District of Rhode Island
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Providence Man Charged in Alleged Scheme to Obtain Veterans’ Health Care BenefitsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A U.S. Army veteran, who allegedly made false claims of combat injuries in order to obtain veterans’ health care benefits that he was not entitled to receive, has been charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with making false statements relating to health care matters and making false statements to agents, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
It is alleged in court documents that Nicholas Ash, 38, of Providence, fraudulently claimed to a Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor that he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as the result of a combat deployment to Iraq/Middle East where, he claimed, he experienced a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Ash claimed that the IED blast caused him to suffer from seizures.
As alleged in court documents, Defense Department records reflect that Ash served in the U.S. Army from July 2005 to September 2007. 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, for an unrelated medical matter Ash was hospitalized and placed on non-deployable status, having been deemed not medically fit to deploy on any military operation. Defense Department records show no indication that Ash was ever deployed anywhere outside of the United States.
When initially confronted with these facts by the VA doctor, and when interviewed later by a federal agent, Ash is alleged to have claimed to have been injured 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 could find no record Ash ever worked for the private contractor.
In support of his claim that he was injured in the Middle East and that he experienced an IED blast, Ash allegedly presented the physician with a letter written by a veteran who served in the Middle East, and claimed to know of Ash’s tour of duty in Iraq. The individual, an Army veteran, later told an investigator that he did not meet Ash until 2015 or 2017, and that he wrote the letter at Ash’s request.
Ash made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate on Thursday and was released on unsecured bond. 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 Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
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Massachusetts Man Charged in Rhode Island on Federal Interstate Travel & Attempted Enticement ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Wilmington, Massachusetts, man was arrested yesterday and charged by complaint in Rhode Island federal court, after allegedly travelling to Rhode Island to meet and have sexual contact with a person he believed to be a fourteen-year-old girl, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Robert Consorti, 63, was arrested on Thursday by members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations after arriving in Warwick at a location where he believed he would be meeting with the girl.
As reflected in court documents, for more than a week prior to his arrest, Consorti allegedly communicated online and by text message with a person who he thought to be a young teenage girl, but who was, in reality, an East Providence Police Department Detective assigned to the ICAC Task Force.
It is alleged that, at Consorti’s direction, the communications rapidly turned sexual in nature, and that Consorti proposed that the two meet for sexual encounters. On Thursday, when Consorti arrived at a Warwick location where he was allegedly expecting to meet the 14-year-old, he was instead met by members of the ICAC Task Force and arrested. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers seized a backpack that allegedly contained condoms, lubricant, massage oils, and a vibrator from Consorti’s vehicle.
Consorti appeared on Thursday before a U.S. Magistrate, charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being 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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United States Attorney’s Office Observes Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Providence, RI — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, reflecting our steadfast commitment to supporting survivors, raising awareness, and promoting justice for all those affected by domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month serves as an important opportunity to shed light on the profound impacts that domestic violence has on victims, families, and communities, and to emphasize the importance of collective action. Each year, millions of individuals are impacted by intimate partner violence, and far too many families endure the tragic consequences of domestic abuse. This Office is committed to ensuring that survivors are heard and perpetrators are held accountable and to strengthening partnerships with communities to prevent domestic violence.
This year marks a particularly significant commemoration of efforts to combat domestic violence because it is also the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. In 1994, the passage of this landmark, bipartisan legislation transformed the way our nation addresses domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by increasing protections for survivors, providing critical federal resources to support a coordinated community response to these crimes, and awarding grants at the local, state, territory, Tribal, and national levels.
“Domestic and intimate partner violence is insidious, and it takes a devastating toll on our communities, transforming homes that should be places of refuge into scenes of abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha. “I am determined to expand our efforts to use federal law enforcement tools to seek justice for the victims of these crimes, and hold the perpetrators accountable – the survivors of domestic violence deserve no less.”
This year, on September 18th, 2024, the office announced the launch of a DOJ initiative with local law enforcement partners to reduce domestic incidents in Rhode Island cities of Woonsocket, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. The initiative was a provision for each district to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecution of domestic violence offenders prohibited from owning firearms.
Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking can have long-lasting impacts and consequences, and survivors in underserved communities are disproportionately impacted due to the lack of resources or barriers to accessing services. DVAM provides an opportunity to spread awareness about domestic violence and encourage everyone to play a role in ending gender-based violence.
We also encourage everyone to learn more about domestic violence and take steps to support friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who may be affected. By understanding the signs of abuse, providing a safe space for survivors, and connecting them to available resources, we can all play a role in creating safer communities.
Victims of domestic violence deserve safety, dignity, and justice. We are committed to prosecuting those who violate federal laws, collaborating with local law enforcement and prosecutors to identify domestic violence offenders who violate federal firearms prohibitions, and ensuring survivors have access to the resources they need for safety and healing. Together, we can bring hope to those in need and build a future free from domestic violence. For more information on Domestic Violence Awareness Month or to access resources, please visit https://ricadv.org/.
La Fiscalía de los Estados Unidos celebra el Mes de Concientización sobre la Violencia DomésticaRead the Press Release
Providence, RI — La Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Rhode Island celebra este octubre el Mes de Concientización sobre la Violencia Doméstica, lo que refleja nuestro firme compromiso de apoyar a los sobrevivientes, crear conciencia y promover la justicia para todos los afectados por la violencia doméstica, anunció el Fiscal Federal Zachary A. Cunha.
El Mes de Concientización sobre la Violencia Doméstica ofrece una importante oportunidad para arrojar luz sobre los profundos impactos que la violencia doméstica tiene en las víctimas, las familias y las comunidades, y para enfatizar la importancia de la acción colectiva. Cada año, millones de personas se ven afectadas por la violencia de pareja y demasiadas familias soportan las trágicas consecuencias del abuso doméstico. Esta Oficina está comprometida a garantizar que se escuche las voces de los sobrevivientes y que los perpetradores rindan cuentas y a fortalecer las asociaciones con las comunidades para prevenir la violencia doméstica.
Este año se celebra una conmemoración particularmente significativa de los esfuerzos para combatir la violencia doméstica porque también es el Trigésimo Aniversario de la Ley sobre la violencia contra la mujer. En 1994, la aprobación de esta histórica legislación bipartidista transformó la forma en que nuestra nación aborda la violencia doméstica y de pareja, la agresión sexual y el acecho al aumentar las protecciones para los sobrevivientes, proporcionar recursos federales críticos para apoyar una respuesta comunitaria coordinada a estos crímenes y otorgar subvenciones. a nivel local, estatal, territorial, tribal y nacional.
“La violencia doméstica y de pareja es insidiosa y tiene un costo devastador en nuestras comunidades, transformando hogares que deberían ser lugares de refugio en escenarios de abuso”, dijo el fiscal federal Zachary Cunha. “Estoy decidido a ampliar nuestros esfuerzos para utilizar herramientas federales de aplicación de la ley para buscar justicia para las víctimas de estos crímenes y responsabilizar a los perpetradores; los sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica no merecen menos”.
Este año, el 18 de septiembre de 2024, la oficina anunció el lanzamiento de una iniciativa del Departamento de Justicia con socios locales encargados de reducir las parejas de hecho en las ciudades de Woonsocket, Pawtucket y Central Falls en Rhode Island. La iniciativa fue una disposición para que cada distrito desarrollara un plan para reducir la violencia con armas de fuego entre parejas íntimas y priorizar el enjuiciamiento de los delincuentes de violencia doméstica a los que se les prohíbe poseer armas de fuego.
La violencia doméstica, la violencia en el noviazgo, la agresión sexual y el acecho pueden tener impactos y consecuencias duraderas, y los sobrevivientes en comunidades marginadas se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada debido a la falta de recursos o las barreras para acceder a los servicios. DVAM brinda la oportunidad de crear conciencia sobre la violencia doméstica y alentar a todos a desempeñar un papel para poner fin a la violencia de género.
También alentamos a todos a aprender más sobre la violencia doméstica y tomar medidas para apoyar a amigos, familiares, compañeros de trabajo y vecinos que puedan verse afectados. Al comprender las señales de abuso, brindar un espacio seguro para los sobrevivientes y conectarlos con los recursos disponibles, todos podemos desempeñar un papel en la creación de comunidades más seguras.
Las víctimas de violencia doméstica merecen seguridad, dignidad y justicia. Estamos comprometidos a procesar a quienes violan las leyes federales, colaborar con las autoridades locales y los fiscales para identificar a los delincuentes de violencia doméstica que violan las prohibiciones federales de armas de fuego y garantizar que los sobrevivientes tengan acceso a los recursos que necesitan para su seguridad y curación. Juntos, podemos llevar esperanza a los necesitados y construir un futuro libre de violencia doméstica. Para obtener más información sobre el Mes de Concientización sobre la Violencia Doméstica o para acceder a recursos, visite https://ricadv.org/.
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Rhode Island Businesswoman Admits to Failing to Pay More Than $1.2 Million Dollars in Payroll and Individual TaxesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The president of a Rhode Island electrical service business today admitted to a federal judge that she failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) more than $1.2 million dollars in payroll taxes deducted from employees’ paychecks, and in individual income taxes when she falsely claimed on joint individual tax returns that employment taxes were withheld and paid to the IRS, when, in fact, no such payments were made to the IRS, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Gail M. Hynson, 59, president of Hynson Electrical Services, Inc. pleaded guilty to ten counts of failure to account for and pay over payroll taxes and three counts of filing a false tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2025. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“This defendant made a conscious choice to try and divert her payroll tax obligations as a business owner into her own pockets,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Crimes like this impact not just the workers whose employer payroll taxes went unpaid, but all of our communities, which suffer when the taxes that benefit the common good go unpaid. Today’s conviction should send the clear message that this office will hold tax cheats accountable.”
“Gail Hynson chose to steal from the IRS to enrich herself, when she failed to pay over the taxes she withheld from her own employees.” said IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Harry T Chavis Jr. "Based on Hynson’s actions, her employees could have been at risk to pay their payroll taxes twice, until her egregious activity was uncovered -- first through their withholdings, that were stolen by Hynson, and second when they filed their income taxes and had no withholdings reported. However, if, as here, the IRS discovers that an employer withheld these payroll taxes (also known as "trust-fund taxes"), but failed to pay them over to the government, the employee is credited with having paid the taxes, and the government may not require any additional payment from the employee."
As reflected in charging documents and information presented to the court, from 2016 to 2020, Hynson Electrical Services, Inc. employed approximately 13 employees. Beginning in the 3rd quarter of 2018, and continuing through the 4th quarter of 2020, the business withheld employment taxes from its employees’ paychecks, to include federal income taxes, and Medicare and Social Security taxes, but never turned the funds over to the IRS. Additionally, during that time, the company failed to file Employer Quarterly Federal Income Tax Returns with the government.
Acting in her capacity as company bookkeeper, Gail Hynson created W2s for her and her husband for tax years 2017, 2018, and 2020. Information contained on the W2s, and incorporated on their personal joint tax returns, reflected that a total of $18,418 in employment taxes had been withheld from their paychecks and paid to the IRS, when in fact she knew that no money had been paid over to the government.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
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Providence Man Sentenced for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who participated in a conspiracy to possess and distribute large quantities of methamphetamine has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Charles Bersch, 40, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 72 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Bersch pleaded guilty on February 5, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as a charge of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to information presented to the court, in May 2022, a member of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force was conducting surveillance outside a Cranston residence as part of an ongoing FBI investigation. While outside the residence, the task force officer saw Bersch and another person, Peter Walkovich, 30, of Pepperrell, MA, arrive by car and enter the building. The task force officer had developed information that Walkovich was in possession of a significant quantity of methamphetamine.
After several minutes, Bersch and Walkovich left the residence with two other individuals and the four men drove off in the car that Bersch and Walkovich arrived in. An officer stopped the car a short distance from the residence. After making observations of suspicious behavior by Walkovich, the officer searched the care and found three backpacks , including one carried from the Cranston residence by Walkovich. Each backpack contained large quantities of methamphetamine. One of the backpacks contained $7,000 in cash. Four thousand dollars was also found inside the vehicle’s spare tire compartment. Lab tests later determined that all of the meth seized was between 97% and 100% pure.
Walkovich pleaded guilty on July 20, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on September 6, 2023, to 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, consisting of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. Attorney Cunha thanks the DEA for providing lab testing that determined the weight and the purity of the drugs seized.
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Leader of an International Romance Scam Conspiracy Sentenced to More Than Ten Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – An Atlanta man described in court documents as an “unrepentant con man” who played a leading role in a romance scam and money laundering conspiracy involving perpetrators from across the United States and overseas locations including Nigeria, that targeted and bilked elder widows and divorcees in Rhode Island and elsewhere out of millions of dollars was sentenced today to more than ten years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Wisdom Oghenekaro Onyobeno, 44, and others, created false personas and utilized a variety of online apps and games, such as Words with Friends, or dating applications to befriend and target potential victims. Onyobeno and his co-conspirators would then use fraudulent representations and emotional appeals to gain their victims’ trust, in order to convince those victims to send money to help with a purported personal crisis or urgent financial situation.
In some instances, conspirators falsely claimed to be military members stationed overseas, who needed funds to send their belongings home or to travel back to the U.S.; in other cases, they claimed to be U.S. contractors stuck on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Victims were instructed to mail checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks to post office boxes or to wire money to bank accounts managed by members of the conspiracy, including Onyobeno himself. In many cases, victims were convinced to send more money, on multiple occasions, based on conspirators’ made-up claims of unexpected and urgent circumstances. In yet other instances, conspirators would pose as government officials and tell victims that additional money was needed to deliver parcels that had been sent from overseas.
Once these funds were sent by victims, the conspirators laundered the funds to conceal their origin. As part of the money laundering conspiracy, Onyobeno and others created business entities and bank accounts into which ill-gotten victim funds were deposited, and later withdrawn. According to information presented to the court, victims are known to have lost more than $5.8 million dollars to members of this conspiracy.
“To those who believe that they can help themselves to the hard-earned savings of Rhode Islanders through deception and fraud, wherever you are, know that we will find you and bring you to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “And to members of the public– I implore you- be skeptical of requests for funds from anyone you don’t know well, and take steps to protect yourself.”
“Wisdom Onyobeno preyed on the vulnerable causing not only significant financial losses but unmeasurable emotional damage,” said Ketty D. Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “Postal Inspectors, working with our partners, will continue to target these predators and bring them to justice.”
Onyobeno pleaded guilty on April 28, 2023, to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and wire fraud. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 121 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Restitution will be determined by the court at a later date.
A co-defendant in this matter, Dominique Golden, is currently serving a term of incarceration of 78 months in federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Denise M. Barton and John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in Atlanta.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professional who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting or connect them with agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.[ET]. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, http://www.elderjustice.gov.
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Insurance Broker Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fabricating Applications and Payment Forms for Unauthorized End-of-Life Policies in Order to Collect Commission PaymentsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Attleboro, MA, insurance broker who collected nearly $137,000 dollars in sales commissions by submitting fabricated insurance applications for end-of-life insurance policies in clients’ names without their knowledge, and used those clients’ personal and banking information to pay for those policies, was sentenced today to federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Bruno Francis Ragusa, 53, pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, to a charge of wire fraud. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to a term of incarceration of eighteen months in federal prison to be followed by two years of federal supervised release.
At the time of his guilty plea, Ragusa admitted that he forged clients’ electronic signatures on more than fifty insurance policy applications and directed that all policy correspondence be sent directly to him and not to the clients. He also admitted that he used clients’ bank account information to cause payment for the policies to be directly wired from their bank accounts without their knowledge, and that he failed to advise his clients of the fact that policies had been purchased in their names.
As a result of his criminal conduct, Ragusa’s collected $136,956.56 in insurance sales commissions that he was not entitled to receive. At the government’s request, Ragusa has been ordered by the court to pay restitution in the amount of $70,379.47 to the insurance company, representing the balance of commissions paid to Ragusa that have yet to be recouped. On learning of the fraud, the insurance company repaid individual victims whose funds were used without their permission.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the FBI. United States Attorney Cunha thanks the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the North Attleboro Police Department, and the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation for their assistance in the investigation.
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Asbestos Removal Training Center Owner Convicted of Making False Statements to EPA and RIDOHRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The owner of a Rhode Island-based asbestos abatement training center admitted to a federal judge on Tuesday that he provided false documentation to the Rhode Island Department of Health, attesting that nearly two dozen individuals paid for, attended, and successfully completed an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)-approved abatement training program when, in fact, no one attended the classes, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
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).
Jose Virgilio Fernandez, owner of Rhode Island Safety Environment Training Center (“RISE”), was accredited by RIDOH to provide asbestos abatement training courses to workers. An investigation by RIDOH and EPA revealed that, on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2023, Fernandez submitted documents to RIDOH 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 to the RIDOH, attended and successfully completed a five-day, 40-hour program the week of May 22, 2023. In fact, no one attended the training sessions, with the exception of an EPA agent acting in an undercover capacity who attended for two hours on the first day of classes. Fernandez later admitted to the EPA that, in many cases, he issued certificates to asbestos workers even though they did not actually attend or complete the abatement class.
Fernandez pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal charge of making false statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2025. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Asbestos poses significant health risks when handled improperly,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha, “and that’s why commonsense environmental regulations require that those working with it be trained to do so safely. Fernandez’ lies put Rhode Island contractors, not to mention those exposed to improperly handled asbestos, at risk. This week's guilty plea should serve as a reminder to those who cut corners with toxic substances that they will be held accountable.”
“Proper training ensures protocols are followed for the handling of hazardous substances, lead, and asbestos by workers and supervisors on jobsites throughout Rhode Island,” stated Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division in New England. “Training providers that cut corners undercut the companies playing by the rules and the integrity of Rhode Island’s important training certification mission.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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Two Individuals Detained in Ongoing Elder Fraud InvestigationsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Two individuals have been ordered detained in federal custody, charged in ongoing federal, state, and local law enforcement investigations into online scams targeting Rhode Island seniors, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
On September 26, Jirui Liu, 22, of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate, having been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. It is alleged that he participated in a scheme that caused a 79-year-old man to turn over to $35,000 in cash and gold bars valued at $130,000 to members of the conspiracy.
On September 23, 2024, Kush J. Patel, 22, of Bridgeport, CT, was ordered detained following his initial appearance in U.S. District Court, having been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. It is alleged that Patel participated in a scam that defrauded a Rhode Islander of nearly $200,000.
As reflected in court documents in the matter of the United States v. Jiri Liu, while shopping online, a 79-year-old Narragansett man received a pop-up message that falsely claimed that he was under investigation for attempting to purchase child pornography. He was directed him to call a telephone number provided to him to address the issue. When he called the number, scammers falsely told him that his Social Security number had been compromised and is involved in money laundering activity, and that the government was attempting garnish his assets. The scammers then put the victim in touch with co-conspirators who impersonated federal authorities and a bank employee who instructed the victim to turn over his assets to the government so that they could be secured during the investigation. It is alleged that as part of the scheme, in early September, an unknown member of the conspiracy traveled to the victim’s home, where the victim provided him with $35,000 in cash. Several days later, at the direction of the conspirators, the victim purchased $135,000 in gold bars and delivered them to members of the conspiracy.
On September 24, 2024, the scammers attempted to arrange for the victim to deliver an additional $160,000 in gold bars. Before that occurred, however, the victim contacted law enforcement to report that he had been scammed. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arranged for the production of fake gold bars, which were provided to the victim for the third delivery. HSI agents surveilled the delivery as it was made, as is alleged, to Liu, who was arrested outside of the victim’s home.
In a separate investigation that resulted in the arrest of Kush J. Patel, HSI joined Tiverton, RI, Police after learning that a 72-year-old individual was the likely victim of online scammers. That investigation determined that a separate victim responded to an online pop-up message claiming that his computer contained a virus, and was falsely told that his identity had been compromised and that drug trafficking, money laundering, and child pornography had been associated with his name. The victim was advised that he would need to speak with a Federal Trade Commission agent about the matter, at which point this purported agent told the victim that, in order to resolve the issue privately, his assets would need to be frozen. Over the next several weeks, the fake FTC agent directed the victim to make three purchases of gold bullion from a specific gold dealer in New York via wire transfer, and that the gold was to be delivered to the victim’s home. As a result of these instructions, the victim made three purchases of gold bullion in amounts totaling $96,093.96 $101,233.79; and $165,762.32, respectively. The first two deliveries of bullion were picked-up by an unknown member of the conspiracy.
On September 21, at the direction of law enforcement, the victim substituted the contents of the third package before meeting with and delivering the package to an unknown individual, later identified allegedly as being Patel. The delivery occurred under law enforcement surveillance in a restaurant parking lot. Patel was followed as he left the parking lot and was arrested following a traffic stop by Connecticut State Police.
A 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 Attorney Denise M. Barton.
These matters were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with substantial assistance from the Narragansett and Tiverton Police Departments. Assistance was also provided by the Providence, Warwick, Pawtucket, Cranston, and Newport Police Departments, and the Rhode Island and Connecticut State Police.
A series of joint federal, state, and local law enforcement investigations into online scams presently targeting victims in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire remain ongoing.
Reporting fraud and fraud attempts is critical to law enforcement’s efforts to investigate and prosecute schemes targeting older adults. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professional who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting or connect them with agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.[ET]. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.
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kush_patel_criminal_complaint_aff.pdf jirui_criminal_complaint_aff.pdfFormer Wyatt Correctional Officer Sentenced for Attempting to Smuggle Contraband into the FacilityRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A now former Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility correctional officer was sentenced today for attempting to smuggle contraband inside the facility, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Kristopher White, 26, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024, to a federal charge of attempting to provide contraband in prison. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to time served, two years of probation - the first six months to be served in home confinement with GPS monitoring, and 200 hours of community service.
At the time of his guilty plea, White admitted to the court that he agreed to participate in an inmate-led scheme to smuggle contraband inside the Wyatt Detention Center. White admitted that, during non-working hours, he met with an associate of a detainee who provided him with several pieces of paper soaked in a controlled substance, as well as payment for White’s participation.
On December 2, 2021, while on-duty, White left the detention center and retrieved the contraband from his vehicle. As he reentered the facility, the defendant was intercepted by Wyatt Professional Standards Unit officials and the contraband was seized.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie M. White.
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Four Charged in Multi-State High-End Automobile Theft RingRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – As reflected in court documents unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., four Rhode Island men have been charged for their alleged participation in a conspiracy that burglarized and stole millions of dollars’ worth of high-end vehicles from automobile and motorcycle dealerships across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
An indictment unsealed today charges Belter Giron, 28, of North Providence, Alberto Rivera, 24, of Cranston, as well as Richard Robinson, 32, and Onix Eduardo, 27, both of Providence, with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Additional court records unsealed today reflect that the four defendants previously appeared in federal court charged by way of criminal complaint. Alberto Rivera and Belter Giron made initial appearances in federal court on July 30, and July 31, 2024, respectively; Richard Robinson appeared on August 19, 2024; and Onix Eduardo, 27, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate on September 3, 2024. Giron and Eduardo are detained in federal custody; Rivera was returned to custody at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions, where he had been held previously; Robinson has been released on bond.
It is alleged in court documents that, between February 2023 and July 2023, members of the conspiracy burglarized a dozen dealerships and stole approximately 120 vehicles, collectively valued at approximately $5 million dollars. The majority of thefts targeted high-end, luxury vehicle brands such as Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Land Rover and the like. Members of the conspiracy are also alleged to have targeted a motorcycle dealership in Pennsylvania, from which they stole nineteen premium Husqvarna motorcycles. It is further alleged that eleven dirt bikes stolen from a dealership in Phillipston, MA, were brought into Rhode Island and stored at Giron’s North Providence residence.
As referenced in charging documents, an analysis of communications between members of the conspiracy allegedly revealed numerous conversations related to vehicle thefts, the use of some of the vehicles by Giron and others, and efforts to sell the stolen vehicles. It is alleged that Giron brokered the sale of stolen vehicles to associates within and outside of Rhode Island, as well as to a larger network of individuals. Surveillance video obtained by Providence Police allegedly depicts individuals matching the description of Giron and Robinson in the driveway of a Providence residence on March 13, 2023, placing a cover over a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The vehicle, valued at $96,000, along with three other vehicles, was reported stolen one day earlier from a Hampstead, New Hampshire dealership.
To date, law enforcement has recovered forty-one vehicles believed and eleven dirt bikes allegedly stolen by members of the conspiracy, the majority of which were recovered in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. One vehicle allegedly stolen by the group, a Range Rover, was recovered from a shipping container in Elizabeth, New Jersey, destined for Africa.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Julie M. White.
A federal indictment and criminal complaints are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the Providence Police Department, Cranston Police Department, North Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, North Kingstown Police Department, East Providence Police Department, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Connecticut State Police, Easton, Massachusetts Police Department, Hampstead, Massachusetts Police Department, Waltham, Massachusetts Police Department, Somerset, Massachusetts Police Department, Internal Revenue - Criminal Investigation, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
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indictment.pdf crimnal_complaint_affidavit.pdfProvidence Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Acquisition of SNAP Benefits, Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Dominican national unlawfully present in the United States and living in Providence was sentenced today to two years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of more than $213,000 in benefits, and for illegally possessing a firearm at the time of his arrest, announced United States Attorney Zachary Cunha.
Giomar Lopez Meireles, 41, pleaded guilty on May 29, 2024, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 24 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. At the government’s request, the court also ordered the defendant to pay restitution in the amount of $213,397 to the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, which administers federal SNAP benefits in Rhode Island.
Lopez Meireles previously admitted to a federal judge that he conspired with others to submit fraudulent online applications for SNAP benefits in the form of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. As part of the scheme, the group used the real identities and social security numbers of third parties to submit fraudulent benefit applications . The ill-gotten, government funded, benefit cards were then either mailed to Lopez Meireles’s own residence or to a nearby addresses. The defendant sold some of these cards for cash while using some of the cards to make purchases for himself and others. He also sent some of the cash he received from selling the EBT cards to individuals in the Dominican Republic who were involved in the scheme.
During a court-authorized search of Lopez Meireles’s residence in October 2023, law enforcement seized a collection of fraudulently obtained EBT cards, many of which were wrapped in a paper ledger listing dollar amounts and PINs. Also seized was a 9mm pistol located in Lopez Meireles’s bedroom closet, wrapped in clothing.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julianne Klein.
This matter was investigated the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, and Woonsocket Police Department.
North Providence Man Detained on Federal Child Pornography Production ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Providence man has been charged in federal court and ordered detained following an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for the alleged production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Larry W. Albino, 50, was ordered detained following his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Monday on federal charges for production of child pornography.
According to charging documents, on September 16, 2024, a Rhode Island State Police Detective assigned to the ICAC Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an IP address, later determined by the Detective to belong to Albino’s residence, was used to upload ten files depicting the abuse of a pre-pubescent child. Further investigation revealed that that the location where the videos were recorded matched images of rooms recently displayed in an online property rental listing where Albino resides.
As related in court documents and information presented to the court, on September 17, 2024, members of the ICAC Task Force executed a court-authorized search of Albino’s residence and, it is alleged, immediately recognized that some of the furnishings of rooms inside Albino’s residence matched those depicted in the videos of child sexual abuse, and that sandals worn by the defendant at the time officers arrived matched those allegedly worn by the abuser in some of the videos.
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 Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police ICAC Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations.
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
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Former Medical Practice Administrator Sentenced for Stealing Nearly $600,000 from Her Employer, TDI Benefits ProgramRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A former office manager and bookkeeper for a Pawtucket medical practice has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for misappropriating nearly $570,000 in medical practice funds and more than $11,000 in TDI benefits she fraudulently applied for and received, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Tianna Keller, 59, previously pleaded guilty to two charges of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The defendant was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 27 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Additionally, at the request of the government, Keller was ordered to pay restitution totaling $579,857 to the medical practice, an insurance company that covered some of the loss to the medical practice, and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Temporary Disability (TDI) Benefits program.
As reflected in court documents and information presented to the court, Ms. Keller, who managed all aspects of the medical practice’s finances, developed and executed schemes to add family members and friends as unauthorized paid employees; collected and converted patient co-payments and other business funds to pay her own personal expenses; pay tens of thousands of dollars in personal credit card debt; pay wireless phone bills; and pay college tuition payments for a family member.
According to information presented to the court, once her fraud was discovered, Keller left the practice on medical leave. Upon expiration of her medical leave, she was terminated from the practice and applied for and was granted TDI benefits. Shortly thereafter, Keller gained new employment but continued to report to the Department of Labor and Training that she was unable to work, and she continued to collect TDI benefit payments she was not entitled to receive.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration, and Rhode Island State Police. United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Rhode Island Department of labor and Training for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Targeted DOJ Initiative with Local Partners to Reduce Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022.
The Justice Department - through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions - will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms.
“Domestic violence takes a devastating toll on families and communities across Rhode Island,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, “and when combined with illegal firearms, the consequences can be deadly. This Office is proud to partner with the cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket to bring targeted federal prosecutions that keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and help keep our communities, our friends, and our neighbors safe.”
"ATF is dedicated to reducing domestic violence, with a special focus on cases involving firearms. By working closely with our law enforcement partners, we are determined to end these violent crimes and safeguard our communities," said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division. "Together, we will protect victims and hold offenders accountable, ensuring a safer future for all."
Selected jurisdictions include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.
In Rhode Island, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket have been selected to participate. The U.S. Attorney’s office is committing resources and training to law enforcement to identify firearms cases which may be investigated and charged as federal crimes, with a focus on perpetrators of intimate partner violence.
The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
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Six Men Charged in Cockfighting OperationRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI — Six men were arrested and had their initial court appearances yesterday in federal court in Providence after being charged in a five-count indictment with violating the Animal Welfare Act in connection with a cockfighting operation. A federal grand jury sitting in Providence returned the indictment last week.
The indictment alleges that on March 6, 2022, Miguel Delgado, 73, hosted a series of individual cockfights, known as “derbies,” at his Providence home. Delgado is also charged with sponsoring and exhibiting roosters in an animal fighting venture on multiple dates, buying and transporting sharp instruments or “gaffs” for use in the cockfights and unlawfully possessing roosters for use in an animal fighting venture.
Onill Vasquez Lozada, 39, and Antonio Ledee Rivera, both of Rhode Island, were charged with unlawfully possessing roosters in April 2021 for use in an animal fighting venture and for sponsoring and exhibiting roosters at the March 2022 derby at Delgado’s home. Rivera was additionally charged in connection with an earlier derby at Delgado’s home.
Germidez Kingsley Jamie, 31; Jose Rivera, 67; and Luis Castillo, 35, all residents of Massachusetts, were charged with sponsoring and exhibiting roosters at an animal fighting venture at the March 2022 derby. Jamie and Jose Rivera are also charged with one count of buying and transporting gaffs for use in an animal fighting venture.
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.
If convicted of Animal Welfare Act violations, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement.
The Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), Postal Inspection Service, Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation and Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigated the case. 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 and Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro, MA, Police Departments.
To report animal fighting crimes, contact your local law enforcement or the USDA-OIG’s complaint hotline.
Senior Trial Attorneys Gary Donner and Stephen Da Ponte of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams for the District of Rhode Island are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Two Rhode Island Men Charged for Leading Roles in Large-Scale Organized Theft Crime Ring; Investigation ContinuesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Following the seizure of approximately 60,000 stolen items, primarily over-the-counter pharmaceutical products and cosmetics worth an estimated $1.6 million dollars, two Rhode Island men described in court documents as high-level members of an organized retail theft crime ring that targeted retailers nationwide, and then resold the stolen goods in bulk to other retailers and private citizens, have been arrested and charged in federal court in Providence, RI, announced Zachary A. Cunha, United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.
As reflected in court document, it is alleged that Norman L. Cipriano, 52, of Warwick, and Patrick M. Vigneau, 59, of Cranston, RI, are high-level wholesalers known within organized theft rings as Diverters. Diverters often set up shell companies, own warehouses where stolen merchandise is shipped, and act as suppliers for small to mid-size retail chains. These organizations frequently utilize e-commerce marketplaces to promote and offer their goods and use unregulated third-party processors such as PayPal in order to avoid detection.
To date, agents and task force officers from the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Warwick Police Department have executed multiple search warrants in Warwick, Cranston, and Pawtucket, RI, seizing enough stolen goods to fill three fully loaded 24-foot box trucks. Authorities have also moved to freeze several bank and e-commerce accounts, and have seized more than two dozen boxes in transit via UPS.
It is alleged that, over the last several years, this Rhode Island-based organized retail crime theft has netted roughly $12.3 million dollars in sales.
“The scale of the retail theft network whose alleged leaders we have charged today is staggering,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “In addition to imposing higher prices on legitimate retail consumers, theft rings like this one put unsuspecting customers at risk from damaged, expired, or adulterated goods, and impose untold economic costs. Today’s arrests and the disruption of this network reflects the kind of tenacity and dedication that this Office and our partners will continue to bring to bear to combat this type of brazen criminality.”
Stolen Items Seized by Law Enforcement
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to dismantling organized retail theft,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division for the Postal Inspection Service. “These criminals use the U.S. Mail to ship the stolen items to unsuspecting customers who assume they are purchasing legitimate goods from a reputable online seller. The impact of this type of crime is more than just using the mail for illegal gain. This crime has significant negative impact on businesses, retailers, and public safety. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue criminals who victimize postal customers and bring them to justice.”
“The scale of this alleged theft organization is simply astonishing. Special agents and officers seized tens of thousands of stolen items valued at over $1.6 million, but this represents only a snapshot of this alleged scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “HSI is proud to work alongside our federal, local, and private industry partners to unravel this organization. Organized retail theft is not a victimless crime and when theft groups undermine international commerce and the supply chain, we all pay.”
Colonel Bradford Connor of the Warwick Police Department stated, “The Warwick Police Department is dedicated to collaborating with our state and local partners to fight organized retail theft. This investigation highlights the various schemes aimed at defrauding businesses and citizens. The joint efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were crucial in bringing these individuals to justice and dismantling this organized crime ring.”
Stolen Items Seized by Law Enforcement
Cipriano and Vigneau are charged by way of federal criminal complaints with interstate transportation of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity.
Court documents allege that organized theft rings operate by dividing responsibilities among various individuals. At the first stage, these rings employ individuals known as “Boosters,” led by Crew Bosses who provide them with lists of items to be stolen from retail outlets, most often high-demand, high-priced products. The stolen items are then turned over to “Fencers,” middlemen who work between the Boosters/Crew Bosses and other individuals involved in the organization. Fencers move the items to “Cleansers” who strip retail and anti-theft stickers and devices from the stolen items prior to them being shipped off to “Diverters.” Diverters act as wholesalers, salespeople, or coordinators of secondary sales, often times selling the stolen goods to small to mid-sized retail chains that in turn sell the products to consumers.
In this matter, it is alleged that stolen and cleaned merchandise was turned over to Cipriano and Vigneau in their roles as Diverters. The defendants, allegedly operating under the names of various shell companies, and working with others, sold large volumes of stolen merchandise via e-commerce sites such as eBay, Walmart, and Amazon. In order to avoid detection, unregulated third-party processors, such as PayPal, were used, tied to bank accounts controlled by the defendants.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to court records, Norman L. Cipriano was convicted in Rhode Island state court in 2005 and served a term of six years of incarceration for conspiracy and receiving stolen goods. Additionally, Cipriano was convicted in federal court in August 2013 on a charge of trafficking counterfeit goods and was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison.
Patrick M. Vigneau, convicted by a federal jury in March 1998 on charges of engaging in a continuing enterprise, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiring to commit money laundering, was released from federal prison in 2020 and is currently serving a term of federal supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The matter is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England, HSI Providence, and the Warwick, RI, Police Department.
United States Attorney Cunha acknowledges and thanks the following law agencies for their assistance: HSI Springfield, MA; HSI Hartford, CT; HSI New Haven, CT: Customs and Border Protection; Cranston RI, Police Department; Pawtucket, RI, Police Department; Providence RI, Police Department; Newport RI, Police Department; East Providence RI, Police Department; Portsmouth RI, Police Department; Rhode Island State Police; Rhode Island National Guard; Naperville, IL, Police Department; Wilmette, IL, Police Department; and the California Highway Patrol.
United States Attorney Cunha also acknowledges loss prevention personnel from Walmart, Ahold Delhaize (Stop & Shop) CVS, Home Depot, United Parcel Service, Amazon, and eBay for their assistance to law enforcement.
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search_warrant_and_criminal_complaint_affidavits.pdf usa_cunha_news_conference_remarks_9-16-2024_004.pdfProvidence Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Pound of FentanylRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who admitted to a federal judge that he was in possession of more than a pound of fentanyl when he was arrested, only a year after completing a term of incarceration in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, and who was still on federal supervised release at the time of his most recent arrest, has been sentenced to six years in prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Felix Santos, 28, pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024, to a charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on September 12, 2024, to 72 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release. Additionally, at the government’s request, the court ordered Santos to forfeit $3,619 in cash and assorted jewelry that he obtained as a result of his drug trafficking activities and that were seized from him at the time of his arrest.
As reflected in court documents, in May 2021, just one year after Santos was released from prison, Providence Police developed information that Santos was again involved in narcotics trafficking. Between May and June of 2021, three controlled purchases of fentanyl were conducted outside of Santos’ residence as part of a DEA investigation. On other occasions, Santos was surveilled by law enforcement engaging in behavior consistent with street-level narcotics distribution while outside his residence.
On June 25, 2021, members of the Providence Police Narcotics Bureau executed a court-authorized search of Santos’ residence and seized 457 grams of fentanyl, 50 grams of crack cocaine, and various materials and items used in the packaging and distribution of narcotics.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman.
The matter was investigated by the Providence Police Narcotics Bureau and the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force.
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Providence Resident Admits to Role in Schemes to Defraud Unemployment Benefit Programs, Property Title CompanyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man has admitted to a federal judge that he participated in an international fraud scheme to defraud the federally-funded pandemic unemployment compensation program of more than $70,000, and to defraud an Alabama-based property title company of an additional $80,000, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Obryan Poku, 29, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count each of theft of public funds and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2024.
As reflected in court documents, after living in Texas for two years, Poku returned to Rhode Island in June 2021, while continuing to collect pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). On approximately 10 occasions, Poku made fraudulent statements in the course of recertifying online benefits applications, falsely attesting that he was not receiving any other income, when in fact he was. Poku subsequently received pandemic unemployment benefits totaling $14,042 that he was not entitled to receive.
Additionally, Poku conspired with individuals in Ghana to launder $70,644 in pandemic unemployment benefits received from the Illinois Department of Economic Security; those benefits were obtained by individuals working with Poku, using the stolen personal identification information of three individuals. The Illinois benefit payments were directed to a bank account controlled by Poku, who then wired a portion of the ill-gotten proceeds to his co-conspirators in Ghana, while keeping a portion for himself.
In yet another scheme detailed in court filings, Poku conspired with individuals in Ghana in an attempt to defraud an Alabama-based title company. To carry out the scheme, Poku or a member of the conspiracy sent an $80,000 check to the title company, purportedly as earnest money for a pending real estate transaction. Approximately two weeks after the check was placed in escrow by the title company, the co-conspirators sent the company an email stating that the property purchase had fallen through, and requesting that the $80,000 earnest payment be reimbursed to an investment company. It was later determined by investigators that the investment company had been created by Poku just days prior to the request for reimbursement. Shortly after the funds were transferred to Poku’s company account, the title company was notified that the original check was fraudulent and that the funds in Poku’s company’s account had been frozen. Poku then attempted to access the funds by repeatedly calling the bank and falsely stating that the funds were sent from business partners, and later, by family members.
Poku is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman.
The matter was investigated by the FBI’s Rhode Island Complex Financial Crimes Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, and members of the Providence Police Department, North Providence Police Department, and the Rhode Island State Police.
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Circles and Silence Program Set to Return for a 5th Consecutive Year in Rhode Island Schools; As Kids Head Back to School, U.S. Attorney’s Office Launches Internet Safety Resource Page for ParentsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI –United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced today that his office is set to launch Circles and Silence programs in Rhode Island schools statewide for a 5th consecutive school year. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Cunha today launched an Internet Safety resource page on the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s Office web site, providing families with important information to help protect children while on the internet.
The Circles and Silence program and the Internet Safety resource page, which includes important an important public service announcement from U.S. Attorney Cunha to parents about ways to help protect kids from online threats, are part of several U.S. Attorney’s Office community outreach initiatives related to crime prevention, enforcement, protecting individuals’ civil rights, and assisting victims.
“Whether it’s the risk of opioids and addiction, or the threat posed by online predators, the back-to-school season is the perfect time for parents to make sure that they talk to their kids, understand the threats they face online and in the community, and partner with us in the effort to help keep our children and communities safe,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha.
The Circles and Silence Program, an education and outreach model that addresses opioid addition, prevention, and recovery, is built around a five-time Emmy nominated, locally produced U.S. Attorney’s Office documentary film narrated by a diverse group of Rhode Island young adults whose personal true-life stories delve deeply into their distinct journeys of drug dependency and recovery. The film documents their paths from addiction, in some instances to prison, to successful management of addiction, to working daily to lead productive and healthy lifestyles. In addition to sharing their stories, individuals who appear in the film participate in in-person conversation sessions with students.
To date, more than 30,000 Rhode Island students and community members across the state have attended Circles and Silence programs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will kick-off the new school year on September 17, 2024, with a presentation to students at Cranston East High School. Later that same day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will present a program on elder abuse and elder fraud at the Salvatore Mancini Senior Center in North Providence.
Visit the U.S. Attorney’s web site to learn more about these initiatives and other outreach programs offered by the United States Attorney’s Office. To schedule a Circles and Silence presentation, or any outreach initiative program, contact United States Attorney’s Office Community Engagement & Crime Prevention Coordinator David Neill at (401) 709-5035 or at [email protected].
Rhode Island Department of Human Services Supervisor, Daughter Charged in Schemes to Defraud Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced today that a Rhode Island Department of Human Services (RI DHS) supervisor now faces federal charges for allegedly using her position to improperly access the personal information of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits (SNAP) recipients, as well as SNAP EBT benefit card balance information, and, that she and her daughter allegedly used fraudulently accessed SNAP benefits for their own personal purchases.
It is alleged that Nadine Jean Baptiste, 57, of Warwick, repeatedly conducted telephonic balance inquiries on EBT benefit cards, frequently changing the PIN numbers associated with those cards. It is alleged that some of the individuals whose information was repeatedly accessed were either juveniles or individuals who were, at the time, homeless or incarcerated. It is further alleged that SNAP EBT benefit cards with a value of approximately $191,000 were improperly accessed.
The investigation into this matter was launched in September 2023, when the Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit received complaints from SNAP recipients via the Internal Audit Fraud Hotline alleging that they did not receive EBT benefit cards issued to them, which are commonly mailed to the address of the recipient or obtained in-person from a DHS office in the case of a homeless recipient.
Nadine Jean Baptiste and Octavia Jean Baptiste are each charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, and conspiracy. Nadine Baptiste was arrested earlier today at her place of employment. She is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate at 2pm. An arrest warrant has been issued for Octavia Baptiste.
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 Attorney Peter I. Roklan
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, and Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, Warwick Police Department, Providence Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, and the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.
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criminal_complaint_and_affidavit.pdfNorth Providence Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Providence man is scheduled to be sentenced in December after admitting to a federal judge that he possessed and distributed child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Mark Peterson, 46, pleaded guilty on September 6, 2024 to an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2024. The defendant’s conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, but his final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, in February 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded information to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that an online application was being used to distribute child pornography. A State Police Detective determined that the online account contained 114 files depicting child sexual abuse, and that an IP address at Peterson’s residence was used to access the account.
On April 5, 2022, members of the ICAC Task Force executed a court-authorized search of Peterson’s residence and seized three cellphones. A fourth cellphone stored inside Peterson’s vehicle was also turned over to investigators. A forensic audit of the devices revealed more than 1,300 files comprising videos and images of child sexual abuse, including the depictions of the abuse of pre-pubescent children, infants, sadomasochism, and bestiality. Additionally, located on one cell phone were numerous sexualized screen recordings of prepubescent minor children from social media applications. Investigators also located screen recordings in which Peterson falsely portrayed himself as 15 years old.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Julianne Klein.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Massachusetts State Police.
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 Rhode Island 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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Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in the City of Pawtucket (in Providence County), Rhode Island, for the Sept. 10 primary election.
The Justice Department will assign federal observers to monitor the election in the City of Pawtucket to observe the county’s compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Earlier this year, a federal court approved a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims under Sections 203 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency in the City of Pawtucket. Section 203 requires that certain jurisdictions, including Pawtucket, provide election materials and assistance in other languages, in addition to English. The decree also addresses a claim under Section 302 of the Help America Vote Act. Section 302 requires jurisdictions to provide provisional ballots during federal elections. The consent decree authorizes federal observers to monitor election day activities in the county’s polling places.
The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country. In addition, the department also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, when authorized by federal court order.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in PawtucketRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in the City of Pawtucket for the Sept. 10 primary election.
The Justice Department will assign federal observers to monitor the election in the City of Pawtucket to observe compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Earlier this year, a federal court approved a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims under Sections 203 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency in the City of Pawtucket. Section 203 requires that certain jurisdictions, including Pawtucket, provide election materials and assistance in other languages, in addition to English. The decree also addresses a claim under Section 302 of the Help America Vote Act. Section 302 requires jurisdictions to provide provisional ballots during federal elections. The consent decree authorizes federal observers to monitor election day activities in the county’s polling places.
The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country. In addition, the department also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, when authorized by federal court order.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
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El Departamento de Justicia monitoreará el cumplimiento de las leyes federales de derechos electorales en Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que monitoreará el cumplimiento con las leyes federales electorales en la ciudad de Pawtucket (en Providence County), Rhode Island, en las elecciones primarias del 10 de septiembre.
El Departamento asignará observadores federales para monitorear las elecciones en la ciudad de Pawtucket para asegurar el cumplimiento con la Ley de Derechos Electorales. Con anterioridad este año, una corte federal aprobó un decreto por consentimiento para resolver las alegaciones del Departamento bajo la sección 203 de la Ley de Derechos Electorales sobre la disponibilidad de asistencia electoral y materiales en español para votantes hispanos con conocimientos limitados del idioma inglés en la ciudad de Pawtucket. La sección 203 exige que ciertas jurisdicciones, incluyendo a Pawtucket, provean materiales electorales y asistencia en otros idiomas, además del inglés. El decreto también aborda una reclamación bajo la sección 302 de la Ley de Ayudemos a Estados Unidos a Votar. La sección 302 exige que las jurisdicciones provean votos provisionales en elecciones federales. El decreto por consentimiento autoriza a observadores federales a monitorear las actividades el Día de Elecciones en los lugares de votación del condado.
El Departamento envía personal periódicamente a monitorear elecciones en comunidades a través de todo el país. Además, la División envía observadores federales de la Oficina de Administración de Personal de EE.UU. según autorizado por una orden judicial federal.
La Sección de Votación de la División de Derechos Civiles, junto con las Oficinas de los Fiscales Federales, vela por el cumplimiento de las leyes federales civiles que protegen el derecho al voto, incluyendo la Ley del Derecho al Voto, la Ley Nacional de Inscripción de Votantes, la Ley Ayudemos a Estados Unidos a Votar, y la Ley de Votación para los Uniformados y los Ciudadanos en el Extranjero.
Información adicional sobre la votación y las elecciones está disponible en el sitio web del Departamento de Justicia en www.justice.gov/crt/voting/. Aprenda más sobre la Ley del Derecho al Voto y otras leyes federales electorales en www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Denuncias relacionadas a posibles vulneraciones de las leyes federales de derechos electorales pueden presentarse mediate el formulario en línea de la División de Derechos Civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/ o por teléfono al (800) 253-3931.
El Departamento de Justicia monitoreará el cumplimiento de las leyes federales de derechos electorales en Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que monitoreará el cumplimiento con las leyes federales electorales en la ciudad de Pawtucket, Rhode Island, en las elecciones primarias del 10 de septiembre.
El Departamento asignará observadores federales para monitorear las elecciones en la ciudad de Pawtucket para asegurar el cumplimiento con la Ley de Derechos Electorales. Con anterioridad este año, una corte federal aprobó un decreto por consentimiento para resolver las alegaciones del Departamento bajo la sección 203 de la Ley de Derechos Electorales sobre la disponibilidad de asistencia electoral y materiales en español para votantes hispanos con conocimientos limitados del idioma inglés en la ciudad de Pawtucket. La sección 203 exige que ciertas jurisdicciones, incluyendo a Pawtucket, provean materiales electorales y asistencia en otros idiomas, además del inglés. El decreto también aborda una reclamación bajo la sección 302 de la Ley de Ayudemos a Estados Unidos a Votar. La sección 302 exige que las jurisdicciones provean votos provisionales en elecciones federales. El decreto por consentimiento autoriza a observadores federales a monitorear las actividades el Día de Elecciones en los lugares de votación del condado.
El Departamento envía personal periódicamente a monitorear elecciones en comunidades a través de todo el país. Además, la División envía observadores federales de la Oficina de Administración de Personal de EE.UU. según autorizado por una orden judicial federal.
La Sección de Votación de la División de Derechos Civiles, junto con las Oficinas de los Fiscales Federales, vela por el cumplimiento de las leyes federales civiles que protegen el derecho al voto, incluyendo la Ley del Derecho al Voto, la Ley Nacional de Inscripción de Votantes, la Ley Ayudemos a Estados Unidos a Votar, y la Ley de Votación para los Uniformados y los Ciudadanos en el Extranjero.
Información adicional sobre la votación y las elecciones está disponible en el sitio web del Departamento de Justicia en www.justice.gov/crt/voting/. Aprenda más sobre la Ley del Derecho al Voto y otras leyes federales electorales en www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Denuncias relacionadas a posibles vulneraciones de las leyes federales de derechos electorales pueden presentarse mediate el formulario en línea de la División de Derechos Civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/ o por teléfono al (800) 253-3931.
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Level III Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A level III sex offender who has four prior state convictions on child pornography charges has now been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for additional federal child pornography offenses, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
In July 2023, less than one month after being released from state prison after completing a four-year term of incarceration, Patrick M. O’Donnell, 63, was found to be in possession of two cellphones, in violation of the conditions of the terms of his state probation, which forensic review determined to have been used to access child pornography.
O’Donnell pleaded guilty in federal court on April 8, 2024, to a charge of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court William E. Smith to 10 years of incarceration to be followed by lifetime federal supervised release.
The case in federal court was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Cranston Police, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole.
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
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Former Navy Petty Officer Admits to Role in Stealing and Selling Military GearRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A California man who served for more than twenty years in the United States Navy before his discharge as a Petty Officer First Class has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that, while actively serving in the Navy, he participated in a scheme to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars of government property from a Navy base responsible for supplying ships in the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Richard Allen, 52, of Citrus Heights, CA, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering as previously charged in a federal grand jury indictment.
According to information presented to the court, while stationed at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex, in Williamsburg, VA, Allen and others repeatedly broke into a warehouse on the Navy base that held U.S. Navy gear, including working uniforms, winter gear, flame retardant shirts and pants, soft body armor, goggles, infrared flag patches, Navy SEAL Trident insignia, and Small Arms Protective Insert plates. Allen and his co-conspirators stole $856,433 worth of Navy gear and supplies, storing the items in various locations, including in Rhode Island. Allen and others then identified bulk-sale domestic and international customers for the stolen goods and arranged for delivery either in person or via commercial shipping. Payment for the stolen goods was frequently made and received via PayPal, including dozens of payments made from an account in China. The proceeds were transferred to co-conspirators bank accounts, including Allen’s, in increments of less than $10,000, in an effort to avoid bank reporting requirements.
Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, 2024.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Defense Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations-New England; Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement-Boston Field Office; and FBI- Providence Resident Agency.
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Cranston Man Sentenced to Twenty-Four Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Cranston man was sentenced today to 24 years in federal prison for producing and possessing sexually explicit images and videos, including images and videos that he produced while victimizing a seven year old girl who had been left in his care, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Gregory Phillips, 42, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to charges of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 288 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release.
Phillips previously admitted to the court that, on multiple occasions beginning in late 2021, he produced child pornography and molested a young girl left in his care. Court documents detail that, over a nine-month period of time, Phillips produced 61 images and four videos of child pornography while abusing his victim.
“It is hard to overstate the repugnance of this defendant’s conduct - not only did he betray the trust placed in him by sexually assaulting a young victim in his care, but he chose to memorialize that abuse for his own revolting gratification,” said U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Today, thanks to exceptional investigative work by Homeland Security, the Rhode Island State Police, and the Cranston Police Department, he faces a sentence that he has richly earned.”
Philips first came to the attention of law enforcement when members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force reviewed a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that an individual in Rhode Island had possessed and transferred child pornography. Further investigation by the ICAC Task Force and a Cranston Police Detective determined that the images and videos were being transferred from an account linked to Philips’s phone number.
A forensic review of images and videos located on cellphones seized from Philips by law enforcement resulted in the discovery of the images created by Phillips in the course of his abuse, as well as additional child pornography.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated by the ICAC Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations. United States Attorney Cunha extends his thanks to the Cranston Police Department for its support and assistance 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, 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
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Providence Gang Member Sentenced for Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A convicted felon described in court documents as being a member of a “dangerous Providence Street gang and a driver of violence within that group” was sentenced today to two years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Ryan DaCruz, 28, of Providence and Central Falls, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 24 months of incarceration to be followed by two years of federal supervised released. DaCruz pleaded guilty on pleaded guilty on January 30, 2024, to a charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
On May 31, 2023, in support of an ongoing Project Safe neighborhoods investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with officers and detectives from the Providence and Central Falls Police Departments, encountered DaCruz as he left a Central Falls apartment. A number of packages of marijuana, consistent with being packaged for sale, and several hundred dollars in cash bundled in different quantities were found in his backpack. Agents and officers followed DaCruz’s arrest with a court-authorized search of the apartment DaCruz had just left and located a 30-round, Glock magazine for use in a 9mm Glock firearm, a clear plastic bag containing 14 rounds of commercially produced 9x19mm ammunition, and a small bag of suspected cocaine among his personal belongings.
As reflected in court documents, DaCruz’s affiliation with the East Side gang dates back to at least 2016. DaCruz appears in a video filmed in 2016 that depicts him riding through a residence on a wheel board singing, holding what appears to be two pistols/revolvers. As the video ends, DaCruz pulls the triggers on both guns. The menacing lyrics of the song that he is singing in the video was in reference to Chad Brown, a rival Providence gang.
Court records illustrate that DaCruz was previously convicted and sentenced in Rhode Island state court on drug and firearms charges in crimes unrelated to the case heard today in federal court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John P. McAdams and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by ATF, Providence Police Department, and Central Falls Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Alert to Rhode Islanders: Callers Alleging Failure to Respond to Federal Court Subpoenas are ScammersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The United States District Court and the United States Attorney’s Office are aware of an ongoing scam where individuals claiming to be representatives of law enforcement are calling Rhode Islanders attempting to acquire personal information (Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, etc.) or payment of fines or fees over the phone for failure to respond to a subpoena. In the course of these phone calls, the caller may claim that an order has been issued by a federal Judge, in some cases using the names of an actual Rhode Island federal Judge specifically.
The calls are scam and recipients should not provide personal or financial information to the callers. Rhode Islanders are urged not respond to these callers in any way.
U.S. District Court orders are sent by U.S. Mail, and are not communicated to the recipient over the phone; the court will not contact you by phone to collect personal information. Individuals who have questions about the authenticity of a court order or who receive a Court-related communication that you believe to be fraudulent or questionable should contact the United States District Court at (401) 752-7200.
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Massachusetts Attorney, Three Others Charged in Scheme to Smuggle Contraband into the Wyatt Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – As reflected in court documents unsealed in federal court in Providence today, a Massachusetts attorney, two individuals detained in the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, and a Connecticut woman have been charged by way of federal criminal complaints for their alleged participation in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Wyatt Detention Facility, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Attorney Theresa M. DiJoseph, 50, of Woburn, MA, is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, providing a prohibited object to an inmate, and making a false statement; Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, CT, and Wyatt Center detainees Shawn D. Hart, 46, and Samuel Douglas, 26, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and providing a prohibited object to an inmate.
DiJoseph and Stedford were arrested earlier today and are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Providence today. Hart, detained at the Wyatt Detention Facility while awaiting trial on drug and firearm offenses charged in the District of Massachusetts, and Douglas, who is awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court in New Haven, CT, having pleaded guilty in April 2024 to a charge of racketeering conspiracy, will make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Providence at a later date.
According to charging documents, during a visit to Wyatt on July 9, 2023, DiJoseph used her credentials as an attorney to meet with Hart in a contact visiting room (a visiting room that does not include a plexiglass screen sometimes used for attorney visits to conduct legal work). Correctional officers later filed an incident report when DiJoseph was found to be acting suspicious and monitoring the correctional officer’s movements.
A review by Wyatt of text messages sent between DiJoseph and Hart on a Wyatt-issued tablet allegedly revealed that DiJoseph had sent Hart personal photos of herself and screenshots showing Cash App or sports-betting transactions that she appeared to have engaged in on Hart’s behalf. She was temporarily prohibited from contact visits with Hart, but later allowed to resume visits.
On December 1, 2023, during an attempted 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, consistent with papers soaked in synthetic marijuana. The papers were later sent to an FBI testing lab that confirmed the presence of Schedule 1 controlled substances.
It is alleged in charging documents that Wyatt detainee Samuel Douglas arranged for his girlfriend, Hanasa Stedford, to meet with DiJoseph outside of the Wyatt Detention Center on December 1, 2023, and to provide DiJoseph with the contaminated papers that were seized from DiJoseph.
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 Julianne Klein and Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by FBI and members of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center Professional Standards Unit.
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criminal_complaint_and_affidavit_.pdfDefendants with Ties to White Supremacy Sentenced in Connection with Plot to Destroy Energy FacilitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Three men were sentenced on Thursday for various conspiracy and firearms offenses in connection with a racially-motivated scheme to destroy an energy facility.
Paul James Kryscuk, 38, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced Thursday to six years and six months in prison for conspiracy to destroy an energy facility. Liam Collins, 25, of Johnston, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms. Justin Wade Hermanson, 25, of Swansboro, North Carolina, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate.
“As part a self-described ‘modern day SS,’ these defendants conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These sentences reflect both the depravity of their plot and the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to use violence to undermine our democracy.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Kryscuk, Collins, and Hermanson researched, discussed and reviewed at length a previous attack on the power grid by an unknown group. The group depicted in the attack used assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation. Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins stole military gear, including magazines for assault-style rifles, and had them delivered to the other defendants. During that time, co-defendant Jordan Duncan gathered a library of information – some military-owned – regarding firearms, explosives, and nerve toxins and shared that information with Kryscuk and Collins. In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk’s possession, including intersections and places containing a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the northwest United States.
Previously filed charges alleged that Collins and Kryscuk were members of and made multiple posts on the “Iron March” forum, a gathering point for young neo-Nazis to organize and recruit for extremist organizations, until the forum was closed in late 2017. Collins and Kryscuk met through the forum and expanded their group using an encrypted messaging application as an alternate means of communication outside of the forum. Collins and Kryscuk recruited additional members, including Duncan, Hermanson, and co-defendant Joseph Maurino, and conducted training, including a live-fire training in the desert near Boise, Idaho. From video footage recorded by the members during the training, Kryscuk, Duncan and others produced a montage video of their training. In the video, the participants are seen firing short barrel rifles and other assault-type rifles, and the end of the propaganda video shows the four participants outfitted in Atomwaffen masks giving the “Heil Hitler” sign, beneath the image of a black sun, a Nazi symbol. The last frame bears the phrase, “Come home white man.” Prior to their arrests, Collins and Duncan had relocated to Idaho from North Carolina and Texas, respectively, to be near Kryscuk.
The FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
Trial Attorney John Cella of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara Kocher and Gabriel Diaz for the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Idaho, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, and the District of Rhode Island.
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Providence Man Arrested, Detained on Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man arrested early Wednesday has been ordered detained in federal custody on child pornography charges, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
James Moses, 30, is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
It is alleged in charging documents that Moses uploaded sexually explicit videos involving prepubescent males and adult males during online communications on multiple platforms, and that he allegedly was found to have stored videos of child pornography on personal digital devices.
In May 2024, an FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force Officer assigned to the FBI Washington, D.C. Field Office established online accounts posing as a person interested in the sexual exploitation of children. It is alleged that in mid-May Moses responded to the undercover officer’s posting and began a series of discussions about his interest in having sexual contact with minors. During the discussion, which lasted for more than two weeks, Moses allegedly sent the undercover officer explicit videos of illicit sexual contact involving adult males and prepubescent males.
On July 15, 2024, as part of their investigation of Moses, FBI Providence contacted the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Agents learned that the ICAC Task Force was in the midst of a separate investigation into Moses allegedly being in possession of child pornography. On July 17, 2024, members of the ICAC Task Force executed a state court authorized search of Moses residence. During a brief forensic review of Moses’ electronic devices, a member of ICAC Task Force allegedly identified more than 100 videos of child pornography. Moses was arrested on a Rhode Island state charge of possession of child pornography and was released on $2,500 bail with surety following his arraignment in Rhode Island state court.
Moses was arrested today by the FBI on the federal criminal complaint charging him with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was ordered detained in federal custody at his initial appearance in U.S. District Court.
This Project Safe Childhood case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
Project Safe Childhood is 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
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IT Specialist Sentenced for FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – An IT specialist previously employed at the Rhode Island office of an international company that specializes in building and operating offshore and onshore wind and solar projects has been sentenced to federal prison to be followed by a term of home confinement and supervised release for defrauding the company out of more than $158,000 through the fraudulent use of a company credit card, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Alfred Appiah, 35, of Pawtucket was sentenced today by Senior United States Judge William G. Young to seven months of incarceration in federal prison to be followed three months of home confinement and one year of federal supervised release. Additionally, Appiah was ordered to pay restitution totaling $158,850.43 to his former employer.
In pleading guilty on February 21, 2024, to three counts of wire fraud, Appiah admitted that during a span of six months beginning in June 2021, he made more than 600 unauthorized purchases using a company credit card to pay for personal expenses and services such as airline travel and lodging, clothing, beauty shops, laundry services, at grocery and liquor stores, for amusement park and movie theater fees, live event tickets, real estate management, insurance payments, child support payments, telecommunication services, and equipment rentals.
At no time did Appiah provide an accounting to his employer for any personal expenses, nor did he make remedial payments to the company.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Addiction Treatment Chain Owner & Company Plead Guilty to Health Care Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The owner of a Rhode Island-based chain of addiction treatment centers and his company, who together defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurers out of millions of dollars and shortchanged patients suffering from substance abuse disorder in Rhode Island and Massachusetts out of much-needed counseling and treatment, today pleaded guilty in federal in Providence to health care fraud conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Michael Brier, 61, of Newton, MA, and Recovery Connections Centers of America, Inc. (RCCA) admitted to a federal judge that they failed to provide patients with required counseling sessions and treatment, while simultaneously billing Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care payors for 45-minute counseling sessions on a routine basis even though the sessions were often only 5-10 minutes or less.
Briar and RCCA also admitted that they caused a fraudulent application to be submitted to Medicare which, among other things, misrepresented and concealed the role that Brier was playing in the business and failed to disclose Brier’s 2013 criminal conviction for federal tax crimes, which was relevant to Medicare’s consideration of the application; Brier was sentenced to 27 months incarceration by a federal judge as a result of that 2013 conviction.
Court documents illustrate that, if plea agreements filed in this matter are accepted by the Court, Brier will be sentenced in this case to between six and ten years of incarceration, followed by three years of federal supervised release. Additionally, Brier will be ordered to make restitution of more than $3.4 million and will forfeit assets realized as a result of his criminal conduct, including approximately one million dollars contained in various bank and investment accounts, his interest in a beachfront condominium in Caracol Beach, Panama, a 2020 Mercedes Benz, and a 2019 Lexus RX350.
The corporate entity, RCCA, which is now in receivership, faces maximum penalties of $500,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater, and up to five years probation.
Briar and RCCA are scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2024. The defendants’ sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Miron Bloom and Kevin Love Hubbard, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
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 Department of the Attorney General for their assistance in the investigation.
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Kindred and Related Entities Agree to Pay $19.428 Million to Settle Federal and State False Claims Act Lawsuits Alleging Ineligible Claims for Hospice PatientsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI - Gentiva, successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to resolve allegations that Kindred at Home and related entities (“Kindred”) knowingly submitted false claims and knowingly retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible to receive hospice benefits under various federal health care programs, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Gentiva’s hospice operations, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, include entities that previously operated Kindred at Home hospice locations under the names Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare, and SouthernCare New Beacon, to include a facility in Warwick, Rhode Island.
“My office remains determined to ensure that federal funding for essential health care, like the hospice care at issue in this investigation, goes to the patients who need it, rather than to health care companies who seek to exploit those patients for profit,” said Zachary A. Cunha, United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. “Today’s result reflects a concerted effort by this Office and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, working alongside the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and our law enforcement partners, to help to guarantee that Medicare funds are directed where they belong and that high-quality hospice care is available for patients and their families in the future.”
“The hospice benefit under Medicare and other federal health care programs provides critical services to some of the most vulnerable patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will ensure that this important benefit is used to assist those who need it, and not as an opportunity to line the pockets of those who seek to abuse it.”
The settlement resolves allegations made by the United States and the State of Tennessee in a consolidated complaint filed in 2021 against certain Kindred related entities alleging that, from 2010 until February 2020, the defendants knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for hospice services provided to Avalon hospice patients in Tennessee who were ineligible for the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement also resolves the complaint’s allegations that the defendants improperly concealed or avoided Avalon’s obligation to repay those hospice claims.
In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that certain Kindred, SouthernCare, and SouthernCare New Beacon hospice locations knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs because the patients were not terminally ill. Those hospice locations were Kindred’s locations in Warwick, Rhode Island, Beaumont, Texas, and Independence, Missouri; SouthernCare New Beacon’s location in Demopolis, Alabama; and SouthernCare’s locations in Daphne, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, South Bend, Indiana, and Youngstown, Ohio. The settlement also resolves allegations that those Kindred, SouthernCare, and SouthernCare New Beacon locations knowingly and improperly concealed or avoided obligations to repay the foregoing hospice claims.
Further, the settlement resolves allegations that SouthernCare New Beacon allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by willfully paying renumeration to a consulting physician, between October 1, 2016 and October 1, 2022, to induce hospice referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to its Gadsden, Alabama location. The settlement of those allegations stems from a voluntary self-disclosure made by New Beacon Healthcare Group LLC d/b/a SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
“Hospice provides vital care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Medicare’s and TennCare’s eligibility requirements ensure that federal and state health care money is properly used to support hospice programs,” said Henry C. Leventis, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are committed to holding accountable health care companies and providers who prioritize profits over patient care by ignoring these requirements.”
“This office remains committed to safeguarding public monies,” said Michael A. Bennett, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the work of all those in the Department who have made this successful settlement possible and truly appreciate the strong working relationships that exist between the United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, and our law enforcement partners.”
“Hospice care is special end-of-life care intended to provide comfort for terminally ill patients. The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis, not a hospice provider’s desire to increase profits,” said United States Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The continued work of the Department and our law enforcement partners is critical to the integrity of these important programs. I appreciate the work of all involved in this significant case.”
“Our office is committed to protecting federal healthcare programs like the Medicare hospice benefit from false claims” said U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “We will hold accountable any providers that abuse taxpayer dollars.”
“The integrity of hospice care is critical to the millions of patients receiving these services,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary, high-quality hospice care will be held accountable.”
The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. As a result of the settlement announced today, the federal government will receive $18,956,151.32, the State of Tennessee will receive $448,800, and the State of Ohio will receive $23,618.68.
The settlement includes the resolution of claims in nine lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by various current and former Kindred employees. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The share of the settlement to be received by the whistleblowers has not yet been determined.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Rhode Island, Middle District of Tennessee, the Western District of Kentucky, the District of Kansas, the Southern District of Mississippi, the Southern District of Alabama, and the Southern District of Ohio, with assistance from the HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General, and the Office of the Ohio Attorney General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matters were handled by Trial Attorney William E. Olson in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Love Hubbard for the District of Rhode Island, Wynn M. Shuford for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jessica R.C. Malloy and William F. Campbell for the Western District of Kentucky, Jon P. Fleenor for the District of Kansas, Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nina T. Herring for the Southern District of Alabama, and W. Hunter West and Michael J. T. Downey for the Southern District of Ohio.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who admitted to a federal judge that he made multiple purchases of cocaine that he later transformed into crack and then sold to others has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Juan Gonzalez, 46, pleaded guilty on January 25, 2024, to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 72 months of incarceration to be followed by four years of federal supervised release.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, in early 2021, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force launched an investigation into the alleged drug trafficking activities of one William Mendez, 49, of Providence. The investigation included court-authorized interception of electronic communications over multiple telephones allegedly used by Mendez.
According to charging documents, it is alleged that, during telephone phone calls monitored by law enforcement, Mendez allegedly revealed to Gonzalez that, on July 13, 2021, he took possession of between 500 and 1,000 grams of cocaine, some of which was subsequently sold to Gonzalez. The investigation further revealed that between July 13, 2021, and August 12, 2021, Gonzalez made repeated purchases of cocaine, also allegedly from Mendez, that Gonzalez then processed and sold as crack cocaine.
William Mendez is currently detained in federal custody awaiting trial, charged by way of indictment with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute forty grams or more of fentanyl. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.
The matter was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, consisting of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
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Defendant Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island resident whose IP address was determined to have been used to receive and distribute child pornography has pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha
Haley Lynn Rose, known at the time of arrest as Anthony Ninfo, 43, of West Warwick, admitted to possessing more than 220 images and 30 videos of child pornography that were located on electronic devices owned by the defendant, who was arrested on April 28, 2021.
According to information provided to the court, in September 2020, law enforcement in New Zealand executed a court-authorized search warrant and developed information indicating that an individual in Rhode Island was using a file-sharing account to make available and distribute child pornography. Further investigation determined that the IP address belonged to the defendant.
On April 28, 2021, federal agents executed a court-authorized search of the defendant’s West Warwick residence and seized several media devices, a cellphone, and an external hard drive. A forensic analysis of the equipment revealed approximately 220 images and 35 videos of child pornography, including depictions of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts with adult males and females.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2024. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams
The matter was investigated locally by Homeland Security Investigations.
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Co-Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization That Imported over 100 Kilos of Cocaine Sentenced to Ten Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – The co-leader of a years-long drug trafficking conspiracy that shipped over 100 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Rhode Island has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
As reflected in court documents, Efrain Colon-Garcia, 43, and his wife, Yaniris Colon-Senquiz, 47, formerly of Woonsocket, co-led a conspiracy in which members of their extensive family received packages containing one or more kilograms of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico. These family members utilized 19 different addresses in Rhode Island and received more than 60 packages.
At the outset, the Colons received less than one kilogram of cocaine per package, and the narcotics were hidden within items like clothing and toys. As the operation expanded, the parcels grew in size, with multiple kilograms of cocaine hidden inside larger items like Bluetooth speakers and wooden wine holders. In addition to having family members receive the packages, the Colons had family collect and transport drug proceeds to New York as part of the business. Family members were paid $1,000 per package to receive drug parcels at their own homes, and were paid between $2,000 and $5,000 per trip to drive and deliver tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds to New York.
At the time law enforcement interrupted the organization in 2020, the Colons were supplying cocaine to drug dealers in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida.
At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith sentenced Efrain Colon-Garcia to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Yaniris Colon-Senquiz is awaiting sentencing. The defendants pleaded guilty on September 6, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and unlawful use of a communication facility (U.S. Mail).
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Stacey A. Erickson.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and members of the Rhode Island High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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North Smithfield Resident Indicted and Arraigned on Charge of International Parental KidnappingRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Smithfield woman who allegedly abruptly and without permission removed her five minor children from the United States has been released on unsecured bond and GPS monitoring following her arraignment in federal court on Friday, charged by way of indictment with international parental kidnapping, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
It is alleged in court documents that in December 2021, Jessica Abreu, 33, abruptly and without permission, moved her five children, all under the age of 16, to Alabama, and within months moved them to Tanzania without the knowledge of the children’s father.
In May of 2022, several months after a Rhode Island Family Court judge presided over a nominal divorce hearing for Abreu and the children’s father, one of the children texted her father and stated that she will miss him. The father later learned that Abreu had moved with the children to Tanzania without his knowledge.
According to court documents, the father had scheduled a June 3, 2022, visitation with the children. Abreu and the children did not appear for the visit. A Rhode Island state court judge scheduled a July 19, 2022, hearing on the matter, for which Jessica Abreu failed to appear. In August 2022, a Rhode Island Family Court magistrate judge signed an order awarding joint legal custody to Abreu and her ex-husband, and determined the State of Rhode Island as the “Home State” of the children. Five days later, the family court found Jessica Abreu in violation of the court order; that she was in violation of applicable federal kidnapping statutes by taking the children to Tanzania and not returning to the United States; and she was ordered to return to the United States with all of the children. The children’s father was awarded sole legal custody and physical placement of the children.
On June 1, 2024, Abreu and her children boarded a flight landing in Los Angeles International Airport. Agents from the FBI and the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families met the plane in Los Angeles. Abreu was taken into custody by the FBI and the children were reunited with their father.
A federal indictment is merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Lowell and John P. McAdams.
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Warwick Man Admits to Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Warwick man admitted to a federal judge today that he traveled to a local hotel via a commercial rideshare provider with the intent of having illicit sex with a person he thought to be 13 years old, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Zachary Q. Baker pleaded guilty to a charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2024. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In pleading guilty, Baker admitted that, on March 10, 2023, he responded to an online advertisement for “escorts” that contained images of what appeared to be two young females being offered for a “short visit” and a “little fun.” Baker engaged in a lengthy series of text messages with a person he believed was offering a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old for sex for a fee.
After several hours of text messaging, Baker rode to a local hotel via a rideshare where he met with the person he believed was arranging for a sexual encounter with one or both of the girls. The person he was communicating with and with whom he met was, in fact, a Homeland Security Investigations agent. Baker was arrested after acknowledging to an undercover agent that he was the person who engaged in the conversations with the agent and that he wanted to have sex with the 13-year-old girl for a fee.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
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Rhode Island Man Admits to Straw Purchase of Three FirearmsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island man today admitted to a federal judge that he made false statements while purchasing three firearms that he purchased from federally licensed firearms dealers, asserting on forms that he was the actual buyer and that he was not purchasing the guns with the intent of transferring them to another person when, in fact, he transferred the firearms to his employer who is prohibited from possessing a firearm, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Appearing in U.S. District Court in Providence, Keith Greene, 27, of Warwick, pleaded guilty to three counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, Greene purchased three firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in Rhode Island between January 30, 2023, and February 21, 2023. During each purchase, Greene represented on ATF forms that he was the actual transferee/purchaser of the firearms, and then signed the form directly beneath a warning that it is a felony to falsely claim to be the actual buyer . When taking possession of the firearms, Greene again asserted on the same federal forms that the information he previously entered was accurate and that he was, in fact, the transferee/buyer of the firearms.
In December 2023, members of the East Providence Police Department discovered all three firearms in the possession of his former employer. They were seized during an unrelated investigation. Also seized at the time was a document signed by both Greene and his employer acknowledging the transfer of one of the firearms.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Micheal Seaman.
The matter was investigated by ATF, with the assistance of the East Providence Department.
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Four of Six Foreign Nationals Charged in Multi-State ATM and Retail Skimming Conspiracy Scheduled to Appear Before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Four of six foreign nationals, all of whom are illegally present in the United States, charged in federal court for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to install “skimming” devices on bank Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and at retail store checkout point-of-sale units in at least six states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and using credit, debit, and benefit card information gleaned from the skimming devices to create new cards that were then used to fraudulently withdraw cash from victims’ bank accounts and/or to make retail purchases, are scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Rhode Island on Tuesday, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Charging documents allege that members of the conspiracy placed skimming devices locally on ATMs at banks in Bristol and Westerly, RI, and at retail store checkout terminals in Johnston, Warwick, and Coventry, RI, as well as in Avon, Raynham, Seekonk, and Walpole, MA. Skimming devices allow fraudsters to read and capture account information and PIN numbers when customers swipe or insert their credit, debit, and EBT cards to complete a purchase on terminals where the devices have been attached. The information obtained from the skimming devices is then used to create counterfeit cards that can be used to fraudulently obtain cash from victims’ bank accounts, or to make purchases. It is alleged that members of the conspiracy used the account information skimmed from unsuspecting victims’ cards to withdraw substantial amounts of cash from bank accounts and to purchase goods at various retailers.
It is alleged that members of the conspiracy withdrew more than $300,000 from unsuspecting victims’ bank accounts locally and made an as yet unknown number of purchases at retail outlets.
“The scale, scope, and brazen nature of these defendants’ scheme to steal the financial account information of unsuspecting consumers and use it to help themselves to funds and property, as we have alleged in federal court, is staggering,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha. “I commend the superb work of Homeland Security Investigations, as well as our local law enforcement partners, for their diligent and effective work to disrupt this ring of thieves, and ensure that those responsible face a reckoning in federal court.”
“The complaint alleges these six individuals are members of an organization who defrauded thousands of residents of Rhode Island and beyond of their hard-earned money. The ATM and point of sale skimming equipment they used worked quickly and efficiently to steal credit card information, allowing them to clone and illegally access credit cards, bank accounts, and other financial accounts of unsuspecting victims,” said Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI is a leader in illicit finance investigations and is committed to working with our partners in the public and private sector to protect the integrity of our financial systems.
Armando Ion Codreanu, 23, of Placentia, CA, a citizen of Ireland, is scheduled to make his initial appearance on charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Isabela Ignat Codreanu, 23, of Anaheim and Placentia, CA, a citizen of Romania, Robby Vicson Codreanu, 20, Placentia, CA, a citizen of Great Britian, and Mila Ciuciu, 20, of Placentia, CA, a citizen of Romania, are each charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
A fifth defendant, Nicolas Longin Codreanu, 21, of Placentia, CA, a citizen of Romania and Ireland, charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and is being transported to Rhode Island. He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on a date not yet determined.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a sixth defendant, Ionut Zamfir, 37, of Los Angeles, CA, a citizen of Romania. Zamfir is charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The alleged conspiracy first came to light when the Bristol Police Department began an investigation into the origin of skimming devices discovered on ATMs at a local bank branch. As an example of the breadth of criminal conduct in this matter as detailed in court documents: to date, skimming devices have been recovered from a single major retailer at 22 separate locations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. It is alleged that security camera images from those locations depict one or more members of the conspiracy charged in federal court in Rhode Island tampering with the checkout devices.
According to charging documents, in October 2023, the Bristol Police Department received a report from a local bank that a skimming device had been discovered on a drive-through ATM at a local bank. The bank provided law enforcement with surveillance footage and still photographs that are alleged to clearly show two males placing and removing a skimming device from the ATM. Further investigation by Homeland Security Investigations determined that at least one of the individuals was allegedly also visible in security camera images installing skimming devices at retail locations in Warwick, Johnston, and Coventry, RI, and in Seekonk, Raynham, Walpole, and Avon, MA. in September and December 2023.
Additionally, in December 2023, Homeland Security Investigations learned of skimming devices that had been placed on ATMs at two bank branch offices in Westerly, RI. Security images and footage of the individuals who were likely responsible for the placement and removal of the devices, and for withdrawing cash from compromised bank accounts, allegedly match images of individuals responsible for skimming at other locations around the region.
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 Attorney Ronald R. Gendron
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bristol Police Department, with the assistance of the Warwick Police Department, Coventry Police Department, Westerly Police Department, Johnston Police Department, Seekonk Police Department, United States Secret Service, and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Lafayette, LA, New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA.
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criminal_complaint_affidavit.pdfArizona Man Detained on Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – An Arizona man has been ordered detained in federal custody in Rhode Island after more than four kilograms of methamphetamine were seized in an investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine into Rhode Island from western states, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
According to charging documents unsealed in U.S. District Court in Providence, it is alleged that Carl Sharp, 49, of Peoria, AZ, participated in a conspiracy to ship controlled substances through the U.S. Mail from Arizona, California, and Nevada to numerous addresses in the Providence Metro Area, and to ship money from Rhode Island out West.
It is alleged that United States Postal Inspectors (USPS) identified at least 16 Priority Mail parcels that were shipped to Rhode Island from the Western United States, and six related parcels that were sent from Rhode Island to Western states. Investigators seized and searched four of these packages pursuant to federal search warrants and seized 4.44 kilograms of methamphetamine, 249 grams of cocaine, and $3,000 in cash.
According to court documents, a financial investigation of Sharp, conducted with the assistance of the FBI, determined that, between January 2022 and May 2024, Sharp deposited over $320,000 in cash into his personal bank account. Most of these cash deposits were made at ATMs in Arizona and Rhode Island, with some of the money deposited at ATMs in California, Nevada, and Massachusetts. It is alleged that during this time, Sharp withdrew over $225,000 in cash at casinos. According to investigators, casinos are often used to launder money by converting illicit funds into chips and then cashing out those chips after gambling.
Sharp was ordered detained following his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Monday on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. He was arrested by Providence Police in the early morning hours of July 6, 2024.
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 Sandra R. Hebert.
A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the Providence Police Department.
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Providence Businesswoman Indicted in Alleged $10 Million Fraud Schemes Targeting Seniors and OthersRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island woman who is alleged to have created and executed direct-mail sweepstakes schemes that defrauded seniors and other vulnerable individuals in Rhode Island and in dozens of states across the country out of an estimated $10 million dollars, has been indicted by a federal grand jury and arraigned on conspiracy and fraud charges, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Meagan E. Shine, 47, of Warwick, charged by way of indictment on June 17, 2024, with four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Providence and released on unsecured bond.
“Preying on the hopes of elderly and vulnerable victims for profit, and using fraudulent mailings to persuade them to part with their hard-earned money takes a terrible toll- financially and mentally,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “Working with our partners at the Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, the Postal Inspection Service, and federal, state, and local law enforcement, we are determined to ensure that those who seek to profit from fraud are held accountable.”
“Mass mail fraud schemes defraud elderly and vulnerable consumers out of millions of dollars every year,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and its law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously pursuing all individuals who prey on vulnerable and elderly victims through these types of fraudulent schemes.”
It is alleged in charging documents that Shine utilized the U.S. Mail to engage in predatory fraud schemes that duped the elderly and other vulnerable individuals into sending payments, usually between $20 and $30 dollars, using mailings that falsely stated or suggested that recipients were entitled to cash prizes, valuable items, or other premiums. Many victims reported being contacted multiple times and sending multiple payments. The scheme was allegedly perpetrated through businesses Shine created and operated in Rhode Island, including Lucky Dog, LLC, d/b/a Premium Ops & Incentives, and Destiny Merchandise, LLC, d/b/a Independent Catalog Services.
It is alleged that deceptive solicitations conveyed a false impression that recipients had been individually pre-selected or verified and entitled to claim a large amount of money in a lottery or entitled to receive a valuable item. In the mailings, often-time personalized with the name of the recipient to bolster their apparent authenticity, recipients were instructed to send money, frequently by a deadline, to a PO Box in Providence for the “processing” or “handling” of their purported winnings. The mailings were printed on official-looking or certificate paper, frequently carried what appeared to be the seals of governments or government agencies, and frequently contained other language and details designed to make them appear official or legitimate, including bar codes, document control numbers, printing that appears to be rubber stamped, such as the phrase “authorized document,” highlighted text, bank-check style typeface and formatting, as well as identification and other codes. In reality, apart from the name and address of the recipient, it is alleged that the mailings were all identical form mailings.
The solicitations used selectively emphasized text and graphics to create a false overall impression that the recipients were receiving notices that they were already winners of substantial awards. In reality, not only did recipients not win any prize, but that the mailers did nothing to verify that the recipients were or are eligible for such a prize.
An investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Attorney’s Office revealed that sweepstakes solicitations were sent to recipients in forty-one states. The investigation conservatively estimated that the number of responses and payments received in response to the solicitations at nearly 50,000 per year.
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 Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Peter I. Roklan, as well Trial Attorneys Charles B. Dunn, Ann F. Entwistle, and Colin W. Trundle from the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch.
The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
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indictment.pdfTwo Indicted in Alleged Murder-for-Hire ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal grand jury in Rhode Island has returned a five-count indictment, charging two individuals with allegedly participating in a conspiracy to murder two federal prosecutors and a witness associated with a criminal matter now pending before the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Elijah Melton, 26, of Taunton and Kareem Pires, 25 of Wareham, currently detained in federal custody in Rhode Island, are named in an indictment that charges both men with conspiracy to tamper with a witness or informant by killing or attempting to kill, and conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder-for-hire. Additionally, Melton faces three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence.
The defendants will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on a later date to be determined by the court. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This matter was first charged by way of a federal criminal complaint filed in the District of Massachusetts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston. A press release issued at that time can be found here . At the direction of the Department of Justice in Washington, the District of Massachusetts is now recused from this matter.
The matter was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts, with the assistance of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. The matter is being prosecuted in the District of Rhode Island by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey A. Erickson and Peter I. Roklan.
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melton_and_pires_indictment.pdfProvidence Felon Sentenced for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A convicted felon found to be in possession of a privately made firearm, also known as a “ghost gun,” and hundreds of rounds of ammunition has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Rafael Soriano, 35, pleaded guilty on December 14, 2023, to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 18 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
According to information presented to the court, Soriano’s arrest came during a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and United States Postal Inspection Service investigation into individuals who use the United States mail in furtherance of violating federal firearm laws and individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms.
As reflected in court documents, retailers that specialize in the advertising and sale of firearm parts, ammunition, and firearm accessories shipped orders through the U.S. Postal Service to Soriano and his brother, Lucas Soriano, at their mother’s address. These orders contained items that are commonly used to manufacture privately made firearms that lack serial numbers and other manufacturer or importer markings, rendering them difficult for law enforcement to trace.
ATF and USPIS agents executed a court-authorized search of Rafael Soriano’s residence and seized, among other items, a privately made firearm bearing no serial number, two magazines with a total of 37 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and a bag containing 293 rounds of assorted 9mm ammunition.
According to court records, Rafael Soriano was previously convicted and incarcerated on attempted armed robbery and drug trafficking charges.
Lucas Soriano was previously convicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He is currently serving a term of incarceration of 24 months in federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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. In 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Insurance Agent Admits to Fabricating Applications and Payment Forms for Unauthorized End-of-Life Policies in Order to Collect Commission PaymentsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Attleboro, MA, insurance broker admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island today that he submitted fabricated applications for end-of-life insurance policies in clients’ names and used their banking and personal information, all without their knowledge or authorization, in order to obtain insurance in their names and collect over $135,000 dollars in commissions, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Bruno Francis Ragusa, 53, pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud.
Ragusa admitted that, without his clients’ knowledge, permission, or consent, he fabricated and submitted applications to purchase final expense policies in his clients’ names, using their personal identification information. Ragusa also admitted that he forged clients’ electronic signatures on the applications and directed that all policy correspondence be sent directly to him and not to the clients; that he used clients’ bank account and routing numbers to cause payment for the policies to be directly wired from their bank accounts without their knowledge; that he failed to advise his clients of the fact that policies had been issued in their names or that that payment was being drawn from their bank accounts; and that as a result of his criminal conduct, he collected $136,956.56 in sales commissions.
Ragusa is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, 2024. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
On November 28, 2023, the Department of Business Regulation for the State of Rhode Island revoked Ragusa’s license to sell insurance in Rhode Island. Ragusa’s licenses to sell insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut remain active.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the FBI. United States Attorney Cunha thanks the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the North Attleboro Police Department for their assistance.
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