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Tuesday 12 December 2023
Oahu Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Weapons PossessionRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Cyrus Croskery, 29, of Oahu, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 25 years imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Judge Watson also imposed five years of supervised release consecutive to Croskery’s prison term. Croskery had been detained since his arrest and will begin serving his prison sentence immediately.
According to information provided to the Court, Croskery, working with others, was responsible for bringing approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine and 40,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl from California to Hawaii from June 2021 to February 2022. On January 31, 2022, Croskery shot an individual, who survived, for allegedly stealing six pounds of methamphetamine from Croskery. On February 3, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working in conjunction with the Honolulu Police Department, arrested Croskery at a hotel in Waikiki. At the time of his arrest, Croskery possessed at his hotel room, home, and other locations nearly two pounds of methamphetamine, over 2,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, one privately manufactured pistol, three additional pistols, two privately manufactured short-barrel rifles, one additional rifle, two firearm suppressors, a bump-stock device, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Among the firearms recovered was the pistol that Croskery used in the January 31, 2022 drug-related shooting.
According to additional information provided to the Court, Croskery misrepresented fentanyl pills as oxycodone pills to drug purchasers. Some of his buyers included active-duty military members. As of 2023, 7 out of 10 pills recovered by the DEA nationally contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
“Our community continues to be plagued by the distribution of methamphetamine, and now increasingly, lethal doses of fentanyl,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors. “This defendant trafficked both drugs, and did so while possessing multiple firearms, making his conduct even more dangerous.”
“The DEA, working alongside and in-conjunction with our local law enforcement partners, is committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our communities, and to keeping all Americans safe from illicit narcotics and its accompanying violence. Dangerous and highly addictive synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are wreaking havoc on our communities and killing people at increasing rates. This case illustrates the collaborative work, alongside our local law enforcement partners, to target and hold drug traffickers accountable who drive addiction and threaten public safety,” said DEA Hawaii District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Victor Vazquez.
DEA, in partnership with the Honolulu Police Department, conducted the investigation that led to this conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorneys W. KeAupuni Akina and Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.
North Tonawanda man going to prison for receipt of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Angstenberger, 48, of North Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison and 10 years supervised released by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that Angstenberger created and used a Snapchat account with the username “catybug1234,” to communicate with, and obtain sexually explicit images from, minor girls. When doing so, he posed as a minor girl. Angstenberger communicated with minor victims in other states and countries. For example, Angstenberger communicated with a victim located in Kentucky (Victim 1), who was 12 years old. On December 5, 2021, Angstenberger asked Victim 1 to send him sexually explicit photos, which she did. Angstenberger communicated with a second victim located in Arkansas (Victim 2), who was approximately 11-12 years old. Victim 2 also sent sexually explicit photos as Angstenberger’s request.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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North Carolina Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing 3 Connecticut men in 2015Read the Press Release
EDWARD MICHAEL PARKS, also known as “Lee” and “Trouble,” 37, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to three consecutive life sentences for federal offenses related to his kidnapping and murdering of two individuals in Hamden, and his killing of a third man in New Haven to stop him from notifying law enforcement.
Today’s announcement was made by United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hamden Police Chief Edward Page Reynolds, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to the evidence presented during his trial, on November 16, 2015, Parks was in an apartment on Shelton Avenue in New Haven to conduct an illegal sale of firearms. Damian Connor and Tamar Lawrence were also present in the apartment. When another individual left the apartment with firearms that he had not paid for, Parks, who was armed, held Connor and Lawrence against their will. Parks collected money and valuables from Connor and Lawrence, and then forced them to travel in Connor’s car to Hamden where Connor said he could get more money. They were followed in another vehicle by Devante Williams and another individual. After the vehicles arrived at 676 Mix Avenue in Hamden, Parks shot and killed Connor and Lawrence. Parks then left the scene with Williams and others in the second vehicle and returned to New Haven.
When Parks perceived Williams as being anxious about the murders of Connor and Lawrence, Parks shot and killed Williams in the area of Sherman Court in New Haven.
On January 19, 2023, Parks was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and one count of witness tampering by killing.
“This is a necessary and appropriate sentence that provides justice for the victims and their loved ones, and will protect society from a ruthless killer,” said U.S. Attorney Avery. “Our office prioritizes the prosecution of those who illegally traffic, possess, and use guns, which wreaks havoc in our communities, especially our cities. I thank our partners in the FBI, Hamden Police Department, New Haven Police Department and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office for their dedicated and collaborative efforts in this critically important investigation.”
“Today’s sentence is appropriate for the level of violence and murder this individual was responsible for while on our streets,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Fuller. “It is our sincere hope that this sentence brings the victim’s families one step closer to some degree of closure.”
“The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, and the Hamden and New Haven Police Departments for their work in this case,” said New Haven State’s Attorney Doyle. “This sentencing reflects that strong partnerships between law enforcement are invaluable in the pursuit of justice for victims and their grieving families. We look forward to this continued collaboration as we all strive each day to make our communities in greater New Haven safer.”
“I hope and pray that the families of these victims will be able to find some closure and peace,” said Hamden Police Chief Reynolds. “I thank and commend Hamden Sergeant Jomo Crawford, New Haven Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the New Haven State’s Attorney Office including now Chief State’s Attorney Pat Griffin and current New Haven State’s Attorney Jack Doyle, Raleigh Detective I.O. Smith, and so many other law enforcement partners who assisted. I would also like to thank the Hamden and New Haven communities who worked with law enforcement to provide valuable information pertaining to these three homicides. This case demonstrated that by successful collaboration at the highest level and working together we were able to get a violent individual off the streets.”
“The New Haven Police Department is extremely grateful to our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s office, FBI, DEA, ATF, and the State’s Attorney’s office,” said New Haven Police Chief Jacobson. “A case like this cannot be brought to justice without this collaboration. I also want to thank then Detective and now Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, who was the NHPD lead, and then Detective Jomo Crawford, who is now Sergeant Crawford. These two and this team committed themselves to justice for the three victims. This shows a strong resolve to help stop the violence in our cities.”
Parks has been in custody since January 2016 and was previously convicted of federal drug and firearm offenses in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hamden Police Department and New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and A. Reed Durham, and Assistant State’s Attorney Seth Garbarsky, who was cross-designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in this matter.
Nigerian Extradited to the District of Nebraska on Business Email Compromise Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the extradition of Afeez Akinloye, 42, a Nigerian national, from South Africa to the District of Nebraska on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and access device fraud filed in July 2018. The United States requested Akinloye’s extradition in November 2021, and South African authorities arrested him based on the U.S. request in September 2022. Subsequently, a South African court ordered his extradition in May 2023, and the Minister of Justice ordered his surrender in September. In coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South African authorities ultimately surrendered Akinloye to the United States on December 8, 2023. Akinloye had an initial appearance on the Indictment on December 12, 2023. United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered Akinloye remain detained pending trial.
The Indictment charges Akinloye with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section, 1349 and with access device fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029. It is alleged that Akinloye participated in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme from September 2016 to June 2017. The BEC scheme involved real estate transactions. Akinloye and his co-conspirators would learn of a real estate transaction closing and send fraudulent emails to have the wire proceeds wired to accounts they could access. As a result of this scheme, business in Nebraska and elsewhere were defrauded of over $1,850,000.
Akinloye is the first of the co-conspirators to appear on the Indictment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Akinloye.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – COREY HALE, age 32, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to 70 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Judge Fallon ordered that HALE be placed on supervised release for three (3) years following release from imprisonment. HALE was also ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to public records, on May 26, 2020, a Louisiana State Police (“LSP”) trooper was conducting speed enforcement near Marrero, LA. The trooper clocked a blue Chevrolet HHR vehicle driving at 101 mph in a 60 mph zone. After stopping the vehicle, the trooper determined that HALE did not have insurance and turned off the ignition. While doing so, the trooper saw and a marijuana and a Taurus Model G2c 9-millimeter firearm on the passenger floorboard of the car. HALE then fled the scene on foot and escaped. The trooper later learned the firearm was stolen and the temporary tag on the vehicle was fake.
On August 3, 2020, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office charged HALE with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as possession of narcotics. On November 29, 2021, an attachment was issued for when HALE failed to appear in Jefferson Parish Criminal Court. A bail bondsmen eventually attempted to locate and arrest HALE at his residence. While doing so, they saw him flee into the backyard. As the bondsmen struggled to arrest HALE, they observed as he pulled a firearm from his waistband. Thereafter, a gun shot went off, striking one of the agents. Eventually, the bondsmen wrestled the firearm, a Bersa Model Thunder, .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun, out of HALE’s hands. HALE later admitted to possessing the handgun.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.
Nampa Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jordan Brown, 28, of Nampa, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, the investigation began in January 2021 when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a CyberTip involving the social media and messaging application Discord. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. ICAC determined that a Discord account, later identified as belonging to Brown, had uploaded child pornography.
ICAC obtained a search warrant for the contents of the Discord account and located numerous files of child pornography within the account. ICAC later contacted Brown and interviewed him. During the interview, Brown admitted to receiving and viewing child pornography.
ICAC seized Brown’s cellphone and obtained a search warrant to examine it. During the examination, ICAC located files of child pornography and evidence that Brown had distributed child pornography to others. ICAC also located evidence that Brown had engaged in online conversations with people who appeared to be juveniles.
U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also sentenced Brown to ten years of supervised release and ordered Brown to pay $12,000 in restitution to the victims in the images he possessed. Brown will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the investigation by the Idaho Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is a partially federally funded cooperative effort between the state, counties, cities, and the United States to protect children from sexual exploitation and online predators. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady prosecuted this 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.
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Money launderer for cartel sent to prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 40-year-old Mexican citizen has been sentenced for international drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, operating on behalf of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ezequiel Alanis Espitia pleaded guilty May 17.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Espitia to serve 324 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted the ongoing drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies spanned over the course of eight years. The conspiracy involved 39 kilograms of cocaine, six kilograms of fentanyl, two and a half kilograms of heroin and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. During the investigation, law enforcement seized $610,400 in drug proceeds. The court also heard Espitia was a leader of the criminal activity, maintained stash houses for the purpose of distributing drugs and was directly involved in the importation of controlled substances from Mexico into the United States.
“The Cartel del Golfo, aka the Gulf Cartel, is a brutal and violent Mexican drug trafficking organization that relies on money launderers and drug distributors, like Espitia, to wash its ill-gotten gains and infect local communities with drugs,” said Hamdani. “This substantial sentence serves as a warning to those who help launder monies and deliver dangerous drugs, such as fentanyl, that destroy our neighborhoods and kill our kids.”
Espitia’s associates, including his brother, Ramiro Alanis Espitia, 44, Mexico, was also sentenced for his role in the conspiracies and received 60 months in prison to be immediately followed by four years supervised release. Espitia’s wife, Brenda Natalie Alanis Duran, 39, Houston, and his sister, Maria Isabel Lara Alanis, 55, Mexico, were also convicted and will be sentenced on Dec. 13 and Jan. 17, 2024, respectively.
To date, a total of 16 have been convicted for their roles in the conspiracies and have received sentences between 12 and 81 months.
Espitia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Houston Police Department.
This Operation, dubbed “Walking Eagle,” 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 Houston Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that designated Consolidated Priority Organization or Regional Priority Organization Targets head with their affiliates and that impact Houston and south Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.
Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 5 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking in MadisonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Emmanuel Herrera Sanchez, 41, Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Herrera Sanchez pleaded guilty to this charge on September 26, 2023.
On April 14, 2022, a confidential informant coordinated with Emmanuel Herrera Sanchez to purchase 10 kilograms of methamphetamine for $49,000. Co-defendant Julio Alvarez Sanchez traveled to meet with the confidential informant at a parking lot in Madison and provided the confidential informant a toolbox containing 6.77 kilograms of methamphetamine. Alvarez Sanchez was arrested following the drug deal. Herrera Sanchez was arrested on June 13, 2022, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers as he attempted to enter the United States from Mexico near Nogales, Arizona.
Alvarez Sanchez was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted to coordinating the April 14 delivery of methamphetamine with Herrera Sanchez and another associate, Juana Armenta Mora, who herself had delivered 973 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant about two weeks prior to the April 14, 2022 drug deal. Alvarez Sanchez also said he had completed additional deliveries of methamphetamine for Herrera Sanchez.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that this was a very serious drug crime given the great quantity of methamphetamine involved and that it occurred in the context of an organized drug operation. In arriving at the five-year sentence, Judge Peterson weighed these aggravating factors against Herrera Sanchez’s lack of a prior criminal record.
Co-defendant Julio Alvarez Sanchez pleaded guilty to distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced by Judge Peterson to 60 months in federal prison on April 6, 2023. Juana Armenta Mora pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine and was sentenced by Judge Peterson to 15 months in federal prison on December 22, 2022.
The charge against Herrera Sanchez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Kathryn E. Ginsberg prosecuted this case.
Maximum Sentence for Crowbar AttackRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christopher Travon Brown, 32, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation from Tulsa to a statutory maximum term of 120 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Brown was sentenced on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country.
According to court documents, in June 2022, Christopher Brown drove himself and another person to the victim’s house. After arriving at the residence, Brown entered the victims’ garage, grabbed a 24-inch, steel crowbar, broke down a locked bedroom door and beat the victim and victim’s girlfriend with the crowbar.
Brown assaulted the male victim with repeated blows to the body and head. At one point during the attack, Brown wielded the crowbar over his head and hit the top of the male victim’s skull and fractured it. Brown also assaulted the victim’s girlfriend with the crowbar and struck her repeatedly, causing blunt force trauma to her arm. The male victim sustained injuries to his head, including a fractured skull, a subdural hematoma, a subarachnoid bleed, a laceration to the scalp, and a laceration to the right hand. He was transported to a hospital where he was placed in intensive care. After the assault, Brown wiped the blood off of the crowbar and fled from the scene. He was later found and arrested. At first, Brown claimed self-defense, but once he was confronted with evidence, he admitted to police that he broke through the door, assaulted both victims with a crowbar, and fled the scene.
Today at sentencing, the United States argued that Brown was a threat to public safety. Further, that because of Brown’s extensive criminal history, including both drug and assault convictions, the seriousness of the instant offense, the need to provide just punishment, and to deter future criminal conduct by Brown, the statutory maximum sentence of 120 months imprisonment was appropriate. Brown will remain in federal custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and Broken Arrow Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.
Maryland Tax Preparer Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for preparing and filing false tax returns on behalf of his clients following his conviction by a federal jury in Greenbelt.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Eugene Watson, also known as Sabir Muhammad, was a self-employed tax return preparer who operated SW Accounting Associates (SWAA) in Largo, Maryland. The evidence proved that from at least 2015 through 2017, Watson willfully prepared and electronically filed tax returns with the IRS on behalf of his clients, which falsely reported income and deduction information, including fictitious or overstated business and unreimbursed employee expenses. The false deductions reduced clients’ tax liability, often resulting in large, inflated refunds to which they were not entitled. According to witness testimony, Watson varied his preparation fees depending on the amount of the refund requested, with fees typically ranging from $500 to $1,500.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang also ordered Watson to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $268,634 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah B. Grossi for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.
Maryland Tax Preparer Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Ronald Eugene Watson, also known as Sabir Muhammad, age 59, of Brandywine, Maryland, today to 27 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for 23 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Judge Chuang also ordered Watson to pay restitution of $268,634.35. Watson was convicted on March 9, 2023, after an eight-day trial.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Watson was a self-employed tax return preparer operating SW Accounting Associates (“SWAA”) in Largo, Maryland. The evidence proved that from at least 2015 to at least 2017, Watson prepared and electronically filed with the IRS fraudulent Forms 1040 and related Schedules A and C for his taxpayer-clients. Watson included inflated and fictitious tax deductions and fraudulent business profits and losses in order to obtain larger tax refunds to which the taxpayer-clients were not entitled. According to witness testimony, Watson varied his preparation fees depending on the amount of the refund requested, with fees typically ranging from approximately $500 up to approximately $1,500. The tax loss to the United States was $325,330. Additionally, Watson failed to file his own tax returns for two years and willfully filed false tax returns in three other years.
U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron and Mr. Goldberg also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Leah B. Grossi and Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who prosecuted 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Marion County Woman Pleads Guilty to More Than $600,000 Payroll Theft from Alternative SchoolRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Danielle Jane Liles (41, Summerfield) has pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire fraud. For each count, she faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Liles will also be ordered to forfeit $616,793.43, which represents the proceeds of her offenses. Her sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, between January 11, 2016, and April 10, 2023, Liles devised a scheme to defraud Silver River Mentoring and Instruction (SRMI), an alternative school for middle and high school students. During this time, Liles handled the payroll at SRMI. Liles had 137 unauthorized paychecks issued in her name by logging false information into SRMI’s accounting software. She then received the paychecks through Automated Clearinghouse Services (ACH) wire transfers directly into her bank account. During a financial review with the school’s executive staff in April 2023, Liles admitted that she had been “paying [herself] extra money” and had become addicted to stealing the payroll funds.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearm After Prior ConvictionsRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Terence C. Kern sentenced Jacob Nolan Jessup, 35, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, to 71 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Jessup was indicted in October of 2022 and ultimately plead guilty to two separate counts for felon in possession of a firearm. Both counts included violations that occurred within four and a half months of each other. In March of 2022, Tulsa Police Department responded to a 911 call of a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot. When officers arrived to investigate, they found Jessup asleep in his vehicle. Officers woke Jessup who then opened the door and then closed it on officers. After being asked again to step out of the vehicle, Jessup got out of the vehicle. Jessup provided officers with an ID card and admitted that his driver’s license was suspended. A record check that revealed Jessup had outstanding felony warrants. Jessup was searched and an empty holster was found on his waist band. Officers then searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun. The firearm was reported stolen out of Broken Arrow.
The second charged offense occurred in August of 2020. In that incident, Tulsa Police officers responded to a 911 call of an assault in process. Officers arrived to see Jessup walking away from the area. The 911 caller had observed Jessup throwing something into a nearby dumpster nearby. Officers found the discarded loaded firearm in the dumpster.
Jessup will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.
This case was 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Man Convicted of Obtaining Money by Threat from Strip Club in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been convicted in federal court of obtaining money by threat from a strip club in a Chicago suburb.
ROMMELL KELLOGG, 71, of Harvey, Ill., was convicted Monday on all five counts against him, including conspiracy to commit theft and intimidation and causing the use of facilities in interstate commerce to promote theft and intimidation. The jury returned its verdicts after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Each count of conviction is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not immediately set a sentencing date.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Kellogg and a co-conspirator, COREY JOHNSON, 68, of Dolton, Ill., are cousins whose relatives served in high-ranking positions in Harvey government. From 2003 to 2018, Kellogg and Johnson conspired to regularly demand and collect payments from a Harvey strip club based on threats that the city of Harvey would potentially interfere with the club’s operations if the payments were not made. In exchange for the payments, the business was allowed to continue to operate, even though the conspirators and others knew that acts of prostitution were occurring onsite.
Johnson served as a bagman in the conspiracy, receiving bi-weekly $3,000 payments from the business and delivering the money to Kellogg. Johnson pleaded guilty to a theft charge prior to trial. He is awaiting sentencing.
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Machelle L. Jindra, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Franzblau and Megan DeMarco.
Lorain Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Possessing Methamphetamine and Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko announced today that Brandon O. Chambers, 41, of Lorain, Ohio, was sentenced to 168 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver after a jury convicted Chambers of one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and trial testimony, on October 28, 2021, Avon patrol officers stopped Chambers’ vehicle for speeding and having no license plates. Following his arrest, police found a firearm in Chambers vehicle along with approximately 218.7 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine. Chambers has multiple prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possession of firearms.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by Avon Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Payum Doroodian and Vanessa Healy.
Leader of violent, cartel-connected, drug trafficking ring sentenced to 17 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A top leader of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region, was sentenced today U.S. District Court in Seattle to 17 years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Luis Arturo Magana-Ramirez, 35, of Fife, Washington, was arrested in July 2020 and pleaded guilty in July 2022. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said Magana-Ramirez “had a leadership role in an organization bringing large quantities of drugs into the area, particularly fentanyl which is wreaking havoc in our community.”
“This defendant had a successful career as a contractor until he succumbed to the dark allure of drug money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “He not only flooded our communities with dangerous drugs, he sought out firearms to impose his will on rivals and debtors and to keep the dollars flowing to him and to his bosses in the cartel. He has earned this lengthy prison term.”
Magana-Ramirez led a transnational drug trafficking organization. Law enforcement has linked the organization to a cartel in Mexico. Magana-Ramirez was responsible for bringing large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into Western Washington. Magana-Ramirez also pursued those who owed drug debts to the organization. At various times on the wiretap, federal law enforcement heard Magana-Ramirez threatening to beat or murder those who owed the organization money. In at least one instance, law enforcement moved in to protect a target of Magana-Ramirez’ threats of violence.
When Magana-Ramirez was arrested on July 28, 2020, he possessed two firearms – one of them had been reported stolen and the other had an obliterated serial number. Magana-Ramirez could not legally possess firearms as he is a Mexican national who is illegally present in the U.S.
In all, this drug ring was responsible for bringing more than 120 pounds of meth into the region as well as heroin, fentanyl pills, and cocaine.
In asking the court to impose a 17-year prison term, prosecutors wrote, “Magana-Ramirez oversaw the redistribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs in our community. He drove the success of this drug trafficking organization (DTO) through fear by organizing, directing, and arming subordinates and himself, and then using threats and violent confrontations to ensure that the DTO and its members continued to turn profits. Month after month, investigators intercepted Magana-Ramirez and his coconspirators plotting to kidnap and murder debtors, and even fellow DTO members.”
“This lengthy sentence highlights the seriousness of Mr. Magana-Ramirez’ leadership role in a group that brought despair to our community,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Our community is a little safer today because of this sentence.”
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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Thurston County Narcotics Team (TNT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
Jury Convicts Gang Members in Murder PlotRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted three men yesterday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 in Franklin. All three were members or associates of a Blood-affiliated gang that operated in Franklin. The group engaged primarily in narcotics trafficking, as well as some robberies and beatings to protect their territory. When a high-ranking member of their group was murdered by a rival Crip-affiliated gang, the group hunted down and shot several members of the Crip-affiliated group. One of the victims was shot in the hand and leg, two more victims received gunshots to their torsos, leaving each with colostomy bags and other permanent injuries.
Jenkins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 16, 2024. Brooks faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on April 18, 2024. Newsome faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on April 23, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; Steve Patterson, Chief of Franklin Police; and Josh Wyche Sr., Southampton County Sheriff, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor and Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. Significant assistance was provided by law student Madison Albrecht.
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.
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. 2:22-cr-101.
Jury Convicts Arlington Doctor of Illegal Opioid DistributionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury today convicted an Arlington woman of illegally prescribing and distributing oxycodone pills, a controlled substance.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kirsten Van Steenberg Ball, 69, issued prescriptions for over one million oxycodone pills. Ball was a primary care physician who operated a medical practice out of her home in Arlington. She conspired with her office manager, Candy Marie Calix, 41, of Front Royal, to shield from law enforcement and regulatory authorities the fact that she was dispensing vast quantities of oxycodone to her patients—contrary to ordinary standards of medical care.
“Dr. Kirsten Ball’s actions, as detailed by the evidence presented at trial and accepted by the jury, are a perversion of the role of medical practitioners in prescribing opioids,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Medication meant to be carefully provided to people in severe pain was instead prescribed excessively – with no regard for patients’ safety or where the pills would end up. For over a decade, Dr. Ball was at the epicenter of a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone via a network of individuals posing as patients who were prescribed over a million pills. She blatantly abused legitimate healthcare procedures, despite clear knowledge of the law and warnings from regulatory agencies of the danger her actions posed to patients. I am very grateful to the EDVA trial team and the FBI for their work to hold Dr. Ball accountable.”
“Today’s verdict demonstrates the seriousness of illegal opioid distribution and the commitment of law enforcement to bring to justice those who chose to endanger the lives of others,” said David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. “Kirsten Ball knew her actions were illegal yet, for years, she abused her position of trust by providing individuals in chronic pain with excessive amounts of oxycodone. Ball’s conviction affirms that a medical professional's disregard for their patient's well-being and the law will not be tolerated. I’m grateful for those who worked tirelessly to hold her accountable.”
The Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP) investigated Ball in 2014 and 2015, then again in 2021 for excessive and improper prescribing of oxycodone. Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Ball falsified records that she submitted to DHP to cover up the fact that she was prescribing oxycodone to patients for no legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice.
Court records showed that Calix was herself a patient of Ball. Ball prescribed Calix approximately 50,000 oxycodone pills over a period of approximately 10 years. Following the first DHP investigation, Ball directed Calix to use a false name in her capacity as office manager to hide the fact that Calix was receiving oxycodone from Ball.
Additionally, evidence presented at trial revealed that Ball directed Calix to recruit other individuals—including several of Calix’s immediate family members—to become pain patients of Dr. Ball’s so that she could prescribe similarly large quantities of oxycodone to them. Calix, in turn, then sold the tens of thousands of oxycodone pills that Ball prescribed to them.
Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Ball prescribed oxycodone to drug traffickers and drug addicts in exchange for hundreds of dollars. In addition, several patients became addicted while receiving oxycodone. Ball generally did not accept new patients unless an established patient vouched for them. This was because, as Ball told Calix, she feared that an unvetted new patient could be an undercover law enforcement officer.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to introduce an undercover individual, purporting to be the nephew of an existing patient. In recorded conversations, the undercover told Ball that he was sharing pills with his family members. In response, Ball told the undercover that was “a felony,” that she would simply not write it down in his patient file, and not to tell anybody else. She continued to prescribe escalating quantities of oxycodone to the undercover.
Additional evidence presented at trial from Ball’s own medical files revealed that, even after the Virginia Board of Medicine sanctioned Ball in 2015 for her prescribing practices, Ball continued to prescribe oxycodone to patients showing blatant signs of drug dependence, abuse, diversion, and addiction. For example, she continued to prescribe to multiple patients who submitted urine tests that were positive for illegal drugs, writing that the failed drug tests were caused by eating poppy seeds and using hand lotion containing cocaine. Ball also continued to prescribe to multiple patients that had been arrested and convicted for selling illegal drugs as well as for selling the oxycodone that she prescribed. Further, Ball continued to prescribe to multiple patients who asked for early refills of oxycodone based on unsubstantiated claims of lost or stolen pills. She prescribed multiple patients as many as 360 oxycodone 30-mg tablets per month, and prescribed similarly high quantities of oxycodone to multiple members of families, spouses, and close friends.
Ball was also shown to have paid patients to perform manual labor on her home and vehicles, sometimes while concurrently prescribing the patients oxycodone, ostensibly for long-term pain. She had three of her patients providing unpaid cleaning services at her home bi-weekly for a number of years during the conspiracy.
Evidence adduced at trial revealed that Ball told multiple patients that they would never be able to find another doctor who would prescribe as much oxycodone as she would, and told one that no other doctor would prescribe oxycodone for him at all.
Ball was convicted on 20 counts and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison as to each count of conviction when sentenced on February 27, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Calix was sentenced to seven years in prison on September 28, 2022, for conspiring to distribute oxycodone.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Heather D. Call are 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.
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. 1:23-cr-80.
Jefferson Parish Man Indicted for Federal Weapons OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RONALD TAYLOR, age 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). According to the indictment, TAYLOR was in possession of three firearms and ammunition.
If convicted, TAYLOR faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, at least three years of supervised release, as well as a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Indictment Charges Mexican National with Illegally Reentering U.S. after DeportationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CARLOS FERNANDEZ-BARRITOS, also known as “Ricardo Fernandez,” 30, a citizen of Mexico formerly residing in East Hartford, has been charged by indictment with illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on December 11, 2014, Fernandez was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to approximately 14 months of imprisonment, time already served, for his role in a narcotics trafficking ring. Fernandez was deported and removed from the U.S. to Mexico in January 2015.
It is further alleged that Fernandez subsequently illegally reentered the U.S. On November 4, 2022, Fernandez was arrested by Hartford Police for disorderly conduct, threatening, assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and interfering with police. He was released on a $20,000 bond shortly thereafter. On March 15, 2023, the East Hartford Police Department responded to a report that Fernandez had stabbed his domestic partner. Fernandez fled before police arrived, and an arrest warrant charging him with assault in the second degree, violation of a restraining order, and disorderly conduct is still outstanding.
Fernandez has been detained since August 15, 2023, when he was arrested on federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the U.S. On November 20, 2023, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging him with the offense. Fernandez appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty.
If convicted of the charge of illegal reentry, Fernandez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Jessica Casey.
IT consultant sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returnsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Angela Brady has been sentenced for filing false tax returns in connection with her IT consulting business. Brady falsely claimed she incurred millions of dollars in contract labor expenses, and despite making millions of dollars in income, sought and received refunds during tax season.
“Brady’s criminal greed coupled with business savvy allowed her to skirt her tax obligations for years,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of such greed-based offenses and should serve as a reminder that we all have an obligation to be truthful in tax filings.”
“As people prepare for the 2024 tax season, this sentencing serves as an important reminder that willfully filing false tax returns is defrauding the U.S. government,” said Lisa Fontanette, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS-Criminal Investigation in partnership with the US Attorney’s Office is ensuring those who do defraud the government are held accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Brady operated a profitable IT software consulting business, AB Williams & Associates. While she had no full-time employees, she often contracted her work out to contractors in India, who she paid via PayPal. Between 2013 and 2018, Brady claimed that she incurred millions of dollars more than she actually incurred paying these contractors via PayPal. As a result, she was able to reduce her taxable income by her claimed business expenses, and in some years, obtained a tax refund from the IRS despite earning more than $1 million in income.
Brady accomplished this fraud by providing false spreadsheets to her tax preparer and later provided a similar false spreadsheet to IRS agents. Brady’s fraud resulted in a loss of close to $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.
Angela Brady, also known as “Angela Brady-Williams,” 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to two years, nine months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, and she was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,080,606.44. Brady was convicted on these charges on June 12, 2023, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Dillingham and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Krepp prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Houstonian sent to prison after two violent armed robberiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 51-year-old man has been sentenced following his convictions for committing two armed robberies in 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately two hours after a three-day trial before convicting Hezron Benjamin Stuart, March 15 on two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has now handed Stuart a 128-month term of imprisonment for the robberies. He also received 120 months for each firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The total 368-month prison term will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Stuart’s lengthy and violent criminal history, as well as three additional armed robberies he committed in 2019.
“Bank robbery is not a victimless crime,” said Hamdani. “Mr. Stuart spent his entire life committing violent crimes in our city. In multiple armed robberies he shot a gun and seriously injured a store clerk. This sentence will ensure the citizens of Houston are protected from his brazen criminal conduct in the future.”
The jury heard evidence that on May 18, 2019, Stuart robbed the Corner Food Mart located on Mangum Street and discharged his firearm.
On May 23, 2019, Stuart robbed a Citgo Gas Station located at South Loop East. The store clerk refused to give up the cash and was ultimately shot.
At trial, the jury heard from witnesses in both cases, including the surviving shooting victim. The victim identified Stuart as the person who robbed and shot at them.
In addition, an examiner compared Stuart’s fingerprints to those left at the Citgo gas station robbery and ultimately determined them to be the same.
Stuart represented himself during the trial and claimed he was not the individual who committed the robberies. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
Stuart has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI conducted the investigation as part of the ATF Houston Crime Gun Strike Force with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Houston Forensic Science Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and Britni Cooper prosecuted the case.
The ATF Houston Crime Gun Strike Force was created as a joint effort between the ATF And HPD to combat the growing trend in crimes involving firearms.
Honduran National Charged with Illegal Re-Entry and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – VAIRON LOBO-BARAHONA, age 30, a native of Honduras, was indicted for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A), and illegal re-entry by a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, on or about November 23, 2023, LOBO-BARAHONA, an alien illegally present in the United States, was found in possession of a Smith and Wesson handgun.
For the charge of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, LOBO-BARAHONA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. For the charge of illegal re-entry by a removed alien, LOBO-BARAHONA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years, up to one (1) year of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee as to each charge.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Hollywood Hills Man and Australian Man Face Federal Charges Alleging They Ran $25 Million Cryptocurrency Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
FIRST SUPERSEDING INDICTMENTLOS ANGELES – A superseding indictment was unsealed yesterday charging an Australian national and a Hollywood Hills man with operating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of more than $25 million.
According to court documents, David Gilbert Saffron, 51, of Australia, and Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., 52, of the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, allegedly conspired to operate a fraudulent scheme to induce victims to invest in various trading programs that falsely promised to employ an artificial intelligence automated trading bot to trade victims’ investments in cryptocurrency markets and earn high-yield profits. Saffron and Mazzotta promoted the investment programs under various names including Circle Society, Bitcoin Wealth Management, Omicron Trust, Mind Capital, and Cloud9Capital. Rather than investing victims’ funds in cryptocurrency, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly misappropriated victims’ funds to pay for personal expenses including private chartered jet flights, luxury hotel accommodations, private mansion rentals, a personal chef, and private security guards.
To execute the scheme, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly created a fictious entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve. The indictment alleges that, after inducing victims to invest in one of the cryptocurrency investment programs, Saffron and Mazzotta fraudulently solicited victims to pay the Federal Crypto Reserve to investigate and recover the victims’ losses. To conceal his identity, Saffron often allegedly solicited victims under various aliases, including David Gilbert and Dave Gabe, and under various online personas, including the Blue Wizard and Bitcoin Yoda.
Saffron and Mazzotta also allegedly conspired to obstruct official proceedings by concealing assets, concealing or destroying evidence, and falsifying records. The defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal the source and location of victims’ cryptocurrency investments through various means, including using methods known as “blockchain hopping” and through services known as “mixers” or “tumblers” that are designed to prevent cryptocurrency tracing.
Saffron and Mazzotta are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Saffron is also alleged to have committed felonies while on pre-trial release. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, 10 years for each money laundering count, and five years for conspiracy to obstruct justice. Saffron also faces up to 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for committing felonies while on pre-trial release.
United States Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney James Hughes of the Major Frauds Section, and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and are prosecuting the case.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously charged Saffron by complaint.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
High-Level Trafficker Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 12, 2023
SAN DIEGO –Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez of Guatemala pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and his co-conspirators coordinated the smuggling of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Guatemala with an ultimate destination of the United States.
Castillo-Hernandez was arrested on August 31, 2021, in Guatemala and extradited to the United States in February 2022 along with two others. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2024 at 9 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.
Court documents described Castillo-Hernandez as an organizer and leader in the conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere. The conspiracy spanned at least 2017 to July 2020.
The defendants were arrested as part of a multi-year investigation targeting high-level cocaine traffickers operating in northwest Guatemala and which exposed the inner workings of cocaine trafficking in that country. The probe involved multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and multiple federal districts.
“This case demonstrates the impact of dedicated partnerships across the United States, reaching into Guatemala to prevent immeasurable amounts of cocaine from arriving on our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “While Mr. Castillo-Hernandez is being held accountable today, the bigger message is to the organizers who push this poison north. The long arm of American justice will reach across the globe to protect our communities.”
“This guilty plea of a known drug trafficker is the culmination of years of collaborative efforts between HSI and our partners at the Department of Justice,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz, “The joint effort has significantly impacted this international criminal organization’s ability to import dangerous drugs into the United States.”
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
DEFENDANT Case Number 20cr2242-DMS
Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez Age: 34 Guatemala
aka “Metal” aka “Joker”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation into the United States–
Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 959, 960, 963Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 853
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Homeland Security Investigations Attaché, Guatemala
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International AffairsU.S. Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)Harnett County Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Exploitation of a Child and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Dunn man was sentenced today to 600 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
According to court records, JOSHUAH TAYLOR BRADSHAW, 33, was arrested after his roommate discovered a series of disturbing photos and videos associated with his email account. After the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was notified of possible criminal activity, they executed a search warrant on BRADSHAW’S personal devices where they discovered evidence that he had abused a minor as well as 150 videos and 200 images of child pornography. BRADSHAW was subsequently arrested in August 2020.
In June 2021, the HCSO contacted the FBI for additional assistance investigating the case. A review of forensic files revealed over 600 images and 500 videos of sexually explicit content including minors. The files also included instances of BRADSHAW abusing a minor that he then distributed to other individuals.
BRADSHAW was sentenced to a 600-month term of imprisonment followed by 25 years of supervised release by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, BRADSHAW was ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $27,500.00 and special assessments totaling $5,200.00. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography on June 20, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K. P. Kennedy Gates.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Grand Jury - December 2023Read the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned nine unsealed Indictments charging 11 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Ravier Olivas-Valenzuela, age 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, and Carlos Daniel Ruelas, age 21, of Phoenix, are charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Olivas-Valenzuela with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine on or about July 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Ruelas with possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of a mixture of cocaine on or about July 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jaime Ramos-Gonzalez, age 63, of Lexington, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine on or about September 20, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* Brian I. Gonzalez, age 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charge Gonzalez with receipt and distribution of child pornography from between on or about March 27, 2023, and on or about November 15, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Gonzalez with possession of child pornography on or about November 15, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* James L. Hatten, II, age 52 of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a five-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Hatten with sex trafficking of a minor and production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Hatten with sexual exploitation of children from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Counts IV and V charge Hatten with distribution of a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21 from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 1 year and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 6 years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Gene Milton Jr., age 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Milton with possession with intent to deliver 400 grams or more of fentanyl on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Milton with possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 30 years’ up to life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Milton with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than three years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Ronnie James Colvin, III, age 21, of Omaha, Nebraska and Jonathan Ayer, age 20, of Omaha, Nebraska, are charged in a five-count Indictment. Count I charges Colvin and Ayer with conspiracy to commit bank fraud from no later than January 31, 2023, and continuing to December 7, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Counts II and III charges Colvin and Ayer with bank fraud on or about May 5, 2023, and on or about May 12, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Colvin with robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States on or about January 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 25 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Colvin with using, carrying, or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on or about January 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 7 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than three years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Neon Chang, age 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Chang with production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about January 18, 2019, and or about February 17, 2019. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Chang with receipt or distribution of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from at least on or about April 5, 2022, and continuing to on or about March 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Chang with possession of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about November 30, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Georgia Man Sentenced for Misuse of a Social Security Number and for Stealing the Identity of a Syracuse University GraduateRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Gregory William Hill, age 39, of Georgia, whose many aliases include Gregory Allen Davis, Gregory William Davis, Gregory Davis Dutton, and John Martin Hill, was sentenced today to 45 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to misuse of a social security number and aggravated identity theft.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Hill previously pled guilty and admitted that in 2018 he impersonated a graduate of Syracuse University and fraudulently attempted to obtain copies of the victim’s final transcript and diploma from the university. In furtherance of his scheme, Hill sent the university a copy of a Virginia driver’s license displaying Hill’s picture and the victim’s name. Hill also fraudulently presented his own social security card as the victim’s and attempted to convince Syracuse University officials that the university needed to update its files with respect to the victim’s social security number. Hill also admitted that he applied for a job with a non-profit health care company based in Virginia while posing as the victim and falsely claiming to be a Syracuse University graduate. Hill never attended Syracuse University, and he is currently serving a 7-year prison sentence in Georgia for a serial romance fraud scheme that caused some to call him the “Sweetheart Swindler.”
Hill’s federal sentence will run consecutive to the 7-year prison term he is currently serving in Georgia. Hill will be on federal supervised release for 3 years following his release from imprisonment.
The FBI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry prosecuted this case.
Fort Myers Felon Sentenced to More Than 33 Years in Prison for Carjacking Spree and Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Edward James Bess III (29, Fort Myers) to 33 years and 4 months in federal prison for carjacking causing serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and carjacking. The court also ordered Bess to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he used and illegally possessed. Bess pleaded guilty to the offenses on July 6, 2023.
According to court documents, on the night of November 24, 2021, Bess approached Victim 1 in the parking lot of a business located on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers while Victim 1 was standing near his pickup truck. Bess confronted Victim 1 and demanded Victim 1’s keys while brandishing a Cobra model CA380, .380 firearm. As Victim 1 moved towards the front driver door area of his vehicle to retrieve a firearm for protection, a struggle ensued, and Bess shot Victim 1 in his lower abdomen area. After being shot, Victim 1 ran to the other side of the vehicle and Bess entered Victim 1’s truck. Very shortly after, Bess exited the truck and chased Victim 1 while holding and pointing Victim 1’s firearm, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson. Bess then shot Victim 1 in the leg using Victim 1’s firearm and retrieved Victim 1’s car keys. Bess entered the pickup truck again and fled the area.
The next day, Bess abandoned Victim 1’s truck along I-75 in Sumter County. That evening, around 6:30 p.m., Bess approached Victim 2 as he was unloading luggage from his SUV in a hotel parking lot in Wildwood. Bess approached Victim 2, brandishing a black firearm, and demanded that Victim 2 hand over his wallet, phone, and car keys. Bess entered Victim 2’s SUV and fled the area. Deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) immediately responded to the area. Moments later, SCSO deputies located Bess driving Victim 2’s vehicle near County Road 229. As deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Bess sped off and a high-speed chase ensued. The stolen vehicle eventually came to a stop, after it crashed through a fence and drove into a wooded area. Bess exited the vehicle and eventually surrendered to SCSO deputies.
The next day, a Cobra .380 firearm was found at the entrance of a residence near the area of the high-speed chase. The firearm did not have a magazine in its magazine well. A SCSO Crime Scene Specialist later located a .380 magazine under the front driver seat of Victim 2’s stolen vehicle. DNA evidence later linked Bess to the .380 firearm. Additionally, ballistic testing revealed a .380 casing recovered from the Fort Myers carjacking incident and shooting matched a test-fired cartridge casing from the Cobra .380 recovered in Sumter County. Additionally, DNA swabs taken from inside of Victim 1’s stolen truck, as well as items left in the truck, were also linked to Bess’s DNA.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.
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.
Former global diversity executive at Facebook pleads guilty to defrauding company out of more than $4 millionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Barbara Furlow-Smiles, a former global diversity executive at Facebook, has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company utilizing an elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks.
“This defendant abused a position of a trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Motivated by greed, she used her time to orchestrate an elaborate criminal scheme in which fraudulent vendors paid her kickbacks in cash. She even involved relatives, friends, and other associates in her crimes, all to fund a lavish lifestyle through fraud rather than hard and honest work.”
“Furlow-Smiles used lies and deceit to defraud both vendors and Facebook employees,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI works hard to make sure greed like this doesn’t pay off and those who commit fraud are held accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Barbara Furlow-Smiles served as Lead Strategist, Global Head of Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Engagement at Facebook, Inc., now known as Meta Platforms, Inc., doing business as Meta. From about January 2017 to September 2021, she led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook and was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs. In her position, Furlow-Smiles had access to company credit cards. She also maintained authority to submit purchase requisitions and approve invoices for authorized vendors of Facebook.
Furlow-Smiles used her position at Facebook to cheat and defraud the company. She caused Facebook to pay numerous individuals for goods and services never provided to the company. Those individuals then paid kickbacks to Furlow-Smiles, often in cash. Her scheme operated in two ways.
First, Furlow-Smiles linked PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives, and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook. But these individuals did not provide goods or services to the company. Most of them did not know that the payments came from Facebook. To conceal the bogus charges on her Facebook credit cards, Furlow-Smiles submitted fraudulent expense reports, falsely claiming that her associates or their businesses performed work on programs and events for Facebook, such as providing swag or marketing services when, in fact, they had not done so.
After these associates received payments from Facebook, they returned most of the money to Furlow-Smiles. They paid these kickbacks in cash and through transfers to accounts held in her husband’s and others’ names. Associates paid cash kickbacks in person and by Federal Express or mail, sometimes wrapping the cash in other items, such as T-shirts. To further conceal her actions, Furlow-Smiles also directed associates to pay one another, or others who she owed money.
Second, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to onboard several vendors that were owned and operated by friends and associates who also paid her kickbacks. After Facebook approved contracts for these vendors, Furlow-Smiles approved purchase requisitions for these purported vendors to work for Facebook. Furlow-Smiles then approved fraudulent and inflated invoices to pay the vendors. After Facebook paid the invoices, Furlow-Smiles directed the vendors to return a portion of the money to her.
Furlow-Smiles recruited numerous individuals to receive money and pay kickbacks as part of the scheme. These individuals included friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor. She also caused Facebook to make payments for her benefit to others who did not pay kickbacks. For example, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to pay nearly $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition.
In total, Furlow-Smiles stole more than $4 million from Facebook based on fictitious charges and fraudulent invoices for which goods and services were never provided to the company. She used the money to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia.
Sentencing for Barbara Furlow-Smiles, also known as “Barbara Furlow,” 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for March 19, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Meta provided valuable assistance and cooperation during the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Bernita B. Malloy are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
This release has been edited to correct the defendant's former position title.
Former Police Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Sex Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Douglas Perdick, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child sex abuse materials.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that on Nov. 23, 2020, an FBI online covert employee accessed a group on a mobile application while working in an undercover capacity and observed a link which had been posted by another user. The FBI employee accessed the link, which ultimately led to a folder containing multiple videos of child sex abuse materials. During the investigation, FBI discovered that the user was Perdick, who was a former police officer. FBI obtained the IP address used by Perdick to share the link to the child sex abuse materials and linked the IP address to his residence in Conway, South Carolina. FBI executed a search warrant at Perdick’s residence, and during execution of the search warrant, Perdick admitted to sharing child sex abuse materials from his phone multiple times.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Perdick to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Perdick was court-ordered to pay $9,000.00 in restitution to the victims.
“The production and distribution of child sex abuse materials is egregious child exploitation,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We will prosecute those who put our children at risk.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.
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Former Operator of Two Municipal Golf Courses Found Guilty of Tax Conspiracy and Making False Statement to Financial InstitutionRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Massachusetts man Monday for conspiring to defraud the United States and making a false statement to a financial institution related to his purchase of real estate. He was acquitted of embezzlement from a local government receiving federal benefits, wire fraud, money laundering and unlawful monetary transactions.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Kevin M. Kennedy, of East Longmeadow, conspired with two individuals in western Massachusetts to evade taxes Kennedy owed on money he received from his ownership of a company that managed two municipal golf courses on behalf of the City of Springfield. Kennedy paid for, mostly in cash, the construction of two custom homes in East Longmeadow and on Cape Cod. To induce the bank to provide him a mortgage for part of the East Longmeadow home, Kennedy submitted a home purchase contract to the bank that falsely reflected a total purchase price reduced by the $160,000 cash downpayment he had made.
Just prior to trial, Kennedy pleaded guilty to four counts of filing a false individual income tax return for 2011 through 2014, during which he also admitted to filing a false return in 2009 and 2010. For each of those years, Kennedy did not report to his return preparer all of the cash and checks his management company received from his operation of the golf courses.
Kennedy is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2024, and faces maximum penalties of 30 years in prison for making a false statement to a financial institution, five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, criminal forfeiture and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Eric B. Powers of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Desroches for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.
Former Hollywood-Based Anti-Poverty Nonprofit CEO Sentenced to Six Months in Federal Prison for Embezzlement and Cheating on TaxesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The former president and CEO of a Los Angeles-based anti-poverty nonprofit agency was sentenced today to six months in federal prison for embezzling money from the nonprofit for his personal benefit, failing to report these funds on his tax returns, and intentionally misapplying more than $600,000 in grant money to pay for unauthorized expenses.
Howard Dixon Slingerland, 54, of Studio City, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who also ordered him to serve six months of home confinement, pay a fine of $10,000, pay $750,470 in restitution and to perform 200 hours of community service.
Slingerland pleaded guilty on March 8 to one count of conversion and intentional misapplication of funds from an organization receiving federal money and one count of subscribing to a false federal income tax return.
From 1996 until he was fired in September 2019, Slingerland led the Youth Policy Institute Inc. (YPI), a Hollywood-based nonprofit agency that worked to eradicate poverty, eventually becoming president and CEO. YPI operated in some of the highest needs neighborhoods in Los Angeles, running programs aimed at supporting youth education, development, safety, job training, and health and wellness. As the head of YPI, Slingerland had check-signing authority over YPI’s bank accounts and was the personal guarantor of YPI’s credit card.
From January 2015 to February 2019, Slingerland caused at least $71,533 of YPI funds to be spent on unauthorized expenditures, including Slingerland’s personal property tax bill that exceeded $14,000; a Slingerland family dinner at an upscale New York City restaurant costing more than $6,000; private tutoring for a family member costing nearly $11,000; and a home computer and software valued at nearly $2,000.
Slingerland also caused federal grant money YPI had received under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, administered by the United States Department of Labor, to be used for unauthorized purposes. The grant was awarded to support a YPI education and training program designed to prepare young adults in Los Angeles for jobs in growing industries such as construction, customer service, food preparation and service. Instead, in July 2019, Slingerland caused approximately $401,561 of these funds to be used for the unauthorized payment of YPI payroll. That same month, he caused another approximately $201,466 of the federal grant money to be illegally used to pay off YPI’s credit card bill, including for expenses Slingerland had incurred.
Slingerland underreported on his individual federal income tax returns more than $100,000 in income each year for the tax years 2015 through 2018. Slingerland did not report the money he obtained from YPI through the embezzlement or the value of benefits he received from YPI, including retirement plan contributions and a housing allowance and a vehicle allowance. Slingerland admitted to owing the United States Treasury a total of approximately $147,398 in unpaid taxes – not including penalties and interest – for these years.
“Entrusted with the management of a large non-profit organization on which many community members had come to depend, [Slingerland] ignored the rules and used the organization’s money to pay for his own personal expenses, some of which were extravagant, even profligate,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. In November 2019, two months after Slingerland was fired, YPI declared bankruptcy.
IRS Criminal Investigation; the FBI; the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Education Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General; and the Los Angeles Unified School District investigated this matter. The Office of the United States Trustee provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
Florida attorney convicted at trial for role in COVID-19 fraud schemeRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Florida attorney has been convicted at trial for participating in a scheme to illegally obtain funding from a federal COVID-19 small business relief program.
Shaquandra Woods, 40, of Jacksonville, Fla., was convicted after a four-day trial in U.S. District Court on a charge of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The conviction subjects Woods to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and restitution, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Congress provided more than $6 billion in funding for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act as a lifeline in the midst of a generational catastrophe for struggling small businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This year alone, our office has prosecuted defendants responsible for more than $11 million in CARES Act fraud, and with our law enforcement partners we continue to identify and hold accountable those who illegally enrich themselves through these programs.”
As authorized by the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Woods, an attorney licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia, completed at least nine applications for EIDL funding for herself and others, fabricating and submitting false documents to support the applications.
As a result of the fraudulent applications, Woods attempted to secure nearly $800,000 in COVID-19 funding for herself and others in the conspiracy and was successful in obtaining more than $300,000 for herself.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker will schedule sentencing for Woods upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“Fraud in and against the CARES Act amounts to theft from American taxpayers,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute those who take advantage of these programs designed to help struggling Americans.”
“Conspiring to fraudulently obtain federal pandemic relief funds that are meant to provide assistance to nation’s small businesses is unacceptable,” said SBA-OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuing justice in this case.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and prosecuted for the United States by Senior Litigation Counsel Jennifer G. Solari and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan C. Grover.
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: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Final Defendant Sentenced in Large-Scale Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Somerset, Ky., man, Dennie Smith, 50, was sentenced to 217 months on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Smith is the last of six defendants sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy.
According to his guilty plea agreement, between November 2021 and May 2022, Smith developed a relationship with a methamphetamine supplier from Pulaski County and regularly obtained pound quantities of methamphetamine, for resale. Smith also assisted this supplier in obtaining multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine from another source for drugs, in Fayette County.
In February 2022, law enforcement seized a safe from a residence Smith shared with his co-defendants and located more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, three loaded firearms, and a large amount of cash. Smith admitted that these items belonged to him, that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine, and that he possessed the firearms to protect his drug trafficking operation. Then, in May 2022, Smith travelled to Fayette County to obtain methamphetamine. On his return, he was stopped by law enforcement, who seized more than nine kilograms of high purity methamphetamine.
Smith’s co-defendants have previously received the following sentences:
- Wesley Calhoun: 240 months and five years of supervised release;
- Timothy Grundy: 235 months and five years supervised release;
- Michael Henderson: 104 months and three years of supervised release;
- David Upchurch: 78 months and three years of supervised release; and
- Autumn Smith: 76 months and three years of supervised release.
Under federal law, Smith and his co-defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon his release from prison, Smith will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief William Hunt, Somerset Police Department, announced the sentences.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Somerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Trimble prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Causing DeathRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Anna Parsons (38, Poinciana) to 15 years in federal prison for fentanyl distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Parsons had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023.
According to court documents, at approximately 1:00 a.m. on March 15, 2022, Parsons arrived at a homeless encampment to meet with an individual (C.J.). Parsons distributed fentanyl to C.J. and another individual living at the site, J.A. C.J. became unresponsive after using the fentanyl. Parsons attempted to get Narcan but did not call 911 until approximately 10:30 a.m. when C.J. stopped breathing. The Medical Examiner’s Office (District 9) later concluded that C.J. had died from fentanyl toxicity. When Parsons and J.A called 911, they initially lied to police and the Drug Enforcement Administration about the circumstances of C.J.’s death. The DEA searched Parson’s apartment and phone to find that she had been distributing fentanyl and that she possessed 158 grams of fentanyl, worth approximately $15,800 at the prices she was charging, at her apartment.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Federal Jury Convicts Tahlequah Resident of First Degree Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Isaac Newman Sockey, age 39, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, December 11, 2023, and concluded on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on September 8, 2023, Sockey stabbed the victim in the head, neck, and back after a verbal altercation at a private residence. The victim was life-flighted to a Tulsa hospital but died from injuries sustained in the attack. The crime occurred in Tahlequah, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Sockey will remain in custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Gross and Gregory Dean Burris represented the United States.
Eight-Time Felon Convicted at Trial for Drug Trafficking and Possessing an Illegally Modified Machinegun in Furtherance of Drug-Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted a Mobile man last week for drug conspiracy, possessing bulk marijuana with intent to distribute it, possessing an illegally modified machinegun in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, illegally possessing firearms as an eight-time convicted felon, and illegally possessing an unregistered machinegun.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-day trial, Hassan D. Jones, 25, conspired with several individuals to distribute bulk marijuana in the Mobile area and elsewhere from at least March 2021 through February 2023. In May 2021, deputy sheriffs in Louisiana arrested Jones and two of his coconspirators following a traffic stop of a car they were using to return to Mobile from a drug pickup in Houston, Texas. In the car, police found a loaded Glock pistol equipped with an extended magazine, marijuana, promethazine syrup, and more than $5,000 in cash.
In February 2023, narcotics detectives with the Mobile Police Department executed a search warrant at Jones’s apartment in Eight Mile. During the search, detectives seized, among other things, four pounds of vacuum-sealed bulk marijuana, two loaded Glock pistols equipped with extended magazines, and two of Jones’s cell phones. One of the pistols was equipped with a machinegun-conversion device, commonly known as a “Glock switch,” which illegally converted the semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic machinegun. The jury also heard from a DNA expert who located Jones’s DNA on the Glock pistols seized from his apartment. Jones’s phones and social media accounts contained dozens of videos, photos, and messages regarding Jones’s drug dealing and his illegal possession of firearms, including illegally-modified machineguns.Jones will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock in March 2024. Jones is subject to a mandatory 30-year prison sentence for possessing a machinegun in furtherance of his drug-trafficking crimes. That 30-year sentence must run consecutively to any other sentence he receives. Jones faces up to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms, up to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing an unregistered machinegun, and up to five years in prison for each of his drug convictions.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Jessica Terrill are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
District Man Sentenced to 60 Month Prison Term for Burglary and Sexual Assaults Committed in Northwest and Southeast D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darren West, 28, of Washington D.C., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for burglarizing a home in Northwest Washington, D.C., and for sexually assaulting two women in Northwest and Southeast Washington, D.C. respectively, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
West pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of second degree burglary and two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on December 11, 2023 by the Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld.
According to the Government’s evidence, on June 11, 2023, West entered the victims’ home through an unlocked rear door and cornered one of the victims in her bedroom. When the victim called out to her roommate for help, the victim’s roommate confronted West with pepper spray and told West to leave the home. The defendant returned to the rear of the victims’ home and stole an iPhone before fleeing from the residence.
In a separate incident on March 9, 2023, West approached the victim at her workplace and propositioned the victim for oral sex. When the victim declined, West grabbed the victim’s buttocks. In another incident on June 8, 2023, West approached the victim, asked the victim how she was doing, and then grabbed her buttocks. When the victim pushed the defendant away from her, He threatened the victim with physical harm.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The Case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Dunlap of the Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
District Man Pleads Guilty in a Spree of Six Armed Robberies Targeting Small Businesses in the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A District man pleaded guilty today to a string of armed robberies occurring in early 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Michael Daniels, 36, of Washington D.C., pleaded to interference with interstate commerce by robbery (also known as a Hobbs Act robbery).
Beginning in late January 2022, an armed robber held up a half-dozen small commercial establishments in the District of Columbia. At a dry cleaner on Capitol Hill on Jan. 28, 2022, a man wearing a distinctive sweatshirt with an image of the Pink Panther and Inspector Clouseau approached the cash register with a dollar bill and asked for change. The cashier opened the register. The man pulled out a weapon, demanded “all the money,” and then ordered the cashier to lie down on the floor and count down from 100.
Five similar robberies followed. On Jan. 30, 2022, a man entered a liquor store shortly before 2:30 p.m. on the 1900 block of 9th St., NW. He asked for a bottle of cognac and a pack of rolling papers. Then he pulled out a black handgun. On Jan. 31, 2022, at a mobile phone store on the 1700 block of Columbia Rd., NW, a man wearing a mask asked an employee for change for a dollar. Flashing a black handgun, he demanded money from the register. He fled after ordering the employee to lie down on the floor and count down from 100. On the way out he dropped a mask. The ATF determined that the DNA recovered from the mask originated from Michael Daniels.
On Feb. 7, 2022, a man wearing a mask walked into a mobile phone store on the 3100 block of Mt. Pleasant St. NW. He lingered for a few minutes, asked about various items for sale, and inquired about a job. He next handed a dollar bill the cashier and asked for change. When the cashier opened the register, the man flashed a handgun and began counting down from five. The cashier handed over cash. The man fled. The cashier noted that the robber had tattoos of numbers near his eyes that were visible despite the suspect’s mask. Michael Daniels has tattoos of numbers near his eyes.
On Feb. 10, 2022, a man walked into a vape shop on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE. He asked for a pack of rolling papers, flashed a handgun, and demanded money from the cashier. On Feb. 13, a man wearing a black mask entered a mobile phone store on the 3700 block of Georgia Ave, NW. He requested change for a $10 bill, asked about a job, then brandished a gun and demanded money. He fled with cash and a cell phone.
Daniels was arrested on Apr. 12, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for Apr. 5, 2024. Daniels 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.
This case was investigated by the ATF.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Ranjan Mohanty and Madhu Chugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Candace Battle and Kim Hall provided valuable assistance.
District Man Found Guilty After Trial on Enhanced Simple Assault for October 6, 2020 Assault at Fort Totten Metro StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Brown, 39, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of bias enhanced simple assault stemming from the October 6, 2020, attack at the Fort Totten Metro Station, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.
Brown is to be sentenced on December 13, 2023, at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Jason Park. Brown faces a maximum of 270 days in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, on October 6, 2020, Brown approached the victim, who was with his husband and twelve-year-old nephew, on the Fort Totten Metro Station. Brown, never having met the victim before, inquired if the victim was homosexual and followed the victim and his family for several minutes while making homophobic slurs. Brown accused the victim of being a pedophile and having sex with his twelve-year-old nephew before asking the victim’s nephew if “these gays were hurting him.” Brown called the victim and his husband fa****s multiple times before striking the victim about the face with a closed fist three times. The defendant then fled on a southbound red-line metro towards Brookland Station where he was apprehended by Metro Transit Police.
Brown was convicted by a jury after a four-day trial. Brown is subject to enhanced penalties based on the bias related nature of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Transit Police Department (MTPD).
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dal Lago, Luke Albi, Samuel Ison.
UPDATE: On December 13, 2023, Judge Park sentenced Brown to 270 days in prison after remarking that the government's evidence was overwhelming.
Customs and Border Protection Officer Admits Using Unreasonable Force and Agrees to Resign from Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 12, 2023
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Andre Maurice Chevalier pleaded guilty in federal court today to using unreasonable force on an individual who had applied for admission to the United States from Mexico.
Chevalier admitted in his plea agreement that on April 23, 2022, while he was on duty at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, he encountered a woman at a primary inspection booth. Chevalier admitted that he pulled the woman, identified in court documents by the initials Y.F., out of her vehicle and slung her into the booth. Her face struck the booth. She sustained injuries to her face and fell to the ground. Chevalier then picked up Y.F., shoved her against her vehicle and handcuffed her. Chevalier admitted that he acted willfully and intentionally and deprived Y.F. of her right to be free from an unreasonable use of force.
Chevalier agreed to resign and not seek future employment with a federal law enforcement agency.
“Mr. Chevalier’s conduct was inexcusable,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “His guilty plea and resignation mean he no longer has authority over, or the opportunity to abuse, those entering the country.”
“Federal law enforcement officers are expected to treat the public with courtesy and respect,” said Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari. “Those who fail to adhere to this standard will be held accountable.”
Chevalier is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Askins and Jill Streja.
DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr2510.
Andre Maurice Chevalier Age: 41 Temecula, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law (misdemeanor) – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Maximum penalty: One year in prison and $100,000 fine
AGENCY
Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General
Court Grants Default Judgment against Tampa-Area Tax Return PreparerRead the Press Release
The District Court for the Middle District of Florida permanently enjoined Tyrone Johnson and TJ Professional Services LLC yesterday from preparing federal income tax returns for others, from owning or operating any tax return business in the future and from transferring customer lists or other customer information.
In issuing the injunction, the court accepted as true that since 2016, the defendants prepared returns that claimed fictitious businesses and fabricated business losses so that those returns claimed larger refunds than the defendants’ customers were entitled to receive. The civil complaint alleged that the defendants’ schemes have cost the Treasury millions of dollars. The order also accepted that Johnson does not file using his Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) but hides his involvement by using only the taxpayer’s identification number. According to the IRS, anyone who is paid to prepare or assists in preparing federal tax returns is legally required to have a valid PTIN and paid preparers must sign and include their PTIN on the return. Not signing a return, commonly known as “ghost preparation,” is often a red flag that a preparer is attempting to avoid detection by the IRS. The complaint alleged that Johnson acted as a ghost preparer.
The injunction against the defendants was entered by default: according to the order, both Johnson and TJ Professional Services failed to appear in the action. The court also permitted the United States to conduct post-judgment discovery to monitor compliance with its order.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
As the 2024 tax season approaches, taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS offers tips on how to accurately file returns and how to choose a tax return preparer, as well as steps taxpayers can take to get a jumpstart on filing.
Taxpayers seeking assistance can access the IRS’s free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also has programs offering free basic return preparation for qualifying seniors and individuals with low to moderate income. In addition, IRS Free File, a public-private partnership, offers free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner websites for individuals whose adjusted gross income is under $72,000. For individuals whose income is over that threshold, IRS Free File offers electronical federal tax forms that can be filled out and filed online for free.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
t._johnson_injunction_order.pdfConvicted Felon Charged with Robbing Armored Vehicle Courier at Gunpoint While on Supervised Release for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Inglewood man, who last year was granted compassionate release after serving 26 years in federal prison for armed robberies of armed couriers, was indicted today for allegedly robbing a Brinks courier at gunpoint in a bank parking lot in Westchester in August.
Markham David Bond, 60, is charged in a three-count federal grand jury indictment with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), using a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Bond’s arraignment is scheduled for December 18 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the indictment returned today and other court documents, on the morning of August 18, 2023, Bond stole approximately $145,000 in cash from a Brinks armored carrier outside a bank branch in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles. The armored vehicle was parked in the bank parking lot as one of its employees got out of the vehicle with a blue duffle bag on a rolling cart and which contained the cash. Bond allegedly approached the driver, pointed a handgun at him and said, “I got you, bro” and “Don’t try nothing.”
Fearing for his life, the Brinks employee dropped the duffle bag. Bond allegedly then ordered the victim to get down on the ground. After the victim complied with this order, Bond grabbed the blue Brinks duffle bag then fled the area, according to court documents.
Police put out a crime alert after obtaining stills of the getaway car from surveillance footage. On August 27, patrol officers located the car – a Chevrolet Tahoe with distinctive rims and damage to a rear window. Police seized from the car, among other items, a blue Brinks duffle bag and a black baseball cap with the same Raiders NFL logo as seen on surveillance footage of the robber.
Bond was arrested on November 22 and police seized at his residence a .40-caliber pistol containing 10 rounds of ammunition, a maroon-colored long-sleeve shirt similar in appearance to one used in the August 18 robbery, and crumpled cash totaling $9,005 that was located inside multiple plastic bags hidden inside of a mini-refrigerator.
Bond has multiple felony convictions dating from 1985 and 1995 for Hobbs Act robbery, armed bank robbery, and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, among other crimes. As a convicted felon, Bond is not permitted to possess firearms or ammunition.
In January 1995, Bond was sentenced to 562 months (46 years and 10 months) in prison after being convicted of bank robbery and firearms offenses, but in January 2022 he was granted a compassionate release. He was on supervised release for his 1995 conviction when he allegedly robbed the Brinks employee at gunpoint on August 18.
A federal magistrate judge on November 28 ordered Bond jailed without bond.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted of all charges, Bond will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery Homicide Division and the FBI investigated this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Haoxiaohan H. Cai of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Clinic office manager sentenced for $1.2M pill mill schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A medical clinic office manager has been sentenced for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully distributed over 600,000 opioid pills, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury convicted Andres Martinez, Jr., 30, and Dr. Oscar Lightner, 74, both of Laredo, April 11 for unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and conspiracy.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Martinez to serve 84 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
At the trial, the jury heard evidence that Lightner and Martinez operated Jomori Health and Wellness (Jomori), a purported Houston pain management clinic, as a pill mill. Lightner, owner of and physician at Jomori, unlawfully prescribed dangerous combinations of controlled substances — including hydrocodone, carisoprodol and alprazolam — to his patients without a legitimate medical purpose in exchange for cash payments ranging from $250 to $500.
Martinez, Lightner’s stepson, coordinated with crew leaders to bring multiple people, including individuals living in homeless shelters, into Jomori to pose as patients to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.
Jomori received more than $1.2 million in cash over 14 months through the scheme that resulted in the unlawful distribution and dispensing of more than 600,000 opioids and other controlled substances.
Lightner was previously sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his role.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division made the announcement as well.
The DEA conducted the investigation.
Trial Attorneys Monica Cooper and Andrew Tamayo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Clinic Office Manager Sentenced for $1.2M Pill Mill SchemeRead the Press Release
A medical clinic office manager was sentenced today to seven years in prison for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully distributed over 600,000 opioid pills in exchange for cash.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andres Martinez Jr., 30, of Laredo, Texas, was the office manager of Jomori Health and Wellness (Jomori), a purported Houston pain management clinic. Martinez operated Jomori with Dr. Oscar Lightner, 74, also of Laredo, as a pill mill. Lightner, who was the owner of and physician at Jomori, unlawfully prescribed dangerous combinations of controlled substances — including of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and alprazolam — to his patients without a legitimate medical purpose in exchange for cash payments ranging from $250 to $500. Martinez, who is Lightner’s stepson, coordinated with crew leaders to bring multiple people, including individuals living in homeless shelters, into Jomori to pose as patients to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. Jomori received over $1.2 million in cash over 14 months through its scheme that resulted in the unlawful distribution and dispensing of over 600,000 opioids and other controlled substances.
On April 11, Martinez and Lightner were convicted of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and conspiracy. On Nov. 30, Lightner was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, and Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division made the announcement.
The DEA investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Monica Cooper and Andrew Tamayo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Clarksburg man sentenced to 15 years for selling heroin and fentanyl stampsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Clarksburg, West Virginia, man was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for selling thousands of heroin and fentanyl stamps in Harrison County.
James Curtis Jones, also known as “Donk,” 26, pled guilty in August 2022 to a distribution charge near a protected location, Emmanuel Christian School in Clarksburg. Jones was supplying other dealers in the Clarksburg area with heroin and fentanyl and investigators determined that Jones was responsible for the distribution of more than one kilogram of the mixture. During a search of Jones’s home, officers found additional heroin, fentanyl, and approximately $10,000 in cash.
Jones has a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, as well as a felony conviction from Beaver County, Pennsylvania for use of communications device to engage in heroin trafficking.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Canadian/Lebanese Citizen Charged with Mail and Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracies Makes Appearance in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Nemr Hallak, a citizen of Canada and Lebanon charged with operating a telemarketing fraud and money laundering conspiracy, was extradited from Greece to the United States to face charges in the Northern District of California, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Silva of the Oakland Field Office.
Hallak was charged in a seven-count superseding indictment on April 21, 2016. The superseding indictment alleges that, between January 2010 and August 2014, Hallak and others operated a “business directory” telemarketing scam. Using a variety of means, including false and misleading cold calls and bogus invoices, Hallak and his co-defendants deceived churches, doctors’ offices, non-profits, mom-and-pop stores, and small businesses into paying for business directory services they neither ordered nor received.
As part of the scheme, Hallak and his co-defendants caused shell companies to be formed in Florida and Delaware in the names of nominees, who were paid in cash to be listed as officers and directors of the shell companies. Many of the shell companies used the term “Yellow Pages” to suggest their operations were legitimate. The superseding indictment further alleges that Hallak and the co-defendants caused others to cold call victims and tell them that they had a pre-existing business relationship with a “Yellow Pages” or other entity formed by the defendants; that they had previously purchased business directory services from the defendants; and that they owed the defendants for those services. Victims were told that they owed the defendants anywhere between $400 and $1800 for a previously purchased business directory listing. When such initial misrepresentations were not sufficient to induce payment, victims were harassed and threatened with legal action and sent additional bogus invoices with additional charges. The superseding indictment alleges that, as a result of the conspiracy, Hallak and others collected at least approximately $10.8 million.
The superseding indictment also charges Hallak with conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a separate telemarketing fraud, from March 2011 through in or about May 2013.
Hallak was arrested in Greece pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice and made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on December 11, 2023. On the government’s motion, Defendant was detained. The Court set a detention hearing for December 21, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim.
The superseding indictment charges Hallak with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, four counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341, and one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,00 or twice the gross gain or loss, plus restitution if appropriate for each violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1349. The maximum sentence for violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956(h) is 20 years in prison, plus a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Leach is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Megan Pagaduan. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-CI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in securing the extradition of Hallak. The Justice Department thanks the Ministry of Justice of the Hellenic Republic and the Hellenic Police which provided excellent cooperation in the arrest and re-arrest of Hallak and his subsequent extradition.
Brazoria man sentenced for producing and possessing hundreds of child pornography images and videosRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas – A 40-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for production and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Sean Michael Kriss pleaded guilty June 1, 2022, to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown has now sentenced Kriss to 360 and 120 months for the production and possession convictions, respectively. They will run consecutively for a total 480-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information including a letter from the victim’s mother detailing how Kriss’ actions destroyed their family and has caused them a lot of stress and anxiety. She further detailed how his betrayal took away their sense of security. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that Kriss committed these acts against the victim who was at a vulnerable age. Kriss was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Kriss will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Individuals, like Kriss, who produce child pornography and share it with perverted like-minded individuals need to be stopped,” said Hamdani. This sentence will help to do that. The exploitation of children has no place in our community and my office will vigorously pursue prosecution of anyone involved in the production and distribution of child pornography to the fullest extent of the law.”
The investigation revealed Kriss had shared a video via Snapchat he created of a minor female from his cellphone.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his residence and seized his electronic devices. Forensic examination on those items resulted in the discovery of child pornography videos and images depicting the minor victim.
In total, law enforcement found 408 images and two videos of child pornography Kriss had in his collection.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Pearland Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherin Daniel and Kimberly Leo prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Bath man previously convicted on child pornography charges going back to prison on new chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ryan Hamilton, 32, of Bath, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography by an individual with a prior conviction, was sentenced to serve 162 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. Hamilton was also ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who handled the case, stated that in August 2016 and again in September 2017, Hamilton was convicted in Steuben County Court of Possessing Sexual Performance by Child Less than 16. In October 2019, while being supervised by New York State Parole, Hamilton possessed approximately 87 videos and 1,124 images of child pornography on an SD card. Some of the images and videos included children under the age of 12 and depictions of violence.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of under the direction of Acting Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III.
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