Eastern District of Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Man Sentenced for Sex with Minor and Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Culpeper man was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison today for sex with a minor and production of child pornography.
According to court documents, Fielding Smith Daniel, 53, met a young girl on a sugar daddy website in August 2016. Such websites are set up to facilitate interactions between wealthy older men and younger women who provide companionship in exchange for financial support. Daniel arranged to meet the girl for sex for money. The girl, who was 14 years-old, was staying with her grandmother in Stafford. Shortly after midnight on Aug. 11, 2016, Daniel picked her up from her grandmother’s house and brought her to a motel and had sex with her. Although they had negotiated a rate of $200, Daniel provided the girl with $100 after she wanted to leave early. A few weeks later, on Aug. 23, 2016, Daniel again arranged to have sex with the girl for money. On this occasion, the girl was with her 14-year-old friend. Daniel attempted to persuade the girl to have her friend watch them have sex, offering to pay her $300 if the friend watched. Daniel picked up the girl and her friend and brought them to a local hotel. The friend declined multiple offers to watch but the girl again had sex with Daniel for $140, while the friend stayed in the car. Afterwards Daniel dropped both girls off at a local Wal-Mart.
In early September 2016, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of Daniel’s residence in Culpeper and found hundreds of online sexually explicit communications with women. Amongst those chats were two 2016 conversations involving girls who indicated to Daniel that they were minors and in high school. One of the minor girls produced pictures and videos of child pornography at Daniel’s request.
Daniel was sentenced to 182 months in prison, ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, a $10,200 special assessment, and will serve seven years of supervised release. Daniel also agreed to forfeit the 2016 BMW used in some of the crimes, as well as numerous electronic devices.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Whitney Russell prosecuted the case.
Significant support for the investigation was received from the Stafford County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Virginia, the Eastern District of New York, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-110 and 1:17-mj-145.
Emporia Crack Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – An Emporia man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for participating in a large-scale crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana trafficking conspiracy in the Emporia area from March 2015 through June 2017.
According to court documents, Vincent Demond Anderson, aka “Moosey”, 41, was identified by law enforcement as a primary customer of Deron Powell, a large-scale drug trafficker in the Emporia area from 2013-2017. From at least March 2016 through June 2017, Anderson distributed approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine that he purchased from Powell. Law enforcement intercepted numerous cell phone calls between Powell and Anderson, negotiating the purchase of crack cocaine, cocaine hydrochloride, and marijuana for distribution in the Emporia area.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-80.
Man Sentenced for Firearms and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for drug trafficking and his role in stealing 52 firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in February 2017.
According to court documents, Angel Lewis Bruno, 19, was part of a robbery crew that stole 52 firearms from Hunter’s Heaven Gun Store in Hayes on Feb. 12, 2017. Approximately nine days later, law enforcement apprehended all four defendants, including two who fled in a vehicle travelling at over 100 miles per hour.
Name, Age
City
Charges
Result
Angel Lewis Bruno, 19
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
8 years in prison
Xavier Justice Lee Greenauer-Mattox, 23
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Sentencing scheduled for April 18
Philip Thomas Evans, 23
Yorktown
Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Sentencing scheduled for April 9
Alissha Shalee Faulks, 28
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm
3 years’ probation
Law enforcement has recovered 17 of the stolen firearms to date. The whereabouts of other 35 firearms are unknown.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Cowles prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-72.
Accenture Pays $1.7 Million to Settle Overcharged Government ContractRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Accenture Federal Services LLC (Accenture), located in Reston, agreed to pay $1,744,559 to settle overcharges billed to a General Services Administration multiple award schedule contract.
The resolution follows from a disclosure by the company to the U.S. Army Contracting Command, which arose out of an internal investigation conducted by Accenture. Accenture reported to the government that overcharges had been caused by unauthorized purchases of copy toner that had been surreptitiously made by a subcontractor on the contract. The disclosure by Accenture to the Army was made pursuant to the Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct under the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Accenture provided assistance during the government’s investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Army Criminal Investigation Command. The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Former CIA Officer Arrested for Retaining Classified InformationRead the Press Release
Jerry Chun Shing Lee, aka Zhen Cheng Li, 53, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, was arrested last night on charges of unlawful retention of national defense information.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.
Lee was arrested after arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Lee is a naturalized U.S. citizen, currently residing in Hong Kong, China. According to court documents, Lee began working for the CIA as a case officer in 1994, maintained a Top Secret clearance and signed numerous non-disclosure agreements during his tenure at CIA.
According to court documents, in August 2012, Lee and his family left Hong Kong to return to the United States to live in northern Virginia. While traveling back to the United States, Lee and his family had hotel stays in Hawaii and Virginia. During each of the hotel stays, FBI agents conducted court-authorized searches of Lee’s room and luggage, and found that Lee was in unauthorized possession of materials relating to the national defense. Specifically, agents found two small books containing handwritten notes that contained classified information, including but not limited to, true names and phone numbers of assets and covert CIA employees, operational notes from asset meetings, operational meeting locations and locations of covert facilities.
Lee made his initial appearance this afternoon in the Eastern District of New York. He is charged with unlawful retention of national defense information and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court after considering the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Hammerstrom of the Eastern District of Virginia and Deputy Chief Elizabeth Cannon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Former CIA Officer Arrested for Retaining Classified InformationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer was arrested last night on charges of unlawful retention of national defense information.
Jerry Chun Shing Lee, aka “Zhen Cheng Li”, 53, was arrested after arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Lee, who is a naturalized United States citizen, currently resides in Hong Kong, China. According to court documents, Lee began working for the CIA as a case officer in 1994, maintained a Top Secret clearance, and signed numerous non-disclosure agreements during his tenure at CIA.
According to court documents, in August 2012, Lee and his family left Hong Kong to return to the United States to live in northern Virginia. While traveling back to the United States, Lee and his family had hotel stays in Hawaii and Virginia. During each of the hotel stays, FBI agents conducted court-authorized searches of Lee’s room and luggage, and found that Lee was in unauthorized possession of materials relating to the national defense. Specifically, agents found two small books containing handwritten notes that contained classified information, including but not limited to, true names and phone numbers of assets and covert CIA employees, operational notes from asset meetings, operational meeting locations and locations of covert facilities.
Lee made his initial appearance this afternoon in the Eastern District of New York. He is charged with unlawful retention of national defense information and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Hammerstrom and Deputy Chief Elizabeth Cannon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-mj-18.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
“King of Death” Supplier Pleads Guilty, Faces Mandatory Life SentenceRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to leading and supplying a heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that resulted in more than a dozen overdoses and at least two deaths.
Kenneth Stuart, aka “Bones,” 43, of Newark, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison when sentenced on April 24, 2018.
According to court documents, Stuart served as the out-of-state source of supply for a Virginia based heroin and fentanyl drug distribution ring led by Chesapeake ringleader, Erskine Dawson, Jr. aka “June,” “Junior.” From March to December 2016, Stuart supplied between three and ten kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, which equates to approximately 7,500 to 25,000 individual doses. The narcotics, which were often concealed in stuffed animals, were trafficked by Stuart and several others at his direction from New Jersey to Virginia. The heroin and fentanyl was distributed in wax baggies stamped “King of Death,” “Last Call,” “Mad Max,” and “Chef Curry,” among many others. Stuart informed his co-conspirators about new labels and his desire to have them promoted.
Stuart was aware that at least two Virginians died from his fentanyl and that several others had suffered non-fatal overdoses. After hearing of at least one fentanyl death, Stuart told a co-conspirator that “another one bit the dust” yet instructed two co-defendants to continue selling his product.
On Sept. 7, 2016, H.D. consumed fentanyl supplied by Dawson via Stuart and co-conspirator Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Nov. 14, 2016, G.M. consumed heroin supplied by Dawson via Stuart and co-conspirator Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Dec. 8, 2016, the DEA in partnership with officers from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments executed search warrants on motels in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, made arrests, and seized cash, guns, and over 1,800 wax baggies of heroin and fentanyl.
Eight people involved with this trafficking organization were indicted and as of today, all eight have pleaded guilty. Four of those federal defendants have been sentenced to a combined 70 years in prison.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel T. Young, William D. Muhr, and Andrew C. Bosse prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-61.
Owner of Seafood Company Charged in Atlantic Blue Crab ScamRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The owner of a Newport News seafood business was charged today by criminal information with conspiring to commit Lacey Act violations for blending foreign crab meat with Atlantic blue crab meat, then labeling the blended crab meat as “Product of USA”.
James R. Casey, 74, of Poquoson, is the owner and President of Casey’s Seafood, Inc. According to court documents, from at least July 2012 through June 2015, Casey knowingly conspired to replace Atlantic blue crab with crab meat from Indonesia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Central and South America. Casey and his co-conspirators falsely labeled at least 397,917 pounds of crab meat, with a retail value in the millions of dollars, as Atlantic blue crab and “Product of the United States”.
According to court documents, Casey directed employees to remove foreign crabmeat from the original shipper’s packaging containers, blend and combine foreign crab meat from one processor with crab meat from another processor, and place it into different packing containers with a label declaring that the contents were a “Product of USA,” despite knowing that the contents were imported crab meat. Casey also directed employees to place labels with “Product of the USA” on containers that covered up labels that stated “Product of Brazil” or “Product of China”.
Casey has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jeffrey H. Wood, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Tim Donovan, Assistant Director for National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Trial Attorney Gary N. Donner of the Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations provided significant assistance during the investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER.
A criminal information contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Owner of Virginia Auto Repair Shop Indicted for Employment Tax FraudRead the Press Release
The owner of a Virginia auto repair shop was indicted for failing to account for and pay over employment taxes, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to the indictment, Michael Ragsdale resided in Ashburn, Virginia, and owned and operated Foreign Service Auto (FSA), an auto repair business located in McLean, Virginia. The indictment alleges that Ragsdale had decision-making authority over the business’s activities and controlled the business’s finances. He was allegedly responsible for withholding employment taxes from FSA’s employees, paying the taxes over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and filing its employment tax returns. According to the indictment, from approximately the end of 2011 through 2014, Ragsdale did not file employment tax returns for FSA and did not pay approximately $112,000 in employment taxes.
If convicted, Ragsdale faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of failing to collect, account for and pay over employment taxes. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Boente commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Melanie Smith of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Burke, who are prosecuting this case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Maryland Men Convicted of Sex Trafficking Three Minor Victims Throughout the East CoastRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted two Hyattsville, Maryland men today of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, including by force, fraud, or coercion, as well as sex trafficking three minors, throughout the East Coast over the course of several months in 2016.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.
Ivan Duane Williams aka “Lucci,” 28, and Dennis Ray Davis Jr. aka “Dee,” 26, were convicted following a six-day jury trial before Senior U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III in the Eastern District of Virginia. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Williams and Davis recruited three underage girls whom they trafficked in multiple locations, including Atlanta, Georgia; Maryland; Northern Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. The evidence presented at trial showed that Williams and Davis, working together and with two female co-conspirators in the sex trafficking ring, posted online advertisements of the victims, offering them for commercial sex with men throughout the region; reserved hotel rooms at which they and the victims would stay when traveling to engage in commercial sex acts; drove the victims to the hotels and other locations where the commercial sex acts would occur; and collected the money given to the victims by the commercial sex customers. The evidence further showed that when two of the minors tried to leave the group, the defendants resorted to violence, including threats, physical force, and brandishing firearms. Williams and Davis used the money earned by the victims to create rap music where they bragged about exploiting females, and to fund their day-to-day living expenses.
The victims were recovered after law enforcement with the Fairfax County Police Department and Henrico County Police Department responded in undercover capacities to online advertisements for the victims.
“Every American has the right to be safe from violence and exploitation, and it is the mission of this Department to help secure that right,” said Attorney General Sessions. “Today, during this Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we have won a major victory by securing the conviction of two men who trafficked and exploited underage girls for commercial sex. I want to thank the dedicated men and women of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, our partners with the Fairfax and Henrico County police, and our dedicated and skilled prosecutors Maureen Cain and Jessica Urban for their hard work in ensuring the criminals are held accountable and justice is achieved for the victims. They have delivered results today that will make this country a safer place for children. I also want to thank President Trump for calling attention to this issue by designating January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The Justice Department will remain steadfast in our efforts to rescue trafficking victims and put those who victimize children behind bars.”
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Henrico County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Cain of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Jessica Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
President Donald J. Trump recently announced January 2018 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, which culminates on February 1, 2018 with the annual celebration of National Freedom Day. In February 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order, which directed the Attorney General to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, including those involved in human trafficking.
Business Agent Sentenced for $3 Million Tax FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for a tax fraud conspiracy that caused a loss to the IRS of over $3 million.
According to court documents, Edward R. Prestes, 48, was a bookkeeper who operated a conspiracy to evade paying income and employment taxes to the IRS for laborers working for various construction companies by paying such laborers more than $9.1 million “under the table.” From 2011 through 2013, Prestes was an agent for Virginia American Contractors, LLC; Elson Contractors, LLC; Proactive Services, LLC; Positive Solutions, LLC; and Service Contractors, LLC. These nominee corporations all used the same mailing address: a post office box in Glen Allen. However, each nominee corporation had a separate bank account in which Prestes was an authorized signatory.
According to the court documents, after various construction companies made regular payments to the nominee corporations, Prestes would then distribute the funds from the nominee corporations to the laborers. Prestes would make these payments to laborers by both cash and check, and would not withhold any income or employment taxes, issue Forms W-2 or 1099 to the laborers, or file quarterly returns or yearly income tax returns for the nominee corporations, as required by law. At the end of each year, the construction companies issued IRS Forms 1099 to the nominee corporations and deducted the payments.
According to the court documents, from 2011 through 2013, the construction companies paid over $9.2 million to the nominee corporations. Prestes then paid the laborers approximately $2.8 million in cash and $6.3 million in checks. Prestes kept as a commission approximately two to three percent of the funds he received from the construction companies. As a result of this conspiracy, the IRS lost over $3 million in employment and income taxes.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-114.
Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Arson-for-Profit SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for running a 15-year insurance fraud scheme that involved at least 27 fires in two states.
Verdon Taylor, 72, of Leesburg, Florida, was convicted by a federal jury on Oct. 25, 2017, of conspiracy, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, and witness tampering in connection with the fraud. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Verdon Taylor and four co-conspirators, Vershawn Jackson, 39, and Marie Taylor, 55, both of Richmond, along with Sylvia Mitchell, aka Sylvia Jackson, 59, of Tampa, Florida, and Eugenia Fleming, 57, of Victoria, participated in a long-running arson-for-profit scheme in which the conspirators purchased cars or mobile homes at auction, or signed leases at rental properties, insured the property, and set fire to the insured property to collect insurance proceeds. In many instances, the time between the purchase of insurance and the fire was mere weeks or even days. The evidence at trial also showed that the defendants made a practice of staging mobile homes and rental properties with furniture and clothing that had been purchased at flea markets or auctions, and on several occasions had been in other properties that previously burned. Over the course of the scheme, defrauded insurance companies paid out over $1 million on claims by the conspirators.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Henry Rosenbaum, Henrico County Fire Marshal, and David Creasey, Richmond Fire Marshal, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David V. Harbach, II, Michael C. Moore, and Janet Jin Ah Lee are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-29.
Transportation Operator Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the State DepartmentRead the Press Release
A local transportation operator pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing federal funds intended for a foreign exchange program maintained by the U.S. Department of State, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Inspector General Steve A. Linick of the U.S. Department of State.
Denon T. Hopkins, 49, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public funds and engage in honest services wire fraud before U.S. Senior District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6, 2018.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Hopkins was the operator and de facto owner of a transportation company that contracted with the State Department to provide bus and limousine services to Sports United Division, a State Department component devoted to sports diplomacy, which sponsored a foreign exchange program for emerging athletes and coaches from various countries. The exchange program was managed by George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, through a federal grant and cooperative agreement with the State Department. During a time period when Hopkins received $247,200 in grant funds for legitimate transportation services, he and a State Department official conspired to steal portions of the federal money allocated to the exchange program by, among other things, falsifying vendor-related invoices and making fraudulent checks payable to Hopkins. In total, Hopkins stole approximately $17,335 from the State Department. He also admitted that he used portions of the funds to pay kickbacks to the State Department official to retain his transportation contract.
The Department of State’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian D. Harrison provided assistance on the case.
Jury Convicts Stafford Man of Dealing Drugs While ArmedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Stafford man today of drug and firearms offenses.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Mark Jamahl Stephens, 26, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department in May 2017 after officers discovered two firearms and crack cocaine in his vehicle. Following his arrest, ATF agents executed a search warrant at his home and seized three firearms and marijuana packaged for distribution.
Stephens was convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2018. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of Metropolitan Police Department, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tobias D. Tobler and William M. Sloan are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-202.
Former Owner of Sleep Study Clinics Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The former owner of 1st Class Sleep Diagnostic Center and 1st Class Medical, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents, from at least 2005 through 2014, Dannie Ahn, 43, of Centreville, helped control, manage, and oversee various corporations, to include 1st Class Sleep Diagnostic Center and 1st Class Medical, which provided sleep studies and sleep-related treatment at clinics located throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland.
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Ahn, along with a conspirator, directed a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by causing the submission of false, fraudulent, and misleading claims. Ahn fraudulently incentivized individuals to receive sleep studies, which he had no reason to believe were medically necessary and were not authorized by any medical practitioner, in order to increase revenue. Ahn also caused kickbacks to be paid to physicians in exchange for referring patients to 1st Class, and disguised the kickbacks using various means.
According to the statement of facts, Ahn, along with a conspirator, caused 1st Class to pay personal expenses which were falsely and fraudulently characterized as business expenses on the financial books and records of 1st Class. Later, Ahn caused the false information, including the false business records of 1st Class, to be provided to various individuals for preparation of corporate income tax returns and individual income tax returns. According to court documents, the loss attributable to Ahn’s conduct is between $4.5 and $25 million, and the loss to government health care programs is more than $1 million.
Ahn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 14, 2018.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Robert E. Craig, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, Nicholas DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Wong and Trial Attorney Kevin Lowell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-222.
Man Sentenced for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“Lionel Williams planned to conduct a lone-wolf style terror attack,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “He adhered to a radicalized version of Islam, publically declared his allegiance to ISIS on social media, and ordered an AK-47 assault rifle the day after the San Bernardino terrorist attack. What started with radicalized internet postings escalated to attempts to help ISIS buy weapons and ammunition, and ended with a plan to kill law enforcement officers here in Virginia. I want to thank the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and the Suffolk Police Department for their extraordinary work on this case.”
According to court documents, Lionel Williams, 27, attempted to send money to a person he believed was an ISIS financier on two occasions, believing the money would be used to kill. In court documents, Williams admitted his interest in ISIS began in 2014. On Dec. 3, 2015, the day after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, he bought an AK-47 assault rifle. In March 2016, he publicly declared his support for ISIS on social media, described his hope that ISIS would take over the United States, and stated he would decapitate any law enforcement agents he caught surveilling him. After donating money to an individual he believed to be an ISIS financier - but was actually a persona adopted by an FBI employee - Williams was told his donation had helped purchase a rocket-propelled grenade. He responded with an Arabic phrase meaning, “Praise be to Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.” Later in 2016, Williams began discussing plans for a “martyrdom operation” with a woman living outside the United States, asked an FBI confidential source to send him specific types of AK-47 ammunition, and told an FBI employee that his plan was for a local operation. Williams was arrested and charged shortly thereafter. After his arrest, he told agents he supported ISIS and believed he was part of a “holy war.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Williams was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Thomas E. Bennett, Chief of Suffolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla and Andrew C. Bosse, and Trial Attorneys Alicia H. Cook and Joshua D. Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-1.
Man Arrested on Fraud Charges for Posing as a DoctorRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Glen Allen man was arrested late yesterday in Kansas on charges of fraud, false statements, and identity theft.
According to allegations in the indictment, Vishal J. Patel, 30, used the personal identifying information of licensed physicians to pose as a doctor in online employment applications to medical staffing companies. Patel falsely claimed in such applications to be licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia. To support this claim, Patel created and submitted false diplomas and certificates concerning his education, training, certifications, and licenses in which he included registration and licensing numbers belonging to various licensed physicians. To obtain access to their information, Patel posed as the physicians when contacting various oversight entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration. Patel directed those entities to alter the physicians’ licensing records so that they appeared to be associated with Patel. He then directed these entities to mail him copies of the altered records. Through the scheme, Patel fraudulently induced various medical staffing companies to employ him as an independent contractor. Patel obtained employment through at least one company at a free clinic in Newport News, where he saw nearly two dozen patients before he was terminated due to the clinic’s inability to verify his credentials.
Patel has been charged with wire fraud, furnishing false information in a DEA record, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years, along with a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison, if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin C. Gratton and Brian J. Samuels are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-125.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Life for Two Overdose DeathsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton Roads man was sentenced today to life in prison for distributing heroin in Hampton and Newport News that caused two overdose deaths.
According to court documents, Terry Glenn Williams, Jr., 33, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy, distribution of heroin resulting in death, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and money laundering. During the course of his drug trafficking, Williams was involved in four heroin overdoses – two fatal and two nonfatal. Williams’ drug-trafficking organization operated in Hampton and Newport News by moving to and from various hotels, moving in excess of a kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of cocaine base. In addition to drug trafficking, Williams used drug addicts as prostitutes, at times using the prostitutes to distribute heroin for him after he used their addiction to keep them with him in his prostitution business.
The case was investigated by the DEA as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Raw Sugar. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnik and Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-16.
Former Congressional Candidate Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Hampton woman with fraud and theft of government property for allegedly stealing from the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
According to the indictment, Shaun Brown, 58, worked with JOBS Community Outreach Development Corporation (JOBS), a non-profit registered in Virginia. In 2011 and 2012, JOBS was a sponsor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SFSP, a federally-funded program to feed children during the summer when free-lunch programs end at the conclusion of the school year. Brown was responsible for running the SFSP for JOBS, and in 2012, Brown and others submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement. As part of the scheme, Brown would direct staff to inflate the numbers of children actually fed and falsify documents in order to obtain additional money. In 2016, Brown was the democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District.
Brown has been charged with wire fraud and theft of government property, and faces a maximum penalty 20 years in prison if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, Michael C. Westfall, Acting State Inspector General of Virginia, and Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General for U.S. Department of Agriculture, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-169.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Pilot Who Crash Landed Plane in Suffolk Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk man pleaded guilty today to piloting an aircraft without a proper pilot’s license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to court documents, Robert R. Gray, Jr., 55, was flying a 1972 Piper Aircraft in July when he crashed it while attempting to land at the Umphlett Airstrip in Suffolk. Gray had a student pilot license but that license had expired and medical conditions, including a prosthetic leg, prevented Gray from obtaining the required medical clearance to fly an aircraft. It was during the crash landing that his prosthetic leg became stuck on the aircraft’s brake and caused it to spin out on landing. After initially denying he was the pilot of the aircraft, Gray admitted he had flown the plane, and told investigators he had no business flying the plane because he can barely drive a car.
Court records further indicate that Gray bought and sold aircraft, and reports to the FAA indicated Gray was flying airplanes in October 2016 and June 2017, despite officials specifically informing him on each occasion that he was not permitted to fly an aircraft.
Gray, Jr. pleaded guilty to serving as an airman without a certificate and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison when sentenced on March 23, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Calvin L. Scovell, III, Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-140.
Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Heroin and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm with the heroin.
According to court documents, Tirado Johnson, 33, had two outstanding warrants for his arrest from Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. The Fugitive Squad from both police departments located and arrested Johnson at an apartment building in Virginia Beach after watching him exit the apartment building carrying a black backpack. Inside the backpack the police found 46 individually wrapped baggies of heroin and a 9mm handgun with an extended clip that held 28 rounds of ammunition.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney William D. Muhr prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-33.
Jury Convicts Pastor and Wife of $2 Million Investment FraudsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted an Alexandria pastor and his wife last night for a $2 million fraud scheme that victimized members of their congregation and prospective investors in a Nigerian oil scheme.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Terry Wayne Millender, 53, the former senior pastor of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, and his wife Brenda Millender, 57, operated Micro-Enterprise Management Group (MEMG), a Virginia company that alleged to help poor people in developing countries by providing small, short-term loans to start or expand existing businesses by working with a network of established micro-finance institutions. The Millenders were founding members of MEMG, while Terry Millender served as chief executive officer. The Millenders recruited investors by emphasizing its Christian mission and use of the funds to help the poor, promising guaranteed rates of return, assuring investors that the loans’ principal was safe and backed by the assets of MEMG. The jury found that these representations were false and fraudulent, and that the money was actually used by the Millenders to conduct risky trading on the foreign exchange currency market, options trading, payments towards the purchase of a $1.75 million residence for the Millenders, and other personal expenses. To conceal how they had actually used the money, the Millenders falsely assured investors that they would get their money back and blamed delays in repaying investors on the 2008 financial crisis, among other things.
In addition, after MEMG failed, the Millenders created another entity called Kingdom Commodities Unlimited (KCU), which purportedly specialized in the brokering of Nigerian oil deals. Multiple victims entered into loan agreements with the Millenders, totaling over $600,000. Like the MEMG agreements, the KCU agreements lured prospective investors into giving the Millenders money by promising high rates of return and short term loans. The Millenders used the KCU lenders’ money to pay for their rent and golf trips, as well as a birthday party and other personal expenses.
The Millenders face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on March 30, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-conspirator Grenetta Wells, 56, of Alexandria, who served as chief operating officer at MEMG, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 12, 2018.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine L. Wong, Jamar K. Walker, and Kimberly R. Pedersen are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-239.
36th Street Bang Squad Gang Member Sentenced for Attempted MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for his role in planning and attempting to murder a rival gang member in Hampton in June 2015.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2015, Shaquone Ford, 22, along with co-defendants Martin Hunt, 20, of Newport News, Jamaree Green, 21, of Hampton, and Corey Sweetenburg, 21, of Hampton, all members of a local gang known as the 36th Street Bang Squad, drove to a Hampton high school looking for a rival gang member suspected of murdering a 36th Street Bang Squad member two days prior, on June 3, 2015. Once at the location, other 36th Street members and associates joined the group. The group followed a Hampton City school bus in two vehicles, waiting for their target to get off at a stop. When the target exited the bus, the defendants and other 36th Street members and associates chased him into an apartment complex. The defendants carried loaded firearms and planned to kill the target if he was found.
On December 7, co-defendant Green pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to murder the rival gang member and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Green faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on March 2, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is a product of a two-year ongoing investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Hampton Police Division and the Newport News Police Department, to address violent gang crime on the peninsula. As part of this ongoing focused effort to address violent crime, gang activities and drugs in Hampton, the Hampton Police Division has funded a full-time prosecutor to lead the federal prosecution of these cases.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, Terry L. Sult, Chief of the Hampton Police Division, and Michael C. Grimstead, Acting Chief of the Newport News Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross and Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr--52.
Jury Convicts Former Police Officer of Attempting to Support ISISRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a former police officer today of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.
“Nicholas Young swore an oath to protect and defend, and instead violated the public’s trust by attempting to support ISIS,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metro Transit Police, and the trial team for their tireless work and dedication to this case.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nicholas Young, 38, of Fairfax, was formerly employed as a police officer with the Metro Transit Police Department. In late July 2016, Young attempted to provide material support and resources to ISIS by purchasing and sending gift card codes that he believed would allow ISIS recruiters to securely communicate with potential ISIS recruits.
“This case is another example of the complex nature of the terrorism threat we face and the danger it poses to our communities here at home,” said Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. “The FBI's highest priority is protecting the American people by countering the threat posed by terrorism. The dedicated professionals assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force work to thwart the threat of terrorism every day. I would like to thank all of our partner agencies for their dedication and hard work particularly the Metro Transit Police Department.”
Between Dec. 3, 2015, and Dec. 5, 2015, Young attempted to obstruct and impede an official proceeding. In specific, Young believed an associate of his, who was actually an FBI confidential human source (CHS), had successfully joined ISIS in late 2014. During an FBI interview, Young was told the FBI was investigating the attempt of his associate (the CHS) to join ISIS. Nevertheless, in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of the CHS and himself, Young attempted to deceive investigators as to the destination and purpose of the CHS’s travel.
Additionally, in November 2014, Young attempted to obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding of the Grand Jury by sending a text message to the CHS’ cell phone in order to make it falsely appear to the FBI that the CHS had left the United States to go on vacation in Turkey. In actuality, Young believed the CHS had gone to Turkey and then to Syria in order to join and fight for ISIS.
Young faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and John T. Gibbs, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Turgeon, and Trial Attorney David P. Cora of the National Security Division.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-265.
Doctor Sentenced to 30 Years for Oxycodone Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond doctor was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for conspiring to distribute Oxycodone.
According to court documents and evidence and testimony at trial, Clarence Scranage, Jr., 62, was the supplier to a drug trafficking organization that, at various points in time, had more than 40 participants. The participants were recruiters, pill fillers, and dealers who sold to addicts. During the course of the conspiracy, which began in January 2011, Scranage dispensed 1,257 fraudulent prescriptions amounting to more than 223,000 30-mg Oxycodone pills distributed into the underground stream of commerce. Scranage represented himself at trial, and was convicted by a jury on all 19 counts charged in the indictment on August 10. During the trial, one expert testified that Scranage was “a one-man opioid epidemic.”
In addition to the prison sentence, the Court also entered a forfeiture order in the amount of $628,500 which represents the proceeds Scranage received as a result of this drug trafficking conspiracy.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-23.
Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute OpioidsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and methadone.
According to court documents, Robert T. Hancasky, III, 32, conspired with others, including his father, Robert T. Hancasky, Jr., to obtain oxycodone and methadone and distribute it to others. In particular, Hancasky, Jr. obtained oxycodone and methadone through a prescription from his doctor. The father and son duo then agreed to distribute these prescription opioids to customers and addicts in northern Virginia. Hancasky, III also participated in a scheme to obtain oxycodone by passing fraudulent prescriptions at local pharmacies. In furtherance of this scheme, Hancasky, III produced a fraudulent prescription for oxycodone, recruited “runners” to pass fake prescriptions at local pharmacies, and compensated the runners with oxycodone pills. In his plea papers, Hancasky, III also admitted to distributing heroin as well as buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance.
Hancasky, Jr., pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on December 8, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13, 2018.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reynolds and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-158.
Operation Hardest Hit Defendants Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Two Portsmouth men were sentenced today to a combined 35 years in prison for their role in a massive heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, on August 14, over 300 law enforcement agents made arrests and executed search warrants in Virginia, Georgia, and New York. The takedown was the result of a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation designated Operation Hardest Hit.
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Leroy Perdue and his drug trafficking organization (Perdue DTO) in early 2016 following the heroin overdose death of a young resident of Chesapeake. With the participation of nearly two dozen Confidential Human Sources, law enforcement infiltrated the Perdue DTO and made 10 undercover controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl. On June 22, the investigative team arrested Rhadu Schoolfield in Norfolk with more than 800 grams of heroin after he returned from a trip to New York. According to the indictment, the Perdue DTO distributed in excess of 100 kilograms of heroin (approximately 250,000 doses) over a 10-year period. Members of the Perdue DTO were responsible for supplying a violent gang based in Portsmouth and continued to sell dangerous narcotics even after learning that their drugs resulted in death.
Abraham Atkins, 35, of Portsmouth was sentenced today to 20 years in prison. According to court documents Atkins was involved in the conspiracy for more than four years and distributed in excess of 6 kilograms of heroin. He served as the source of supply for two co-defendants and was supplied directly by Leroy Perdue. His involvement in the conspiracy was on the heels of having served nine years in state custody for a similar offense.
Eddie L. Tyson, 46, of Portsmouth was also sentenced today to 15 years in prison. His involvement in the conspiracy was for nine months, but it immediately followed after serving more than six years in state custody. Mr. Tyson received a sentencing enhancement for possessing a MAC-10 machine style pistol while distributing heroin.
The dozen individuals below have pleaded guilty. The leader of the DTO, Leroy Perdue, has elected to go to trial on May 15, 2018:
Name, Age
Hometown
Guilty Plea
Sentence
Abraham Atkins, 35
Portsmouth
September 5, 2017
20 Years
Eddie L. Tyson, 46
Portsmouth
September 5, 2017
15 Years
Edward Muckle, 32
Portsmouth
September 5, 2017
December 13
Jamars Cooper, 26
Portsmouth
September 5, 2017
January 3, 2018
Victoria Waller, 42
Portsmouth
September 6, 2017
January 3, 2018
Dominic Diablo Mosley, 35
Portsmouth
September 6, 2017
January 4, 2018
Nicholas Godwin, 37
Portsmouth
September 6, 2017
January 10, 2018
Kevin Lawrence, 37
Portsmouth
September 7, 2017
January 11, 2018
Tywon McKelvy, 42
New York
October 3, 2017
January 25, 2018
Darion Perdue, 24
Portsmouth
October 17, 2017
January 29, 2018
Christina James
New York
October 18, 2017
February 7, 2018
Rhadu Schoolfield, 33
Portsmouth
October 18, 2017
February 12, 2018
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Division, Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Norfolk, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Tidewater Violent Crime Task Force, in partnership with HSI’s Norfolk Field Office, ATF, Chesapeake Police Department, Virginia State Police, and the Portsmouth Gang Suppression Unit. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla, Andrew C. Bosse, and William B. Jackson, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-116.
Man Sentenced for Attempting to Strangle GirlfriendRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Prince George man was sentenced today to six years in prison for attempting to strangle his girlfriend at military housing on Fort Lee.
According to court documents, Antonio Cain, 34, was staying with his girlfriend in residential housing on Fort Lee on July 29 when he physically assaulted her. During that assault, Cain repeatedly attempted to strangle his girlfriend, choking her to the point of unconsciousness on two separate occasions.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Capt. Brian Bishop, Fort Lee Police Operations Officer, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-110.
Man Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Hampton man with distribution of child pornography.
According to the indictment, Robert Dobbins, 36, distributed material containing child pornography on or about September 4. According to court documents, law enforcement received information on from a foreign law enforcement agency regarding the user “DEATHLYROSE55” on Website A. In September, the user responded to a foreign law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity and indicated that he had committed a hands on offense against a child. He also sent the investigator a mega link, which contained child pornography. Law enforcement linked the email address to a residence in Hampton, and determined that Dobbins was previously convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography in January 2005, while he was employed by the Navy.
During the execution of a federal search warrant, Dobbins who at the time was a city of Hampton employee, acknowledged accessing child pornography from his city-issued Samsung smartphone using the internet. Dobbins also stated that he “traded” links to child pornography images and videos with other individuals who he met online utilizing Website A.
Dobbins faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Cowles is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-129.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, ID Theft, and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, identity theft, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Markis Jordan Dickerson, 22, conspired with Christopher Douglas Boone and others to obtain money from several financial institutions by depositing worthless and counterfeit financial instruments into accounts belonging to other individuals and then conducting debit card transactions at ATM and retail locations throughout Hampton Roads. Dickerson and Boone recruited account holders of several financial institutions via social media to provide access to their debit cards and personal identification numbers for a period of time in exchange for money. Dickerson, Boone, and other conspirators then deposited worthless and counterfeit checks and money orders into the compromised accounts primarily through “mobile deposit” online banking applications. Dickerson, Boone, and others then withdrew cash and made purchases at ATM and retail locations to access the funds made available through such fraudulent deposits. Both men carried firearms when conducting such transactions.
Dickerson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, along with a mandatory consecutive two-year term when sentenced on March 29, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-43.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempting to Entice Eight-Year-Old Minor to Have Sex OverseasRead the Press Release
A Springfield, Virginia man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for attempting to entice an eight-year-old minor to engage in sex with him during a trip to the Philippines in 2013, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Carl Sara, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Sara pleaded guilty on Sept. 6 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Sara was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release after his serving his term of imprisonment. According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Sara participated in live-streaming webcam sessions depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, along with contemporaneous instant message chatting with persons in the Philippines and elsewhere. During some of these chats, which occurred in or about May 2013 until July 2013, Sara discussed, with a woman in the Philippines, plans for Sara to have sex with the woman’s eight-year old daughter during an upcoming trip to the Philippines. During these chats with the mother, Sara attempted to entice the minor to engage in sexual activity with him on that upcoming trip. Sara sent the mother $200 dollars via Western Union upon receiving the mother’s agreement that he could had sex with her daughter, and offered to pay her an additional $300 after he had sex with the eight-year-old.
Additionally, at the sentencing hearing the Court found that Sara then traveled to the Philippines in order to have sex with the eight-year-old and other minor children. During this trip to the Philippines he paid for sex with another minor, a 16-year-old girl. In addition, the Court found that Sara had sent wire transfers overseas totaling more than $33,000, the majority of which was used to pay for live webcam shows depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct or child pornography. Finally, the Court at the sentencing hearing found that Sara routinely sought out mothers in the Philippines with young children in order to persuade them allow him to have sex with them.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Burke IV and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Smith III.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Virginia Beach Woman Sentenced for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman was sentenced today to 46 months for embezzling over $300,000 from her former employer.
According to court documents and evidence presented in Court, Vernell Collins, 52, was employed by a Virginia Beach company as a Personal Injury Protection claims adjuster starting in April 2013. From April 2013 through August 2015, Collins caused the company to send reimbursement checks directly to her, endorsed the checks as “parent of minor,” and cashed the checks at her local bank. Collins stole over $300,000 from the company before she was found through a routine audit. After being discovered and confronted, Collins then applied for and was employed by the City of Norfolk as a Safety Specialist until July 2017.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and George D. Purefoy, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Norfolk Resident Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17cr77.
Man Sentenced to Prison for $1 Million Arson SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Sandston man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his role in a long-running arson for profit scheme.
According to court documents, Vershawn Jackson, 39, and co-conspirators participated in an insurance fraud scheme spanning 17 years across two states, in which the conspirators purchased cars or mobile homes at auction, or signed leases at rental properties, insured the property, and set fire to the insured property to collect insurance proceeds. In many instances, the time between the purchase of insurance and the fire was mere weeks or even days. Over the course of the scheme, defrauded insurance companies paid out over $1 million on claims by the conspirators.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Henry Rosenbaum, Henrico County Fire Marshal, and David Creasey, Richmond Fire Marshal, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David V. Harbach, II, Michael C. Moore, and Janet Jin Ah Lee prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-29.
“King of Death” Supplier Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Fentanyl ChargesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Manufacture and Distribute Heroin, Fentanyl, and Furanyl Fentanyl resulting in death.
According to court documents, Rashad L. Clark, 38, of Elizabethport, New Jersey, supplied local ringleader, Erskine Dawson, Jr., with heroin and fentanyl from September to December 2016 while co-supplier, Kenneth Stuart, aka “Bones,” aka “Brutal,” was incarcerated on state charges. Clark concealed the narcotics in stuffed animals and trafficked them from New Jersey to Virginia where he would stay for days at a time to oversee Dawson’s operation, which was based out of a Studios 4 Less motel in Virginia Beach. Clark supplied Dawson with thousands of wax baggies containing heroin and fentanyl stamped with labels like “King of Death,” “Last Call,” “Mad Max,” “Bentley,” “No Evil,” “Black Dynamite,” “Superman,” “Tango Cash,” “Moneybag,” “Tower of Power,” and “Steph Curry.”
On Sept. 7, 2016, H.D. consumed fentanyl supplied by Dawson via Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Nov. 14, 2016, G.M. consumed heroin supplied by Dawson via Clark and suffered a fatal overdose. On Dec. 8, 2016, the DEA in partnership with officers from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments executed search warrants on motels in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, made arrests, and seized guns and over 1,800 wax baggies of heroin and fentanyl. From September to December 2016 over $70,000 cash was deposited by members of this conspiracy into a Wells Fargo account controlled by Clark.
Six of the eight co-conspirators have now pleaded guilty and four have been sentenced. Co-defendants Kenneth Stuart and Carolyn Freeman are scheduled for trial Jan. 17, 2018.
Name, Age
Hometown
Guilty Plea
Sentence
Erskine Dawson, Jr., 33
Chesapeake
July 18
432 months (36 years)
Christopher Boone, 31
Chesapeake
August 17
186 months (15 ½ years)
Thomas Jennings, 33
Virginia Beach
June 9
180 months (15 years)
David Thomas, 33
Chesapeake
June 22
51 months
Frank Harris, 23
Chesapeake
September 19
January 11, 2018
Rashad Clark, 38
Elizabethport, New Jersey
December 7
April 2, 2018
Clark faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on April 2. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse, Daniel T. Young, and William D. Muhr are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-61 and 2:17-cr-92.
Former UVA Football Player Sentenced to 40 years for $10 Million FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Merrill Robertson, Jr., of Chesterfield, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for his role in a $10 million fraud scheme.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Robertson, 37, started Cavalier Union Investments, LLC, with co-conspirator Sherman Carl Vaughn. From 2009-2016, Robertson and Vaughn made numerous misrepresentations to induce individuals to invest with their company, including telling them they could rollover their retirement savings. Robertson identified potential investors through various contacts; including contacts he developed playing football at Fork Union Military Academy, the University of Virginia, and in the National Football League, while Vaughn focused on developing investment opportunities.
As a result of this conspiracy, Robertson and Vaughn fraudulently obtained more than $10 million from over 60 investors, spending much of the money on their own personal living expenses, including mortgage and car payments, school tuitions, spa visits, restaurants, department stores, and vacations.
Once Robertson began having trouble raising new investor capital, he became involved in a loan fraud scheme. Robertson approached Cavalier investors and others and suggested that he could help them obtain loans and lines of credit. Robertson and his conspirators then submitted falsified loan applications to banks and credit unions, which included false statements about the borrowers’ personal financial status, the purpose of the loan, and whether the loan was secured by collateral.
On August 24, 2017, a federal jury convicted Robertson of fifteen offenses, including: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; five counts of mail fraud; two counts of wire fraud; four counts of bank fraud; and two counts of money laundering.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after the sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. The case was formerly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Lee Martin and Stephen E. Anthony.
The Virginia State Corporation Commission Division of Securities and Retail Franchising assisted with the investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-33.
“Los Cachiros” Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Honduran man pleaded guilty today to participating in a conspiracy from 2011 to 2014 that transported over a 1,000 kilograms of cocaine on United States registered aircraft on behalf of the “Los Cachiros,” a large-scale Honduran based drug trafficking organization (DTO).
According to court documents, Willian Reyniery Medina-Escobar, 33, joined the “Los Cachiros” DTO in approximately 2011. As a member of the “Los Cachiros,” Medina-Escobar conspired with other members to transport cocaine from Apure, Venezuela to Honduras using United States registered aircraft. Specifically on behalf of the DTO, Medina-Escobar negotiated the purchase of cocaine, inspected aircraft used to make long distance drug flights, coordinated the landing of drug laden aircraft, surveilled potential clandestine aircraft landing sites in Honduras, and served as a radio operator to facilitate communication between pilots and the ground crew for drug laden flights. On Oct. 27, 2013, Medina-Escobar assisted in the landing of a United States registered aircraft in Limon, Honduras, that transported 1,025 kilograms of cocaine from Apure, Venezuela.
Medina-Escobar pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a United States registered aircraft and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on March 30, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the DEA and IRS Richmond Field Offices as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Strong Moon. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Colonel David R. Hines, Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and Colonel Thierry Dupuis, Chesterfield County Police Department, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert and Peter S. Duffey are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-91.
Suffolk Woman Sentenced for $1.6 Million Tax Return FraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk woman was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for her role in a fraud scheme that prepared hundreds of false tax returns that resulted in a loss of approximately $1.6 million to the United States.
According to court documents, Brenda Benn, 47, was the owner of A Plus Tax Service, later renamed NN Financial, which operated as a tax preparation business at different periods between July 2009 and February 2014. Benn, along with co-defendants Kevin Towns and Stephanie Towns, conspired to operate a business based on creating false tax returns that generated inflated refunds for their clients in order to cultivate good will and generate repeat business. They used methods such as claiming false education-related expenses, stating excessively high amounts of charitable contributions, and manipulating the amount of income to take advantage of certain tax credits. The customers did not persuade or instruct the tax preparers to generate the false returns.
Kevin Towns was sentenced on September 14 to 40 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Stephanie Towns was sentenced on September 27 to 10 months in prison followed by 20 months of home detention. All three defendants have been ordered to pay the government $1,683,159 in restitution.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Stoker prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-30.
Medical Center Agrees to Settle ADA Claim with Individual Who Is DeafRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a $121,000 settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (SRMC), a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of HCA Holdings, Inc. located in Fredericksburg, in a case in which the hospital failed to furnish sign language interpreter services to an individual who is deaf during the provision of medical services to her and her mother.
The U.S. Attorney’s investigation began with a complaint from the public alleging that during nine hospitalizations, including one involving end of life events, SRMC failed to furnish sign language interpreter services for numerous consequential and complex interactions with the daughter of a gravely ill woman who was hospitalized at SRMC and, at times, relied upon family members and friends to facilitate communication. Additionally, the same individual alleges that she made three visits to SRMC’s Emergency Department as a patient and during those visits, SRMC failed to furnish her with a sign language interpreter. As a result, the deaf individual alleges that she often did not understand the care and medical decisions being considered for her mother’s or her own care.
“This case demonstrates this office’s unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of those who are deaf or hard of hearing and ensuring that they are able to communicate with health care professionals, especially when patients and their companions have critical interactions with medical providers,” said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.
Under the settlement, SRMC will pay a total of $121,000.00 to the aggrieved individuals, including to the individual who is deaf and to her family members and friends for associational discrimination. The settlement agreement also requires SRMC to take remedial steps to bring itself into compliance with the ADA, including the appointment of an ADA Administrator who is familiar with the ADA’s requirements; providing ADA training to its staff; entering into contracts with sign language interpreting service providers; and adopting specific policies and procedures to ensure that auxiliary aids and services are provided promptly to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Gordon, who is the Civil Rights Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This case is a part of the Department of Justice’s Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, which seeks to enforce the ADA’s prohibition of discrimination against disabled individuals by health care providers, including hospitals. Through the Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the nation and the Department’s Civil Rights Division target their enforcement efforts on a critical area for individuals with disabilities—access to medical services and facilities. The Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative is a multi-phase initiative that includes effective communication for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, physical access to medical care for people with mobility disabilities, and equal access to treatment for people who have HIV/AIDS.
The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA, including a Business Brief on Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings. For more information on the ADA and to access these publications, visit http://www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD). ADA complaints may be filed by email to [email protected].
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Former Owners of Sleep Study Clinics in Northern Virginia and Maryland Charged with Health Care Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging two individuals with leading a multi-million dollar health care fraud and tax evasion scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Lappin , of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Acting Inspector General Norbert E. Vint for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed.
Young Yi, 44, a citizen of South Korea, and Dannie Ahn, 43, of Centreville, Virginia, were charged in an indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, six counts of health care fraud, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Yi was also charged with one count of filing a false tax return.
As set forth in the indictment, from at least 2005 through 2014, Yi owned, operated and controlled various corporations, to include 1st Class Sleep Diagnostic Center and 1st Class Medical, which provided sleep studies and sleep-related treatment at clinics located throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland. Ahn helped control, manage and oversee Yi’s various corporations.
According to allegations in the indictment, Yi and Ahn directed a scheme that caused approximately $200 million in health insurance claims to be submitted for reimbursement that were, in part, based on false statements to health care benefit programs. In particular, the indictment alleges that Yi and Ahn fraudulently incentivized individuals to undergo repeat and medically unnecessary sleep studies, falsified insurance claims, and used the identities of physicians without their authorization to bill health care benefit programs for sleep studies.
The indictment alleges that Yi and Ahn similarly caused the creation of various shell companies to acquire, hold and move proceeds derived from the scheme. Yi and Ahn then used the proceeds to purchase expensive vehicles, luxury clothing, exotic vacations and exclusive real estate, including but not limited to, luxury condominiums in Hawaii and Chicago, and a tract of land in the Hidden Springs neighborhood of Great Falls, Virginia, in order to construct “Le Chateau de Lumiere,” a multi-million dollar and approximately 25,000-square-foot home modeled after the Palace of Versailles.
The indictment further alleges that Yi and Ahn falsified the financial books and records of 1st Class Sleep Diagnostic Center by misclassifying various personal expenses as business expenses in order to reduce taxable income. According to the allegations, Yi and Ahn then provided the falsified records to an independent tax preparer, who in turn relied on those records to prepare and file corporate and individual tax returns.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Washington Field Office. Trial Attorney Kevin Lowell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Wong of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
Dentist Pleads Guilty to $783,000 Overbilling SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen dentist pleaded guilty today to a four-year healthcare fraud scheme in which she fraudulently obtained more than $783,000 from Medicaid and four dental insurers.
According to court documents, Maryam E. Zarei, 47, was the owner and operator of Atlee Station Family Dentistry, a general dentistry practice located in Mechanicsville. Zarei controlled the submission of claims to insurance companies for reimbursement, and from 2013 to 2016, defrauded Medicaid, Delta Dental, AETNA, Met Life, and U.S. Healthcare of approximately $783,000. The scheme involved three parts: 1) Zarei fraudulently billed Medicaid and the insurers for services never rendered, including a variety of purported services when Zarei was in fact out of the country; 2) Zarei billed the insurers for services using inappropriate billing codes that resulted in higher bills than were justified by the actual service performed, includeding, for example, upcoding of preventive resins to costlier resin-based composites, and upcoding routine extractions to surgical extractions; and 3) Zarei billed insurance companies for services performed after termination of the patients’ insurance coverage and then backdated the claims documents to make it appear that the services had occurred when the insurance policies were in effect.
Zarei pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on March 16, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, and Adam Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Tooker are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-157.
28 Arrested in Nationwide Gun and Drug Sting OperationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Over 300 law enforcement agents and officers executed a coordinated takedown today, arresting 28 individuals for their respective roles in selling drugs while armed or other firearm related criminal acts.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began Operation Tin Panda in the Spring of 2017. In collaboration with the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspector’s Service, U.S. Marshal's Service, the Prince William County Police Department, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Police Department, Alexandria Police Department, Stafford County Sherriff’s Office, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, King George County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Maryland, Metropolitan Police Department, and the District of Columbia, law enforcement investigators and prosecutors from this office began jointly investigating area Blood gangs involved in violent crime and other criminal activity in Northern Virginia. Multiple criminal acts were tied to gang and drug activity, including, but not limited to, homicide, malicious wounding, robbery, shootings, and drug and firearms distribution. During the course of this investigation, more than 30 individuals throughout Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and California, who were illegally selling firearms and controlled substances or were involved in other criminal acts, have been arrested.
Prior to search warrants executed today, Operation Tin Panda resulted in the recovery of over 71 firearms and approximately 1,292 grams of cocaine base, 4,408 grams of cocaine, 23,838 grams of marijuana, 2,152 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 815 grams of heroin, and 36,075 grams of THC. During search warrants executed today, law enforcement seized more firearms, heroin, and other controlled substances.
Twenty-two of the 28 were arrested on federal firearms and drug charges, while the remaining six were arrested on state charges. Please see the included table which lists the name, age, hometown, and respective charge(s) that each federal defendant faces.
Name, Age
Hometown
Charge(s)
Tarvell Vandiver, 29
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base
Jerry McAllister, 42
Laurel, Maryland
Conspiracy to Distribute 100 grams or more of heroin
Rashourn Niles, 37
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine
Chennor Bah, 30
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine
Nasiru Carew, 35
Dale City
Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Nathaniel Bruce Cobbold, 27
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana
Jamar Cox, 30
Hyattsville, Maryland
Use and Carry of Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Robert Evans, 27
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute THC
Deion Wright, 25
Alexandria
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Kelvin Bennett, 27
Washington, D.C.
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Cydrick Delrosario, 58
Springfield
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine
Raheem Kelly, 39
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base
Tayvon Patterson, 24
Elkridge, Maryland
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Tavon Bailey, 27
District Heights, MD
Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Alpha Kamara, 20
Woodbridge
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Tavon Ferguson, 24
Triangle
Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Samantha Winter, 22
Culpepper
False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm
Kaitlin McCabe, 19
Woodbridge
Possession and Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm
Marcus Andrei Harris, 27
Washington, D.C.
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Teodoro Gonzales, 37
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 5 Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Orean Anthony Hayden, 29
Alexandria
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Frederick Preston Gaarsoe Turner, 36
Woodbridge
Conspiracy to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute
Bryan Matthews, 19
Alexandria
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime
Brandon Edler, 23
Fredericksburg
Conspiracy to Distribute 28 grams or more of Cocaine Base
Anthony Lozada, 18
Woodbridge
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking
Ezana Demisse, 25
Alexandria
Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking
Michael Lederer, 31
Woodbridge
Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person
Cory Patterson, 34
Fredericksburg
Conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, Use and Carry of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the federal arrests were made and criminal complaints were unsealed. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carina A. Cuellar and Colleen E. Garcia are prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Tin Panda. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:17-mj-547 and 1:17-mj-554.
Woman Pleads Guilty to Tax Refund Scheme and ID TheftRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News woman pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns and identity theft.
According to court documents, Neivda Hicks, 33, prepared and filed tax returns for others in exchange for payment from 2013 through 2016. During that period, Hicks filed returns on behalf of at least 53 individuals. In addition to the information that these individuals provided, Hicks included in the returns materially false information designed to reduce the amount of tax due and owing and fraudulently increase the amount of the resulting tax refunds. Among other information, Hicks falsely claimed that the individuals for whom she prepared and filed returns had incurred qualifying education expenses, as well as business profits and losses through falsely claimed periods of self-employment. Hicks also falsely identified members of her own family and inmates who were then incarcerated with her husband in local jails as dependents of those for whom she prepared and filed returns. Hicks failed to identify herself as a paid return preparer on the returns she filed on behalf of others, giving all such returns the appearance of having been prepared and filed by the individuals named therein. Hicks included similarly false information in her own returns for tax years 2012 through 2015. In total, Hicks filed at least 32 materially false income tax returns on behalf of herself and others. Through these returns, Hicks requested over $200,000 in federal income tax refunds. Of this amount, over $150,000 derived from the materially false information Hicks had included in the associated returns.
Hicks pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns and aggravated identity theft. She faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, along with a mandatory consecutive two-year penalty, when sentenced on March 1, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website for the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-83.
Woman Sentenced for Attempting to Steal over $200K in ChecksRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland woman was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for bank fraud.
According to court documents, Linette Jones, 29, impersonated identity theft victims, opened bank accounts in identity theft victims’ names, and attempted to deposit stolen checks in the fraudulently opened bank accounts. Then Jones attempted to withdraw funds after the stolen checks were cleared by commercial banks. In one instance in August 2016, Jones attempted to negotiate a stolen $230,000 treasury check while posing as an identity theft victim. In total, Jones attempted to steal more than $285,000.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Eric M. Thorson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Treasury, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General, District of Columbia, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Smith III and Grace L. Hill prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-93.
Woman Pleads Guilty to Case Involving Guns Recovered at Homicide SceneRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria woman who purchased eight firearms in 34 days, including two that were recovered at a homicide scene in Alexandria, pleaded guilty today to providing false statements to investigators.
According to court documents, Edna Aminata Conteh, 22, turned 21 years-old in May 2016. Between May 20 and June 23, 2016, Conteh purchased the following eight firearms:
Date, 2016
Type
Status
May 20
Kel-Tec, P11, 9mm pistol
Recovered during execution of a search warrant in on July 30, 2016
May 31
Walther, PPS, 9mm pistol
Recovered during traffic stop in Prince George’s County, Md., on Aug. 26, 2016
June 11
Taurus, 82, .38 Special revolver
Not recovered
June 13
Smith & Wesson, BG380, .380 pistol
Recovered at homicide scene in Alexandria
June 13
Smith & Wesson, M&P, .40 pistol
Not recovered
June 17
Walther, PK380, .380 pistol
Not recovered
June 18
Ruger, LC380, .380 pistol
Not recovered
June 23
Taurus, 85, .38 Special revolver
Recovered at homicide scene in Alexandria
During multiple interviews with ATF agents, Conteh made a number of materially false and misleading statements, including that all eight firearms were stolen from her vehicle. That statement was materially false and misleading because Conteh knew one of her friends (Individual 1) had accompanied her to at least one federal firearms licensee and sold the weapons to various individuals.
After the interview, agents learned that two of the firearms purchased by Conteh were recovered by the Alexandria Police Department (APD) at a homicide scene in north Old Town near the Braddock Road metro station. Agents later learned that law enforcement recovered two other firearms purchased by Conteh.
Conteh faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on March 23, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina A. Cuellar is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-283.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking 15-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
A Triangle, Virginia man was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison for multiple sex trafficking offenses.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office (WFO) made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Christian Don’Tae Hood, 25, was convicted by a federal jury in August 2017 of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. On the first day of trial, Hood’s co-defendant Abdul Bangura, 20, pleaded guilty to, among other offenses, sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.
According to the evidence presented at trial and other court documents, Hood and Bangura met the 15-year-old victim while she was living with her aunt at the Econolodge in Dumfries, Virginia. The defendants, working together, recruited the minor into their prostitution scheme and began to advertise her on Backpage.com. The minor victim was transported to multiple motels throughout Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland for commercial sex acts. After customers paid money to sexually exploit the minor victim, the defendants collected a portion of the money. Defendant Bangura also produced a video of child pornography involving the minor victim.
The FBI WFO’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, Prince William County Police and Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Cain of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
North Carolina Defense Contractor Sentenced for $15 Million FraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Fayetteville defense contractor was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in multiple conspiracies to overbill the federal government by more than $15 million on government contracts.
According to court documents, Philip A. Mearing, 48, is the owner of Global Services Corporation (Global). In 2004, Mearing, along with a co-conspirators Kenneth Bricker and Ken Deines, entered into an agreement whereby fraudulent payments were made by Global to Bricker’s two straw corporations, Tempo and BPM, regarding hundreds of invoices for work and services on behalf of Global that were never performed by Tempo and BPM. As part of their agreement with Global, Bricker, with the consent of Mearing, normally retained five percent of the fraudulent payments made by Global to Tempo and BPM. Shortly thereafter, Bricker transferred the remaining 95 percent of these fraudulent payments to Mearing and to DeShas, an Ohio LLC controlled by Mearing. From 2004 to 2014, Bricker received approximately $13.6 million in fraudulent payments from Global, retained approximately $558,000 for his personal use, and subsequently issued checks totaling approximately $13 million to DeShas or to Mearing.
In a separate conspiracy to defraud the government, Mearing, Deines, and William Hutsenpiller, the former Comptroller for Norfolk Ship Support Activity (NSSA), knowingly and willfully conspired to submit false claims to the government via false and/or fictitious invoices that resulted in a loss of approximately $1.8 million.
During the sentencing hearing today, the Court found that the loss to the government was over $15 million. A hearing to determine forfeiture and restitution will be held on December 12.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, Robert E. Craig, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, and Cliff Everton, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan M. Salsbury and Stephen W. Haynie prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-94.
Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Conspiring to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chester man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin.
Fereris Jamison, 40, pleaded guilty on August 29. According to court documents, Jamison acknowledged responsibility for distributing at least one kilogram of heroin and at least 500 grams of cocaine during the conspiracy. A 30-year old Hopewell woman overdosed and died in September 2015 after Jamison sold her heroin. The Court noted that Jamison qualified under the federal guidelines as a career offender and was responsible for the victim’s death. The Court then ordered Jamison to pay restitution to the family of the victim in the amount of approximately $10,000, and ordered forfeiture in the amount of $91,000, which was for the proceeds of his drug trafficking activity.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, and Colonel John F. Keohane, Chief of Hopewell Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the case.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Lunch Special. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-91.
Lawyer Sentenced for Distributing Videos of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington D.C., lawyer was sentenced today to five years in prison for distributing videos of child sexual abuse.
According to court documents, Jason Mark Sims, 36, replied to an advertisement placed by an undercover FBI agent. Sims and the undercover agent discussed meeting so that Sims could sexually abuse the undercover agent’s purported 10-year-old daughter. Although Sims ultimately declined to meet the undercover in person, he did provide the undercover with links to videos depicting the sexual abuse of girls as young as 4 years-old.
In addition to his prison sentence, the Court imposed the special condition that Sims write an article for publication about his crime in an effort to achieve general deterrence. The Court also ordered Sims to register as a sex offender, serve 10 years of supervised release, and be subject to computer monitoring.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Fong and Kellen S. Dwyer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-191.
Jury Convicts Two Men of Conspiracy to Import HeroinRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted two men today for their role in a conspiracy to import heroin and cocaine into the United States from El Salvador.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Rosemberg Martin Majano, 40, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, and Jose Alejandro Orellana Montalvo, 25, of Woodbridge, were participants in a conspiracy to smuggle more than $400,000 worth of heroin and cocaine into the United States from El Salvador. Majano carried the drugs in his checked luggage on a flight from El Salvador into Washington Dulles International Airport. When Majano arrived at the airport, officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered the heroin and cocaine concealed within food packaging in his luggage. Majano admitted that he was being paid to deliver the packages to someone in the airport. In an ensuing surveillance operation, special agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, identified Orellana Montalvo as the individual who was to pick up the narcotics from Majano. Orellana Montalvo was arrested after he tried to pick up Majano outside of a restaurant in Herndon.
Each man faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and maximum of life in prison when sentenced on March 30, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and Casey Owen Durst, Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas W. Traxler and Dennis M. Fitzpatrick are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-204.
Newport News Carjacker Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for an August 2016 carjacking of a man in a hotel parking lot in Newport News.
According to court documents, Adrian Briggs, 21, approached the victim’s car and asked to borrow his cell phone. The victim obliged and Briggs made small talk with the man, used the victim’s phone, and asked the victim for bus fare, which the victim provided. After approximately 30 minutes, Briggs pulled a firearm from his waistband and threatened to shoot the victim. Briggs then stole the victim’s car, wallet, and cell phone. The Newport News Police located the victim’s car the following day, and matched a fingerprint found on an item in the car to Briggs. Law enforcement also pulled phone records from the victim’s cell phone and found that Briggs had called his mother from the victim’s phone twice on the morning of the crime. In between the calls, Briggs also used the victim’s credit card to rent movies at a Redbox in Hampton.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bethany Lipman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-33.