Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Henry Ford, also known as Cleothus Lefty Jackson, 51, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky to one count of securities fraud and seven counts of wire fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ford founded and operated a business named Fallcatcher, the stated goal of which was to develop and market an electronic system designed to track use of medication by addiction recovery patients to prevent relapse.

In May 2018, Ford was seeking additional investors in Fallcatcher, which had been running out of funding. At this time, Ford used an acquaintance in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania who had access to a network of investors to raise funds from these investors. Ford provided his acquaintance false and misleading information about the Fallcatcher investment proposal, so that the acquaintance would agree to send the information to his investor network.

Additionally, Ford made presentations in person to potential investors, who were part of this acquaintance’s network, at locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. During these presentations, Ford made false and misleading statements regarding the proposed investment opportunity and showed investors a fraudulent letter of interest, which falsely stated that a major insurance company had agreed to conduct a pilot program using Fallcatcher’s system. Ford caused his acquaintance to distribute further false and misleading statements after these presentations.

As a result of these deceptive fundraising efforts, Ford caused approximately 50 investors to invest approximately $5 million in total in Fallcatcher.

In 2018, the Securities & Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) began to investigate Fallcatcher. During the SEC investigation, in the fall of 2018 and the first half of 2019, Ford took various actions to conceal his fraud upon the investors in Fallcatcher. For example, Ford, through his counsel, produced to the SEC an email purporting to show that the fraudulent letter of interest described above was legitimate. In fact, the email produced to the SEC, like the letter of interest, was also shown to be false and fabricated.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2025.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Murray and Francis A. Weber. The SEC’s New York Regional Office investigated and litigated the civil securities fraud charges which formed the basis of a portion of the criminal prosecution.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isaiah Smith, 18, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of possession of child pornography.

The indictment alleges that Smith possessed visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. As detailed in court filings, these visual depictions included videos that the defendant recorded as he sexually abused two different child victims, a six-year-old girl, and a nonverbal three-year-old boy, on multiple occasions, over more than a year. The child sexual abuse material was discovered after a friend of the defendant walked in on Smith orally raping one of the child victims.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, mandatory financial penalties, and mandatory registration as a sex offender under SORNA and Megan’s Law.

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Imoleayo Samuel Aina, aka “Alice Dave,” 27, of Nigeria entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky Monday to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of wire fraud, in connection with the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Aina and co-defendant Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 25, were arrested on a complaint and warrant in Nigeria, taken into custody by the FBI on July 31, 2024, and extradited to the United States to face charges in this case. They and another Nigerian co-defendant, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 25, were then charged by indictment in August 2024.

Aina is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11 and faces a statutory maximum of lifetime imprisonment.

Abiodun pleaded guilty in December to money laundering conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 and faces a statutory maximum of 100 years’ imprisonment.

Adewale has also been charged with money laundering conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. He remains in Nigeria, pending extradition to the U.S.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.

Aina and Abiodun were extradited to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and the FBI. The support and assistance of Nigerian security authorities was essential to this effort, notably that of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ismael Terrero-Terrero, 22, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage to 40 months’ imprisonment and $26,798 in restitution for multiple burglaries in which he stole more than 150 guns from licensed firearms dealers.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January of 2024, and pleaded guilty this January to three counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

As detailed in court filings, on April 28, 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was notified of a burglary at a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Surveillance video showed that, at approximately 2:40 a.m., the defendant used a pry bar to make entrance into the building and immediately began taking AK-style pistols and AR-style rifles from the wall. He then used the pry bar to break open three glass display cases that contained pistols, placed the guns into a bag, and exited the building with 29 stolen firearms.

In the early morning hours of June 29, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to an FFL in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, for a report of a security alarm activation. Surveillance video showed that at approximately 1:35 a.m., the defendant and another man forced entry into the building. They broke the firearm display cases with a metal tool, took handguns from the display case and put them into a backpack. The men then exited the business and fled the scene with 44 stolen firearms.

On August 11, 2023, at approximately 4:16 a.m., the Telford Police Department (TPD) in Telford, Pennsylvania, received a notification of a burglar alarm activation at an FFL in the borough. Approximately three minutes later, a TPD officer arrived at the location and observed a male with a duffle bag entering the passenger seat of a nearby vehicle, which immediately started to flee from the officer. The officer’s pursuit of the vehicle was terminated a short time later, consistent with TPD policy. Upon examination of the scene and review of video surveillance footage, investigators determined that the defendant and another man had forced entry into the FFL and smashed multiple display cases containing firearms. The men then loaded numerous firearms into a large bag and a rolling suitcase, leaving the store with 82 stolen firearms.

“This defendant committed three separate burglaries, stealing an astonishing 157 firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “These guns have now found their way into our communities and are being recovered in shootings and other crimes from Connecticut to the Caribbean. Terrero-Terrero was actively putting guns in criminals’ hands and the repercussions will continue, at society’s expense. Public safety demands that we prevent offenders from getting their hands on guns — and punish those providing a steady stream of illegal weapons.”

“Stolen guns are crime guns that endanger our communities,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Ismael Terrero-Terrero burglarized three Pennsylvania gun shops, stealing more than 150 firearms connected to crimes up and down the East Coast and overseas. Working with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police, local police departments, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, this far-reaching and dangerous criminal operation was ended, and the perpetrator is going to prison for years.”

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Breyanna Cornish, 30, Jawayne Brown, 40, and Ahmad Nasir, aka Hussain Abdussamad, 44, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered pleas of guilty before United States District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert this week in connection with a scheme to smuggle contraband — including drugs, phones, chargers, cigarettes, and knives — into the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (“PICC”) from April through July of 2021.

The defendants were charged by indictment in August of last year, with Nasir pleading guilty this morning to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, one count of federal program bribery, one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine.

Brown pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, one count of federal program bribery, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of buprenorphine.

Cornish pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and one count of federal program bribery.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendants, Nasir, who was then detained pre-trial at PICC, worked with Brown, who was not incarcerated, Cornish, who was then a PICC correctional officer (“CO”) employed by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (“PDP”), and several other associates to purchase and assemble contraband. Cornish then smuggled the contraband into PICC, where Nasir sold the contraband to other inmates for a profit. Nasir then instructed associates to pay Cornish for her role smuggling the contraband into the prison and Brown for his work purchasing and assembling the packages.

On July 10, 2021, PDP conducted a search of the cell Nasir shared with another inmate. In a compartment in the ceiling behind a light fixture, officers recovered 19 cellphones, 20 cellphone chargers, one rapid charger, two super glues, two screwdrivers, one roll of tape, three hunting knives, one Ziploc bag containing the synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as K2, one Ziploc bag of tobacco, one alprazolam pill, and at least 110 packets of Suboxone.

Following the search of the cell, officers conducted a search of Nasir and his cellmate. Officers recovered a cellphone from the person of each of them. Text messages and WhatsApp messages extracted from the cell phone recovered from Nasir’s person revealed that from June 19, 2021, to July 6, 2021, CO Cornish, Nasir, and Brown discussed via text specific contraband items to be acquired, the delivery of contraband packages, and payments for the items and to co-conspirators. Nasir simultaneously sent messages to multiple inmates about the purchase and delivery of contraband.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in August. Cornish faces a maximum possible term of 15 years’ imprisonment, Brown a maximum possible term of 25 years’ imprisonment, and Nasir a maximum possible term of 35 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with significant assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Claiborne and Ruth Mandelbaum.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Richard Thompson, 57, of Falls Church, Virginia, Shaun Hanrahan, 66, of Hampton, Virginia, and Darren Hannam, 57, of Haymarket, Virginia, were charged by indictment with honest services fraud through bribery for engaging in schemes to pay off Thompson, in exchange for Thompson steering millions of dollars in Amtrak work to companies owned by Hanrahan, Hannam, and others.

Thompson was the Director of Network Planning and Engineering for Amtrak and had a leadership role in designing information technology (“IT”) systems and selecting IT vendors and subcontractors to perform IT work for Amtrak. Hanrahan was the owner of Awarity, LLC, a small business providing management consulting and computer-related services. Hannam and Co-schemer #1 were the principals of Arch Technology, an IT company.

The indictment alleges that, from about 2015 through 2021, Thompson engaged in bribery schemes with each of three companies who were his favored vendors in the Amtrak contracting process — Awarity, Arch Technology, and 20/20 Teknology, owned by Co-schemer #2. In each of these schemes, as alleged, Thompson repeatedly shared proprietary Amtrak bid information and other documents with his favored vendors before Amtrak contracts were awarded, giving the favored vendors advantages in the Amtrak contracting processes.

The indictment further alleges that Thompson likewise collaborated with them on bid and contracting documents, manipulated bidding lists, and structured existing contractual relationships, so that his favored vendors would get lucrative subcontracting deals and bypass Amtrak’s competitive bidding process. The defendants allegedly tried to conceal their scheme from Amtrak and other authorities by communicating with Thompson on his personal email accounts rather than his Amtrak email.

The Amtrak work involved in these schemes included, among other things, the design and installation of nationwide WiFi networks, IT equipment purchases, the installation of audio-visual equipment in Amtrak’s offices in Washington, DC, and a major project to improve the gates that provided access to Amtrak railroad tracks across the country. According to the indictment, for steering and attempting to steer this work to his favored vendors, Thompson received a stream of benefits from each vendor. For example, Hanrahan provided Thompson with payments of cash totaling at least $97,000; Hannam and Co-schemer #1 provided Thompson with expensive electronics valued at approximately $9,500, including Apple computers. Co-schemer #2 provided Thompson with an automobile, free hotel and condominium stays in Ocean City, Maryland, and $40,000 in cash.

The defendants are all charged with multiple counts of honest services wire fraud through bribery. Hannam is also charged with falsification of records for allegedly trying to cover up the scheme after federal agents executed search warrants in this matter.

If convicted, the defendants face maximum possible sentences of 20 years in prison for each count of honest services fraud in the indictment.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Amtrak Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis D. Lappen and Jason Grenell.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Michael Jefferson, 42, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a correctional officer at Federal Detention Center (FDC) Philadelphia, was arrested today and charged by indictment with one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse of a ward, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, arising from his alleged sexual abuse of an FDC inmate under his authority.

The indictment alleges that on or about July 6, 2024, the defendant knowingly caused and attempted to cause the victim to engage in a sexual act by using force, resulting in bodily injury to the victim.

The indictment further alleges that, while acting under color of law, Jefferson willfully deprived the victim of her right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, a right secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, which includes the right to be free from sexual abuse by a correctional officer.

Jefferson has been suspended from his position by the Bureau of Prisons.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Claiborne.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim.

The defendant was charged by information with those offenses last month.

As presented in the information, on or about December 10, 2015, a masonry restoration contractor (the “Contractor”) was awarded a $58,473,000 contract by Amtrak to be the main contractor on a façade repair and restoration project at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Federal funding supplied approximately 90 percent of the money Amtrak used to pay the Contractor for the repair and restoration of the 30th Street Station façade.

The defendant was the sole owner and President of the Contractor with responsibility to provide executive oversight of the Vice Presidents of the Contractor and the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, and Khaled Dallo, each charged elsewhere, were Vice Presidents of the Contractor, with responsibility to supervise the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

Amtrak Employee #1 was employed by Amtrak as the Project Manager on the repair and restoration project. In that capacity, Amtrak Employee #1 was responsible for communicating with the Contractor about the work being done on 30th Street Station. Amtrak Employee #1 was also responsible for reviewing the invoices, change orders, and requests for payment that the Contractor submitted to Amtrak. Amtrak Employee #1 had the power to approve or reject these invoices, change orders, and requests for payment. Although Amtrak Employee #1 did not have the singular authority to approve Amtrak payments to the Contractor, his approval was a critical step in that process.

The contract between Amtrak and the Contractor prohibited Snedden and other Contractor officials from “offer[ing] to any Amtrak employee, agent, or representative any cash, gift, entertainment, commission, or kickback for the purpose of securing favorable treatment with regard to award or performance of any contract or agreement.”

As detailed in the information and admitted to by the defendant, from in or about May 2016 through in or about November 2019, in Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, the defendant conspired and agreed with others known and unknown to the United States Attorney, including Amtrak Employee #1, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and Donald Seefeldt, to commit an offense against the United States, that is, to knowingly and corruptly give, offer, and agree to give, a thing of value to Amtrak Employee #1, intending to influence and reward Amtrak Employee #1 in connection with any business, transaction and series of transactions.

Specifically, the information alleges, Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and others known to the United States Attorney, with Snedden’s knowledge and agreement, provided Amtrak Employee #1 with gifts and other things of value totaling approximately $323,686, including, among other things, paid vacations, jewelry, cash, dinners, entertainment, a dog, training for that dog, and transportation, to ensure that Amtrak Employee #1 used his power and influence to benefit the Contractor during the performance of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

In return for these gifts and other things of value, Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to access internal agency information available only to Amtrak employees about the 30th Street Station Project and shared this internal information with the defendant and other officials with the Contractor.

The information further alleges that Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to approve additional, more expensive changes to the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project, thereby increasing the amount and value of the work to be performed by the Contractor. These additional expenses were reflected in a series of change orders or contract modifications. In total, Amtrak Employee #1 approved over $52 million of additional payments from Amtrak to the Contractor. Amtrak Employee #1 and officials with the Contractor falsely inflated the true costs of some of the work to be performed by the Contractor under these change orders, causing Amtrak to be substantially overbilled by over $2 million for the completion of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

Snedden is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13 and faces a maximum possible term of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Brian Zenszer, 44, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Zenszer was charged by indictment in December of last year.

As presented in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on or about July 21, 2024, Zenszer knowingly distributed a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and, on or about November 6, 2024, possessed a Samsung cellular phone containing visual depictions of minors, including one or more prepubescent minors who had not attained 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The charges arose from two CyberTips reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding two accounts on the Kik messaging app that had uploaded suspected files of child pornography. Investigators determined both accounts belonged to Zenszer.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29 and faces a maximum possible term of 40 years’ imprisonment and a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison.

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that James Sessoms, 60, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney on one count of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud, seven counts of false statements in connection with health care benefits, and seven counts of Social Security fraud.

Sessoms was charged by indictment with those offenses in October of 2024, arising from his scheme to use stolen identities and Social Security numbers (SSNs) to file for government benefits, including SNAP and Medicaid, with a total loss to the government of $1,063,633. As part of the scheme, the defendant would sell the fraudulently acquired SNAP cards for profit at a local supermarket.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from in or about November 2019 through in or about November 2023, Sessoms defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of SNAP benefits, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) of Medicaid benefits, by submitting false and fraudulent benefit applications, including false and fraudulent identification documents in connection with his applications.

As part of the scheme, Sessoms obtained or created the names, SSNs, and personally identifiable information for several fictitious persons, and obtained the names and personally identifiable information of other persons, including valid SSNs, which he placed on the applications for SNAP and Medical benefits, which were submitted to PA DHS under penalty of perjury. To obtain these benefits, Sessoms also submitted false and fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing his photograph under those fictitious and other persons’ names.

On some of the online applications, the defendant added purported family members, such as a spouse and children, which caused for more funds to be awarded for SNAP benefits, but also caused additional Medicaid costs, including additional costs for all of the added family members. To obtain these benefits with family members on the applications, Sessoms submitted fraudulent names and personally identifiable information for a spouse and children, to include fraudulent birth certificates for the children. The Social Security numbers utilized in connection with these identities were valid SSNs, assigned by the Commissioner of Social Security, but assigned to other individuals than the names alleged by the defendant.

From in or about November 2019 to in or about November 2023, PA DHS, with joint federal funding from HHS, provided Medicaid coverage to Sessoms under his numerous aliases, as well as to his purported family members as he indicated on his fraudulent applications.

From in or about November 2019 through in or about November 2023, PA DHS, with federal funding from the USDA, provided SNAP benefits to Sessoms under his numerous aliases, as well as to his purported family members as he indicated on his fraudulent applications.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21 and faces a maximum possible term of 90 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the USDA Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, HHS Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf welcomed Deputy Attorney General of the United States Todd Blanche for a visit to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA) on Friday. Deputy AG Blanche was accompanied by Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

During their visit, Deputy AG Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy AG Bove met with U.S. Attorney Metcalf and his leadership team to talk about significant issues and cases in the District, and spoke with the office’s prosecutors and professional staff.

In his remarks to EDPA personnel, Deputy AG Blanche discussed Department of Justice priorities, including combating transnational gangs, violent crime, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration, and expressed his appreciation for the office’s steadfast commitment to upholding the rule of law and making communities across the District safer.

Deputy AG Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy AG Bove also met with federal, state, and local law enforcement leaders to underscore the importance of our partnerships in improving public safety, and traveled to Philadelphia’s Kensington section to see firsthand the devastating toll of the ongoing opioid epidemic on the neighborhood and its residents.

“We were honored to host Deputy Attorney General Blanche for the first visit of his tenure to a U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “It was an opportunity to highlight both the important casework being done here to benefit the people of Eastern Pennsylvania, as well as the ongoing public safety challenges that remain. My office will continue to work in lockstep with the Department of Justice and our partners at every level to address those challenges and prosecute the criminals responsible.”

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Shahiem Groover, 45, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested today and charged by indictment with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

As alleged in court filings, on February 24, 2025, Groover was the driver and sole occupant of a Buick with a suspended license plate. Philadelphia police officers observed the suspended plate and pulled the defendant over for a routine traffic stop. The defendant initially stopped his car and got out to speak with officers, but eventually got back into the car, rolled up his windows, locked the doors, and fled at high speed.

The pursuit lasted several blocks, until Groover jumped out of his car and ran up the street. As officers caught up to the defendant, he stumbled. While on the ground, he allegedly produced a loaded Sterling Arms .22 caliber pistol, turned, and fired one shot at the closest officer. After a brief struggle, the defendant was arrested and the pistol recovered. Detectives subsequently searched the defendant’s car and located cocaine and methamphetamine packaged in a manner consistent with drug trafficking.

Groover had previously been convicted in a court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and was not permitted to possess a firearm.

If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

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 Christopher Parisi.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Azzubayr Ibn Abdul Josey, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with two counts of carjacking, two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, two counts of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

The defendant was arrested this morning and made his initial appearance in Magistrate Court before the Honorable Scott W. Reid.

As alleged in the indictment, on November 9, 2024, Josey carjacked a 2011 Toyota Sienna in Philadelphia at gunpoint. Then on November 24, 2024, he is alleged to have carjacked a 2006 Honda Civic in Philadelphia, again at gunpoint. The same day, the defendant allegedly robbed a Family Dollar in West Philadelphia, where he simulated that he had a firearm. Finally, on November 25, 2024, Josey is alleged to have robbed a CVS in West Philadelphia, again simulating that he had a firearm.

The indictment also alleges that the defendant possessed a stolen firearm on December 11, 2024.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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 Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney David Osborne.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Marvin Enrique Pena-Portillo, 38, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of a firearm by a felon. He was ordered detained in federal custody at a detention hearing this afternoon.

The criminal complaint alleges that, on April 15, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested the defendant for immigration violations, Pena-Portillo had a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in his waistband.

In August of 2024, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pena-Portillo pleaded guilty to carrying an illegal firearm in public and was sentenced to two years of probation for that offense.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and the ATF.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alan Kane, 60, of Jamison, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson to 12 months and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for his actions linked to multiple fraud schemes. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $160,072 and a $1,000 fine.

In September, a federal jury convicted Kane, an attorney, on two counts of bankruptcy fraud, one count of filing a false claim in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

Kane and two co-defendants were charged in a 12-count indictment in January 2024 that laid out three different fraud schemes: (1) a scheme to steal a house from a dead man’s family; (2) a scheme to defraud the City of Philadelphia out of property taxes that were due on the stolen house; and (3) a scheme to defraud co-defendant Jonathan Barger’s creditors through bankruptcy.

In a suit filed by the family to get their house back, Kane represented the party who had stolen the house, Joseph Ruggiero[1], and made repeated false statements supporting Ruggiero’s claim to good title, despite knowing that the deeds transferring the property away from the family were fraudulent. Kane also filed a false counterclaim against the family, claiming Barger’s company was entitled to more than $133,000 for work purportedly done to improve the house after it had been stolen.

After claiming in the state court suit that Ruggiero had good title to the house, Kane represented Ruggiero before the Social Security Administration and represented that Ruggiero did not own the house because the deeds were fraudulent. This was done to ensure Ruggiero would still receive SSI benefits.

Kane next filed a bankruptcy for Ruggiero, in which they claimed that Ruggiero had valid title to the house. The bankruptcy served to stay the family’s state court suit and prevent them from winning back the house. Kane then filed a false claim against Ruggiero in the bankruptcy, on behalf of Barger’s company, in an effort to steal some of the equity in the house for Barger in the event that Ruggiero lost the house to the family.

Barger was implicated in all three schemes and pleaded guilty in June of last year to all counts with which he was charged. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12.

“As officers of the court, attorneys have an ethical and professional obligation to uphold the law,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Instead, Alan Kane used his law license to help three clients commit federal crimes. Today’s sentence holds Kane responsible for his outrageous conduct and underscores the importance of respect for the rule of law.”

“White-collar crimes may not involve physical violence, but they are far from victimless,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Crimes like bankruptcy fraud undermine trust in our financial systems and harm individuals, businesses, and communities alike. The FBI, working alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is firmly committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and holding accountable those who manipulate, deceive, and defraud the public through complex and deceptive schemes.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff and Special Assistant United States Attorney Hannah McCollum.

[1] Mr. Ruggiero died in June 2020.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Romig, 38, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. last week to 57 months’ imprisonment, six years of supervised release, and a $900 special assessment for drug and gun offenses.

Romig was charged by indictment in October 2024 with five counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school or playground, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of an unregistered machine gun. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him in January.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Romig repeatedly sold cocaine in Bethlehem and often did so within a few hundred feet of a community playground near his residence.

On July 26, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at that residence, located on the 600 block of Hayes Street. In Romig’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered approximately $760 and more than three grams of cocaine. Inside Romig’s residence, authorities recovered approximately eight grams of cocaine, as well as a .45 caliber Military Armament Corp select-fire machine pistol model MAC-10, an extended magazine, and a suppressor. The MAC-10, which was unregistered, had an obliterated serial number and was switched to full-automatic mode.

In 2005, Romig was convicted of robbery in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas and sentenced to 14 to 36 months’ imprisonment for the offense, a second-grade felony. As a result, he was not permitted to legally possess a firearm.

“Matthew Romig endangered his community, selling cocaine and arming himself with a deadly weapon,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He wasn’t allowed to have any firearm, let alone a submachine gun set to full automatic, with extended magazine and suppressor. It’s critical to get dangerous drugs off the street and illegal guns out of criminals’ hands, to crack down on violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.”

“Matthew Romig was selling drugs near a playground and armed with a fully automatic MAC-10 .45 submachine gun,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This criminal is going to federal prison, where he will no longer endanger this community. Together with our state and local partners, and the United States Attorney’s Office, we continue to make Pennsylvania’s communities safer from such dangerous criminals.”

The case was investigated by the ATF, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the Bethlehem Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca Kulik and Robert Schopf. 

A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States and tax evasion.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Rodney Ermel owned and managed a Colorado-based accounting firm. Along with co-defendant Kenneth Bacon, Ermel provided accounting and tax preparation services for Joseph LaForte and his entities. Ermel conspired with LaForte, Bacon, and others to hide approximately $20 million in income. He did this through various fraudulent accounting practices, such as fabricating shareholder loans and “bad debt” deductions. Ermel also filed tax returns which he knew underreported taxable income by over $20 million between 2016 and 2018. Ermel’s fraud caused a loss to the United States of over $8 million.

Ermel is the fourth defendant to plead guilty to criminal conduct related to this tax scheme.  Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Newcomer and John J. Boscia for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case. 

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rodney Ermel, 71, of Colorado entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Mark Kearney on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ermel owned and managed a Colorado-based accounting firm. Along with co-defendant Kenneth Bacon, Ermel provided accounting and tax preparation services for co-defendant Joseph LaForte, LaForte’s wife and co-defendant Lisa McElhone, and their business entities. Ermel conspired with LaForte, Bacon, and others to hide approximately $20 million in income.

He did this through various fraudulent accounting practices, such as fabricating shareholder loans and “bad debt” deductions. Ermel also filed tax returns which he knew underreported taxable income by over $20 million between 2016 and 2018. Ermel’s fraud caused a loss to the United States of over $8 million.

Ermel is the fourth defendant to plead guilty to criminal conduct related to this tax scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for September 3.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Newcomer and John J. Boscia for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zyair Dangerfield-Hill, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted Thursday at trial of participating in the gunpoint carjacking of a 73-year-old man in April 2021.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July of that year with one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and one count of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting, and was found guilty of both.

As proven at trial, just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the victim was walking his dog on Pine Street, in the Spruce Hill neighborhood of West Philadelphia, and had stopped to put something in his parked vehicle, when the defendant and his associate walked up and pointed loaded handguns at the victim. They demanded the victim’s car keys, cell phone, and wallet, and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t comply.

The victim told them that he didn’t have his wallet or phone on him, and handed over a $20 bill and his car keys. At that time, two other males approached, also pointing their guns at the victim. All four of the carjackers then jumped into the victim’s vehicle, with the defendant in the front passenger seat, and drove away.

The Philadelphia Police Department was alerted about the carjacking, with officers arriving on scene a few minutes later. They broadcast over police radio a description of the victim’s vehicle, the four carjackers, and their direction of travel, and two officers on patrol spotted a car matching that description about a mile from the carjacking scene.

The officers turned on their lights and sirens and pursued the stolen car, which was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed, soon crashing into yellow metal pillars at 52nd Street and Paschall Avenue. Four males jumped out of the car and took off running, with the officers giving chase on foot. A short time later, the defendant was found hiding behind a motorcycle about three and a half blocks from the crash scene. DNA, latent prints, location data, and other evidence subsequently linked the defendant to the crime.

Dangerfield-Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14 and faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum possible term of life imprisonment.

“It is tough to imagine yourself surrounded by armed strangers pointing their guns right at you,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Zyair Dangerfield-Hill used a firearm to terrorize an innocent 73-year-old man, in the middle of the afternoon on a residential block. We are committed to stopping such senseless acts of violence, which undermine Philadelphians’ public safety and quality of life. The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable and keeps him safely behind bars.”

“Carjackings are not just property crimes — they are dangerous acts that put innocent lives at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue those who endanger public safety with relentless determination.”

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang and Special Assistant United States Attorney David Weisberg.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Nyesha D. Paris, aka Nyesha D. Henderson and Nyesha D. Jackson, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky yesterday to 20 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for orchestrating a series of business fraud schemes. The Court also ordered Paris to pay victim restitution of $545,993 and a forfeiture money judgment of $84,008, and to complete 150 hours of community service.

Paris was indicted in February 2023 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, and health care fraud in January 2024.

Between at least 2018 and 2023, Paris engaged in multiple fraud schemes, which caused over $600,000 in losses to 15 different victims. In one scheme, Paris joined others in stealing over $40,000 in merchandise and gift cards from Lowe’s Home Improvement through use of a shell company and fraudulent business accounts.

In another scheme, Paris fraudulently obtained multiple pandemic assistance loans totaling over $120,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) by inflating payroll, submitting fake documents, and falsely certifying that her companies were in operation in February 2020, when they were not.

In a third scheme, Paris fraudulently billed Medicaid for nearly $150,000 in home health services allegedly provided by her business, but which were never actually provided.

In total, Paris committed more than a dozen fraud schemes, including some that took place after the FBI confronted her with evidence of fraud and informed Paris that she was under investigation.  

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Ignall and Samuel Dalke.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Genexe, LLC, Immerge, Inc., Jason Green, and Jason Gross have agreed to pay $6 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and other statutes by participating in schemes meant to fraudulently cause Medicare to pay claims for genetic testing that was medically unnecessary and tainted by kickbacks.

Genexe, LLC, which did business as Genexe Health, is a Delaware limited liability corporation with a principal address in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Genexe publicly described itself as “a one-stop shop” for genetic and pharmacogenetic profiling and marketed itself as “involved in every aspect of the patient screening process, from the collection of samples to laboratory processing.” It conducted business in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, among other locations. Genexe is no longer operating.

Immerge, Inc., also known as Immerge LLC, controlled and is the parent company of Genexe. It was incorporated in Colorado and Delaware, with a principal address in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It publicly described itself as “one of the leading outsourced sales and marketing companies, providing customized sales and marketing solutions to Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders in the Energy, Telecom, Wireless and Solar industries to efficiently increase our clients’ revenue and market share through industry leading systems and processes.” Immerge operated Genexe as one of its marketing companies. Immerge is no longer operating.

Jason Green and Jason Gross were, respectively, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Genexe and Immerge, with ownership interests in both Genexe and Immerge.

Genetic tests are medical laboratory tests designed to identify specific inherited mutations in a patient’s genes. Genetic mutations or variations may affect a patient’s risk of developing certain diseases or the patient’s response to medications. Genetic tests related to a patient’s hereditary predisposition for cancer are commonly referred to as “CGx” tests. Pharmacogenomic genetic tests related to identifying how a patient’s genes affect a response to drugs are commonly referred to as “PGx” tests.

Genetic testing can involve obtaining a DNA sample from a patient using a genetic test kit, sometimes by obtaining a patient’s saliva using a cheek (buccal) swab to collect sufficient cells to provide a genetic profile. The DNA sample may then be submitted, along with a requisition form, to a laboratory for analysis, such as a CGx or PGx test. The requisition form typically included information about the patient, the swab being submitted, and the referring physician or other medical provider. That provider or another authorized person must confirm on the form that the genetic test was medically necessary.

To be covered under Medicare Part B, a clinical laboratory test, such as a genetic test, must be ordered by a physician (or a qualified nonphysician practitioner) who is treating a beneficiary for a specific medical problem and who uses the results in the management of that problem. The test must be related to the beneficiary’s illness or injury (or symptom or complaint).

Medicare does not cover the costs associated with testing that are not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member. It is a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute to knowingly and willfully solicit, receive, offer, or pay any remuneration in return for referring an individual for the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing of any item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal health care program.

The United States’ claims arise from Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross’s alleged conduct in knowingly and improperly causing false claims to be submitted to Medicare for CGx and PGx tests that were not medically necessary and that were procured through kickbacks. Specifically, the United States contends that during the period from July 2018 through December 2019:

• Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross participated in a kickback scheme involving a network of medical laboratories and telemedicine healthcare providers. The laboratories billed Medicare for fraudulent genetic testing, which was regularly reimbursed at rates exceeding $6,000 per test. Genexe revenues were a portion of the amounts reimbursed to the laboratories by Medicare.
• Genexe was a marketing company that entered into agreements with telemedicine healthcare providers and medical laboratories to develop, expand, and promote their genetic testing services throughout the United States.
• Genexe conducted marketing campaigns that offered genetic testing to Medicare beneficiaries, among others, purportedly at no cost to the patients.
• Genexe hired and paid independent contractors (IBOs) who acted as genetic screening technicians to recruit Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for medically unnecessary genetic testing.
• On behalf of Genexe, the IBOs, most of whom had no medical training, would collect DNA specimens (usually from cheek swabs of saliva) from Medicare beneficiaries at locations such as stores, shopping malls, healthcare fairs, churches, retirement centers, skilled nursing facilities, and similar locations.
• On behalf of Genexe, the IBOs would also collect Medicare beneficiaries’ protected health care information on a requisition form and label the specimen.
• IBOs would then ship the packaged DNA specimens to Genexe’s parent company, Immerge, in Colorado.
• Genexe would obtain physician orders for the genetic tests for the packaged specimens before they were sent to a medical laboratory for testing.
• Genexe had agreements with telemedicine companies and medical laboratories to obtain physician orders for the genetic tests. In some cases, the telemedicine company had existing arrangements with medical laboratories, while in others, the medical laboratory had existing arrangements with physicians.
• Once the physician order was obtained, Genexe sent the specimens to a medical laboratory for testing.
• The medical laboratory would test the specimen and bill Medicare, and in some cases, the medical laboratory obtained the services of another laboratory to perform the testing and bill Medicare.
• Once Medicare paid the medical laboratory, Genexe would receive a portion of the Medicare reimbursement funds from the laboratory.
• Initially, Genexe was paid about $800 per swab, but later was paid amounts ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, depending on the type of genetic test.
• In sum, Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross would pay remuneration to IBOs for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries and to medical providers for prescriptions for CGx and PGx testing, obtain Medicare patient information and swabs by having Medicare beneficiaries complete genetic test kits, and would obtain prescriptions for CGx or PGx testing for those beneficiaries by paying illegal kickbacks to medical providers or telemedicine providers. Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross also received illegal kickbacks in exchange for sending the completed CGx and PGx testing swabs and prescriptions to medical laboratories for processing and billing.

“Genetic testing fraud preys on the fears of patients, and it wastes taxpayer dollars by spending limited funds on medically unnecessary or nonexistent tests,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “This settlement shows we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal healthcare programs and will use every tool available to recover improperly paid taxpayer funds.”

“Medical professionals should only order testing which would benefit individual patient care, not for personal gain,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners will continue to evaluate and pursue allegations of kickbacks resulting in medically unnecessary services.”

The settlement also resolves claims against Genexe, Immerge, Green, and Gross in lawsuits filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. Those lawsuits include United States ex rel. Shimi v. Genexe, LLC, et al., No. 19-CV-3660 (E.D. Pa.), and United States ex rel. Covington v. Genexe, LLC, et al., No. 23-CV-2915 (E.D. Pa.). As part of today’s resolution, four relators will collectively receive approximately $1.3 million.

The matter is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mark J. Sherer and Auditor Denis J. Cooke.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Melvin Gutierrez-Almonte, 42, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced this morning by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. to 15 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Gutierrez-Almonte was charged by indictment in September of last year and pleaded guilty to the charge against him in January. He admitted to illegally entering the United States in April 2023, crossing from Mexico into Arizona.

According to immigration records, the defendant had been removed from the United States on four prior occasions — on or about March 1, 2011, September 27, 2016, March 20, 2018, and September 1, 2020 — and had not sought permission to reenter. He has three previous illegal reentry convictions, all in the District of Puerto Rico.

As detailed in court filings, on May 18, 2024, Gutierrez-Almonte was arrested by West New York Township Police in Hudson County, New Jersey, and charged with simple assault and receiving stolen property. The case remains active and there is currently a detainer.

Then, on July 10, 2024, Gutierrez-Almonte was arrested by Philadelphia Police and charged under the name “Conjeo Almonet” with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of a crime, and simple assault.

The next day, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials received a biometric notification of the Philadelphia arrest.

Gutierrez-Almonte was subsequently charged by federal criminal complaint with illegal reentry, and on September 3, 2024, an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer arrested him, following the defendant’s release from Philadelphia custody.

“Melvin Gutierrez-Almonte is a serial violator of our country’s sovereignty. He has entered the United States illegally and been removed multiple times already,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “Not only has he flouted our immigration laws, he has also been arrested several times for assault, gun possession, and more. He is a great example of how certain immigrants repeatedly disrespect our laws. Anyone who wants to come to this country must do so legally, and anyone who wants to stay must honor the obligations of our laws.”

“Ensuring the safety of our communities is at the core of our mission at ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. This individual’s repeated unlawful reentry and criminal activity posed a significant risk to public safety,” said ICE ERO Philadelphia Acting Field Office Director Brian McShane. “By apprehending, prosecuting, and removing those who threaten our neighborhoods, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the well-being of law-abiding residents. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to uphold our nation’s immigration laws and keep our communities safe.”

The case was investigated by ICE ERO and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rosalynda M. Michetti.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kimberly Lawson, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson to 60 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and $244,343 in restitution, for the unauthorized use of her employer’s identity to embezzle from him and his company and her fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”).

In September 2023, Lawson was charged by indictment with one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and four counts of wire fraud, and pleaded guilty to all charges against her in September 2024.

The fraud loss attributed to Lawson for the workplace embezzlement is $250,817.80, and for the fraud against the government $23,000, for a total fraud loss amount of $273,817.80.

In March 2018, Lawson began working as the office manager of an area electrical contracting company, where her responsibilities included tracking employee hours, invoices, and vendor payments, and writing checks to vendors from the company’s bank account. She was also responsible for reconciling bank statements, reviewing images of checks, and confirming the checks cleared. Lawson did not have signature authority on the checks but was authorized to use her employer’s signature stamp to sign the checks he authorized.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, between 2018 and 2020, Lawson used her knowledge and access to divert significant amounts of the company’s money to external accounts that she controlled, through hundreds of fraudulent vendor and employee payments, unauthorized payroll transactions, and unauthorized electronic transfers. To avoid discovery of her fraudulent activities, Lawson intentionally mislabeled entries in the company’s accounting software, making them look authentic by recording them as legitimate payables.

In addition, the defendant attempted to steal money from her employer’s 401k account, submitting two separate loan requests totaling more than $17,000, but her employer learned of and was able to cancel the requests before any funds were disbursed.

In addition to the workplace embezzlement, Lawson fraudulently sought $253,874 in EIDLs from the SBA, filed in 15 separate applications in different names including her own. Only the applications that she submitted in her husband’s and his sister’s names were approved for funding, with each receiving $8,500 and $14,500, respectively, deposited into bank accounts controlled by Lawson. Among numerous false statements made in the applications, Lawson falsely represented that she had a retail business, that her husband had a construction business, and her sister-in-law had a cleaning business.

In 2012, Lawson was convicted in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania of defrauding a different employer of more than $293,000 and received a sentence of 21 months’ imprisonment.

“Kimberly Lawson’s greed is her downfall,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “This is now the second time that she’s being sentenced for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an employer — and this go-round, she decided to defraud the federal government, as well. Perhaps today’s longer prison term will prove more impactful than her first. Either way, we won’t rest until criminals like this get the message that we will find and punish financial fraud.”

“Through a multitude of deceptions and manipulations, Ms. Lawson stole from her employer and from the United States in the pursuit of her own personal gain,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dave Carter of FBI Philadelphia. “This sentencing serves as a reminder that those who exploit their positions for financial profits will be held accountable. I want to thank our FBI personnel and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts in bringing this defendant to justice.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anita Eve.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jason Mattis, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert yesterday to 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release for using a destructive device to start a fire at a Northeast Philadelphia home.

Mattis was charged by indictment in December 2022 and convicted in September 2024, following a jury trial, of possessing an unregistered destructive device.

As proven at trial, on July 1, 2022, Mattis lit an incendiary device similar to a Molotov cocktail and threw it onto the porch of a residence in the Tacony section of Northeast Philadelphia. The weapon thrown by Mattis ignited and started a fire on the porch of the residence, as well as the sidewalk and the street in front. The incident occurred in the evening while the residents of the home were inside.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examined the evidence left at the scene and determined that the weapon used by the defendant was an incendiary bomb as that term is defined under federal law.

Mattis committed this arson while on state parole for an attempted murder conviction.

“It’s tough to understate the seriousness of a crime like this, which put the victims, their home, and their neighborhood at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “As his lengthy criminal history shows, Jason Mattis lacks respect for both the law and other people. This sentence keeps him behind bars for years and the public is safer for it.”

“It is remarkable that this family was able to escape with their lives when Mattis set their home ablaze with a Molotov cocktail-type incendiary device,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Arson is a serious, dangerous and often deadly crime. Using the combined capabilities of the ATF-led Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force with the Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments, we will continue to seek justice and keep our communities safe from dangerous arsonists.”

“This type of skilled investigative work and interagency cooperation makes our city safer. I am grateful for the diligence and dedication shown by our Fire Marshal’s Office, the Philadelphia Police Department and the ATF,” said Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey W. Thompson.

“Violent acts like these endanger not just the intended target, but entire communities,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “The thorough investigation by our officers, alongside our federal partners and the Philadelphia Fire Department, demonstrates our absolute commitment to holding individuals like Mr. Mattis accountable for violent crimes. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who threaten our neighborhoods are brought to justice.”

The case was investigated by the ATF’s Arson and Explosives Task Force, the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Victor Ortiz, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick yesterday to 84 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $3,300 in restitution for stalking, seriously injuring, and permanently disfiguring a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.

Ortiz was convicted following a jury trial in September of last year.

As proven at trial, on the morning of May 4, 2022, the defendant pursued his ex-girlfriend as she walked to her office in Philadelphia. Before she reached the building, the defendant threw soda ash, a caustic substance, on the victim’s face and torso. His attack temporarily blinded her in the left eye and caused severe pain and permanent scarring on her body.

Investigators subsequently found that the defendant had attached a GPS device to the victim’s vehicle so that he could monitor her location and follow her. After law enforcement officials discovered the device, the defendant was caught on camera attempting to install a second GPS device on the victim’s vehicle in July 2022.

As detailed in court filings, Ortiz was previously convicted in Delaware County in 2005 of criminally harassing his ex-wife, and in 2016, an arbitrator found that he stalked another ex-girlfriend by placing a GPS device in her vehicle.

“Victor Ortiz has a troubling pattern of refusing to move on when his relationships end,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “In this case, he grew more and more fixated on his ex-partner, escalating from harassment to stalking to a violent assault that caused his victim lasting physical and emotional harm. While prosecuting Mr. Ortiz can’t undo that damage, this sentence keeps him off the street, holds him accountable, and secures some measure of justice for the innocent woman he was so determined to hurt.”

“Victor Ortiz’s deliberate and cruel actions inflicted deep physical and emotional harm on his victim. HSI Philadelphia stands firm in its commitment to protecting individuals from predators and ensuring justice is served,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “Through our strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement, we will continue to pursue those who pose a threat to our communities and hold them accountable for their crimes.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Miller and Angella Middleton.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Walter Tharrington, aka “Black” and “Roaadblock,” 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted this week at trial of sex trafficking and child pornography offenses.

Tharrington was charged by indictment in August of 2024, and convicted on Wednesday, April 9, of sex trafficking of a minor, advertising child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, in or about the summer of 2023, the defendant asked Minor 1, then 14 years old, to help him make money. In order to do so, Tharrington directed Minor 1 to engage in commercial sex, with the defendant facilitating the commercial sex by soliciting customers through online advertisements.

Tharrington used his cellular phone to post explicit content of Minor 1 to accompany the online advertisements. The defendant set the prices for the encounters and instructed Minor 1 on what sexual acts to perform in exchange for money.

At the defendant’s direction, Minor 1 engaged in sexual encounters with buyers. The evidence established that Tharrington kept and controlled the profits from the encounters, while providing shelter for Minor 1, who lived at Tharrington’s house during the summer of 2023.

Tharrington physically assaulted Minor 1 on multiple occasions. Minor 1’s injuries were observed by another minor female, who corroborated Minor 1’s account and confirmed that the defendant had solicited her to work for him, as well.

The defendant will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

“Walter Tharrington made money by sexually exploiting a child, advertising her for sex with strangers,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Putting anyone through that, let alone a vulnerable minor, is unconscionable. Know that my office and the FBI are working every day to put traffickers like this defendant behind bars and ensure some justice for their victims.”

“Sex trafficking — especially when it involves a child — is among the most heinous crimes the FBI investigates,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. “This conviction is a powerful testament to the tireless efforts of the FBI and our dedicated law enforcement partners to protect the most vulnerable among us. It reaffirms our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for victims and holding predators accountable.”

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Ashenfelter and Amanda McCool.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Donald Michael, aka “Baseball Fun,” 47, of Queen Creek, Arizona, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney yesterday to multiple child pornography offenses.

Michael was charged by indictment in July of last year with one count of conspiracy to manufacture child pornography, one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, and two counts of receipt of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.

The defendant, who served as a baseball coach of minor boys for more than 20 years, engaged in an online child exploitation catfishing scheme for more than 18 months with co-conspirators Andrew Wolf, a former teacher at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH), and Kray Strange, of Carthage, New York, both of whom were previously convicted and sentenced.

Michael conspired with Wolf and Strange to target minor boys who were Wolf’s current and former students at SCH and to coerce and induce them to produce sexually explicit images and send them to the defendant and his co-conspirators over the internet. They did so by creating multiple fake online profiles where they pretended to be teenaged girls, engaging each of their victims in sexually explicit and graphic chats, and distributing child pornography to the minor boys, in an effort to get them to reciprocate with their own images.

When the boys refused to continue to engage, Michael and his co-conspirators used blackmail and extortion to manipulate them into continuing to produce images. After Wolf and Strange were arrested and incarcerated, this defendant continued his catfishing scheme by targeting and victimizing minor boys who were Little League World Series players.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14 and faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and a maximum possible term of 110 years’ imprisonment and lifetime supervised release. He will also be required to register as a child sex offender under both state and federal law. 

“Donald Michael and his co-conspirators strategized at length about how to ‘bait’ young boys into taking and sending explicit images of themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “They reveled in the anonymity that the internet provided them to target and catfish their young victims. Unmasking these predators is a priority for my office and the FBI, as we work to protect children everywhere from sexual exploitation.”

“The sexual exploitation of children remains one of the most devious crimes the men and women of the FBI investigate,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This serves as a reminder how seriously the FBI and our partners take the online victimization of minors. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation, and that ensure that those who harm them will be held accountable.”

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Michelle Rotella.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ivory S. Cousins, 35, of Glassboro, New Jersey, was convicted today at trial of three counts of depriving an inmate of his civil rights under color of law and one count of filing a false report about the incident, arising from her conduct while employed as a Philadelphia correctional officer. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons provided substantial assistance with this case.

Cousins was charged by indictment in August 2024 with violating the inmate’s constitutional rights for ignoring his significant injuries from an assault by other inmates, pepper spraying him, helping another inmate to steal from him, and obstructing the investigation of what happened to him.

As proven at trial, while on duty at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the defendant became aware that an inmate had been assaulted by other inmates and had serious injuries, but she was deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs, failed to get him medical attention, and prevented a superior officer from discovering the inmate’s injuries.

After her partner discovered the injured inmate and called for medical attention, but before assistance arrived to escort him to the medical unit, Cousins subjected the injured inmate to excessive force, unreasonably pepper spraying him.

When the injured inmate had been escorted out of the area for medical attention, Cousins further violated the injured inmate’s constitutional rights by helping one of the inmates involved in his assault to steal the injured inmate’s personal belongings from his cell.

When she later completed a report about the incident, Cousins provided false information about the injured inmate being aggressive, engaging in a fight, and using a weapon.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a maximum possible sentence of 41 years in prison.

“Prisoners still have civil rights, and we will prosecute all violations committed by officials entrusted with their security,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf.

“Today’s verdict illustrates that no one is above the law, especially those who swear an oath to uphold it,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI remains steadfast in investigating and bringing to justice those who abuse their authority.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Jessica Rice.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Constance Arrington, 35, formerly of Los Angeles, California, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson on Monday to one count of possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Arrington was charged by indictment in March of last year. As previously presented at court hearings in this matter, the defendant was identified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department as part of an international and interstate cocaine trafficking organization. DEA Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department alerted the DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division that Arrington made multiple short round-trip visits from Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and from Los Angeles to other U.S. cities, departing from L.A. and returning the same day, or the next day, on cross-country flights.

On March 15, 2024, DEA Philadelphia was notified that Arrington would be flying from Los Angeles to Philadelphia and returning to Los Angeles that same day. During joint DEA Philadelphia and Philadelphia Police Department surveillance that day, law enforcement observed Arrington land in Philadelphia with no checked luggage, rent a car, and depart for an office complex in New Jersey. On the way to the office complex, Arrington attempted to evade surveillance by entering a New Jersey grocery store, then quickly leaving.

After Arrington arrived at the office complex, she entered and returned with three large boxes, which she loaded into the back of her rental car. Arrington then drove back into Philadelphia via the Ben Franklin Bridge. After Arrington entered Philadelphia, law enforcement stopped and searched her vehicle, recovering 24 individually wrapped kilograms of cocaine inside the three boxes she had placed into her rental car.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

The case was investigated by DEA Philadelphia, as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, with assistance from DEA Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Naim-Shahid Jumah Austin, 28, of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe on Monday to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release for a spate of armed robberies targeting local hotels in late 2022.

In January 2023, Austin was charged by indictment with six counts of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), and firearms offenses. In December of last year, the defendant pleaded guilty to all the robberies, and to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, between September 2022 and December 2022, Austin targeted the hotels in the early morning hours, when one employee was usually working alone at the front desk. He terrorized his victims at gunpoint, demanding that they hand over cash from the registers.

Austin was armed with a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and drove his mother’s car to all six robberies, which occurred at hotels in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties:

• September 16, 2022, 3:23 a.m. – Courtyard by Marriott, Tredyffrin Township, Pa.
• September 18, 2022, 4:02 a.m. – Holiday Inn & Suites, Drexel Hill, Pa. (also robbed hotel guest)
• October 10, 2022, 2:05 a.m. – Fairfield Inn & Suites, Broomall, Pa. (fled empty-handed)
• November 21, 2022, 3:35 a.m. – Home2 Suites by Hilton, Glen Mills, Pa.
• December 2, 2022, 4:04 a.m. – Marriott Philadelphia West, West Conshohocken, Pa.
• December 12, 2022, 4:41 a.m. – Holiday Inn Express & Suites, West Chester, Pa.

West Goshen Township Police located and arrested Austin minutes after the December 12, 2022, hotel robbery.

“Naim Austin was on a one-man crime spree, committing six armed robberies in less than three months,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He threatened the hotel employees he victimized at gunpoint, to terrify them into compliance. This sentence keeps him off the street and holds him accountable for what he’s done. My office and our partners are committed to making our communities safer by bringing violent offenders like this to justice.”

“Brazen violent criminals like Austin terrorize our communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, FBI Philadelphia's Special Agent in Charge. “This sentencing is a testament to the coordinated efforts between all of law enforcement. The FBI and our partners will never stop working to crush violent crime and ensure our citizens have a safe place to work and live in.”

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, Upper Darby Township Police Department, Marple Township Police Department, Newtown Township Police Department, West Conshohocken Police Department, Birmingham Township Police Department, West Goshen Township Police Department, and Chester County Detectives. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Urban.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Enmanuel Fernandes-Calixto, aka “Emanuel Fernandes” and “Emanuel Bartholomew,” 20, a citizen of Brazil with no legal status in the United States, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with an officer of the United States while engaged in the performance of his official duties. The defendant has been ordered detained in federal custody pending indictment and trial.

The criminal complaint alleges that on or about April 2, 2025, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Officer arrested Fernandes-Calixto for immigration violations. During transport, the defendant attempted to escape. The defendant, while still handcuffed, attempted to strike the officer in the face and pushed the officer. The defendant ultimately escaped during the struggle and hid in a house in Northeast Philadelphia. He was apprehended later that evening, with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team.

The complaint further alleges that Fernandes-Calixto, after entering the United States illegally and on release from immigration detention, violated his conditions of release when he was arrested for other offenses in Philadelphia, including separate cases charging strangulation and related offenses; and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and related offenses, from alleged incidents in August of 2024. Those local charges are still pending.

As detailed in court filings, despite the existence of an ICE detainer, the defendant was released from Philadelphia custody in March of 2025.

The case is being investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Thomas Stafford, 76, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with failing to collect and pay over trust fund taxes of Information Systems Staffing, Inc. (“ISS”), an information technology staffing company, and bankruptcy fraud.

The indictment alleges that, from the first quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2024, Stafford, the Chief Executive Officer and President of ISS, caused ISS to fail to pay approximately $2,008,046.63 in trust fund taxes — the Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes that employers are required to withhold from their employees’ paychecks and pay over to the Internal Revenue Service on a quarterly basis.

The indictment alleges that Stafford was responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying to IRS the trust fund taxes of ISS because he controlled ISS’s bank accounts (which were used by Stafford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses), determined which expenses of ISS to pay, determined whether ISS should hire third-party entities to help ISS pay its trust fund taxes and other employment taxes, and obtained funds on behalf of ISS so that ISS could pay its expenses (including employee salaries).

The indictment further alleges that Stafford committed bankruptcy fraud in connection with a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case that he filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2023. In the bankruptcy case, Stafford proposed a Chapter 13 plan that would pay creditors approximately $750 per month over a five-year period. As alleged, in an attempt to pay his creditors less than what they were truly entitled to receive, Stafford made false statements under penalty of perjury in which he understated his true income and failed to disclose that he controlled various properties owned by others.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 130 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber and Special Assistant United States Attorney Hannah J. McCollum.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Xing Zheng, 35, of Queens, New York, was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage to 28 months in prison and three years of supervised release, for his role in a conspiracy to launder approximately $2.98 million of fraud proceeds from various sources, including more than $426,000 in stolen Social Security retirement funds and COVID-19 funds from the state workforce agencies of Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Arizona, and Ohio. Zheng was also ordered to pay $426,044 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and the various state workforce agencies, and a forfeiture judgment of $745,000.

In December of last year, Zheng pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

As stated in the information and admitted to by Zheng, he and an unidentified coconspirator, who operated under the pseudonyms “Christian Dasilva” and “Christian Hernandez,” agreed to launder fraud proceeds. In furtherance of the conspiracy, fraudulent applications were filed online for SSA Retirement Insurance Benefit (RIB) and COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Act (PUA) funds, using the stolen identities and personal information of eligible retirees and other individuals, and those benefit payments were directed to bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.

“Christian” also conspired with a related defendant, Myrna Ortiz, 46, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom “Christian” met through an online dating website. The two started a relationship via digital messaging, and Ortiz began helping her online paramour execute the fraud scheme, filing fraudulent claims for SSA RIB payments. The scheme targeted high wage earners over the age of 62 who had not yet filed for Social Security retirement benefits and impacted at least 23 victims.

Ortiz admitted opening 10 bank accounts at “Christian’s” direction, in order to receive the fraudulently issued government funds, and then withdrawing the funds, purchasing gift cards with the cash, and laundering the funds back to her coconspirator through the gift cards, by providing him with the account number and unique four-digit personal identification number (“PIN”) for each gift card.

Beginning in or about May 2020, “Christian” instructed Ortiz to provide him with the debit cards for the bank accounts into which the stolen funds were electronically deposited. Using various encrypted communications platforms, “Christian” and Zheng then conspired to further launder these funds.

They agreed that “Christian” would sell debit cards and gift cards to Zheng in exchange for cryptocurrency, both knowing that the funds were the proceeds of unlawful activity and that the transactions were designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds.

During the course of the conspiracy, Zheng purchased approximately 1,565 debit cards and/or gift cards from “Christian,” valued at approximately $2.98 million, which he laundered and exchanged for cryptocurrency for “Christian.” In all, Zheng retained approximately 25% of the value of the debit and gift cards that he exchanged.

Of the approximately $2.98 million laundered, approximately $96,500 worth of fraud proceeds were traceable to Myrna Ortiz’s bank accounts, which contained the stolen SSA RIB and PUA fraud proceeds. All told, through these schemes, Ortiz conspired to defraud the government and to launder stolen government funds totaling almost $600,000. She was sentenced in January to one day in prison, two years of supervised release, and restitution of $688,049.

“While Zheng did not personally participate in the fraud against the government, he knew that the money he was laundering was criminally derived,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Nonetheless, he was happy to participate, launder funds on a near-daily basis, and take his 25% cut, even as his crimes helped perpetuate the underlying fraud. My office will continue to target crooks who steal from the government — and those who enable them — dismantle their schemes, and bring them to justice.”

“The millions of dollars fraudulently obtained in this case were intended to support struggling Americans during a time of unprecedented crisis — not to line the pockets of those driven by greed,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI remains committed to protecting the integrity of these vital relief programs, and we’re grateful for the continued collaboration of our partners as we hold accountable those who exploit them through egregious and complex financial schemes.”

“This 28-month prison sentence holds Mr. Zheng accountable for stealing money from rightful beneficiaries who rely on these funds to survive,” said Colleen Lawlor, Special Agent in Charge, SSA Office of the Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division. “I thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this complex case.”

“Xing Zheng and his co-conspirators defrauded multiple state workforce agencies by filing for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in the names of identity theft victims who were not entitled to such benefits. As a result, Zheng enriched himself by stealing taxpayer resources intended for unemployed American workers. This sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the UI system from those who seek to exploit this critical benefit program," stated Syreeta Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Aniruth Kuppusamy, 25, of Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with one count each of manufacturing child pornography, receiving child pornography, possessing child pornography, and the use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct.

As detailed in court filings, the defendant, who has been in custody since his arrest last month pursuant to a federal complaint and warrant, allegedly engaged in disturbing and violent conversations with Minor #1, who he knew was under the age of 18, and elicited sexually explicit videos of her.

In addition, the indictment alleges that the defendant knowingly received those visual depictions of Minor #1 engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that he possessed images constituting child pornography on an iPhone 15 that had been shipped and transported using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce.

The indictment further alleges that Kuppusamy used a facility and means of interstate and foreign commerce, namely the internet and cellular telephone service, to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce Minor #1 to engage in sexual activity for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense, that is, the manufacture and receipt of child pornography.

If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Bateman.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that MD Nurul Hasan, 48, MD Munsur Ali, 48, and MD Rafikul Islam, 52, all of Millbourne, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to election fraud offenses, at separate hearings before United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III.

In February, the defendants were charged in a 33-count indictment with conspiracy to commit voter fraud, giving false information in registering to vote, and fraudulent voter registration, arising from their scheme, ultimately unsuccessful, to steal Millbourne Borough’s 2021 mayoral election for Hasan.

Hasan, the vice president of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all 33 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 16 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 16 counts of fraudulent voter registration.

Ali, a member of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all 25 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 12 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 12 counts of fraudulent voter registration.

Islam, a former member of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all seven charges against him — one count of conspiracy, three counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and three counts of fraudulent voter registration.

As set forth in court filings, in 2021, Millbourne held elections for mayor, three seats on its borough council, and tax collector. Defendant Hasan entered the majority party’s primary election for mayor.

The primary election was held on May 20, 2021, and Hasan was defeated in the primary by a vote count of approximately 138 to 120. In the same primary, Ali was one of three majority party candidates for borough council to advance to the general election, while Islam lost his bid for reelection to the council.

After the primary, Hasan decided that he would run as a write-in candidate for mayor in the general election, which was scheduled for November 2, 2021. Ali and Islam agreed to support Hasan in his write-in campaign.

As detailed in court documents and admitted by the defendants, in or about 2021, defendants Hasan, Ali, and Islam conspired and agreed with one another, and other persons known and unknown to the U.S. Attorney, to steal the 2021 general election for Mayor of Millbourne for defendant Hasan through a multi-step process, which included:

(a) obtaining personal identification information of non-Millbourne residents, such as their names, addresses, and dates of birth;

(b) using the personal identifying information to access the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s online voter registration (PAOVR) website and change the voter registration addresses for those non-Millbourne residents to locations within Millbourne;

(c) using the PAOVR website to request that mail-in or absentee ballots for those non-Millbourne residents be sent to addresses accessible by one or more of the defendants;

(d) retrieving the ballots from the Millbourne mailboxes;

(e) impersonating the voters and fraudulently casting write-in votes for defendant Hasan to be mayor;

(f) enclosing the fraudulently completed ballots in envelopes and forging the voters' signatures on the envelopes; and

(g) submitting the ballots in their envelopes to the Delaware County Board of Elections.

The defendants admitted that, to further this conspiracy, they contacted friends and acquaintances whom Hasan and Ali knew did not live in Millbourne, told these non-Millbourne residents that Hasan was running for mayor in Millbourne, asked if they could register the non-Millbourne residents to vote in Millbourne, and then cast mail-in ballots for Hasan to be mayor.

Hasan and Ali persuaded many of their non-Millbourne friends and acquaintances to provide them with personal identification information so that defendants Hasan and Ali could register them to vote in Millbourne. During many of these conversations, Hasan and Ali told their non-Millbourne friends and acquaintances that they would not get in trouble, as long as they did not vote in another election in November 2021.

Hasan and Ali also conspired and agreed to use personal identifying information for other non-Millbourne residents, which the two defendants had obtained from other sources, such as Hasan’s business, to register those nonresidents as Millbourne voters without the knowledge of those non-residents.

Hasan personally did almost all of the fraudulent voter registrations himself, using a computer at his place of business to access the PAOVR website and change the voting addresses for non-Millbourne residents to locations within Millbourne. Every time that Hasan accessed the PAOVR website to change a voter registration address, he provided an email address for the voter. Many times, Hasan provided one of four email addresses that he used and accessed.

To divert suspicion from himself, however, Hasan sometimes provided email addresses belonging to other people, who knowingly and willfully permitted Hasan to use their email addresses to cover up Hasan’s actions. One of those people was Islam, who allowed Hasan to use two of Islam’s email addresses when Hasan fraudulently changed the voter registration addresses for six individuals. Islam also permitted Hasan to use two of Islam’s email addresses when requesting mail-in ballots for five non-Millbourne residents.

In total, the defendants conspired to falsely register nearly three dozen non-Millbourne residents as Millbourne voters and cast ballots for those non-Millbourne residents in the 2021 general election for mayor of Millbourne Borough. Hasan went on to lose the election by a vote of approximately 165 to 138.

“Protecting the integrity of our elections is crucial to ensuring a fair result, as well as the public’s continued trust in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “That’s why these cases are a priority for my office and the FBI. Election fraud will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.”

“Trust in the electoral process is the cornerstone of our democracy. When public officials betray that trust through fraud, they don’t just break the law — they erode confidence in the very institutions that uphold our system,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI is proud to stand with our partners in safeguarding the integrity of elections at every level of government.”

“This investigation exposed public officials who forgot that their role in a democracy is limited to accepting the voters’ choice. I applaud the hard work and partnership of the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI and my Special Investigations Unit led by Deputy DA Doug Rhoads. This investigation serves as a reminder that my Office remains committed to election integrity, ensuring that everyone’s vote is counted equally,” said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on June 18 and face maximum possible sentences of five years in prison for each of the charges to which they have pleaded guilty.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark B. Dubnoff.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim.

As presented in the information, on or about December 10, 2015, a masonry restoration contractor (the “Contractor”) was awarded a $58,473,000 contract by Amtrak to be the main contractor on a façade repair and restoration project at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Federal funding supplied approximately 90 percent of the money Amtrak used to pay the Contractor for the repair and restoration of the 30th Street Station façade.

The defendant was the sole owner and President of the Contractor with responsibility to provide executive oversight of the Vice Presidents of the Contractor and the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, and Khaled Dallo, each charged elsewhere, were Vice Presidents of the Contractor, with responsibility to supervise the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

Amtrak Employee #1 was employed by Amtrak as the Project Manager on the repair and restoration project. In that capacity, Amtrak Employee #1 was responsible for communicating with the Contractor about the work being done on 30th Street Station. Amtrak Employee #1 was also responsible for reviewing the invoices, change orders, and requests for payment that the Contractor submitted to Amtrak. Amtrak Employee #1 had the power to approve or reject these invoices, change orders, and requests for payment. Although Amtrak Employee #1 did not have the singular authority to approve Amtrak payments to the Contractor, his approval was a critical step in that process.

The contract between Amtrak and the Contractor prohibited Snedden and other Contractor officials from “offer[ing] to any Amtrak employee, agent, or representative any cash, gift, entertainment, commission, or kickback for the purpose of securing favorable treatment with regard to award or performance of any contract or agreement.”

As alleged in the information, from in or about May 2016 through in or about November 2019, in Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, the defendant conspired and agreed with others known and unknown to the United States Attorney, including Amtrak Employee #1, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and Donald Seefeldt, to commit an offense against the United States, that is, to knowingly and corruptly give, offer, and agree to give, a thing of value to Amtrak Employee #1, intending to influence and reward Amtrak Employee #1 in connection with any business, transaction and series of transactions.

Specifically, the information alleges, Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and others known to the United States Attorney, with Snedden’s knowledge and agreement, provided Amtrak Employee #1 with gifts and other things of value totaling approximately $323,686, including, among other things, paid vacations, jewelry, cash, dinners, entertainment, a dog, training for that dog, and transportation, to ensure that Amtrak Employee #1 used his power and influence to benefit the Contractor during the performance of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

In return for these gifts and other things of value, Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to access internal agency information available only to Amtrak employees about the 30th Street Station Project and shared this internal information with the defendant and other officials with the Contractor.

The information further alleges that Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to approve additional, more expensive changes to the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project, thereby increasing the amount and value of the work to be performed by the Contractor. These additional expenses were reflected in a series of change orders or contract modifications. In total, Amtrak Employee #1 approved over $52 million of additional payments from Amtrak to the Contractor. Amtrak Employee #1 and officials with the Contractor falsely inflated the true costs of some of the work to be performed by the Contractor under these change orders, causing Amtrak to be substantially overbilled by over $2 million for the completion of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a three-year period of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and $200 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kelvin Jimenez, aka “Nip,” 34, and Dominique Parker, aka “Dom,” 33, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were convicted late yesterday afternoon at trial of crimes arising from their membership in a violent drug trafficking organization known by several names, including “SG1700” and “L-Block,” which operated in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia.

As proven at trial, defendants Jimenez and Parker, as part of SG1700, sold large quantities of narcotics over a multi-year period, using violence and threats of violence to protect their reputation and drug territory. Both were convicted of all charges against them, including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, maintaining a drug-involved premises, assaults in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses, and related crimes. Jimenez was also convicted of the murder of Kaseem Rogers, and Parker of the murder of Dontae Walker.

Jimenez and Parker, along with Hassan Elliott, aka “Haz,” 26, and Khalif Sears, aka “Leaf” and “Lil Leaf,” 23, both also of Philadelphia, were charged in March 2023 by superseding indictment with conspiracy to engage in a racketeer influenced corrupt organization (RICO), violent crimes in aid of racketeering, to include murder, stemming from the killings of victims Rogers, Walker, Tyrone Tyree, and Philadelphia Police Sergeant James O’Connor, and numerous related offenses.

On March 13, 2020, Elliott, Sears, and others previously indicted were inside a stash house on the 1600 block of Bridge Street, when Sergeant O’Connor and other members of the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team arrived with an arrest warrant for Elliott for the March 2019 murder of Tyrone Tyree. As Sergeant O’Connor and his fellow officers ascended the staircase to the second floor of the residence and repeatedly announced their presence, Elliott fired a semiautomatic assault rifle 16 times, striking and killing Sergeant O’Connor.

Elliott and Sears pleaded guilty this January to RICO conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, causing the death of Sergeant O’Connor by firearm, and multiple drug, gun, and violent offenses. Elliott is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29 and Sears on April 30; both face maximum possible sentences of life in prison.

Jimenez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7 and Parker on July 9; both also face maximum possible sentences of life in prison.

“Jimenez and Parker led the gang that killed Sergeant James O’Connor. These defendants also committed murder themselves,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “Today, however, the Department of Justice put an end to SG1700 and their campaign of violence and destruction. We cannot bring back the lives that have been lost. But we have sent an unambiguous message that everyone involved in a criminal organization that attacks our brave law enforcement officers will be held accountable through federal prosecution.”

“By direction of these gang-leaders, Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood was subjected to deadly shootouts targeting rivals,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “This conviction brings some justice for the murder of Philadelphia Police Sergeant James O’Connor, for his family and colleagues, and for the three others murdered and more than a dozen wounded by this brutal criminal enterprise. Through our ATF agents’ hard work in cooperation with the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office successfully prosecuted this series of cases to take down this lethal enterprise and make Philadelphia’s streets safer.”

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 Attorneys Ashley Martin, Christopher Diviny, and Lauren Stram. 

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Joseph LaForte, 54, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney to 186 months in prison and three years of supervised release, to include 12 months in home confinement, for numerous crimes arising from the defendant’s operation of a fraudulent investment vehicle known as Complete Business Solutions Group Inc. d/b/a Par Funding (“Par Funding”). In addition, LaForte was sentenced to forfeit various assets, including a private jet and an investment account totaling approximately $20 million, along with a $120 million forfeiture money judgment, as well as restitution in the amount of $314 million, and a $50,000 fine.

In January 2025, the Court found the Par Funding fraud scheme caused an actual fraud loss of approximately $404,000,000, which it reduced to $288,395,088 after factoring in credit for collateral that federal authorities seized from Par Funding when the investigation became public in July 2020, upon the SEC placing Par Funding in receivership.

The defendant, who functioned as Par Funding’s president and CEO, his brother James LaForte, Par Funding’s “enforcer,” and Joseph Cole Barleta, Par Funding’s chief financial officer, were charged in a February 2024 amended second superseding indictment with racketeering conspiracy and related crimes.

In September 2024, Joseph LaForte pleaded guilty to the RICO charge, securities fraud, tax crimes, and perjury. He also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for his role in aiding and abetting James LaForte’s violent assault on one of the receivership’s Philadelphia attorneys, and to a gun possession charge for firearms found in his former residence during the execution of a search warrant.

James LaForte pleaded guilty in September 2024 to racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, and extortionate collection of debt, as well as obstruction of justice, for his assault on the receivership attorney, and retaliation, for threatening several government witnesses. He was sentenced earlier this month to 11½ years in prison.

Barleta pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of racketeering conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2025.

***

As detailed in court filings, the defendant served as the undisputed leader of a years-long criminal enterprise consisting of his codefendants and others. The principal purpose of this enterprise was to generate money for its leadership and members, primarily by defrauding the investors in Par Funding, which the enterprise controlled until it was placed in receivership.

Joseph LaForte and his conspirators caused false and misleading information to be conveyed to investors regarding various issues, including:

▪ Joseph LaForte’s true name, his role at Par Funding, and his criminal history;

▪ Par Funding’s underwriting process;

▪ the diversity of the company’s MCA portfolio;

▪ Par Funding’s default rate;

▪ Par Funding’s financial success and profitability;

▪ the company’s insurance; and

▪ the defendants’ self-dealing.

Par Funding’s principal means of generating income was to “advance” money to businesses (known as merchant cash advance or “MCA” customers) that were in need of short-term financing at high rates of return.

The enterprise would use threats of violence to collect money from customers whose payments were overdue. James LaForte admitted that, in threatening one particular Par Funding customer, he told the customer that he must repay the company immediately because James LaForte was not to be messed with and had previously torched people’s cars and kicked people’s teeth in.

Another Par Funding collector admitted to extorting multiple customers at Joseph LaForte’s direction, including through threats of physical harm to the customers or their families if the debt was not paid back. And as established at his sentencing hearing, Joseph LaForte also threatened and extorted customers who fell behind in their payments, such as by telling a Par Funding customer to keep paying her debts or he would bomb her car, kidnap her children, and outfit her with “cement shoes” to sink her to the bottom of the Hudson River.

The reality hidden from Par Funding’s investors was that, during every year from 2016 through mid-2020, Par Funding’s MCA business was not profitable enough to repay the money owed to Par Funding’s investors while also covering its operating expenses (including tens of millions of dollars Joseph LaForte was paying himself annually). LaForte thus needed to acquire increasingly large injections of new investor money just to keep the lights on and the business running, a hallmark of a traditional Ponzi scheme.

From 2015 until the unraveling of the fraud in mid-2020, Joseph LaForte caused Par Funding to pay him and his wife more than $120,000,000 in fraudulent proceeds, with which he purchased homes, vacation properties, vehicles, artwork, jewelry, dozens of investment properties, a boat, and a private jet. LaForte rewarded the loyalty of co-conspirators, including James LaForte and Cole Barleta, by making each of them multi-millionaires.

For years, the defendant committed a variety of tax crimes related to his fraudulent proceeds, including conspiring to defraud the IRS and filing false tax returns, as well as employment tax fraud. The total federal tax loss stemming from LaForte’s crimes exceeds $8 million. He also caused $1.6 million in state tax loss to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue by falsely reporting that he and his wife were residents of Florida from 2013 through 2019, when in fact they resided in Pennsylvania.

“Joe LaForte is a career grifter,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He has spent his adult life lying, cheating, and stealing his way to a lavish lifestyle paid for with other people’s money. Consider LaForte’s vast criminality here: a decade’s worth of financial and tax crimes, acts of obstruction, perjury, extortionate threats, the aiding and abetting of his brother’s violent assault on an attorney, and the illegal possession of multiple guns. He has earned every day of his prison sentence. My office is committed to prosecuting these complex financial cases, to bring fraud victims some relief and the crooks who victimized them to justice.”

“Today’s sentencing holds Joseph LaForte accountable for the full scope of his criminal conduct in leading a long-running fraudulent enterprise,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office. “The FBI and our partners remain unwavering in our commitment to uncover, investigate, and dismantle complex financial fraud schemes — and to pursue justice and restitution for the victims they leave behind.”

“This case exemplifies how cooperative law enforcement efforts lead to the exposure of individuals and groups seeking to circumvent our laws for financial gain,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “An investigation such as this takes a dedicated team of investigators and prosecutors many hours of hard work and sacrifice to bring to a successful conclusion.”

“Today’s sentencing brings Joseph LaForte to justice for operating a fraudulent investment vehicle that he and his co-conspirators used to generate hundreds of millions of dollars illegally, while harming Par Funding’s numerous investors,” said Patricia Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), New York Region. “The FDIC OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who deceive investors for their own selfish gain and threaten the safety and soundness of our Nation’s financial system.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Newcomer, Samuel Dalke, and Eric Gill, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Boscia and DOJ Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro on the tax portion of the prosecution.

The SEC in Florida investigated and litigated the civil securities fraud charges, which formed the basis of a portion of the criminal prosecution.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rubiel Perez, 30, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, charges arising from an armed robbery spree in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in March of 2023.

Perez was charged by indictment in November 2023.

As detailed in the indictment and admitted to by the defendant, on March 28, 2023, Perez entered a 7-Eleven convenience store on Union Boulevard in Allentown, pointed a handgun at a store employee, and stole $937 before fleeing.

The next night, the defendant targeted a 7-Eleven convenience store on South 4th Street in Allentown. He pointed a handgun at a store employee and threatened him, before stealing $150 from the store. Later the same night, the defendant entered a 7-Eleven on West Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township and attempted to rob the store by pointing a firearm at the store employee and threatening him.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allentown Police Department, and the South Whitehall Township Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Schopf.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mia Hardy, 58, of Chester, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with eight counts of wire fraud, arising from an alleged scheme to defraud the residents of two senior living facilities, residents’ heirs, and the facilities themselves.

As detailed in the indictment, Hardy was employed first at Senior Living Facility #1 and later at Senior Living Facility #2, which both used a resident fund management service (“RFMS”) to help manage resident funds. The residents in these facilities often required substantial medical assistance and were extremely vulnerable members of the community.

RFMS was a financial service platform that provided a central resident trust account that allowed residents to easily access their funds. Each resident had an individual, interest-bearing sub-account within the resident trust account. Those funds were then available to the resident for personal spending or bill paying. Residents could obtain funds from the RFMS through checks made payable to payees at the direction of the resident (directly or through the resident’s representative) or through cash withdrawals that the resident needed for minor expenses.

The indictment alleges that, from in or about March 2020 through in or about August 2023, while the defendant was employed as a business office coordinator at Senior Living Facility #1, she exploited the RFMS for her personal benefit on a recurring basis, improperly accessing the RFMS system and issuing checks on resident accounts, making them payable to various family members and associates of hers. Those individual payees were not known to the residents on whose accounts the checks were written, and Hardy allegedly engaged in this activity fraudulently without the knowledge or permission of Senior Living Facility #1 and the affected residents.

At times, Hardy forged the authorized signature on the checks and at other times she improperly, and through misrepresentations to the authorized signer, obtained an authorized signature on the checks. The indictment alleges that in this aspect of the scheme, Hardy generated approximately 49 checks totaling approximately $122,941.

The indictment also alleges that the defendant exploited the RFMS system and the resident accounts in Senior Living Facility #1 to generate petty cash payments for herself, generating additional losses for the residents.

The indictment further alleges that, from in or about April 2024 through in or about July 2024, while Hardy was a business office coordinator for Senior Living Facility #2, she exploited the RFMS for her personal benefit using the same method described above, improperly generating checks on Senior Living Facility #2 resident accounts through the RFMS, and making the checks payable to her family members and associates, who then negotiated the checks for their and Hardy’s benefit. The defendant also improperly obtained a blank personal check on a resident’s personal Capital One bank account and issued it to one of her associates.

The notice of forfeiture included in the indictment seeks forfeiture of up to $366,000 from the defendant for these offenses.

If convicted, on each count of wire fraud, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Norman Copper, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted Friday at trial of one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possession of firearms by a felon.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment with those offenses in June 2024.

In December 2023, the Upper Merion Township Police Department had received information from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Parole Field Services that Copper, who was on state parole at the time for attempted murder, had been intercepted on recorded prison calls and video visits that suggested he might be involved in narcotics sales and/or the illegal possession of firearms. As a condition of his parole, Copper wore a GPS monitor.

As proven at trial, GPS location data indicated that he spent many early morning hours at an unapproved area in King of Prussia, Pa., which investigators determined was the apartment of his then-girlfriend. Through physical and video surveillance, Upper Merion detectives saw Copper entering and exiting the apartment on many occasions, often heading in the direction of what was later learned to be a storage unit associated with his girlfriend’s apartment.

In January of last year, law enforcement served search warrants on the apartment and storage unit, seizing more than a pound and a half of methamphetamine, three semiautomatic handguns, one of them equipped with a silencer, and one AK-style semiautomatic rifle, weapons that he was not permitted to possess due to his previous felony conviction.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 45 years in prison and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Upper Merion Township Police Department, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsey Mills and Justin Ashenfelter.

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to sexually abuse the child and to accessing child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, George “Travis” Woodfield, 41, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, drove an eleven-year-old child across state lines for an overnight trip to New York City in November 2018 in order to engage in sexual activity with the child. During the trip, Woodfield sexually abused the child in their hotel room. Further, between September 2015 and July 2024, Woodfield accessed numerous depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent children being sexually abused.

Woodfield pleaded guilty to one count of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography, including that of a prepubescent minor. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced by the court on July 1 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo and Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca J. Kulik for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that George “Travis” Woodfield, 41, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., to one count of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography.

Woodfield was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 5, 2024.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Woodfield drove an 11-year-old child across state lines for an overnight trip to New York City in November 2018 in order to engage in sexual activity with the child. During the trip, Woodfield sexually abused the child in their hotel room. Further, between September 2015 and July 2024, Woodfield accessed numerous depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent children being sexually abused.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life in prison. 

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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and FBI Richmond with assistance from the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section’s High-Tech Investigations Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca J. Kulik, CEOS Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer T. Leonardo, and CEOS Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Talia Hicks, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty yesterday before United States District Court Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge to a one-count information charging Hicks with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from at least December 2019 through November of 2024, Hicks conspired with multiple individuals, including T.T., to smuggle Suboxone into the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (“CFCF”).

A review of video tablet calls, a recorded form of communication available to inmates at CFCF, showed that T.T., on various occasions, discussed inmates sending CashApp and Apple payments to both T.T. and Hicks. A review of CashApp and Green Dot records showed that T.T. and Hicks sent and received CashApp payments on behalf of T.T. from and to various individuals. There were multiple transactions for which Hicks either facilitated the payment for Suboxone or provided the drugs to an unidentified co-conspirator to smuggle the substance into CFCF.

Hicks is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8 and faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Grenell.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alex Wellman Castro Frias, 51, a Dominican citizen who had been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 80 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for his role as a “bagger” in a drug trafficking operation based in Philadelphia.

In August of 2023, Castro Frias was charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. The defendant pleaded guilty to both counts in April of last year.

As detailed in court filings, Castro Frias and his co-conspirators in the Ortiz drug trafficking organization (DTO) were responsible for packaging thousands of individual baggies of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, drugs bound for distribution in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The volume of drugs processed was significant; when the FBI executed a search warrant on a house used by the DTO, over six kilograms of fentanyl were found on the bagging table.

“As a member of this DTO, Castro Frias played an active role in funneling fentanyl cut with xylazine onto the streets of Philadelphia and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “This highly addictive and destructive combination of drugs does horrific physical damage to users, causing gaping wounds that have led to amputations and deaths. My office is committed to bringing to justice the people and organizations fueling the city’s drug epidemic and all the ills that come with it. After serving his sentence, Castro Frias, who’s here illegally, will promptly be deported to his home country.”

The case was investigated by the FBI as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Amir Harvey, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $717, in connection with the armed robbery of a commercial business and a carjacking, both in Northeast Philadelphia.

Harvey was arrested and charged by complaint in September of 2022 and then indicted in October of that year. In October 2024, he pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, carjacking, and possession of ammunition by a felon.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on September 9, 2022, at approximately 11 p.m., he and three others approached the Hook and Reel restaurant, located at 9763 Roosevelt Boulevard. Upon encountering an employee of the restaurant outside, Harvey entered and held the employee at gunpoint, ransacked the office, stole about $400 from the cash drawers, and fled.

In the early morning hours of September 19, 2022, Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress on the 8900 block of Maxwell Place, where the victim reported that her car had just been stolen by an armed individual as she and her teenage daughter were about to leave for school.

The victim stated that around 6:15 a.m., she started her vehicle using an application on her cell phone. A short time later, she and her daughter exited their house and walked to the car parked in the front driveway, when they were approached by an armed individual, later identified as the defendant, who pointed an imitation firearm, fitted with a high-capacity magazine, at their heads.

The defendant grabbed the victim’s keys and purse and sped away in her vehicle. The victim then used its location tracking feature on her cell phone app and informed police, who responded to that location on the 2000 block of Griffith Street, about 2½ miles from the victim’s home. Using neighborhood video surveillance footage, investigators traced the movement of the victim’s vehicle and the defendant to a nearby apartment complex.

“This armed robbery and carjacking were violent crimes targeting absolutely innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Amir Harvey ambushed a restaurant employee on a break, and a mother and daughter heading off to school. Offenses like these inject fear into our community and affect our quality of life. The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force is working every day to hold perpetrators accountable. Public safety is our top priority.”

“Amir Harvey is going to federal prison for many years for this brazen and calculated carjacking and robbery,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “We hope this case deters those willing to use violence in our community. Working with our partners in our Carjacking Task Force and applying ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, we will continue to prevent and prosecute violent crime and make our streets safer.”

The swift action to investigate and federally charge this defendant is the work of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which comprises members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit; the FBI; 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.

This 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 Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Lauren E. Stram.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Cesar David Martinez-Gonzalez, 40, a native of Venezuela who had been residing in Chester, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh to 36 months’ imprisonment and $20,560 in restitution, in connection with a conspiracy to help smuggle and encourage and induce dozens of migrants from South America to enter the United States illegally so that he could profit from their labor.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July of last year and pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiring to illegally bring aliens to the United States and to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States for private financial gain, five counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to illegally enter the United States for private financial gain, and four counts of transfer of an unlawful identification document.

The object of the conspiracy, for the personal financial gain of Martinez-Gonzalez and others, was to illegally smuggle citizens of South American countries into the United States across the U.S.-Mexico border, and to encourage and induce them to enter the United States without prior authorization.

Martinez-Gonzalez entered the United States illegally. He then launched a scheme and wired money to migrants in South America and fronted money to “coyotes” in Mexico, who guided migrants across the Rio Grande and through holes in the U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also provided migrants with information to give to Customs and Border Protection so that they could be released — on parole — to his residences. Martinez-Gonzalez then paid for airplane flights to bring the migrants to Philadelphia, and, once they arrived, transported them to houses in and around Chester, Pa.

At this point, Martinez-Gonzalez and his associates would impose upon the migrants thousands or tens-of-thousands of dollars in “debts” owed to him, which the migrants would have to pay off through working long hours at factories and other worksites and forfeiting half of their weekly wages to the defendant. Martinez-Gonzalez also helped the migrants obtain false identification documents and hourly work through various staffing agencies. The debts imposed by the defendant were well in excess of what it cost to get the individuals to Chester and house them there.

During the two-year period that the defendant operated his scheme, he induced and helped to illegally bring over 100 aliens to the United States, all for his private financial gain. The defendant imposed a daily pressure campaign on the migrants to keep working, for whatever hours they could get from the staffing agencies, so that they could keep making “debt” payments to him. He kept careful records of the debts migrants had paid to him and still owed to him, demonstrating that the illegal scheme was, for him, about making money. The defendant’s steady, calculated scheme entailed a pervasive abuse of the nation’s immigration system, as well as of the many migrants he induced to come to the United States. Moreover, the defendant was granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States in March 2024, which he took advantage of by continuing to perpetrate his scheme after being granted status to remain in the country.

“Martinez-Gonzalez committed an egregious offense against the citizens of our country as well as the illegal immigrants he smuggled into it,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Our office intends to combat illegal immigration in all forms­ — including by pursuing the offenders who orchestrate and facilitate schemes that compromise our border security and the rule of law. In this case, Martinez-Gonzalez not only betrayed our country after entering it illegally and receiving status, but he also imposed onerous ‘debts’ on unlawful migrants and effectively coerced them to work long and monotonous hours to pay him back. My office and our partners will continue to target human smugglers for prosecution. They exploit their victims and make a mockery of our lawful immigration system.”

“Driven by personal greed, Martinez-Gonzalez not only smuggled individuals into the United States but also continued to exploit them for profit,” said Wayne A. Jacobs. “The FBI, in collaboration with HSI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, remains committed to holding accountable those who engage in human smuggling and exploitation.”

“This case highlights the critical role that Homeland Security Investigations plays in dismantling human smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable individuals for personal profit. Martinez-Gonzalez not only violated our nation's immigration laws but also preyed on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life, forcing them into a cycle of debt and exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “HSI remains committed to working with our partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such reprehensible acts.”

“Mr. Martinez-Gonzalez helped illegal migrants obtain false identification for employment, forcing them to work off so-called thousands of dollars in debts, but in reality, it was for his own personal gain,” said Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General, Michelle L. Anderson. “I thank our law enforcement partners, the FBI and HSI, for their efforts in this investigation, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the case.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, HSI, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara A. Solow, Louis D. Lappen, Eileen Castilla Geiger, and J. Andrew Jenemann.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Naseem Rashidi Clouden, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 13 by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney to 121 months in prison and five years of supervised release for one count of carjacking and one count of carrying and using a firearm during, and in relation to, the commission of a crime of violence.

Clouden was indicted on those violations in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty in November of 2024, admitting to carjacking a woman who was sitting in her mother’s Toyota Camry at approximately 8 p.m. on November 3, 2022, in Philadelphia. As part of his plea, the defendant also admitted that a firearm was used during and in relation to the armed carjacking.

According to the publicly filed documents in this case, the victim reported that while sitting in her mother’s vehicle in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, six men including the defendant approached the vehicle on foot. The defendant and his accomplices pulled on the door handles of the car and ordered the victim out of the vehicle and two of the men pointed guns at her. When she did not move fast enough, one of the men yelled: “shoot her” and the victim immediately complied and got out of the car. Four offenders then jumped into the vehicle and drove away.

The victim immediately called the police, and two officers enroute to the scene observed the victim’s mother’s vehicle. The officers pursued the vehicle until it stopped on the 6200 block of Old York Road and three men fled from the vehicle on foot. The officers then chased after the men, recovered a firearm on the block, and within a short time, located the defendant hiding under a van. The defendant was taken into custody and identified as one of the persons who committed the carjacking.

“Naseem Clouden terrorized our city at gunpoint. These offenses are a priority for my office and our partners on Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We simply won’t stand for these senseless acts of violence. The crime of federal carjacking brings significant prison time, as Clouden’s sentence shows: a decade in prison for a crime that took just moments to commit.”

“‘Shoot her!’ a carjacker yelled, as the victim scrambled to save her own life. Armed carjacking is a brutal, dangerous crime, and thanks to the responding police officers, Naseem Rashidi Clouden has been convicted and sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for it,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Together with our Carjacking Task Force partners we are applying ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools to stop criminals like this from terrorizing our neighborhoods.”

“This latest sentencing of a carjacker is a testament to the continued commitment of the Philadelphia Police Department and our law enforcement partners to stem the tide of violent crime in our city,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “Carjacking endangers the safety and peace of mind of our residents, and we will not tolerate it. Through our continued collaboration with federal agencies, we will ensure those who commit these crimes are pursued, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest extent of 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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 Lauren Stram.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tyheem Tyler, 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping resulting in death, and aiding and abetting.

The indictment alleges that on or about March 6, 2023, the defendant traveled to Wey Um’s place of business in Philadelphia and participated in a robbery of Wey Um at gunpoint.

The indictment further alleges that in the early hours of March 31, 2023, Tyler and his co-conspirators drove a Ford Explorer SUV to Wey Um’s Philadelphia home, kidnapped Wey Um from outside of his residence, and at approximately 2:12 a.m., drove Wey Um in the Ford Explorer to a location near the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

As alleged, Tyler knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully seized, confined, kidnapped, abducted, carried away, and held, and aided and abetted the unlawful seizing, confining, abduction, carrying away, and holding of, Wey Um, deceased, for ransom, reward, and otherwise, resulting in the death of Wey Um, and in committing and in furtherance of the commission of the offense used means, facilities, and instrumentalities of interstate commerce.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment or death.

The case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Timothy Lanni.

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

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Nafiysh Knox-Schenck, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky to 39 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon, a charge arising from an incident last year in which the defendant resisted arrest by officers of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD).

Knox-Schenck was charged by indictment in June and pleaded guilty in November.

As detailed in court filings, on May 13, 2024, two PPD officers attempted to place the defendant into custody based on an outstanding arrest warrant. While struggling with the officers, Knox-Schenck pulled a loaded firearm from his waistband and tossed it into the street. Another person then took the firearm and tossed it into a nearby wooded lot. After a struggle, the officers were able to get Knox-Schenck handcuffed and placed him in their vehicle.

While the officers went to retrieve the firearm and their body worn camera that had fallen off during the struggle, someone opened the door to the police vehicle and Knox-Schenck was able to flee on foot and escape police custody. Philadelphia police officers then obtained another arrest warrant for the defendant and, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service, were able to arrest Knox-Schenck on May 15.

“Knox-Schenck knew he wasn’t allowed to have a gun, given his criminal record, but he didn’t let that stop him,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable felons who have decided that federal gun laws don’t apply to them. Every illegal firearm taken off the street makes the community safer.”

“ATF is committed to working with our partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals like Nafiysh Knox-Schenck who endanger our neighborhoods,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals is a key means to preventing 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney Tracie J. Gaydos, on assignment from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.