Northern District of Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas — A registered sex offender, living in Fort Worth, Texas, who pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment charging child pornography offenses, was sentenced today, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Mark Anthony Pape, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means to 40 years in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in October 2014 to an indictment charging one count of production of child pornography and one count of committing this offense as a registered sex offender.  Pape has been in federal custody since his arrest in April 2014 in San Marcos, Texas, on a related federal criminal complaint. 

According to documents filed in the case, on approximately April 9, 2014, officers with the Fort Worth Police Department executed a search warrant at Pape’s residence in Fort Worth and seized computer media and a cell phone.  A forensic examination of the phone revealed a video depicting Pape and a prepubescent female, approximately six-years-old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The video was taken in Pape’s home in February 2014.

The investigation was initiated when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cyber-tip regarding an individual who had uploaded an image, containing suspected child pornography, to the Internet.  The investigation led to the identification of Pape, a registered sex offender. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The Fort Worth Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem prosecuted.

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DALLAS – The owner of a record distribution company that knowingly sold counterfeit Latina music CDs to retailers from its stores/distribution centers in Dallas, Chicago and Phoenix, appeared in federal court today in Dallas and pleaded guilty to federal charges, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Arizona resident, Melek Ackay Portillo, 52, who owns Angelica’s Record Distributors, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney to two counts of copyright infringement, stipulating that she willfully reproduced or distributed numerous copyrighted sound recordings on CDs without authorization from the copyright holders.  Angelica’s Record Distributors pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels and counterfeit packaging.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea agreements filed in the cases, if acceptable to the Court, the parties agree that Portillo and Angelica’s Record Distributors will each receive a five-year term of probation.  In addition, Portillo must pay, jointly and severally with Angelica’s Record Distributors, $250,000 in restitution to the Recording Industry Association of America, forfeit $250,000 in cash to the Department of Homeland Security, and forfeit 155,441 counterfeit CDs and DVDs that were seized from Angelica’s Record Distributors in Dallas, Chicago and Phoenix.

From September 2010 through April 27, 2011, Angelica’s Record Distributors obtained music CDs that it knew contained counterfeit labels and counterfeit packaging.  These music CDs that contained the counterfeit packaging and illicit labels, and which Angelica’s Record Distributors knew were copyrighted works, were purchased from a company in California and then distributed to retailers across the country through Angelica’s Record Distributors store locations.

Employees at all three store locations knowingly sold legitimate and counterfeit CDs to retailers.  Employees mixed legitimate product with counterfeit product containing counterfeit labels and packaging, and they told their customers either that the counterfeit product was from a cheaper distributor or that it was “grey market,” meaning that the CDs were legitimate but produced for distribution in Mexico or abroad, and not intended to be sold in the U.S.

Because of its conduct, Angelica’s Record Distributors caused the record labels associated with the Recording Industry Association of America to suffer more than $250,000 in losses. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem is in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — A 37-year-old heroin dealer is the latest, and last, defendant to appear in federal court and plead guilty to a felony drug offense stemming from his role in the March 2014 heroin overdose death of a Dallas teenage girl, Rian Hannah Lashley, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Jimison Erik Coleman, 37, of Los Angeles, California, appeared this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.  Coleman is the last of four defendants charged in the case to plead guilty.  The other three defendants charged in the case, Kathryn Grace Dirks, a/k/a “Kat,” 25; Glen William Brunton, 28; and Cierra Allyn Rounds, 27; also pleaded guilty to that offense.  Each defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine; sentencings are set for the upcoming months. 

According to documents filed in his case, Coleman admits that from December 2013 until April 2015, he routinely distributed heroin and other drugs to multiple customers, some of whom worked as dancers in various strip bars in the Dallas area as well as clubs in Southern California.  From time to time, Coleman fronted quantities of drugs to particular dancers who then, at his direction, sold the drugs to patrons and/or dancers with whom they came in contact.  During this time, Coleman distributed multiple grams of heroin, multiple hits of ecstasy and molly, multiple ounces of cocaine and various prescription drugs to numerous customers in North Texas and elsewhere.

During the early morning hours of March 25, 2014, Coleman and Dirks traveled from a residence in Plano, Texas, to a nearby IHOP restaurant, where they joined Rounds, Brunton, and Rian Lashley, and the group ate breakfast.  Coleman admits that he had provided Dirks, Rounds and Brunton with heroin on numerous occasions prior to that date.

Late that morning in a parking lot near the IHOP, Coleman gave Brunton five baggies totaling one gram of “China White” heroin and directed him to deliver the heroin to Lashley, who was with Dirks and Rounds in Lashley’s vehicle.  Brunton, at Coleman’s direction, distributed the heroin to Rian Lashley for $120.00.  After acquiring the heroin, Rounds, Dirks and Lashley left the parking lot in Lashley’s vehicle and traveled to a residence in Dallas where Rounds was living.  Coleman and Brunton left the parking lot in a separate vehicle.

On March 25, 2014, Rian Lashley died at a residence after being injected with the heroin that she purchased from Coleman earlier in the day.  Coleman was not present when Lashley was injected with the heroin that, according to the autopsy, resulted in her death.

The Dallas Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Buena Park, California, Police Department investigated.  Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phelesa Guy are prosecuting.

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DALLAS — A man who owned and operated a check cashing business in Dallas appeared today in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney and pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Obinna Njoku, who was the sole director of All Ways Insurance Group, LLC, and who owned and operated All-Ways Check Cashing, Inc., according to the factual resume filed in the case, faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  He will also be required to forfeit approximately $194,294 in funds that the government has seized from his Comerica Bank accounts.  A sentencing date was not set; he will remain on bond.

According to the factual resume filed in the case, from January through April 2012, Njoku was asked by several individuals to cash, through All-Ways, numerous checks purporting to be federal income tax refunds and appearing to be issued to individuals residing in the Dallas area.  The individuals asking Njoku to cash these checks brought “batches” of checks, often eight to 12 at a time, to Njoku at the All-Ways location on Forest Lane in Dallas.  These “batches” of checks often had consecutive numbers, and each check was always for less than $10,000.  The individuals who brought the checks to Njoku to cash were not the individuals to whom the checks were payable.  In addition, the total amount of each batch of checks presented to Njoku, as well as the amount of cash released to the respective individual presenting the “batch” of checks, was usually well over $10,000.

Njoku believed, according to the factual resume, that the individuals asking for the checks to be cashed had prepared and filed federal income tax returns for the persons to whom the checks were issued.  Njoku suspected that the individuals cashing the checks had illegally obtained higher federal income tax refunds, using improper credits and falsely inflated deductions, for the purported payees on the checks.  While he believed the checks were likely derived from criminal activity involving fraudulent federal tax returns, Njoku did not ask or seek details.  Further, he did not investigate or confirm that the individuals presenting the checks had been involved in preparing tax returns for the check payees or had any business relationship with the payees.  Instead, Njoku deliberately blinded himself to what he suspected was the source of the checks and through All-Ways, caused the checks to be deposited into Comerica Bank accounts and caused funds to be withdrawn from Comerica Bank accounts to give to the individuals presenting the checks.  As his commission for cashing the checks, Njoku kept 25% to 35% of the overall amount of each check “batch” presented to him for cashing.  This commission was much higher than the usual 3% to 5% commission he collected for other checks presented at All-Ways for cashing. 

The factual resume states that these checks presented to Njoku for cashing during this time were derived from fraudulently filed federal income tax returns.  The payees on these checks had their identities stolen by individuals who then used the information to file fraudulent federal tax returns with and make fraudulent refund claims of the Internal Revenue Service.  The total amount of the checks obtained through wire fraud and cashed by Njoku through All-Ways was at least $300,000.

Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. de la Garza is in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — Erick Fernando Duarte, 58, of Garland, Texas, appeared in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Duarte, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2015, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release.  Sentencing is set for December 7, 2015, before U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey.

According to documents filed in the case, in April 2014, a detective with the Garland Police Department received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that child pornography had been uploaded to an AOL account by a specific AOL email user.  Based on this, subscriber information, and information reported on his updated sex offender registry, Duarte was identified as the user.

A search warrant was secured and executed for Duarte’s residence and cell phone.  A review of his cell phone and other media revealed that he had more than 1200 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children involved in sex acts, on his cell phone.  Duarte admits that some of the images depicted sadistic and/or violent content.

Duarte was convicted in the 265th Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas, in October 1995, for the felony assault of Sexual Assault of a Child.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI and the Garland Police Department are investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — A Dallas man who admitted that he tried to rob a Bank of America branch in Dallas in 2013 was sentenced yesterday, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

James Samuel Murray, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 60 months in federal prison.  He has been in custody since his arrest on a related federal criminal complaint filed in October 2013, shortly after the attempted robbery.  Murray pleaded guilty in April 2014 to one count of attempted bank robbery.

According to documents filed in the case, on October 8, 2013, Murray entered the Bank of America located at 6166 Retail Road in Dallas with the intent to rob it.  Upon entering the bank, Murray approached a teller and presented a note, which stated, in part, I have a 9 millimetter [sic] Berretta [sic] pistol so do not panick [sic]. … I want all the money out of your register and then go to the day safe or wherever you have to and make sure I get fifty thousand dollars or more and do not waste time! … Also just so you know, I know your full name and where you live and if anything goes wrong with the money I will be seeing you very soon!  I did my studying on this bank and you!  OK! :-) be happy ok!

The teller, in fear for her life, removed money from the teller drawer and placed it in a bag behind the counter.  The teller then exited the teller area with the money and went to a secure area of the bank where she watched Murray’s actions from a monitor.  Shortly afterwards, officers with the Dallas Police Department arrested Murray in the bank lobby, and during a search, officers recovered the robbery note.  The bag of money was never delivered to Murray.

The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force and the Dallas Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Robinson prosecuted.

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DALLAS — A north Texas man who pleaded guilty to his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme was sentenced today, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Reminco Zhangazha was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 93 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,648,334 in restitution.  Zhangazha, who is in custody, pleaded guilty in June 2014 to one count of theft of public funds.  Zhangazha’s co-defendant in the case, Tonderai Sakupwanya, pleaded guilty last year to the same offense and was sentenced earlier this year to 87 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution.  The restitution is payable jointly and severally by the two defendants.

The plea agreements with the government note that the defendants will forfeit the following property seized by law enforcement in May 2012 during the investigation of this case:  $10,613 cash seized from Zhangazha’s vehicle; $93,513 cash from Villa Piana Luxury Apartments on Noel Road in Dallas; and $4,500 from a residence on Spring Mountain in Plano, Texas.

According to the factual resumes filed in the case, Zhangazha and Sakupwanya engaged in a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by obtaining stolen tax refunds that were generated by e-filing false and fraudulent income tax returns.  They rented private mailboxes in the names of aliases by using forged United Kingdom passports.  They then established bank accounts using the alias names and mailing addresses acquired at the private mailboxes.  During the course of the scheme, Zhangazha used the aliases of “Martin V. Masters” and “Roy Daniel Black.”  Sakupwanya used the aliases of “Webster G. Rice,” “Floyd Robbins,” and “Floyd Roberts,” during the scheme, according to the factual resume.             

According to the factual resumes, the Forms 1040 directed the IRS to electronically deposit the refunds into bank accounts the defendants established.  Alternatively, the Forms 1040 directed refunds to be issued by a treasury check and mailed to an address under the control of the defendants.  The income tax returns also directed refunds to accounts established at a third-party financial services company, such as EPS Financial, that would enable them to issue a check containing the tax refund.  These third party checks and the treasury checks were deposited into bank accounts the defendants established.  After the checks were deposited, or the tax refunds were electronically deposited, the defendants would withdraw the funds for their own use and benefit.  The factual resumes note that the cash, mentioned above, which was seized from the defendants during the investigation, was obtained by them as a result of their scheme.

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Stokes prosecuted.

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DALLAS — A Dallas woman who stole the identity of a registered nurse and used that identity to work at several Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area hospice companies, where she saw and purportedly treated 243 hospice patients, was sentenced this morning, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Jada Necole Antoine, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $233,000.00 in restitution following her guilty plea in December 2014 to one count of fraud in connection with means of identification.  She has been in custody since her arrest in July 2014 on a related criminal complaint filed in May 2014. 

According to documents filed in the case, Antoine, who was not licensed as a physician, registered nurse, or other health care provider, stole a registered nurse’s driver’s license and social security card, and used that victim’s driver’s license, social security number, and other means of identification to obtain employment at eight different hospice companies in the DFW area, including Heart to Heart Hospice of Texas, Odyssey Healthcare GP, LLC, Community Hospice of Texas, Elysian Hospice, Hospice Pharmacy Solutions, New Century Hospice, Keystone Custom Care Hospice, and Silverado Senior Living Hospice.

Having fraudulently obtained employment as a registered nurse at Heart to Heart and Odyssey, Antoine had direct responsibility for patient care.  She submitted documents to Heart to Heart and Odyssey that falsely indicated that care was provided to patients under her supervision by a registered nurse, namely the registered nurse whose identification she had stolen.

Antoine’s false statements, theft of the victim’s identity, and other fraudulent activity caused Heart to Heart, Odyssey and other hospice agencies to submit false claims for, and obtain reimbursement from, Medicare and Medicaid for hospice services provided to Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid clients.  From approximately January 2009 through April 20, 2012, approximately $800,000 in hospice claims were submitted to Medicare for services purportedly performed by Antoine while she was impersonating the victim registered nurse.

In its motion for upward departure and/or variance, which the Court granted in part, the government noted that Antoine victimized 243 hospice patients by depriving them of legitimate healthcare from a properly licensed individual.  Records indicate Antoine treated patients who were mentally ill, comatose, asleep, and otherwise unresponsive to sound and touch, and in those instances, she made her own assessments of the patient’s pain and comfort levels, digestive function, and breathing.  She was also involved in admitting patients onto hospice care where the focus changes from curative treatment to end-of-life palliative treatment.  Antoine also victimized patients by violating their privacy in that the patients routinely revealed parts of their bodies to her for examination that they most likely would not have revealed had they known the truth about her lack of qualifications.  She violated patients’ privacy by gaining access to patient charts and speaking with nursing home staff and patients’ family members.  She further violated their privacy by gaining access to the patients’ detailed demographic information, which, according to the government’s motion, is particularly troublesome given her history of identity theft crimes.

Antoine received approximately $107,000 in compensation from the hospice agencies where she worked.

The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher prosecuted.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Jose Angel Zapata, 24, of San Angelo, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 168 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in April 2015 to two counts of enticement of a minor and aiding and abetting, announced U.S. Attorney John R. Parker of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. 

According to documents filed in the case, beginning in March 2014 and continuing to approximately mid-December 2014,  Zapata engaged in a relationship with “Jane Doe 2,” using Facebook chat, in which he knowingly attempted to persuade, induce and entice “Jane Doe 2” to engage in sexual activity with him.  Zapata knew that “Jane Doe 2” was under age 17.  In March 2014, Zapata met her in a parking lot in San Angelo where they engaged in sexual activity. 

From approximately September 2014 to early March 2015, Zapata also engaged in a relationship, using Facebook chat, with “Jane Doe 4,” a minor female.  In those communications, Zapata knowingly attempted to persuade, induce and entice “Jane Doe 4” to engage in various sexual acts with him.  Zapata knew she was under age 17.  In his first communication with “Jane Doe 4,” Zapata offered to pay her $100 if she would engage in a specific sex act with him.  The following month, “Jane Doe 4” asked Zapata to give her a ride.  He asked her if she would do anything for him if he gave her a ride, and she agreed that she would.  Approximately one week later, Zapata met with “Jane Doe 4,” and they engaged in sexual activity. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Gerald Allen Williams, 55, of Roscoe, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 33 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $410,094.98 in restitution, following his guilty plea in April 2015 to one count of wire fraud stemming from a fraudulent invoicing scheme he ran while working at Chevron Pipe Line Company.  The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Judge Cummings ordered that Williams surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on or before 2:00 p.m. on September 25, 2015.

According to documents filed in the case, Williams worked as a Project Coordinator at Chevron Pipe Line Company’s Roscoe, Texas, facility.  He was responsible for ensuring the completion of several construction and maintenance projects. 

E.D. Walton Construction Company (EDW) out of Snyder, Texas, was a Chevron contractor that performed various construction and maintenance projects for Chevron.

Sometime around 2006-2007, according to plea documents filed, Williams approached EDW about a fraudulent invoicing scheme.  EDW would create fictitious invoices and submit them to Chevron through the Arriba System, Chevron’s system for receiving and paying invoices.  Williams would approve the fictitious invoices for payment, and the fictitious invoices would be processed for payment to EDW.  Once EDW received payment for the fictitious invoices, it would pay Williams, in cash, the exact amount of the fictitious invoice.  EDW did not receive any of the proceeds from the fictitious invoicing; Williams received all the proceeds.  The scheme continued until approximately December 2011.

Williams admitted that he knowingly devised or intended to devise the scheme to defraud Chevron of money by means of false and fraudulent invoices.  He further admitted he acted with the specific intent to deceive or cheat Chevron into thinking that EDW had completed various construction and maintenance projects for Chevron, when in fact, Williams knew EDW had not completed those projects.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag prosecuted.

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LUBBOCK, Texas — Connor Michael Campbell, 22, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 10 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in April 2015 to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. 

Campbell was taken into custody at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately February to December 2014, Campbell was a member of an Internet website that provided access to images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  That membership required him to upload at least one file depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, at least every 60 days, to maintain his membership.  During that time, Campbell maintained his membership, and he downloaded numerous images and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and he saved those images on an external hard drive.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI, the Lubbock Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Texas Tech Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

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DALLAS — Following a nearly two-week trial, a federal jury has convicted a Dallas man on felony offenses stemming from the May 2012 kidnapping of a female victim whom he planned to sell into sex slavery, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Steric Paul Mitchell, 45, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of kidnapping.  Mitchell’s coconspirator in the case, Gregory Steven Hunt, aka “K.C.,” 43, pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of kidnapping.  The conspiracy count and the kidnapping count each carry a maximum statutory penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay on December 14, 2015; Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5, 2015.

According to evidence presented at Mitchell’s trial and documents filed in the case, Mitchell and Hunt knew each other from the neighborhood, and in early May 2012, Mitchell hired Hunt to pick up the victim at a hotel and transport her to another location under the ruse that Hunt was taking her to a private party.  In fact, Hunt and Mitchell planned to kidnap and sexually assault her.  Hunt was also supposed to pay another woman, R.E., $100 when he picked up the victim from the motel, and Hunt understood he would get to have sex with the victim as part of the agreement.

R.E. told the victim that she had a “good friend” who wanted to hire a private dancer for a party and that the men were “safe.”  At a Dallas hotel, R.E. introduces the victim to Hunt, who pays R.E. the $100 and then drives the victim to an abandoned house in Dallas where Mitchell was waiting. 

At the abandoned house, Mitchell threatened the victim with a firearm and shocked her with a Taser to frighten and restrain her.  Hunt then raped her while Mitchell stood guard with a firearm.  Mitchell then shocked her again with a Taser, bound her ankles and wrists, wrapped her in a bed sheet, carried her to another motor vehicle, and put her in the backseat.  He then drove the victim to a second location, tied her to a chair, raped her, and told her he planned to sell her into sexual slavery.  He held her overnight at that location.  Later, he wrapped her in a bed sheet again, put her in the backseat of a vehicle, and drove her to a house in Duncanville, Texas, where he sexually assaulted her.  At this third location, the victim was able to locate a cell phone and place four 911 calls; officers with the Duncanville Police Department found and rescued her.

The FBI and the Duncanville Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cara Pierce, Taly Haffar and Andrew Wirmani prosecuted.

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ABILENE, Texas — Two defendants, Ceddrick Lamont Johnson, a/k/a “Bunny Cool,” of Abilene, Texas, and Stephanie McQueen, of Sweetwater, Texas, who pleaded guilty to their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy have been sentenced, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Today, McQueen, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 60 months in federal prison.  Yesterday, Judge Solis sentenced Johnson, 38, as a career offender to 240 months in federal prison.  Each pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to the factual resumes filed in the case, special agents with the FBI and investigators with the Nolan County District Attorney’s Office began an investigation in 2013 into the distribution of methamphetamine in the Sweetwater, Texas, area.  McQueen was identified as a distributor.  When McQueen was stopped for traffic violations in August 2014, officers located a small quantity of methamphetamine in the vehicle.  In a subsequent interview, she identified a person she knew as “Bunny Cool,” (Johnson) as one of her supply sources for the methamphetamine she distributed in Sweetwater.    She indicated she was introduced to Johnson in 2013 and that he fronted her methamphetamine for approximately nine months.  She purchased one ounce of methamphetamine every other day. 

On September 25, 2014, McQueen texted Johnson and negotiated the purchase of methamphetamine.  Johnson subsequently distributed 4.3 grams of methamphetamine to McQueeen.  He was arrested on September 26, 2014, and text messages from his phone showed a pattern of drug trafficking.  On October 3, 2014, law enforcement agents purchased methamphetamine from McQueen and another person in Sweetwater.

The FBI and the Nolan County District Attorney’s Office investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Juanita Fielden prosecuted.

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ABILENE, Texas — All six defendants who were convicted for their respective roles in a marijuana distribution conspiracy have been sentenced, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Today, Fabricio Abelardo Perez, 43, of Abilene, Texas, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 156 months in federal prison.  Earlier this week, Judge Solis sentenced Daniel Longoria, 49, also of Abilene, to 360 months in federal prison.  Perez pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and Longoria was convicted at trial in February 2015.

In June 2015, Judge Solis sentenced Abilene residents Jose Cavazos, 52, to 108 months in federal prison; Travis Kyndall Longoria, 23, to 120 months in federal prison; and David Rodriguez, 26, to 30 months in federal prison.  Brandon Johnson, 36, of Sweetwater, Texas, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison. 

Daniel Longoria, Cavazos, and Travis Longoria were each convicted at trial on an indictment charging one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.  Rodriguez was found guilty at trial of the lesser charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana.  In January 2015, Perez and Johnson each pleaded guilty to the indictment.

According to evidence presented at trial and filed court documents, the investigation into the Daniel Longoria Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) began when the Abilene Police Department learned that, since 2004, Daniel Longoria had been distributing marijuana from his business, Abilene Automotive and Performance.  Daniel Longoria concealed marijuana in speaker boxes, and placed the speakers in vehicles so that the marijuana could be distributed throughout Abilene.  Daniel Longoria also used vehicles that had been left at his business to conceal and transport large sums of bulk cash back to the DTO’s supply source in Mexico.  All six defendants conspired together and worked together to transport and distribute large quantities of marijuana in Abilene.

The Abilene Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Juanita Fielden and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Williams prosecuted.         

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DALLAS — A 34-year-old Grand Prairie, Texas, man, Luis Vasquez-Sanchez, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to 100 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in March 2015 to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Vasquez-Sanchez, a citizen of Honduras, has been in custody since his arrest in January 2015 on a related federal criminal complaint.  He will be referred for deportation proceedings following his incarceration

According to documents filed in the case, the investigation began in July 2014 when a detective with the Plano Police Department, working in an undercover capacity to identify persons participating in the distribution of child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children through the use of peer-to-peer file sharing, identified Vasquez-Sanchez as an individual linked to a computer that was making images of child pornography available to share.

In January 2015, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) contacted and consensually interviewed Vasquez-Sanchez at his residence, and he allowed agents to search his computer.  During that search, several images and videos of child pornography were discovered.  A subsequent forensic examination of the computer revealed more than 100 images and 50 videos of child pornography.  Some of the images and videos he collected depicted sadistic and/or violent content, and some of the files depicted infants and toddlers.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

ICE HSI and the Plano Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — A Dallas attorney who pleaded guilty to federal felony offenses involving copyright infringement and investor fraud was sentenced this morning, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Andrew Lee Siegel, 56, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to serve a total of 12 months and one day in federal prison and ordered to pay $285,310 in restitution.  He must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by October 15, 2015.  In July 2014, Siegel pleaded guilty to one count of felony criminal infringement of a copyright, and in January 2015, he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

In fall 2010, Siegel established Dynasty Spirits, LLC, and later Dynasty Spirits, Inc. and Speak Easy Distillers, LLC, to facilitate the production and bottling of “Nue Vodka.”  In February 2012, Siegel created a private placement memorandum for Dynasty Spirits, Inc. (Dynasty) authorizing the sale of up to $2 million of common stock shares by Dynasty.  In June 2013, Siegel became the registered agent and manager of Vanguard Spirits, LLC, which was established for the purpose of distilling, branding and marketing “Vanguard Vodka.”

From September 2011 through July 2012, Siegel collected approximately $1,595,000 from 35 investors for the sale of Dynasty stock certificates.  Siegel concealed from Dynasty owners that he unlawfully used up to $410,000 of that amount for his personal benefit, which he had collected from no more than six of the 35 investors.

In November 2012, Dynasty owners suspected Siegel had unlawfully used investor funds, and when confronted, Siegel falsely stated that he had attempted to wire $185,000 in investor funds to Dynasty but the transfer was misrouted.  The following month, Siegel created fraudulent and fictitious emails to Dynasty owners representing he attempted to wire transfer $185,000 from his bank account to the Dynasty owners’ bank account.  Some of the fraudulent emails Siegel created contained copyrighted writings and the logo of The Northern Trust Company.

Later that month, Siegel created another fraudulent email to Dynasty owners that contained copyrighted writings, letterhead and logos of the Federal Reserve Bank Services.  In fact, Siegel used several fraudulent and fictitious emails that falsely represented to Dynasty owners that he was in contact with The Northern Trust Company and the Federal Reserve Bank Services in connection with his “attempted” $185,000 wire transfer to the Dynasty owners.  Siegel engaged in this fraudulent conduct to deceive the owners of Dynasty and convince them that he was making a good faith effort to transfer investor funds to the investors of Dynasty.

On June 24, 2013, Siegel stole $210,000 from client EP’s escrow account to use as part of a legal settlement payment to owners of Dynasty Spirits.  Those owners were the victims in Siegel’s infringement conviction.  From June through November 2013, Siegel stole a total of $275,000 from his client EP's escrow account. 

On May 21, 2014, Siegel reimbursed EP by fraudulently and secretly disbursing $285,310 of Vanguard Spirits investor funds.  Siegel concealed this fraudulent disbursement of Vanguard investor funds from Vanguard investors and management.

When Siegel pleaded guilty in July 2014, he made no admission or reference to his fraudulent disbursement of funds from both EP’s escrow account and from Vanguard Spirits’ investor funds.

The FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Jarvis prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — A Dallas man who admitted to his role in an armed home invasion and carjacking conspiracy has been sentenced, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Blake Robertson, 23, of Dallas, was sentenced last Thursday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to serve a total of 136 months in federal prison.  Robertson pleaded guilty in May 2013 to an indictment charging one count each of conspiracy to commit carjacking; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and carjacking. 

Robertson’s four co-conspirators, Jeremiah Walker, 25; Christopher Staton, 20; Michael Wafer, 26; and Ladavid Sims, 20; each pleaded guilty to the same offenses and were sentenced earlier this year to 130 months, 141 months, 180 months, and 148 months, respectively, in federal prison.

On December 30, 2013, the five defendants discussed, planned, and agreed to rob an individual, “M.J.,” who was an acquaintance of Walker’s, at M.J.’s house in Dallas, and then steal his vehicle.  Officers with the Dallas Police Department identified these five defendants as suspects in the armed home invasion and carjacking of M.J. during the early morning hours of December 31, 2013.  Just prior to that, they had attempted another armed robbery in North Dallas, during which the victim was shot.

When the five conspirators entered M.J’s house, they were carrying firearms and were willing to inflict serious injury upon M.J. if he failed to comply with their demands.  The conspirators demanded money and jewelry from M.J., at gunpoint, and M.J. was struck in the head several times with a weapon.  The conspirators also took the keys to M.J.’s vehicle and all five conspirators fled in that vehicle.

The Dallas Police Department and the FBI investigated.  Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Miller prosecuted. 

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Robert Lawrence Noll, 40, of Brownwood, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 121 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in April 2015 to one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced John R. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.  Noll was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $27,500.

Noll, who had been on pretrial release, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 18, 2015.

According to documents filed in the case, Noll used a laptop computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos of child pornography.  In the course of searching for this material, Noll located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography, and some of those images involved prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy prosecuted the case.

# # #

ABILENE, Texas — Paul Joseph Koestle, 33, of Abilene, Texas, appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Scott Frost in Abilene, Texas, and pleaded guilty to child pornography offenses, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Specifically, Koestle, who remains in custody, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.  On the production conviction, he faces a statutory penalty of not less than 15 years or more than 30 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  On the receipt conviction, he faces a statutory penalty of not less than five years or more than 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to documents filed in the case, earlier this year the Abilene Police Department (APD) began investigating Koestle based on information they received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating he had uploaded an image of child pornography to a Google account.  The APD executed a search warrant at his home in late April 2015.

Koestle, who was home during the execution of the warrant, admitted to downloading child pornography and producing child pornography of a minor child, “Jane Doe.”  A forensic evaluation of electronic equipment seized from his residence pursuant to the search revealed hundreds of images of child pornography located on a cellphone, a laptop computer and hard drive.  In addition, multiple images of “Jane Doe” engaging in sexually explicit conduct were found. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Abilene Police Department are investigating.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Myria Boehm is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

DALLAS — Jeff Carlton Noebel, 60, of Dallas, was sentenced yesterday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to four months in federal prison following his guilty plea in March 2015 to an indictment charging one count of bankruptcy fraud, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, Noebel filed nine bankruptcy petitions from 1992-2013 as part of Noebel’s ongoing effort to stop foreclosure of his residence in Dallas.  In February 2013, Noebel filed a bankruptcy petition.  On April 23, 2013, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Harlin Hale issued an order that dismissed this bankruptcy petition and barred Noebel from re-filing for 180 days.  The goal of the charged bankruptcy fraud scheme was to allow Noebel to avoid compliance with Judge Hale’s court order. 

In order to stop the foreclosure sale of Noebel’s house scheduled for June 4, 2013, Noebel caused his brother to force Noebel into “involuntary bankruptcy” to stop the imminent foreclosure sale.  As part of the scheme, Noebel deceived his brother by concealing from his brother the existence of Judge Hale’s order barring Noebel from personally refiling for bankruptcy for 180 days.  Noebel knew that his brother would refuse to file the involuntary bankruptcy petition on June 3, 2013, if his brother knew about the court order.

This case represents one of several felony prosecutions of bankruptcy-related crimes generated by the recent Bankruptcy Fraud Initiative within the Northern District of Texas.  Since February 2013, 12 defendants have been charged with various felony offenses resulting from criminal referrals from the U.S. Trustee’s Office to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Eight defendants have been convicted either following a trial or guilty plea; six have been sentenced.  Three defendants are awaiting trial, and one defendant remains in fugitive status with an outstanding arrest warrant.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jarvis prosecuted. 

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Justin Benedict Morales, 40, of San Angelo, Texas, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig and pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced John R. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Morales, who remains in custody, faces a statutory penalty of not less than five years nor more than 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, in November 2014, Morales used the Internet to send at least eight images of prepubescent child pornography via the online instant messaging client, Yahoo Messenger.  Morales used several Yahoo IDs to transport and trade images and videos of child pornography.  His laptop computer and hard disk drive were seized when special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at his residence in May 2015. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

ICE HSI, the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and the San Angelo Police Department are investigating.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

            DALLAS – A man who was convicted at trial earlier this year for sending a “white powder” letter to a federal office in Greenville, Texas, was sentenced today, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

            Michael M. Murray, 36, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 37 months in federal prison.  After a one-day trial in April 2015, a federal jury convicted Murray on an indictment, returned in the Northern District of Texas in October 2011, charging one count of making threats and hoaxes.  He has been in custody since his arrest in Los Angeles in December 2014.

            During trial, the government presented evidence that Murray received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) demanding that he pay his outstanding student loans.  Murray responded by tearing off a portion of the letter that contained his name and address and writing threats and obscenities on it.  He placed that response in the DOE’s self-addressed return envelope, wrote “Osama Bin Laden” as the sender, put white powder inside of it, and mailed the envelope from Columbus for delivery to DOE’s loan processing center in Greenville.

            The government also presented evidence at trial that Murray’s DNA was found on the back of the stamp affixed to the “white powder” envelope, and that his fingerprints were found on the envelope and on the tape on the envelope flap.  A test performed on the white powder at the Tarrant County Public Health Service Laboratory for the presence of biological agents or other toxins was negative.

              The FBI’s Dallas Division investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Penley and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Miller prosecuted.

 

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Michael Thomas Franks, 43, of Brownwood, Texas, appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Franks, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Franks used computers at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos of child pornography.  In the course of his searches, Franks located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos of child pornography.  He also transferred some of the child pornography from his computer to a computer disk that bore the handwritten label, “Pictures Videos,” which contained one or more images of prepubescent child pornography.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (US CBP) Office of Air and Marine; and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — John Everette Murdock, 70, of Lubbock, Texas, appeared today before  U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of access with intent to view child pornography, announced John R. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Murdock, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Murdock used a computer to access, with intent to view, various images of child pornography.  He used file-sharing software to search for material that was likely to result in his access to child pornography, which he would view and then delete.  Law enforcement seized that computer and hard drive during the execution of a search warrant at his residence in late August 2014.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is conducting the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

AMARILLO, Texas — Three men who pleaded guilty to their respective roles in a December 2014 armored car heist in Amarillo, Texas, have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Britt Michael Gresham, 24, and Brian Keith Hodge, 43, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson to 78 months and 63 months, respectively, in federal prison.  Last week, co-conspirator Trent Michael Cook, 24, was sentenced by Judge Robinson to 97 months in federal prison.  Each pleaded guilty in May 2015 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.

According to documents filed in the case, Cook purchased firearm that he, Gresham, and Hodge planned to use to rob the vault of Rochester Armored in Amarillo on December 20, 2014.  The plan involved Cook using his status as an employee of Rochester Armored to gain access to the company vault that contained millions of dollars in U.S. currency, so that the three defendants could commit the armed robbery of the business.  Cook and Gresham also purchased a van to load and transport bags of U.S. currency taken in the robbery.

Hodge further attempted to obtain a location in Colorado for the defendants to hide after the robbery; in fact, Cook and Gresham were arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  When questioned by a Colorado Springs Police Department detective, Cook admitted that he and Gresham stole the money from the Rochester armored car on December 22, 2014.  Cook also admitted to initially agreeing with Gresham and Hodge to rob the Rochester vault on December 20, 2014.  Cook admitted they were all armed with Smith and Wesson, Model M&P, 9-millimeter caliber pistols when they went to Rochester on December 20, 2014, to attempt the robbery.  Cook said they were not able to complete the robbery because there were additional employees at Rochester that he did not expect to be there, and he notified Gresham and Hodge who were parked outside.  Cook also said the white Ford van was to be used to load the money and other items to take to Colorado. 

Court documents further state that after the defendants were unable to rob to vault, Cook and Gresham decided to steal money from a Rochester armored car, which they did.

 The Amarillo Police Department, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the Potter County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Hammer prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS —  A North Texas mother and her daughter, along with seven other family and extended family members, have been sentenced for their roles in a marriage fraud conspiracy that began more than 20 years ago, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Frances Sandoval, 61, and her daughter, Monica Morena, 32, were each sentenced last week, by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey, to 65 months and 48 months, respectively, in federal prison.  In addition, Sandoval was ordered to forfeit $45,850, and Morena was ordered to forfeit $21,710, the proceeds each received for participating in the conspiracy.

Both Sandoval and Morena pleaded guilty in March 2015 to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with immigration documents and aggravated identity theft.  They prepared and filed fraudulent applications for family unity, which included counterfeit birth certificates and fraudulent income tax returns and affidavits.  They used the fraudulent documents to make it appear that aliens without lawful status in the U.S. were children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.  For identity documents for the “parents,” Sandoval and Moreno used actual naturalization certificates and copies of permanent resident cards that Sandoval obtained from her tax clients, without the clients’ knowledge or permission.  Sandoval engaged in this scheme for more than 20 years and is responsible for more than 350 fraudulent filings.  Moreno engaged in the scheme for more than 10 years.

Five of the seven remaining defendants, Adolfo Moreno, 24; Edward Moreno, Jr., 30; Claudia Gonzalez, 35; Lidia Saldana, 40; and Cassandra Gonzalez, 23; pleaded guilty to marriage fraud or conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.  Each was sentenced to two years of probation, to include 120 days of home confinement, and fines ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.  Adolfo Moreno, Edward Moreno, Jr., and Lidia Saldana are also Frances Sandoval’s children.

One defendant, Marsha Garcia, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S.  She was observed creating a counterfeit birth certificate that she knew was going to be submitted in one of the fraudulent I-817 (Application for Family Unity Benefits) filings.  She was sentenced to two years of probation, to include 120 days of home confinement, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

A federal jury convicted one defendant, Bartola Contreras, 55, who is Frances Sandoval’s husband, in March 2015 on one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.  He was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, investigated the case.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle D. Allen-McCoy prosecuted.

 

# # #

DALLAS — Jeffrey David Mitchell, 51, of Garland, Texas, appeared in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Irma C. Ramirez and pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography.  Mitchell, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2015 on related charges, faces a maximum statutory penalty of not less than five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release.  A sentencing date was not set.  U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement today.

According to documents filed in the case, the investigation began in late April 2015 resulting from a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the upload of images depicting child pornography to an electronic group and to various email accounts.  The investigation led law enforcement to secure and execute a search warrant on Mitchell’s home on April 29, 2015; Mitchell and his parents were home during the search. 

Mitchell admitted he possessed child pornography and that he sent and received child pornography via his email account.  He confirmed that he created and used multiple email accounts to trade the child pornography, and that images of child pornography were on his desktop computer located in his bedroom.

Law enforcement seized several media items from the residence, and a forensic analysis and review of Mitchell’s email accounts revealed approximately 750 images and 100 videos of child pornography.  Some of those images and videos depict sadistic/and/or violent content, and some of the files depict infants and toddlers.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI, Collin County Sheriff’s Office and Garland Police Department are investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.

# # #

AMARILLO, Texas — A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging a former employee of the Pantex Federal Credit Union in Borger, Texas, with embezzlement, announced John Parker, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Dorothy Stegall Barnes, a/k/a “Dorothy Stegall Newman,” 56, is charged with one count of embezzlement from a federally insured credit union.  She made her initial appearance in federal court today. Barnes entered a plea of not guilty, a trial date will be set at a later date.

The indictment alleges that from approximately September 1996 through December 2010, Barnes, the Assistant Vice-President of Teller Operations at the Pantex Federal Credit Union, embezzled approximately $826,000 from the credit union.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.  If convicted, however, the maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The FBI and Borger Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Hammer is prosecuting.

# # #

DALLAS — Sherin Thawer, a Dallas attorney, appeared in federal court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez and pleaded guilty to a federal felony offense stemming from her work in representing aliens, that is, non-U.S. citizens, before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service (USCIS), announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Thawer, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, and she faces a mandatory penalty of two years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  She was initially on pre-trial release following her arrest on an indictment in February 2015; however, she has been in custody since June 15, 2015, when the Court revoked her pre-trial release after finding she violated its conditions by continuing to practice immigration law.  A sentencing date has not been set.

According to documents filed in the case, Thawer represented aliens before USCIS when they were applying for various types of visas to enter or remain in the U.S., including through a U Nonimmigrant Status or U-Visa.  To be eligible for a U-Visa, the alien must have been a victim of a certain crime, suffered mental or physical abuse because of the crime, and helped law enforcement in the investigation and/or prosecution of the crime.  In addition to the U-Visa application, applicants must submit a Law Enforcement Certification form completed and signed by the certifying official for the law enforcement agency that investigated and/or prosecuted the crime for which the alien was a victim.

On approximately March 21, 2012, Thawer, without authority, knowingly used the name and badge number of a specific police officer to complete the Law Enforcement Certification form that was submitted with a U-Visa application.  She knew the officer had not completed the form and that his signature on the form was forged.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Irving Police Department, and USCIS investigated.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Gividen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wiley are prosecuting.

# # #

DALLAS – Alexis C. Norman, 47, of Midlothian, Texas, appeared in federal court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan and pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Norman, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, mandatory restitution, and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for November 19, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle.

According to documents filed in the case, Norman was the CEO and Executive Director of Greater Southwest Group, Inc. (GSWG) and Ellis County Community Services (ECCS).  She obtained Medicaid group numbers for GSWG and ECCS and used those numbers, together with individual Medicaid provider numbers of licensed counselors and Medicaid recipient information, to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid.

Norman, who is neither a psychotherapist nor a mental health provider, submitted claims for individual and family psychotherapy sessions that were not performed.  As part of her fraud scheme, Norman used the Medicaid provider information of licensed counselors who applied for positions as contract counselors at GSWG and ECCS, but who were never hired and never worked for Norman, GSWG, or ECCS.  Norman also used the Medicaid provider numbers of licensed counselors, without their knowledge and consent, to submit claims under the GSWG and ECCS group numbers for services that they did not perform and for psychotherapy services that predated and postdated their actual employment with Norman.  The indictment alleges that Norman used the identification of more than 500 Medicaid recipients, most of whom were minor children, in her scheme.

From December 2, 2009, through July 17, 2014, Norman submitted claims to Medicaid and to Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, through GSWG and ECCS, totaling approximately $5,502,724.88; Norman was paid approximately $2,596,045.97 for these claims.

The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher is prosecuting.

# # #

DALLAS – Two men from Duncanville and Mesquite, both convicted felons, were convicted yesterday by a federal jury on an array of federal charges stemming from their armed robberies of several fast-food restaurants in the Dallas area in early 2014, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Jesse Lee Bell, 32, and Deundrae Lyndell Miller, 24, were each convicted on four counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery; five counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The government presented evidence at trial that the defendants committed the following armed robberies in North Texas:

            June 2, 2014    Whataburger, 501 E. Highway 67, Duncanville

            June 4, 2014    Whataburger, 961 W. Beltline Rd., DeSoto

            June 7, 2014    Whataburger, 3200 N. Town East Blvd., Mesquite

            June 19, 2014  Jack-In-The-Box, 1020 W. Davis, Dallas

            June 24, 2014  Whataburger, 2943 N. Galloway Avenue, Mesquite

In addition, the government presented evidence that the defendants, both convicted felons, each possessed a firearm on June 24, 2014.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each robbery conviction.  Each of the firearm offenses carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  The felon in possession count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Duncanville, DeSoto, Mesquite and Dallas Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Wirmani and John Kull are prosecuting the case.

 

 

# # #

LUBBOCK, Texas — Michael Patrick Redente, 40, of San Angelo, Texas, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of possessing prepubescent child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Redente, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Redente used the computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In the course of these searches, Redente located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.  Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is prosecuting the case.

# # #

DALLAS — A Dallas man who pleaded guilty in February 2015 to sex trafficking a 17-year-old runaway was sentenced this morning, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Ladestro Douglas, a/k/a “Derek Douglas,” 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  He was also required to register as a sex offender, and he was ordered to pay one of his victims, Jane Doe #1, $136,000 in restitution. 

During sentencing, Judge Lynn noted that the case was not about prostitution; rather it was about human trafficking.  She stated that Douglas “was trafficking through the sale of children,” and “to call it human trafficking acknowledges the horror of what you [Douglas] were doing.” 

Douglas pleaded guilty in February 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, admitting he met a 17-year-old female on the Internet, convinced her to leave her foster home and go to Texas with him where he facilitated her engagement in commercial sex acts.

According to documents filed in the case, in May 2012, Douglas contacted 17-year-old “Jane Doe #1” on the Internet and began communicating with her.  He convinced her to leave her foster home in Alabama and travel with him to Texas.  When they arrived in Texas, Douglas facilitated Jane Doe #1 engaging in commercial sex acts.  He took provocative photos of her for use on commercial sex websites; posted her on Backpage.com and other similar commercial sex websites; provided her with contraceptives to use with customers; and drove her to various cities to engage in commercial sex acts.  Jane Doe #1 gave Douglas all of the money she earned.

In June 22, 2012, officers with the Dallas Police Department responded to a disturbance call at a local hotel.  In the parking lot, they encountered Jane Doe #1, who explained that she had gotten in an altercation with her pimp, Douglas.  Officers learned Jane Doe #1 was a 17-year-old runaway from Alabama, and they arrested Douglas.  Douglas admitted that he knew she was age 17 and that she had been engaging in commercial sex acts throughout Texas.  Afterwards, Jane Doe #1 lost contact with Douglas for several months, but after she turned 18, they reunited and Douglas continued to facilitate her commercial sex acts.

In December 2013, Jane Doe #1 and another woman were in Odessa, Texas, working at Douglas’s direction.  They encountered 16-year-old Jane Doe #2 walking down the street, offered her a ride and she joined them.  Jane Doe #1 contacted Douglas about Jane Doe #2 and he travelled to Odessa to meet her.

Douglas, Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 traveled back to Dallas on a bus, and after they arrived, Jane Doe #1 began facilitating Jane Doe #2’s engaging in commercial sex acts.  They took provocative photos of her and posted her ad on Backpage.com.  Jane Doe #1, at Douglas’s direction, contacted certain customers to see if they wanted to pay to have sex with Jane Doe #2.  Jane Doe #1 also rode in the car with Jane Doe #2 to her commercial sex transactions, but she did not go into the room where they occurred.  Jane Doe #2 also gave all of the money she earned to Douglas. 

Ultimately, in late December 2013, Jane Doe #2 told Douglas she wanted to go home for the Christmas holidays, and he allowed her to leave.

The North Texas Trafficking Taskforce and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce prosecuted.

# # #

DALLAS — Following a nine-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, a federal jury has found one of the ten conspirators in an estimated $10 million resort timeshare telemarketing fraud conspiracy that victimized at least 5000 individuals, many of whom were over age 55, guilty on all 26 counts of an indictment returned in the Northern District of Texas in October 2012.  John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, made the announcement today.

Fabian C. Fleifel, 45, of Winter Springs, Florida, was convicted late yesterday on one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud; nineteen counts of mail fraud telemarketing; and six counts of wire fraud telemarketing.  The jury also found that the conspiracy count affected a financial institution and that the wire fraud and mail fraud counts were in connection with the conduct of telemarketing that victimized ten or more persons over the age of 55.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine on the conspiracy conviction and 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the other 25 convictions.  Additionally, the telemarketing enhancements permit the Judge to impose up to an additional 10 years imprisonment.  Judge Fitzwater temporarily remanded him into custody following yesterday’s verdict.

The following eleven coconspirators have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing, Edmond Charles Burke, 34, of Sanford, Florida; Kari Lynn Cash, 46, of Winter Park, Florida; Kevin Jacob Frater, 35, of Longwood, Florida; Bradley James Gomez, 36, of Longwood, Florida; Rani F. Khoury, 40, of Lake Mary, Florida; Courtney Darrell Lister, 39, of Midland, Texas; Joseph Bud Ramos, 27, of Tennessee; Armanda Nadine Rizkallah, 32, of Oviedo, Florida; Eric Rosado, of Orlando, Florida, Kevin Sanchez of Orlando, Florida, and Cesar Trinidad of Apopka, Florida. 

The government presented evidence during trial that Fleifel conspired with others to make unsolicited interstate telephone calls to owners of resort timeshare properties to induce them into paying fees associated with the bogus sale of their property.  Fleifel and others opened bank accounts and entered into merchant account agreements to process and collect funds raised in the scheme, and they set up phony mailing addresses to collect funds mailed in by timeshare owners.

Fleifel hired and trained telemarketers to work in boiler rooms he set up.  These telemarketers were instructed to call timeshare owners using scripted sales pitches that falsely represented, for example, that a bona fide buyer was interested in buying their property, that the buyer had paid money into an escrow account, and that the buyer was ready to close on the property.  The telemarketers falsely advised timeshare owners that they would receive all the funds from the sale within days, they must pay a one-time fee to cover the title search and other closing costs, and they would be refunded all fees paid if the sale did not close within 90 days.

After the conspirators obtained money from the timeshare owners, they made additional false and fraudulent statements to lull them and to keep them from investigating the transactions, complaining to law enforcement, or requesting charge backs to their credit cards

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Orlando Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys C.S. Heath and Joseph M. Revesz are prosecuting.

# # #

ABILENE, Texas — In unrelated cases, two Abilene, Texas, residents, David Scott Fikani, 61, and Michael Cleo Ivy, 36, each appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Scott Frost and pleaded guilty to federal child pornography offenses involving prepubescent minors, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Fikani, who remains on bond, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging possession of prepubescent child pornography.  According to plea documents filed in the case, Fikani used the computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  In the course of these searches, Fikani located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.  Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

Ivy, who is also on bond, pleaded guilty to the same offense.  He was indicted in April 2015 on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography.  He, too, used the computer at his residence to search for images and videos of child pornography, and in the course of those searches, he also located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.  Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing dates will be set at a later date.

The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Abilene Police Department investigated both cases.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is in charge of the prosecutions.

# # #

DALLAS — A Dallas man, Jose de Jesus Galicia-Fuentes, was sentenced yesterday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 188 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in September 2014 to one count of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Galicia-Fuentes, 58, was arrested in July 2014 on a related federal criminal complaint; he has been in custody since that time.  

According to documents filed in the case, an investigation into the sharing of child pornography files using peer-to-peer networks revealed that a user at a particular IP address, later determined to belong to Galicia-Fuentes, was sharing files indicative of child pornography.  The investigation also revealed that as of July 2, 2014, Galicia-Fuentes had 125 files of investigative interest, that is, files with identified child victims or files containing images previously identified as child pornography by law enforcement, available to share.

When law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at his residence on July 9, 2014, they seized a computer containing videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit activity.  Galicia-Fuentes admitted that he had been viewing child pornography for more than three years, estimating that he has downloaded 100 videos of child pornography.  He further admitted he received and possessed videos that included bondage and sadistic acts involving minors and the majority of his child pornography video collection was of prepubescent children.

The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI’s Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and the Dallas Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

 

# # #

           DALLAS – Brenda Ward, 47, of Cedar Hill, Texas, appeared in federal court this morning before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater and pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

           Ward, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for November 6, 2015, before Judge Fitzwater.

           According to documents filed in the case, Ward, who was President and CEO of H.E.L.P.-Ing. Communities, Inc. (HCI), obtained a Medicaid group number for HCI and used that number, together with individual Medicaid provider numbers of licensed counselors and Medicaid recipient information, to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid.

           Ward, who is neither a psychotherapist nor a mental health provider, submitted claims for individual, family, and group psychotherapy sessions that were not performed.  As part of her fraud scheme, Ward used the Medicaid provider numbers of four licensed counselors, without their knowledge and consent, to submit claims under the HCI group number for services that they did not perform.  Ward also used the Medicaid provider information of a fifth licensed counselor who worked for her to submit claims for psychotherapy services that both predated and postdated the counselor’s actual employment with her, as well as claims for services that the counselor did not provide during the counselor’s employment.  Ward used the identification of more than 290 Medicaid recipients, most of whom were minor children, in her scheme.

           Ward admits that from January 1, 2009, through February 9, 2015, she personally submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid and to Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, through HCI, totaling approximately $1,639,923.00; Ward was paid approximately $887,809.64 for these claims.

           The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher is prosecuting.

 

# # #

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Ryan Anthony Winner of Olney, Texas, remains in federal custody following his arrest on a federal complaint charging production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Winner, 33, was arrested Monday and made his initial appearance today in federal court in Wichita Falls, Texas, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert K. Roach ordered that he remain in federal custody pending a probable cause and detention hearing set for July 28, 2015.

According to the filed complaint, law enforcement learned that an individual, later identified as Winner, had created albums containing images of a minor male on a website that is used by persons interested in exchanging child pornography in order to meet and become trading partners.

Further investigation revealed that Winner had created an account to which he had uploaded files containing suspected child pornography.  On July 16, 2015, a search warrant was executed by law enforcement at two residences in Olney – one belonging to Winner and the other to his father.

Winner, according to the affidavit filed with the complaint, advised he had taken photos of MV1 (Minor Victim 1), a minor male in his Sunday school class, and that agents would locate files on his computer depicting sexual encounters between him and MV1.  Winner advised that he did not have internet access at his residence and used the internet at his father’s residence.  Law enforcement seized Winner’s laptop and files depicting the sexual abuse of a prepubescent minor male were discovered.

A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  The government has 30 days to present the case to a grand jury for indictment.  The maximum statutory penalty for the offense as charged is not less than 15 years, or more than 30 years, in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is investigating, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Young County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone who may have been victimized related to this case should contact the toll-free tip line to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at 1-866-347-2423.

Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem is in charge of the prosecution.

DALLAS — A Grand Prairie man who fired at law enforcement during the February 2015  multi-agency takedown of the violent “Goon Squad,” whose members were involved in illegal narcotics-trafficking and other criminal offenses including burglaries, robberies and other acts of violence, was sentenced yesterday, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Guillermo Perez, 19, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn to 20 years in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to two counts of assault on a federal officer.

According to documents filed in the case, on the morning of February 10, 2015, at approximately 6:00 a.m., law enforcement sought to arrest Jose Pedro Maya, a/k/a “Little Maya,” 21, who had been living at a residence on Brook Lane in Grand Prairie, where Perez also resided.  Perez had been assisting Maya with Maya’s drug trafficking operations.  Maya had been one of the members of the Goon Squad, but later split from them and began leading his own drug trafficking organization.  Maya was arrested and later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine; his sentencing is set in mid-September 2015.

When law enforcement arrived at the Brook Lane residence, they were dressed in distinct clothing identifying themselves as FBI agents.  Prior to entry into the residence, the emergency lights of FBI vehicles and marked Grand Prairie Police department vehicles were activated, making law enforcement’s presence clear.  An announcement was also made over a loud speaker to identify their presence.  Perez heard the announcement. 

As FBI SWAT team members began to make entry into the residence, Perez located an AK-47 and fired two shots toward the front door where law enforcement was entering.  Fortunately, the shots did not hit the agents.

The FBI and the Grand Prairie Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney P. J. Meitl prosecuted.

DALLAS — Following a law enforcement operation that was led today by the FBI, the Dallas Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), numerous defendants have been arrested and are in custody on drug distribution conspiracy and related charges outlined in a superseding indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in Dallas last month and unsealed this morning, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Thomas M. Class Sr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, David O. Brown, Chief of the Dallas Police Department, and R. Damon Rowe, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI Dallas Field Office.

The arrested defendants will begin making their initial appearances in federal court today.  The 46 indicted defendants, most from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, include:

            David Silva Garcia, a/k/a “Animo,” 29

            David de los Santos, 51

            Melvin Ray Williams, a/k/a “Black,” 35

            Amber Vasquez, 31

            Mia Vasquez

            Israel Vasquez, 43

            Jose Guerrero, a/k/a “J.D.,” 37

            Francisco Gallegos, Jr., a/k/a “Panchito,” “Pan,” 32

            Roberto Ramirez, 36

            Gerardo Reyes, 34

            Jason Eric Stotts, 43

            Octavius Donnell Williams, 30

            Javier Guerra, a/k/a “Chop,” 32

            Tony Ruvalcaba, a/k/a “Lil Tony,” 38

            Eusebio Martinez Ramirez, Jr., a/k/a “Sip,” 48

            Eduardo Ruvalcaba, a/k/a “Lalo,” 29

            Kenneth Johnson, a/k/a “KJ,” 27

            Alex Gonzales

            Noel Escamilla, 33

            Adrian Miramontez, 33

            Rolando Benitez, a/k/a “San Luis,” 33

            Juan Ayala, 26

            Juan Manuel Arellano, 34

            Jose Amaya, 41

            Funaki Falahola, a/k/a “Noc,” 33

            Moniteveti Katoa, a/k/a “Vince,” 51

            Mayra Lopez, 21

            Luke Lamipeti, 30

            David Lopez, 39

            Jesse Alcala, 37

            Juan Zuniga, a/k/a “Z,” 38

            Corey Nelson, 38

            Paul Salazar, 32

            Demarcus Calhoun, 33

            George Guerra, 38

            Nicholas Mayes, 31

            Rudolpho Mayes, a/k/a “Rudy,” 38

            Albert Juarez, 38

            Marcus Demon Hardy, 30

            Rodney Tilley, 36

            Molitoni Katoa, a/k/a “Tony,” 33

            Vilisolo Lamipeti, 33

            Janelle Isaacs, 40

            Rosamaria Blanco, 37

            Roberto Vasquez, Jr., 31

            Ernest Olivarez, 33

The 17-count superseding indictment charges one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin; five counts of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; three counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; three counts of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; four counts of money laundering; and one count of making a false statement in a passport application.  The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation that would require each defendant, upon conviction, to forfeit to the U.S. any property involved in, or traceable to property involved in, their offense.

Most of the defendants are charged with at least one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, or cocaine.  Eight defendants are charged with at least one count of money laundering or conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Four defendants, who are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, allegedly used their positions of employment at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), or contacted a person or persons who had a position of employment at DFW, to bypass security in order to transport kilogram quantities of a substance that was represented to be cocaine, in what they did not know was an undercover law enforcement operation.  As part of the conspiracy, the substance that was represented to be cocaine was transported on commercial airlines flying from DFW to destinations in Las Vegas, Nevada; Newark, New Jersey; Phoenix, Arizona; Chicago, Illinois, Wichita, Kansas; and San Francisco, California.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.  If convicted, however, the statutory maximum penalty for each of the drug trafficking conspiracy charges is life in federal prison and millions of dollars in fines.  Each conspiracy to launder monetary instruments count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.  Each substantive money laundering count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.  The statutory maximum penalty for making a false statement in a passport application is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI, Dallas Police Department, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation led the investigation with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety; the DFW Department of Public Safety; the U.S. Department of State; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Transportation Security Administration; the U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and the Fort Worth, McKinney, Mesquite, and Plano Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Leal and John de la Garza are prosecuting.

AMARILLO, Texas — Brent Michael McClain, 39, of Amarillo, Texas, appeared today before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

McClain, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), working in an undercover capacity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program, saw an invitation from an individual, later identified as McClain, and accepted that invitation.  McClain initiated a chat conversation with the undercover agent and gave the undercover agent his password to share files on the P2P network.

The undercover agent browsed McClain’s shared folders and downloaded approximately 30 child pornography images and one child pornography video, including at least one image of a prepubescent male.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The FBI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hammer is in charge of the prosecution.

DALLAS — A Rowlett, Texas, man, appeared today in federal court this morning before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging several federal felony offenses stemming from the hundreds of white-powder hoax letters he mailed from North Texas, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Hong Minh Truong, 67, pleaded guilty to five counts of false information and hoaxes.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the five counts.  Truong, who has been in custody since July 28, 2014, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Fitzwater on October 23, 2015.

According to the factual resume filed in the case, since December 2008, Truong mailed more than 400 hoax letters from the North Texas area to cities across the U.S. and to U.S. Embassies abroad.  The initial letters, sent out on December 4, 2008, had a “Dallas, Texas” postmark and contained a white-powder substance.  More than 15 batches of hoax letters were sent from the Dallas area from December 2008 to the present.  In all but two batches of letters, a white-powder substance was included in the envelope.

The substance contained in the more than 400 letters in this case did not contain Anthrax; however, substantial governmental resources were expended in the response and investigation.  Although each response was unique, every response involved multiple agencies dispatching personnel and equipment.

Truong mailed some of the hoax letters to the Mi Escuelita Preschool Crossover, in Dallas; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas; the Empire State Building, in New York City; Fenway High School in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Dallas Morning News in Plano, Texas.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Errin Martin is in charge of the prosecution.

AMARILLO, Texas — Seven of the nine defendants who pleaded guilty to offenses stemming from an undercover enticement operation conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies earlier this year, have been sentenced, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.  Five of the seven were sentenced this week. 

On July 7, 2015, Aaron Joe Davis, 39, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of attempted enticement of a child.  Robert James Tidwell, 21, was sentenced to five years’ probation with the first six months to be served in home confinement.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.  Kolby Shelb Kemp, 22, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.  He also pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

            On July 6, 2015, Brad Eugene Sharber, 45, and Daniel Lee Garcia, 38, were each sentenced to 24 months in federal prison.  Each pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

On June 9, 2015, Jeffery Robert Abraham, 32, was sentenced to 21months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

On May 15, 2015, Mario Simental, 28, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.  He pleaded guilty in March 2015 to one count of attempted enticement of a child.

The two remaining defendants, Kyle Andrew Adair, 22, and Charles Alexander Diaz, 20, have each pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor and are awaiting sentencing.  Each faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

All defendants with the exception of Tidwell, who is from Pampa, Texas, are Amarillo, Texas, residents.

The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Amarillo Police Department, Randall County Sheriff’s Office, Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Randall County District Attorney’s Office, Potter County District Attorney’s Office, West Texas A&M Police Department, Canyon Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto and Timothy Hammer are prosecuting.

AMARILLO, Texas — An Amarillo man appeared in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Deswan Newsome, 19, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Newsome admitted that from approximately March 30, 2015 to April 3, 2015, he attempted to recruit a 15-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts. 

The investigation began when a Task Force Officer (TFO) with U.S .Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) learned that a particular individual was using Facebook to recruit and entice teenage females for prostitution.  In March 2015, the TFO set up an undercover Facebook account representing himself as a 15-year-old female, “A.M.,” and the two exchanged messages about A.M. working as a prostitute, with the individual claiming, “You can make 2500 in a week if you really put the work into it.”  The individual sent A.M. his phone number and the two discussed a meeting, however the conversation ended without any arrangements being made.

On April 1, 2015, the TFO (A.M.) received a private message on his undercover Facebook account from “Deswan Newsome,” later identified as defendant Newsome.  Newsome and A.M. exchanged messages about A.M. engaging in prostitution, and A.M. advised Newsome that she was 15-years-old.

On April 2, 2015, an Amarillo Police Department officer, posing as A.M., made a phone call to Newsome, who answered, but then turned the call over to a female who provided more details about prostitution to A.M.  A.M. advised this female that she was 15-years-old.

On April 3, 2015, A.M. and Newsome exchanged messages and arranged to meet at a convenience store in Amarillo so A.M. could engage in prostitution.  When Newsome arrived at the location, he was identified and taken into custody.  Newsome admitted talking to A.M. on Facebook and said that he was going to have someone else teach her how to perform sex acts, and that he’d get 60 percent of the money she made for performing the commercial sex acts.

The Amarillo Police Department and HSI investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Hammer and Joshua Frausto are prosecuting.

DALLAS — Al Hakeem Muhammad, II, 26, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan and pleaded guilty to one count of misrepresentation of a Social Security number, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Muhammad, who is on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for October 21, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn.

According to plea documents filed in the case, in early January 2015, Muhammad used a Social Security number that he knew was not his when he completed a credit application to fraudulently obtain a lease on an apartment located in Victory Park in Dallas. 

This case represents one of the felony prosecutions of bankruptcy-related crimes generated by the recent Bankruptcy Fraud Initiative within the Northern District of Texas.  Since February 2013, 12 defendants have been charged with various felony offenses as a result of criminal referrals from the U.S. Trustee Program to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Eight defendants have been convicted either following a trial or guilty plea.  Five defendants have been sentenced.  Three defendants are awaiting trial, and one defendant remains in fugitive status with an outstanding arrest warrant.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jarvis is in charge of the prosecution. 

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DALLAS — A Dallas man who facilitated his 16-year-old girlfriend’s commercial sex acts appeared in federal court this morning and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney to one count of sex trafficking of children, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Trenton McLemore, 29, faces a statutory maximum penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  However, the parties agree if the Court accepts the plea agreement, the appropriate term of imprisonment in this case is 252 months (21 years) in federal prison.  Sentencing is set for October 21,2015, before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn.

According to documents filed in the case, McLemore met “Jane Doe” and her family when she was 11-years-old.  In July 2013, when Jane Doe was 16-years-old, she ran away from home to be with McLemore, and the two began living in motels.

On August 1, 2013, McLemore began facilitating Jane Doe’s commercial sex acts in several ways.  He asked friends and family to rent rooms for them at a Super 8 Motel and a Motel 6 in the Dallas area for her to use with commercial sex customers.  McLemore also provided Jane Doe a cell phone for her to use to communicate with commercial sex customers.  McLemore often used that phone to communicate with Jane Doe’s customers, sometimes posing as her and texting her customers to arrange “dates” and then leaving the motel room shortly before the customer arrived.

McLemore also took sexually explicit photos of Jane Doe that he distributed via text message to potential customers.  Often, McLemore would stay near the motel room to act as Jane Doe’s bodyguard while she engaged in the commercial sex acts, and he would return to the room shortly after the customer left to collect the proceeds.

In mid-September 2013, a detective with the Irving Police Department conducting an operation to identify possible victims of human trafficking, found a commercial sex advertisement on Mocospace.com with photographs of a female who appeared to be underage.  He contacted the number, and after exchanging several messages regarding a potential commercial sex act, they agreed to meet on September 19, 2013, in a specific room at a Super 8 Motel in Irving, Texas.

As McLemore left that room shortly before the “date,” he was seen texting at the same time the detective was receiving messages about the “date.”  When the detective arrived and entered the motel room, Jane Doe agreed to engage in a commercial sex act with him.  She was then placed in custody and law enforcement determined she was a 16-year-old runaway from Dallas.

McLemore had stayed nearby while that “date” occurred, and his personal items were later found inside that motel room.  When law enforcement learned Jane Doe’s age, they arrested McLemore for compelling prostitution of a person under the age of 18 and human trafficking.  He has been in custody since that time. 

The Irving Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), both members of the North Texas Trafficking Taskforce, investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce is in charge of the prosecution.

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AMARILLO, Texas — Bassam Arif Al Zarkani, 33, of Dumas, Texas, appeared today before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson and pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Al Zarkani, who has been in custody since his arrest on a related state charge in April 2015, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to documents filed in the case, on approximately April 14, 2015, Al Zarkani sent a “friend request” to an undercover officer’s Facebook account, and the undercover officer accepted that friend request.  Al Zarkani and the undercover officer exchanged messages and in response to Al Zarkani’s inquiry, the undercover officer responded, “single…no kids thank god…im 15.”

The conversation turned sexual in nature and Al Zarkani sent the undercover officer a sexually explicit photo of himself, and for almost two weeks, Al Zarkani and the undercover officer, whom Al Zarkani believed was a 15-year-old female, sent private messages to each other through Facebook.  During the conversations, Al Zarkani warned the undercover officer to keep him a secret from her dad and not tell anyone about him until she is 18 years old.  On April 28, 2015, a meeting site was established, and Al Zarkani traveled from Dumas to Amarillo, Texas, to meet the girl.  He was arrested when he arrived at the meeting location

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Amarillo Police Department investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is in charge of the prosecution.

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AMARILLO, Texas — Becky Renee Kite, 37, of Amarillo, Texas, appeared in federal court this morning before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson and pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a federally-funded program, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Kite, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to documents filed in the case, from November 2013 until approximately February 2015, Kite embezzled approximately $71,011.13 from her employer, Gilvin-Terrill, Ltd., an organization that received federal assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation, through the Texas Department of Transportation.  Kite was an agent of Gilvin-Terrill in that she was employed as a contract administrator and accounts payable clerk for the road construction company. 

Kite admitted using the company Chase credit cards for personal expenses without permission and changing account preferences so that she could take out cash advances from one card.  Kite further admitted changing the account preferences to where the statements would be mailed to her, instead of the office.  She also admitted making payments to Chase electronically from Gilvin-Terrill’s operating account.  An analysis of credit card statements shows that Kite conducted a total of 759 unauthorized transactions totaling $71,011.13.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is prosecuting.

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AMARILLO, Texas — An Amarillo, Texas, man appeared in federal court today and admitting robbing a branch of Amarillo National Bank (ANB) in March 2015, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

William Eugene Boyd, 51, appeared before U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson and pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  A sentencing date was not set.

According to documents filed in the case today, on March 13, 2015, a robber, later identified as Boyd, approached a teller at the ANB located at 2401 S. Coulter, in Amarillo, and told her, “This is a robbery.”  He instructed her to give him all the money, nothing marked, and not make a sound.  He told her that if she handed over all her money she would not get hurt, and he kept his left hand by his waistband, making her fearful he had a weapon.  The teller complied with his instructions and Boyd left the bank with the case. 

After providing surveillance photographs to the media that were broadcast to the public, Arlington Police Department investigators received several tips from Boyd’s friends/family members identifying him as the robber.  Investigators located a hat matching the color and style of the one Boyd wore during the robbery in a vehicle registered to Boyd’s mother, and bank employees later identified him in a photo line-up.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Amarillo Police Department investigated. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is prosecuting.

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DALLAS — A Waco, Texas, resident, Christopher Scott Gant, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 37 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $110,344.00 in restitution to TXU Energy following his guilty plea in February 2015 to an indictment charging one count of wire fraud.  He must surrender to the Bureau of Prison on August 18, 2015.  John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, made today’s announcement.

According to documents filed in the case, beginning in early 2012 and continuing to February 2013, Gant, 58, ran a scheme to set up fraudulent utility accounts with TXU Energy.  At the time of the scheme, TXU’s policy was to give electricity account holders a grace period to remedy delinquent payments before disconnecting power.  As part of his scheme, before the grace period ended, Gant would call TXU customer service centers located outside of Texas.  He then used more than 200 stolen Social Security numbers to set up more than 600 new fraudulent accounts.  The residents would continue to receive electricity without paying TXU.  Gant received payment from the residents to execute this scheme.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon McCarthy prosecuted.

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