District of Rhode Island
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Guatemalan National Previously Convicted for Drug Trafficking Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE - A Guatemalan national deported in 2015 after having been convicted for drug trafficking has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Rhode Island on a charge of illegal re-entry, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
According to court records, Pedro Andony Alvarado Aguilar, 49, was convicted in federal court in Connecticut in November 2014 on charges of conspiracy to import 5,000 grams or more of cocaine and conspiracy to import 1,000 grams or more of heroin. He was deported on July 1, 2015.
Court documents allege that Aguilar illegally re-entered the United States and was present in Rhode Island.
Aguilar is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence on May 12, 2025. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Rhode Island Man Admits to Cyberstalking, Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man today pleaded guilty as charged by federal indictment to one count of cyberstalking and four counts of distribution of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Melvin Vidal Herrera Perez, 21, admitted to a federal judge that he befriended a minor child, encouraged her to take sexually explicit images of herself, and later used the images to threaten and harass her after she turned eighteen.
Perez admitted that he used a variety of tactics to cause serious emotional distress to the victim, including opening websites to display her images, texting and emailing her images, and messaging a wide number of individuals in the victim’s personal and social circles.
Perez, who has been detained since his arrest in December 2024, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 6, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the FBI.
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Providence Man Indicted for Making False Statements to Gain Veteran BenefitsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Providence man with two counts of making false statements in an alleged scheme to obtain veterans’ disability compensation and health care benefits that he is not entitled to receive, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Court documents reflect the following allegations:
- Nicholas M. Ash, 39, fraudulently claimed to a Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor that he was had been on a combat deployment to Iraq/the Middle East and was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as the result of a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during his deployment that caused him to suffer from seizures.
- Defense Department records indicate that Ash did not serve on such a combat deployment in the Middle East. These records indicate that Ash served in the U.S. Army from July 2005 to September 2007, but was never stationed outside of the United States. The records show that following completion of basic training in Oklahoma, Ash was assigned to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he served as a motor transport operator. While stationed in Hawaii, Ash was hospitalized for an unrelated medical matter and placed on non-deployable status (not medically fit to deploy on any military operation).
- When confronted about his claims, Ash then claimed that his injury occurred after he was discharged from the Army as the result of an IED blast he experienced while employed overseas as a private military contractor. Court records reflect that investigators allegedly could find no record Ash ever worked for the private contractor.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Ash is scheduled to be arraigned on May 20, 2025.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, with valuable assistance from the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Services; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service.
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Federal Detainee Admits to Possessing Contraband Inside Wyatt Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A federal detainee found to be in possession of contraband while detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center today pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy and to a charge of providing and possessing contraband in prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Anthony Whyte, 50, admitted that on May 21, 2023, he took possession of an envelope containing documents passed to him by a visitor. Upon further inspection, Wyatt officials determined that eight of the pages had the appearance of having been contaminated with some sort of substance. One of the eight pages later analyzed by the FBI was determined to have been treated with synthetic cannabinoids.
Court documents reflect that Whyte arranged for the delivery of the contaminated pages during recorded telephone conversations he made from inside the Wyatt Detention Center. The papers and the manilla envelope they were contained in were seized moments after Whyte took possession of them. At the time, Whyte was detained in an unrelated criminal matter brought in the District of Connecticut.
Whyte is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the Wyatt Detention Center Professional Standards Unit.
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Dominican National Deported in 2014 Following Convictions on Drug Trafficking and Other Crimes Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Dominican national, deported in 2014 after being convicted for drug trafficking, identity fraud, and forgery, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of illegal reentry, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Noel Ignacio Moronta, 43, deported in May 2014, again came to the attention of law enforcement in April 2023, when he was arrested on various Rhode Island state charges for drug trafficking and related crimes. He was convicted on those charges in November 2023.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The matter was investigated by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Three Charged in Conspiracy to Steal and Sell Catalytic ConvertersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Three Rhode Island men have been charged in federal court in Providence for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of catalytic converters, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Kuron Mitchell, 25, of Newport, Alberto Rivera, 25, of Cranston, and Luis Aceituno, 27, of Providence, are each charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with interstate transportation of stolen property in excess of $5,000 and conspiracy to commit the same. Additionally, Aceituno is charged with filing false tax returns.
According to charging documents, in January 2022, the Cranston Police Department began tracking patterns surrounding the thefts of catalytic converters. A criminal group was later identified as allegedly being responsible for more than 7,000 stolen catalytic converters in Southern New England and in the greater Boston area, valued at more than $2.4 million. It is alleged that many of the stolen catalytic converters were sold to a Providence company (identified in court documents as Company 1) that recycles catalytic converters. Depending on the model and type of precious metal component, the average scrap price for catalytic converters ranged from $300 to $1,500.
Charging documents reflect that from at least January 2021 until November 2022, Rivera, Aceituno, Mitchell, and others canvassed neighborhoods and parking lots in search of unoccupied vehicles from which they could steal catalytic converters. Working in groups, they allegedly targeted vehicles in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, cut off the catalytic converters, and sold many of them to Company 1.
An FBI analysis of Company 1’s databases seized during a court-authorized search of the business in February 2023, and a review of a database maintained by Rhode Island Attorney General Bureau of Criminal Identification, revealed that from 2021 to 2022, Rivera allegedly sold 19 catalytic converters and received $7,100; and Aceituno allegedly sold 2128 catalytic converters to Company 1 and received $699,735.
In addition to his alleged participation in the conspiracy to steal and sell catalytic converters, it is further alleged that Luis Aceituno failed to disclose to the IRS income derived from the sale of catalytic converters in tax years 2021 and 2022. It is alleged that for tax years 2021 and 2022, Aceituno failed to report a total of $699,735 in income and failed to pay a total of $199,908 due to the IRS.
Luis Aceituno appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday and was released on unsecured bond; Kuron Mitchell appeared in U.S. District on April 25, 2024, and was ordered released to home detention with GPS monitoring; Alberto Rivera is currently detained on charges unrelated to this matter.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, Cranston Police Department, Providence Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigations, United States Marshal Service, National Insurance Crime Bureau, Newport Police Department, Fitchburg State University Police, Watertown Police Department, Canton Police Department, Attleboro Police Department, Fall River Police Department, and Department of Veterans Affairs- Office of Inspector General-Criminal Investigations Division.
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criminal_complaint_affidavit.pdfRhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Cockfighting ChargesRead the Press Release
Onill Vazquez Lozada of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty today to two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
As part of his plea, Lozada admitted that on April 27, 2021, he possessed roosters for the purpose of having them fight. Lozada also admitted that on March 6, 2022, he sponsored and exhibited, and aided and abetted sponsoring and exhibiting, at least one rooster in a fight against another rooster.
Cockfighting is a contest in which a person attaches a knife, gaff or other sharp instrument to the leg of a “gamecock” or rooster and then places the bird a few inches away from a similarly armed rooster. This results in a fight during which the roosters flap their wings and jump while stabbing each other with the weapons that are fastened to their legs. A cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue to fight. Commonly, one or both roosters die after a fight.
Lozada faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge to which he pleaded guilty. Sentencing is scheduled for July 29. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Acting U.S. Attorney Sara M. Bloom for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments.
Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island are prosecuting the case.
Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Cockfighting ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Onill Vazquez Lozada of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty today to two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
As part of his plea, Lozada admitted that on April 27, 2021, he possessed roosters for the purpose of having them fight. Lozada also admitted that on March 6, 2022, he sponsored and exhibited, and aided and abetted sponsoring and exhibiting, at least one rooster in a fight against another rooster.
Cockfighting is a contest in which a person attaches a knife, gaff or other sharp instrument to the leg of a “gamecock” or rooster and then places the bird a few inches away from a similarly armed rooster. This results in a fight during which the roosters flap their wings and jump while stabbing each other with the weapons that are fastened to their legs. A cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue to fight. Commonly, one or both roosters die after a fight.
Lozada faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge to which he pleaded guilty. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose for the District of Rhode Island accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Lozada after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Acting U.S. Attorney Sara M. Bloom for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal,s and Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments.
Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island are prosecuting the case.
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North Providence Man Admits Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy, ID Theft, and Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Jamal Mansaray, 35, of North Providence, today pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and prohibited person in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Mansaray admitted to a federal judge that he and others fraudulently obtained checks issued and mailed by individuals and businesses, including checks that were stolen from the U.S. Mail. Mansaray admitted also that he and others obtained identity information of third parties that was used to alter stolen checks, create checks, and to access bank accounts.
Among the checks stolen and altered were checks issued by four towns in Massachusetts and mailed to a special education contractor. The checks were stolen from a curbside commercial mailbox used by the contractor and were altered to include the personal identification of others. Bank surveillance video recorded in December 2022 shows Mansaray being present at banks in Rhode Island when fraudulent checks were deposited and the subsequent withdrawal of the funds.
A court-authorized search of Mansaray’s residence in May 2023 resulted in the seizure of hundreds of personal and business checks, blank “washed” checks, more than 1,000 blank check stock used to create and print counterfeit checks, multiple laptops and printers, checks in various stages of alteration, Social Security cards, debit cards, and a temporary driver’s license in the name of others.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspectors also located a loaded firearm and ammunition inside a backpack belonging to the defendant. Mr. Mansaray was convicted of a felony offense (bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated ID theft) and sentenced to 60 months’ incarceration in October 2018, thus he was prohibited from being in possession of a firearm.
Mansaray is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Rhode Island State Police.
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Rhode Island Man Admits Role to Defraud New Hampshire Automobile DealershipRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that he participated in a scheme to defraud automobile dealerships in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Adalberto Mauricio Romero, 28, admitted that he intended to defraud a New Hampshire dealership in May 2022, when he sought to take possession of a Land Rover valued at $95,713. Delivery of the vehicle to Romero was halted when he presented a fraudulent driver’s license containing information that was used as part of an online application to secure financing through a dealership financing program.
Romero pleaded guilty on April 24. 2025, to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the Warwick, RI, Police Department, the Bedford, NH, Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
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Rhode Island Man Sentenced to Twenty Years in Prison in One of Rhode Island’s Largest Fentanyl SeizuresRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Jorge Pimentel, a/k/a “Big Head,” 36, of Cranston, has been sentenced to twenty years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Pimentel previously admitted to a federal judge that he ran a highly productive drug lab and a stash house in Pawtucket from which 19,315 fentanyl-laced pills made to resemble pharmaceutical grade Percocet pills and nearly 9 kilograms of powder fentanyl were seized by law enforcement. The seizure of a combined total of over sixteen kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder, an industrial grade high-speed pill press, and twenty-eight thousand grams of cutting agents used in the manufacturer of the fake pill seized in September 2023, is among the largest seizures of fentanyl in Rhode Island.
The fentanyl powder and already cut mixture seized in this case represented the potential production of more than 633,000 fentanyl-laced pills.
Court documents detail that Pimentel was already a “well-established, large scale fentanyl trafficker” when, on multiple occasions between May 31, 2023, and September 29, 2023, he brokered sales of a total of approximately 34,000 fentanyl-laced pills for which he was paid $37,000.
Pimentel was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 240 months of incarceration to be followed by five years of federal supervised release. He pleaded guilty in December 2024 as charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. No plea agreement was filed in this case.
The matter was investigated by the FBI’s Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force. The Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
The United States Attorney’s Office thanks the Providence Police Department and the DEA for their partnership.
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.
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government_sentencing_memo.pdfVenezuelan National Admits Resisting Arrest by Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Venezuelan national illegally present in the United States today admitted to a federal judge that he resisted arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officers while being taken into custody on an immigration warrant, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Edward Antonio Reyes Calderon, 22, admitted that he violently resisted while being arrested by three uniformed Deportation Officers, injuring two of them, as they took him into custody outside of the Rhode Island District Court in Providence on February 13, 2025. He had just completed an appearance in state court on a Domestic Violence charge and was being released from state custody on bail.
According to information presented to the court, Reyes Calderon became aggressive and resisted as the three officers struggled to apply hand cuffs. He continued to push and pull the Deportation Officers. As the struggle continued for several minutes, an officer deployed pepper spray to gain control of the defendant.
Two of the officers suffered minor injuries.
Reyes Calderon pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting arrest of a federal officer. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Taylor A. Dean.
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.
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Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man convicted of providing fentanyl to a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Calvin Tavarez, 30, previously admitted to a federal judge that on at least two occasions he supplied fentanyl to a member of the conspiracy.
Tavarez pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Stacey A. Erickson.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force. The Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
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Former Naval Undersea Warfare Center Employee Charged with Making ThreatsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A former employee of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Middletown, Rhode Island, appeared in U.S. District Court in Providence today charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
As reflected in a criminal complaint unsealed today, it is alleged that between July 2022 and February 2023, Luis Sanchez Pardella, 38, of Newport, made numerous menacing, and at times threatening, telephone calls to at least eight of his former colleagues at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. In one such instance, it is alleged that Pardella left a voicemail stating, “I will kill you and your wife when I see you on the street.”
It is further alleged that between December 2022 and February 2023, Pardella made multiple threatening telephone calls to the Portsmouth, RI, Police Department, stating that an officer and his wife “will be going to jail,” that “the Portsmouth Police Department is corrupt,” and “write down (name of officer’s wife) is dead write down. The wife of one of your cops is dead. Do you know who (name redacted) is? Write down she is dead.”
Pardella appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge today and was released with GPS monitoring and ordered to have no contact with any of the identified victims.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department, Middletown Police Department, Newport Police Department, Providence Police Department, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.
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‘Kilo Weight Dealer’ Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts man described in court documents as being a “kilo weight dealer” of cocaine has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Juan Betancourt Sosa, 29, pleaded guilty on October 16, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 70 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.
At the time of his guilty plea, Betancourt admitted that he was a source of supply of cocaine to a person who was providing kilograms of cocaine to a Rhode Island-based conspiracy that trafficked crack cocaine and fentanyl.
According to information presented to the court, Betancourt supplied at least six kilograms of cocaine to a person who then delivered the drugs to the leader of the conspiracy. At the time of his arrest, two kilos of cocaine were found inside the trunk of a car in which Betancourt was traveling.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson .
The matter was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, DEA, and Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspection Service and East Providence Police Department.
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Two Kilos of Cocaine Seized, Providence Man Detained on a Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A joint federal, state, and local law enforcement drug trafficking investigation has resulted in the seizure of two kilos of cocaine and the arrest and detention of a Providence man, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Eluid Rosa-Escudero, 35, is detained in federal custody charged by way of a criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
It is alleged in charging documents that a three-month, multi-agency investigation into Rosa-Escudero’s drug trafficking activities culminated on April 10, 2025, with the execution of a court-authorized search of his Providence residence and the seizure of two kilograms of cocaine, $10,000 in cash, and other items associated with the trafficking of narcotics.
As reflected in court documents, law enforcement surveilled the retrieval of a package delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to the front porch of a Providence residence. The package was retrieved by a person who arrived by car and allegedly then drove to a nearby gas station where he met with Rosa-Escudero, who was in a separate vehicle parked at a gas pump. As the two vehicles pulled away, the defendant was followed by a law enforcement surveillance team to his residence. East Providence Police effected an investigative stop of the car driven by the person who allegedly retrieved the package from the porch of the residence, who they then identified as being 15 years old.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine D. Lowell, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
The matter is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service Contraband Interdiction and Investigations Task Force, with the assistance of the Providence Police Department, the Pawtucket Police Department, and the Rhode Island State Police.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Superseding Indictment Charges Massachusetts Man with Attempted Enticement, Interstate Travel, Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts man is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Rhode Island on Wednesday on attempted enticement, interstate travel, and child pornography charges contained in a superseding indictment, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
The superseding indictment, returned by a grand jury on April 2, 2025, charges Robert Consorti, 63, of Wilmington, MA, with two counts of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity, interstate travel for the purpose of illicit sexual activity, transportation of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
The government sought a superseding indictment following an extended investigation into Consorti’s alleged criminal conduct after his arrest in October 2024. Consorti was arrested in October 2024 when he arrived at a Warwick hotel allegedly expecting to meet with and engage in illicit sexual contact with a fourteen-year-old girl. Unbeknownst to him at the time, Consorti was communicating with a law enforcement officer posing as the girl with whom he allegedly made the arrangements. A grand jury returned an indictment on November 13, 2024, charging him with one count each of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity and interstate travel for the purpose of illicit sexual activity.
According to recently filed court documents, it is alleged that a subsequent investigation, including a review of Consorti’s electronic devices, revealed that he was in communication with dozens of minors and allegedly grooming them for sexual activity. It is alleged that in many instances, Consorti transmitted child sexual abuse material (CSAM), requested minors send him CSAM, and/or sent the minors sexually explicit images of himself.
It is further alleged that Consorti began communicating with a victim who was 12 years old at the time the communications began. Over a six-month period, Consorti allegedly traveled out of state on multiple occasions to meet with the victim and provided the victim with vapes and edible marijuana. It is alleged that Consorti repeatedly attempted to get the victim to engage in sexual activity in return for the items Consorti was providing, rather than pay in cash. Consorti allegedly persuaded the then 13-year-old to meet Consorti and to go to a local hotel to engage in sexual contact, but the defendant’s arrest prevented the meeting from occurring.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case has been 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police ICAC Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
The ICAC Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit along with detectives from the Warwick Police Department, Cranston Police Department, East Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Bristol Police Department, Middletown Police Department, and Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations.
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Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison on a Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A registered sex offender was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today, having previously pled guilty to a charge of possession with intent to view child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Prior to his arrest in April 2024 in this matter, David Hamlin, 43, of Cranston, was charged in Rhode Island state court in 2016 and 2018 on child pornography violations, and in 2018 pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography.
According to information presented to the court in this matter, in March 2024, local FBI agents received information from their Tampa, FL, counterparts that a cellphone registered to Hamlin was being used to access an online platform on which child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was being transferred to an undercover FBI employee.
In April 2024, pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, two cell phones were seized from Hamlin. Forensic analysis of the phones identified multiple images and videos containing CSAM.
At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Hamlin to 120 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julianne Klein.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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North Attleboro Man Sentenced on Child Sexual Abuse and Animal Abuse Video ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A North Attleboro, MA, man who court documents reflect had long-standing interests in collecting and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and animal crush videos (depicts serious harm to animal and is obscene) has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Minor Bloom.
Samuel E. Maigret, 29, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024, to an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, access with intent to view child pornography, distribution of an animal crush video, and transfer of obscene material (animal crush video). No plea agreement was filed in this matter.
In September 2021, a court-authorized search of Maigret’s then Pawtucket residence and personal digital devices led to the discovery of approximately 3,000 videos and images depicting CSAM, including videos of adult males involved in sexual acts with infants, and evidence that Maigret used online applications to distribute CSAM and a video that depicts an individual causing serious injury to and the apparent death of a dog.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
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Pain Management Clinic Owners and Operators Indicted on Health Care Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – The owners and operators of a Warwick pain management clinic have been indicted by a federal grand jury on health care fraud charges for allegedly defrauding government and private health care insurers, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Brandon Nowak, 32, and Jason Simmons, 33, both of Foster, RI, and officers and operators of Alternative Integrative Medicine, LLC, d/b/a Aim Health, are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and fourteen counts of health care fraud.
It is alleged that beginning in October 2020, Nowak and Simmons conspired to and did intentionally and repeatedly submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, and four private insurers in order to collect payments for certain purportedly “medically necessary” services that were not actually provided to patients.
The indictment also alleges that patients were routinely informed that massage therapy was a service covered by their insurance, when in fact it was not. In order to receive insurance payment for massage therapy provided by a massage therapist, the defendants allegedly billed insurers for covered services such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and evaluation and management office visits, none of which the patients actually received.
Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants submitted claims for services such as infrared therapy, hot and cold therapy, therapeutic activity, and self-care/home management training that were not provided to the patients and for which AIM Health did not employ appropriate providers.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court on April 11, 2025. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
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nowak_and_simmons_indictment.pdfSerial Bank Robber Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man who was previously incarcerated for robbing seven banks was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for robbing four banks within a three-day span, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Vaughn Watrous, 48, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 108 months of incarceration to be followed by one year of federal supervised release. Additionally, he is ordered to pay restitution to victim banks totaling $4,775.
Watrous pleaded guilty on April 24, 2024, to bank robbery. At the time of his guilty plea, Watrous admitted to robbing three banks in Providence and Cranston on January 19, 20, and 21, 2021; and attempting to rob a fourth bank in North Providence on January 21, 2021.
According to court records, Watrous was previously convicted of multiple bank robberies in 1997, 2003, and 2013. In 1997 Watrous was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah, on a charge of bank robbery and sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. In 2003 he was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Providence on two counts of bank robbery and sentenced to 76 months of incarceration. In October 2015 he was convicted in U.S. District Court in Providence on four counts of bank robbery and sentenced in February 2016 to a term of incarceration of 92 months.
The most recent case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julianne Klein and John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with the assistance of the Providence, Cranston, and North Providence Police Departments.
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Irish National Charged in Multi-State Home Repair Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – An Irish national residing illegally in the United States has been ordered detained on wire fraud and conspiracy charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud homeowners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Prior to making an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court on a federal criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, John O’Brien, 28, had been held on an immigration detainer following his arrest by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on March 28, 2025, for overstaying a tourist visa issued to him in 2021, but which expired in October 2021.
Charging documents allege that O’Brien and others defrauded property owners by inducing them into paying for home repairs that were not needed and often not completed. O’Brien misrepresented the need for the repairs and services, as well as the qualifications of his purported construction business, Traditional Masonry & Construction.
O’Brien’s alleged fraud scheme came to the attention of law enforcement when an 83-year-old Warwick, RI, resident, identified in court documents as Victim 1, contacted the Warwick Police Department to complain that he had been defrauded by a contractor. Victim 1 reported that O’Brien told him that, while doing work in the neighborhood, he observed cracks in Victim 1’s foundation. O’Brien offered to professionally repair the damage to the foundation. O’Brien collected $9,500 from Victim 1. As work proceeded, O’Brien allegedly claimed that further damage was discovered. O’Brien allegedly revised the costs for repairs and sought an additional $80,000 from the victim. A home inspector hired by the United States Attorney’s Office later reviewed the property and found no evidence of a need for these extensive foundation repairs.
As described in court documents, other alleged victims have been identified who described similar interactions with O’Brien that began with initial, unsolicited recommendations for small home repairs, followed by O’Brien’s purported discovery of major repairs needed, and often a representation that the homeowner’s foundation was in urgent need of repairs. It is estimated that this scheme has defrauded homeowners out of over $1,000,000.
At the time of O’Brien’s arrest, investigators allegedly seized from his vehicle hundreds of Traditional Masonry & Construction flyers, identical to the ones handed out to the victims in this case, and four binders containing quotes, contracts, and invoices for Traditional Masonry & Construction. The documents and contracts are dated between April 2024 through March 2025, and range from $300.00 to $205,000.00. The approximate value of the contracts contained within the binders totaled $1,987,650.00.
The scheme O’Brien is alleged to have been executing is becoming increasingly common throughout the United States. It has come to be known as Traveling Conman Fraud. According to the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, Conmen Travelers are groups of Irish or U.K. nationals who entered the United States on pleasure or tourist visas and overstayed their visits or, more commonly, entered the United States illegally. Once in the United States, they go to different cities and states, soliciting construction work. The members often quote a low price, and then, after further inspection, demand much more money and/or convince the homeowner that their property is in need of major repairs. The fraudsters often hire day laborers; do not have work authorization documents or pull permits; and do low quality, unnecessary, or incomplete work, sometimes damaging homeowners’ residences.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor A. Dean and Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Warwick and East Providence Departments.
This investigation 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 United States Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations recommend that consumers follow a few simple rules to lessen the likelihood of being defrauded by this organization or others.
Be very cautious with unsolicited solicitations from contractors who show up at your door saying that they noticed a problem that needs to be fixed.
Don’t fall victim to high pressure scare tactics. Proceed cautiously before you commit to allowing work to be done, and only after getting at least one second opinion and cost estimate.
Before hiring any contractor for a large job, make sure they have a legitimate business address and consider going there to verify that the business does exist.
Verify that the contractor is licensed before agreeing to have any work started. In Rhode Island, confirm licensing information on the Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board web site; In Massachusetts check the website of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
Ensure that the contractor obtains permits to do the work from your local city or town before work begins. Ask to see the permit and verify its authenticity with your city or town.
As is alleged in this case, beware of schemes where work is begun with a relatively small job and then the contractor claims to have found far greater damage that will cost a lot of more money to repair.
Don’t leave new or unfamiliar contractors alone at your house – even if they’re working outside. They sometimes intentionally cause damage. Keep a close eye of work being done.
If you or someone you know believes they may have fallen victim to the Traveling Conman Fraud scheme, you are urged to contact Homeland Security Investigations via email at [email protected]
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obrien_search_and_arrest_warrant_affidavit.pdfPawtucket Man Admits to Defrauding Federally Funded Benefit Programs Using Stolen Identities, Altering and Cashing Stolen U.S. Treasury ChecksRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man with a lengthy record of arrests and convictions for financial fraud admitted to a federal judge on Tuesday that he defrauded the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the U.S. Treasury out of more than $100,000 combined, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Reynaldo Martinez, 32, admitted that he obtained at least 40 SNAP EBT cards through the use of stolen identities and stolen or fraudulent Social Security numbers. Court documents reflect that Martinez appeared in person at multiple Rhode Island Department of Human Services offices and filed applications for SNAP benefits. He did this by presenting fraudulent drivers’ licenses in various names but depicting his own photograph, and using Social Security numbers assigned to others, including that of a deceased individual, living adult citizens, and at least one juvenile.
Martinez admitted to fraudulently securing at least $33,192.36 in SNAP benefits.
In a second fraud scheme, Martinez admitted to cashing altered United States Treasury checks made payable to himself. Martinez and co-conspirators obtained checks made payable to others, then altered the checks to reflect counterfeit or fraudulent driver’s licenses they presented when cashing or depositing the checks.
The total amount of fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks cashed or deposited was approximately $79,532.32.
Martinez pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and one count each of misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court records illustrate that Martinez was previously arrested and convicted on multiple occasions in multiple states on fraud related and other criminal charges dating back to 2012.
For example, in November 2017, Martinez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island to four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of access fraud, and one count each of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, attempted access fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was sentenced to 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I Roklan.
The matters were investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, United States Marshals Service, Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit, Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Rhode Island State Police, Pawtucket Police Department, Warwick Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Foxborough, MA, Police Department, and Walmart Global Investigations.
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Chilean National Sentenced, Ordered Deported for His Role in Burglary Ring Targeting Families of Asian DescentRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Chilean national who participated in a burglary ring that targeted the homes of families of Asian descent in at least eight states, including Rhode Island, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island today and ordered deported, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Yoel Andres Barrera Garrido, 21, who came to the United States in 2022 and overstayed a tourist visa, previously admitted to a federal judge that he was a member of a conspiracy that collectively surveilled individuals, typically of Asian descent, at the victims’ residences and businesses, and then executed well-planned burglaries at their homes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Florida.
The defendants typically targeted homes where large sums of money, jewelry, credit and debit cards, and other valuable items might be found.
Barrera Garrido admitted to the court that he participated in two burglaries in Rhode Island and one burglary in Goram, NH, and in West Allis, WI.
Barrera Garrido was arrested on March 12, 2024, and ordered detained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024, to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose sentenced Barrera Garrido today to time served (12 months) and ordered that the defendant be removed from the United States.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Julianne Klein.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Warwick and Smithfield, RI Police Departments; Shrewsbury and Framingham, MA Police Departments; Gorham, NH Police Department; Stamford, Wallingford, and Westport, CT Police Departments; West Allis, WI Police Department; New Castle County, DE Police Department; Manalapan, NJ Police Department; New York City Police Department; Jacksonville and Flagler County Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; Pennsylvania State Police; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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Mortgage Broker That Ran a Ponzi Scheme, Fraudulently Acquired CARES Act SBA Loans, and Filed a False Tax Return is Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island mortgage broker who ran a Ponzi scheme with investors’ monies causing millions of dollars in losses, who fraudulently obtained more than $160,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related SBA loans, and who failed to pay more than $140,000 in taxes due the IRS was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution to his victims, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Joseph Giuttari, owner and operator of Hybrid Capital Group, LLC, THE FENS CO., LLC, and Realty Funding Advisors, LLC, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 55 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Giuttari was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 and to pay restitution to victims of his Ponzi scheme, to SBA loan programs, and to the IRS totaling $4,579,130.95.
Mr. Giuttari pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024, to charges of wire fraud, theft of government property, and filing a false tax return. The day after his guilty plea he engaged in brokerage activities in violation of his condition of release. Upon discovery of his activities, the Court revoked its order of release and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Court documents reflect that Joseph Giuttari purported to match borrowers seeking short-term loans with private lenders seeking secured investments in real estate. As part of the scheme, Giuttari served as the clearing house for funds between the borrowers and the investors. In executing his scheme, Giuttari directed investors and closing attorneys to send all or a portion of the loan proceeds directly to him through his multiple business entities and business bank accounts. Instead of forwarding these funds to borrowers as represented to the investors, Giuttari used the money personally or to repay earlier investors who were seeking a return on their investments.
Additionally, Giuttari fraudulently acquired $167,800 in COVID-19 pandemic Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for Hybrid Capital Group and THE FENS CO that he was not entitled to receive, and he falsely stated on his 2019 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return that his total income was $22,176, when in fact it was at least $541,000, thus failing to pay $140,102 due the IRS.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General.
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Fraud Conspiracy Leader SentencedRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Johnston man, identified in court documents as the leader of a conspiracy that used stolen personal identifications of unsuspecting individuals to gain financing for the purchase of Land Rovers from dealerships in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, has been sentenced to two-and-one-half years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Dennis Odoom, 27, previously admitted to a federal judge that he enlisted others to join the conspiracy. Odoom admitted that he provided a co-conspirator with a fraudulent ID and that he drove that person to a dealership in New Hampshire to pick up a Land Rover valued at $96,256 purchased with fraudulently obtained credit. The person accompanying him was expecting to be paid $2,000 by Odoom.
Additionally, court documents allege that fraudulently obtained financing was used by co-conspirators to purchase a Land Rover from a Rhode Island dealership. The final sales price for the vehicle and financing was $111,183.
Odoom was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. Dubose to a term of 30 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay a fine of $1,000. Restitution will be determined by the court at a later date. Odoom pleaded guilty on December 12, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
A co-defendant in this matter, Roy Sweets, 27, of Pawtucket, pleaded guilty on March 18, 2025, to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025.
A third defendant, Adalberto Mauricio Romero, 28, of Providence, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by Warwick, RI, and Bedford, NH, Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
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Massachusetts Man Admits to Robbing a Rhode Island BankRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Springfield, MA, man has admitted to a federal judge that he robbed a Smithfield, RI, bank branch of more than $2,400, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Radelle Hubbard, 47, admitted that on March 23, 2023, he entered a bank branch located inside a supermarket in Smithfield, RI, and proclaimed to bank tellers, “I have a gun, give me all the large bills from your drawer.” The tellers handed over $2,420 in cash after which Hubbard fled the bank. The tellers told police they did not see a firearm.
According to information presented to the court, a private citizen followed Hubbard after he left the bank and provided law enforcement with a vehicle description and license plate number. Massachusetts State Police observed the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, at which time the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle was ultimately stopped after spike trips, devices used to stop or impede the movement of vehicles by puncturing their tires, were deployed. Law enforcement seized $2,341 in cash and a high-capacity firearm from inside the vehicle.
Appearing in U.S. District Court on Friday, Hubbard pleaded guilty to a charge of bank robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, Smithfield Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police.
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Registered Sex Offender Admits to Enticing a Minor, Launching a Murder-for-Hire Plot to Silence the VictimRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A 30-year-old Rhode Island man who was previously convicted in RI state court for child molestation and required to register as a sex offender, admitted to a federal judge today that, in a separate matter, he enticed a 12-year-old girl to engage in multiple sexual encounters and later launched a murder-for-hire plot in a scheme to eliminate her as a witness, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Chandler J. Cardente pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to enticement of a minor, commission of a felony while being required to register as a sex offender, and interstate murder for hire. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court documents reflect that in the summer of 2021, Cardente, while posing as a 17-year-old, began communicating with the minor victim via a messaging app, and told the victim that he was interested in having sexual contact with her. In December 2021, he met the girl a short distance from her middle school, drove her to various locations in Rhode Island, and engaged in sexual contact with her multiple times. Cardente was subsequently arrested and detained in state custody.
While being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), Cardente communicated by telephone with another person, expressing his intent that the victim be murdered. In a conversation with a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity, Cardente told the officer that the victim needed “to end up dead” because she was “a witness.” He offered the undercover officer $200 in cash and equipment worth $1,500.
The case in U.S. District Court is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; the Warwick, Cranston, and Burrillville Police Departments; Rhode Island State Police; and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit.
Cardente, facing both federal and state prosecution in this matter, is currently being held without bail at the ACI. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for their assistance in advancing federal charges brought in this matter.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
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Four Individuals Sentenced in Sophisticated, Wide-Spread Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Four Florida residents convicted in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island for executing one of the largest schemes in the country to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act programs, including in Rhode Island, have been sentenced to federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Court documents illustrate that the defendants defrauded various federally funded programs of more than $4.8 million.
Each of the defendants pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The schemes involved obtaining and using stolen personal identifying information to submit fraudulent applications to multiple state unemployment agencies, including the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, and to submit fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications, for pandemic-related benefits made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Additionally, the defendants submitted fraudulent applications in the names of other persons to federal and state agencies to obtain tax refunds, stimulus payments, and disaster relief funds and loans.
The scheme also involved using the stolen personal identifying information to open bank accounts that were used to receive, deposit, and transfer fraudulently obtained government benefits and payments and to obtain debit cards for the fraudulently opened bank that were used to withdraw the fraudulently obtained funds.
U.S. District Court Judge Mellisa R. DuBose sentenced
- Tony Mertile 33, of Miramar, FL, identified in court documents as the leader of the conspiracy, to a term of 72 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release;
- Junior Mertile, 35,of Pembroke Pines, FL, to a term of 54 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release.
- Allen Bien-Aime, 33, of Lehigh Acres, FL, to a term of imprisonment of 48 months to be followed by three years of supervised release;
- James Legerme, 33, of Sunrise, FL, to a term of imprisonment of 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release; and
In accordance with signed plea agreements filed with the court, the government moved to forfeit a total of $4,857,191 in funds, or $1,214,294.75 from each defendant, that constitutes proceeds of the conspiracy. The defendants have also forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of Rolex watches and assorted jewelry, and over $1.1 million dollar in cash seized from the residences of Tony Mertile, Junior Mertile, and James Legerme at the time of their arrests. Each defendant is also jointly and several liable for $4,456,927.36 in restitution to be paid to agencies and financial intuitions that were defrauded.
The case was jointly prosecuted in U.S. District Court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Stacey A. Erickson and Special Assistant United States Attorney and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, Chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office, Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Rhode Island State Police, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, with substantial assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and United States Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General/Office of Investigations.
Acting United States Attorney Bloom, FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General thank the Miami Division of the FBI, the Fort Myers Resident Agency of the FBI Tampa Division, the FBI’s Complex Financial Crimes Unit, and the U.S. Marshal Service in Florida for their assistance at the time the defendants were arrested and detained in Florida.
Acting United States Attorney Bloom also extends her gratitude to prosecutors in the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida for their assistance.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits from the RIDLT are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at [email protected] or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
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government_sentencing_memos.pdfRhode Island Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Kilos of CocaineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man who provided kilos of cocaine that made its way to mid-level distributors and street-level drug dealers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Jonathan Masa-Gonzalez, 29, is among more than a dozen individuals charged in federal court in September 2021 during a multi-agency Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into a wide-ranging street-level drug trafficking conspiracy. Many of the individuals charged had previously been convicted of violent crimes such as firearm, robbery, assault, and domestic violence charges.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, Masa-Gonzalez was responsible for brokering the sale of multiple kilograms of cocaine to a leader of the conspiracy.
Masa-Gonzalez pleaded guilty on June 5, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possesses with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervise release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The matter was investigated by the FBI Rhode Island Safe Street Task Force, DEA, and the Providence Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau.
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Providence Man Admits to Trafficking Fentanyl-Laced Counterfeit PillsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man admitted to a federal judge today that he trafficked more than 2,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Michael Sellers, 64, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In pleading guilty, Sellers admitted that on at least two occasions in November 2023, he sold more than 1,000 counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills to an individual while under surveillance by FBI agents.
On November 16, 2023, Sellers provided an individual with 1,027 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in exchange for $2,500 in cash. On November 24, 2023, he provided the same individual with 1,024 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in exchange for $2,500. In each instance, the pills were quickly seized by law enforcement.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Stacey A. Erickson.
The matter was investigated by the FBI.
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Pawtucket Man Pleads Guilty to a Charge of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that he used fraudulent information when he applied online and received financing for the purchase of $95,713 vehicle from a New Hampshire dealership, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Roy Sweets, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He will be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sweets admitted to the court that in May 2022, he participated in a scheme that used the personal information of another person without their permission when submitting an online loan application to a New Hampshire automobile dealership for the purchase of a 2022 Range Rover. As part of this submission, a co-conspirator provided a copy of a fraudulent New Hampshire driver’s license that depicted Sweet’s image and the personal information of a New Hampshire resident.
On May 10th, 2022, Sweets presented the fraudulent driver’s license to the car dealership as he completed the process of purchasing and taking possession of a 2020 Range Rover Sport HST. The final sales price for the purchased vehicle including finance charges was $111,183.00. The sales price of the vehicle without finance charges was $95,713.00.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by Warwick, RI, and Bedford, NH, Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
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“Bearded Bandit” Bank Robber Sentenced for New Year’s Eve 2019 RobberyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Cranston man, previously referred to as the “Bearded Bandit,” and who served more than six years in federal prison for robbing nine banks in 2012, was sentenced on Friday to time served (62 months) for robbing an East Providence bank on New Year’s Eve in December 2019, and for violating the terms of his supervised release related to his previous convictions, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Justin Worley, 44, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith. In addition to the imposition of a sentence of times served, Worley is ordered to serve a term of three years of supervised release, the first six months in a residential reentry center. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,569.
Worley pleaded guilty on October 30, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery. He has been detained since his arrest on January 21, 2020.
In pleading guilty, Worley admitted to the court that on New Year’s Eve Day in December 2019, he and a co-defendant approached bank tellers inside an East Providence bank branch and demanded that they empty their money drawers. The second man, Nicholas Lage, 39, brandished a knife during the robbery. Between them, the two men fled the bank with approximately $11,569. They were located and arrested later that evening at Twin River casino.
The court found that Worley violated the terms of his federal supervised release imposed at sentencing related to his conviction for robbing nine banks in 2012.
Nicholas Lage pleaded guilty on April 1, 2021, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery. He was sentenced on August 6, 2021, to 36 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the East Providence Police Department and the FBI.
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Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A registered sex offender convicted in June 2024 on a charge of possession of child pornography has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Anthony Wertz, 32, of East Providence, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith to 120 months of incarceration to be followed by fifteen years of supervised release.
According to information presented to the court, in July 2022, while serving a term of Rhode Island state probation related to a 2019 conviction for possession of child pornography, Wertz was found by East Providence Police to be in possession of internet-accessible devices, a violation of the terms of his probation. Child sexual abuse material was discovered in plain view on a smartphone in Wertz’s possession.
Simultaneous to the East Providence Police Department investigation, the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an online account, later determined to be used by Wertz, had uploaded child sexual abuse material.
Prior to this conviction, Wertz had previously been convicted by the State of Rhode Island twice for possession of child pornography or related offenses.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Milind Shah.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
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Financial Advisor Indicted, Arraigned on Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A man formerly from Cranston who falsely represented himself as a financial advisor worth a “million dollars in clients” has been indicted and arraigned in federal court on a charge of wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
According to an indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, in December 2017, a Rhode Island couple invested $140,000 with Jason Johnson, 51, the then proprietor of the now defunct W.S. Solutions LLC. It is alleged that within a week, Johnson diverted the funds into two bank accounts that he opened and controlled without the couple’s knowledge. It is alleged that over the next 12 months, Johnson withdrew and spent most of the couple’s invested funds to pay for his own personal expenditures.
It is alleged that, over lengthy periods of time, Johnson failed to respond to repeated inquiries from the investors. Additionally, he failed to provide them with any statements of investment activity, tracking reports, or summaries. Instead, he sent them electronic communications assuring them that their accounts were being serviced and that they would receive distributions of profits at some later date.
The Certificate of Organization/Registration for W.S. Solutions LLC was revoked by the Rhode Island Secretary of the State on July 22, 2019, for failure to file an annual report.
Johnson appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Wednesday and was released on unsecured bond. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated jointly by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the FBI.
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Final Defendants Sentenced in Large-Scale Retail Theft SchemesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE - Sentencing hearings for all four individuals convicted for their roles in a large-scale scheme to steal and re-sell high-value products from home improvement stores and other retailers in multiple states were completed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
The defendants, all Guatemalan nationals present in the United States illegally, detained in federal custody since their arrest in April 2024, have been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy that targeted the theft of building supplies, tools, and clothing.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, the four men were part of an organized group of as many as fifteen Guatemalan nationals who participated in 35 documented incidents of thefts at national home improvement and clothing retail outlets in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Members of the conspiracy stole, and at times re-sold, goods such as electrical wire, flooring, power tools, and other items of high value. However, it is believed that not all members of the group regularly participated in each of the theft operations.
The intended loss of the conspiracy is at least $280,000. Court-authorized search warrants were executed on April 12, 2024, at residences in Cranston and Providence, resulting in the seizure of $11,000 worth of stolen goods and $83,000 in cash.
Abraham Dayger-Enrique, 25, and Jonathan Jose Amperez-Perez, 32, of Providence, were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith to time served (eleven months). Judge Smith also entered judicial orders of removal for both defendants, ordering them promptly removed from the United States to Guatemala.
Marvin Estuardo Morales De Paz, 30, of Cranston, a twice-deported Guatemalan national described in court documents as being “the most consistent member” of the conspiracy was sentenced in January to 30 months in federal prison. An immigration detainer has been lodged against Morales- de Paz by ICE.
Sebastian Lajuj-Solomon, 31, of Providence, was sentenced in January to time served (nine months). Judge Smith also ordered Lajuj-Soloman removed from the United States and he was deported to Guatemala in January 2025.
Abraham Dayger-Enrique, 25, and Jonathan Jose Amperez-Perez, 32, of Providence, were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith to time served (eleven months). Judge Smith also entered judicial orders of removal for both defendants, ordering them promptly removed from the United States to Guatemala.
Marvin Estuardo Morales De Paz, 30, of Cranston, a twice-deported Guatemalan national described in court documents as being “the most consistent member” of the conspiracy was sentenced in January to 30 months in federal prison. An immigration detainer has been lodged against Morales- de Paz by ICE.
Sebastian Lajuj-Solomon, 31, of Providence, was sentenced in January to time served (nine months). Judge Smith ordered Lajuj-Soloman removed from the United States. He was deported to Guatemala in January 2025.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations agents in Providence, with the assistance of HSI agents in Boston, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Providence, Coventry, Warwick, Smithfield, and Johnston, RI Police Departments; Boston, Norwood, Bellingham, Marlboro, Seekonk, Avon, Auburn, MA Police Departments; Montville and Fairfield, CT Police Departments; and the Parkesburg, Downingtown, Lebanon, Wyomissing, and Reading, PA, Police Departments; Nashua, NH Police Department; and Marlboro, NJ Police Department.
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Massachusetts Attorney Admits to Participating in a Conspiracy to Smuggle Contraband Inside a Federal Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts attorney admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island today that she participated in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband to a detainee housed at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Theresa Marie DiJoseph, 51, pleaded guilty today to one count each of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and providing a prohibited object to an inmate. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DiJoseph admitted that in late 2023, she conspired with three other individuals to smuggle ten papers soaked with K2, a synthetic marijuana, into the Wyatt Detention Center.
According to information presented to the court, DiJospeh used her status as an attorney to meet multiple times with detainee Shawn D. Hart, 47, with whom she had a personal relationship, in a visiting room used for attorney visits to conduct legal work.
On December 1, 2023, during an attempt to visit with Hart, Wyatt correctional officers seized from DiJoseph 10 sheets of paper that appeared discolored, thicker than normal, and to have been wet and dried. The papers were seized and later sent to an FBI testing lab that confirmed the presence of Schedule I controlled substances.
In her appearance in court today, DiJoseph also admitted that she later made false statements to the FBI during their investigation into the source of the contraband that she attempted to bring into the detention center.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julianne Klein and Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by FBI and the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center Professional Standards Unit.
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Federal Detainee Admits to Possessing and Distributing Contraband Inside the Wyatt Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Wyatt Detention Center detainee admitted to a federal judge today that he participated in a conspiracy with several individuals, including a now former correctional officer, to possess and distribute contraband inside the facility, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Matthew Pizarro, 36, admitted that he conspired with another detainee and others outside the facility to arrange for the delivery and distribution of contraband that was delivered by now former Correctional Officer Kaii Almeida-Falcones, 31, of Smithfield.
Wyatt Detention Center video surveillance records show that on February 14, 2021, Correctional Officer Almeida-Falcone visited Pizarro’s cell for less than a minute. Pizzaro then visited the cell of another detainee, Edward Nolasco, 38, where he remained for less than a minute.
On February 15, 2021, a strip search of Nolasco revealed a package containing suboxone strips. A search by Wyatt staff of Pizarro’s cell on the same date revealed a plastic bottle containing 4.5 grams of marijuana that was located inside Pizarro’s pillowcase.
The suboxone strips were sent to a lab and confirmed to be 201 strips, 5 of which were partial strips, containing buprenorphine, which is an ingredient in Suboxone, a Schedule III controlled substance.
Pizarro pleaded guilty today to one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of Suboxone, and possession of contraband by an inmate. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kaii Almeida-Falcones was sentenced on November 14, 2024, to six months in federal prison to be followed by twenty-four months of supervised release - the first six months to be served on home confinement. He pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024, to the charge of providing contraband to an inmate.
Edward Nolasco was sentenced on November 3, 2024, to forty-eight months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on June 20, 2023, to charges of possession with intent to distribute Suboxone, possession of contraband by an inmate, and possession with intent to distribute Suboxone.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr. and Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, and the Professional Standards Unit at the Wyatt Detention Center.
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Tiverton Woman Admits Role in Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Tiverton woman admitted to a federal judge today that she participated in a scheme to defraud a Rhode Island bank of nearly a quarter of a million dollars that had been deposited as a result of a business email compromise, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Brenda Partin, 54, pleaded guilty today to a charge of attempted bank fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, in May 2022, a compromised email account belonging to a Tennessee-based construction company was used to deceive a global snack-food company into altering its vendor payment information to a Rhode Island bank. An investigation later determined that the bank account to which the payment was misdirected belonged to Partin.
Between August 15 and September 19, 2022, the Tennessee company sent four payments totaling nearly $225,000 that were intended to pay the snack-food company to the defendant’s account. Withdrawals from the account began almost immediately. On September 8, 2022, Partin wired $26,470.05 from the account for the purchase of an automobile, which she registered in her name. On that same date, Partin directed an associate to open a second account at a local bank, into which $30,000 was transferred from the first account. Over the next four months, multiple withdrawals and purchases were made from both accounts.
On December 5, 2022, the bank closed the second account with a remaining balance of approximately $108,000. For the next nine months, the defendant and others attempted to convince bank employees to release the funds. Partin falsely claimed that the money was a settlement from a car accident; that the money had come from Partin’s fiancé; that the co-holder of the bank account earned the money working in Turkey and that he had leukemia and the funds were needed to address his affairs in the event he passed away; and in August 2023, the defendant claimed to a bank employee that her associate had passed away and that she needed the money to pay funeral expenses.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juliane Klein.
The matter was investigated by Rhode Island State Police Financial Crimes Unit and the FBI’s Rhode Island Complex Financial Crimes Task Force.
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Portuguese National Admits to Illegal Entry, Faces Second DeportationRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Portuguese national arrested at his West Warwick home in August 2024 by members of the U.S Marshals Fugitive Task Force on multiple outstanding arrest warrants pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of illegal entry and was sentenced to time served (six months), announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
At the time of his arrest, it was learned that active arrest warrants were pending for Joao Luis Vieira, 45, in Bristol County, Massachusetts for cocaine trafficking, for reckless driving/eluding police in East Providence, and a failure to appear in Kent County Court in Rhode Island.
A review of immigration data bases performed by Homeland Security Investigations Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents determined that Viera had been removed from the United States to Portugal in December 2013. An immigration judge ordered his deportation a month earlier.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond sentenced Vieira to time served (six months). An immigration detainer has been lodged by ICE.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by the U.S Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
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Gang Member Sentenced for Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls man described in court documents as being a member of a dangerous Providence street gang and a driver of violence within that group, who recently completed a term of incarceration on a federal firearms charge, was sentenced today for bank fraud conspiracy, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Ryan DaCruz, 28, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy. He admitted to a federal judge that between February 2022 and May 2023, he opened bank accounts at four Rhode Island banks into which he deposited tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of checks that had been stolen from the U.S. Mail stream by confederates.
According to information presented to the court, the stolen checks, most of which were third party business checks, appeared to have been “washed” so that the payee names could be changed to Ryan DaCruz. The deposited funds were rapidly depleted through cash withdrawals and/or money transfers. As banks recognized the deposited items as fraudulent, banks closed the accounts. DaCruz would then open a new account at a different bank. The intended loss to banks totaled approximately $46.000.
DaCruz completed a federal sentence imposed in January 2024 for being a felon in possession of a firearm while being detained on the current charge of bank fraud conspiracy. He was sentenced today on the bank fraud conspiracy charge by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to a term of incarceration of eighteen months to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John P. McAdams and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Providence Police Department.
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Asbestos Removal Training Center Owner Sentenced for Making False Statements to the EPA and RI Health DepartmentRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The owner of an asbestos abatement training center who falsified documents attesting individuals paid for, attended, and successfully completed an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)-approved abatement training program when, in fact, no one attended the classes was sentenced today to two years’ probation, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
On multiple occasions, between 2021 and 2023, Jose Virgilio Fernandez, owner of Rhode Island Safety Environment Training Center, submitted documents to the Rhode Island Department of Health falsely certifying that participants attended all days of instruction and achieved passing examination scores.
As reflected in charging documents and information provided to the court, Fernandez falsely stated in signed documents that twenty individuals, whose names he provided, attended and successfully completed a five-day, 40-hour program the week of May 22, 2023. In fact, the only person who attended was an EPA agent acting in an undercover capacity who attended for two hours on the first day of classes.
The Toxic Substances Control Act, implemented by the EPA, requires that workers who perform asbestos abatement attend and pass an EPA-approved asbestos training program which, in Rhode Island, is overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).
Fernandez pleaded guilty on October 1, 2024, to a federal charge of making false statements. In addition to being sentenced to probation, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., ordered Mr. Fernandez to complete ethics training prior to engaging further in providing asbestos abatement training programs or courses.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams with the assistance of EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Man Chak Ng.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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Second Defendant Admits to Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten StatesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A second individual has admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks in Rhode Island and at least nine other states of more than $140,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Jaymark Larios, 23, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, Larios and other members of the conspiracy recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). The information was used by conspirators to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits.
As part of the scheme, Larios and others obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information. The information collected was used to create fraudulent IDs and checks. Members of the conspiracy then traveled with their recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, and elsewhere to cash fraudulent checks created by members of the conspiracy.
Through the scheme, conspirators attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200.
On February 27, 2025, Paul Keenan, 54, of Bronx, NY, admitted to his role in the conspiracy, pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2025.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.
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Rhode Island Businesswoman Sentenced for Failing to Pay over Employee Payroll Taxes to the IRSRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island businesswoman who collected but failed to pay over to the government eight years’ worth of employee federal withholding taxes and properly report her own personal income to the IRS has been sentenced to two years of probation, the first three months to be served in home detention, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Gail M. Hynson, 59, president of Hynson Electrical Services, Inc., pleaded guilty in October 2024 to ten counts of failure to account for and pay over payroll taxes and three counts of filing a false tax return. In addition to a term of probation and home detention, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., ordered Hynson to perform 100 hours of community service.
Court documents detail that from 2016 through 2024, Hynson, who also acted as the company bookkeeper, withheld employment taxes from its employees’ paychecks, to include federal income taxes, Medicare, and Social Security taxes, but failed to provide the funds to the IRS.
Much of the money deducted from her employees’ paychecks was transferred to her own personal bank accounts and used to pay for personal expenses, including her mortgage, car payments, and her daughter’s student loans.
In addition, court records provide that Gail Hynson and her husband submitted false personal tax returns to the IRS, failing to reflect their actual income, which income included company tax withholdings earmarked for the IRS. Although those funds should have been paid to the IRS, Hynson transferred them to her personal bank account and used them for personal expenses.
Between 2016 and 2024, Hyson failed to remit a total of approximately $1.22 million dollars to the IRS.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
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California Man Charged with Cyberstalking, Making Harassing and Threatening Calls to Women in RI, MA, and Other StatesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A federal criminal complaint has been unsealed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island that charges a California man in an ongoing investigation into hundreds of obscene and threatening telephone calls made to women in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and elsewhere, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Arrested at his home in Anaheim on Wednesday, Justin Glauthier, 30, is charged with cyberstalking, interstate threats to injure, and making interstate obscene or harassing calls.
It is alleged that Glauthier repeatedly called and harassed women whose name, photograph, and other personal information, including information associated with their employment, he often gleaned from the Internet.
To date, at least nine women have been identified as receiving harassing and, in some instances, threatening calls that an FBI investigation attributes to Glauthier. It is alleged that in dozens of calls Glauthier made sexually explicit comments and, at times, threatened his victims if they did not stay on the phone with him and/or cooperate with him during the calls. In some instances, he claimed to know where his victims lived and/or worked and threatened to visit them unannounced at their homes or place of employment.
Glauthier was arrested by agents from the FBI’s Providence and Orange County, CA, Resident Agencies. He is expected to make an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Santa Ana, CA, on Thursday.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted in the District of Rhode Island by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo in the District of Central California.
The matter was investigated by the FBI Rhode Island resident agency, with significant assistance from the FBI Orange County, CA, resident agency, Lincoln, RI Police Department, and the Anaheim, CA, Police Department.
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criminal_complaint_and_affidavit.pdfAddiction Treatment Center Supervisor Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Federal, State, and Private Health Care InsurersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A clinical social worker nicknamed by her co-workers as the “Five Minute Queen” who, at times, substituted a one or two sentence conversation for a billed 45-minute therapy session for her addicted patients has been sentenced to three years of supervised release, the first three months to be served in home detention with electronic monitoring, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
In pleading guilty in November 2023 to a charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, Mi Ok Song Bruining, 64, admitted that, while employed as a supervisor at Recovery Connections Centers of America, Inc. (RCCA) in Providence, she helped devise and execute a scheme that shortchanged Rhode Island and Massachusetts substance abuse disorder patients out of counseling and treatment services while, at the same time, defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurers out of more than $3.5 million dollars.
Bruining, and others working at her direction, routinely submitted false and fraudulent claims for psychotherapy and counseling services that did not occur for the length of time billed, consistently billing for far more patients than was possible for RCCA staff to have seen during office hours. Bruining, known at RCCA as the “Five Minute Queen” for her speed in seeing patients for so-called counseling sessions, billed for 45-minute sessions when she actually saw patients for no more than 5-10 minutes, at times asking patients only one question before she ended a session.
According to information presented to the court, to facilitate this fraud, Ms. Bruining directed counselors and others at RCCA to record in their notes that they were providing counseling in 45-minute intervals, but without listing AM or PM for the start time. Ms. Bruining gave this instruction so that it was not clear that they were seeing more patients than possible within a single hour. She also instructed other counselors to copy and paste the last visit’s note into each entry to make the bill look complete. As a result, many of the patient notes for patients billed by RCCA were simply identical cut-and paste copies of the same note.
Bruining was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Mary S. McElroy to three years of supervised release, the first three months to be served in home detention with electronic monitoring, 100 hours of community service, and to pay restitution in the amount of $100,000.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Miron Bloom and Kevin Love Hubbard.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. United States Attorney Cunha thanks the IRS, Customs and Border Protection, and the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in the investigation.
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Venezuelan National Charged with Assaulting Federal Officers During Execution of Immigration Arrest WarrantRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Venezuelan national illegally present in the United States has been charged in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island with assaulting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officers during his arrest on an immigration warrant, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
It is alleged that Edward Antonio Reyes Calderon, 22, resisted arrest and assault three uniformed Deportation Officers, injuring two of them, as they took him into custody outside of the Rhode Island District Court in Providence on February 13, 2025. He had just completed an appearance in state court on a Domestic Violence charge and was being released from state custody on bail.
Charging documents allege that the Deportation Officers, in clearly marked ICE/Police body armor, while in front of a law enforcement vehicle with emergency lights flashing, attempted to take Reyes Calderon into custody at the sally port of the courthouse. The Deportation Officers clearly announced that they were “police,” and instructed Reyes Calderon to turn around. As they grabbed his arms, he began to flex and pull away, not complying with orders. The officers gave several verbal commands including: “stop resisting,” and “you are under arrest.”
It is further alleged that Reyes Calderon became very aggressive, resisting violently, as the three officers struggled to apply hand cuffs. He continued to push and pull the Deportation Officers, at one point tightly grabbing one of the officer’s utility belt – his hands inches from the officer’s firearm. As the struggle continued for several minutes, an officer deployed pepper spray in order to gain control of the defendant.
Two Deportation Officers suffered minor injuries and had to be evaluated medically.
At present, Reyes Calderon remains in ICE custody. He will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on a date yet to be determined on a criminal complaint charging him with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing and impeding a law enforcement officer in the performance of official duties. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In addition to the pending charge for Domestic Violence in Rhode Island, Reyes Calderon is facing a charge in the State of New York for Grand Larceny.
The case in U.S. District Court in Providence is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Taylor A. Dean.
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Seasonal Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing MailRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A U.S Postal Service seasonal employee on the job for one month during the 2023 holiday season has been sentenced to federal probation for his role in a scheme to steal the contents of U.S. mail, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Willie Estrella, 32, of Providence, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to three years of federal probation. Estrella pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy to steal mail and theft of mail by a postal employee.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, Estrella and others sorted through the mail at the Providence distribution facility and placed aside brightly colored envelopes of interest. They concealed the stolen mail in their backpacks that they carried from the postal facility. Estrella and co-conspirators met at a pre-determined location after work to open the stolen mail and remove cash, gift cards, and checks. They divided the proceeds among themselves.
This conduct occurred multiple times per week. During December 2023, when Estrella participated in the conspiracy, $95,000 in cash, gift cards, and checks were illegally removed from the U.S. mail stream and stolen by Estrella and others.
Charges are pending in U.S. District court against five other former postal employees.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the U.S Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Providence Police Department, and Smithfield Police Department.
The public can report mail theft by contacting the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-888-USPS-OIG (1-888-877-7644; online at www.uspsoig.gov/hotline; via email at [email protected]; or by mail at USPS OIG, Attn: OIG Hotline, 1735 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209-2020.
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willie_estrella_sentencing_memo.pdfRhode Island Man Admits to Setting Multiple Fires Around the Exterior of a Church; Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island man admitted to a federal judge today that he intentionally set multiple fires around the exterior of a predominantly black church in North Providence, RI, and that, while detained at a federal detention center following his arrest in this matter, he assaulted two federal correctional officers by dousing them with human waste.
Kevin Colantonio, 36, pleaded guilty to one count each of malicious damage by means of fire and obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs and two counts of assault on a federal officer.
Colantonio admitted that on February 11, 2024, he used gasoline and a lighter he purchased minutes earlier at a gas station within walking distance of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, a predominantly black church with both an in-person and online following, to ignite several fires around the exterior of the church. The fires were quickly extinguished by North Providence officers who arrived at the church moments after the fires were lit, but not before the church sustained damage. Due to the damage, church congregants were prevented from enjoying their free exercise of religious beliefs as church services were cancelled until the church could be reopened.
Several hours prior to the fires being discovered, the pastor of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries reported to police that he witnessed an individual on the church’s Ring camera doorbell attempting to break into the church. The pastor reported that he spoke to the male subject through the Ring camera, telling him, among other things, that the building was a church. The man continued trying to break in the door, and then broke the Ring camera off the side of the building. The pastor later identified Colantonio as the person he saw on the Ring camera.
During a February 15, 2024 court-authorized search of Colantonio’s residence, an accelerant detection canine indicated a positive reaction on several items of seized clothing. These items matched the clothing Colantonio was wearing on the night of the arson, based upon surveillance footage.
During the search of Colantonio’s residence, authorities also seized notebooks with writings, including one entry in which Colantonio wrote, “The age of false churches target side operation. Eliminate Rich Snob global Elite Pastors, burn churches down to ground, when congregants move to next church, do the same… .” In a separate entry, Colantonio wrote, “hunt them down gun everyone down that isn’t white, if one is white spread the gospel. Always give our bloodline a chance.” On February 12, 2024, Colantonio privately messaged a family member that no one in the community cared about the arson; Colantonio called the church “Athiest God mockers,” adding that, “They’re busy dancing around collecting money.”
In addition to admitting to setting fires around the exterior of the church, Colantonio admitted to assaulting two federal correctional officers while he was detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in this matter. Colantonio admitted that he struck two federal officers with human bodily waste and fluid that were contained inside a mug he tossed at the officers.
Colantonio is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made today’s announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan for the District of Rhode Island and Taylor Payne of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
The fires set at the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with members of the North Providence, RI, Police Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office. The assault of the federal officers was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
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New York Man Admits Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten StatesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Bronx, NY, man admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island today that he participated in a conspiracy that intended to defraud banks in at least ten states of approximately $143,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He will be sentenced on May 27, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Keenan, working alongside other members of a conspiracy, to facilitate their scheme, recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). Keenan and his co-conspirators used the information to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits.
Keenan and others then obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information.
Keenan and others used the collected information to create fraudulent IDs and checks. They then traveled with recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and at least eight other states to cash the checks.
Through the scheme, Keenan and others attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Hebert.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.
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