegedly diverting and using millions of dollars of the business’s money as her own. The FBI will diligently investigate and hold accountable anyone engaged in such egregious financial fraud.”

“No matter how it’s earned, all income must be reported,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Simpson stands accused of treating Triad’s bank account as her personal bank account, supporting her lifestyle and that of her friends and family. This indictment should reassure those who play by the rules that IRS Criminal Investigation and its law enforcement partners will investigate anyone suspected of similar conduct.” 

If convicted, Simpson faces a maximum possible sentence of 172 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $2,400,000 fine and a $1200 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Criminal Investigation Office of the Internal Revenue Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney MaryTeresa Soltis

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Issac Barrett, 35; Kaleaf Gilbert, 30; Darnell Bell, 31; Terrance Womack, 35; and Jamar Bright, 33; all of Chester, PA, pleaded guilty this week before United States District Court Chief Judge Juan R. Sanchez to charges including conspiracy to distribute crack, cocaine and heroin, as well as related narcotics and gun offenses.

In October 2019, two dozen defendants were arrested pursuant to parallel Indictments of rival drug gangs that operated for years in and around the city of Chester, Delaware County: the “William Penn” drug trafficking group, which controlled the territory surrounding the Chester Housing Authority’s William Penn Homes, and their rivals the “3rd Bone” drug trafficking group, which held power in the area of 3rd and Lamokin Streets. This week, the remaining five William Penn defendants pleaded guilty, wrapping up the years-long investigation and prosecution, and ending this violent drug gang’s reign of terror in the greater Chester community. The defendants will be sentenced in August 2022, when defendants Barrett and Gilbert will face at least 15 years in prison due to the statutory mandatory minimum penalties on their drug and gun convictions.

As established during their plea hearings, defendant Issac Barrett served as the group’s source of supply, ensuring that his co-conspirators had a constant stock of crack, heroin, and cocaine, which his co-conspirators would then sell to their customer base of drug addicts. Co-defendant Kaleaf Gilbert managed a shared “trap phone” or drug phone, which the group, including co-defendants Bell and Womack, used to provide their joint customer base with around-the-clock access to crack and other controlled substances.

Not only did the William Penn defendants poison the Chester community with dangerous narcotics, they also used violence and threats of violence in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes, including against the rival 3rd Bone gang. In February 2019, a dispute between the two gangs came to a head in an exchange of gunfire between Barrett and Gilbert and three 3rd Bone members in the parking lot of a downtown Chester bar, which resulted in the shooting and hospitalization of one of the rival gang members. Subsequent wiretapped calls with  Gilbert’s phone revealed Gilbert attempting to get rid of the gun used in the shooting by throwing it on the roof of an adjacent building, trying to hide his bullet-ridden car, and cavalierly talking about the shooting and potential paralysis of the 3rd Bone member. Texts recovered from Barrett’s phone showed him placing a $15,000 bounty on a rival gang member whom he suspected was responsible for the shooting.

“These defendants and their co-conspirators in the William Penn gang, together with the defendants in 3rd Bone, terrorized the Chester community for years with their drug dealing and associated violence,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Barrett sourced and supplied dangerous narcotics, and Gilbert managed the distribution ‘business’ through a cell phone, a business which eventually led to a violent shooting. Thanks to the efforts of investigators at the FBI and DEA, the 3rd Bone and William Penn drug operations have been permanently shut down, making the streets safer and improving the quality of life for the Chester community.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, working closely the Chester City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew T. Newcomer and Meaghan A. Flannery.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Tarik Chambers, 20, and Nikeem Leach-Hilton, 22, both of Philadelphia, PA were charged by Indictment with conspiracy, three counts of carjacking, three counts of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and related charges in connection with a spate of armed carjackings in Philadelphia and Delaware County late last year.

The Indictment alleges that in the early morning hours of December 19, 2021, the defendants carjacked two victims at gunpoint in the Lawncrest section of the city. Then, approximately 20 minutes later, the defendants carjacked two more victims at gunpoint in the Germantown section. Finally, the Indictment also alleges that defendants used a privately made “ghost” gun to carjack yet another victim at gunpoint about six hours later in the rear parking lot of a retail store along Baltimore Pike in Springfield Township. The defendants then fled from the police, leading officers from multiple agencies on a high-speed car chase through Delaware County before crashing into the car of another motorist, who suffered severe, life-threatening injuries including broken bones and significant head trauma.

Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Williams announced that the defendants had been charged by Criminal Complaint with the Delaware County carjacking. This Indictment returned by a federal grand jury now formally charges them with all three carjackings and related offenses.

“The charges announced today against these two defendants exemplify the type of rapid results we have promised to deliver through the Carjacking Task Force and the ‘All Hands On Deck’ initiative,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “These two terrorized no less than six victims in three different neighborhoods across our region in roughly six hours -- actions which are being met with very serious federal charges. Enough is enough – if you commit a serious violent crime in our city, you can expect the feds to show up on your doorstep.”

“ATF’s main objective will always be keeping our citizens safe,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This indictment is indicative of ATF’s continued efforts working with our partners and proudly serving as part of the joint carjacking task force, being led by the Philadelphia Police Department. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners in making sure violent individuals are held accountable when they threaten the safety of the community.”

The swift action to investigate and federally charge these defendants is the result of the newly formed Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which is comprised of members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Philadelphia Police Department. The goal of the Taskforce is to stem the wave of armed carjackings and violent crimes through investigative and enforcement techniques meant to identify and refer for federal prosecution all who terrorize innocent victims through commission of these offenses within Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

If convicted on all charges, the defendants face a mandatory 21 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield Township Police Department, and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang and Special Assistant United States Attorney Sandra M. Urban.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that James Chandler, 55, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison, and five supervised release by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick for two counts of robbery of a postal worker and one count of kidnapping.

In September 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges in connection with two incidents that occurred on January 11 and February 4, 2021, during which Chandler robbed postal workers using a replica handgun, forcing them into their postal trucks and stealing packages from inside. During the incident in February, Chandler also forced the postal worker to drive him for several blocks in her postal truck before he fled on foot.

“Targeting and violently assaulting employees of the United States Postal Service is a serious federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Mail carriers provide an essential service to nearly every citizen and business, oftentimes going above and beyond to execute their duties in challenging circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chandler terrorized two postal workers at gunpoint, and he will now spend decades behind bars for his actions.”

“Early in 2021, James Chandler terrorized two mail carriers with the United States Postal Service by pointing a gun their faces and robbing them of parcels they were delivering.  With some old fashioned police work, Postal Inspectors and Philadelphia Police detectives quickly identified and arrested Mr. Chandler,” said Damon Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division. “While Inspectors are busy investigating narcotic trafficking, mail fraud schemes, and the theft of mail, few other crimes will mobilize Inspectors and the resources of the Inspection Service more so than violence committed against its employees or its customers.  I want to thank the officers and detectives of the Philadelphia Police Department and the prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office for working alongside us in holding Mr. Chandler responsible.” 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Oshana.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Bernard Giddings, 26, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was sentenced to three years and one month in prison, and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon following an incident on a state highway last year.

In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charges stemmed from an incident that took place in March 2021 on Interstate-76, to which Pennsylvania State Police responded. Following leads developed in the investigation, PSP investigators obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s residence in Philadelphia. Upon execution of the search warrant, Troopers recovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm and an extended magazine under the bed where the defendant was sleeping. The defendant ultimately admitted to possessing the gun, and forensic testing found his DNA on the weapon as well. PSP investigators later determined that the firearm had been reported stolen out of North Carolina in 2019.

“The crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm is a serious offense, particularly in Philadelphia where gun violence continues to plague neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Giddings will now spend years in prison for this offense, which means there is one less person illegally carrying a weapon on the streets of our city. Our Office is determined to continue doing everything we can to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia by being ‘All Hands On Deck’ to put criminals like this defendant behind bars.”

“Identifying, investigating, and assisting in the prosecution of the armed gunmen that threaten the safety of the public is ATF’s primary focus,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division.  “ATF is determined to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in our plight to ensure Philadelphia neighborhoods can be free of gun violence.  Thank you to the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their committed support in our effort to combat violent crime.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Martin Howley.