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11 April 2024
Pennsylvania Insurance Business Owner Convicted of Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG– A federal jury convicted a Milroy, Pennsylvania, man today of tax evasion for his years-long scheme to evade the payment of his individual income taxes and his business’s employment taxes.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the four-day trial before District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, Brandon Aumiller owned Brandon Aumiller & Associates, an insurance sales business. For tax years 2007, and 2009 through 2011, Aumiller filed personal income tax returns reporting that he owed a total of approximately $82,311 in income taxes. He also filed employment tax returns for his business reporting that it owed approximately $24,882 in taxes for the third quarter of 2013 and the first two quarters of 2014. Despite reporting that he and his business owed more than a total of $107,193 in taxes to the IRS, Aumiller did not pay these assessments.
When the IRS attempted to collect the taxes, Aumiller engaged in a multi-year scheme to thwart the IRS’ efforts by concealing his assets in nominee bank accounts, structuring multiple real estate deals to conceal the transactions from the IRS and submitting false financial disclosure forms to the IRS that did not fully disclose his bank accounts and concealed critical information about his real estate transactions.
Judge Conner scheduled Aumiller to be sentenced on September 4. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the two counts of his conviction. Judge Conner will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur for the Middle District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.
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Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to IncestRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A man from the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians pleaded guilty in federal court to knowingly engaging in a sexual act with a member of his family.
According to court documents, in July 2021, Ronnie Reed, Sr., 52, had a sexual relationship with a family member in the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation. Reed was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023.
Reed is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
Owners of Local Debt Consolidation Service Indicted in Federal Court, Additional Victims SoughtRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—The owners of ConsoliDebt Solutions, LLC, a debt consolidation service that operated in Oregon and other locations between April 2019 and April 2024, have been indicted in federal court for knowingly and intentionally defrauding their customers.
Javier Antonio Banuelas Urueta, 54, and Dalia Castilleja Saucedo, 38, both residents of Oregon and Washington State, have been charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiring to commit and committing mail and wire fraud.
According to the indictment, from approximately April 2019 and continuing until their arrests, Banuelas and Castilleja are alleged to have devised and carried out a scheme whereby they used ConsoliDebt Solutions to collect money and property from various clients in exchange for purported debt consolidation or reduction services. Banuelas and Castilleja directed their clients to deposit funds directly into ConsoliDebt bank accounts, transfer funds to the company, or mail in personal checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders.
Banuelas and Castilleja are further alleged to have used client funds to pay for various personal expenses such as car leases, loan repayments, residential rent, and various wire transfers.
Banuelas was arrested Tuesday in Portland, Oregon. He made his first appearance in federal court the same day and was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Castilleja is still at large.
Mail and wire fraud are punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release per count of conviction.
Anyone with information about Banuelas, Castilleja, or ConsoliDebt Solutions, LLC, are encouraged to contact Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) by submitting a tip online at https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form or by calling (866) 347-2423.
This case was investigated by HSI. It is being prosecuted by Rachel K. Sowray, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Georgia Man Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Organization CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Perry Johnson Jr., 30, of Dunwoody, Georgia, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Johnson admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson participated in the DTO by directing large quantities of methamphetamine into the Southern District of West Virginia for distribution to local dealers and customers. On or about November 28, 2022, Johnson conducted phone calls with co-conspirator Alexandria Jasmine Estep during which he arranged to sell multiple pounds of methamphetamine to her. Johnson arranged for the methamphetamine to be delivered by third parties, including co-defendant Dashounieque Lashay Wright, in a vehicle to Estep’s Charleston residence the following day. After Estep received the methamphetamine from Wright, officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle that had delivered the methamphetamine. Upon conducting a search of that vehicle, officers discovered and seized approximately six pounds of methamphetamine.
Johnson has a criminal history that includes seven prior convictions for controlled substances offenses in Virginia and Kentucky.
Estep, 22, of Charleston, was sentenced on February 22, 2023, to four years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Wright, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on January 8, 2024, to use of a communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking and awaits sentencing.
Johnson, Estep and Wright are among 32 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Johnson, Estep and Wright are also among 27 defendants who have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.
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Online Seller of “Unwashed” Poppy Seeds Is Sentenced for Drug OffenseRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Daniel Allen Childers 34, of Asheville, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release, for a drug offense involving “unwashed” poppy seeds, said Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court documents and court proceedings, between June 2021 and January 2023, Childers engaged in a conspiracy to distribute unwashed poppy seeds. Unwashed poppy seeds are different from commercially available poppy seeds. Consumers of unwashed poppy seeds generally steep the seeds in hot water, which produces a narcotic “tea” that contains opiates such as morphine, codeine, and thebaine.
Court records show that, in June 2021, Childers contacted a wholesale supplier of unwashed poppy seeds and became a vendor for the seeds. Childers began to sell the seeds online through a website he created for his business, “OrganaSeedSupply LLC” (OrganaSeed). OrganaSeed purported to sell baking goods supplies and services, including poppy seeds for commercial use. Contrary to the website’s claims, Childers exclusively sold unwashed poppy seeds and only listed the other products and services to appear legitimate. Court documents show that Childers obtained pallets of seeds from his supplier, each containing over 1,000 pounds of unwashed poppy seeds. In turn, Childers sold the unwashed poppy seeds online in various size bags, with one pound of seeds costing between $45 and $50. As Childers previously admitted in court documents, Childers knew that his customers would use the poppy seeds to make opiate tea and warned his customers that the seeds contained “opiate alkaloid residue.”
In July 2023, Childers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a material used to make a controlled substance.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Asheville Police Department for their investigation of the case.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.
Omaha Woman Convicted for Escape from CustodyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Kiana M. Stabler, 27, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 11, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for escape from custody. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Stabler to time served, as she was in custody since August 24, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system. Stabler was also sentenced to a 3-year term of supervised release, which will run concurrent to her previous case.
Stabler was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit robberies of federally insured banks and was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment on July 6, 2018. During her term of imprisonment, Stabler was placed at Dismas Charities, Inc., a residential reentry facility located in Kearney, Nebraska. While assigned to that facility, Stabler secured a social pass on July 20, 2023, where she was ordered to return that same evening. Stabler failed to return to the facility and was later arrested on August 24, 2023.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Brian E. Nielsen, 47, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on April 10, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Nielsen to 78 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Nielsen’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On December 14, 2022, and December 24, 2022, Nielsen sold meth to a Burt County Sheriff’s Office confidential source (CS) that was audio recorded by law enforcement. The drugs were laboratory tested and confirmed as to weight and substance. In November 2022, during a search of Nielsen’s home, officers recovered $60 of the $100 used for the controlled buy on December 24, 2022. The bills were matched by the serial numbers and a total of $1,115 was seized.
On February 24, 2023, law enforcement initiated a traffic stop and arrested Nielsen pursuant to a state arrest warrant as he was driving away from his residence. At the time of his arrest, Nielsen had two baggies of meth, one weighing one gram, the other two grams.
Incident to his arrest, officers searched his home via a state search warrant and recovered 21 grams of marijuana from two separate bags, a scale with meth residue, and numerous syringes. Upon receiving additional information, a second search warrant was executed on the home recovering 6 baggies of meth weighing 260 grams.
This case was investigated by the Burt County Sheriff’s Office.
Ohkay Owingeh Man Charged with AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Ohkay Owingeh man is facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting a victim with a firearm. Robert Abyeta, 50, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, appeared in federal court for an initial appearance where the Court temporarily detained him pending a detention hearing, which is scheduled for April 15, 2024.
The indictment alleges that on June 28, 2023, Abeyta assaulted the victim with a firearm with the intent to cause bodily harm.
Abeyta is charged with assault with an assault resulting is serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, discharging said firearm.
If convicted, Abeyta faces up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the Ohkay Owingeh Police Department and Santa Clara Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
View the IndictmentAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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North Providence Woman Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A North Providence woman described in a court document as being “a seasoned drug dealer with connections to other high-level dealers” and who, court records show, was previously convicted in both Rhode Island state and federal courts on drug trafficking charges, was sentenced today to eight-and-one-half years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Lisa Torres, 55, pleaded guilty on February 21, 2024, to charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. She was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 102 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
According to information provided to the court, in this most recent matter, Torres was arrested by Providence Police and members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force on December 7, 2022, when she arrived at a prearranged location to deliver a kilogram of fentanyl to another individual. In the investigation, law enforcement confirmed she was trafficking large quantities of drugs and had international ties to the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. Law enforcement discovered photographs on her cellphone which appeared to show kilogram quantities of fentanyl, as well as communications about cutting and packaging fentanyl.
According to court documents, Torres was convicted in 1993 in Rhode Island state court and in 1994 in U.S. District Court on drug trafficking charges; in 2007 in U.S. District Court on charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and making false statements; and in2009 in U.S District Court on a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
This most recent case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey A. Erickson and Julianne Klein.
The matter was investigated by the Providence Police Department and the FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force.
The FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force is comprised of members of the FBI, Central Falls Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Cranston Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service.
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New York Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Elliot J. Santiago, 25, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty on Monday, April 1, 2024 to failure to provide information related to interstate travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, Santiago was required to comply with the provisions of SORNA because of his conviction for first-degree sexual abuse in Monongalia County Circuit Court on August 28, 2019. From on or about May 30, 2023 to on or about October 25, 2023, Santiago failed to provide notification that he had traveled from Charleston, West Virginia, to Toledo, Ohio and then to Brooklyn, New York.
Santiago is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-174.
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New Jersey Couple Indicted for Producing, Distributing, and Receiving Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a five-count indictment charging Michael Taylor, Jr. (27, New Jersey) and Alexandria Stevens (20, New Jersey) with producing, distributing, and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted, Taylor and Stevens each face a minimum mandatory penalty of 15, up to 30 years, in federal prison for the production offense, and a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, up to 20 years, for the distribution and receipt offenses.
According to court documents, while visiting Florida in November 2023, Taylor and Stevens produced CSAM with an 8-year-old child. Using the internet, Taylor and Stevens also exchanged images of CSAM. Taylor and Stevens were both arrested in New Jersey on March 27, 2024. They are currently in custody pending the resolution of the criminal case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
New Castle Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Fentanyl and Cocaine ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for committing fentanyl and cocaine trafficking crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Rayjzon Sams, 31, also ordering Sams to serve six years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Sams previously pleaded guilty in this case to committing the following crimes in 2020 and 2021: (1) conspiring to distribute cocaine and crack, (2) distributing crack within 1,000 feet of a school, and (3) possessing fentanyl and crack with intent to distribute. According to information presented to the Court, Sams engaged in fentanyl and cocaine trafficking in Lawrence and Mercer counties despite several prior convictions and incarceration sentences from state prosecutions during the preceding 10 years, including for cocaine trafficking and aggravated assault. Sams was on bond and probation, subject to house arrest, at the time he was trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.
Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin C. Dobkin and Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pennsylvania State Police, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Mercer County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Sharon Police Department, Hermitage Police Department, and Farrell Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sams.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
New Britain Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm Offense Stemming from Ghost Gun InvestigationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN McMANUS, 55, of New Britain, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of an investigation into the proliferation of privately made firearms (“PMFs” or “ghost guns”) in Connecticut, ATF investigators determined that Andrew Francoeur, a resident of Manchester, was buying firearm parts from a Missouri company, having the parts shipped to him, and manufacturing guns inside a shipping container on a property in Suffield. Francoeur sold some of the firearms he manufactured.
While he was incarcerated in state custody for firearm and drug offenses, Francoeur arranged for McManus to take possession of his guns and ammunition. McManus sold some of the firearms, broke some into pieces when he learned of the ATF investigation, and ultimately stored Francoeur’s property in two storage bins. In November 2022, investigators retrieved the storage bins and found firearm parts, a .22 caliber rifle, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, 25 high-capacity magazines, M-80 explosives, firearm gear, and other items.
McManus’ criminal history includes felony convictions for drug, firearm, larceny, and failure to appear offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
McManus is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport on July 8, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.
On April 27, 2023, Francoeur pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and manufacturing and dealing in firearms without a license. On September 6, 2023, he was sentenced to 33 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
New Brighton Resident Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug trafficking charge, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Anthony Besiso, 62, pleaded guilty before United States Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Between June 2021 and January 2022, the Beaver County Anti-Drug Task Force conducted an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in New Brighton. In connection with Besiso’s guilty plea, the Court was advised that numerous controlled purchase and surveillance operations demonstrated that Besiso would obtain methamphetamine from a source of supply in Ohio and then sell it to distributors in the Western District of Pennsylvania. On January 28, 2022, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant upon Besiso’s New Brighton residence, which resulted in the seizure of three digital scales and about 103 net grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Beaver County Anti-Drug Task Force and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Besiso.
Nicaraguan Man Sentenced to 57 Months in 550 Kilograms Cocaine Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Michael Nelson-Gaet, 36, of Nicaragua was sentenced to 57 months incarceration by District Judge Wilma A. Lewis after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance While on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States. Judge Lewis also sentenced Nelson-Gaet to two years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on March 5, 2022, while patrolling in international waters, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Legare intercepted go-fast vessel “La Bendecida Leo” 140 nautical miles southwest of Isla de Malpelo, Columbia. The vessel was traveling at a high rate of speed with bales and fuel barrels observed on deck. Nelson-Gaet, Jorge Gutierrez-Picado and Roy McElroy-Carlos were observed onboard the vessel throwing bales of suspected narcotics overboard. The vessel had no registration and the occupants claimed Nicaraguan nationality for the vessel. Nicaragua could neither confirm nor deny nationality of the vessel to the Coast Guard thereby subjecting the vessel to the jurisdiction of the United States. A search of the La Bendecida Leo, including the bales recovered from the ocean, resulted in the seizure of approximately 550 kilograms of cocaine and 136 pounds of marijuana. For his role, Gutierrez-Picado was sentenced to 70 months incarceration and 2 years of supervised release, and McElroy-Carlos awaits trial in his case.
This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
National Park Service Deputy Superintendent Sentenced in Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Gregory Camacho, 43, of St. Croix, was sentenced by District Judge Wilma A. Lewis to nine months of home detention with electronic monitoring and four years of probation after pleading guilty to Converting Property of Another. Judge Lewis also imposed a fine of $6,000.00, a special assessment of $75, and ordered Camacho to pay $29,502.20 restitution to the National Park Service.
According to court documents, Camacho was the Deputy Park Superintendent in St. Croix. In June 2019 through August 2020, Camacho also served as the Acting Park Superintendent. As an employee, Camacho rented two units from the National Park Service housing units but failed to pay rent between June 2019 and June 2020 on both units which resulted in a loss of $14,192.10 to the National Park Service. In July 2019, Camacho relocated from Titusville, FL, to St. Croix, and falsely claimed that his wife and four children relocated with him. As a result, Camacho received $13,387.50 in relocation expense reimbursement that he was not entitled to. Between October 2018 and September 2019, Camacho traveled from his primary duty station and was entitled to reimbursement for various travel-related expenses, including meal and incidental expenditures per diems. However, on four occasions, Camacho submitted overlapping travel vouchers for reimbursement. As a result, Camacho received an additional $1,922.50 in travel reimbursements that he was not entitled to.
This case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston.
Montour County Man Charged with Threatening to Murder FBI AgentsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Thomas Green, age 33, of Danville, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of influencing federal officials by threat and interstate communications with a threat.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Green called multiple FBI field offices across the country for several years to express frustration that the FBI was not investigating alleged criminal conduct reported by Green. The indictment also alleges that, beginning on or about August 18, 2022, Green began calling several FBI field offices across the country and threatening to assault and murder FBI agents if they did not investigate the alleged criminal conduct reported by Green. The indictment also alleges that Green called the FBI field office in Miami, Florida, and told FBI personnel that he knew about the murder of two Miami FBI agents and that “can happen again” if FBI personnel did not “act” how Green wanted them to. FBI Special Agents Laura Schwartzenberger and Daniel Alfin, who were members of FBI Miami, were killed while executing a search warrant in 2021.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Moreno is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Mexican National Attempted to Flee U.S. Port of Entry, Sentenced to 27 Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 324 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On March 2, 2021, Caleb Eduardo Gomez-Sanchez, 35, attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico via the Eagle Pass port of entry. Initially, Gomez-Sanchez followed directions and exited the vehicle for a secondary inspection, but when he was asked to remove his jacket to check his pockets, Gomez-Sanchez jumped back into the car and drove into oncoming traffic, attempting to flee back to Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers reacted by positioning their vehicle to block Gomez-Sanchez from fleeing further. Gomez-Sanchez rammed his vehicle into the parked CBP unit while two officers were still seated inside the vehicle. Both officers sustained injuries during the collision. Gomez-Sanchez eventually crashed into a concrete barrier at the Mexican port of entry on the other side of the bridge. Mexican authorities immediately returned Gomez-Sanchez to U.S. authorities.
CBPOs discovered a sock in Gomez-Sanchez’s coat pocket containing a substance suspected to be methamphetamine. Analysis of the suspected methamphetamine identified the substance as methamphetamine hydrochloride, with a total weight of 64.48 grams and a purity level of approximately 99%.
On Sept. 13, 2021, Gomez-Sanchez pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
“The federal agents along our southern border risk their lives on a daily basis to limit the infiltration of drugs, weapons, and the illegal entry of undocumented noncitizens into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the diligence of our CBP Officers at Eagle Pass for their efforts in this case, along with the Mexican law enforcement officers for their assistance in returning this defendant to U.S. custody for prosecution.”
"Actions that threaten the safety and well-being of law enforcement, and the general public are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee for Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio. “HSI in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will prioritize the investigation and prosecution of any individual who chooses to harm the public and officers at the Port of Entry.”
HSI and CBP investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katy Garner prosecuted the case.
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Mescalero Man Sentenced for Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to assault of an intimate partner resulting in substantial bodily injury.
According to court documents, on October 4, 2022, Jaydyn Diamond Lester, 20, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, assaulted his intimate partner by shooting her repeatedly with a BB gun and then striking her in the head several times with the butt end of the BB gun when she tried to leave the residence.
As a result of the assault, the victim suffered bruising and a large eight-centimeter laceration to her head, requiring six staples to close.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Lester will be required to serve 2 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
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Member of Catalytic Converter Crew Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a regional organized theft crew that stole catalytic converters from over 490 vehicles. It is alleged that the crew also stole from ATMs and jewelry stores.
Zachary Marshall, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 47 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2023, Marshall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property.
In April 2023, Marshall was arrested and charged along with six others in connection with the theft, transportation and sale of stolen catalytic converters taken from at least 496 vehicles across Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2022 through April 2023 alone. It is believed that a significant number of additional thefts have not been identified or were not ever reported to law enforcement.
Marshall participated in thefts of catalytic converters from 100 vehicles over the course of 10 separate instances between Jan. 19, 2023 and April 6, 2023 – most of which targeted vehicles in more than one municipality over the course of a single night.
According to court filings, there has been a precipitous decline in catalytic converter thefts reported in Massachusetts as a result of the April 2023 takedown – with only seven reported incidents of catalytic converter theft over the past 12 months following the arrests, in comparison to the hundreds of thefts reported during the nine-month period prior.
Catalytic converter theft has become a nationwide problem due to the high-valued precious metals they contain – some of which are more valuable than gold, with black-market prices being more than $1,000 each in recent years.
The thefts in this case resulted in losses of approximately $5,000 per vehicle with certain trucks costing over $10,000 to repair. This amounts to an approximate $2 million in losses suffered by more than 300 separate victims who were forced to deal with their vehicles being disabled for potentially weeks on end. The more than 300 victims included businesses and individuals across Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire, including a food pantry, automotive businesses, tradesmen, a bakery, single parents, a home healthcare provider and the elderly. Some businesses were repeatedly targeted on multiple nights.
Once in possession of the stolen catalytic converters, the crew would then sell them to Jose Torres, who would accumulate stolen catalytic converters from multiple theft crews and then in turn sell them to scrap dealers in the Northeast – transacting approximately $30,000 to $80,000 in stolen catalytic converters per week. The stolen catalytic converters were then sold to scrap dealers who have since been charged federally for interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering in the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of California and Northern District of Oklahoma
Additionally, in February 2023 Marshall, and allegedly, co-defendant Rafael Davila broke into to a self-storage facility in Northborough. During this break-in, Marshall stole items from storage units and stole a truck containing approximately $13,000 worth of Milwaukee brand power tools. A high-speed chase from law enforcement took place that evening reaching speeds upwards of 120 mph. Some of the stolen tools would later be recovered during a search of a storage unit allegedly controlled by Rafael Davila on April 12, 2023.
Marshall is the sixth defendant to plead guilty in the case. On May 17, 2023, Torres pleaded guilty to his role in the catalytic converter theft conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Kevin Gallagher, Director of Operations for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of Connecticut, the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of California; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN). Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Over 70 local police departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut contributed to this investigation through the submission of their investigations of catalytic converter thefts in their jurisdiction. The Massachusetts Police Departments contributing to the investigation were Abington, Acton, Andover, Auburn, Bedford, Bellingham, Beverly, Billerica, Burlington, Bridgewater, Canton, Carver, Chelmsford, Concord, Cranston, East Hampton, Easton, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gardner, Hampton, Hanover, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Ipswich, Lawrence, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Mansfield, Medford, Marlborough, Methuen, Middleton, Milford, Millbury, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Norwell, Norwood, Peabody, Pembroke, Plymouth, Randolph, Rockland, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Springfield, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Tyngsborough, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, West Bridgewater, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn and Worcester. The New Hampshire Police Departments contributing to the investigation were Bow, Concord, Derry, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Salem and Windham. The South Windsor and Windsor Connecticut Police Departments also contributed to the investigation.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
McKees Rocks Convicted Felon Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Possession of Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 37 months of imprisonment on his conviction for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Shawn Layne, 39.
According to information presented to the Court, on June 14, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant upon Layne’s residence, which resulted in the seizure of a loaded handgun from the bedroom. At the time Layne possessed the loaded firearm, he had been convicted of multiple felony drug offenses through the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Layne.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Kidnapping and Interstate Violation of a Protective OrderRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Brighton, Massachusetts man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for kidnapping and transporting a woman into Maine against her will.
U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Stephen Pilson, 56, to 156 months in prison for kidnapping and 50 months for interstate violation of a protective order, with the sentences to be served concurrently. Judge Levy also sentenced Pilson to four years of supervised release following his prison term. A federal jury found Pilson guilty on December 21, 2023, after a three-day trial.
According to evidence presented during the trial, on December 15, 2019, Pilson drove the victim, with whom he had a relationship, from Massachusetts to Maine against her will. Throughout the trip, he drank heavily and told the victim they were going to Canada where she would die. Pilson tied the victim to the vehicle’s gear shift with her scarf and struck her when she tried to escape. On I-95 near Arundel, the victim attempted to open the door while the car was traveling at high speed. After Pilson pulled over, she attempted to remove the vehicle’s keys, breaking the key off in the ignition before fleeing along the highway with Pilson in pursuit. Maine State Troopers were alerted to the incident by 911 calls from at least five concerned motorists. Troopers later found Pilson in the woods with the aid of a K-9.
On December 12, 2019, three days before the kidnapping, Pilson had pleaded guilty in Waltham (Massachusetts) District Court to five charges, including kidnapping the same victim, for which he had been sentenced to time served and probation. A no-contact order was also imposed, prohibiting him from contacting the victim. The federal jury found Pilson guilty of interstate violation of a protection order for violating the Massachusetts order.
While incarcerated on the federal kidnapping charge, Pilson sought to obstruct justice by convincing the victim to recant her statement to police and cease cooperating with the investigation. In a recorded phone call Pilon made to the victim from jail, Pilson instructed her to write to prosecutors to say that she wasn’t kidnapped, and that she wanted the charges dropped. During the call, Pilson told the victim that if she did not write the letter, Pilson would kill himself because he could not face years in prison.
At sentencing, Judge Levy observed that, “Mr. Pilson’s recorded call to the victim was chilling and reflects someone who is both calculating and will do whatever it takes to another person to get his way.”
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available via the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or via the hotline’s website at https://www.thehotline.org/. Mainers experiencing domestic violence can also contact the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) at 1-866-834-HELP (4357). The MCEDV website, https://www.mcedv.org/, also has information about member organizations across Maine.
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Massachusetts Construction Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Crimes and Making a False StatementRead the Press Release
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today to an employment tax scheme and making a false statement at an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hearing.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Mauricio Baiense, formerly of Quincy, owned and operated Contract Framing Builders Inc. (CFB), a Medford, Massachusetts, construction business. Baiense was responsible for paying to the IRS the payroll taxes withheld from CFB employees’ wages and for filing the quarterly employment tax returns.
From approximately April 2013 through December 2017, Baiense operated an “off-the-books” cash payroll for CFB. To generate cash for the payroll, Baiense wrote checks drawn on CFB’s bank account to purported subcontractors, which were in fact nominee entities that Baiense controlled. Baiense then cashed or directed others to cash approximately $11 million in such checks at a check cashing business.
Baiense and another man then used a portion of the cash to pay some of CFB’s employees’ wages. Baiense did not report the cash wages to the IRS and did not pay the required employment taxes on them. Baiense also helped prepare at least one false employment tax return that underreported the actual wages paid to CFB’s employees.
In total, Baiense caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $2,824,577.45.
Finally, when questioned at an OSHA hearing regarding a workplace accident, Baiense made a false statement. OSHA was investigating the workplace death of an individual working for CFB. During the hearing and while testifying under oath, Baiense falsely claimed that the deceased employee did not work for CFB at the time of the accident.
Baiense is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of the seven counts of willful failure to collect or pay over employment taxes, five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States and three years in prison for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. He also faces up to five years in prison for the false statement. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts, OSHA Region 1 Administrator Galen Blanton, Special Agent in Charge Harry Chavis Jr. of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Boston Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone of the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Boston made the announcement.
IRS-CI, OSHA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General
Assistant Chief Thomas F. Koelbl of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Tobin for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.
Marion County Man Indicted for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Kyle Burbank (32, Belleview) with two counts of receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted on both counts, Burbank faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison, including a 5-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment on each count.
According to court documents, between January 5 and 17, 2024, Burbank received five video files over the internet depicting CSAM from a 12-year-old child in another state. A review of Burbank’s social media accounts by investigators revealed multiple online interactions with other minors. Burbank subsequently was arrested by federal agents on April 4, 2024. He is currently in custody pending the resolution of this case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Clinton County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Office, and the Rossville (Indiana) Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Convicted for Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted a California man this week for insider trading.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shahriyar Bolandian, 35, of Brentwood, Los Angeles, participated in an insider trading scheme that netted more than $650,000 in illicit profits. Between 2012 and 2013, Bolandian received material non-public information about two upcoming corporate acquisitions from his childhood friend, who was an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Bolandian then used the inside information to trade in advance of the public announcements of Integrated Device Technology Inc.’s April 2012 planned acquisition of PLX Technology Inc., and Salesforce.com Inc.’s June 2013 acquisition of ExactTarget Inc. As a result of his illegal trades, Bolandian personally made over $340,000, which he used, among other things, to cover previous trading losses and repay loans to family and friends.
The jury convicted of Bolandian of six counts of insider trading. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California; and Acting Assistant Director in Charge Mehtab Syed of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Della Sentilles of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Moghaddas for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.
Los Angeles Woman Pleads Guilty to $2.2 Million COVID Loan Scheme and to Falsely Seeking $1.3 Million in Pandemic Tax CreditsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A woman from the Mid-City area of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 government loans and to submitting false claims in an unsuccessful effort to secure from the IRS nearly $1.3 million in pandemic-related tax credits.
Casie Hynes, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of false claims.
According to her plea agreement, from June 2020 to December 2021, Hynes submitted more than 80 fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from banks and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) in the names of approximately 20 companies. Congress designed these programs to provide government relief to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hynes submitted the bogus applications in the names of both existing and newly created companies, including Nasty Womxn Project and She Suite Collective and others purportedly owned by Hynes or her friends and family members. On those applications, Hynes often used the personal information and signatures of other people without their authorization and even though those people were not involved with the companies. Hynes also provided false information on the applications, including as to the number of purported employees at the companies, the companies’ average monthly payroll, and who purportedly owned and controlled these sham businesses. Hynes also submitted fabricated tax documents and bank statements in support of the fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications.
In reliance on Hynes’ fraudulent loan applications, banks and the SBA approved PPP and EIDL loans for the various companies she created and then disbursed the COVID-relief funds into bank accounts she controlled and used to pay her own personal expenses.
Hynes admitted in her plea agreement that she intended to cause approximately $3,174,323 in losses and she received approximately $2,255,244 in fraudulent proceeds from this scheme.
In a related scheme, Hynes used some of the same companies named in her PPP and EIDL fraud to submit bogus tax forms to the IRS, requesting refunds. Following COVID-19’s outbreak, Congress enacted laws authorizing the IRS to reduce the employment tax burdens of small businesses and reimburse those businesses for wages paid to employees who were on sick or family leave and could not work because of the pandemic. During the tax years 2020 and 2021, the IRS offered the Employee Retention Credit and paid sick and family leave credit to businesses that were significantly impacted by COVID-19.
From May 2021 to April 2022, Hynes caused to be submitted 12 tax forms that sought refunds based on false statements on behalf of Nasty Womxn Project LLC, She Suite Ventures, and Casie Hynes Consulting. Hynes knew these companies had little to no business operations, did not have the number of employees she claimed, and did not pay the quarterly wages she claimed in the tax forms.
Hynes fraudulently sought approximately $1,255,703 in COVID-19 tax credits and tax refunds through these false claims, none of which the IRS paid.
United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera scheduled a January 30, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Hynes will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud count and up to five years in federal prison for the false claims count.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kristen A. Williams of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF web complaint form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Little Rock Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison After Fleeing Police, Illegal Possession of FentanylRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Andre Pride will spend the next 151 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Chief Judge Baker sentenced Pride to 151 months imprisonment and three years’ supervised release to follow his prison sentence. Pride faced a maximum sentence of not more than 20 years imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
On July 19, 2022, Pride, 36, of Little Rock, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On May 5, 2023, Pride pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
On June 13, 2019, Pride was driving a Can-Am motorcycle and while law enforcement officers were attempting to make contact with him, Pride rammed their vehicle and fled. While fleeing, Pride observed two marked law enforcement vehicles and quickly turned around. After turning around, Pride rammed another law enforcement vehicle and fled on foot. While fleeing, Pride removed a baggie of fentanyl from his pocket tore open the bag and attempted to spread the fentanyl in the yard of an unknown residence. Following the arrest of Pride, law enforcement officers retrieved 30 grams of fentanyl from the yard.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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@USAO_EDAR
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Russell L. Rucks, Jr., 31, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Rucks to 132 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Rucks will begin a 4-year term of supervised release. In addition, Rucks was ordered to forfeit to the United States any interest he had in $5,084 in cash seized from his person and residence on August 12, 2021.
On August 12, 2021, a search warrant was executed at the Lincoln residence which Rucks shared with his father, Russell L. Rucks, Sr. That search resulted in the finding of approximately six pounds of cocaine, a scale, cash, and paperwork in the names of both Rucks, Jr. and Rucks, Sr.
Russell R. Rucks, Sr. was sentenced to 312 months in July of 2023 for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and fentanyl which resulted in serious bodily injury and death.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Lakeland Man Pleads Guilty to Bringing Loaded Firearm into Tampa International Airport TerminalRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Abraham Othman Yacoub (26, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to one count of violating airport security requirements and one count of attempted possession of a dangerous weapon on an aircraft. Yacoub faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. He has also agreed to forfeit the Glock 19 and assorted ammunition, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on August 4, 2023, Yacoub arrived at Tampa International Airport to board a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. He entered the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening line and placed his backpack, shoes, and other personal items into a TSA bin before proceeding through TSA screening.
TSA electronically screened Yacoub’s items with an x-ray machine and observed a firearm inside of Yacoub’s bag. While TSA officers were attempting to locate the bag containing the firearm, Yacoub took his bag from the conveyor belt and proceeded to the nearest men’s restroom. Once in the restroom, Yacoub removed the firearm from his backpack, wrapped it in toilet paper, and hid it in a trash can.
A short time later, Yacoub exited the restroom and returned to the TSA screening area, still holding his backpack, where he was met by a TSA officer. TSA officers rescreened Yacoub’s backpack and questioned Yacoub, who lied to TSA officers and told them that he had not brought a firearm into the airport. The airport terminal was evacuated of passengers, delaying numerous flights. Officers from the Tampa International Airport Police Department (TIA PD) responded to the screening area, questioned Yacoub, and searched the restroom that Yacoub had entered. Inside the trash can in the handicap stall, TSA and TIA PD officers located a black firearm partially wrapped in toilet paper with fourteen 9mm rounds of ammunition inside a magazine and loaded into the gun.
The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Rules and Regulations for Tampa International Airport state that “[n]o person except those persons authorized by law may carry a firearm or concealed weapon inside the passenger terminal and sterile areas of the airport….” Further, the airport has clearly posted no-firearms signs at the entry of every airport security line.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Tampa International Airport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes.
La Jara Man Charged with Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A La Jara man is facing federal charges following allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with two minors using force.
Ronald Mescal, a.k.a. “Ron Charlie,” 61, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared in federal court today for arraignment on an indictment charging him with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse. Mescal will remain on conditions of release in the third-party custody of a halfway house pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment alleges that between July 1992 and August 1996, Mescal engaged in sexual acts with a victim under the age of 18 years by using force. Then, between September 2009 and September 2016, Mescal engaged in sexual acts with a victim who was under the age of 12 years.
If convicted, Mescal faces up to life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Reginald Clay Jackson, 43, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 3, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Jackson after conducting a traffic stop of a scooter he was operating in St. Albans. The scooter was reported stolen and Jackson could not produce a valid license, insurance, or registration. Jackson was taken to the South Charleston Detachment of the West Virginia State Police and processed. The following day, officers found a plastic bag under a bench in the booking area. The bag contained seven individually wrapped baggies that each contained approximately 1 ounce of fentanyl. Security video footage showed Jackson removing the bag from his clothing and throwing it under the bench during his processing.
Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of West Virginia State Police and the assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-33.
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Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission hold Fourth U.S.-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy DialogueRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Chair Lina M. Khan of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager of the European Commission met today in Washington, D.C., for the fourth meeting of the U.S.-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue (TCPD). The principals and senior staff met to continue to cooperate in ensuring and promoting fair competition in the digital economy.
“The growth of data monopolies and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence expand the competitive threats we face from dominant digital gatekeepers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter. “Exchanging best practices with our global counterparts helps us to more effectively serve the American people, and we deeply appreciate the European Commission's continued engagement through the TCPD.”
“As businesses move at breakneck speed to build and monetize AI and algorithmic decision-making tools, engaging with our international partners and sharing best practices will be especially critical,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The Joint Technology Dialogue provides U.S. agencies and the European Commission a key opportunity to discuss emerging threats in a rapidly evolving digital economy.”
“With today’s meeting, we have further strengthened our cooperation in competition policy and enforcement in the technology area,” said European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager. “The fast-moving technology sector raises global challenges such as regarding artificial intelligence and cloud computing more broadly. It is essential to anticipate and address such challenges through close cooperation, leveraging our respective experiences for the benefit of consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The discussion centered on critical issues the agencies are facing, including common challenges related to rapidly evolving technologies in the digital sector such as artificial intelligence and the importance of keeping merger control fit for purpose in a digitalized economy. The agencies also exchanged views on evolving market dynamics in the digital sector and reiterated the importance of continuing their discussions within the framework of the TCPD with a goal of ensuring and promoting fair competition in the technology sector.
On Dec. 7, 2021, the Justice Department, FTC and European Commission launched the TCPD to further boost transatlantic cooperation on competition policy and enforcement in the digital sector in light of the common challenges facing the three authorities. Upon its launch, the Commission and U.S. competition agencies issued a statement regarding the TCPD and reaffirming their longstanding tradition of close cooperation on competition matters.
On June 15, 2021, President Biden and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The TTC serves as a forum for the United States and European Union to coordinate approaches to key global trade, economic and technology issues and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations based on shared democratic values.
The Justice Department, FTC and European Commission have a longstanding tradition of close cooperation in antitrust enforcement and policy, beginning even before the formal 1991 cooperation agreement between the European Commission and United States regarding the application of their competition laws.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Staffing Agency to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination ClaimRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with staffing company Infinity Employment Solutions Inc. (Infinity), formerly doing business as Express Employment Professionals of Mesquite, Texas. The settlement agreement resolves the department’s determination that Infinity violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it discriminated against a worker based on his citizenship status by rejecting his valid documents and requesting that he provide a specific document to prove his permission to work.
“It is unlawful discrimination for employers to reject a worker’s valid documents showing their permission to work because of the worker’s citizenship status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting workers who experience discrimination during the hiring process; employers that violate our nation’s civil rights will be held accountable.”
After an investigation, the Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) determined that Infinity rejected a lawful permanent resident’s valid driver’s license and unrestricted Social Security card, even though they were enough to show his permission to work. The investigation also found that the company demanded that the worker provide a Permanent Resident Card before he could start working. As a result, the worker lost 20 days of wages.
Under the terms of the settlement, Infinity will pay a civil penalty, provide back pay plus interest to the worker and be subject to monitoring requirements.
Under federal law, employers cannot reject a worker’s valid work authorization document based on the worker’s immigration or citizenship status. Indeed, many non-U.S. citizens, including lawful permanent residents, are eligible for several of the same types of documents to prove their permission to work as U.S. citizens are (for example, a state ID or driver’s license and an unrestricted Social Security card). Employers must allow workers to present whatever acceptable documentation the workers choose and cannot reject valid documentation that reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the worker.
IER is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits citizenship status and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices and retaliation and intimidation.
Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination when verifying someone’s permission to work on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email [email protected] or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Sign up for email updates from IER.
Japanese-Language Translator Charged in Complaint with Illegally Transferring More Than $16 Million from Baseball Player’s AccountRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Japanese-language translator was charged today via federal criminal complaint with unlawfully transferring more than $16 million from a Major League Baseball (MLB) player’s bank account – without the player’s knowledge or permission – to pay off his own substantial gambling debts incurred with an illegal bookmaking operation.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, of Newport Beach, is charged with bank fraud, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Mizuhara is expected to appear in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles for his initial appearance in the near future.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from November 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara wired more than $16 million in unauthorized transfers from a checking account belong to an MLB player identified in the affidavit as “Victim A,” who in fact is MLB star Shohei Ohtani. The transfers from this bank account allegedly were made from devices and IP addresses associated with Mizuhara, who served as Ohtani’s translator and de facto manager.
In 2018, Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani, who didn’t speak English, to a bank branch in Arizona to assist Ohtani in opening the account and translated for Ohtani when setting up the account details. Ohtani’s salary from playing professional baseball was deposited into this account and he never gave Mizuhara control of this or any of his other financial accounts, according to the affidavit. Mizuhara allegedly told Ohtani’s U.S.-based financial professionals, none of whom spoke Japanese, that Ohtani denied them access to the account.
In September 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book and, several months later, started losing substantial sums of money, the affidavit states. During this time, the contact information on Ohtani’s bank account allegedly was changed to link the account to Mizuhara’s phone number and to an anonymous email address connected to Mizuhara.
Mizuhara allegedly also telephoned the bank and falsely identified himself as Ohtani to trick bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account to associates of the illegal gambling operation.
From January 2024 to March 2024, he also allegedly used this same account to purchase via eBay and Whatnot approximately 1,000 baseball cards – at a cost of approximately $325,000 – and had them mailed to Mizuhara under an alias, “Jay Min,” and mailed to the clubhouse for Ohtani’s current MLB team.
In an interview last week with law enforcement, Ohtani denied authorizing Mizuhara’s wire transfers. Ohtani provided his cellphone to law enforcement, who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Mitchell of the Major Frauds Section, Dan Boyle of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and Rachel N. Agress of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
Indictment Filed in Murder of Visiting Teacher Near UniversityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jamie Macedo, 22, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on charges of first degree murder while armed, attempted armed robbery, and firearms offenses in relation to the July 2023 shooting death of Maxwell Emerson, a visiting teacher, during a robbery that ended on a university campus in Northeast D.C., announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
The indictment, filed on April 10, 2024, in the Superior Court, also charges possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The defendant will be arraigned on Friday, April 12, 2024.
According to documents filed with the court and the government’s evidence, on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, Mr. Emerson, who was in Washington, D.C. for a conference at the Library of Congress’s Teacher Institute, was approached by the defendant at 7:32 a.m. outside the Brookland-CUA Metro Station. Mr. Emerson was captured on video walking away from the Metro station a few minutes later with his hands raised and with the defendant following him. Macedo forced Emerson toward a small park area near 611 Alumni Lane. Just before 8 a.m., Mr. Emerson sent a snapchat message attempting to inform a family member he was being robbed at gunpoint. Surveillance video captured Macedo closing in on Mr. Emerson who was seated on a park bench. Macedo attempted to grab personal property from Mr. Emerson and a struggle ensued during which Macedo shot Mr. Emerson in the abdomen. Mr. Emerson died as a result of the gunshot wound.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.
Hannibal Man Sentenced to 137 Months in Prison for Gun, Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon from Hannibal, Missouri who was caught with methamphetamine and a gun to 137 months in prison.
After a traffic stop of Justin Fuget on March 25, 2022, Hannibal Police Department officers spotted a large safe on the passenger seat of Fuget’s vehicle, according to witnesses and evidence at Fuget’s trial in January. Fuget appeared nervous and a drug-sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle. Police also found a firearm between the driver’s seat and the center console. Fuget is a felon and is barred from possession of a firearm.
During a subsequent court-approved search of the safe, officers found meth, drug paraphernalia and ammunition. They also found text messages on Fuget’s phone that indicated that he was distributing meth.
Fuget, 35, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January of three felony counts: being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The Hannibal Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Hoag and Paul D’Agrosa are prosecuting the case.
Glenpool Man Sentenced for Assault with Intent to Commit Murder and StrangulationRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Friday, Paul Anthony Thompson, 36, was sentenced for Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country and Assault of an Intimate Dating Partner by Strangling and Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Thompson to 216 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in March of 2023, Thompson tried to kill his spouse by strangling her with three different belts, causing her to lose consciousness. During the assault, he beat the victim with a belt, then strangled her with the belt until it broke. He then got another belt, looped it around her neck and dragged her around “like a dog.” When that belt broke, Thompson got a third belt. When she attempted to escape, he blocked her from leaving and said, “Till death do us part.”
Records reflect in December of 2018, Thompson assaulted a previous girlfriend by placing her in a chokehold and strangling her. The chokehold prevented her from breathing. Thompson prevented the victim from leaving with a child who was also present during the attack.
Thompson is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Thompson will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Todd, Leah Paisner, and Steven Briden prosecuted the case.
Gibsonia Resident Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay $2.6 Million in Restitution for Long-Term Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 24 months of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $2,613,933.92 on his conviction of tax evasion, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States Senior District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Eli M. Zatezalo, 52.
According to information presented to the Court, from October 2009 to January 2022, Zatezalo avoided the payment of outstanding tax liability to the IRS by transferring income into financial accounts of others to avoid IRS collection efforts.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Internal Revenue Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Zatezalo.
Fruitland Man Charged with AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Fruitland man is facing federal charges following allegations that he and his brother instigated a confrontation at a residence which culminated in a standoff with law enforcement officers. Justin Tso, 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared in federal court for an initial appearance where the Court detained him pending a detention hearing, which has been scheduled for April 12, 2024.
The criminal complaint alleges that on March 23, 2024, Tso and his brother, Walliford Tso, went to Jane Doe’s home in Fruitland, New Mexico. Tso went into Jane Doe's home and asked for a cigarette. When she told him that she had no cigarettes, Tso took a machete that was lying near the front door without permission, then left.
Jane Doe’s significant other, John Doe 1, yelled after the brothers and a verbal altercation followed. After the exchange, the brothers chased John Doe 1 into the house and assaulted him. John Doe 1 was able to get away by slipping out of his shirt and exited the house with Jane Doe and their small child. The brothers followed and continued to assault John Doe 1. Jane Doe and John Doe called 911 using their cellphone. A Navajo Police Department officer arrived shortly after the incident and detained Tso.
Tso is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting. If convicted of the current charges, Tso faces up to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal ComplaintA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Four federally charged for gang murder near YorktownRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Three gang members have been charged, in addition to one previously charged defendant, with abduction and murder in York County, Virginia.
According to the indictment, in the early morning hours of May 6, 2023, Hezekiah Carney, 25, of Norfolk, Jamica Langley, 24, of Richmond, Donnisha Goodman, 26, of Portsmouth, and Acacia Jackson, 19, of New York, allegedly traveled to the victim’s residence on Bethel Street in Richmond, Virginia, to conduct a physical beating of the victim for a gang infraction. All were members of different regional sets of a national street gang, the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation. The group left the apartment after beating the victim.
Around an hour later, Goodman, Jackson, Carney, and Langley allegedly returned to the victim’s apartment, this time with an additional co-conspirator and fellow gang member, Jayquan Jones, 25, of Richmond. Some of them allegedly were armed and wearing masks. The group allegedly attacked the victim again before taking her from her residence. The group allegedly drove the victim in a Hyundai Sonata approximately an hour east of Richmond to a remote area off Old Williamsburg Road in York County, where they allegedly removed her from the car and executed her. The Medical Examiner found eight gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen, back, buttocks, and legs.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., deputies with the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office allegedly found the victim’s body, along with numerous shell casings with an "S&B” headstamp. On May 7, 2023, the Norfolk Police Department allegedly located and stopped the Sonata. Jackson, Goodman, and Langley allegedly were in the vehicle at the time. Investigators allegedly recovered a 9mm cartridge from the vehicle with the same “S&B" headstamp from casings found at the scene of the murder.
On March 5, Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Carney, Goodman, Langley, and Jones are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. If convicted of kidnapping resulting in death, they face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Norfolk Field Office; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Ronald Montgomery, York County Sheriff, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Mack Coleman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance provided by the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-1.
Former Teacher Sentenced for Sexual Abuse and Enticement of MinorsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A former South Coffeyville middle school teacher was sentenced today for two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Harold Steven Moore, 41, of Kansas City, to 180 months imprisonment, followed by 12 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Moore will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“Children trust their teachers and Harold Moore betrayed that trust,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “No child should ever have to question the motives of an adult they interact with at school. I commend the courageous victims that came forward.”
According to court documents, Moore was a teacher and coach at a South Coffeyville middle school. He had sexual relationships with two separate minor children beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2007. Both minor children were under the age of 16 years old and students at the middle school. Moore further admitted to enticing a third minor to engage in sexual activities while he was her coach. Moore made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature and engaged in improper touching.
Moore is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Kansas investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Former East St. Louis, Illinois, Police Officers Plead Guilty to Civil Rights Offenses Related to Excessive Force IncidentRead the Press Release
Two former East St. Louis, Illinois, Police Department (ESLPD) officers, Vincent Anderson, 61, and Jason Boyd, 51, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to civil rights offenses related to Boyd’s use of unreasonable force against two juvenile detainees.
According to court documents, on Oct. 3, 2019, two juveniles, who had been detained by the ESLPD, were sleeping in separate, locked holding cells in the East St. Louis jail. At that time, ESLPD Officer Jason Boyd banged on the glass of the juveniles’ holding cells, but the juveniles did not wake up. Boyd took pepper spray out of his holster in view of the other officers — including an ESLPD supervisor, Captain Vincent Anderson, stepped into one of the locked holding cells and pepper sprayed one of the sleeping juveniles. The other officers — including Anderson — watched Boyd spray the juvenile and did nothing to stop him despite their duty to intervene in an unreasonable use of force.
Boyd and one of the other officers agreed that the second juvenile should also be sprayed. They walked to the holding cells, where Anderson and another officer had remained. Boyd then pepper sprayed the second sleeping juvenile. Again, none of the other officers acted to stop Boyd. Further, none of the officers acted to obtain care for the juveniles, despite the officers’ duty to obtain necessary medical care for detainees.
Boyd pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor civil rights violations for his use of unreasonable force against the juveniles and Anderson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor civil rights violations for his failure to intervene in Boyd’s use of unreasonable force.
Sentencing hearings are scheduled for July 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for the Southern District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge David G. Nanz of the FBI Springfield Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Springfield Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section is prosecuting the case with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.
Former California Resident Involved in Interstate Cocaine Trafficking Organization Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Oxnard, California, pleaded guilty in federal court on April 10, 2024, to a drug trafficking charge, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Christopher Andrew Salgado, 24, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between March 2022 and September 2022, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) conducted an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in the Western District of Pennsylvania. The investigation revealed that a cocaine source of supply in California would mail parcels containing kilogram quantities of cocaine to a residence in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. After investigators seized a parcel containing two kilograms of cocaine before it reached the Aliquippa residence, the source of supply began sending the parcels to Salgado in West Virginia. Thereafter, mobile and electronic surveillance confirmed that Salgado would drive the parcel from West Virginia to the Pittsburgh International Airport, pick up co-defendant Jose Sanchez, who would arrive on flights from California, and transport both the parcel and Sanchez to another co-defendant, Romaro Foster Sr., in Aliquippa.
Following one re-supply of cocaine to Foster Sr., law enforcement followed Salgado as he drove Sanchez back to the Pittsburgh airport, and observed Salgado dispose of a box in the trash of a fast food restaurant parking lot. Investigators recovered the box, observing a shipping label with Salgado’s West Virginia address as well as drug packaging material within the box. A field test of the packaging revealed the presence of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
In August 2022, investigators seized a parcel sent from California to Salgado in West Virginia. The parcel contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Investigators conducted a controlled delivery operation of the parcel at Salgado’s residence, executing a federal search warrant at the residence in conjunction with the operation. From Salgado’s bedroom, investigators recovered another parcel sent from California to Salgado containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine, along with a loaded 9mm handgun, an empty pistol magazine, a box of ammunition, and a digital scale.
Judge Hardy scheduled sentencing for August 14, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of $5 million, or both.
Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court remanded Salgado to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Salgado.
This prosecution is part of an OCDETF investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Former California Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephen Joseph Crittenden, 44, of Suisun City, pleaded guilty today to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Crittenden was a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation correctional officer at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. From 2021 through 2023, he accepted bribes, totaling more than $45,000, from inmates to smuggle cellphones into the California Medical Facility.
Crittenden is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Crittenden faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.
Former Boston Woman Sentenced for Failing to Appear to Serve a Federal Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Boston woman, who was sentenced to federal prison in 2021 for misuse of a passport, was sentenced today to failing to surrender to serve her sentence.
Yris Sanchez, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to a sentence of six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Today’s sentence will run concurrent with Sanchez’s 15-month sentence for misuse of a passport. She will be subject to deportation upon completion of her sentence. In December 2023, Sanchez pleaded guilty to failing to appear to serve a federal sentence.
In May 2020, Sanchez was convicted of misusing a passport and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanchez requested release on conditions and to self-report to serve her sentence. The Court granted this request and released Sanchez on an appearance bond. Following several extensions of her self-report date, Sanchez failed to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons in June 2021 to serve her sentence. For approximately 20 months after her failure to report, Sanchez resided in the Dominican Republic where she posted various daily undertakings on Facebook, including trips to the beach, pool and social functions. In July 2021, the Court forfeited Sanchez’s secured appearance bond and entered a further default judgment of $47,500 against Sanchez.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Brian Kyes, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Florida woman convicted in cryptocurrency money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Jacksonville, Florida woman has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Sharena Seay, 39, pleaded guilty to money laundering before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love on April 11, 2024.
According to information presented in court, Seay laundered the proceeds of her drug trafficking operations through cryptocurrency. The defendant supplied alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP), which is often called “flakka,” and similar synthetic cathinones, such as Eutylone or alpha-PiHP. Seay distributed alpha-PVP and other controlled substances to various customers across the United States. Customers who purchased controlled substances from Seay paid for their purchases with cash. Seay laundered the cash proceeds through cryptocurrency in order to purchase more controlled substances on the dark web and to conceal her criminal activity.
Seay faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The cases were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with the assistance of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and D. Ryan Locker.
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Federal jury finds Anchorage man guilty of defrauding company of $3MRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage Police Department officer was convicted of 24 criminal counts today for his participation in a scheme to defraud a corporation of millions of dollars.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathan Michael Keays, 44, was friends with a ConocoPhillips employee, Forrest Wright, 44. The two conspired to use Keays’s foam insulation business, Eco Edge Armoring LLC, to defraud ConocoPhillips by approving contracts for goods and services that were never provided. Over the course of the scheme, Keays and Wright obtained more than $3 million from fraudulent bills. Wright pleaded guilty in March 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2024.
The scheme started in 2019 when Wright was a Senior Drilling and Wells Planner with ConocoPhillips, where he was responsible for ordering materials and labor for drilling and wells projects. Wright had the authority to approve material and labor orders for up to $1 million and was trusted to recommend vendors for supplies.
Keays conspired with Wright to craft fraudulent emails and alter the Eco Edge Armoring LLC website to present the company as a major oil and gas services enterprise, when in fact, it had no employees and no ability to provide goods or services in the oil industry. Wright sent emails from his personal account to Keays’s personal account with instructions to send technical emails to Wright’s business account to establish Eco Edge Armoring LLC as an approved vendor. Wright would then forward these emails to other personnel within ConocoPhillips to ensure Keays’s company was approved as a frequently used vendor.
After achieving the approved vendor status, Keays submitted fraudulent invoices totaling over $3.2 million for materials that did not exist and labor that was never performed. Keays also submitted fraudulent timesheets in the name of nonexistent employees to make it appear that work had actually been performed. Wright used his position in the company to direct personnel to approve the payment of invoices by falsely representing that the nonexistent materials were delivered and accounted for and that the work outlined in the invoices was performed.
Keays received $3,087,720 in electronic payments from ConocoPhillips for the fraudulent material and labor through a bank account for Eco Edge Armoring LLC and split the proceeds with Wright by issuing checks to Spectrum Consulting, a shell entity created by Wright. In total, Keays personally received more than $1.4 million. Keays used his proceeds of the scheme for personal expenses, including paying off loans, purchasing real estate and buying cryptocurrency.
Keays was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 11 counts of money laundering.
“This successful conviction represents closure in a complex white-collar crime case and demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “To anyone thinking of committing a financial crime, know that my office, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners across the state, will work vigorously to find you and prosecute you to the furthest extent of the law.”
“This verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigate and hold accountable those who engage in fraudulent schemes for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “With special agents, forensic accountants, and prosecutors who specialize in unraveling complex financial crimes, the FBI and our partners will continue to disrupt fraudsters and bring them to justice.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Heyman and James Klugman are prosecuting the case.
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Federal Way, Washington man pleads guilty to assault with sexual motivation on flight to SeattleRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 25-year-old Federal Way, Washington man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to Assault with Intent to Commit a Felony, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Desmond D. Bostick faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead on July 18, 2024.
According to records filed in the case, on June 20, 2023, Bostick was seated in the last row of the plane on an Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego to Seattle. Bostick was in the aisle seat and the victim, who was a stranger to Bostick, was seated in the middle seat. Bostick allegedly repeatedly touched the victim on the thigh and grabbed her buttocks when she stood to allow the passenger in the window seat to exit the row. Bostick touched her buttocks a second time when the victim stood for the window seat passenger to return to his seat. In the plea agreement Bostick admits he touched the victim to arouse his sexual desire.
After the plane landed, the victim reported the conduct to the flight crew and law enforcement began its investigation. Bostick had left the airport and his location was unknown. The federal grand jury returned an indictment in the case on September 27,2023. Bostick was located and arrested by the FBI on February 9, 2024.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, both prosecution and defense will recommend a nine-month prison term. The recommendation is not binding on the court and Judge Whitehead can impose any sentence allowed by law.
This case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Port of Seattle Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sean H. Waite and Kristine Foerster.
Federal Jury Finds Wisconsin Woman Guilty of Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
DULUTH, Minn. – A federal jury found a Wisconsin woman guilty of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Following a three-day trial before Judge John R. Tunheim, Shue Moua, 35, was convicted yesterday on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
According to the evidence presented at trial, a deputy with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office executed a traffic stop after witnessing Moua’s erratic behavior behind the wheel of a Ford Taurus in the early hours of March 2, 2023. During their interaction, Moua presented an expired Wisconsin driver’s license and admitted she did not have a valid license or insurance coverage. Officers also observed signs of impairment, namely bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and conducted a series of field sobriety tests, which she failed. After initially consenting to a search of her vehicle, Moua revoked consent and was subsequently arrested for suspected impaired driving. A search of her person prior to her arrest revealed $634 in cash, and while conducting an inventory of her vehicle prior to impoundment, officers discovered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine and unused plastic baggies.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Evans and Michael P. McBride tried the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Putnam County Man for FHA Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Jason Trador, 46, of Scott Depot, on April 10, 2024, of making a false statement to federal agents, willfully overvaluing property on a loan application, and three counts of making a false statement to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Evidence at trial proved that Trador fraudulently obtained a $223,870 home mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) from his then-employer, Victorian Finance LLC, a mortgage lending business. At the time he applied for the FHA loan in August 2018, Trador was delinquent on paying his federal taxes for a prior tax year. Because of the tax debt, Trador was not eligible for an FHA loan under existing FHA program rules. Trador deceived Victorian Finance into approving the application and the FHA into insuring the mortgage by providing a series of falsified documents including a falsified Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax transcript purporting to show a payoff of the delinquent $8,151 tax debt.
Trador also submitted three heavily edited bank statements to Victorian Finance. Each falsified bank statement substantially inflated the balances in Trador’s bank accounts. Two of the falsified statements reported balances of approximately $27,000 and $15,000 for Trador’s personal bank account when in fact the account had negative balances. Line items, such as for insufficient funds fees, were removed from the falsified bank statements and a line item was added to deceive Victorian Finance into believing that he had paid off the delinquent $8,151 tax debt. Evidence at trial proved the purported payoff never occurred and that Trador was still delinquent on the federal tax debt as of March 2024.
On September 4, 2018, Trador willfully overvalued his assets on a loan application when he signed a Uniform Residential Loan Application that included the false balances from the falsified bank statements.
On May 6, 2022, Trador lied to investigators with HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) when they interviewed Trador at his Scott Depot residence about his application for the FHA-insured mortgage. Trador denied submitting false bank statements with his loan application, and blamed his fellow employees of the mortgage lending business for the inclusion of the false bank statements in the FHA loan file.
Trador is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 41 years in prison.
“Loan officers are supposed to be gatekeepers who protect the integrity of the FHA program. Mr. Trador abused his position of trust as a loan officer and used his knowledge of FHA requirements to obtain a mortgage he knew he did not qualify for, and then lied in an attempt to conceal his scheme,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend HUD OIG and the FBI for their investigative work in this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman, Jonathan T. Storage and Erik S. Goes and our trial team for prosecuting the case and securing guilty verdicts on all five counts.”
“The integrity of the FHA loan program is essential to helping hard working citizens realize the American dream of homeownership,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. “This case demonstrates HUD OIG’s enduring commitment to working with U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and the FBI to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to jeopardize this program and the health and stability of the nation’s housing market. I’d like to sincerely thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the entire investigative team, led by U.S. Attorney Thompson, for its tireless efforts to bring this matter to a just conclusion.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the jury trial.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-117.
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