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Wednesday 15 November 2023
Drug Dealer Who Traveled to Chicago to Get Drugs for Dealers in Iowa Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who was on federal supervised release from a prior drug conspiracy conviction was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for participating in another drug conspiracy.
Toney Edward Henderson, age 50, from Camden, Arkansas, received the prison term after a May 3, 2023 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony and possession of a firearm by a felon.
From August 2021 until September 2022, Henderson traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to obtain large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine and then re-distributed the drugs in Iowa. Henderson was on federal supervised release for a previous cocaine related and firearm conviction during this time.
Henderson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Henderson was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. He was also sentenced to a consecutive term of 60 months’ imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release for his prior federal conviction. There is no parole in the federal system. Henderson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Marion Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 22-CR- 94.
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Domestic Violence Offender Is Sentenced to Prison for Possession of A Firearm by A FelonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A convicted domestic violence offender was sentenced to prison today for possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. ordered Gregory Dashawn Fondren, 26, of Charlotte, to serve 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Alicia Jones, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
“Armed domestic abusers are far more likely to inflict serious bodily harm on their intimate partners, and potentially create dangerous situations for innocent bystanders and responding law enforcement officers. My Office will continue to utilize federal gun laws to prevent and prosecute prohibited persons from illegally possessing firearms,” said U.S. Attorney King.
“Too often, we’ve seen domestic violence turn deadly when a firearm is involved,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jones. “ATF works daily to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous and prohibited individuals, including those with a history of domestic violence.”
According to information contained in court documents and court proceedings, on September 17, 2021, a witness called 911 to report that a male, later identified as Fondren, was physically assaulting and strangling a female at the parking lot of a grocery store. CMPD officers arrived at the scene and saw that the victim, who was Fondren’s girlfriend, was injured and was bleeding as a result of the assault. A witness told CMPD officers that he saw Fondren put the victim in a headlock, then punch and kick her while she was on the ground. Fondren ran away when law enforcement arrived.
According to court records, CMPD officers located Fondren and he was apprehended soon after. Officers also recovered Fondren’s backpack that he had discarded as he was fleeing the scene and removed from the backpack Fondren’s ID card and a .38 caliber revolver. Court records show that Fondren is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior domestic violence conviction of Assault by Strangulation and a conviction for Common Law Robbery.
Fondren is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF in coordination with CMPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimlani Ford of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon. The presence of a gun in a domestic situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
To understand more about domestic violence, visit: https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence#dv. If you require immediate help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or Strong Hearts Native Helpline at 1-844-762-8483.
Denver Men Sentenced on Charges of Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
DENVER—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Robert Adam Ross, a/k/a “Chicago,” age 42, and Jeremy Ford Moore, age 39, both of Denver, Colorado, were sentenced to 103 months and 96 months (respectively) in federal prison following their convictions on federal narcotics charges.
According to the plea agreements and the facts as determined by the Judge at sentencing, the defendants possessed and distributed significant quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Denver area. Ross and Moore traveled to Arizona where they sourced the drugs. The drugs were then transported into Colorado through various means, including U.S. mail and via a commercial bus line. Following a proactive investigation which included the seizure of drugs contained in U.S. Mail parcels sent from Arizona to Colorado, as well as numerous undercover buys of narcotics, agents conducted a takedown operation in November of 2022 which resulted in the seizure of several firearms, approximately 15,000 additional fentanyl pills, and $4,990 in U.S. currency.
“Illegally-trafficked fentanyl has destroyed countless lives and caused thousands of deaths in Colorado alone,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Thankfully, the drugs seized by our law enforcement partners will never make it to the street.”
USPIS Denver Division Inspector-in-Charge Bryan Musgrove said, “United States Postal Inspectors are dedicated to maintaining the sanctity of trust placed in the US Mail. We will aggressively pursue anyone who uses the US Mail to transport and distribute deadly drugs, including those who illegally use firearms to further their criminal enterprise which impacts the safety of our postal employees and postal customers. We thank our law enforcement partners for working with us to combat these crimes in hopes of making our communities a safer place to live and work.”
“The distribution of guns and drugs by the hands of violent previously convicted felons is exactly what leads to violent crime in our communities, and precisely what ATF targets with our federal partners,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “We are grateful for the seamless partnership with the USPIS that led to a swift dismantling of their criminal operation reducing violent crime in Colorado and beyond.”
United States District Court Judge Charlotte S. Sweeney sentenced the defendants on November 9, 2023.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United State Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Bradley Giles handled the prosecution of the case.
Case Number: 22-cr-344-CNS
Decherd Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Perjury, Pays Nearly $1.5 Million in Restitution to IRSRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On October 11, 2023, Ross A. Rinkes, 66, of Decherd, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to making and subscribing a false U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Sentencing has been set for March 7, 2024, before the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr., in the United States District Court at Chattanooga.
Rinkes faces a term of up to three years in federal prison, a fine of up to $100,000, and supervised release for up to one year. As required by his plea agreement with the government, he has paid restitution to the IRS in the amount of $1,485,120.38, which includes unpaid taxes plus penalties and interest required by law.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Rinkes waived an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury and agreed to plead guilty to the aforementioned charge. Rinkes, the owner of Rinkes Angus Ranch, a farm near Decherd, Tennessee, was in the business of purchasing and reselling chicken litter, which is used as fertilizer, and selling crops to grain aggregators. For 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, he provided his tax return preparer with false information that led to material underreporting of his income for each year. Rinkes signed those tax returns under penalty of perjury. On his tax return for 2017, Rinkes willfully and falsely underreported his income by at least $523,796, which resulted in him underreporting his income tax due for that year by at least $181,659. His false individual income tax returns for 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 resulted in a total tax loss of $679,515 to the United States.
United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division made the announcement.
The investigation was led by IRS Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Michael T. Whitesell.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph G. DeGaetano represents the United States.
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Davenport Man Sentenced to 27 years in Prison for Conspiracy and Distribution of Methamphetamine and CocaineRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced on November 9, 2023, to 27 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and Distribution of a Mixture and Substance Containing Methamphetamine and Cocaine.
According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, law enforcement began an extensive investigation which revealed that Art Eugene Thomas, 35, sold methamphetamine and cocaine. The investigation began in November 2020 when a concerned citizen reported that many individuals came and went from Thomas’s residence and provided law enforcement with security footage. Several witnesses interviewed said that Thomas carried a firearm. At sentencing, the Court found Thomas was a manager or supervisor within the drug trafficking organization based in part on Thomas’s direct connection to an Arizona drug source of supply. In total, Thomas was found to be responsible for approximately 37 pounds of ice methamphetamine.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Thomas will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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.
Court Enjoins Arizona Company and Its CEO from Manufacturing and Distributing Unapproved Contraceptive DrugsRead the Press Release
A federal court on Nov. 14 enjoined an Arizona CEO and its company, which distributed a product marketed as a contraceptive from selling and distributing unapproved new drugs in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
In a civil complaint for permanent injunction filed on Oct. 12 in the District of Arizona, the United States alleges that Smart Women’s Choice and its CEO, Jennifer A. Richard, sold and distributed “Smart Women’s Choice,” a cream marketed as a contraceptive, to consumers across the country. The complaint alleges that the defendants sold the product through a website that claimed the product was “hormone-free,” “formulated to be used as a stand-alone contraceptive” and “99.8% effective.” According to the complaint, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found no published, adequate and well-controlled clinical investigations or any other scientific literature demonstrating that the product was safe and effective for its intended use as a contraceptive.
In May 2021, the FDA issued a warning letter to Smart Women’s Choice, explaining that the sale and distribution of the product was prohibited under the FDCA. According to the complaint, the company continued to make the same unproven claims about the product after receiving the warning letter and took no corrective action. The product never received FDA approval.
“Drug distributors are obligated to comply with the FDCA, which is designed to protect consumers and to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the drugs they take,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work closely with the FDA to stop the distribution of unapproved new drugs.”
“Americans expect and deserve drugs that have been scientifically proven to be safe, effective and of high quality,” said Director Jill Furman of the Office of Compliance for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The FDA remains fully committed to taking enforcement action against companies and executives responsible for marketing unapproved drugs in violation of federal law.”
The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The order entered by the federal court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the FDCA and requires them to comply with federal drug safety regulations before selling any drugs.
Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch is handling the case with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel Aravind Sreenath of the FDA’s Office of the General Counsel.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims resolved by the resolution announced today are only allegations. There has been no determination of liability.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing and Selling Ghost GunsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A previously convicted felon pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester today to manufacturing and selling firearms – including ghost guns – and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
Mickie Simmons, 32, of Brookfield, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, one count of dealing firearms without a license and two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Jan. 30, 2024. Simmons was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in May 2022 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2022.
On two separate occasions between March and May 2022, Simmons sold a confidential source ammunition and ghost guns – firearms that have been manufactured by an individual and not by a firearms manufacturing company. During a later search of Simmons’ residence, at least five ghost guns, including an AR-15 short-barrel rifle, 15 ghost gun kits, numerous rounds of ammunition, components of assault-style rifles, several other firearms and more than $25,000 in cash was seized.
Due to a 2014 state conviction for breaking and entering, larceny and conspiracy for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, Simmons is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm After Ramming a Vehicle While Fleeing from PoliceRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on December 15, 2022, Derek Isenburg, 33, tried to flee from law enforcement officers who were attempting to take him into custody in Portsmouth on several outstanding arrest warrants. Upon seeing officers, he got into a truck, backed it into one police vehicle and rammed another as he tried to escape. After hitting one of the vehicles, Isenburg continued to accelerate in an attempt to move the car out of his way. Isenburg ultimately broke the drivetrain of the truck, rendering it inoperable, and officers were able to take him into custody.
A search of the truck resulted in the recovery of approximately 13 grams of pure methamphetamine and a firearm. Law enforcement learned that both the truck and firearm had been reported stolen. Isenburg has multiple prior felony convictions. Isenburg knew that as a previously convicted felon, it was illegal for him to possess a firearm.
Isenburg is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 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; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Cheney and Kristin Bird are prosecuting the case.
Assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.
This case was part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Operation Overdrive, an initiative aimed at combatting the rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths plaguing American communities.
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. 2:23-cr-4.
Colorado Home Health Care Owner Charged with Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Denver returned an indictment yesterday charging a Colorado woman with willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes for several years.
According to the indictment, Shandel Arkadie, of Agate, operated a home health care business, Alternative Choice Home Care Nursing LLC (ACHCN). From at least 2015 through 2020, ACHCN allegedly withheld income, Social Security and Medicare taxes from its employees’ wages. Arkadie allegedly did not timely file ACHCN’s quarterly employment tax returns or pay the withholdings to the IRS, despite being legally required to do so. Arkadie is alleged to have caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $500,000.
If convicted, Arkadie faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each employment tax count. 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 made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Julia Rugg and Mahana Weidler of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Collinsville Woman Charged for Dealing Fatal Dose of FentanylRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Collinsville woman for dealing a lethal dose of fentanyl, leading a man to overdose and die.
Tessa R. Webber, 25, is charged with one count of distribution of a controlled substance: fentanyl resulting in death.
“Too many lives are lost due to drug-induced homicides,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Law enforcement agencies are working to secure justice for families of overdose victims.”
According to court documents, the Fairview Heights Police Department began investigating a suspected fatal drug overdose on June 11. Discovered by a roommate, a man was found deceased near drug paraphernalia, and the victim’s family confirmed he had a history of substance abuse.
“Collaboration between the Fairview Heights Police Department, DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office enabled law enforcement to bring just a little bit of justice to the victim’s family,” said Fairview Heights Police Chief Steve Johnson.
Law enforcement searched the victim’s phone and discovered messages between the victim and Webber from May and June. Messages between the victim and Webber indicated a buyer and seller relationship for dealing drugs.
“Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Dixon, head of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in southern Illinois. “Drug traffickers are driving addiction and increasing their profits by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. By arresting and prosecuting the individuals behind the deaths, we send a clear message: if your drug dealing kills someone, you will pay.”
The victim’s toxicology report listed his cause of death as drug/poisoning overdose and traces of amphetamine, meth and fentanyl were present in his body. Court documents allege Webber sold the victim two fentanyl pills on June 9.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
If convicted, Webber could face up to life imprisonment. Distribution of a controlled substance: fentanyl resulting in death is punishable by no less than 20 years in federal prison.
DEA and the Fairview Heights Police Department are contributing to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. Carraway is prosecuting the case.
Cockeysville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Scheme to Steal Cell Phones Worth More Than $500,000Read the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Reginald McElrath, age 40, of Cockeysville, Maryland, to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a scheme to steal cell phones worth more than $500,000. Judge Hollander ordered that McElrath must pay restitution in the full among of the victims’ losses, which the parties agree is not more than $366,015.50.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, from July 2019 to January 2020, McElrath and his co-defendants, Chantelle Harris, Robert Patterson, and Danisha Thomas used the identifying information of at least 17 individuals to obtain new cell phones. McElrath, Harris, and Patterson worked in Maryland for a vendor contracted by a multinational retail corporation to handle all contractual wireless phone transactions in their stores. As cell service associates, McElrath, Harris, and Patterson were required to obtain the personal identifying information (PII) of customers in order to initiate a new account or upgrade an existing account. McElrath, Harris, and Patterson admitted that they used their positions to apply for new cell phone accounts with various carriers and to apply for upgraded cell phones on existing cell phone accounts in the victims’ names using the PII of the victims without their knowledge or permission. McElrath, Harris, and Patterson also charged purchases of new cell phones to fraudulent cell phone service accounts they opened in the victims’ names and none of the costs were borne by members of the conspiracy.
Co-defendant Danisha Thomas and other conspirators received the fraudulently obtained cell phones directly from McElrath, Harris, Patterson and others from inside the retail store. McElrath received cash and payments through CashApp as compensation for his role in the scheme.
McElrath and his co-defendants used the stolen PII of approximately 51 individual victims to fraudulently obtain at least $537,000 worth of cell phones. Fraudulent transactions personally conducted or attempted by McElrath in furtherance of the fraud conspiracy and scheme totaled approximately $366,015.50.
Co-defendants Danisha Lee Thomas, age 40, of Bladensburg, Maryland; Robert Earl Patterson, Jr., age 22, of Odenton, Maryland; and Chantelle Harris, age 34, of Hyattsville, Maryland, also pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, 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 www.justice.gov/usao/md.
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Clearfield Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Morrisdale, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Davin Gower, age 30, of Morrisdale, PA, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson on November 14, 2023. In connection with the guilty plea, from July 2019 to June 2020, Gower did conspire to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2024. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life, a fine of up to $10,000,00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Gower. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Chicago-Area Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to False Tax Return SchemeRead the Press Release
An Illinois woman pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Vervia Watts, of Lansing, operated a tax preparation business for clients in Illinois and elsewhere. From January 2017 through June 2023, Watts prepared and filed individual income tax returns for her clients, intentionally reporting false education expenses and business income to obtain refunds from the IRS in amounts greater than they were entitled to receive. Watts received at least $300 for each return she prepared, which, in total, claimed more than $1.5 million in fraudulent refunds.
Watts is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. Watts also faces a period of supervised release, restitution 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 made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Meredith Havekost and Regina Jeon of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Timothy Duncan, 43, of Charleston, was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,500 in restitution for possession of prepubescent child pornography. Duncan must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 24, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Duncan’s residence and seized electronic devices including a cell phone. A forensic analysis of the cell phone revealed 18 videos and 13 images of child pornography. One image depicts an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent female.
A search warrant executed for Duncan’s email account revealed 10 videos of child pornography, including one video that contained 69 individual videos. One of the 69 videos in the collection depicts an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent female. The child pornography seized from Duncan includes digital media files that depict 14 known child victims.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Francesca C. Rollo and Julie M. White prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-46.
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California Skilled Nursing Facilities, Owner and Management Company Agree to $45.6 Million Consent Judgment to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks to Referring PhysiciansRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Prema Thekkek, her Vacaville-based management company, Paksn Inc., and six skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) owned by Thekkek and/or operated by Paksn have agreed to enter into a $45.6 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that they submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare by paying kickbacks to physicians to induce patient referrals.
The six settling SNFs are Kayal Inc. (doing business as Bay Point Healthcare Center), Nadhi Inc. (doing business as Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center), Oakrheem Inc. (doing business as Hayward Convalescent Hospital), Bayview Care Inc. (doing business as Hilltop Care and Rehabilitation Center), Aakash Inc. (doing business as Park Central Care & Rehabilitation Center) and Nasaky Inc. (doing business as Yuba Skilled Nursing Center) (collectively the SNF Defendants).
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying remuneration to induce the referral of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical decision-making is based on the best interests of patients and not compromised by improper financial incentives to providers.
From 2009 to 2021, the SNF Defendants, under the direction and control of Thekkek and Paksn, systematically entered into medical directorship agreements with physicians that purported to provide compensation for administrative services, but in reality were vehicles for the payment of kickbacks to induce the physicians to refer patients to the six SNFs. Specifically, the defendants hired physicians who promised in advance to refer a large number of patients to the SNFs, paid physicians in proportion to the number of their expected referrals and terminated physicians who did not refer enough patients.
On one occasion, a Paksn employee told Thekkek that two physicians were being hired because “they are promising at least 10 patients for $2000 per month,” to which Thekkek responded, “good job. Make sure they give you patients everyday. [W]e can also expand to other buildings with them, if possible.” On another occasion, an employee informed Thekkek that the defendants previously had paid a certain doctor “$1500 each month and he only send [sic] us 2 patients[,] so we didn’t pay him anything from Jan[uary] onwards.” On a third occasion, Thekkek rejected a proposed stipend for a new medical director, explaining that the defendants had paid the previous medical director that amount because “we were getting admission[s] from him,” whereas she did not expect the new medical director to refer many patients. More generally, Thekkek complained that if her employees did not pay medical directors promptly every month, “[t]hese doctors will not give us patients.”
“The administrators and beneficiaries of the Medicare Program expect that providers will make decisions based on sound medical judgment, not their personal self-interest” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “As this case demonstrates, our office will take decisive action to address allegations that medical providers are paying or receiving improper financial benefits that could impact care provided to patients.”
“Kickbacks can impair the independence of physician decision-making and waste taxpayer dollars,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to preventing illegal financial relationships that undermine the integrity of our public health care programs.”
“Kickbacks impose hidden costs on the health care system and compromise medical decision-making,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to combat the waste of valuable taxpayer dollars and protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”
Under the settlement announced today, in addition to entering into a $45,645,327.25 consent judgment, the defendants will make scheduled payments to the United States of at least $385,000 over the next five years. That payment schedule was negotiated based on the defendants’ lack of ability to pay.
The settlement stems from a whistleblower complaint filed in 2015 by Paksn’s former Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Trilochan Singh, pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private persons to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government and to share in the proceeds of the suit. The Act also permits the government to intervene and take over the lawsuit, as it did in this case as to some of Singh’s allegations.
In addition to resolving their False Claims Act liability, the defendants have entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the HHS-OIG which requires, among other compliance obligations, an Independent Review Organization’s review of their physician relationships.
The United States’ intervention and settlement in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to HHS, at 800 HHS TIPS (800-447-8477).
HHS-OIG investigated the case.
The matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Karen Y. Paik of the Civil Division’s Civil Fraud Section, investigator Eileen Sofre, and auditor John Powers, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and by attorneys Matthew Oster, Lindsey Roberts, Jessica Sarkis and Rohith Srinivas, and senior financial analyst Karen Sharp, of the Justice Department Civil Division’s Fraud Section.
The case is captioned United States of America ex rel. Trilochan Singh v. Paksn Inc. et al., No. 15 cv-09064 (C.D. Cal.).
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
California Skilled Nursing Facilities, Owner and Management Company Agree to $45.6 Million Consent Judgement to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks to Referring PhysiciansRead the Press Release
Prema Thekkek, her management company, Paksn Inc., and six skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) owned by Thekkek and/or operated by Paksn have agreed to enter into a $45.6 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that they submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare by paying kickbacks to physicians to induce patient referrals. The six settling SNFs are Kayal Inc. (doing business as Bay Point Healthcare Center), Nadhi Inc. (doing business as Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center), Oakrheem Inc. (doing business as Hayward Convalescent Hospital), Bayview Care Inc. (doing business as Hilltop Care and Rehabilitation Center), Aakash Inc. (doing business as Park Central Care & Rehabilitation Center) and Nasaky Inc. (doing business as Yuba Skilled Nursing Center) (collectively the SNF Defendants).
The Anti‑Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying remuneration to induce the referral of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical decision-making is based on the best interests of patients and not compromised by improper financial incentives to providers.
From 2009 to 2021, the SNF Defendants, under the direction and control of Thekkek and Paksn, systematically entered into medical directorship agreements with physicians that purported to provide compensation for administrative services, but in reality were vehicles for the payment of kickbacks to induce the physicians to refer patients to the six SNFs. Specifically, the defendants hired physicians who promised in advance to refer a large number of patients to the SNFs, paid physicians in proportion to the number of their expected referrals and terminated physicians who did not refer enough patients.
On one occasion, a Paksn employee told Thekkek that two physicians were being hired because “they are promising at least 10 patients for $2000 per month,” to which Thekkek responded, “good job. Make sure they give you patients everyday. [W]e can also expand to other buildings with them, if possible.” On another occasion, an employee informed Thekkek that the defendants previously had paid a certain doctor “$1500 each month and he only send [sic] us 2 patients[,] so we didn’t pay him anything from Jan[uary] onwards.” On a third occasion, Thekkek rejected a proposed stipend for a new medical director, explaining that the defendants had paid the previous medical director that amount because “we were getting admission[s] from him,” whereas she did not expect the new medical director to refer many patients. More generally, Thekkek complained that if her employees did not pay medical directors promptly every month, “[t]hese doctors will not give us patients.”
“Kickbacks can impair the independence of physician decision-making and waste taxpayer dollars,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to preventing illegal financial relationships that undermine the integrity of our public health care programs.”
“The administrators and beneficiaries of the Medicare Program expect that providers will make decisions based on sound medical judgment, not their personal self-interest” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “As this case demonstrates, our office will take decisive action to address allegations that medical providers are paying or receiving improper financial benefits that could impact care provided to patients.”
“Kickbacks impose hidden costs on the health care system and compromise medical decision-making,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to combat the waste of valuable taxpayer dollars and protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”
Under the settlement announced today, in addition to entering into a $45,645,327.25 consent judgment, the defendants will make scheduled payments to the United States of at least $385,000 over the next five years. That payment schedule was negotiated based on the defendants’ lack of ability to pay.
The settlement stems from a whistleblower complaint filed in 2015 by Paksn’s former Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Trilochan Singh, pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private persons to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government and to share in the proceeds of the suit. The Act also permits the government to intervene and take over the lawsuit, as it did in this case as to some of Singh’s allegations.
In addition to resolving their False Claims Act liability, the defendants have entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the HHS-OIG which requires, among other compliance obligations, an Independent Review Organization’s review of their physician relationships.
The United States’ intervention and settlement in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to HHS, at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).
HHS-OIG investigated the case.
The matter was handled by attorneys Matthew Oster, Lindsey Roberts, Jessica Sarkis and Rohith Srinivas, and senior financial analyst Karen Sharp, of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kent Kawakami and Karen Paik, and auditor John Powers, for the Central District of California.
The case is captioned United States of America ex rel. Trilochan Singh v. Paksn, Inc. et al., No. 15‑cv-09064 (C.D. Cal.).
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
SettlementBuffalo man arrested on cocaine chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Nicholas Piraino, 30, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distribution of cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that on November 1, 2023, investigators conducted a controlled purchase of approximately two ounces of cocaine from Piraino for $2,300. During the exchange, Piraino discussed selling two or three kilograms of cocaine the following week.
Piraino made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was released on conditions.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Brothers sent to prison for operating $13M multi-state stolen goods enterpriseRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two naturalized U.S. citizens from Lebanon residing in Houston have been sentenced for their roles in large scale organized retail crime schemes, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Yasser Saleh Ouwad, 52, and his brother - Bilal Saleh Awad, 50, entered their guilty pleas Oct. 12, 2021 and Oct. 30, 2019, respectively, to conspiracy to transport stolen merchandise.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Ouwad to serve 41 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to forfeit over $260,000 from bank accounts representing the proceeds of the sale of the stolen merchandise. He must also pay a money judgment entered against him in the amount of $4,665,860 and restitution of $109,742 due to CVS Health and Walgreens.
“The shifting predominance to online retailers drives the market for stolen goods at the expense of consumer safety and legitimate merchants,” said Hamdani. “Stolen over the counter medications and health products are often sold for a fraction of the retail price online but can be expired or subject to tampering. These schemes cause millions of dollars in losses to U.S. retailers by hiking up prices and creating an unsafe e-commerce market for consumers.”
“The transnational criminal organization these two brothers led was responsible for the theft of more than $30 million in retail goods,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Organized retail crime on this scale results in consumers having to pay higher prices and can force businesses to close that provide essential goods and services to the community. HSI Houston will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle these organized theft groups and restore order to our communities.”
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protects consumers and patients by ensuring the medical products they use, whether they are by prescription or over-the-counter, are safe and effective. Selling stolen medical products puts all consumers’ health at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, FDA - Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to work to protect the health of U.S. consumers and patients.”
From June 2015 to March 2018, Ouwad and Awad engaged in high-level fencing operations involving multi-million-dollar, multi-state level criminal organizations. The brothers purchased stolen over-the-counter (OTC) medicine, diabetic test strips and health and beauty supplies for re-packaging and shipping.
This criminal enterprise also employed “boosters,” primarily undocumented aliens from Central America, to steal OTC medication from large retailers around the United States. Boosters would then ship the stolen products back to Ouwad and Awad, who resold the stolen merchandise to third parties for a profit.
Ouwad owned and operated GPS Wholesale Inc. which he ran from his warehouse in Houston where he would receive the stolen products. Ouwad and his associates would then remove anti-theft stickers and security labels, re-package them into pallets and ship the merchandise to wholesale companies in the New Jersey area.
Awad ran a similar operation but would receive stolen merchandise at a CubeSmart Self Storage location in Houston. Awad also removed anti-theft labels and re-packaged the stolen OTC merchandise at his residence before shipping the product to a wholesale company in New York.
Ouwad and Awads’ criminal enterprises resulted in over $13 million in losses to retailers between both charged schemes.
Awad was previously sentenced on Sept. 5 by U.S. District Judge David Hittner to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $322,550 to CVS Health and Walgreens. Awad also had a money judgment of $4,426,942 entered against him representing the illegal proceeds he received during the conspiracy. Awad must also forfeit a bank account with a balance of more than $460,000 and over $6,000 in stolen products law enforcement seized. In handing down the sentence, Judge Hittner noted that Awad managed a sophisticated scheme causing the loss of millions to retailers.
Several co-defendants had also pleaded guilty and have received sentences ranging from 18-40 months.
Ouwad and Awad were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI and FDA – OCI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Winter and Richard Hanes prosecuted the case.
Bronx Man Charged in Shooting Outside Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Edward A. Caban, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging DANTE PETTEWAY with illegally possessing ammunition in connection with a shooting by PETTEWAY in front of a residential building in the Bronx on June 21, 2023. PETTEWAY was arrested last night and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, earlier this summer, Dante Petteway opened fire in a residential neighborhood in the Bronx, endangering not only the life of his intended victim, but also the lives of others in the community. Thanks to our partners at the FBI and the NYPD as well as the career prosecutors of this Office, who have a longstanding history of combatting violent crime in the city, the defendant has now been apprehended.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said: “This arrest is another example of methodical policing in action. The NYPD and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to identifying and charging anyone responsible for driving crime and violence in New York City. The diligence of our NYPD detectives and our colleagues at the FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District has resulted in one less criminal on our streets today.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint:[1]
On June 21, 2023, at approximately 8:20 p.m., PETTEWAY, accompanied by another individual, walked down the sidewalk of East 167th Street in the Bronx, drew a firearm, and shot multiple rounds across the street. Below is a still image of PETTEWAY showing PETTEWAY as he fired the gun.
After shooting the firearm, PETTEWAY ran into a nearby apartment building while holding the firearm in his right hand. A still image from the surveillance footage with PETTEWAY holding the firearm in his right hand is below.
Upon canvassing the scene, NYPD officers recovered five shell casings and also located a vehicle that had been damaged by several bullet holes. Photographs of several of the recovered shell casings are provided below.
PETTEWAY was not permitted to possess ammunition because of a prior felony conviction for robbery.
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PETTEWAY, 27, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgia V. Kostopoulos is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Bristol Man Charged with Additional Sex Trafficking and Obstruction of Justice OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a superseding indictment charging DAVID MARSHALL, also known as “Saint,” 38, of Bristol, with additional sex trafficking and obstruction of justice offenses.
On November 15, 2022, the grand jury returned an indictment charging Marshall with the forceful sex trafficking of one adult female and offenses related to his alleged actions following his arrest. As alleged in court documents, between January and April 2022, Marshall sold the victim for commercial sex and repeatedly raped and beat the victim if she did not follow his orders. He also controlled the victim by plying her with fentanyl and threatening to harm her family. In March 2022, the victim attempted to escape from Marshall and obtained an order of protection against him after he was arrested by Cromwell Police for threatening to kill her.
It is further alleged that, on April 27, 2022, Marshall was arrested by police in Freeport, Maine, after he severely beat the victim. While in jail, Marshall contacted the victim in violation of the protection order, and attempted to convince her not to cooperate with the police and to continue to prostitute herself to earn money to bail him out of jail. Marshall also contacted another person from jail in an attempt to remotely erase the evidence on his cell phone, but he was unable to do so because the FBI had already secured the phone.
The superseding indictment, which was returned on October 24, 2023, alleges that Marshall forcibly sex trafficked three additional adult females between 2016 and 2022. In addition, on May 10, 2023, while he was detained in federal custody, Marshall again attempted to obstruct the investigation and prosecution of this matter.
The superseding indictment charges Marshall with four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life on each count; two counts of attempted obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years on each count; and one count of interstate violation of a protection order, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, but the maximum penalty may be increased to 10 years if the conduct resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim, or to life imprisonment if the conduct constituted sexual abuse or aggravated sexual abuse.
Marshall has been detained since April 27, 2022. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Newington Police Department, Cromwell Police Department, Freeport (Maine) Police Department, and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel M. Krull and Amanda S. Oakes.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine for its assistance in this case.
Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Mail TheftRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Cody Allen Dalton, 31, of Madison, pleaded guilty today to mail theft.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 1, 2020, Dalton stole a black and white striped sports referee jersey from a post office parcel locker at the Madison Post Office.
Dalton is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Dalton also owes $1,972 in restitution.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Madison Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-140.
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Billings felon sentenced to more than five years in prison for illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings man with two prior federal felony convictions was sentenced today to five years and 11 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised released, for illegally possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Robert John Bigback, 28, pleaded guilty in July to prohibited person in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on March 9, Bigback’s mother found him sleeping in her house with a gun next to his head. His father brought the firearm, a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, to the United States Federal Probation Office. When Bigback woke up, his mother saw him frantically looking for something where the gun had been. Bigback told his mother he had been using methamphetamine, was paranoid and thought people were after him. Bigback had prior federal felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for distribution of meth, and he was prohibited from possessing firearms. Bigback possessed the gun while he was on federal supervised release for the federal convictions. The gun he possessed was stolen, although there was no indication he was involved in the theft.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Probation Office and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Bellevue Man Sentenced to 9 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Terrell C. Bass, 40, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was sentenced November 15, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Bass to 108 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Bass’s release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release. Bass also gave up any right or claim he may have had in over $61,000 in currency seized during the investigation.
On February 18, 2022, Douglas County deputies conducted a traffic stop in the area of 18th and Vinton Street, Omaha, Nebraska, on a vehicle driven by Bass who deputies knew had a suspended driver’s license. Bass’s identity was confirmed, and a front seat passenger was identified as codefendant, Holly Fleming. A drug detecting canine was deployed and indicated to the odor of narcotics coming from within the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed approximately 10.5 pounds of meth in two bags, one found on the passenger floor containing items indicating the bag belonged to Fleming, the other found on the back seat.
That same day a search warrant was authorized for Bass and Fleming's North Omaha residence and served by FBI and OPD. The search of the residence revealed 16 pounds of meth, two firearms, and over $61,000 in cash. During a post arrest interview Fleming admitted to her involvement in drug dealing and claimed all the evidentiary items were hers.
Cell phone search warrants were obtained for phones found during the search and revealed a video showing Bass assisting Fleming in removing a gas tank from a vehicle and removing packages of methamphetamine from within. Texts messages found in the phones revealed Bass was assisting Fleming with drug trafficking. A jail phone call between Bass and Fleming was discovered where Bass acknowledged that he assisted Fleming with drug dealing.
Holly Fleming has pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in connection with drug distribution and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Omaha Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Anderson Man and Phoenix Woman Sentenced to 235 Months and 48 Months Respectively for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ANDERSON, S.C. — Darrecos Lamon Taylor, 42, of Anderson, was sentenced to 235 months for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine and 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine. Jessica Miranda, 41, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 48 months for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that since 2022, Darrecos Taylor conspired with other members of the drug trafficking organization (DTO) to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine in the Upstate of South Carolina. In the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized multiple kilograms of cocaine and half a kilogram of methamphetamine Taylor intended to distribute and $124,000 in drug proceeds. Taylor had previously been convicted of a serious federal drug felony in the District of South Carolina. Miranda was a courier for the DTO and was arrested after she was surveilled delivering approximately two kilograms of cocaine to Taylor. Upon her arrest, Miranda was found with more cocaine that she was transporting on behalf of the DTO.
United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Darrecos Taylor to 235 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 10-year term of court-ordered supervision. Jessica Miranda was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.
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Alto rango de la MS-13 fugitivo es arrestado por cargos de terrorismoRead the Press Release
Al final de una audiencia de traslación, un tribunal federal en Houston, Texas ordenó que Elmer Canales-Rivera, alias Crook de Hollywood, un líder de alto rango de La Mara Salvatrucha, alias MS-13, fuera trasladado bajo custodia al Distrito Este de Nueva York, donde él y otros 13 líderes de alto rango de la MS-13 fueron acusados formalmente en diciembre de 2020 por delitos de terrorismo relacionados con su conducción de las actividades delictivas de la organización de criminalidad transnacional en Estados Unidos, El Salvador, México, México y en otros lugares durante las últimas dos décadas.
El 9 de noviembre, Canales-Rivera fue arrestado por miembros del FBI, Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional (HSI) y el Servicio de Alguaciles de los Estados Unidos (USMS) al llegar al Aeropuerto Intercontinental George Bush en Houston, Texas. Concretamente, Canales-Rivera ha sido acusado de conspiración para prestar y ocultar apoyo material a terroristas, conspiración para cometer actos de terrorismo que trascienden las fronteras nacionales, conspiración para financiar el terrorismo y conspiración narcoterrorista.
“Sostenemos que a Elmer Canales-Rivera, miembro fundador de los ‘Doce Apóstoles del Diablo’ de la MS-13, le cabe responsabilidad por las acciones de la pandilla a lo largo de varias décadas para aterrorizar a las comunidades, atacar a las fuerzas del orden y sembrar la violencia aquí en Estados Unidos y en el extranjero”, expresó el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland. “La detención de esta persona, que es un alto líder desde hace tiempo en la MS-13, debería servir de advertencia a otros líderes de la MS-13 para entender que el Departamento de Justicia los hará responder por sus crímenes”.
“Este arresto deja claro que no hay ningún escondite seguro para los cabecillas de consorcios delictivos que amenazan a nuestras comunidades”, apuntó el secretario de Seguridad Nacional Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Con la dedicación y las aptitudes de investigación de los agentes de HSI y nuestros socios en el ámbito federal, estamos enfrentando a organizaciones delictivas como la MS-13 y contribuyendo a llevar ante la justicia a todos aquellos que cometen delitos transnacionales”.
“Con determinación y actuación coordinada, el FBI y nuestras fuerzas de seguridad y socios extranjeros lograron capturar a un criminal violento que amenazaba de manera directa la seguridad de nuestras comunidades”, señaló el director del FBI, Christopher A. Wray. “Este esfuerzo ejemplifica el compromiso del FBI de salvaguardar al público estadounidense y la promesa continua de desarticular a las redes criminales como la MS-13”.
“La comparecencia del acusado en el día de hoy ante un tribunal federal en Estados Unidos es un paso inmenso en el proceso para que rinda cuentas por su papel clave como presunto miembro del órgano de liderazgo de la pandilla MS-13, conocido como los ‘Doce Apóstoles del Diablo’, y posteriormente renombrado Ranfla Nacional”, expresó el fiscal estadounidense Breon Peace para el Distrito Este de Nueva York. “Conforme se sostuvo, Canales-Rivera y sus coacusados actuaron como un directorio, disponiendo que se cometieran actos de violencia e intimidación y se prestara apoyo material a terroristas en El Salvador y en todo Estados Unidos, incluido el Distrito Este de Nueva York, donde en breve comparecerá ante un juzgado federal en Central Islip para responder por estos cargos”.
Según se establece en la acusación formal, que se pronunció el 16 de diciembre de 2020 y se reveló el 14 de enero de 2021, Canales-Rivera y sus coacusados forman parte de la estructura de mando y control de la MS-13, que está conformada por la Ranfla Nacional, Ranfla en Las Calles y Ranfla en Los Penales. Desempeñan papeles importantes de liderazgo en las operaciones de la organización en El Salvador, México, Estados Unidos y en todo el mundo. En total, 27 de los máximos líderes de la MS-13 han sido acusados en el Distrito Este de Nueva York en esta acusación formal y en la acusación conexa en la causa Estados Unidos v. Arevalo-Chávez et al.
Se sostiene asimismo que, aproximadamente en 2002, Canales-Rivera, sus coacusados y otros líderes de la MS-13 empezaron a establecer una estructura jerárquica de mando y control sumamente organizada como medio para ejecutar sus decisiones y hacer cumplir sus órdenes, incluso mientras se encontraban en prisión. Ordenaron que se cometieran hechos de violencia y homicidios en El Salvador, Estados Unidos y otros lugares, establecieron campamentos de entrenamiento de estilo militar para sus miembros y obtuvieron armas militares como fusiles, pistolas, granadas, artefactos explosivos improvisados y lanzacohetes. Además, a partir de aproximadamente 2012, Canales-Rivera y otros miembros de la Ranfla Nacional mantuvieron negociaciones con funcionarios gubernamentales de El Salvador y obtuvieron beneficios y concesiones del Gobierno de El Salvador. Con el fin de obtener esos beneficios y concesiones del Gobierno de El Salvador, la MS-13 llevó a cabo manifestaciones públicas de violencia para amenazar e intimidar a la población civil, atacó a agentes de la fuerza pública y militares del Gobierno de El Salvador y manipuló el proceso electoral en El Salvador. Canales-Rivera tuvo uno de los papeles más prevalentes en las negociaciones y acuerdos de la MS-13 con el Gobierno de El Salvador.
A su vez, como se alega, la Ranfla Nacional dirigió la expansión de las actividades de la MS-13 en todo el mundo, incluidos Estados Unidos y México, adonde se envió a varios altos líderes a organizar operaciones, entablar contactos para obtener narcóticos y armas de fuego de carteles mexicanos de narcotráfico como los Zetas, el Cártel del Golfo, el Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y el Cártel de Sinaloa, y participar en trata y contrabando de personas. La Ranfla Nacional también ordenó a los numerosos miembros de la MS-13 en Estados Unidos que se involucren en actividades delictivas, como tráfico de drogas y extorsión, con el fin de recaudar dinero para apoyar las actividades terroristas de la MS-13 en El Salvador y en otros lugares.
Por último, la Ranfla Nacional y la estructura de liderazgo transnacional de la MS-13 habrían ordenado a miembros en Estados Unidos que cometieran actos de violencia, incluidos homicidios, para conseguir sus objetivos e implementar reglas que posibilitaron que la MS-13 se afianzara en partes de Estados Unidos, incluso dentro del Distrito Este de Nueva York, donde, bajo el liderazgo y las reglas de los acusados, la MS-13 ha perpetrado numerosos actos de violencia, como homicidios, tentativas de homicidio, agresiones, secuestros, tráfico de drogas y extorsión de personas y empresas, ha obstruido la justicia y ha enviado contribuciones y el producto de actividades delictivas mediante transferencias electrónicas a líderes de la MS-13 en El Salvador. Por ejemplo, la Fiscalía Federal para la División Criminal de Long Island del Distrito Este de Nueva York ha procesado a cientos de líderes, miembros y asociados de la MS-13 por cometer más de 65 homicidios en el Distrito Este de Nueva York entre 2009 y hasta el momento.
Cuando se dio a conocer la acusación en enero de 2021, Canales-Rivera se encontraba detenido en El Salvador cumpliendo una pena de prisión, y Estados Unidos presentó una circular roja de INTERPOL y una solicitud de extradición de Canales-Rivera al Gobierno de El Salvador. Sin embargo, aproximadamente en noviembre de 2021, Canales-Rivera fue liberado de la custodia del Gobierno de El Salvador y más tarde ingresó ilegalmente en Guatemala. Canales-Rivera permaneció prófugo hasta el 7 de noviembre, cuando fue detenido por las autoridades mexicanas.
Además de solicitar la extradición de Canales-Rivera, en 2021 y 2022, Estados Unidos solicitó la extradición de 11 de sus coacusados, incluido Borromeo Enrique Henríquez, también conocido como “Diablito de Hollywood”, quien es ampliamente reconocido como el integrante más poderoso de la Ranfla Nacional. Hasta la fecha, el Gobierno de El Salvador no ha extraditado a ninguno de esos acusados.
Dos de las otras personas acusadas junto con Canales-Rivera —Fredy Ivan Jandres-Parada, alias Lucky de Park View y Lacky de Park View, y César Humberto López-Larios, alias El Grenas de Stoners y Oso de Stoners— y tres acusados que figuran en la acusación de Arevalo-Chávez —Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, alias Cruger de Peatonales; Juan Antonio Martínez-Abrego, alias Mary Jane de Hollywood, y Francisco Javier Román-Bardales, alias Veterano de Tribus— siguen prófugos. Se recomienda enfáticamente al público que tenga información sobre su paradero que se comunique con la línea gratuita del FBI para denuncias sobre la MS-13, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), o la línea de denuncias de HSI llamando al 866-347-2423 o a través de www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form
Juntos, el FBI y HSI han ofrecido una recompensa de USD 20.000 a cambio de información que posibilite el arresto y la condena de los fugitivos.
Este caso fue presentado por la Fuerza Operativa Conjunta Vulcan (Joint Task Force Vulcan, JTFV), creada para combatir a la MS-13, dirigida por el fiscal federal adjunto John J. Durham del Distrito Este de Nueva York, e integrada por Fiscalías Federales en todo el país, incluido el Distrito de Nueva Jersey; el Distrito Norte de Ohio; el Distrito de Utah; el Distrito de Massachusetts; el Distrito Este de Texas; el Distrito Sur de Nueva York; el Distrito Sur de Florida; el Distrito Este de Virginia; el Distrito Sur de California; el Distrito de Nevada; el Distrito de Alaska; y el Distrito de Columbia, así como otras agencias y oficinas gubernamentales que han sido socios clave en la JTFV, incluida la División de Seguridad Nacional del Departamento de Justicia y la División Criminal del FBI; Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional (HSI); la Administración para el Control de Drogas de Estados Unidos (DEA); la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (ATF); el USMS; la Oficina Federal de Prisiones (FBOP); y la Oficina del Inspector General de la Agencia de Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional.
La Oficina de Campo del FBI en Los Ángeles encabezó las investigaciones de la JTFV sobre los cabecillas de la MS-13, con el apoyo crítico prestado por la Unidad de Pandillas Safe Streets de la División de Investigaciones Penales, junto con la Unidad Nacional de Pandillas y Delitos Violentos de HSI y las Oficinas de Campo de HSI en Nueva York y Houston. A su vez, los agregados legales del FBI en Ciudad de México y San Salvador, la Oficina de Campo del FBI en Houston, el Agregado de HSI en Ciudad de México, el Agregado Legal del USMS en la Ciudad de México y los agentes del Servicio de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos en el Aeropuerto Intercontinental George Bush en Houston prestaron apoyo crítico para el arresto, así como la Fiscalía Federal y el USMS para el Distrito Sur de Texas para coordinar la audiencia inicial en Houston.
Fueron varios los componentes del Departamento de Justicia que contribuyeron a esta acusación, incluidas la Sección Antiterrorista de la División de Seguridad Nacional; la Oficina Ejecutiva de las Fuerzas Operativas sobre la delincuencia organizada y la represión en materia de drogas (OCDETF); la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia; y la Oficina de Desarrollo, Asistencia y Capacitación del Ministerio Público en el Extranjero de la División Penal. Además, la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. y la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros (Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC) del Departamento del Tesoro de EE. UU. han proporcionado asistencia valiosa para la misión de la JTFV.
De ser condenado, Canales-Rivera se enfrenta una pena máxima de prisión perpetua.
La acción penal es impulsada por los fiscales federales adjuntos John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci, y Megan E. Farrell, de la División Penal de Long Island del Distrito Este de Nueva York, con la asistencia de los fiscales federales adjuntos James Donnelly del Distrito de Nueva Jersey, Matthew Shepherd del Distrito Norte de Ohio y Stewart Young del Distrito de Utah de la JTFV.
Una acusación implica solamente un señalamiento. Todos los acusados se presumen inocentes hasta tanto se demuestre su culpabilidad sin lugar a duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
Tuesday 14 November 2023
Woman Ordered to Pay over $38,000 in Restitution for Interference with Flight Crew on Hawaii-Bound FlightRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Cayla Farris, 29, of Hawaii, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to a time-served sentence of 3.6 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. During her term of supervised release, Farris will not be permitted to travel by commercial aircraft without prior approval. Farris was ordered to pay $38,952.00 in restitution to American Airlines for delay-related costs due to her actions. Farris pleaded guilty on September 12, 2023, to Interference with a Flight Crew Member.
On February 13, 2022, Farris boarded an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu, Hawaii. During the flight, Farris used profanity and threatened the flight crew and passengers onboard. As a result of her behavior, the flight crew was unable to continue their duties. The captain ultimately decided to turn the plane back to Phoenix. For passengers onboard, this disturbance caused several flights to be re-routed to Hawaii.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-01393-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-176_Farris# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Valley man sent to prison for smuggling scheme resulting in deathRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 22-year-old Mission resident has been ordered to prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens resulting in the death of one, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Julio Garza IV pleaded guilty Feb. 15.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Garza to serve 45 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court commented on how it was important to remember someone died. The individual may have fled, but Garza was still accountable for a death. Judge Alvarez noted that people in Garza’s position convince themselves that smuggling aliens is okay because the person took the risk. However, she pointed out that it’s a crime and that this type of crime often results in people being injured.
On April 15, 2021, law enforcement conducted a routine immigration traffic stop on US Hwy 281 near Falfurrias on a tan Ford Taurus. When the vehicle stopped along the highway, multiple people fled.
A passing box truck struck and killed one of those individuals. Authorities determined he was a citizen of Honduras illegally residing in the United States.
The investigation revealed Garza had hired the driver to transport the undocumented aliens from Edinburg to a designated location south of the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. Garza sent audio and text messages as well as GPS coordinates in order to direct the smuggling operation.
Garza 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 with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case.
Vallejo Parolee Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bruce Lamont Walker, 55, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to five years and four months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Walker was convicted in 2014 for a domestic violence offense and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Walker had only been on parole for three months when a parole search resulted in the discovery of an AR‑15 style “ghost gun” (privately made without a serial number) in his bedroom. Also found was an extended magazine with 27 rounds of ammunition. Walker is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on account of seven prior felony convictions, including two felony crimes of violence and multiple firearms related felonies.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Division of Adult Parole Operations, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Enforcement Team, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice 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's Office Joins Virtual Listening Session on Voting Barriers Encountered by Individuals with Disabilities in North CarolinaRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King joined the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Middle and Eastern Districts of North Carolina, and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Disability Rights Section, to hold a statewide virtual listening session on voting barriers faced by individuals with disabilities.
The purpose of the virtual event was to encourage community members to share experiences related to obstacles and barriers encountered by persons with disabilities in the voting process, and to address questions and concerns on the topics of registering to vote, obtaining voting and election information, absentee ballot procedures and in-person voting, accessibility in the polling places, and assistance with voting.
Representatives from nonprofit agencies, private organizations, educational institutions, disability advocates and individuals affiliated with the disability community were among those invited to participate in the listening session.
In her remarks to participants, U.S. Attorney King said, “Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and every citizen who is eligible to vote must be able to do so without interference or discrimination. Our role as federal prosecutors is to protect the integrity of the election process. That includes ensuring that every American citizen has access to the ballot, and that Americans with disabilities can be full participants in civic life and exercise the franchise. With today’s event, we hope to understand where the needs exist in the community and what barriers may prohibit individuals with disabilities to exercise their fundamental right to vote.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s “The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities” provides guidance to states, counties, cities, election officials, poll workers, and voters on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal laws help ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to vote. For more information, including how to file an ADA complaint please visit here.
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Meeting of the Western District's Health Care Fraud Working GroupRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced a meeting of the Western District’s Health Care Fraud Working Group, which focuses on combating health care fraud in the Western District of North Carolina.
The working group is a multi-agency team of federal and state investigators, analysts, auditors, and attorneys with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division, and the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
At today’s meeting of the working group, U.S. Attorney King welcomed partner agencies and thanked agency representatives for their participation.
“Today, we strengthen an important partnership to combat health care fraud in the Western District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney King. “As health care fraud schemes increase in scope and sophistication, we are vigorously responding to this escalating crime with innovative and well-coordinated investigative efforts to identify and prosecute fraud effectively and efficiently. I want to thank all the partner agencies for dedicating their resources and expertise to the working group. This is an important step in our fight to protect taxpayer dollars, shield government-funded health care programs from fraud and abuse, hold bad actors responsible for their misdeeds, and deter future misconduct.”
The mission of the working group is to identify and bring to justice those who defraud the health care system and reduce the potential for health care fraud and abuse in the future. The working group focuses on the coordination of cases, information sharing, identification of trends in health care fraud throughout the region, staffing of all whistle blower complaints, and the creation of investigative teams so that individual agencies may focus their unique areas of expertise on investigations.
Examples of joint investigations include false billings, COVID-19 fraud, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and other schemes that victimize patients, health care providers, private insurers and government insurers, such as Medicare, TRICARE, and Medicaid. The working group also focuses on fraud committed by both corporate and individual defendants, including hospitals, telemedicine companies and providers, nursing home chains, pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers, durable medical equipment suppliers, individual physicians, therapists, and affiliated health care professionals.
The working group builds upon existing partnerships between the agencies and its work reflects a heightened effort to reduce health care fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.
If you suspect Medicare or Medicaid fraud, please report it by phone at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), or via email at [email protected]. To report Medicaid fraud in North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at 919-881-2320 or fill out an online complaint form. TRICARE fraud can be reported here. Fraud against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system can be reported at www.vaoig.gov/hotline.
U.S. Army Maintenance Worker Pleads Guilty to Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyrone Norman Dais, 54, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to one count of First-Degree Theft for using a federal government fuel credit card to make more than $33,000 worth of unauthorized private gasoline purchases. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Acting Inspector General Robert C. Erickson Jr. for the General Services Administration made the announcement.
According to court documents, Dais, who was employed by the United States Army as a civilian maintenance worker at the Fort Lesley J. McNair Department of Public Works, repeatedly purchased gasoline for private vehicles using a General Services Administration fuel credit card meant solely for a designated maintenance van on the Fort McNair grounds. Investigators found that from April to October of 2023, Dais frequently arranged to meet private vehicles at area gas stations and used his General Services Administration credit card to purchase their gas. In total, Dais made more than 400 unauthorized purchases totaling at least $33,868.21. As part of the plea agreement, Dais agreed to pay full restitution.
The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Dais’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2024.
This case was investigated by the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming.
Two Men Sentenced in Relation to Two Robberies of Businesses in Cabarrus County in 2021Read the Press Release
WINSTON SALEM - A judge in federal district court sentenced two Stanly County men, MALIQ RAEKWON PARKER and SEAN CHRISTIAN PARKER, today in relation to two armed robberies of businesses in Cabarrus County in 2021, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina.
MALIQ PARKER, 20, of Albemarle, was sentenced for his role in both the armed robbery of an AT&T Store in Harrisburg, and the attempted armed robbery of Mount Pleasant Sporting Goods and Pawn, Inc. in Mount Pleasant. MALIQ PARKER was sentenced to 210 months in prison. His codefendant, SEAN PARKER, 23, of Badin, was sentenced for his role in only the attempted armed robbery. SEAN PARKER was sentenced to 148 months in prison.
According to court documents, on October 28, 2021, MALIQ PARKER robbed an AT&T Store in Harrisburg of cell phones using a Glock 9mm pistol. During the robbery, store employees were forced into a rear office at gunpoint where the merchandise was then taken. MALIQ PARKER discharged his firearm once while in the rear office.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2021, an attempted robbery occurred at Mount Pleasant Sporting Goods and Pawn, Inc., in Mount Pleasant where two males attempted to steal a firearm at gunpoint, shooting a store owner six times in the process. After initially being shot, the victim crawled to a nearby counter and obtained a firearm that he used to fend off the robbers. The robbers were later determined to be MALIQ PARKER and SEAN PARKER. Both men were armed with handguns and discharged their firearms during the attempted robbery. MALIQ PARKER shot the victim at very close range with the same Glock 9mm pistol used in the AT&T Store robbery. SEAN PARKER discharged a .40 caliber pistol once, before both men ran out of the store. As the defendants fled, an off-duty Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw the armed men running to their vehicle and engaged them. When SEAN PARKER refused commands to drop the gun, the off-duty deputy shot him, but he still got in the car, and they drove away. The off-duty deputy assisted the victim until paramedics arrived, and the victim survived despite gunshot wounds to his arms, legs, and torso.
SEAN PARKER was dropped off at the hospital where he was treated for his own injuries and was apprehended by police. MALIQ PARKER was apprehended shortly after by officers looking for the grey Ford Focus that was used during the attempted robbery and was later seen on hospital security cameras when SEAN PARKER was dropped off at the hospital. After a search of the vehicle, officers located items previously stolen from the AT&T Store.
United States District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder sentenced MALIQ PARKER to a 210-month term of imprisonment, followed by a 3-year term of federal supervised release. He pled guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery on July 6, 2023, in case number 1:23CR62-1.
SEAN PARKER was also sentenced to a 148-month term of imprisonment, followed by a 3-year term of federal supervised release. He pled guilty to one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery on July 6, 2023, in case number 1:23CR62-2.
The case was investigated Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff's Department, the Albemarle Police Department, and the Stanly County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig M. Principe.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Two Indicted for Separate Threats Against JudgesRead the Press Release
Two individuals have been charged with making threats against federal judges in the Northern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
First, Alice Marie Pence, 67, of Port Charlotte, Florida, was charged with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce and with intending to influence a federal official by threat. According to her indictment, Ms. Pence made a phone call in which she threatened to kill a U.S. District Judge with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the performance of his official duties.
Second, Daniel Ray Garcia, 44, currently in Texas state prison in Midway, Texas, was charged with two counts of mailing a threatening communication. According to his indictment, Mr. Garcia mailed a letter threatening to kill or injure a different U.S. District Judge.
Ms. Pence is scheduled to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, and Mr. Garcia made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
An indictment is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, Ms. Pence faces up to 15 years in federal prison, and Mr. Garcia faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht is prosecuting both cases.
Twenty-Three Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Racketeering, Drug Trafficking, and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
A 12-count indictment was unsealed in the Northern District of Georgia charging 23 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.
According to court documents, SMM is a subset of The Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM members, including inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted arson, drug trafficking within and outside of GDOC facilities, and wire and bank fraud. Eleven of the defendants were in prison when they allegedly committed or ordered the charged crimes.
“The defendants and their criminal associates are alleged to have committed murder, engaged in stabbings and attempted murder, and distributed thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs inside and outside the Georgia prison system, all to enhance the power and prestige of their gang, the Sex Money Murder set of The Bloods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With this RICO indictment, the Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, again shows its commitment to hold accountable and bring to justice violent gang members who terrorize our communities and attempt to control our country’s prison systems.”
“Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities as well as to many of our institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “The defendants charged in this case allegedly perpetrated numerous violent and other criminal offenses, including multiple murders, brutal assaults, and drug trafficking crimes, on behalf of the gang Sex Money Murder. For more than a decade, these gang members and their associates allegedly orchestrated a criminal enterprise within and outside of multiple prisons to earn money for, boost their status in, and impose discipline required by the gang. This indictment is the culmination of a lengthy and carefully coordinated federal and state law enforcement investigation aimed at dismantling this violent group.”
“The FBI and its partners will not stand by as members of an elaborate criminal enterprise engage in acts that endanger our communities,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “There are consequences for partaking in illegal activity, and this does not change when some of the bad actors are already behind bars. We will continue to ensure that members of the Sex Money Murder gang face justice for their alleged misconduct, which includes drug trafficking, firearms violations, and egregious violence.”
“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and commit heinous crimes while behind bars,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “They must now face the consequences.”
The indictment alleges that the defendants or other SMM members committed multiple acts of violence in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including storming a home and shooting multiple rounds of ammunition into a bathroom, killing a 9-month-old boy; on multiple occasions, incarcerated SMM members murdering, stabbing, or beating other inmates for disrespecting SMM leadership or violating SMM rules; and shooting and killing another SMM member on belief that the member had cooperated with law enforcement.
The following defendants have been charged in the indictment for conduct related to their alleged roles in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy and related crimes:
- Ryan Brandt, aka Street Life and Robert Kraft, 44, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, aiding, and abetting, and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
- Kyle Oree, aka Nasty Nu, 52, of Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
- Chase Pinckney, aka Chase Pickney, Three Shots, Noriega, and Sinatra, 38, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Elton Jackson, aka 2gz and John Madden, 41, of Telfair State Prison in Helena, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Sean Carr, aka Nut and Nutkase, 51, of FCI Talladega in Talladega, Alabama, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Lavorsia Jones, aka Shitbag, 23, of Dacula, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring, attempting, and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
- Danielle Ford, 49, of Ellenwood, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;
- Charlton King, aka Hell’s Militant Camp, 23, of Valdosta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Demarco Draughn, aka Shoota B, 28, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Richard Smith, aka Alleyway and Brett Favre, 36, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Rontavious Fowler, aka Lil Hot, 26, of Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Shavon Thomas, aka Shavon Edwards, 55, of Decatur, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Lionel Edwards, aka Tony, Tyson, and Python, 41, of USP Florence in Florence, Colorado, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Anthony Jernigan, aka Hell Raiser, 36, of Hays State Prison in Trion, is charged with RICO conspiracy;
- Cedric Pierre, aka Flip, 23, of Robert A. Deyton Correctional Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Ricardo Sanchez, 40, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Troy McCraine, 57, of Tennessee, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Qawwee Mitchell, 36, of Gainesville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;
- Sherri Gandy-Torres, 56, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Nyla Blacknell, 43, of Duluth, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;
- Tracey Wise, 46, of Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;
- Shounnette Wooten, 50, of Gray, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute; and
- Kierra Williams, 31, of Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy, 10 years to life in prison for the narcotics conspiracy and drug trafficking charges, and five years to life in prison for the firearms offenses.
The FBI, the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, the DEA, and the Georgia Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Georgia State Patrol, the Brookhaven Police Department, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Douglasville Police Department, the East Point Police Department, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, the Riverdale Police Department, the Sandy Springs Police Department, and the South Fulton Police Department.
Trial Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VICAR) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case, and former VICAR Trial Attorney Rebecca R. Dunnan previously prosecuted the case.
The indictment is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tucson Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder for Killing Deputy United States MarshalRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Ryan Schlesinger, 31, of Tucson, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of second-degree murder of a federal officer. Second-degree murder is a homicide committed with malice aforethought, which means deliberately and intentionally, or recklessly with extreme disregard for human life. Second-degree murder is a class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Schlesinger also was convicted of three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; four counts of assault of a federal officer, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; and five counts of discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent offense, a felony punishable by not less than 10 years, and up to life, in prison. The guilty verdicts came after a 13-day trial before United States District Judge Raner C. Collins. Schlesinger’s sentencing is set for January 22, 2024.
On November 29, 2018, deputies with the United States Marshals Arizona Wanted Violent Offender Task Force attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant on Schlesinger for allegedly stalking a Tucson Police Department (TPD) sergeant. Schlesinger refused to exit his residence and opened fire on the deputies who were outside his window. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White was shot twice in the upper torso and died a short time later.
Prior to the murder, Schlesinger had been in a yearlong dispute with TPD. Schlesinger sent multiple threatening emails, went to a TPD officer’s parents’ home, and attempted to arrest a TPD sergeant. Despite being under multiple active injunctions against harassment, Schlesinger possessed three firearms in violation of those court-issued injunctions. The evidence showed that Schlesinger sent a final threatening email to TPD hours before the murder. While the Task Force attempted to execute the arrest warrant, Schlesinger outfitted himself in body armor. After murdering Deputy White and committing the other crimes of which he was convicted, Schlesinger ultimately surrendered to TPD, wearing the body armor and a ballistic helmet.
Deputy White was 41 years old. He is survived by his wife and four children. He was also a lieutenant colonel with the United States Air Force Reserve. Deputy White was the first Deputy U.S. Marshal killed in the line of duty in Tucson in 66 years.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah B. Houston and Jane L. Westby, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-02719-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-178_Schlesinger# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Three Men Sentenced for $54M Fraudulent Prescriptions SchemeRead the Press Release
Three men were sentenced today in connection to a $54 million bribery and kickback scheme involving TRICARE, a federal program that provides health insurance benefits to active duty and retired service members and their families.
David Byron Copeland, 55, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison following his conviction at trial in June for paying and receiving health care kickbacks. James Wesley Moss, 60, of Huntsville, Alabama, and Michael Gordon, 60, of Fort Myers, Florida, were sentenced to two years and three months and one year and six months in prison, respectively, following their guilty pleas to a kickback and fraud conspiracy, among other charges.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Moss was a part-owner and CEO of Florida Pharmacy Solutions (FPS), a Florida-based pharmacy that specialized in compounded prescription drugs. Copeland was also a part-owner and senior sales manager at FPS, and Gordon was a lead sales representative. Moss, Copeland, and Gordon, along with their accomplices, engaged in a practice known as “test billing” to develop the most expensive combination of compounded drugs to maximize reimbursement from TRICARE. Moss, Copeland, Gordon, and their accomplices targeted physicians who treated TRICARE beneficiaries and paid bribes and kickbacks to physicians and salespeople to encourage the referral of prescriptions to FPS. The bribes included lavish hunting trips and expensive dinners. In addition, FPS employees used “blanket letters of authorization” that allowed FPS to modify the prescription components to make them more profitable.
Moss paid Copeland and Gordon millions of dollars in kickbacks based on a percentage of the amount that TRICARE reimbursed for their prescriptions, which provided an incentive to seek prescriptions for the most expensive compounded drugs possible, including pain and scar creams. Copeland facilitated the kickbacks through companies he set up to receive and funnel the payments. From late 2012 through mid-2015, FPS billed TRICARE over $54 million for its compounded pharmaceuticals.
In April, co-defendant Edward Christopher White was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty for his role in the scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG), Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Mahmood of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Southeast Field Office; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge David Walker of the FBI Tampa Field Office made the announcement.
The DOD-OIG, HHS-OIG, VA-OIG, and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer, Clayton Solomon, and Katie Rookard 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 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24.7 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, 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.
Three Charged in $1.5 Million Conspiracy to Fraudulently Claim Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal grand jury returned an indictment last month charging Darwing Dubon-Castro, 32, and Josselyn Zamora-Carranza, 28, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Carlos Rodriguez, 22, of Antioch, Tennessee, with conspiracy to commit fraud and to defraud the United States and passing forged United States Treasury checks. Dubon was also charged with wire and mail fraud and aggravated identity theft related to the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Defendants Zamora-Carranza and Rodriguez were arrested on October 26 and made appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Defendant Dubon-Castro was arrested and made his initial appearance yesterday.
According to the indictment, from February 2019 to October 2023, the defendants conspired to fraudulently obtain tax refunds from the IRS by filing tax returns using others’ stolen identities and false wage information. The indictment alleges that Dubon filed these tax returns with the IRS and directed the IRS to send the refunds to himself and his co-defendants. As a result of their scheme, the defendants defrauded the IRS of more than $1.5 million.
After receiving the tax refund checks, Dubon, Zamora, and Rodriguez used forged identification documents so that they could cash the tax refund checks. During the execution of search warrants, federal agents found over 100 such false identifications.
If convicted, Dubon faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the fraud charges and a mandatory 2 years in prison for the aggravated identity theft, and Zamora and Rodriguez each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All defendants also face a $250,000 fine on each count.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell T. Galloway is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Tampa Man Sentenced to More Than 36 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle has sentenced Mark Peterson (30, Tampa) to 36 years and 8 months in federal prison for production and distribution of child sex abuse material. The court also ordered Peterson to forfeit electronic devices used during the offense and pay $22,419.44 in restitution. Peterson had pleaded guilty on May 23, 2023.
According to court documents, between 2017 and 2018, through the social media application Facebook, Peterson enticed and coerced a 16-year-old victim to produce sexually explicit images and videos of herself. In 2020, through the social media application Discord, Peterson traded images and videos of children, including toddlers and babies, being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Paul Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty for the possession of a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents on July 23, 2021, Ember Shawndale White, 23, was found in possession of a Beretta APX 9x19mm pistol. Because White has multiple prior felony convictions in Ramsey, Hennepin, and Dakota Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
White pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon in U.S. District Court before Judge Joan N. Ericksen.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the case.
South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
According to court documents, Aaron T. Simmons, 26, of Greenville, used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel one adult victim into engaging in commercial sex acts in the Greenville area between Aug. 2019 and Aug. 2020. The defendant also caused a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts in the Greenville area between Aug. 2019 and Nov. 2019.
“Sex trafficking is a pernicious crime that preys upon vulnerable victims, including minors, and causes them grave harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department remains committed to prosecuting human traffickers and standing up for the defenseless people they exploit.”
“Today’s plea sends a message to those who harm others in this vile way: you will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Crimes of this nature can create lifelong trauma for survivors. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to relentlessly prosecute trafficking cases.”
“The FBI and its partners are committed in our resolve to topple human trafficking operations and providing a path towards healing for survivors,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty plea is a crucial step towards justice for the victims, who are suffering lasting trauma from the defendant’s heinous crimes.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Simmons faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Columbia Field Office, Greenville Resident Agency and the Greenville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Fisher Sherard for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
A South Carolina man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
According to court documents, Aaron T. Simmons, 26, of Greenville, used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel one adult victim into engaging in commercial sex acts in the Greenville area between August 2019 and August 2020. The defendant also caused a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts in the Greenville area between August 2019 and November 2019.
“Sex trafficking is a pernicious crime that preys upon vulnerable victims, including minors, and causes them grave harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department remains committed to prosecuting human traffickers and standing up for the defenseless people they exploit.”
“Today’s plea sends a message to those who harm others in this vile way: you will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Crimes of this nature can create lifelong trauma for survivors. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to relentlessly prosecute trafficking cases.”
“The FBI and its partners are committed in our resolve to topple human trafficking operations and providing a path towards healing for survivors,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty plea is a crucial step towards justice for the victims, who are suffering lasting trauma from the defendant’s heinous crimes.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Simmons faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Columbia Field Office, Greenville Resident Agency and the Greenville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Fisher Sherard for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
South Carolina Man Found Guilty of Obstruction and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol BreachRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A South Carolina man was convicted on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, of one felony and four misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Derek Cooper Gunby, 43, of Anderson, South Carolina, was convicted by a jury of one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, and four misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman will sentence Gunby on March 1, 2024.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Gunby drove from his residence in South Carolina to Washington, D.C., to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021. On the morning of January 6th, Gunby posted a photo of himself in fatigues traveling on the Metro, with the caption, “Up at Zero Dark Thirty to stop this steal.” Gunby attended the “Stop the Steal” rally and afterward headed toward the U.S. Capitol building.
Gunby entered the restricted grounds on the west side of the Capitol at around 2:15 p.m. and approached the northwest stairs. Gunby narrated a recording on his phone stating, “I think that the building’s been breached. . . . We’re trying to head up and get in there. The scaffolding up there is just crawling with people and these steps, they’ve already made it up all the way up the stairs. And tear gas has been deployed over here.
As Gunby made his way up the northwest stairs, he continued to narrate the scene, “We’re on the Capitol steps… and we are trying to storm the Capitol building. We’re taking the country back. You don’t get to do this to my country and not suffer consequences.” Gunby then made his way into the Northwest Courtyard, where he joined the crowd of rioters pushing their way into the Capitol building through the Senate Parliamentarian Door. As he moved closer and closer towards the building’s entrance, Gunby explained, “We’ve got some breaches in the Capitol building… in which I’m about to go, because enough is enough… We’re depending on Mike Pence to do the right thing in certifying this vote? No.” Gunby also encouraged other rioters in front of him to push their way into the Capitol building by shouting, “Push forward! Push forward!”
At around 2:58 p.m., Gunby entered the Capitol building via the Senate Parliamentarian Door and recorded video as he moved further into the building. However, police positioned further down the hallway forced rioters out of the building. At approximately 3:01 p.m., officers pushed Gunby and the rest of the rioters back out of the Senate Parliamentarian Door.
Immediately after his expulsion from the building, Gunby remained on Capitol grounds and made his way to the Upper West Terrace. From that vantage point, Gunby witnessed rioters and police clash below and joined in a “Police stand down!” chant. He then moved closer to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, closer to where the violence was taking place, and recorded additional video of the confrontations between police and rioters. Gunby remained on restricted Capitol grounds for well over two hours.
Shortly after the riot, Gunby recorded a video while on the Metro. During the video, Gunby spoke for almost ten minutes about the riot and why he believed it occurred. Gunby stated, in part, that “We all pretty much surrounded the Capitol. We are at a point now in this country where they are going to listen to us, they have to listen to us” and “If the American patriot wanted to storm this Capitol, take over this building, and take care of all of Congress in there, they could do it. They could do it…”
The FBI arrested Gunby on Aug. 10, 2021, in South Carolina. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Columbia and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 34 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,200 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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Selling ghost guns to Mexican cartel sends felon to prisonRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 37-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced for possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and conspiracy to possess intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jaime Jesus Esquivel pleaded guilty June 6, admitting, in part, to producing and illegally exporting fully automatic firearms to Mexico for the use of drug cartels.
U.S. District Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now handed Esquivel a total 120-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that Esquivel bragged to an undercover officer that he manufactured and trafficked hundreds of firearms into Mexico. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that in trafficking both narcotics and firearms that Esquivel was trafficking in death.
As part of the undercover investigation, authorities conducted four controlled purchases of cocaine and multiple AR-type fully automatic rifles. The weapons were ghost guns, a common term for privately made firearms that are absent any manufacture marks of identification. Esquivel assembled and manufactured these weapons for distribution.
Esquivel also made the firearms from various components of combat weapons including Colt model M4 parts and a 3D-printed polymer AR-type drop in auto sear or machine gun conversion device (MGCD). An MGCD is any part designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun.
Law enforcement executed two search warrants and seized completed and privately manufactured AR-type lower receivers, various firearm parts, firearm manufacturing tools as well as 950 rounds of assorted ammunition, a 7.62mm rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a privately manufactured short-barrel fully automatic rifle without serial numbers or industry markings. They also found meth, cocaine and a 3D printer.
As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
Esquivel will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation.
San Jose Man Sentenced to Serve over Six Years in Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Ian Edward Parrish was sentenced to serve 80 months in prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the fatal overdose an Ohio resident, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Araceli Martínez-Olguín, United States District Judge.
Parrish, 28, of San Jose, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on August 28, 2023. In his plea agreement, Parrish admitted that on August 16, 2022, he sold four loose pills to an individual in a bar in Fremont, Calif. Two of the pills were counterfeit “M30” pills that were blue and had the appearance of “Perc30,” a common prescription pain killer that contains Percocet, a federally controlled substance. Parrish admitted that when the victim asked if the pills were real, he told him that they were. But, contrary to the assurance he gave the victim, Parrish admitted that he did not actually know whether the pills were genuine Percocet. According to the plea agreement, Parrish admitted that the government could prove the pills he sold contained fentanyl. After buying the pills, the victim left the bar and consumed one. Approximately 17 minutes later, the victim began to sway and lose balance, and then lost consciousness. According to the plea agreement, emergency personnel arrived and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim; the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. In the plea agreement, Parrish admitted that the cause of the victim’s death was the pill the victim consumed and that Parrish sold to him.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, the victim left behind a spouse, as well as 6 children and 11 grandchildren.
On August 22, 2023, Parrish was charged by Information with distributing the fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C). He pleaded guilty to the charge.
In addition to the 80-month federal prison sentence, Judge Martínez-Olguín ordered Parrish to serve three years of supervision following his release from federal prison. Parrish was remanded to federal custody after the sentencing hearing and began serving his prison sentence immediately.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan M. Mateer with the assistance of Isabel Trevizo and Jessie Chelsea. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by FBI and the Fremont Police Department.
One Pill Can Kill: Beware of pills bought on the street: One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, is a highly potent opiate that can be diluted with cutting agents to create counterfeit pills that purport to mimic the effects of Oxycodone, Percocet, and other drugs, but can be obtained at a lower cost. However, very small variations in the amount or quality of fentanyl create huge effects on the potency of the counterfeit pills and can easily cause death. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills are usually shaped and colored to resemble pills that are sold legitimately at pharmacies.
Russian and Moldovan National Pleads Guilty to Operating Illegal Botnet Proxy Service that Infected Tens of Thousands of Internet-Connected Devices Around the WorldRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Russian and Moldovan national pled guilty to three counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5)(A) Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers.
The FBI today revealed US law enforcement’s dismantlement of a botnet proxy network and its infrastructure associated with the IPStorm malware.
According to online reports, the botnet infrastructure had infected Windows systems then further expanded to infect Linux, Mac, and Android devices, victimizing computers and other electronic devices around the world, including in Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
In connection with the operation of that IPStorm malware and botnet proxy service, on September 18, 2023, Sergei Makinin, a Russian and Moldovan national, pled guilty to three counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5)(A), knowingly causing the transmission of a program that intentionally caused damage without authorization to protected computers. Each count of conviction carries a statutory maximum of ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, from at least June 2019 through December 2022, Makinin developed and deployed malicious software to hack thousands of Internet-connected devices around the world, including in Puerto Rico. Makinin controlled these infected devices as part of an extensive botnet, which is a network of compromised devices. The main purpose of the botnet was to turn infected devices into proxies as part of a for-profit scheme, which made access to these proxies available through Makinin’s websites, proxx.io and proxx.net. Through those websites, Makinin sold illegitimate access to the infected, controlled devices to customers seeking to hide their Internet activities. A single customer could pay hundreds of dollars a month to route traffic through thousands of infected computers. Makinin’s publicly-accessible website advertised that he had over 23,000 “highly anonymous” proxies from all over the world. Makinin acknowledged that he gained at least $550,000 from the scheme. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Makinin will forfeit cryptocurrency wallets linked to the offense.
“This investigation shows that we will use every lawful tool at our disposal to disrupt cybercriminals, regardless of their location,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow. “This case serves as a warning that the reach of the law is long, and criminals anywhere who use computers to commit crimes may end up facing the consequences of their actions in places they did not anticipate.”
“It is no secret that in present times, much criminal activity is conducted or enabled through cybernetic means. Cybercriminals seek to remain anonymous and derive a sense of security because they hide behind keyboards, often thousands of miles away from their victims,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI’s cyber mission has been to impose risk and consequences on our adversaries, ensuring cyberspace is no safe space for criminal activity. This case is one example of how we are doing just that, and I’d like to thank the DOJ’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and the FBI San Juan Cyber Team for their meticulous and relentless work in this case.”
The scope of the law enforcement dismantlement was limited to disabling the defendant’s infrastructure and did not extend to the information of the owners and users of the computers. The FBI emphasizes the importance of keeping computers updated with the latest security patches and operating systems.
The case was investigated by the FBI San Juan Cyber Team, with cooperation from the FBI legal attaché office in Madrid in coordination with the Spanish National Police-Cyber Attack Group; and the FBI Legal Attaché office in Santo Domingo, in coordination with the Dominican National Police-Interpol and Dominican National Police-International Organized Crime Division, and Ministry of the Interior and Police-Immigration Directorate. Valuable assistance was provided by the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA.net), including Bitdefender DRACO Team, Anomali Threat Research, and Intezer. The NCFTA is an alliance of business and law enforcement working together to disrupt cybercrime.
The case was prosecuted by AUSA Jonathan Gottfried of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico and Senior Counsel Jane Lee and Jeff Pearlman of the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, with assistance from the Office of International Affairs.
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Registered sex offender who attempted to have sex with 11 y/o girl going to prisonRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Mathew Schulman, 37, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography following a previous conviction, was sentenced to serve 186 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that between May 2021, and June 2022, Shulman engaged in sexually explicit online communications with who he believed was an 11-year-old girl, but was actually an undercover New York State Police (NYSP) Investigator. During the conversations, Shulman asked the child to produce and send him child pornography, and he tried to persuade the child to meet him for sex. Shulman also distributed child pornography depicting prepubescent minors in an attempt to groom the child for sexual activity. On June 7, 2022, the NYSP and Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Shulman’s Rochester residence and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, Shulman was a registered sex offender on probation for a June 2016 conviction of possessing child pornography in Monroe County Court.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Miklos Szoczei II, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
Recidivist Cocaine Trafficker Convicted of Sending Hundreds of Kilograms of Cocaine Hidden Inside FurnitureRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction in Manhattan federal court of OMAR LOPEZ CASTRO for his participation in a cocaine trafficking scheme between 2018 and 2022. The jury convicted LOPEZ CASTRO following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel. Sentencing of LOPEZ CASTRO is scheduled for February 22, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The unanimous jury verdict holds Omar Lopez Castro accountable for his leadership role in a widespread cocaine trafficking organization that flooded the streets with hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine. After serving a 10-year sentence for a prior SDNY cocaine trafficking conviction, Lopez Castro returned to trafficking hundreds of kilograms of his cocaine, this time hidden inside of furniture. He now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:
LOPEZ CASTRO was a member of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) that engaged in a cocaine-trafficking scheme between 2018 and 2022 involving the concealment of cocaine inside custom-built furniture. Between in or about September 2018 and October 2022, the DTO sent more than 30 shipments of cargo from Puerto Rico to the continental United States. The cocaine was concealed in more than approximately 80 custom cube-shaped coffee tables or other furniture. While the organization falsely represented that the cargo contained furniture, that furniture in fact concealed hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 350 kilograms of cocaine from four of the DTO’s shipments. In total, the DTO shipped approximately 4,500 kilograms of cocaine, worth at least $135,000,000 on the street. Many of the organization’s shipments were sent to addresses in the Southern District of New York including in Yonkers and the Bronx. Others were sent up and down the East Coast.
LOPEZ CASTRO was a Puerto Rico-based member of the DTO who owned approximately 274 kilograms of cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Soon after his release from federal prison from a prior conviction in the Southern District of New York for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York, LOPEZ CASTRO connected with other members of the DTO and hired the DTO members to ship his cocaine inside of custom-built furniture. All told, the street value of cocaine that LOPEZ CASTRO owned and trafficked was more than $8 million.
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LOPEZ CASTRO, 48, of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
This prosecution 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.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations in this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juliana N. Murray and Andrew Jones, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Jacqueline Hauck and Sabrina Jim Munoz, are in charge of the prosecution.
Randolph Count Man Sentenced to 97 Months for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Trinity man was sentenced yesterday to 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of receipt of child pornography announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
According to court records, in August 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cybertip that an individual in Trinity, North Carolina was uploading and distributing child pornography. Law enforcement investigated and determined Kevin Lee NUNN was responsible. Based upon a forensic review, NUNN had thousands of images and videos of child sexual exploitation.
NUNN was sentenced to a 97-month term of imprisonment by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, NUNN was ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $36,500.00 and special assessments totaling $6,100.00. He pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography on June 9, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys K. P. Kennedy Gates and Lindsey Freeman.
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 Attorney’s 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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Providence Man Found in Possession of $200,000 in Stolen Checks Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft, Violating the Terms of Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who was found to be in possession of nearly $200,000 in stolen and fraudulent checks while serving a term of federal supervised release for an unrelated bank fraud conviction, pleaded guilty in federal court today to a charge of possession of stolen mail, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, on February 2, 2023, during his arrest on an unrelated state narcotics charge, Edmilson Rodrigues, 25, was found to be in possession of ninety-one legitimate checks totaling approximately $170,758.26 and eight fraudulent checks totaling approximately $22,838.01. Also seized was blank check-paper stock used for creating fraudulent checks.
An investigation by agents with the United States Postal Inspection Service determined that the legitimate checks seized from Rodrigues’ residence had been mailed out by various businesses, but were never received by the intended recipients. Combined with the fraudulent checks, the intended loss totals $193,596.27.
At the time of his arrest on a state drug charge, Rodrigues was serving a term of federal supervised release that followed a sentence of twenty-four months incarceration imposed by a federal judge in September 2020 as a result of his conviction on bank fraud charges.
Rodrigues is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2024, on the stolen mail charge and for violating the terms of his federal supervised release. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin
The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Providence Police Department.
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Prisoner Sentenced to Additional 30 Years for Drug Trafficking in Multiple North Carolina Counties Using Contraband Prison CellphonesRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – ENIS DAUTI was sentenced today to 360 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
According to court records, DAUTI, age 38, was serving a 108-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine in 2016 in the MDNC and was scheduled to be released from federal prison in August 2023. At the time of the offense, DAUTI was incarcerated at Northlake Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Michigan.
Over the course of several months in 2021 and 2022, DAUTI organized multiple sales of methamphetamine that involved codefendants SCOTT ALAN SHORES, ASHLEY NICOLE MORROW, AMY ELLISSA HAMMER, and DANIEL WAYNE MIZE in Davidson and Chatham counties. Each sale involved DAUTI managing the sale of drugs using a contraband prison cellphone to communicate with his codefendants and organize the shipment of methamphetamine through the mail. SHORES, MORROW, HAMMER, and MIZE were indicted alongside DAUTI on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine.
DAUTI was sentenced today to a 360-month term of imprisonment and seven years of supervised release by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC.
“This case is a perfect example of the danger contraband cellphones present in our prison facilities,” said United States Attorney Sandra Hairston. “With a contraband cellphone, inmates can continue to run their drug enterprises or commit other crimes from their prison cells. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that such flagrant disrespect for the rule of law will not be tolerated.”
The case was investigated by United States Postal Inspection Service, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsey Freeman and Kyle Pousson.
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