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28 February 2024
Jacksonville Man Previously Convicted of Domestic Battery Indicted for Illegally Trying to Buy A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Peter Lawrence (42, Jacksonville) with making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm.
According to the indictment, Lawrence completed an ATF Form 4473 during the attempted purchase of a firearm from Cash America Pawn, a federally licensed firearms dealer. Lawrence indicated on the required paperwork that he was not previously convicted of a crime involving domestic violence. The indictment alleges that this was a false statement, and that Lawrence was previously convicted of domestic battery.
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 is another case uncovered through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement and are reviewed daily for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when trying to buy a gun.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Howard County Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison for His Role in a Murder-For-Hire ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Jourdain Larose, a/k/a “JBlacc,” age 28, of Ellicott City, Maryland, yesterday to 40 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, in connection with a murder-for-hire conspiracy. Larose solicited others to murder victim Juan Ross in exchange for money and in the course of the murder-for-hire Larose aided and abetted his co-conspirators who discharged firearms, resulting in the death of Ross.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson.
According to his plea agreement, Larose accused Juan Ross, age 23, of Columbia, Maryland, of cooperating with law enforcement, including on a live social media conversation on September 9, 2020, and in text message.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Larose provided a gun to a conspirator on September 12, 2020, for the purpose of killing Juan Ross. On October 3, 2020, when the conspirator had not committed the murder yet, Larose solicited co-defendant Tyrik Braxton to commit the murder instead. On that same date, Braxton texted a cell phone number linked to co-defendant Daquante Thomas with the address where Ross could be found.
According to court documents, on October 4, 2020, after text messaging each other about the address where they could find the victim, Braxton, Thomas, and another co-conspirator drove to the area of Basket Ring Road in Columbia to locate Juan Ross, then drove to a drug store nearby, where Braxton got out of the car and left the area. A short time later, Thomas and the co-conspirator returned to Basket Ring Court, shot and killed Juan Ross and drove away together.
Although they denied knowing each other in post arrest statements, investigators linked Larose and Braxton through cellphone records and witness interviews. According to the plea agreement, after Ross’s murder, Braxton texted Larose that he had something important to discuss, and Larose told Braxton to Facetime him. As detailed in the plea agreement, on October 7, 2020, Braxton texted Larose, “It’s going to be hot as sh** out here” to which Larose responded, “It already is bro.”
Co-defendant Tyrik Braxton, a/k/a “Son-Son,” age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death and is expected to be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in federal prison. No date has been set for his sentencing. On January 11, 2023, Judge Rubin sentenced co-defendant Daquante Thomas, age 21, of Baltimore, to 35 years in federal prison for the same charge. Thomas admitted that he was one of the shooters.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Howard County Police Department, and the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution and thanked the FBI, the Maryland State Police, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Hagan, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Honduran Man Sentenced for Illegally Using Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on February 22, 2024, HENRY EDGARDO ORTIZ, age 44, was sentenced to three years’ probation for illegally using a social security number, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
According to court documents, ORTIZ, using the name of another individual, applied for a Louisiana Identification Card, issued on May 4, 2018. He applied to a Jefferson Parish Office of Motor Vehicles facility, using the social security number of another individual. The Social Security Administration confirmed that the number had been issued to another individual in Puerto Rico.
In February 2022, ORTIZ, appeared at the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s office to apply for a diversion status on an unrelated charge that he faced. When he presented a Honduran passport, in his own name, to the District Attorney’s office diversion department, they became suspicious and contacted the Department of Homeland Security. After the Department of Homeland Security investigated ORTIZ‘s Louisiana driver’s license paperwork, his fraudulent use of a social security number was revealed.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Hendry County Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Ruben Justus Edwards (43, Clewiston) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Edwards faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court records, on July 5, 2023, Edwards sold an undercover law enforcement agent two handguns—a Beretta and a Taurus—in Clewiston. As a multi-time convicted felon, Edwards is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Hartford Felon Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Prison for Gun Offense, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DENROY FABLE, 40, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 102 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm, and for violating his conditions of supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.
According to the evidence presented during Fable’s trial in October 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and Hartford Police Department conducted an investigation of a business located at 136 Barbour Street in Hartford that was suspected of trafficking narcotics. The business, a purported clothing store, had an awning that read “The HOLE Ex-Con 360 the movement.” In October 2022, investigators made two controlled drug purchases of marijuana from the store.
On October 5, 2022, Fable and others were in the store when investigators conducted a court-authorized search of the store and seized quantities of suspected crack cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, synthetic opioid pills, fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, MDMA, drug packaging and processing materials, U.S. currency, and five handguns. One of the handguns seized, a loaded .380 semiautomatic pistol, was found in a pocket of Fable’s jacket that was hanging on a shelf. Subsequent forensic testing of the firearm revealed the presence of Fable’s DNA.
Fable’s criminal history includes state convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit, and federal convictions for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack.
On October 26, 2023, Fable was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
In March 2019, Fable was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 37 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. He was released from prison in August 2020, and was on supervised release when he possessed the firearm in October 2022.
Judge Williams sentenced Fable to 78 months of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing the firearm, and a consecutive 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
Fable has been detained since October 5, 2022.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force and the Hartford Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Reed Durham and Brendan J. Keefe.
Hartford Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ERIC MUNOZ, Jr., also known as “Bebo,” 28, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 88 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July and August 2021, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force made eight controlled purchases of fentanyl from Munoz Jr. and his father, Eric Munoz, Sr.
Munoz Jr. and Munoz Sr. were arrested on August 25, 2021. On that date, a search of Munoz Jr.’s residence on Harbison Avenue in Hartford revealed more than 900 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately 3,800 wax folds of fentanyl, approximately 300 grams of cocaine, approximately 50 grams of crack cocaine, five handguns, and $29,921 in cash. A search of Munoz Sr.’s residence, also on Harbison Avenue, revealed approximately 900 grams of loose fentanyl, 280 wax folds of fentanyl, 41 rounds of assorted ammunition, and $15,888 in cash. A search of an apartment located on Capitol Avenue in Hartford, which Munoz Jr. and Munoz Sr. used to store, process, and package narcotics, revealed approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, 5,100 wax folds of fentanyl, 130 grams of cocaine, 88 grams of crack cocaine, and eight rounds of ammunition.
Munoz Jr. has been detained since his arrest. On April 11, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Munoz Jr. has a prior federal narcotics trafficking conviction. In August 2017, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 31 months of imprisonment for that offense.
Munoz Sr. also pleaded guilty and, on July 25, 2023, was sentenced to 115 months of imprisonment.
The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Manchester Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Grant County man admits to firearms and drug chargesRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jacob Glen Vance, age 23, of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to having a machine gun and methamphetamine.
Vance pled guilty to possession of a machine gun and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, Vance’s home was searched as a part of another investigation, and officers found a fully automatic AR-15 rifle, two short-barreled rifles, two silencers, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and cash.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Georgia Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mezemr Abebe Belayneh, also known as “Mezmur Amare Belayneh,” was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge William M. Ray, II, for fraudulently obtaining United States citizenship. Belayneh had unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing his involvement in the “Red Terror,” a campaign of oppression and mass killings committed in Ethiopia that began in 1976.
“Mezemr Belayneh violently beat political opponents in Ethiopia and lied about it to U.S. immigration authorities. Through this deception, he unlawfully entered this country and obtained U.S. citizenship,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Individuals who persecuted people in their home countries should take note: if you seek refuge unlawfully in the United States, we will investigate and prosecute you.”
“Belayneh obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing from immigration authorities the abuse he inflicted on teenagers in Ethiopia during the Red Terror in the late 1970s,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We hope that today’s sentencing brings a measure of peace and closure to the defendant’s courageous victims—some of whom testified at trial—and sends a clear message to others that we will continue to investigate and prosecute human rights abusers who fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship.”
“When a person attempts to become a U.S. citizen under false pretenses, it jeopardizes our naturalization process and we will not stand idly by for war criminals and human rights violators to use our nation as a safe haven,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations. “Simply put, those who knowingly and willfully misrepresent themselves to obtain U.S. citizenship status will be held accountable for their deceitful actions.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Mezemr Abebe Belayneh unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship in 2008 by concealing his persecution and acts of violence against political opponents during a period known as the Red Terror in Ethiopia. The Red Terror was a campaign of brutal violence in the late 1970s in which Ethiopia’s ruling military council and its supporters detained, interrogated, tortured, and executed thousands of perceived political opponents.
During the Red Terror, Belayneh served as a civilian interrogator at a makeshift prison known as Menafesha in the city of Dilla, Ethiopia. Belayneh detained teenage victims in a crowded prison for weeks and months, interrogated them about their political beliefs, and directed and participated in severe beatings in which they were whipped or hit with sticks. Belayneh also forced prisoners to physically fight one another for the prison guards’ amusement. Belayneh concealed that conduct when he obtained a visa to enter the United States in 2001 and when he became a U.S. citizen in 2008.
Belayneh, 67, of Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. On July 26, 2023, Belayneh was convicted of two counts of unlawfully procuring citizenship, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1425(a), following a jury trial.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Tal C. Chaiken and Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP Senior Historian Dr. Christopher Hayden. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Georgia Laboratory Owner Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge and Pays $14.3 Million to Resolve Liability Relating to Kickbacks and Unnecessary TestingRead the Press Release
Andrew (Drew) Maloney, 57, of Roswell, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, the Justice Department announced today. Additionally, Maloney and the clinical laboratory that he owned, Capstone Diagnostics, of Atlanta, Georgia, have agreed to pay $14.3 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by paying volume-based commissions to independent contractor sales representatives to arrange for or recommend medically unnecessary urine drug tests and respiratory pathogen panels (RPPs). Maloney and Capstone have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.
As alleged in the criminal information filed in the Northern District of Georgia, between August 2017 and December 2018, Capstone entered into an arrangement with a program operating as Do It 4 the Hood (D4H), which held itself out as providing after school mentoring services to at risk teenagers in Georgia. Once enrolled, participants were required to submit to frequent urine specimen collections for drug testing without regard to medical need or the history of the participant. Maloney was aware that the participants needed the tests to participate in the program and that many of these participants were covered by Medicaid. Capstone, with Maloney’s knowledge and approval, paid the operators of D4H a percentage of Medicaid reimbursements for samples submitted by the program, in violation of federal law. While the scheme was ongoing, Capstone submitted over $1 million in claims, causing Georgia Medicaid to pay out at least $400,000 in claims related to the fraudulent drug testing. In addition to Maloney’s guilty plea, four other individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with this fraudulent drug testing scheme:
- Duriel Gray, 45, of Cartersville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to receive health care kickbacks in the Northern District of Georgia. Gray is licensed to practice medicine in Georgia and was recruited to be the “medical director” for D4H in Georgia. D4H used Gray to provide a “standing order” under which Capstone could submit the fraudulent drug testing claims to Medicaid. Gray did not have a physician-patient relationship with the students, never examined any of them, and did not review or discuss the drug tests with any of the participating students. For his role in the scheme, Gray received approximately $30,000. On April 13, 2023, Gray was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $417,200.40 in restitution.
- Bree’Anna Harris, 32, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering in the Western District of North Carolina to charges filed in the Northern District of Georgia and Western District of North Carolina. Among other things, Harris incorporated an entity, BPolloni Consulting LLC, which entered into a purported marketing agreement with Capstone. The arrangement between BPolloni and Capstone was used to receive and conceal the fraudulent kickback payments and distribute them to her coconspirators. On Dec. 5, 2023, Harris was sentenced to 36 months in prison for her role in the D4H scheme and related schemes in North Carolina and elsewhere.
- Glenn Pair, 36, of Stonecrest, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering in the Western District of North Carolina to charges filed in the Northern District of Georgia, Western District of North Carolina and District of South Carolina. On July 27, 2022, Pair was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in the D4H scheme and related schemes in North Carolina, South Carolina and elsewhere.
- Rachel Sheats, 48, of Woodstock, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks in the Northern District of Georgia in January. Sheats was Capstone’s chief operations officer during the relevant time and served as a key point person for D4H at Capstone. Sheats has yet to be sentenced.
Maloney and Capstone also entered into a civil settlement agreement under which they agreed to pay $14.3 million to the federal government and several states to resolve claims arising from the submission of false claims to government health care programs. In addition to the allegations described above, the civil settlement resolves allegations that, between April 2020 and December 2021, Maloney and Capstone sought to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic by paying independent contractor sales representatives to recommend RPPs to senior communities interested only in COVID-19 tests. RPPs are an expensive panel that tests for many different respiratory pathogens, some of which are very rare, do not cause overlapping clinical syndromes and are found only in specific patient populations. To generate orders, Capstone’s independent sales representatives completed test requisition forms for RPPs using forged signatures of physicians who had only ordered COVID tests and sham diagnosis codes that did not reflect the medical conditions of the senior community residents receiving the tests. Capstone subsequently billed federal health care programs for these medically unnecessary tests and paid its sales representatives a commission for each test. The federal share of the settlement is approximately $13.9 million and approximately $400,000 constitutes a recovery for state Medicaid programs.
“The law prohibits health care providers, including laboratories, from paying kickbacks to third parties to generate business,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “As we have repeatedly witnessed, such payments can undermine the integrity of federal health care programs by inducing unnecessary services and other fraudulent practices.”
“Unfortunately, Capstone and Maloney are hardly alone, as we have witnessed some clinical laboratories and their owners across the country engage in unscrupulous kickback and billing schemes that caused incalculable harm to Medicare,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who defraud valuable government programs designed to benefit our most vulnerable citizens. By simultaneously obtaining criminal and civil resolutions, as well as working with our partners from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, this case demonstrates our office’s commitment to using all available tools to hold accountable those who seek to steal from federal health care programs.”
“To maintain public trust in the health care system, we must ensure patients and taxpayers that care provided by federally funded healthcare programs is dictated by clinical needs, not fiscal greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “To do that, the FBI and our partners are committed to combining resources and holding providers who bill the government for unnecessary services accountable.”
“Health care providers who cause the submission of Medicare and Medicaid claims for medically unnecessary services pose a significant risk to these programs and the patients who rely on them,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG works diligently with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable individuals who, to satisfy their own greed, exploit federal health care programs.”
“The citizens of our country place immense trust in the integrity of our federal health care programs, and with it, the ability to ensure adequate care for all,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Corruption in all forms undermines that trust, and we will work relentlessly with our investigative partners to pursue and hold accountable those who illegally profit from DoD healthcare programs.”
The civil settlement resolves, in part, a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. As part of today’s resolution, whistleblower Jesse Allen will receive approximately $2.86 million. Mr. Allen worked as Capstone’s laboratory manager from April 2017 to January 2019.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, DCIS and the Medicaid Fraud Division of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla for the Northern District of Georgia and Deputy Attorney General Jim Mooney of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case. Deputy Director Paul R. Perkins of the Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeli Ben-David and Civil Investigator Alena Evans for the Northern District of Georgia; and Richard Tangum, Senior Assistant Attorney General of the Medicaid Fraud Division, George Department of Law handled the civil settlement.
The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across the federal government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international actors committing civil and criminal fraud and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Except for the conduct admitted in connection with the criminal plea, the claims resolved by the civil agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability.
SettlementGeorgia Laboratory Owner Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge and Agrees to Pay $14.3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA, GA – Andrew “Drew” Maloney, 57, of Roswell, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. The guilty plea is part of a global settlement with the United States and several states in which Maloney and the clinical laboratory that he owned, Capstone Diagnostics, of Atlanta, Georgia, have also agreed to pay approximately $14.3 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by paying volume-based commissions to independent contractor sales representatives to arrange for or recommend medically unnecessary urine drug tests and respiratory pathogen panels (RPPs). Maloney and Capstone have also agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.
“The law prohibits health care providers, including laboratories, from paying kickbacks to third parties to generate business,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “As we have repeatedly witnessed, such payments can undermine the integrity of federal health care programs by inducing unnecessary services and other fraudulent practices.”
“Unfortunately, Capstone and Maloney are hardly alone, as we have witnessed some clinical laboratories and their owners across the country engage in unscrupulous kickback and billing schemes that caused incalculable harm to Medicare,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who defraud valuable government programs designed to benefit our most vulnerable citizens. By simultaneously obtaining criminal and civil resolutions, as well as working with our partners from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, this case demonstrates our office’s commitment to using all available tools to hold accountable those who seek to steal from federal health care programs.”
“To maintain public trust in the health care system, we must ensure patients and taxpayers that care provided by federally funded healthcare programs is dictated by clinical needs, not fiscal greed,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To do that, the FBI and our partners are committed to combining resources and holding providers who bill the government for unnecessary services accountable.”
“Health care providers who cause the submission of Medicare and Medicaid claims for medically unnecessary services pose a significant risk to these programs and the patients who rely on them,” stated Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG works diligently with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable individuals who, to satisfy their own greed, exploit federal health care programs.”
“The citizens of our country place immense trust in the integrity of our federal health care programs, and with it, the ability to ensure adequate care for all,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Corruption in all forms undermines that trust, and we will work relentlessly with our investigative partners to pursue and hold accountable those who illegally profit from DoD healthcare programs.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between August 2017 and December 2018, Capstone entered into an arrangement with a program operating as Do It 4 the Hood (D4H), which held itself out as providing after school mentoring services to at-risk teenagers in Georgia. Once enrolled, participants were required to submit to frequent urine specimen collections for drug testing without regard to medical need or the history of the participant. Maloney was aware that the participants needed the tests to participate in the program and that many of these participants were covered by Medicaid. Capstone, with Maloney’s knowledge and approval, paid the operators of D4H a percentage of Medicaid reimbursements for samples submitted by the program, in violation of federal law. While the scheme was ongoing, Capstone submitted over $1 million in claims, causing Georgia Medicaid to pay out at least $400,000 in claims related to the fraudulent drug testing. In addition to Maloney’s guilty plea, four other individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with this fraudulent drug testing scheme:
- Dr. Duriel Gray, 45, of Cartersville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to receive health care kickbacks in the Northern District of Georgia. Gray is licensed to practice medicine in Georgia and was recruited to be the “medical director” for D4H in Georgia. D4H used Gray to provide a “standing order” under which Capstone could submit the fraudulent drug testing claims to Medicaid. Gray did not have a physician-patient relationship with the students, never examined any of them, and did not review or discuss the drug tests with any of the participating students. For his role in the scheme, Gray received approximately $30,000. On April 13, 2023, Gray was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $417,200.40 in restitution.
- Bree’Anna Harris, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering in the Western District of North Carolina to charges filed in the Northern District of Georgia and Western District of North Carolina. Among other things, Harris incorporated an entity, BPolloni Consulting, LLC, which entered into a purported marketing agreement with Capstone. The arrangement between BPolloni and Capstone was used to receive and conceal the fraudulent kickback payments and distribute them to her coconspirators. On December 5, 2023, Harris was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment for her role in the D4H scheme and related schemes in North Carolina and elsewhere.
- Glenn Pair, 36, of Stonecrest, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering in the Western District of North Carolina to charges filed in the Northern District of Georgia, Western District of North Carolina, and District of South Carolina. On July 27, 2022, Pair was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment for his role in the D4H scheme and related schemes in North Carolina, South Carolina, and elsewhere.
- Rachel Sheats, 48, of Woodstock, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks in the Northern District of Georgia in January 2024. Sheats acted as Capstone’s chief operations officer during the relevant time and served as a key point person for D4H at Capstone. Sheats’ sentencing hearing remains pending.
Maloney and Capstone also entered into a civil settlement agreement under which they agreed to pay $14.3 million to the federal government, the State of Georgia, and several other states, to resolve claims arising from the submission of false claims to government health care programs. In addition to the allegations described above, the civil settlement resolves allegations that, between April 2020 and December 2021, Maloney and Capstone sought to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic by paying independent contractor sales representatives to recommend RPPs to senior communities interested only in COVID-19 tests. RPPs are an expensive panel that tests for many different respiratory pathogens, some of which are very rare, do not cause overlapping clinical syndromes, and are found only in specific patient populations. To generate orders, Capstone’s independent sales representatives completed test requisition forms for RPPs using forged signatures of physicians who had only ordered COVID tests and sham diagnosis codes that did not reflect the medical conditions of the senior community residents receiving the tests. Capstone subsequently billed federal health care programs for these medically unnecessary tests and paid its sales representatives a commission for each test. The federal share of the settlement is approximately $13.9 million and approximately $400,000 constitutes a recovery for state Medicaid programs.
The civil settlement resolves, in part, a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. The claims resolved by the civil agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability. As part of today’s resolution, whistleblower Jesse Allen will receive approximately $2.86 million. Mr. Allen worked as Capstone’s laboratory manager from April 2017 to January 2019.
Maloney’s sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2024, before U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla and Georgia Deputy Attorney General Jim Mooney are prosecuting the criminal case. Assistant United States Attorney Neeli Ben-David, Deputy Director Paul R. Perkins, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, DOJ-Fraud Section, and Senior Assistant Attorney General Richard Tangum, Georgia Medicaid Fraud Division are handling the civil case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Mellori E. Lumpkin-Dawson also participated in the civil case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the federal government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international actors committing civil and criminal fraud and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
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 (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
One of the most powerful tools in combatting health care fraud is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fraudulent Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison TermRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 27, 2024, United States District Judge Brett H. Ludwig sentenced Rodney C. Smith (age: 60) to 41 months’ imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for his willful preparation of false tax returns through his business, Xpert Tax Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Smith was also ordered to pay $216,643 in restitution and a $400 special assessment.
According to court records, over the course of four years, Smith prepared fraudulent tax returns for his clients by making knowingly false representations in their returns about the clients’ dependents, wages, and income or losses from businesses. These misrepresentations qualified the taxpayers for a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit to which they were otherwise not entitled, thus fraudulently increasing their tax refunds. The estimated loss associated with Mr. Smith’s scheme was $3.3 million.
Court records reveal that although the IRS executed a search warrant at Smith’s business in 2020, and he admitted to agents that he was knowingly violating the federal tax laws, he nevertheless persisted in his criminal conduct by continuing to prepare false returns for his clients the next year. Smith ultimately pled guilty in October 2023 to four counts of aiding, assisting, counseling, or advising the preparation of a false return, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(2).
Smith was previously convicted in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in 2010 with conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing a false income tax return.
When imposing sentence, Judge Ludwig emphasized that the loss to the taxpayers in this case was very significant, and that defendants who willfully flout the law must be sentenced in a fashion that promotes respect for the law.
“Mr. Smith willfully and repeatedly sought to defraud the IRS and caused injury to every individual and business who played by the rules and paid their fair share of taxes due to fund vital government operations and programs,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “The sentence in this case reflects the fact that Mr. Smith’s fraud was relentless, and not even a prior conviction or the execution of a search warrant at his business was sufficient to deter him from seeking to line his pockets at the taxpayers’ expense. I commend the hard work of everyone involved in seeking justice in this case.”
“The sentence imposed in this case sends a clear message that those who exploit the tax system for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Justin Campbell, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. “Tax preparers are entrusted with accurately and ethically preparing tax returns on behalf of their clients. When individuals like Smith abuse this trust, they not only steal from the government, but they also betray the confidence of the taxpayers they purport to serve. IRS-CI remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our tax system by holding accountable those who choose to violate their moral and ethical obligations.”
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Biebel.
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Fox Valley Man Sentenced to 14½ Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 27, 2024, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Gene W. Wolf (age: 26) to 174 months in federal prison.
According to court records, on August 31, 2023, agents searched Wolf’s residence in Menasha, Wisconsin, and located three handguns, over 9,000 fentanyl pills, and over $50,000 cash. One of the handguns was a “ghost gun” that was not marked with a serial number. Wolf, a felon with several prior convictions for narcotics trafficking, was prohibited from possessing firearms. After being charged with gun and drug trafficking offenses related to the search, Wolf pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm and acknowledged his role in fentanyl trafficking in the Fox Valley area.
The pills recovered from Wolf’s residence were in the form of counterfeit “Percocet” pills that appeared to be legitimate. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 7 out of 10 fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
“Fentanyl continues to cut a path of death and devastation in communities across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “Individuals who sell this extremely dangerous substance – which in this case was disguised as another controlled substance – appropriately face substantial prison terms. This is especially so when the trafficking is accompanied by the unlawful possession of ghost guns and other firearms. Working with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners to combat fentanyl trafficking and firearms offenses remains among our office’s highest priorities.”
“Fentanyl is a scourge on our communities, and we must continue working to keep Wisconsinites safe from this extremely dangerous drug,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to the investigators whose work led to this significant sentence for the defendant in this case.”
This case was investigated by the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group – Drug Unit (LWAM), with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, the Appleton Police Department, and the Menasha Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Duros prosecuted the case.
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Fourth Defendant in Fatal Tractor Trailer Smuggling Case Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national pleaded guilty in a federal court in San Antonio to one count related to his involvement in the organization responsible for the smuggling of at least 66 migrants in June 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 47 adults and six children.
According to court documents, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal aka Cowboy, 38, was a member of the human smuggling organization responsible for the failed smuggling attempt on June 27, 2022 that illegally brought adults and children from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico into the U.S. Rivera-Leal would meet tractor trailers that had transported migrants to San Antonio and further transport small groups of migrants to Houston in his personal vehicle.
Rivera-Leal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens placing lives in jeopardy. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Rivera-Leal is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in this case. Other co-defendants whose cases are still pending include Homero Zamorano Jr., 47, who served as the driver of the tractor trailer; Felipe Orduna-Torres aka Cholo aka Chuequito/Chuekito aka Negro, 29; and Armando Gonzales-Ortega aka El Don aka Don Gon, 54.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for the HSI San Antonio Division made the announcement.
HSI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and has received tremendous support from Customs and Border Protection; Border Patrol; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations; the San Antonio Police Department; the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office; the San Antonio Fire Department; the Marshall Police Department; and the Palestine Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Fuchs, Sarah Spears and Amanda Brown are prosecuting the case.
These charges resulted in coordination with Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas is part of the JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime. JTFA consists of federal prosecutors and attorneys from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the Southwest Border (District of Arizona, Southern District of California, Southern District of Texas, and Western District of Texas), from the Criminal Division and the Civil Rights Division, along with law enforcement agents and analysts from DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Founder of New York Narcotics Delivery Service Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Causing Three Overdose DeathsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOSE LUIS TEJADA AYBAR was sentenced yesterday to 150 months in prison for operating the Cab Louie Delivery Service, an on-demand drug courier service that delivered fentanyl-tainted cocaine to customers in September 2019. The deadly mix caused the overdose deaths of Marsha Clarke of the Bronx, New York, and Martin Banks and Edward Lynch of Yonkers, New York, as well as the hospitalization of Clarke’s husband. TEJADA was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. Co-defendants ALLEN ALEXIS ABISADA GUZMAN and MARTIN PEREZ were previously sentenced to 98 months and 70 months in prison, respectively.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The sentencing of Jose Luis Tejada Aybar marks a crucial step in bringing justice to the victims not only of the Cab Louie Delivery Service but also those victims of fentanyl and other lethal drugs. The devastating consequences of Tejada’s operation underscore the importance of dismantling criminal enterprises like this, and this prosecution reaffirms our unwavering commitment to combating organized crime and protecting our communities from the dangers of drug trafficking.”
According to the sentencing papers and the Court’s determinations at the sentencing hearing:
In March 2018, JOSE LUIS TEJADA AYBAR (“TEJADA”) started the Cab Louie Delivery Service, which delivered cocaine to customers in the Bronx and Westchester County. Customers would call or text one of the business’s rotating dispatch lines to place an order, and the Cab Louie Delivery Service would send a driver to deliver cocaine to the customer. During its operation from March 2018 to September 2021, the Cab Louie Delivery Service sold, in total, more than 15 kilograms of cocaine — equivalent to nearly 24,000 bags of cocaine.
As his business expanded, TEJADA hired employees for the Cab Louie Delivery Service. Two of those employees were ALLEN ALEXIS ABISADA GUZMAN (“ABISADA”) and PEREZ, both of whom delivered cocaine for the business. In addition to hiring employees, TEJADA led the Cab Louie Delivery Service by sourcing its cocaine, obtaining and operating the dispatch phones, and providing ABISADA with a car to deliver cocaine. TEJADA profited from the business throughout its three-plus years of operation.
On September 19, 2019, ABISADA delivered cocaine on behalf of the Cab Louie Delivery Service to three different customers: Clarke, Banks, and Lynch. The cocaine was tainted with fentanyl. Within two days, Clarke, Banks, and Lynch were found dead, and Clarke’s husband was found unresponsive. Medical examiners determined that Clarke, Banks, and Lynch all died from acute intoxication by the combined effects of cocaine and fentanyl, among other drugs. Clarke’s husband was hospitalized for a fentanyl overdose and in a coma for a period. When he emerged from the coma, Clarke’s husband had to relearn how to speak, how to feed himself, how to use the restroom, and how to walk.
Despite learning of the overdose deaths of Banks and Lynch through a local news article, which he saved on his phone, TEJADA continued operating the Cab Louie Delivery Service. Between November 6, 2019, and February 13, 2020, a New York Police Department (“NYPD”) undercover officer made six controlled purchases of cocaine from the Cab Louie Delivery Service. TEJADA personally made two of the deliveries, ABISADA made three, and PEREZ made one.
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In addition to the prison term, TEJADA, 41, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) New York Strike Force, and the Complex Analytical and Social Media Enhancement Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Mr. Williams also thanked the Yonkers Police Department and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the case.
The OCDETF New York Strike Force provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the New York Strike Force is to target, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, reduce the illegal drug supply in the United States, and bring criminals to justice. The Strike Force is affiliated with the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; NYPD; New York State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; New York National Guard; U.S. Coast Guard; New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; Fort Lee Police Department; Palisades Interstate Parkway Police; Teaneck Police Department; Hillsdale Police Department; Closter Police Department; Northvale Police Department; River Vale Police Department; Englewood Police Department; Saddle River Police Department; Bergen County Sheriff’s Department; Hawthorne Police Department; and Hackensack Police Department.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Li is in charge of the prosecution.
Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Ernest Jeshad Foster (32, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Foster faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court records, on August 23, 2023, Fort Myers Police Department officers conducted a routine traffic stop on a vehicle in which Foster was the front seat passenger. Upon approaching the vehicle, law enforcement observed Foster reaching into the glove compartment and quickly shutting it. As soon as Foster exited the car, the glove compartment popped open and officers saw a firearm, which was later identified as loaded Taurus handgun. As a seven-time convicted felon, Foster is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Coroy Dontavia Flournoy (40, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Flournoy faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court records, on February 21, 2023, Flournoy was arrested at a residence in Fort Myers in connection with an active warrant, after which law enforcement searched the residence and found a loaded Glock handgun, multiple magazines, and several dozen rounds of ammunition under the mattress of a bed inside the house. DNA analysis performed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement later linked the firearm to Flournoy, a multi-time convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Cape Coral Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jddarrian Christopher Irons (33, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Irons faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court records, on October 5, 2023, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Irons was the front seat passenger. During the traffic stop, Irons initially misidentified himself to officers by providing a false name and date of birth. Then, when officers searched the car, they found a loaded Smith and Wesson handgun in a fanny pack wedged between the front passenger seat—where Irons had been sitting—and the door. Just minutes earlier before getting into the vehicle, Irons had been seen wearing the fanny pack in a nearby apartment complex. As a multi-convicted felon who had recently been released from a seven-year state prison sentence, Irons is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Willie James Hunter, Jr. (22, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Hunter faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a car in which Hunter was the passenger. The car slowed down, and Hunter exited the vehicle. The car then fled from police and was later found abandoned. Officers located a handgun and a rifle in the abandoned car. Hunter’s fingerprints were later found on the rifle. At the time, Hunter had prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm by a delinquent and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As a convicted felon Hunter is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Hunter agreed to forfeit the rifle.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former youth hockey coach on Wednesday admitted sexually abusing two minors and recording that abuse.
James R. Lambert , 42, of Lake St. Louis, admitted sexually abusing one victim over 50 times between 2007 and 2018, when the victim was between the ages of 6 and 17 years old. The sexual abuse occurred in St. Charles County, Missouri and in other states and foreign countries where the victim was taken by Lambert. Lambert also recorded his sexual abuse of the victim on numerous occasions.
Lambert also admitted sexually abusing a second victim in St. Charles and St. Louis counties when that victim was between 6 and 9 years old.
When the first victim came forward and reported Lambert’s sexual abuse, he also reported his suspicions that Lambert was abusing the second victim. Investigators later found hundreds of files on Lambert’s electronic devices documenting his abuse of the second victim. They also found at least 1,185 files containing child sexual abuse material that Lambert obtained online.
Lambert pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of aggravated sexual abuse.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for 50 years in prison, the plea agreement says.
Anyone with information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department by calling 636-625-8018 or emailing [email protected].
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former South Florida Pharmacy CEO Sentenced to Prison for Lying to Federal InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Feb. 23, Patrick Smith, 71, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the former CEO and President of Patient Care America (PCA), a compounding pharmacy located in Broward County, was sentenced to 6 months in prison for lying to federal agents who were investigating PCA for various health care fraud offenses.
According to court records, in March of 2020 Smith voluntarily met with DCIS agents who were investigating PCA on allegations of health care fraud and payment of kickbacks to marketing groups that solicited TRICARE beneficiaries on behalf of PCA. TRICARE is the health care benefit program for United States military members and their families. During that interview, Smith lied to agents about his role in the scheme. Smith falsely claimed, for example, that he played no role in hiring the marketing groups and that he didn’t know they were directly soliciting TRICARE beneficiaries.
In all, PCA paid over $40 million in kickbacks to the marketers for recruiting and referring TRICARE beneficiary prescriptions for expensive, unnecessary compounded medications to PCA. To date, over a dozen of PCA’s marketers and employees have been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the scheme. The government has recovered more than $30 million in fraud proceeds from PCA and the individual defendants.
Smith was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman. Smith pled guilty, on July 21, 2023, to making a materially false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
DCIS and FDA-OCI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Juenger prosecuted this case. DCIS, FDA-OCI, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), and the FBI investigated related cases.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20532.
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Former Nowata Teacher Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A former Nowata Middle School teacher was sentenced today for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor in Indian Country and Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Kenneth Colby Martinez, 26, Bartlesville, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Martinez will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“Kenneth Martinez violated the trust of the Nowata community and took advantage of a student he was entrusted with,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “No child should ever need to question if school is a safe place. My office will continue to pursue those who prey on vulnerable children.”
According to court documents, Martinez began communicating with a student at Nowata Middle School during the 2021-2022 school year. He started coercing and enticing the student through messaging applications. The messages eventually became sexual in nature. On several occasions, Martinez's abusive sexual contact happened in a classroom with the student.
Martinez is not an Indian. The student is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. The crimes occurred within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation. Martinez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and Nowata Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria G. Luster and Aaron Jolly prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Former NYPD Officer-Turned Forex Investor Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Jason Rodriguez with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment relates to Rodriguez’s role as the Chief Operating Officer of Technical Trading Team, LLC (Technical Trading Team), a foreign exchange-focused (forex) investment fund he founded in 2020. Rodriguez was arrested this morning and his initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced arrest and indictment.
“As alleged, the victims trusted Rodriguez with millions of dollars for what they were assured would be safe investments, supported by the defendant’s claim that he had quit the NYPD because he had become so successful at trading, which was untrue,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Rodriguez also falsely promised the victims that their investments would be safe because there would be guardrails over his trading activity to limit the risks. In reality, Rodriguez ignored those guardrails and lost millions in investor funds and also misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars which he used to pay for luxury car rentals, travel and other personal expenses.”
“Jason Rodriguez falsely represented his time as an NYPD officer to earn the trust of prospective investors, to whom he then made alleged false promises that cost his victims millions of dollars. He withheld the reality of his failed trades and used the investment funds on his personal desires. The FBI will hold accountable anyone who manipulates others, especially for financial gain in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez founded Technical Trading Team in April 2020. Rodriguez pitched the fund as a forex-focused investment fund, with Rodriguez, who served as Chief Operating Officer, in charge of all trading. Rodriguez promised investors that Technical Trading Team would have a “loss reserve account” that could be used to repay investors if the company lost money trading, that Rodriguez would never risk more than 1% of assets under management on any single trade and would not hold positions open overnight. Each of these promises was meant to assure investors that their investment would be safe. Rodriguez and Technical Trading Team broke all of these promises and as Rodriguez lost more and more money in the forex markets, he used new investor money to pay older investors promised investment returns.
Prior to founding Technical Trading Team, Rodriguez served as an NYPD officer for approximately seven years. During the solicitation process, Rodriguez told prospective Technical Trading Team investors that he had quit the NYPD because he had become so successful at forex trading. The Technical Trading Team presentation similarly represented that Rodriguez’s “zealous ambition for trading took precedence resulting in the end of his law enforcement career . . .” Rodriguez failed to disclose that he resigned from the NYPD after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor crime and incurring a number of disciplinary infractions.
To date, of the approximately $4.8 million in investor funds wired to accounts controlled by Rodriguez between April 2020 and September 2022, approximately $3.5 million has never been paid back to the investors.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Business and Securities Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Weintraub is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JASON RODRIGUEZ
Age: 37
Bellerose, QueensE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-79
Former Maryland Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $350,000 in COVID-19 Relief FundsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zhong Jie Chen, 47, formerly of Columbia, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to misappropriating $354,520 of COVID-19 relief funds that he was supposed to use to operate his restaurants. Chen used the misappropriated funds to engage in day trading. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Chen, who now lives in New Jersey, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which has a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Chen must pay restitution and be liable for a forfeiture money judgment. U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper, who accepted Chen’s guilty plea in the District of Columbia, scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2024.
In court documents, Chen admitted that, while he was a Maryland resident, he was the sole owner of two restaurants, one in Washington, D.C., the other in College Park, MD. Between May 2020 and July 2021, he applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans for the restaurants.
The Paycheck Protection Program was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the U.S. government’s Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. Once PPP loan applications were approved, businesses received loan proceeds from third-party lenders. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA also offered EIDL loans to certain entities, including small business owners. These loans were provided directly from the SBA and were low-interest, fixed-rate, long term loans. Both PPP loans and EIDL loans could only be used for specified purposes.
Between May 2020 and July 2021, Chen’s two restaurants received PPP and EIDL loans totaling approximately $964,843. On loan applications, Chen acknowledged understanding how the loans could be used and that if he knowingly used funds for unauthorized purposes, he could be held legally liable by the federal government, and potentially charged with fraud.
Chen admitted that he falsely certified that all loan proceeds would be used for business-related purposes even though he knew and intended that he would misappropriate some loan proceeds to a personal investment account to allow him to engage in day trading. He admitted that he misappropriated $354,520 of loan proceeds and used those funds to engage in day trading.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and Ryan Sellinger, who were assisted by paralegal specialists Sonalika Chaturvedi and Michon Tart.
Former Marine Sentenced for Travel with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Bryan Todd Richardson II, age 25, of Wyoming, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months in prison each for two counts of Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity and 120 months in prison for one count of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Activity. The terms of imprisonment on all counts shall be served concurrently. Richardson will also be required to register as a Sex Offender.
The charges arose from investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Okmulgee Police Department.
On September 27, 2022, Richardson pleaded guilty to a superseding Indictment of two counts of Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity and one count of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Activity. According to investigators, Richardson, a Marine stationed in North Carolina, cultivated an online relationship with a fourteen-year-old child in the state of Oklahoma for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. Richardson traveled to Oklahoma in May of 2020, and again in June of 2021, both times engaging in illegal sexual activity with the minor. After the June incident, Richardson transported the minor across state lines and later returned the victim to Oklahoma.
The Honorable Keith Starrett, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Richardson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources”.
We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)'s website at www.cybertipline.com, call 1-800-843-5678, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or call 877-4-HSI TIP.
Former Alabama Correctional Sergeant Sentenced for Violating Civil Rights of Inmate by Using Excessive Force and Lying to Cover It UpRead the Press Release
A former Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Sergeant, Devlon Williams, 38, was sentenced today to 63 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for using excessive force on an inmate and lying afterwards in an official report and to investigators in an attempt to cover up his abuse. He was previously convicted of deprivation of rights under color of law, falsification of records and obstruction of justice by a federal jury in the Middle District of Alabama.
“This defendant was a sergeant who was supposed to set an example for those he supervised and instead he callously abused his authority and brutalized a vulnerable inmate during a time of need,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate this type of violent conduct inside our jails and prisons, and we will continue to prosecute corrections officials who violate the constitutional and civil rights of people in their custody. This sentencing should send a clear message to officials employed in correctional settings that they are not above the law and will be held accountable when they break it.”
“While most members of law enforcement serve honorably and professionally, some are not so dedicated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama. “Williams savagely beat and taunted an inmate who was not resisting and posed no threat, then lied to conceal his crime. He must be held responsible for his actions. Failure to do so would discredit the noble service of every other officer and weaken the public’s trust in those who are sworn to protect.”
“Former corrections officer Devlon Williams not only attacked the victim while transporting him to receive critical care for suicidal ideation, but also attempted to cover up his crimes and intimidate witnesses,” said Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains committed to protecting the dignity and civil rights of individuals in custody, and we will investigate any law enforcement and corrections officers who abuse their authority.”
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Williams transported a suicidal inmate, D.H., from ADOC Staton Correctional Facility’s chapel to the healthcare unit. Rather than take the inmate to the infirmary to receive the aid that he needed, Williams stopped in the main hallway of the healthcare unit, where, away from other inmates, Williams assaulted D.H. while taunting him by yelling, “since you want to die, I’m going to help you.” Witnesses testified at trial that Williams repeatedly punched and kicked D.H., who was lying on the ground in a fetal position and not resisting or posing a threat to anyone. Williams continued the beating by hitting D.H. multiple times with a collapsible baton. Another corrections officer, Larry Managan Jr., also participated in the beating.
After the beating, Williams and Managan attempted to cover up their misconduct. Williams made false statements about the assault to an ADOC investigator and prepared a false report about the incident. He also pressured junior-ranking officers and eyewitness nurses to lie along with him after the fact.
Managan previously pleaded guilty, was sentenced for obstructing justice and testified against Williams at trial.
The FBI Mobile Field Office and the ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
Florida Resident Sentenced to 60 Months for Smuggling Firearms from U.S. to Violent Haitian Gang That Kidnapped 19 AmericansRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jocelyn Dor, 31, a Haitian citizen who resided in Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for participating in a sophisticated smuggling scheme that exported or attempted to export at least 24 firearms from the United States to Haiti, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates ordered Dor to serve three years of supervised release. Dor pleaded guilty Oct. 30, 2023, to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, violating the Export Control Reform Act, and laundering money with the purpose of promoting a specified unlawful activity.
Dor originally was charged in a May 2022 indictment that named co-defendants Joly Germine, also known as “Yonyon,” 31, a Haitian national and Eliande Tunis, 45, a U.S. citizen, of Pompano Beach, Florida.
According to government documents, 400 Mawozo is a notoriously violent Haitian gang and criminal organization that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. From Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. Germine served as the “King” of 400 Mawozo and directed operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones. Now in U.S. custody, Germine pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to his role in the gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages to the gang in 2021. Germine faces life in prison when he is sentenced May 15, 2024. Co-defendant and Germine’s former girlfriend Tunis pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on January 17, 2024. Tunis, who styled herself as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, also faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 8, 2024.
Dor operated as a straw purchaser for 400 Mawozo. Between September 18, 2021 and October 17, 2021, he purchased 10 semiautomatic high-power rifles at gun shops in the Orlando area at Germine’s direction for the express purpose of shipping the weapons to 400 Mawozo gang leaders in Haiti. The rifles were intended for combat. One of the weapons, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, is primarily used by militaries against equipment. Dor falsely stated to the gun vendors that he was the “actual buyer” of the firearms. He also received multiple transfers of thousands of U.S. dollars from his co-conspirators to pay for them.
The FBI attempted to arrest Dor on October 31, 2021, but was unable to find either Dor or the high-powered rifles. Dor stopped using his cell phones, showing that he was aware that law enforcement was looking for him. The search expanded to the Midwest where Dor was nearly captured at a trucker rest stop. On November 5, 2021, Dor rented a storage unit in Orlando. On November 8, 2021, Dor had his attorney contact the FBI to turn himself in. The FBI arrested Dor that day and recovered the guns at the Orlando storage unit. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
In October 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for kidnapping 16 U.S. citizens, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port au Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $l million for each hostage. The hostages escaped on or about December 16, 2021. Earlier that year in June, the gang took two U.S. citizens hostage and released them only after receiving $25,000 ransom. In August, the gang took another U.S. citizen hostage and released her after receiving $50,000.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Haitian National Police, the government of Haiti, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Turtles to Germany and Hong Kong and Falsely Labeling the Turtles on Related PaperworkRead the Press Release
A Florida man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for conspiring to illegally export thousands of turtles to Germany and Hong Kong, and falsifying documents to conceal his conduct.
John Michael Kreatsoulas, 36, of Alva, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic wildlife and nine counts of falsifying records in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to the factual proffer in support of the plea and other documents included in the court record, from July 2015 to July 2021, Kreatsoulas was the owner and principal of Omni Reptiles, Inc., an unregistered Florida business located in Alva, Florida. Omni was in the business of domestic and international wholesale trade of wildlife, including protected species of reptiles. Kreatsoulas and Omni shipped wildlife they sold to domestic and foreign customers, including to customers in Germany and Hong Kong through Miami International Airport.
Specifically, Kreatsoulas and his co-conspirators collected and captured various species of turtles, including three-stripe mud turtles and Florida mud turtles, from the wild in Florida and sold those turtles to interstate and foreign customers. Kreatsoulas then falsified U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Forms 3-177, which accompanied the international shipments, by including a false “Source” code attesting that the turtles were captive-bred and not wild-caught. Kreatsoulas also falsified invoices related to the sale of the turtles, which purported to show that the turtles sold to co-conspirators in Florida and outside the United States were “captive-bred” hatchling three-stripe mud turtles when, in fact, they were taken from the wild by Kreatsoulas and his co-conspirators.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 17 at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II. Kreatsoulas faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Southeast Region, made the announcement.
FWS investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Gary N. Donner of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Felon Sentenced to 20 Years for Federal Drug and Weapons OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Richmond, Virginia, man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Newport News Police Department (NNPD) performed a traffic stop on Ladrale Antonio Putney, 44, shortly after midnight on February 8, 2021, for driving the wrong way down a one-way street without any headlights or taillights illuminated. Putney produced an invalid driver license during the stop. Due to the odor of marijuana and suspected marijuana “shake” – or loose marijuana leaves/particles – visibly scattered throughout the vehicle, NNPD temporarily detained Putney. NNPD discovered approximately 30 grams of cocaine base, three digital scales and narcotics packaging material in Putney’s car. Putney was also in possession of a stolen, loaded handgun, approximately 18 grams of heroin, approximately 10 grams of cocaine base, approximately 2.5 grams of powder cocaine, two small bags of marijuana and approximately $4,308. Forensic laboratory analysis confirmed the controlled substances and detected the presence of fentanyl mixed into the heroin. As a previously convicted federal felon, Putney was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Putney pleaded guilty on October 13, 2023, to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-56.
Federal, local law enforcement disrupt meth traffickers based in Park CountyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — Investigations by federal and local law enforcement agencies into methamphetamine traffickers who attempted to set up base in Livingston in Park County have resulted in federal drug convictions, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced today.
During a press conference at the Park County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Building in Livingston, U.S. Attorney Laslovich, along with federal, local and drug task force partners, discussed the dismantling of a drug ring that brought large quantities of meth from Idaho to Livingston for redistribution in Park and Gallatin counties and elsewhere. Joining the U.S. Attorney were officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri River Drug Task Force.
“As these investigations show, Montana’s smaller and more rural communities, like Livingston, are not immune from drug traffickers who bring in meth from out of state and try to enlist local addicts and dealers to redistribute drugs. Without local lower-level dealers willing to sell for larger suppliers, these larger suppliers would not have a way to push their drugs to individual users. The collaborative work of the Park County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was critical to the investigation and federal prosecution of these cases. Our work is ongoing and regardless of the size of the Montana community, we will continue to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers poisoning our communities,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
“Violent crime can swiftly overwhelm any community, ending its sense of safety, victimizing countless individuals, and inflicting economic losses on businesses,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “Now, more than ever, it is imperative for local, state and federal law enforcement, alongside our communities, to remain united and steadfast in efforts to detect, disrupt, and combat violent crime."
“The Sheriff’s Office and our partners are committed to dismantling the drug trade in Park County,” Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said. “Strong partnerships are invaluable when taking on a mission of this magnitude, and we are lucky to have a group who are working together to achieve our goals and objectives. We will continue to remove this poison and those who deal in it from Park County.”
"The Missouri River Drug Task Force is proud of the work done on these investigations. This is a great example of what can be accomplished through collaborative efforts between local, state, and federal agencies,” said MRDTF Commander Nate Kamerman, who is the investigations captain with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office. “MRDTF's focus is on interstate Drug Trafficking Organizations, but these investigations nearly always begin with data gathered at the local level. The presence of a Park County Sheriff's Office deputy on the MRDTF not only set the foundation for our involvement in these investigations, but also allowed for effective communication with our federal partners. MRDTF will continue to work with agencies at every level to provide thoroughly investigated and documented cases, allowing prosecutors to fulfill their role in holding drug traffickers accountable."
According to court documents, a drug trafficking investigation began in early 2020 when law enforcement learned that defendants Oscar Albert Nevarez, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and co-defendant, James D. Murrieta, of Utica, New York, were bringing meth from outside of Montana to Livingston for redistribution in Park and Gallatin counties and elsewhere in Montana. Murietta and Nevarez were business partners, and Nevarez made approximately five trips to Idaho and back to get meth from a source of supply. Murietta and Nevarez used a Livingston residence as a base from which they supplied local dealers. Law enforcement also bought meth from Murietta in Bozeman and Belgrade in controlled purchases. Nevarez was sentenced to six years in federal prison, while Murietta was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison for their convictions in the case.
In addition, investigations have led to federal charges against other individuals in Park County on various drug trafficking crimes involving meth, fentanyl and heroin and firearms crimes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas K. Godfrey prosecuted the cases. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri River Drug Task Force conducted the investigations.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Federal Jury Finds Hartford Felon Guilty of Possessing Loaded HandgunRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody today announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found CHRISTOPHER GASKIN, 47, of Hartford, guilty of a firearm possession offense.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, in the afternoon of January 1, 2022, Hartford Police officers stopped a car Gaskin was operating on Irving Street in Hartford. Gaskin was arrested after a search of his person revealed a loaded .380 caliber handgun, a bag containing approximately five grams of crack cocaine, and 35 vials of crack.
Gaskin’s criminal history includes several felony convictions, including convictions for assault, robbery and witness tampering 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.
The trial began on February 26, and the jury today found Gaskin guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and not guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”).
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for May 22, at which time Gaskin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Gaskin is detained pending sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel M. Krull and Patricia Stolfi Collins through 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.
Fall River Man Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a drug distribution conspiracy involving oxycodone pills.
Austin Gonsalves, 37, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2024. Gonsalves was arrested and charged along with five others in July 2023 for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone pills across Southeastern Massachusetts. The defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.
Between at least February 2023 and May 2023, Gonsalves obtained oxycodone pills, allegedly from co-defendant Kenneth Veiga, which he then distributed to others. JA search of Gonsalves’ Fall River residence in July 2023 resulted in the seizure of approximately $16,000 in cash and approximately 400 oxycodone pills.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division, made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard CGIS; Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office; and the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Mashpee, Yarmouth, Sandwich and Falmouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
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 details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Everett Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison for Possession of Schedule I and II Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Everett, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to a total of 45 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute Schedule I and II controlled substances, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Jeffrey Sheeder, 34.
According to information presented to the Court, on or about March 25, 2021, Sheeder possessed with intent to distribute Schedule I and II controlled substances, namely, a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of psilocyn, a Schedule I controlled substance, and quantities of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine as well as a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of amphetamine, both Schedule II controlled substances.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the United States Postal Inspection Service and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Sheeder.
Eufaula Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Shaun Davis, age 56, of Eufaula, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
The Indictment alleged that on June 15, 2023, Davis, having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, and knowing of that conviction, possessed firearms and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Davis was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Gross and Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Doctor Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Accept Kickbacks in Connection with Fraudulent Telemarketing Scheme Victimizing Medicare and TRICARE Patients in Eastern WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Thomas Andrew Webster, M.D., age 51, of Sylvania, Ohio, pled guilty to conspiring to accept kickbacks in connection with a fraudulent telemarketing and medical supply scheme throughout Washington and in other states. District Judge Mary K. Dimke accepted Dr. Webster’s guilty plea and set sentencing for June 26, at 1:15 in Spokane, Washington.
The Medicare program provides health insurance coverage for elderly and disabled Americans. The Department of Defense’s TRICARE program provides health benefits to United States Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents. Medicare and TRICARE provide health insurance coverage for eligible health services, including, under certain conditions, for durable medical equipment (DME). For DME to qualify for reimbursement, the DME is required to be ordered by a physician who is treating the beneficiary for a specific illness or injury, and is required to be part of the course of that treatment.
During the relevant time period, Dr. Webster lived in Olympia, Washington, and was a licensed physician in Washington. According to the Plea Agreement and information disclosed in court proceedings, between May 2021 and September 2023, Dr. Webster participated in a telemarketing scheme and conspiracy. A company identified as “Company A” obtained Medicare and TRICARE beneficiary information by using telemarketers to contact patients in Eastern Washington and elsewhere to obtain their personal and health information. Company A then used the information to create a fake medical record that falsely and fraudulently reflected doctor visits and treatment that did not exist, and fraudulent medical orders for DBE. Dr. Webster then signed the fraudulent medical documentation and DME orders, which were then sold by Company A to companies that used the orders to falsely bill Medicare and TRICARE. Company A and Dr. Webster also falsely and fraudulently billed Medicare and TRICARE for the fictitious doctor visits and exams that did not take place.
“Health care fraud and kickback schemes are a serious problem” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “They divert precious public funds away from treating patients, drive up the cost of health care services, and often make quality health care beyond the reach of the most vulnerable members of our community who need it the most. Telemarketing schemes that target and exploit the elderly and our servicemembers are especially pernicious because they prey on those who are often most in need of a doctor’s independent judgment that is not tainted or biased by the doctor’s own personal financial interest.”
According to the Plea Agreement and information disclosed in court proceedings, Medicare and TRICARE paid more than $13.7 million for DME fraudulently ordered by Dr. Webster for thousands of beneficiaries in Eastern Washington and elsewhere, including beneficiaries who lacked the limb for which Defendant supposedly performed the exam and ordered the DME, because it had been previously amputated. Dr. Webster also admitted to directly receiving at least $839,565 from Medicare and TRICARE for fraudulent doctor visits and exams that never took place. As part of the Plea Agreement, Dr. Webster agreed to forfeiture of bank accounts and other assets representing the proceeds of his criminal conduct.
"Dr. Webster’s conviction culminates his illicit, greed-driven scheme to defraud federal healthcare programs, including the Department of Defense's TRICARE program," said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. "Fraudulent healthcare billings inflate costs, erode public confidence, and in the case of the Department of Defense, ultimately degrade American warfighter readiness and undermine the missions of our military services.”
“Physicians that receive unlawful kickbacks in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary services erode the public’s trust and waste valuable taxpayer dollars” said Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This outcome demonstrates HHS-OIG’s steadfast commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who defraud federal health care programs.”
“I am grateful for, and commend, the exceptional investigative work on this case performed by HHS OIG and DCIS, as well as the important forfeiture work that will return precious funds to the public so that they can be used for patient care” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to make our communities safer and stronger, by aggressively pursuing telemedicine kickback schemes, healthcare fraud, and elder abuse.”
The conspiracy offense carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison. The case was investigated by HHS OIG’s Seattle Field Office and DCIS’ Western Field Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States; Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Donovan is handling the forfeiture action.
Case No. 2:23-cr-00135-MKD
Defendants Sentenced for Drug Trafficking that Resulted in Two DeathsRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – Two defendants whose 18-month long drug conspiracy resulted in the death of one college student and contributed to the death of another have been sentenced, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
CYE LEANCE FRASIER, also known as “The Barber,” age 44, was sentenced today to 29 years in prison, and CARLISA RENEA ALLEN, age 46, was sentenced on February 13, 2024, to 28 years in prison. FRASIER pleaded guilty on October 25, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride, and conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, resulting in death. ALLEN was found guilty at trial on November 17, 2023, of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl resulting in death; distribution of cocaine hydrochloride; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented at trial, including thousands of text messages between ALLEN and FRASIER, photographs and a note retrieved from ALLEN’s cellphone, and Cash App and Venmo records, showed that ALLEN and FRASIER marketed themselves to local college students as a source of narcotics, primarily cocaine. On occasion, the pair knowingly sold fentanyl. The evidence also showed that the death of Joshua Skip Zinner on or about March 9, 2023, resulted from the use of cocaine laced with fentanyl that he had purchased from the ALLEN and FRASIER drug conspiracy. At sentencing, the court heard from Zinner’s family members, as well as family members of Elizabeth Grace Burton, who also died after ingesting cocaine laced with fentanyl purchased directly from Frasier.
“The heinous and inhumane actions of these defendants led to the senseless loss of two young lives,” said United States Attorney Hairston. “While nothing will ever erase the pain of the families who suffered these tremendous losses, the sentences send a strong message of deterrence to people who consider selling poisonous mixtures of illegal drugs. We also hope this prosecution helps prevent future tragedies by raising public awareness of the serious risk users face when consuming illegal substances, which increasingly contain potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.”
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Dangerous drug traffickers are enriching their lives by profiting off someone else’s pain. The number of lives forever changed as a result of this greed are far too numerous to count.”
“We cannot simply sit back and continue watching our community members, including students at our institutions of higher learning, die senseless deaths,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. “Our education and awareness efforts must prepare people for the realities of today. Fentanyl is in substances everywhere, and it is deadly.”
FRASIER was sentenced to a 348-month term of imprisonment and ALLEN was sentenced to a 336-month term of imprisonment by the Honorable William L. Osteen, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. At the conclusion of his active term of imprisonment, FRASIER will be subject to supervised release for 5 years. ALLEN will be subject to supervised release for 5 years following her release from prison. They were both ordered to pay restitution to the families of Joshua Skip Zinner and Elizabeth Grace Burton in the amount of $8,000 dollars and $11,304 dollars, respectively. Both students died after using fentanyl-laced cocaine provided to them by ALLEN and FRASIER in furtherance of their drug conspiracy.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Durham Police Department, Duke University Police Department, Raleigh Police Department, Raleigh/Wake County City-County Bureau of Identification, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Cary Police Department, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael A. DeFranco and Tracy M. Williams-Durham.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Conehatta Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Conehatta man pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact with a child.
According to court documents, Brett Keith Thomas, 27, engaged in sexual contact with a minor under the age of twelve. Court records show that the offense occurred in the Conehatta Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation in 2016.
Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2024, and faces up to life 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 W. Gee and Acting Special Agent in Charge Maher Dimachkie 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.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Colorado Man Sentenced to Serve More than 24 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this week, CHAD ALLAN QUINNELL, 46, of Colorado, was sentenced to serve 292 months in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On July 19, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Quinnell, charging him with distribution of child pornography, attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. According to public record, in January 2023, Quinnell began communicating with an undercover FBI agent who he believed was a mother of two small children. Quinnell quickly made clear that, if given the opportunity, he intended to sexually abuse the children. Court records also indicate Quinnell shared child pornography with the undercover agent on multiple occasions and traveled to Oklahoma in June 2023, with the intention of sexually abusing the children. He was arrested when he arrived to meet the purported mother and children in Oklahoma City.
“This is yet another example of the FBI’s excellent and proactive efforts to protect our children, and the lengthy sentence will serve to deter those who attempt to abuse the most vulnerable in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester. “I praise the work done by both investigators and prosecutors in bringing an end to the abhorrent behavior of this defendant.”
“Ending the exploitation of children requires quick, decisive action from law enforcement, and that is exactly what this case represents,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we were able to put a stop to Mr. Quinnell’s deplorable crimes before they escalated. His sentencing underscores our commitment to removing child predators from our communities through the federal justice system.”
On August 30, 2023, Quinnell pleaded guilty to Count 2 of the Indictment, and admitted he used a cell phone to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activities.
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Quinnell to serve 292 months in federal prison, followed by supervised release for life. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk described the communications sent by Quinnell as “some of the most vile communications” in his experience in the court, and that, if Quinnell were allowed to carry out his intentions, a child would face “a lifetime of horror”. The court also noted Quinnell’s prior convictions for meeting a minor for lewd purposes in Butte County, California Superior Court case number CM040575, and failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements in Butte County, California Superior Court case number CM043939.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ganz prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Colombo Crime Family Captain Sentenced to 51 Months for Long-Running Labor Union Extortion and Other SchemesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Vincent Ricciardo, also known as “Vinny Unions,” was sentenced to 51 months in prison, $350,000 in forfeiture and $280,890 in restitution by United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, for his participation in the long-running extortion of a senior official of a Queens-based labor union (the “Labor Union”) and other criminal schemes he carried out as a captain in the Colombo crime family of La Cosa Nostra. Ricciardo pled guilty to racketeering in July 2023, and admitted to his participation in the extortion of the Labor Union and various conspiracies to commit money laundering, loansharking and fraud in connection with workplace safety certificates.
Vincent Ricciardo is the tenth defendant sentenced in the case for conduct in connection with the scheme to infiltrate and divert funds from the Labor Union and other schemes. Four defendants still await sentencing.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the sentence.
“This prosecution represents our continued commitment to combatting organized crime and prosecuting the individuals who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of hardworking union members and their employers,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence holds Vincent Ricciardo accountable for his long-running extortion scheme, as well as for his yearslong participation in the wide range of crimes committed by the Colombo crime family.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Nassau County Police Department, the New York City Department of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Gang Section for their valuable assistance in the investigation.
As set forth in court filings and facts presented during the sentencing proceedings, Vincent Ricciardo and his co-conspirators committed a variety of crimes – including extortion, loansharking, fraud and drug-trafficking – to enrich themselves and to promote the continued operation of the Colombo crime family. The Colombo crime family’s administration, including then-boss Andrew Russo (who passed away during the pendency of the case), underboss Benjamin “Benji” Castellazzo and consigliere Ralph DiMatteo, as well as captains Theodore Persico, Jr. and Richard Ferrara, and solider Michael Uvino, agreed to use extortionate means, including threats of bodily harm, to force the senior union official to give over a portion of his salary and ultimately to make decisions that would financially benefit the Colombo crime family’s administration. This included pressure from the defendants to force the trustees of the Labor Union’s associated healthcare benefit fund (the “Health Fund”) to select vendors who were associated with the Colombo crime family and handpicked by some of the defendants. Among other goals, the crime family’s administration sought to divert more than $10,000 per month from the Health Fund’s assets to themselves.
In one consensually recorded conversation, Vincent Ricciardo threatened to kill the senior union official, stating that the senior union official would continue to obey him because he knew Ricciardo would “put him in the ground right in front of his wife and kids, right in front of his fucking house, you laugh all you want pal, I’m not afraid to go to jail, let me tell you something, to prove a point? I would f*****g shoot him right in front of his wife and kids, call the police, f**k it, let me go, how long you think I’m gonna last anyway?”
In addition, Ricciardo and fellow Colombo crime family members Castellazzo, DiMatteo, Persico, Ferrara and Uvino joined with others — co-defendants Albert Alimena, Erin Thompkins and Joseph Bellantoni — who assisted other labor unions and health funds to devise a scheme to launder money from Health Fund contracts and vendor payments. These defendants attempted to re-bid Health Fund vendor contracts for claims administration, pharmaceuticals and other health services to persons and companies affiliated with Bellantoni, and to select a company run by Alimena as the Health Fund’s third-party administrator.
Vincent Ricciardo also worked with Bonanno crime family solider John Ragano, who was also known as “Bazoo” and the “Maniac,” in a scheme to issue fraudulent workplace safety training certifications from two occupational safety schools Ragano purported to operate in Long Island. Rather than provide workplace safety trainings required to obtain Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification, Ragano, along with John Glover and Domenick Ricciardo, falsified paperwork submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor and other government agencies which represented that hundreds of workers had completed construction safety training courses when they had not. Vincent Ricciardo plotted to funnel various Union workers to Ragano’s schools for fraudulent certifications and used the facilities to conduct meetings involving members of La Cosa Nostra.
Nine defendants were previously sentenced. Persico, Jr., who the government alleged was slated to be the family’s next crime boss, pled guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and restitution in the amount of $280,890. Underboss Castellazzo pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. Consigliere DiMatteo pled guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and restitution in the amount of $280,890. Solider Michael Uvino pled guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment, forfeiture of $66,000 and restitution in the amount of $280,890. Associate Domenick Ricciardo pled guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment, forfeiture of $25,000 and restitution in the amount of $280,890. Alimena and Bellantoni pled guilty to health care fraud conspiracy and received two years’ probation and fines of $20,000 each. Ragano was sentenced to 57 months’ custody, as well as forfeiture of $500,000. Four defendants await sentencing, including Colombo crime family captain Richard Ferrara and associate Thomas Costa.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Devon Lash, Michael W. Gibaldi and Andrew Reich are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
VINCENT RICCIARDO (also known as “Vinny Unions”)
Age: 77
Franklin Square, New YorkOther Defendants:
ALBERT ALIMENA
Age: 69
Pompano Beach, FloridaJOSEPH BELLANTONI
Age: 41
Massapequa, New YorkBENJAMIN CASTELLAZZO (also known as “Benji”)
Age: 85
Manahawkin, New JerseyTHOMAS COSTA
Age: 54
West Islip, New YorkRALPH DIMATTEO
Age: 68
Merrick, New YorkRICHARD FERRARA
Age: 61
Brooklyn, New YorkJOHN GLOVER
Age: 64
Queens, New YorkVINCENT MARTINO
Age: 45
Medford, New YorkTHEODORE PERSICO, JR. (also known as “Teddy”)
Age: 59
Brooklyn, New YorkJOHN RAGANO (also known as “Bazoo” and the “Maniac”)
Age: 61
Franklin Square, New YorkDOMENICK RICCIARDO
Age: 57
Franklin Square, New YorkERIN THOMPKINS
Age: 55
Franklin Square, New YorkMICHAEL UVINO
Age: 57
Garden City, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-466 (S-1) (HG)
Colbert Resident Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Sidney Dewayne Woods, age 31, of Colbert, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On May 10, 2023, Woods pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, Woods confessed to sexually abusing a minor who was in his care at the time of the abuse. The crime occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Keith Starrett, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee. Woods was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.
Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –Manuel Alejandro Beltran-Quintero, 35, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 120 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Beltran-Quintero pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on September 7, 2023. Five co-defendants also charged in this case pleaded guilty and received sentences of up to 68 months in prison.
On April 15, 2020, Beltran-Quintero coordinated the delivery of nearly 20 kilograms of cocaine in Tucson. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration successfully interdicted the drugs and arrested Beltran-Quintero and his co-conspirators. The investigation revealed that Beltran-Quintero had also coordinated the attempted smuggling of firearms to Mexico on three separate occasions in late 2019, all of which were intercepted by law enforcement.
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 Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stefani Hepford and Ashley Culver, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-01565-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-023_Beltran-Quintero# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Clandestine Cocaine Laboratory Owner and Former Supplier to Clan Del Golfo Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Import Cocaine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edgar Cubillos-Burbano (63, Colombia), a/k/a “Don Julio,” “Julio El Quemado,” and “Efrain Ospina,” has pleaded guilty to conspiring to import 5 or more kilograms of cocaine into the United States. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Cubillos-Burbano was arrested in Necocli, Colombia on November 10, 2021, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant. He was returned to the United States on September 20, 2023.
According to the plea agreement, Cubillos-Burbano was the owner and operator of clandestine cocaine laboratories in northern Colombia and was permitted to operate these laboratories with the permission of Clan Del Golfo, Colombia’s largest drug cartel. He supplied various purchasers, including Clan Del Golfo, and the cocaine was sent either to Central America for ultimate importation to the United States or routed to Europe.
On July 5, 2015, Colombian law enforcement seized approximately 3,082 kilograms of cocaine near the shoreline of Capurgana, Colombia on the border between Colombia and Panama. One of the defendant’s cocaine purchasers was responsible for smuggling this shipment (pictured below), half of which was intended for the United States.
After his arrest in Colombia in connection with this case, Cubillos-Burbano admitted his involvement in this smuggling venture to federal agents. He further admitted to operating clandestine cocaine laboratories with the permission of Clan Del Golfo, including a laboratory capable of producing 300 to 400 kilograms of cocaine every 15 days.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché’s Office at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, and Colombian authorities provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from Colombia of Cubillos-Burbano.
The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
Cincinnati man pleads guilty to committing federal hate crime by physically assaulting Asian American student based on raceRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to committing a federal hate crime by physically assaulting a victim based on the victim’s race.
Darrin Johnson, 27, admitted to physically attacking an Asian American victim on Calhoun Street at the University of Cincinnati on Aug. 17, 2021.
“I remain steadfast in the belief that hate has no place in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “We will continue to use our federal law enforcement authority to investigate and prosecute hate crimes like the one committed by Johnson.”
According to court documents, Johnson made racist comments toward the victim, including, “Go back to your country…You brought the kung flu here…You’re going to die for bringing it.”
After threatening to kill the victim, Johnson punched the victim on the side of his head. The force of the punch caused the victim to fall and hit his head on the bumper of a parked car. Johnson continued his attack on the victim, who was bleeding on the ground, until two bystanders intervened and restrained Johnson.
The victim suffered multiple injuries, including an orbital contusion, facial lacerations and acute head injury.
In October 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and criminal intimidation for the incident and was sentenced to serve 360 days in county jail.
Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2022.
The parties involved in this case have recommended a sentence of up to 22 months in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.
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Cedar City Residents Accused of Stealing 76 Firearms from C-A-L Ranch Stores Face Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A federal grand jury in St. George returned an indictment charging three Cedar City residents with firearm offenses after they were accused of stealing multiple guns from C-A-L Ranch Stores, a licensed dealer of firearms, in Cedar City, Utah.
According to court documents, Russell Wesley Gruber, 29, of Cedar City, Utah; Darrell Glen Devoge, 48, of Cedar City; and Parker Darrell Devoge, 20, of Cedar City, stole multiple firearms in November 2023 from C-A-L Ranch Stores located in Cedar City. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants took and carried away 76 firearms, which include rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols, with the intent to permanently deprive C-A-L Ranch Stores of those firearms. Gruber and Darrell G. Devoge then stored several of the stolen firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
Gruber, Darrell G. Devoge and Parker D. Devoge are charged with theft of firearms from a licensed dealer. Gruber and Darrell G. Devoge are also charged with possession of stolen firearms and felon in possession of firearms. Their initial court appearance on the indictment was Feb. 22, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the United States District Courthouse in St. George, Utah. A jury trial is set for April 29, 2024.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The investigation is being worked jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Cedar City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Burton and Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Cape Girardeau Postal Worker Convicted of Stealing MailRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A jury on Wednesday found a former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier guilty of charges accusing him of stealing and failing to deliver customers’ mail.
After a trial lasting less than two days, Robert Gafford, 33, of Jackson, Missouri, was found guilty of one count of delaying or destroying mail and one count of embezzlement of mail.
Gafford worked out of the Cape Girardeau Post Office annex at the time and was responsible for delivering mail on a rural route in or near Scott City, Missouri. In late 2021, the postmaster received complaints from a couple on Gafford’s delivery route that they were not receiving their mail, including bills and some packages, according to evidence and testimony presented at the trial. The couple have Informed Delivery, a Postal Service program that provides pictures of the mail that is scheduled to be delivered that day. The couple sent postal officials images of mail that was not delivered. The postmaster had a supervisor check daily for mail addressed to the couple. There were days when their mail was not delivered and officials found it at the post office and days in which the mail could not be located, according to evidence and trial testimony. When confronted by supervisors and told he must deliver the mail, Gafford said did not like the location of the victims’ mailbox, according to court records. He was also issued a written warning.
Frustrated when their mail was still not being delivered, the couple mailed an Apple AirTag tracking device to themselves and traced it to Gafford’s home when it wasn't delivered to theirs, the trial showed. A special agent with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General then sent a test piece of mail with a tracking device. Investigators watched as Gafford stopped at his personal vehicle before leaving post office property in his mail vehicle that day. They also independently tracked Gafford’s postal vehicle as he skipped the couple’s mailbox. They tracked the test piece to Gafford’s personal vehicle after he left for the day, then pulled him over and seized the test piece and the couple’s other undelivered mail from his SUV’s glove box, the trial showed.
Gafford is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. Each charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hahn and Christopher Shelton are prosecuting the case.
Brazilian Citizen Previously Convicted of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Minor Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian citizen was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Guilherme Pereira, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served (approximately six weeks) and one year of supervised release. In September 2023, Pereira pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
Pereira was removed from the United States in August 2018 after he was convicted in Massachusetts state court of one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Sometime after his removal, Pereira unlawfully returned to the United States and was arrested in January 2020.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Boston Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for sexual exploitation of children as well as distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Robinson Alberto Baez-Nova, 39, of Jamaica Plain, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 22 years in prison followed by a lifetime supervised release. In August 2023, Baez-Nova pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.
“This Office will do everything in our power to protect children and punish those who traffic in child pornography. Mr. Baez-Nova callously preyed upon some of society’s most vulnerable people, perpetuated a cycle of harm and exploitation and inflicted irreparable damage upon innocent lives. Today’s sentence ensures that this predator will be removed from our communities for nearly two decades and should be a stark warning for anyone who exploits children,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “There is no higher priority than protecting the vulnerable, especially children, from this type of horrific conduct.”
“Robinson Alberto Baez-Nova is a manipulative sexual predator who eagerly took advantage of children living in poverty in the Dominican Republic to sexually exploit them, apparently thinking he would just continue to fly under the radar,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division. “Today’s lengthy sentence proves him wrong and should send a message to anyone else sexually exploiting children: FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force will investigate, hold you accountable, and ensure your destination is federal prison.”
In November 2020, Baez-Nova was identified as the owner of a Google account that uploaded images and videos of CSAM between November 2018 and August 2020.
A subsequent search of Baez-Nova’s cellphone revealed a WhatsApp chat with a 17-year-old male living in the Dominican Republic who had access to his nine-year-old niece. Beginning in or around July 2020, Baez-Nova said that he would send money to the individual and his family in the Dominican Republic if the individual produced CSAM of the minor niece. Ultimately, the individual sent Baez-Nova five different videos of his minor niece in response to the Baez-Nova’s specific requests.
Additionally, a separate WhatsApp chat with a 14-year-old minor female residing in the Dominican Republic was also found on Baez-Nova’s cellphone. In the conversations, Baez-Nova solicited the minor female to obtain images and videos of “little kids” engaged in sexual conduct in exchange for money and sent the minor CSAM, including a video of the nine-year-old minor discussed above.
In total, over 200 images and over 400 videos of CSAM were found on Baez-Nova’s cellphone and in his Google account.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Cohen and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Nashua Police Department; Hillsborough County (N.H.) District Attorney’s Office; and Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mackenzie Duane and Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Bloods Gang Member Who Shot at FBI Agent in Columbus Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Columbus resident and confirmed member of the Bloods criminal street gang who fired multiple rounds at an FBI agent to evade arrest in 2022 was sentenced to prison for his crimes this week.
Jarvis Smith, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 117 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 27, after he pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on Aug. 9, 2023.
Co-defendant Joshuia Johnathon Luke Brown aka “Black,” 26, was sentenced to serve a total of 319 months in prison on Jan. 29, after Brown was convicted by a federal jury of one count of forcible assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, three counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 18, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Clay Land handed down the sentences. The defendants are not eligible for parole.
“Jarvis Smith and Joshuia Brown fired multiple rounds at an FBI agent, striking the agent’s car as well as a nearby home; thankfully, no one was injured or killed,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “All levels of law enforcement are working together to hold violent gang members accountable for their crimes and reduce violence in Columbus and across the Middle District of Georgia.”
“Anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer is dangerous and an extreme threat to public safety. Putting away violent criminals, like Brown and Smith, is one of the most important things we can do to protect our communities,” said Rich Bilson, Senior Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Columbus office. “The FBI will not tolerate any act of violence against another individual, let alone against one of our own. Thankfully, no one—including our Special Agent—was injured during their act of terror. Columbus is a safer community with these gang members off the streets."
“The federal system leveraged justice for both cowards involved,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “This wild west behavior is unacceptable. I am grateful for the work and courage our FBI agents displayed. I see the fruits of their labor in our community. It's making a huge impact with gang and criminal activity.”
According to court documents, federal agents were surveilling Smith and Brown in July 2022 as part of a larger and ongoing investigation into armed drug trafficking in the Columbus community. Through surveillance, agents observed a drug transaction involving Smith and Brown on July 28, 2022, in the vicinity of 1049 Winston Road in Columbus. At 4:35 p.m., Smith departed the scene in his car with Brown. FBI Agent S.A. conducted mobile surveillance as Smith traveled down Wade Street, turning south on Sheridan Avenue. Smith, who was driving, stopped his car in the middle of the road and he and Brown, who was a passenger, stepped outside of the car with weapons pointed in the agent’s direction and fired multiple rounds at the agent’s car, hitting the passenger door, the roof and the rear bumper of the FBI vehicle. One round traveled through the back of the FBI agent’s passenger seat, hitting a small bag on the front passenger side. Another round entered a private residence’s living room window, shattering a painting on the wall. The FBI agent was not injured during the shooting.
FBI and Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office units attempted to stop Smith’s car; Smith and Brown were able to elude law enforcement in a lengthy pursuit by car and on foot. Smith was taken into custody on July 28. After a manhunt that last several days, Brown turned himself in on Aug. 10. Law enforcement recovered a camo backpack dropped by Smith during the pursuit that held a fully loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine, a fully loaded .380 semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. Also, several baggies containing methamphetamine, pills and other illegal drugs were found inside Smith’s backpack. A bag dropped by Brown during the pursuit contained a fully loaded Glock 19X handgun with an extended magazine. Two bullets recovered from the FBI agent’s vehicle matched the Glock 19X found inside Brown’s discarded bag. Both the Glock 19X and the Glock pistol were modified to operate as machine guns.
Smith is a confirmed member of the Bloods criminal street gang and has a prior conviction of aggravated assault, burglary and robbery in Muscogee County, Georgia, Superior Court, Case No. SU-13-Cr-1336. Brown is a member of US World, a hybrid criminal street gang based out of Columbus that is affiliated with other national criminal gangs. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from multiple agencies including the DEA, the Columbus Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Phenix City Police Department and the Russell County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Williams and Crawford Seals prosecuted the cases for the Government.
Bixby Man Sentenced for RobberyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson sentenced Waylon Cody Johnson, 24, to 65 months imprisonment, followed by 2 years of supervised release for Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery. Judge Jackson further ordered Johnson to pay $277.09 in restitution.
According to court documents, on August 21, 2022, Johnson walked into a Subway store with a gun demanding the store employee to “give [him] all the money.” Johnson threatened to kill the employee if they attempted to contact the police and not comply with his demands. It was later determined the gun Johnson used in the robbery was a replica gun that looked like a pistol.
Johnson is a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Bish prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for a Series of Fraud Schemes with Losses of More Than $1.5 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Noel Chimezuru Agoha, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a series of fraud schemes with losses of more than $1.5 million. Judge Hollander also ordered Agoha to pay restitution of $1 million.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, between February 2015 and November 2018, Agoha conspired with others, including co-defendants Sessieu Oulai and Kelechi Ntibunka, to execute a business email compromise (“BEC”) scam.
As part of the scheme, “drop accounts” were opened with financial institutions and controlled by the Agoha and his co-conspirators, in order to receive money from victims of criminal fraud schemes, including the BEC scam, and launder fraud proceeds. Specifically, as detailed in the plea agreement, members of the fraud conspiracy used false and fraudulent e-mails to deceive individuals and companies who were engaged in financial transactions and/or ongoing business relationships with other individuals or entities by impersonating clients, persons in positions of authority, and representatives of companies with whom the victims had ongoing business. Through these false and fraudulent e-mails, the conspirators induced the victims to send money via electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by Agoha and other conspirators. In this way, the Defendant and other conspirators intercepted payments intended for others. Agoha, Oulai, Ntibunka, and other conspirators also monitored drop account activity (deposits, transfers, and balances), relayed information, and provided instruction about transactions to co-conspirators via text messages. In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators received, or attempted to receive, more than $1.1 million in proceeds from BEC scams. Agoha personally obtained approximately $111,242 as a result of the BEC scheme to which he is pleading guilty.
Agoha also joined a fraud conspiracy that conducted dating or romance scams targeting individuals looking for romantic partners or friendships on dating websites and other social media platforms. Specifically, members of the fraud conspiracy created profiles using fake names, locations, images, and personas in order to initiate and cultivate relationships with prospective victims under false pretenses. Once a relationship with a victim was initiated, conspirators attempted to convince or induce the victim to provide money through electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by the conspiracy, and/or items of property through interstate delivery or international shipment. Victims were sometimes induced to conduct transactions at the direction of the conspirators, such as transfers in and out of particular bank accounts.
Agoha used business bank accounts he controlled in Maryland to receive and launder proceeds of dating scams. Proceeds of the fraud that were deposited into Agoha’s accounts were withdrawn and spent through various purchases and payments. Agoha and his co-conspirators accrued more than $1 million in dating scam proceeds.
After pleading guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme, Sessieu Ange Oulai, age 37, of Parkville, Maryland, was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison and Kelechi Arthur Ntibunka, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Judge Hollander also ordered that Oulai and Btibunka pay restitution of $300,000.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darryl Tarver and Paul A. Riley, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Ardmore Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ricky Gene McGee Jr., age 37, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
The Indictment alleged that on October 12, 2022, McGee, having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, and knowing of that conviction, possessed a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ardmore Police Department.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. McGee was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.