Eastern District of Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Williamsburg Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Stephen Kohout, 56, of Williamsburg, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud and concealment money laundering.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U. S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.
Kohout was charged in a criminal indictment returned on March 11, 2014, with thirteen counts of wire fraud and eight counts of concealment money laundering. Kohout faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and a $250,000 fine, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the money laundering charge and a fine of $500,000 when he is sentenced on July 10, 2014, in Norfolk.
According to a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Kohout was given power of attorney by his parents, R. K. and J.K., on July 15, 2003. The power of attorney provided Kohout with full authority to act on behalf of both of his parents with respect to their property, assets and income. In 2006, Kohout began handling the financial affairs of his parents, whose assets were in excess of $1 million and were held in bank and investment accounts to which Kohout had gained full access and control. By 2007, his parents had lost the medical capacity to make financial decisions and Kohout assumed full control over their assets. R. K. died in July, 2011 and his entire estate was left to his wife J.K., who currently resides at a nursing home in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.
In 2007, Kohout, in connection with day trading activities, formed two business entities, ITM Traders, LLC and Nychi, Inc., and opened bank accounts for each of the companies. Thereafter he transferred $55,000 from his parents’ bank account into his account with ITM Traders, LLC. Subsequent to that transfer, he continued to transfer various funds between the ITM Traders, LLC account and the Nychi, Inc. account, all in an effort to support his trading activities.
Kohout did not return any gains made from these trades to his parents’ accounts. Instead, from 2008 through July 2011, Kohout wired approximately $465,000 from his parents’ investment account to his parents’ bank trust accounts. He then misappropriated money from the bank trust accounts in the amount of $386,000 by writing 86 checks, all but one of which were transferred to an account in Kohout’s name.
Kohout spent the misappropriated money on his personal living expenses, repayment of personal loans, credit card bills and dining, entertainment and retail expenditures. In addition to the disbursements Kohout made for his day trading and personal expenses, from 2007 through 2011, Kohout made various disbursements from his parents’ accounts in the form of gifts, loans to his siblings and for the medical care and living expenses of his parents.
Around December 2012, the nursing home caring for J.K. threatened eviction proceedings against her due to her account being in financial arrears. In January 2013, Kohout filed for bankruptcy and despite admitting that he acted contrary to his fiduciary duty and misappropriated his parents’ assets, he did not reveal the full extent of his misappropriation. Kohout’s sister was appointed emergency guardian of their parents’ estate by a Pennsylvania court. J.K. continues to reside at the nursing home where her care is being paid for in whole or in part by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. The funds in the parents’ investment accounts had been liquidated and the balance in J.K.’s bank account is approximately $2,000.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian Samuels is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Virginia Beach Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Marcus Warrick, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced today to 180 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Katrina W. Berger, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.
Warrick was found guilty by a federal jury on February 4, 2014. According to court records and evidence at trial, HSI executed a search warrant and seized his computer on November 8, 2013. HSI found more than 400 videos and images of child pornography on his computer. The investigation revealed that he installed numerous file-sharing programs on his computer and, using search terms, actively sought out images of child pornography.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Randy Stoker and Elizabeth Yusi prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Norfolk Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Linda Marie Delarosa, 31, of Norfolk, Va., was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief United States District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.
Delarosa pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on December 17, 2013. According to the statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, beginning in 2012, Delarosa, an Asheville, NC area based methamphetamine supplier, conspired with others to transport methamphetamine to the Eastern District of Virginia. Delarosa later moved to Norfolk, Virginia, but continued to transport methamphetamine from the Asheville, NC area for repackaging and distributing in the Eastern District of Virginia. Delarosa distributed large quantities of methamphetamine to various conspirators until August of 2013.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Virginia Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Darryl Mitchell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Nine Trey Gang Leader Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison, Enforcer Sentenced to 30 Years for Multiple Racketeering OffensesRead the Press Release
Gang members engaged in sex trafficking, robberies, drug distribution and violent crimes
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thaddaeus Snow, a/k/a “Storm,” 34, of Manassas, Va., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. William Sykes, a/k/a “Black,” 29, of Bealeton, Va., was sentenced to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender.
Both men were convicted on Feb. 21, 2014, by a federal jury of charges that included conspiracy to commit racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, robbery, conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force and coercion and multiple firearms offenses.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
“These defendants and their fellow gang members threatened the safety of our communities by committing acts of violence, dealing drugs, and dehumanizing women through prostitution by force and coercion,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “I want to commend our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their commitment to dismantling this dangerous gang and combatting these pernicious crimes.”
“The sentences handed down today send a clear message to members of these violent criminal enterprises: we will not tolerate your illegal activities,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “The FBI, through the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force and our partners in local law enforcement, will continue to systematically target, investigate and prosecute gang members who use violence to threaten our communities.”
Snow and Sykes were indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 26, 2013, along with twenty-two other members and associates of the Nine Trey Gangsters street gang, on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and multiple counts related to the possession and use of firearms.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, the Nine Trey Gangsters are a Bloods street gang set of the United Blood Nation, which was founded in New York City in the early 1970’s. Thaddaeus Snow led a “line-up” of the Nine Trey Gangsters that operated as a criminal enterprise in Virginia and committed criminal activity in multiple states. From 2008 until the date of the indictment, Snow’s line-ups of Nine Trey gangsters engaged in racketeering activity involving the sex trafficking of women using force and coercion in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New York and elsewhere; the commission of robberies; and the distribution of cocaine, crack, marijuana, heroin, ecstasy and prescription painkillers. The evidence at trial also showed that Snow, Sykes and other Nine Trey Gangsters dealt in counterfeit U.S. currency and used counterfeit currency to finance wholesale drug purchases.
In addition, the evidence at trial showed that Snow and his subordinate gang members undertook several acts of violence. On or about April 1, 2010, Snow directed Nine Trey Gangsters to give a female victim a “buck-fifty,” consisting of slashing the woman’s face with a knife from mouth to ear with the aim of requiring 150 stiches to close the wound, because the woman had stolen proceeds of Snow’s drug sales and used some of Snow’s drug supply. The slashing was carried out by Sykes. Sykes and other gang members beat a man unconscious who may have stolen drugs from a gang member, and Sykes also committed a shooting on April 12, 2010, after the shooting victims became involved in a dispute with one of the gang members. Additionally, Sykes slapped and choked a prostitute when she concealed money she earned from him.
Snow and Sykes were convicted following a trial that began on Feb. 11, 2014. All twenty-four individuals named in the Sept. 26, 2013 indictment have been convicted, bringing to 37 the total number of Nine Trey Gangsters members and associates who have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2013.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, Hampton Police Department, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, Manassas City Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam B. Schwartz and Dennis M. Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation “Ruby Red,” which has been focusing on the illegal distribution of narcotics by alleged organized crime members.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Illegal Drug Company Gallant Pharma and Co-Founder SentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Gallant Pharma International Inc. (Gallant Pharma), an unlicensed wholesale drug distributor headquartered in Arlington, Va., that distributed more than 17,000 units of non-FDA-approved cancer and cosmetic drugs to doctors across the United States, was sentenced today to pay $3.4 million in forfeiture and restitution. On Dec. 2, 2013, Gallant Pharma pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal importation, five counts of introducing misbranded drugs and five counts of unlicensed prescription drug wholesaling.
Syed “Farhan” Huda, 39, formerly of Arlington, Va., co-founder and co-owner of Gallant Pharma, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Huda also was ordered to pay $3.4 million in forfeiture and restitution to victims. On Dec. 2, 2013, Huda pleaded guilty to illegal importation, introducing misbranded drugs, unlicensed medical wholesaling and wire fraud.
Also sentenced today was Gallant Pharma office manager Deeba Mallick, 37, the wife of co-owner Huda. Mallick was sentenced to nine months in prison, one year of supervised release and a $75,000 fine. Mallick pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2013 to misprision of a felony.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Antoinette V. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations; Katrina W. Berger, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington; Gary Barksdale, 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 M. Douglas Scott, Arlington County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the sentencings by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
According to information made public in court, between August 2009 and August 2013, Gallant Pharma smuggled into the United States and sold more than $12.4 million in non-FDA-approved chemotherapy drugs and injectable cosmetic drugs and devices, generating profits of $3.4 million. Many of these drugs were subject to strict temperature controls to protect drug potency. Gallant Pharma shipped and received such drugs with ice packs, not dry ice as used by legitimate distributors, and on at least one occasion, a shipment containing such drugs took more than two weeks to arrive in Virginia from overseas during a July 2012 heat wave. Many drugs sold by Gallant Pharma were also required to carry a FDA “black box” warning, which indicates that a drug carries a significant risk of serious or life-threatening adverse effects. The versions sold by Gallant Pharma did not meet this or other FDA labeling requirements.
On Tuesday, co-conspirators Anoushirvan Sarraf, 48, and Eva Montejo Pritchard, 48, both of Rockville, Maryland, were convicted by a federal jury for their involvement in the scheme. Sarraf, a licensed doctor and the owner of Aphrodite Skin Care & Esthetic Clinic in McLean, Virginia, and Pritchard, Aphrodite’s office manager, received hundreds of shipments addressed to Aphrodite, containing illegal importations intended for Gallant Pharma, in exchange for a deeply discounted price on non-FDA-approved drugs and devices. While cancer drugs were always handed off to Gallant Pharma, the defendants kept many of the non-FDA-approved cosmetic drugs and devices, which were used on Aphrodite patients without the patients’ knowledge or consent.
To date, twelve defendants associated with Gallant Pharma have been convicted. Two additional defendants named in the indictment, Robert Wachna and Munajj Rochelle, remain fugitives and are believed to be in Canada.
This case was investigated by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA’s Group 33 Diversion Task Force, ICE-HSI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from INTERPOL and the Arlington County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsay Kelly, Maya Song and Jay Prabhu are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Physician/Owner and Office Manager of McLean Skin Care Clinic Convicted at TrialRead the Press Release
Aphrodite Advanced Esthetic & Skin Care Clinic received illegal imports for Gallant Pharma, which sold over $10 million of non-FDA-approved chemotherapy and cosmetic drugs in the U.S.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Anoushirvan Sarraf, 48, and Eva Montejo Pritchard, 48, both of Rockville, Maryland, were convicted yesterday by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy related to their roles in a scheme to illegally import non-FDA-approved chemotherapy and cosmetic drugs into the United States.
Sarraf, a physician who owns Aphrodite Advanced Esthetic & Skin Care Clinic in McLean, Virginia, was also convicted on charges of illegal importation, receiving and delivering non-FDA-approved drugs and devices, and engaging in the unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. In all, Sarraf was convicted of nine felonies and four associated misdemeanors, while Pritchard, who was the office manager of the clinic, was convicted of a single felony count of conspiracy.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Antoinette V. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations; Katrina W. Berger, Acting Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington; Gary Barksdale, 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 M. Douglas Scott, Arlington County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the jury’s verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Sarraf and Pritchard were indicted on Jan. 30, 2014, by a federal grand jury. According to court records and evidence at trial, Sarraf partnered with Gallant Pharma, an unlicensed wholesale prescription drug distributor, in exchange for a deeply discounted price on non-FDA-approved cosmetic drugs and devices. Sarraf used those cosmetic drugs and devices on patients at his McLean, Virginia practice, Aphrodite Advanced Esthetic & Skin Care Clinic, without the patients’ knowledge or consent.
Sarraf provided Gallant Pharma with his medical license to enable Gallant Pharma to order non-FDA-approved chemotherapy and cosmetic drugs from around the world, and allowed those drugs to be smuggled into the United States, addressed to Aphrodite. When the drugs arrived, a member of the conspiracy would open the boxes, take what they wanted for Aphrodite, and call individuals from Gallant Pharma to retrieve the remainder. Many of the shipments involved “cold-chain” drugs subject to strict temperature controls (which were not followed by the conspirators), and the use of these drugs posed serious potential harm to chemotherapy and cosmetic patients throughout the United States. During the three years that the partnership lasted, more than 17,000 vials of pharmaceuticals passed through Aphrodite and were sold by Gallant Pharma for more than $10.3 million.
Sarraf faces a total maximum penalty of 87 years in prison, while Pritchard faces a maximum penalty of five years, when each is sentenced on July 18, 2014. Eleven other defendants, including the co-founders of Gallant Pharma, previously have been convicted for their involvement in the partnership.
This case was investigated by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the DEA’s Group 33 Diversion Task Force, ICE-HSI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Arlington County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsay Kelly, Maya Song and Jay Prabhu are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Importer Convicted of Selling Sexual Enhancement Products Containing Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Richard Deng, 68, of Silver Spring, Md., pleaded guilty today to introducing into interstate commerce misbranded foods and drugs, in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In particular, Deng admitted unlawfully selling various male sexual enhancement dietary supplements that contained the active ingredients in the prescription drugs Viagra and Cialis, and dispensing the products without a prescription and in packaging that failed to disclose the existence of these substances.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Antoinette V. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.
Deng faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison when he is sentenced on August 1, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Deng admitted operating a business known as InterTradeCorp or InterTradeMart, which sold various imported items through its Beltsville, Md. storefront and over the Internet. These products included sports apparel, DVDs and male sexual enhancement dietary supplements, many of which contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in prescription drug Viagra, and/or tadalafil, the active ingredient in prescription drug Cialis. Deng admitted that after his Beltsville facility was searched in 2011 and the unlawful products were seized, he continued to sell the products. After a second search warrant was executed at Deng’s business in 2013, authorities discovered additional male sexual enhancement dietary supplements unlawfully containing sildenafil. Deng admitted that during the period 2011-2013, he received approximately $333,070 from the sale of these products.
The products seized and found to unlawfully contain prescription drugs include products known as the following: Vivid, LuRong Sheng Jing Wan, Good Man, Stree Overlord, Zhong Hua Niu Bien, Hard Ten Days, Africa Black Ant, Tiger King, Stiff Nights, Vegetal Vigra, Titan, Libigrow, Weekend Prince, Black Ant, Plant Vigra, Man King, Tibet Babao, Zhang Sheng Wei Ge Caho Yue Xi Li Shi, Mojo Risen, Clalis, Sensual Sensuel, and God of War Veyron.
These products were dispensed without a prescription and in packaging that failed to disclose the existence of prescription drugs. Some of the products also contained dosages of sildenafil and tadalafil beyond those approved for Viagra and Cialis or contained combinations of those substances that have not been approved by the FDA. Moreover, if the substances were to contraindicate with a user’s medical condition or prescription drugs, serious harm to the user could result.
This case was investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Nathanson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Virginia Couple Pleads Guilty to Immigration Charges for Harboring Domestic Servant in Their HomeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Department of Justice announced today that Abdelkader and Hnia Amal pleaded guilty to one count of alien harboring in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The guilty plea stemmed from evidence that Abdelkader and Hnia Amal unlawfully brought a woman into the United States from Morocco and then kept the woman in their home as a domestic servant for three years.
According to court records, the defendants, who are husband and wife, concealed, harbored and shielded from detection a Moroccan national, identified in court records as F.H., in their home in Alexandria, Virginia, from December 2007 until December 2010. F.H. served as a domestic servant within the home of the defendants. Hnia Amal also had F.H. work for her commercial cleaning company, cleaning various residential and commercial properties.
The Amals unlawfully brought F.H. into the United States on a visa they procured based on false representations that F.H. would be employed as a domestic servant for a different employer. After the defendants unlawfully smuggled F.H. into the United States in December 2007, they did not pay her a salary. Instead, the defendants made two down payments towards an apartment in Morocco on F.H.’s behalf. The two payments, made in October 2010 and January 2011, were roughly equivalent to $8,500, and represented only about a quarter of the total apartment cost. Moreover, while Hnia Amal’s cleaning company received money for the work that F.H. performed, F.H. did not receive any pay for her work on behalf of Hnia Amal’s cleaning company.
According to the statement of facts entered with Abdelkader Amal’s plea agreement, Amal previously held an A-1 diplomatic visa as a military official in the Moroccan embassy in Washington, D.C. After Amal retired in 2003 as the defense supply attaché, he was no longer eligible to sponsor individuals for domestic employment under an A-3 visa.
The defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when they are sentenced on July 11, 2014. As part of the plea agreement, the defendants also agreed to pay at least $52,700 in restitution to F.H. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
The case was jointly investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. The case was jointly prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Alexandria Bogle of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew T. Grady of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Virginia Beach Man Pleaded Guilty to Conspiring to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Shawn H. Spencer, 33, of Virginia Beach, Va., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess controlled substances.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Police Chief Jim A. Cervera, Virginia Beach Police Department, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard.
Spencer was indicted on April 9, 2014 by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracyand maintaining drug-involved premises. Spencer faces a maximum penalty of 40 years when he is sentenced on August 7, 2014.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, from approximately June of 2012 to November 2013, Spencer and others manufactured, distributed and possessed heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and alprazolam. The drugs that were sold by Spencer resulted in several overdoses among several individuals, including students of Cox and First Colonial High Schools in Virginia Beach.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Virginia Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Comstock is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Swiss Offshore Tax Evasion Enabler Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Josef Dörig, 72, of Switzerland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in connection with his work as the owner of a trust company in Switzerland. Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia and IRS-Criminal Investigation Chief Richard Weber made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. Dörig was charged in a one count superseding indictment on July 21, 2011. Sentencing is set for Aug. 8, 2014, and Dörig faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“Today’s plea further pulls back the curtain on efforts by Swiss banks to help U.S. taxpayers evade taxes through the use of sham trusts and foundations,” said Deputy Attorney General Cole. “Rest assured, the days of bank secrecy for U.S. tax cheats in Switzerland – and around the world – are numbered.”
“This plea sends a strong message to those who use or help others use offshore bank accounts to evade U.S. taxes,” said Assistant Attorney General Keneally. “We are receiving information from a variety of sources and are committed to investigating and prosecuting this wrongdoing.”
“We will continue to investigate and prosecute banks and individuals who assist U.S. citizens in the evasion of income taxes with overseas accounts,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “The doors are quickly closing on this illegal activity.”
“Assisting American taxpayers to evade their tax obligations with the use of secret bank accounts held in sham entities violates the law, and we will find those who are doing it,” said Chief of IRS-Criminal Investigation Richard Weber. “IRS-CI will pursue those who use anonymous offshore accounts to avoid paying their fair share. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to have shared our hallmark expertise in following the money trail in this and other increasingly sophisticated criminal schemes.” .
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Dörig admitted that between 1997 and 2011, while owning and operating a trust company, he engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to aid and assist U.S. customers in evading their income taxes by concealing assets and income in secret bank accounts held in the names of sham entities at a financial institution referred to in the superseding indictment as International Bank (IB), one of the biggest banks in Switzerland and one of the largest wealth managers in the world.
According to the statement of facts, from 1972 to 1996, Dörig worked for a subsidiary of IB. The subsidiary formed, managed and maintained nominee tax haven entities. Individuals concealed their assets by holding their accounts at IB in the names of these tax haven entities. During this time, the subsidiary managed and maintained over 100 sham entities for U.S. taxpayers committing tax evasion.
Also included in the statement of facts, in 1997, executives at the subsidiary devised a plan to spin off all of these sham entities into a new trust company, Dörig Partner AG, to be owned and operated by Dörig, who was then an employee of the subsidiary. Dörig was required to make his best efforts to keep the existing accounts at IB open and to ensure that any clients referred to him by IB would open new accounts at that institution.
According to the statement of facts, IB promoted Dörig Partner as a provider of various entity structures. The phone list used in IB’s New York representative office identified Dörig Partner as an external trust expert. Dörig Partner also sublet space from IB in an office tower where a private bank owned by IB was the major tenant.
As part of the conspiracy, Dörig traveled to the United States to introduce himself to new clients he had obtained as part of the spin-off. In the following years, he traveled to the United States with bankers from IB, including his co-defendants Markus Walder, Marco Parenti-Adami and Michele Bergantino, to meet with existing and prospective clients who already had undeclared accounts at IB but had been identified by the IB’s bankers as potential candidates for the use of a structure.
According to the statement of facts, although Dörig ostensibly controlled both the structure and the account at IB, in practice, many of the U.S. taxpayers with undeclared accounts controlled the assets in those accounts by dealing directly with IB bankers, often without either the knowledge or consent of Dörig.
According to the statement of facts, in 2008, IB ordered Dörig Partner to close accounts for the structures they managed. Dörig turned to an asset manager at a financial services firm in Zurich for assistance. The financial services firm maintained a master account in its own name at a private bank in Gibraltar, and then opened sub-accounts for Dörig’s clients at that bank to which Dörig transferred the funds from the clients’ undeclared accounts at IB. The financial services firm provided the Gibraltar bank only with the number associated with each sub-account and did not inform the bank of any information regarding the owners of the assets in the sub-accounts.
This case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark D. Lytle and Trial Attorneys Mark F. Daly and Nanette L. Davis of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at the division website.Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Penske Truck Leasing Co. to Enforce Employment Rights of Air Force Reserve MemberRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today that they had reached an agreement with Penske Truck Leasing Co. resolving claims that Penske violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to properly reemploy and then terminating U.S. Air Force Reserve Member William Mann following his return from required military training with his reserve unit.
According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mann was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 2011 from the U.S. Air Force after serving with the 512 Mortuary Affairs Squadron at Dover Air Force Base. During his service, Mann suffered a service-related injury. Immediately upon his discharge, Mann notified Penske of his ability to return to work with some medical limitations. The complaint alleged that Penske refused to reemploy Mann, instead placing him on short term leave. In October 2011, while Mann was on short-term leave, he informed Penske that he would need more time to fully recover from his injuries. Two months later, Penske terminated Mann’s employment.
USERRA protects the rights of members of the uniformed services to retain their civilian employment following absences due to military service obligations, and expressly requires employers to accommodate injured servicemembers when they return from military service.
“Congress enacted USERRA to protect our men and women in uniform from experiencing the kind of injustice experienced by Mr. Mann,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing federal laws that protect the employment rights of our servicemembers.”
Under the terms of the settlement, which was filed as a consent decree simultaneously with the complaint, Penske has agreed to pay $85,000 in lost wages to Mann.
“Members of the Air Force Reserve sacrifice time away from their jobs to serve their country,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “When servicemembers are injured in relation to their service, USERRA ensures that they are not discriminated against and that their employment rights are protected.”
This case stems from a referral by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) following an investigation by the DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. The case is being handled by the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, who work collaboratively with the DOL to protect the jobs and benefits of National Guard and Reserve servicemembers upon their return to civilian life.
Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department website and the division website, as well as on the DOL’s website.Newport News Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Sex Trafficking of A Minor and Passing Counterfeit MoneyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Todd Jackson, 25, of Newport News, Va., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to pass counterfeit money.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; William Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office; and Police Chief Jim A. Cervera, Virginia Beach Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.
Jackson pleaded guilty on January 28, 2014. According to court documents, Jackson was stopped by Virginia Beach Police Department in July 2013. Jackson was with a 17 year old girl who was listed as a runaway. The girl stated that she had been working as a prostitute for Jackson for the past 10 days in the Hampton Roads area. She stated that Jackson bought her new clothes to make her look older and told her to tell everyone she was actually 19 or 20 years old. Jackson took all of the money she made and he advertised her services on backpage.com.
In addition, Jackson was also indicted and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pass counterfeit currency. Todd Jackson, along with Alicia McDuffie and Curtis Crumity who were also convicted, passed thousands of dollars of counterfeit currency to various Target stores in the Hampton Roads areas. The defendants would purchase high-dollar gift cards or toys, and then return the toys to the same or different Target stores in exchange for genuine currency.
The sex trafficking case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia Beach Police Department. The counterfeit case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Georgia Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Bank Fraud and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Jacquis Depree Nelson, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Nelson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $261,552.00 to Wells Fargo Bank.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and William G. Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne.
Nelson pleaded guilty on February 3, 2014. According to court documents, he participated in a conspiracy involving the unauthorized withdrawal of over $260,000 from accounts held at Wells Fargo Bank. Members of the conspiracy created false forms of identification for several real Wells Fargo accountholders, using personal identifying information obtained without lawful authority. Nelson and his co-conspirators traveled from Georgia and other locations to bank branches in Virginia and South Carolina, where they posed as the individual accountholders. Using customer account information and the false forms of identification, Nelson and his co-conspirators withdrew the funds from numerous Wells Fargo accounts between November 2012 and January 2013. The co-conspirators divided the stolen proceeds among themselves following the withdrawals.
Nelson’s co-conspirator, Anthony Romey Carter, of Elk Grove, California, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on August 8, 2013, to 61 months’ imprisonment for his role in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Michael Gill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.South Carolina Woman Sentenced for Bank Robbery Spree in VirginiaRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Nicole Racquel Drakeford, 44, of Fountain Island, S.C., was sentenced today to 147 months in prison, followed by a term of supervised release, for armed bank robbery and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.
Drakefordpleaded guilty on January 27, 2014. According to the statement of facts that were filed with her plea agreement, Drakeford took responsibility for committing a series of bank robberies across Virginia. Drakeford admitted that she robbed the Bank of America in Fairfax County, Virginia on July 15, 2013 and walked away with $5598.00. She admitted that on July 20, 2013, she robbed the United Bank in Fairfax County and took $1321.00. She also admitted that on July 31, 2013 she robbed a Chartway Federal Credit Union (FCU) in Chesapeake, Virginia with a gun and took approximately $302.00.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Norfolk Field Office and the Chesapeake Police Department. Managing Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin L. Hatch prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Fairfax Tax Return Preparer Convicted of Tax and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Defendant Filed False Income Tax Returns in Names of Clients and Pocketed the Refunds
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thuy Tien Le, 40, of Sterling, Va., pleaded guilty today to aiding in the preparation of false income tax returns and to wire fraud, in connection with her operation of a tax return preparation business called T2 Advantage Services, LLC.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Le faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison on the tax charge and 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge when she is sentenced on July 18, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Le admitted that from 2005 through 2013, she owned T2 Advantage Services, LLC, a tax return preparation business she operated from her home in Fairfax, Va. Le prepared federal income tax returns for her clients and led them to believe she had electronically filed legitimate returns with the IRS. Le admitted, however, that prior to filing, she altered the returns by adding false itemized deductions in order to generate large income tax refunds. Le admitted that she prepared and filed false income tax returns in this manner for at least 50 clients, without their knowledge or consent, and that she caused the fraudulently generated income tax refunds to be deposited electronically into bank accounts she controlled. She further admitted that she caused $454,455 in losses to the IRS.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Nathanson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Virginia Beach Man Sentenced to 36 Years for Armed Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Carlos McClammy, 21, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced today to 432months in prison for his role in the robbery of six financial institutions in Virginia. Previously, McClammy’s co-conspirators, Taleak Harris and Jaquan Douglas, pled guilty to participating in a total of 11 armed robberies in the Eastern District of Virginia. On October 2, 2013, Harris was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment. On December 17, 2013, Douglas was sentenced to 432 months’ imprisonment.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Bruce Jones, Northampton County Commonwealth Attorney; William W. Davenport, Chesterfield County Commonwealth Attorney; Lyndia P. Ramsey, Sussex County Commonwealth Attorney; and Colin Stolle, City of Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
McClammypled guilty on January 28, 2014, admitting to his participation in the March 13, 2012 robbery of the SunTrust Bank, located in Nassawadox, Virginia; the March 27, 2012 robbery of the Bank of Southside Virginia, located in Jarratt, Virginia; the April 3, 2012 robbery of the Central Virginia Bank, located in Midlothian, Virginia; the April 19, 2012 robbery of the BB&T Bank, located in Wakefield, Virginia; the April 23, 2012 robbery of the Bank of Southside Virginia, located in Stony Creek, Virginia; and the July 10, 2012 robbery of the Chartway Federal Credit Union, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. During the July 20, 2012 robbery, McClammy discharged his firearm inside the credit union in an effort to intimidate the bank teller.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Northampton Sheriff’s Office, the Chesterfield County Police Department, the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Virginia Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Peter Duffey prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Virginia Beach Man Charged with Distribution of HeroinRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Stephen Ron Martin II, 20, of Virginia Beach, Va., was charged with distribution of heroin resulting in death in a criminal complaint that was filed on April 21, 2014 and unsealed today.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Acting Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, and Police Chief Jim A. Cervera, Virginia Beach Police Department, made the announcement.Martin faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
According to the criminal complaint, on October 27, 2013, Martin distributed heroin to Steven Bradley Nichols. On October 29, 2013, Virginia Beach Police found an unresponsive Nichols while they were conducting a well-being check that had been called into 9-1-1. Police also found evidence of recent heroin use in plain view inside Nichols’ apartment. A depressed syringe was found on top of a desk within an arm’s length of Nichols’ body. A needle mark was on Nichols’ arm. Two plastic bags, one of which was open, containing off-white powder were found on the kitchen counter. The bags were later tested and found to contain heroin. An autopsy confirmed that Nichols had ingested heroin and subsequently died as a result of acute heroin intoxication.
This case was investigated by HSI Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Darryl Mitchell is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Stafford Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to $600,000 Tax FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Daniel L. Jones, 56, of Stafford, pled guilty to two counts of aiding in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns for his clients and one count of making a false statement to the Internal Revenue Service that he was a certified public accountant.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after the guilty plea in front of Magistrate Judge David J. Novak. Jones will face a maximum exposure of 11 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, $750,000 in fines, and full restitution when he is sentenced on August 21, 2014, before United States District Judge Robert E. Payne.
According to the court documents, Jones ran a tax preparation service for many years in the Fredericksburg area called the Tax Doctor Plus. To increase refunds for his clients, he regularly prepared and electronically filed tax returns that contained false entries and items. These included: (a) improper filings statuses for married couples to place both taxpayers into lower tax brackets and create earned income credit opportunities for both; (b) false Schedules C, Business Income or Loss, with enough false deductions so that the client would qualify for the earned income tax credit; (c) false Schedule A expenses and education credits when there was no basis to claim such deductions or credits; and (d) false income with false W-2’s to qualify the taxpayer for the maximum amount of government credits, such as the earned income credit, various education credits, and the making work pay credit.In addition, to represent his clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Jones submitted to the IRS false Forms 2848 (Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative) on which he falsely claimed he was a certified public accountant. He has agreed that the total tax loss for the various false returns from 2009 to 2012 is approximately $600,000.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney David T. Maguire is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Heroin, Ecstasy and Oxycodone Supplier Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Darius Nicholson, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a single-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, oxycodone and ecstasy pills.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Nicholson faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment when he is sentenced on July 25, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Nicholson admitted that from about February 2012 until February 2013, he distributed various quantities of heroin, oxycodone and ecstasy pills to a co-conspirator who delivered the illegal drugs to a customer in the Eastern District of Virginia. During the course of the conspiracy, Nicholson distributed approximately 196 grams of heroin, 75 oxycodone pills and 11,600 ecstasy pills. The conspirators obtained approximately $89,750.00 in profit from the sales of illegal drugs.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Fairfax County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam B. Schwartz and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholis D. Mutton prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Leader of “Revolution Muslim” Websites Sentenced for Using Internet to Threaten Jewish OrganizationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Yousef Mohamid Al-Khattab (a.k.a. Joseph Cohen), 45, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for using his position as a leader of the “Revolution Muslim” websites to use the Internet to place others in fear of serious bodily injury.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and William J. Bratton, New York City Police Commissioner, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
According to court records, Al-Khattab and his colleague, Jesse Curtis Morton (a.k.a. Younus Abdullah Muhammad), founded the Revolution Muslim organization in December 2007 to operate Internet platforms and websites to encourage Muslims to support Usama bin Laden, Anwar Al Awlaki, al Qaida, the Taliban and others engaged in or espousing violent jihad.
On Jan. 8, 2009, Al-Khattab posted to the Revolution Muslim website a video encouraging viewers upset about the conflict in Gaza to seek out the leaders of Jewish Federation chapters in the U.S. and “deal with them directly at their homes.” Al-Khattab gave the names and addresses of synagogues in New York and another Jewish organization in Brooklyn.
On Jan. 20, 2009, Al-Khattab posted a video and photo of the headquarters of the Jewish organization in Brooklyn, with a map and directions to specific facilities. Al-Khattab also posted a link to “The Anarchist Cookbook,” which is a manual for (among other things) constructing and using explosive devices. On Jan. 23, 2009, Al-Khattab posted to the Revolution Muslim website a video accusing the Jewish organization of funding terrorism, and urging viewers to find the leaders of Jewish organizations and “hold them responsible.”
As part of the statement of facts accompanying his plea agreement, Al-Khattab admitted that he knew some viewers of the Revolution Muslim websites were inclined to violence, and by making the posts involving Jewish organizations in 2009, Al-Khattab was trying to frighten Jews and Jewish organizations.
On June 22, 2012, Revolution Muslim founder Jesse Morton was sentenced to 138 months in prison. On Feb. 24, 2011, Revolution Muslim administrator Zachary Chesser was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Ickovic of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with Trial Attorney John T. Gibbs of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section in the National Security Division, 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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Arizona Systems Administrator Sentenced for Sabotaging Ex-Employer’s Cloud-Computing ServerRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jonathan Hartwell Wolberg, 31, of Tucson, Az., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for intentionally causing damage to a protected computer.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Wolberg pleaded guilty on January 6, 2014. According to court documents, Wolberg formerly worked as a systems administrator for a company identified as “Company A,” a cloud-computing services provider headquartered in the Eastern District of Virginia. After resigning, Wolberg continued to enter the networks of Company A for the purpose of damaging its servers, its reputation, and its business. From about March 16, 2012 through about August 1, 2012, Wolberg encouraged Company A’s customers to leave and secretly logged into Company A’s server to issue a shutdown command to a key data server. As a result, he shut down Company A’s customer networks, making key information – including that of hospitals responsible for surgery and other urgent patient care – unavailable for at least several hours. Wolberg caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage as a result.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander T.H. Nguyen is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Former Corporal Sentenced to Death in Barracks MurderRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jorge Avila Torrez, 25, of Zion, Illinois, was sentenced to death today by a federal jury for the premeditated murder on July 11, 2009 of Amanda Jean Snell, 20, in her room at Keith Hall, an enlisted barracks aboard Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va.
U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady continued sentencing until May 30, 2014, to give Torrez an opportunity to file any post-trial motions.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Rocco Pierri, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s (NCIS) Washington Field Office; and M. Douglas Scott, Arlington County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by Judge O’Grady.
Torrez was indicted on May 26, 2011, by a federal grand jury for the premeditated murder of Snell, who was serving as a Petty Officer Second Class for the U.S. Navy. According to court records and evidence at trial, at the time he murdered Snell, Torrez was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and lived in a room on the same deck as Snell’s, eight doors away. Torrez later told a prisoner with whom he was detained in the Arlington County Detention Center that he entered Snell’s room through her unlocked door, jumped on her as she slept in her bed, bound her wrists with the power cord from her laptop computer and strangled her with the rest of the cord. Torrez stated that he then dragged Snell’s body from the bed to a wall locker, in which he hid her remains. Snell was discovered there by her Navy supervisor on Monday morning, July 13, 2009, when she failed to report for duty at 11:00 p.m. on the previous Sunday night at the Pentagon.
On April 8, 2014, following a six-day trial, a jury convicted Torrez of the premeditated murder of Snell. That same jury began hearing evidence on April 21, 2014, to determine whether he should receive the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of release. Besides evidence relating to Snell’s murder, the jury considered evidence related to Torrez’s prior convictions for having abducted three young women in Arlington, Va. in February 2010, one of whom he raped, sodomized, strangled and left for dead, for which he is currently serving five life sentences in Red Onion State Prison.
This case was investigated by NCIS and the Arlington County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Rich, Jonathan L. Fahey, James L. Trump and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Heberle are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Attorney Pleads Guilty to Stealing Escrow FundsRead the Press Release
ORFOLK, Va. – David R. Flynn, 44, of Norfolk, Va., pleaded guilty today to mail fraud and unlawful monetary transactions.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Field Office in Washington, D.C. (IRS-CI); William Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, Gary Barksdale, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Senior United States District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.
Flynn faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for unlawful monetary transactions when heis sentenced on July 7, 2014.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Flynn, an attorney licensed to practice law in Virginia and owner of Assured Title of Virginia, LLC in Virginia Beach, stole over two million dollars from real estate trust accounts in order to cover up problems with his Wells Fargo escrow account that dated back to 2008. Flynn also used the stolen funds to pay a personal credit card, to travel to tropical destinations, sometimes paying for friends to join him, and on at least one occasion, to charter a private plane.
This case was investigated by the Tidewater Complex Financial Crimes Task Force. Members of the Task Force include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Secret Service and the Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa O’Boyle is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Newport News Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Salvatore Lopiccolo, age 35 of Newport News Va., pleaded guilty today to Conspiracy to Distribute Analogues, Cocaine, Cocaine Base, Methylone, Marijuana, Psilocybin and drug paraphernalia.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Magistrate Judge Douglas Miller in Newport News.
Lopiccolo was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 14, 2013. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 when he is sentenced on July 24, 2014 in Norfolk, VA.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, the defendant was responsible for conspiring with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a variety of drugs and drug analogues from Bonsai Pipe and Tobacco. Multiple controlled purchases of cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, methylone, psilocybin, drug analogues and drug paraphernalia were made from Bonsai, the defendant and Bonsai employees.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Virginia State Police Tri-Rivers and Peninsula Task Forces the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the York County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Hurt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Heroin Dealer Sentenced in Connection with Three Overdose DeathsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eugene Asomani Williams, also known as “Shine,” 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of this offense. At least three individuals died in Fairfax County, Va. as a result of heroin distributed by Williams.
Dana J. Boente, United States 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; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after Williams was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
“Williams peddled a dangerous drug and inflicted untold damage to the victims, their families, and our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “This case exemplifies the cooperative efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement to combat this pernicious crime.”
Williams pleaded guilty on Jan. 22, 2014 to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of cocaine and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Williams admitted to distributing more than one kilogram of heroin in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia between 2004 and Sept. 26, 2013. Williams also admitted that Joshua Pearson, 33, of Fairfax County, Va.; Timothy Huffman, 23, an active duty soldier at Fort Belvoir; and Kara Schachinger, 22, of Fairfax County, Va. all died as a result of their use of heroin distributed by the defendant.
“I have heard firsthand from families about the devastation brought by the loss of a loved one in this wave of heroin-related deaths, and about the strain placed on law enforcement and healthcare professionals as they work to respond to it,” said Attorney General Herring. “Education, prevention and treatment will play a major part in dealing with this emerging threat, but I will also ensure that my office is doing all it can to keep these dangerous drugs, and those who distribute them, off the streets.”
“Today’s sentencing of Eugene Williams closes the book on a drug trafficker who was responsible for trafficking heroin that led to the death of three individuals in Fairfax County, VA,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division. “Heroin is a drug that destroys lives, and tragically sometimes takes them. This case clearly demonstrates DEA’s commitment, by working with our law enforcement partners, to stop drug traffickers who profit from the harm (in this case deadly harm), they present to our community,” stated Colder.
"Fairfax County is safer today thanks to the robust partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement" said Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police. "Today’s sentencing is proof positive these partnerships work against drug traffickers and others who set up criminal enterprises in our region."
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Field Division and the Fairfax County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael P. Ben’Ary and Julia Martinez and Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
High-Ranking Member of Black P-Stones Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
April 15,2014NORFOLK, Va. – Marcellus N. Williams Jr., a.k.a. “Math,” “P-Shooter,” “Manny,” 27, of Newport News, pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy, as well as possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David A. O’Neil, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Tommy E. Miller.
Williams was charged in a superseding indictment returned on December 9, 2013, with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, two counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, two counts of possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Williams faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the racketeering conspiracy charge and a mandatory consecutive sentence of ten years to life in prison on the firearm charge when he is sentenced on July 10, 2014, in Norfolk.
In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Williams admitted that he was a member of a violent street gang called the Black P-Stones, also referred to as the P-Stone Bloods and Cobra Stones, which operated as a criminal enterprise located primarily in the Beechmont, Courthouse Green, and Woodview neighborhoods in the Denbigh area of Newport News. The Black P-Stones engaged in various criminal activities including murders, robberies, illegal drug trafficking, and obstruction of justice. Williams joined the gang in approximately 2002 and held the rank of “First Superior.” As the First Superior, Williams approved, planned, and participated in criminal activities, including attempted murders, robberies, attempted robberies, and drug trafficking. On April 27, 2008, Williams and co-conspirators participated in a shooting in broad daylight on Warwick Boulevard in Newport News targeting a rival gang member. Several bullets were fired at the rival gang member, wounding the rival in the right shoulder, right jaw, and neck areas. On December 10, 2008, Williams and co-conspirators planned a shooting in Williamsburg to retaliate against a rival gang member who exhibited disrespect toward Williams’s girlfriend. During the shooting, approximately seven to eight bullets were fired at the rival gang member’s home, with bullets entering the home’s living room and front door while two people were inside. On March 9, 2009, Williams and co-conspirators planned a shooting in Newport News to retaliate against members of the rival “10-1 Mafia Crips” gang for damaging the reputation of the P-Stones. Several bullets were fired at a 10-1 Mafia Crip member’s home, with one bullet nearly striking one of the people inside.
The investigation of this case was led by the FBI’s Safe Streets Peninsula Task Force, with the assistance of the Newport News Police Department and the James City County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Trial Attorney Louis A. Crisostomo of the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Three Plead Guilty to String of Sawed-Off Shotgun Robberies in the City of RichmondRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Alexander Edward Bell, 28, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty today to Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Short-Barreled Shotgun During and In Relation to a Felony Crime of Violence. Bell’s coconspirators, Cevin Maurice Johnson, 26, of Richmond, Va., and Jaron Alphonz Minnicks, 21, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty to the same charges last week.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charles E. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Richmond Police Chief Ray J. Tarasovic made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
Bell, Johnson and Minnicks were indicted on January 21, 2014, by a federal grand jury on charges of Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Using, Carrying and Brandishing a Firearm During and In Relation to a Felony Crime of Violence. All three men face a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment on the robbery charge and life imprisonment on the firearm charge when they are sentenced in July 2014. Bell and Minnicks agreed to recommend to the Court a sentence of 27 years of active incarceration. Johnson, who served primarily as a getaway driver, made no agreement regarding sentencing.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Bell admitted that between October 20, 2013 and December 22, 2013, he committed the armed robberies of the Shop and Go on Mechanicsville Turnpike, Bruce’s Supermarket on Commerce Road, the Night & Day Mart located on Q Street, the One Stop Food Market located on Meadowbridge Avenue, the Clay Street Market located on N. 30th Street, the D.C. Food Market on Brookland Park Boulevard, and the Corner Express Mart on North Avenue, all located in the City of Richmond. Minnicks admitted to committing all but the Corner Express Mart robbery. Johnson admitted to committing all but the Shop and Go and Bruce’s Supermarket robberies. During each of these robberies, one or more of the men would enter the store brandishing a sawed-off shotgun and demand money, while another man would wait outside and serve as a getaway driver. Approximately $13,000 total was taken during the seven robberies.
This case was investigated by the ATF and the City of Richmond Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Olivia L. Norman is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Newport News Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Mustafah Kalil Muhammad, 27, of Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty today use of a firearm resulting in the death of Lloyd Robinson on January 8, 2010.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Norfolk Field Office, and Richard W. Meyers, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Muhammad was charged, along with others, in a superseding indictment returned in July, 2013, with interference with commerce by robbery and use of a firearm resulting in death.
Muhammad faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on July 23, 2014, in Norfolk.Muhammad is alleged to be part of a criminal organization known locally as “Thug Relations,” alternatively known as “the Duct,” “Warwick Lawnz,” “TR,” and “from the Duct to the Lawnz,” a neighborhood gang operating in the Aqueduct Apartments, St. Michael’s Apartments, Mariner’s Landing Apartments, Heritage Trace Apartments, as well as Warwick Lawns, Warwick Town Home, Sharon Drive, and the Savage Drive areas of Newport News, Virginia. The alleged gang members are accused in the indictment of protecting their criminal enterprise and activities through murder, attempted murder, witness intimidation, robbery, and narcotics distribution. In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement Muhammad admitted to his participation in the drug related home invasion and murder of Lloyd Robinson on January 8, 2010.
This investigation was led by FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the Newport News Police and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Norfolk Man Faces More Prison TimeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Lawrence Leo Hawkins, Jr., 35, of Norfolk, Va., was convicted today by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of heroin; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and felon in possession of a firearm.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Charles E. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by United States District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
Hawkins faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on July 17, 2014.
Hawkins was previously indicted on December 19, 2012. According to court records and evidence at trial, the police executed a search warrant at a residence in Norfolk based on the robbery of a cellphone. GPS indicated that the cellphone was located in or near that residence. While conducting a search regarding the robbery, the police found significant quantities of cocaine, quantities of heroin, three guns, packaging material, grinders, sieves, scales and other drug related materials. Several forms of the defendant’s identification were found with these items. The defendant, who was present at the location, was placed under arrest. A key found in the defendant’s pocket opened a safe that contained cocaine, heroin, and two firearms. The robbery of the cellphone was conducted by the son of the defendant’s girlfriend who lived at the residence.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney William D. Muhr is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Suffolk Man Indicted for Making Death ThreatsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – David Gil Wilkinson, 43, of Suffolk, Va., was indicted by a federal grand jury today for making death threats against both the President and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and William Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement.
Wilkinson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years if convicted.
According to an affidavit previously filed, Wilkinson, a retired Special Forces Navy Chief, called 911 in Southampton County claiming to be a FBI Agent on a secret mission. When officers responded Wilkinson told them that he was going to run for president and personally execute both the President and Hillary Clinton. Wilkinson was committed for an emergency mental health evaluation for 72 hours. Secret Service agents interviewed Wilkinson where he re-iterated his desire to execute the President and Hillary Clinton. When Wilkinson was released he drove to Henrico County, called 911 and told operators that President Obama was out, people needed to die, and he was part of a group that would take back America.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph L. Kosky is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Colombian Associate of “El Chapo” Guzman Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Defendant engaged in decade-long scheme to export hundreds of kilos of cocaine into U.S.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jairo Cardona, 55, of Medellín, Colombia, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek S. Maltz, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Cardona was indicted on Dec. 8, 2011 by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States. Cardona faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on June 20, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Cardona admitted to being involved in a decade-long scheme to export multi-hundred kilogram shipments of cocaine from Colombia to the United States, by way of Central America and Mexico. Cardona and his conspirators used aircraft, speedboats and maritime shipments to export the cocaine from Colombia. Among Cardona’s conspirators was Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “Chapo Guzman.”
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Special Operations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Conspiracy and Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Philip Michael Morris (also known as “Trill Phil”), 27, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Morris faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he is sentenced on June 19, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Morris admitted to working with several co-conspirators to obtain and redistribute heroin in Richmond, Va. Morris also possessed two firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy, both of which were seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
Several of the defendant’s co-conspirators previously have pleaded guilty. One co-conspirator, Deonte Lamone Kennedy (also known as “Chop Cold Train”), admitted that the group of heroin dealers discussed the significant risk of their customers dying of heroin overdose. Kennedy admitted that he told one of his co-conspirators to distance himself from the heroin that the group was selling because it already had caused one overdose death. Kennedy pleaded guilty on March 14, 2014 to conspiracy to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment when he is sentenced on May 29, 2014.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Richmond City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa L. Owings is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Massachusetts Leader of Sophisticated, Violent Fraudulent Document Ring Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Jose Rafael Murcia-Garcia, 34, a Mexican National who resided in Boston, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today to Conspiracy to Engage in Racketeering and Conspiracy to Launder Money. Murcia-Garcia faces a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $750,000, and three years of supervised release. Further, he is illegally within the United States and faces deportation following the service of his prison sentence.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Katrina W. Berger, Acting Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement after the guilty plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
According to court papers, this defendant is connected to a Fraudulent Document Enterprise (FDE) previously prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia in United States v. Israel Cruz Millan, Case No. 3:10CR308. The FDE originally operated in the United States beginning prior to 2008 and continuing through November 18, 2010, and had cells in Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Manassas, Virginia; Fayetteville and Little Rock, Arkansas; New Haven, Connecticut; Mishawaka, Indiana; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; Chelsea, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island; and Nashville, Tennessee. The criminal enterprise was dismantled within the United States on November 18, 2010. In the prior case and connected prosecutions, a total of 30 defendants were convicted. On February 16, 2012, United States District Judge James R. Spencer sentenced the overall leader, Israel Cruz Millan to 300 months’ imprisonment. On March 2, 2012, United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Oliverez-Jiminez to two consecutive life terms in prison, after having been convicted by a jury of racketeering, murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents.
According to court filings, the FDE restarted its operations while the Israel Cruz Millan, et al. case was still pending. Beginning at some point prior to February 2012, Manuel Hidalgo Flores, also known as “Chino,” “Chimuelo” and “Julio,” began managing the organization’s operations in the United States, supervising operations in Richmond, Virginia; Springdale, Arkansas; Boston, Massachusetts; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. As in the previous case, the FDE produced high-quality false identification cards for distribution to illegal aliens. In most cities where the organization operated, Hidalgo Flores placed a cell manager to supervise a number of “runners,” the lower level members of the organization who distributed business cards advertising the organization’s services and helped facilitate transactions with customers. In his sworn Statement of Facts, Jose Rafael Murcia-Garcia, also known as “Juan,” admitted that, while working under Hidalgo Flores, he supervised runners operating in the Boston, Massachusetts cell.
The cost of fraudulent documents varied depending on the location, with counterfeit Resident Alien and Social Security cards typically selling for approximately $150. Each cell maintained detailed sales records and divided the proceeds between the runner, the cell manager, and the upper level managers in Mexico. In addition, the FDE used Western Union and MoneyGram to funnel criminal proceeds to Mexico.
The evidence during the Oliverez-Jiminez trial detailed how members of the organization sought to drive competitors from their territory by posing as customers in search of fraudulent documents and then attacking the competitors when they arrived to make a sale. According to court filings, the FDE continued those tactics in 2013. The First Superseding Indictment charges four FDE members, including Manuel Hidalgo Flores, with targeting a competitor in the Richmond, Virginia area on October 6, 2013. That planned attack was thwarted, however, by law enforcement intervention.
Counting this guilty plea, 34 members of this organization charged in the Richmond, Virginia federal cases have been convicted. Currently, Murcia-Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2014, before United States District Court Judge James R. Spencer. Out of the 12 defendants arrested in the current case on October 30, 2013, 8 are scheduled to proceed to a jury trial on June 2, 2014.
The case was investigated by the Richmond and Norfolk offices of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which falls under the Washington, D.C., office. ICE HSI received assistance from the Virginia State Police, Chesterfield County Police Department, and Henrico County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gill and Trial Attorney Maria Gonzalez Calvet, of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Leader of Counterfeit Currency Ring Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Tarshema Brice, 34, of Richmond, Va., pled guilty today to manufacturing counterfeit currency. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release when she is sentenced on August 15, 2014.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and William Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted today by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
Brice was initially charged, along with four others, in a Criminal Complaint filed on September 6, 2013. She was arrested in September and pled guilty today to a Criminal Information that was filed on March 24, 2014.
According to court documents, Brice obtained genuine Federal Reserve Notes in either one dollar or five dollar denominations, bleached them, and then printed the image from a genuine fifty or one hundred dollar note onto them. She began the counterfeiting operation in approximately March 2012 and remained involved in counterfeiting currency until her arrest in September 2013. In the Statement of Facts filed in support of her plea, Brice admitted she manufactured, or passed, between $10,000.00 and $20,000.00 worth of counterfeit currency.
Last month, Brice’s co-defendant, Norris Heath, who pled guilty to conspiring to manufacture counterfeit currency, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. In February 2014, co-defendant Abraham Emanuel Brotherson was sentenced to 1.5 years in federal prison for his role in aiding and abetting the conspiracy; and Warren Kelly Isaacs, who was charged with passing counterfeit notes, was sentenced to one year. La’Keesha Kee, who was also charged with passing counterfeit notes, was found guilty at a trial in February 2014. She is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Oxycodone Distribution Ring DismantledRead the Press Release
Seven defendants charged in federal court, over 20,000 pills distributed
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An oxycodone distribution ring operating in northern Virginia has been dismantled as conspirators plead guilty and are sentenced.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement.
According to court documents, members of the conspiracy illegally produced fraudulent prescriptions for 30 mg oxycodone pills using a variety of sources in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William County. The conspirators supplied their own identities, and those of family members and others, to the leaders of the conspiracy to create fraudulent prescriptions. The leaders used those identities to create fraudulent prescriptions, and they paid individuals to act as runners to fill the false prescriptions at various pharmacies. Each runner subsequently returned the filled illegal prescriptions, usually containing 60 to 120 oxycodone pills, to the leaders for distribution.
The leaders of the conspiracy typically gave the runners approximately ten to fifteen of the pills as payment, and the conspirators sold the remaining pills for approximately $30 to $45 per pill. The investigation has identified over 20,000 pills distributed through the conspiracy, and about a quarter of the prescriptions were paid for by privately or publicly funded insurance programs.
The following defendants have been charged in this matter:
- Mostaffa Mohamed Al Nimiry, 24, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty on Jan. 22, 2014 to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. Al Nimiry was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Jacqueline Alfaro, 22, of Fairfax, Va., pleaded guilty on January 16, 2014 to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. Alfaro was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Jennifer Hagerup, 29, of Great Falls, Va., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and is awaiting sentencing on July 11, 2014.
- Christopher Bryant, 25, of Sterling, Va., pleaded guilty today before Judge O’Grady to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and is awaiting sentencing on July 11, 2014.
- Olivia Lee, 22, of Herndon, Va., pleaded guilty on Jan. 9, 2014 before Judge O’Grady to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and is awaiting sentencing on April 25, 2014.
- Hilina Damte, 25, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2014 before Judge O’Grady to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and is awaiting sentencing on May 2, 2014.
- Matias Garcia, 23, of Sterling, Va., has been charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the Alexandria City Police Department, Prince William County Police Department and Montgomery County Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Groves and Whitney Russell prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
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 at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Former Vice President of Government Contracting Company Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit BriberyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Adam C. White, 40, a former vice president of a Chesapeake, Va., government contracting company pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay bribes to public officials in exchange for favorable treatment in connection with U.S. government contract work.
Acting U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Robert Craig of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, Acting Executive Assistant Director Charles T. May Jr. of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Atlantic Operations and Special Agent in Charge Royce E. Curtin of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller in the Eastern District of Virginia.
White was charged by criminal information on March 28, 2014, with one count of conspiracy to bribe public officials. White faces a maximum penalty of five years when he is sentenced on July 11, 2014.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, White worked for a government contracting company that was created to support the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) on various telecommunication projects. For several years, White and his business partners paid bribes to MSC public officials in exchange for favorable treatment in awarding MSC-related government contract work.
White admitted that he contributed a portion of his paycheck to the bribe payments by regularly withdrawing approximately $1,000 in cash from his personal bank account after receiving his bi-weekly paycheck and providing it to his business partners. Together, White and his business partners paid approximately $3,000 to $4,000 a month in cash bribes to two MSC public officials. White also admits that he was aware his business partners provided other things of value, including flat-screen televisions, to influence the official actions of a MSC public official.As a condition of the plea agreement, White has agreed to forfeit $57,000 as the proceeds of the offense.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DCIS, and NCIS. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Haynie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
In December 2013, White resigned from his position as vice president of the government contracting company.
Prior to entry of this guilty plea, four other individuals pleaded guilty in connection with the same bribery scheme. On Feb. 12, 2014, Kenny E. Toy, the former afloat programs manager for the MSC N6 Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems Directorate, pleaded guilty to bribery and admitted receiving more than $100,000 in cash bribes. On Feb. 18, 2014, Dwayne A. Hardman, one of White’s business partners, pleaded guilty to bribery and admitted to providing more than $140,000 in cash bribes to Toy and another MSC public official. On Feb. 19, 2014, Michael P. McPhail pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and agreed to forfeit $57,000. On March 5, 2014, Roderic J. Smith, another of White’s business partners, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to forfeit $175,000.Henrico Couple Sentenced to 15 Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Fidel Rodriguez, 54, and Yida Perez, 44, of Henrico County, Virginia, were sentenced today to 15 years' imprisonment in U.S. District Court on four counts of production of child pornography. The defendants were convicted of the charges in a bench trial in November.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States 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 the defendants were sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne.
According to court documents and evidence presented at court, Rodriguez and Perez, who are husband and wife, sexually abused a minor relative for over six years and produced child pornographic images using the victim as a subject. The images were produced using a digital camera. Forensic analysts recovered dozens of the child pornographic images and videos saved on various forms of computer media throughout the defendants' residence, along with additional child pornographic images downloaded from the Internet. Undercover agents initially detected an individual distributing child pornography from the defendants' residence in 2013 and ultimately arrested Rodriguez and Perez on production of child pornography charges after a grand jury indictment in September.
Following their term of imprisonment, Rodriguez and Perez, who are Cuban citizens and were granted residency in the United States over six years ago, will be required to register as sex offenders in any U.S. jurisdiction in which they live, work, or attend school.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Henrico County Police Department and the Richmond Police Department as part of the FBI's Innocent Images Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Gene Fishel of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Annandale Mortgage Broker Sentenced to 38 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Kil Seok (“Michael”) Seo, 49, formerly of Fairfax, Va., was sentenced today to 38 months in prison for engaging in bank fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a mortgage fraud scheme. Seo also was ordered to pay restitution of $894,600 to several banks that were the victims of Seo’s criminal conduct.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement following today’s sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris.
Seo was indicted on Dec. 10, 2009, by a federal grand jury on charges related to a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders, and he entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court on Jan. 14, 2014.
According to court records, Seo, an Annandale, Va., mortgage broker, schemed with others, including Peter Jin, to defraud lenders by transferring title to residential properties into the names of victims without their knowledge or consent and then opening home equity lines of credit in victims’ names, again without their knowledge or consent. Seo and Jin then opened bank accounts in the victims’ names for the purpose of receiving the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds. As part of the scheme, Seo obtained from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles an identification card in the name of a victim but with Seo’s photo. He used that fraudulent ID to take out a home equity loan in the victim’s name. In total, the scheme resulted in losses to the lenders of nearly $900,000.
In 2009, co-defendant Jin pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection with his role in the offense and was sentenced to 48 months in prison. Seo has resided in South Korea since 2009, and he was extradited to the United States in November 2013 to face the criminal charges contained in the December 2009 indictment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy D. Belevetz and Mark D. Lytle are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Virginia Beach Coast Guardsman Pleads Guilty to False ClaimsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Jeffrey T. Byrne, 43, pleaded guilty today to charges of making false claims against the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Marty J. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Chesapeake Region, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard.
Byrne was charged by criminal information on March 25, 2014 with presenting false claims to the USCG. Byrne faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced on July 2, 2014 by Chief United States District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in September 2011, Byrne, a USCG reservist assigned to a duty station in Portsmouth, Virginia, received activation orders. Byrne, who at the time resided in Hampton Roads, claimed that his permanent address was Frisco, North Carolina. By claiming Frisco, Byrne was allowed to claim higher lodging and per diem costs based on living more than fifty miles from his assigned duty location. He also began renting a home from his then girlfriend, whom he later married, even though reservists are prohibited from renting their temporary lodging from friends or family. In July 2012, Byrne married his girlfriend and continued to file lodging and receipts using his spouse’s maiden name, even after she legally changed her last name. He also continued to enter a false name and date of birth for his spouse on USCG dependent documents in order to prevent the USCG from detecting the fraud. When CGIS investigators interviewed Byrne on January 24, 2104 regarding his expense claims, he admitted to the fraud. Byrne has since paid back the estimated loss of $112,346.78 to the U.S. Coast Guard Finance Center, Chesapeake, Virginia.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Coast Guard Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Haynie and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin D. Shutt, United States Coast Guard, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Rhode Island Leader of Sophisticated, Violent Fraudulent Document Ring Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Felipe Alvarado Gonzalez, age 46, a Mexican National who resided in Pawtucket, Rhode Island pleaded guilty today to Conspiracy to Engage in Racketeering and Conspiracy to Launder Money. Alvarado Gonzalez faces a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $750,000, and three years of supervised release. Further, the defendant is illegally within the United States and faces deportation following the service of his prison sentences.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Katrina W. Berger, Acting Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement after the guilty plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
According to court papers, this defendant is connected to a Fraudulent Document Enterprise (FDE) previously prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia in United States v. Israel Cruz Millan, Case No. 3:10CR308. The FDE originally operated in the United States beginning prior to 2008 and continuing through November 18, 2010, and had cells in Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Manassas, Virginia; Fayetteville and Little Rock, Arkansas; New Haven, Connecticut; Mishawaka, Indiana; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; Chelsea, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island; and, Nashville, Tennessee. The criminal enterprise was dismantled within the United States on November 18, 2010. In the prior case and connected prosecutions, a total of 30 defendants were convicted. On February 16, 2012, United States District Judge James R. Spencer sentenced the overall leader, Israel Cruz Millan, to 300 months’ imprisonment. On March 2, 2012, United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Oliverez-Jiminez to two consecutive life terms in prison, after a jury convicted him for racketeering, murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents.
According to court filings, the FDE restarted its operations while the Israel Cruz Millan, et al. case was still pending. Beginning at some point prior to February 2012, Manuel Hidalgo Flores, also known as “Chino,” “Chimuelo” and “Julio,” began managing the organization’s operations in the United States, supervising operations in Richmond, Virginia; Springdale, Arkansas; Boston, Massachusetts; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. As in the previous case, the FDE produced high-quality false identification cards for distribution to illegal aliens. In most cities where the organization operated, Hidalgo Flores placed a cell manager to supervise a number of “runners,” the lower level members of the organization who distributed business cards advertising the organization’s services and helped facilitate transactions with customers. In his sworn Statement of Facts, Felipe Alvarado Gonzalez, also known as “Wicho,” admitted that, while working under Hidalgo Flores, he supervised runners operating in the Pawtucket, Rhode Island cell.
The cost of fraudulent documents varied depending on the location, with counterfeit Resident Alien and Social Security cards typically selling for approximately $150. Each cell maintained detailed sales records and divided the proceeds between the runner, the cell manager, and the upper level managers in Mexico. In addition, the FDE used Western Union and MoneyGram to funnel criminal proceeds to Mexico.
The evidence during the Oliverez-Jiminez trial detailed how members of the organization sought to drive competitors from their territory by posing as customers in search of fraudulent documents and then attacking the competitors when they arrived to make a sale. According to court filings, the FDE continued those tactics in 2013. The First Superseding Indictment charges four FDE members, including Manuel Hidalgo Flores, with targeting a competitor in the Richmond, Virginia area on October 6, 2013. That planned attack was thwarted, however, by law enforcement intervention.
Counting this guilty plea, 33 members of this organization charged in the Richmond, Virginia federal cases have been convicted. Currently, Alvarado Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2014, before United States District Court Judge James R. Spencer. Out of the 12 defendants arrested in the current case on October 30, 2013, 9 are scheduled to proceed to a jury trial on June 2, 2014.
The case was investigated by the Richmond and Norfolk offices of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which falls under the Washington, D.C. office. ICE HSI received assistance from the Virginia State Police, Chesterfield County Police Department, and Henrico County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gill and Trial Attorney Maria Gonzalez Calvet, of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Leader of Drug Organization Sentenced to Twenty-Five YearsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Christopher Devon Barrett, 28, of Hampton, Va., was sentenced today to twenty-five years in prison, and given five years of supervised release, following his convictions for participating in a continuing criminal enterprise and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Leslie Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, and Terry L. Sult Hampton Police Chief, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
According to court documents Barrett was a leader and organizer of a drug trafficking organization that obtained cocaine and heroin from local and out of state suppliers for distribution to mid- level distributors on the Virginia peninsula and elsewhere in the Eastern District of Virginia. The drug trafficking organization supplied 150 kilograms or more of cocaine during the conspiracy. Barrett arranging for suppliers and ran the day-to-day affairs of the conspiracy from the Colonial Landing Apartment complex in Hampton, Va., and other locations. He was the eighteenth defendant convicted and sentenced in connection with this investigation.
The investigative team included the DEA Hampton Post of Duty, Newport News Police Department, the Newport News Sheriff’s Department, the Virginia State Police, and the Hampton Police Division. Assistant United States Attorney Howard Zlotnick and Trial Attorney Rebecca A. Staton of the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Member of "Black P-Stones" Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Enrique Omar Hinton, a.k.a. “Rico,” 26, of Newport News, pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy, as well as possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David A. O’Neil, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Tommy E. Miller.
Hinton was charged in a superseding indictment returned on December 9, 2013, with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Hinton faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the racketeering conspiracy charge and a mandatory consecutive sentence of ten years to life in prison on the firearm charge when he is sentenced on June 26, 2014, in Norfolk.
In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Hinton admitted that he was a member of a violent street gang called the Black P-Stones, also referred to as the P-Stone Bloods and Cobra Stones, which operated as a criminal enterprise located primarily in the Beechmont, Courthouse Green, and Woodview neighborhoods in the Denbigh area of Newport News. The Black P-Stones engaged in various criminal activities including murders, robberies, illegal drug trafficking, and obstruction of justice. Hinton joined the gang in approximately 2005 and held the rank of “Foot Soldier.” As a Foot Soldier, Hinton sold marijuana for the gang, possessed firearms, attended gang meetings, and planned and participated in the gang’s criminal activities. On December 10, 2008, Hinton and co-conspirators participated in a shooting in Williamsburg to retaliate against a rival gang member who exhibited disrespect toward a co-conspirator’s girlfriend. During the shooting, approximately seven to eight bullets were fired at the rival gang member’s home, with bullets entering the home’s living room and front door while two people were inside. Hinton further admitted that on July 13, 2009, he testified falsely before a federal grand jury for the purpose of obstructing the grand jury’s investigation of the Black P-Stones and the December 10, 2008, shooting in which he and co-conspirators participated.
The investigation of this case was led by the FBI’s Safe Streets Peninsula Task Force, with the assistance of the Newport News Police Department and the James City County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Trial Attorney Louis A. Crisostomo of the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
Woman Sentenced to 42 Months for Fraudulent Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. –Virginia Parks-Bert, 41, of Parkville, Md., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and required to pay $135,835.09 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, for participating in a scheme to defraud the United States by filing fraudulent tax returns.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; and Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Tax Division, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge John A. Gibney.
Parks-Bert pled guilty on October 23, 2013, to conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims and aggravated identity theft. According to court documents, from February 2010 to May 2011, Parks-Bert conspired to obtain false tax return refunds by submitting false claims for herself and other to the IRS. Parks-Bert included false W-2 employer, wages, and tax withholding amount information on these returns. She and her co-conspirators then directed the false refunds to be deposited into bank accounts that they controlled. Generally, Parks-Bert purposefully kept the falsely claimed refund amounts below a certain threshold to avoid detection by the IRS. In total, Parks-Bert filed at least 57 false federal tax returns claiming $260,270 in refunds that the named taxpayers were not entitled to claim. Moreover, on March 31, 2010, Parks-Bert filed a tax return using the name and Social Security number of an individual whom she knew was deceased. She directed that the falsely claimed refund of $5,404 be deposited into a bank account that she controlled.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and Chesterfield County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Siebert and Department of Justice, Tax Division Trial Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Richmond Man Sentenced to 115 Months for Defrauding InvestorsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. –Stephen Maurice Burks, 65, of Richmond, Va., was sentenced today to 115 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for mail fraud. He also was ordered to pay $1,338,971.52 in restitution to his victims as well as forfeiture.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Gary Barksdale, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne.
Burks pled guilty on November 20, 2013. According to court documents, Burks was the Chief Executive Officer of Chelsea Financial Group, LLC (CFG), which operated from locations in Maryland and Richmond, Virginia. Burks admitted that from at least as early as January 2008 through January 2013, he offered and sold, both individually and through CFG, investments in several different investment schemes both individually and through CFG. These schemes included, but were not limited to: Forex (foreign currency exchange) trading; stock market investments; oil investments; payday lending franchises; and group homes. Burks admitted that he made material misrepresentations and omissions to investors about his background, including false claims that he was an investment professional, registered investment advisor, and commodities trading advisory. Burks also failed to disclose to investors that he was a convicted felon. Throughout all of the various schemes, Burks obtained at least $1.2 million in investor funds and failed to disclose that he retained at least 25% of funds for personal and/or non-investment-related use.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigative Division, with significant assistance from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, and the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica D. Aber prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Former Arlington County Employee Convicted of Taking BribesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Francisco Samayoa Hernandez (“Samayoa”), 33, of Silver Spring, Md., pleaded guilty today to receiving bribes in connection with his work as a tax assessor supervisor at the Arlington County, Va., Department of Motor Vehicles Select office.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Samayoa faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison when he is sentenced on June 9, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Samayoa admitted to receiving approximately $11,480 in bribes from a vehicle exporter in exchange for providing vehicle titles and falsifying Department of Motor Vehicle paperwork that allowed the exporter to avoid paying state motor vehicle sales and use tax in connection with the registration and titling of various luxury automobiles. In exchange for the bribes, Samayoa enabled the exporter to avoid paying approximately $24,923 due to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the registration and titling of a Lamborghini and multiple Ferraris, Porsches and Mercedes.
Samayoa was an Arlington County employee, and the Arlington County Commissioner of Revenue contracts with the DMV to provide vehicle-related services at its local office.
Samayoa also admitted to serving as a straw buyer for the exporter and purchasing three BMWs in his name. In connection with these transactions, Samayoa falsely certified to a dealership that he was not purchasing the vehicle for export, and the dealership relied on that certification in making the sale.This case was investigated jointly by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Virginia DMV Law Enforcement Division Office of Enforcement and Compliance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Nathanson is prosecuting the case.
Any person who believes they may have information regarding public corruption in the Northern Virginia area is encouraged to call the FBI’s Northern Virginia Public Corruption Hotline at 703-686-6225 or send an email to [email protected].
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.AMENDED: Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Submitting False ClaimsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thomas J. Cicatello, 32, of Woodbridge, Va., pleaded guilty today to charges of submitting false claims to the United States government totaling more than $40,000.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Robert Craig, Special Agent in Charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office (DCIS), made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.
Cicatello faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced on May 15, 2014.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Cicatello admitted that from February 2011 through October 2011, while he was employed as a contractor providing image and data analysis services to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), he caused his employer to submit to the NGA time reports claiming he had worked for significant amounts of time when in fact he was not at work. As part of his responsibilities, Cicatello reviewed geospatial intelligence to aid in the identification of improvised explosive devices in active war zones, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The information he was responsible for preparing was used in reports provided to U.S. military personnel in those areas, who relied on the accuracy of the information they received to make strategic decisions. In order to conceal his absences, Cicatello prepared false intelligence reports indicating “NSTR,” which meant nothing significant to report, without actually having reviewed the relevant material.
This case was investigated jointly by DCIS and NGA Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Belevetz is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Ship's Purser Convicted of EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Ismael Cuario Estrada, 66, was convicted today of embezzlement, after a four-day jury trial.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Charles T. May Jr., the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Acting Executive Assistant Director for Atlantic Operations, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by Senior United States District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.
Estrada faces a maximum penalty of ten years and a fine of $250,000.00 when he is sentenced on June 25, 2014.Estrada was indicted on November 6, 2013. According to court records and the evidence presented at trial, Estrada is a retired Navy enlisted sailor who joined the Military Sealift Command (MSC) as a ship’s purser. In late 2006, he became a crewman on the USNS Arctic and remained there until March 30, 2013. In the early part of 2013, Estrada was ordered to become the purser on another USNS ship, the Laramie, whose purser was two months past his time limit on board. Estrada attempted to remain on the Arctic, but was ordered to leave for the Laramie. Contrary to the Captain’s orders, Estrada did not do the normal cash verification and placement of the ship’s money in the bank. Instead, he only did the cash verification and left the money in the ship’s vault. A cash verification on April 30, 2013 found that approximately $350,118 was missing from the $691,000 that should have been in the safe in the purser’s office, based on a cash verification that had been performed a month earlier. Estrada was then ordered off the Laramie and returned to Norfolk where he was eventually arrested and indicted for embezzlement.
This case was investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Steve Haynie and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher George are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Washington Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Bank Fraud Conspiracy and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Samuel Goines, 61, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and obstruction of justice. Goines also was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture in the amount of $539,187.36.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office;Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office; and Earl L. Cook, Alexandria Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Goines pleaded guilty on Dec. 13, 2013. According to court documents, Goines and his co-conspirators opened business accounts at banks in the Washington metro area, including in the Eastern District of Virginia, and funded them through stolen and counterfeit checks and unauthorized wire transfers. The conspirators then withdrew money from these fraudulent accounts. On a single day in 2013, Goines went to eight SunTrust bank branches in northern Virginia and cashed eight checks issued to other people by presenting eight different fake IDs.
Goines continued to participate in the conspiracy even after he was put on electronic monitoring due to a probation violation in an unrelated case. In addition, after Goines was arrested, he called a co-conspirator from jail to warn him about the investigation and advise him of steps to take to avoid detection.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Alexandria Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kosta S. Stojilkovic prosecuted 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 PACER and on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.Two Men Charged with Illegally Manufacturing and Transporting FirearmsRead the Press Release
Navy official allegedly set up $1.6 million contract for silencers from unlicensed company
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Lee Hall, 52, of northern Virginia, and Mark Landersman, 53, of California with conspiracy to illegally manufacture firearms, transport unregistered firearms in interstate commerce and commit mail fraud. Lee Hall also is charged with theft of government money.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Rocco Pierri, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s (NCIS) Washington Field Office; and Charles E. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement.
Hallfaces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted of both charges. Landersman faces a maximum penalty of five years if convicted.
According to the indictment, as Intelligence Director of the Office of Plans, Policy, Oversight and Integration for the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy, Lee Hall initiated a sole source contract between a Navy prime contractor and Mark Landersman’s company, Advanced Machining and Engineering (AME), for the manufacture of 349 silencers at a cost of approximately $1.6 million.
According to court records, neither Landersman nor AME was licensed to manufacture or sell firearms or silencers. Moreover, although AME was to receive about $1.6 million for the silencers, Landersman subcontracted the actual production of the silencers for a cost of approximately $10,000. Landersman had the silencers manufactured without serial numbers and shipped them to Maryland in February 2013.
The sole source contract called for Landersman to receive a deposit of approximately $800,000 before starting production, with the balance to be paid shortly after the silencers were shipped from California to Maryland. In April 2013, Landersman received the remaining balance of approximately $800,000 under the subcontract. An inspection report submitted before payment of the remaining balance stated that the silencers had been inspected and that they conformed to the contract. No inspection of the silencers, however, was actually done prior to paying the $800,000 balance.
This investigation is being conducted jointly by NCIS and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morris Parker, Patricia Haynes and Karen Taylor 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 PACER and on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.Second Member of Counterfeit Currency Ring Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Norris Eugene Heath, 39, of North Chesterfield, Va., was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on charges of conspiring to manufacture counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes; and for passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. Restitution to one of the victims was also ordered.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and William Frantzen, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing today by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
Heath was arrested on September 18, 2013, and indicted on October 16, 2013. He pled guilty on December 2, 2013 to both charges in the indictment.
According to court documents, Heath obtained genuine Federal Reserve Notes in either one dollar or five dollar denominations, bleached them, and then printed the image of either a fifty dollar or one hundred dollar note onto them. He joined the conspiracy in approximately August 2012, and remained a part of it until June 7, 2013. He was held responsible for having manufactured or passed $3,450.00 worth of counterfeit currency.
In February 2013, co-defendant Abraham Emanuel Brotherson was sentenced to 1.5 years in federal prison for his role in aiding and abetting the conspiracy; Warren Kelly Isaacs, who was charged with passing counterfeit notes, will be sentenced later this month; and La’Keesha Kee, who was charged with passing counterfeit notes, was found guilty after proceeding to trial last month. She is scheduled to be sentenced in May. There are also outstanding charges pending against Tarshema Brice.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.