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Thursday 24 August 2023
United States File Forfeiture Action to Recover Cryptocurrency Traceable to Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action to recover cryptocurrency alleged to be proceeds of a business email compromise (BEC) scheme targeting a Massachusetts resident. The government seeks to forfeit 18.836 bitcoin (BTC) seized from an account located at Binance.US, a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian. 18.836 BTC has a current estimated value of approximately $500,000.
In June 2022, an investigation began into a BEC fraud scheme targeting a Massachusetts resident. In a BEC fraud, individuals obtain unauthorized access to email accounts that a business uses to send information about commercial, real estate, and other financial transactions. Targets impersonate individuals expecting to receive money from these transactions and send requests that payments be directed to a network of bank accounts that they control. Perpetrators behind BEC fraud schemes are often located overseas.
As alleged in court documents, a Massachusetts resident was tricked into wiring $400,000 into a bank account located in California, and some of those funds were subsequently transferred to Binance.US where they were used to purchase 18.836 BTC. Investigators traced the funds to a Binance account, and the BTC was seized in July 2023.
It is a violation of federal law to use wire communications as part of a scheme to defraud or to obtain money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses. The complaint alleges that the seized cryptocurrency was traceable to proceeds of the wire fraud. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims.
This is the fifth civil forfeiture action the U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed seeking to forfeit cryptocurrency traced to fraud schemes targeting Massachusetts victims.
Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams and BEC fraud scams – should contact [email protected].
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The civil forfeiture action is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit.
The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint are allegations. The United States Attorney’s Office has not filed a corresponding criminal action on the matter.
USDA employee and others indicted for public corruptionRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 51-year-old Rio Grande City resident and employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been charged with bribery of public officials and witnesses, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Roberto Rodriguez, 51, turned himself in to authorities today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 9 a.m. Also taken into custody and appearing today are Jose Sandoval, 70, and Daniel Diaz, 67, both USDA contractors from Rio Grande City.
A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment Aug. 22.
Rodriguez was a USDA rural development loan specialist, according to the charges. From on or about January 2021 and continuing through Aug. 22, Rodriguez accepted bribe payments from Sandoval and Diaz. In return, Rodriguez allegedly referred applicants of the USDA 504 Single Family Housing Repair Grant and Loan program to the contractors.
Rodriguez did knowingly, corruptly and in violation of his official duty, accept payments from Sandoval and Diaz, according to the allegations. The contractors allegedly paid the bribes with the intent to influence official acts after the federally-funded repairs were completed.
If convicted, all face up to 15 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. The indictment also includes a notice of restitution of all funds related to the charges.
The FBI conducted the investigation along with Texas Office of the Attorney General, USDA - Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Housing and Urban Development – OIG with the assistance of Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety – Texas Rangers and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Cook Profit is prosecuting the case.
The investigation is part of the Border Corruption Task Force (BCTF) and Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces. The BCTF is comprised of multiple state and federal agencies that serve to disrupt and dismantle corrupt domestic public officials that operate along the southwest border. 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 on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Tylertown Man Sentenced to over Ten Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. -- A Tylertown man was sentenced to serve 128 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jason Patrick Appeldorn, 47, was sentenced on August 23, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Appeldorn was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $63,500 to victims and a $5,000 fine. Appeldorn was also ordered to pay an additional $5,000 assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to court documents, on September 23, 2021, federal officers of the U.S. Probation Office executed a search of Appeldorn’s residence in Tylertown, Mississippi. Appeldorn had been under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office since November 29, 2017, because of a previous conviction for possession of child pornography in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Appeldorn’s cellular telephone recovered at the search was forensically examined and over 2,000 visual depictions of child sexual abuse material of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct was recovered.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Two persons charged in large-scale meth trafficking ring centered on Crow Indian Reservation admit chargesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A man and a woman accused in large-scale, multi-state drug investigation centered on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to trafficking methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Darlon Richard Lefthand, 37, of Hardin, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute meth. Darlon Lefthand faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. Darlon Lefthand was detained pending further proceedings.
Frederica Lefthand, 52, of Lodge Grass, a co-defendant, pleaded guilty on Aug. 23 to possession with intent to distribute meth and to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Frederica Lefthand faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court set sentencing for Frederica Lefthand for Jan. 4, 2024 and ordered her detained pending further proceedings.
The court will determine any sentence for both defendants after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In court documents, the government alleged that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, investigated a large-scale, multi-state narcotics trafficking operation centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one known as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations.
Darlon Lefthand is one of the individuals affiliated with the investigation. The government alleged that Darlon Lefthand would receive meth from these locations and would redistribute it. In September 2022, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of approximately one ounce of meth from Darlon Lefthand.
The government further alleged that Frederica Lefthand occupied the Spear Siding property and that she and other co-defendants stored meth on the property. The investigation determined that Frederica Lefthand was the source of supply for several co-defendants. In addition, law enforcement conducted two controlled purchases of meth from Frederica Lefthand in September 2022. On April 1, 2023, Frederica Lefthand was arrested following a vehicle pursuit and was found to be in possession of meth and a handgun. Frederica Lefthand admitted to selling meth to several individuals throughout the investigation. In addition, the government alleged that from June 2022 to February 2023, Frederica Lefthand made several wire transfers of money from drug transactions to an individual in Washington.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI 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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Tse Bonito Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Gerald Lee pled guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. Lee, 37, of Tse Bonito, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
According to court documents, on May 15, 2021, Lee raped the victim, Jane Doe, who was 15 years old at the time, at his mother’s house within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation.
Lee faces up to fifteen years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Navajo Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Bell is prosecuting the case.
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Ticket scammer guilty of identity theftRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 48-year-old California resident has pleaded guilty in a nationwide ticket scam that included a Texas A&M football game, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Derrick Langford admitted he used email to obtain stolen credit card information from victims across the United States. He used that data and false identities to buy tickets for sporting events, concerts and other entertainment venues across the United States. He then re-sold the tickets on internet-based resale sites like Ticket Liquidator.
One such event tied to Langford was the Texas A&M football game against Clemson Sept. 8, 2018. During the hearing today, Langford admitted he created false buyer accounts and used stolen credit card numbers to buy tickets to that game and then resold the fraudulently-purchased tickets on resale sites to unsuspecting buyers.
Texas A&M discovered the fraud and invalidated the tickets. However, some had already been sold to unsuspecting buyers which caused the university to incur a 100% loss on the fraudulent tickets.
As the scheme continued, Langford received stolen credit card information and personal identifying information of more than 75 victims in one of his email accounts.
U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 14. At that time, Langford faces a mandatory sentence of two years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Langford was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas A&M University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Quincy Ollison and Belinda Beek are prosecuting the case.
Three New Jersey Men Admit Participating in Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Computer Networking DevicesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Three New Jersey men have admitted their roles in a conspiracy to traffic counterfeit computer networking devices, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Musa Karaman, 35, of North Arlington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024.
Sadri Ozturan, 37, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, and Israfil Demir, 38, of Secaucus, New Jersey, each pleaded guilty before Judge Castner on Aug. 9, 2023, to separate informations charging them with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. Sentencing for Ozturan is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2023, and sentencing for Demir is scheduled for Dec. 14, 2023.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2017 through May 2021, Karaman, Demir, and Ozturan formed and operated numerous entities selling computer networking equipment, including networking devices manufactured by Cisco Systems Inc., a major U.S. technology conglomerate. Although the defendants advertised the Cisco products they offered for sale as new and genuine, the products were counterfeit devices they procured from various overseas suppliers at well below market prices and resold at higher prices.
The offense of trafficking in counterfeit goods carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2 million.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel; and the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Andrew M. Trombly, Chief of the General Crimes Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha C. Fasanello of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
demir.information.pdf ozturan.information.pdf karaman.information.pdfThree Men Sentenced to Decades in Federal Prison for Armed Home Invasion and KidnappingRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Senior United States District Judge James I. Cohn sentenced Kejuan Brandon Campbell a/k/a “SplashZanotti”; Antonio Charles James Jr. a/k/a “YungFokiss”; and Dionte Alexander-Wilcox a/k/a “TrapSavage” to federal prison, after a jury found each of them guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of bank robbery, and three counts of carrying firearms during a crime of violence.
The evidence at trial revealed that, on October 11, 2020, Campbell, James, and Alexander-Wilcox conspired to commit a home invasion against a husband and wife – both of whom were over sixty years of age -- because the couple’s estranged nephew had stolen $20,000 from Campbell hours earlier. Wearing masks and gloves, and carrying firearms, the three defendants forced their way into the couple’s home, physically assaulted the husband, and forced both victims to lie on the floor at gunpoint.
The defendants ransacked the couples’ home and took their phones and wallet. Using the wife’s telephone, the defendants tried using CashApp to transfer $20,000 to themselves, but the transactions were declined. Campbell then forced the wife to travel with him to multiple stores to try to cash $20,000 in checks. The other two defendants kept the husband at home, holding him at gunpoint.
After the stores declined to process the checks, the defendants stayed overnight at the victims’ home and planned to get the money from the couple’s bank the next morning. During their stay, the defendants cooked, drank alcohol, and smoked marijuana. They kept a gun pointed at the couple inside and did not allow them to speak to one another. At one point, with gun in hand, Alexander-Wilcox forced the wife into the master bedroom and raped her.
The next morning, Campbell forced the wife to withdraw $20,000 from ATMs. After returning the wife home, the defendants filled a couple of suitcases with the victims’ jewelry, as well as items on which the defendants might have left their DNA. The defendants threatened to kill the victims if they called the police, locked the victims in a bathroom, took their house key, and left with the cash.
On June 21, 2023, Alexander-Wilcox was sentenced to life in prison.
On June 21, 2023, James was sentenced to 41 years in prison.
On August 24, 2023, Campbell was sentenced to 42 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentences.
The FBI and Miramar Police Department investigated this matter along with the ATF, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Davie Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard CGIS, and Lauderhill Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander and Brooke E. Latta prosecuted this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove handled forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-60011.
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Threats to murder Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester send Kalispell man to prison for two and a half yearsRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Kalispell man who admitted to threatening to kill Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester in calls to his office was sentenced today to two and a half years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Kevin Patrick Smith, 46, pleaded guilty in April to threats to murder a United States Senator.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents and in statements in court, the government said public discourse is the cornerstone of a free society and that criticism, disagreement, and even disdain are not only acceptable methods of expression, they also are constitutionally protected. “But there is a line. And Kevin Patrick Smith crossed that line – repeatedly,” the government said.
The government alleged that on Jan. 30, Smith made numerous threatening phone calls to Sen. Tester, a member of Congress, by leaving voicemails at Sen. Tester’s Kalispell office.
In one message, Smith said:
“There is nothing I want more than to have you stand toe to toe with me. You stand toe to toe with me. I rip your head off. You die. You stand in a situation where it is physical between you and me. You die.”
Smith also left a message for Sen. Tester that said:
“I would love to (obscenity) kill you. I would love to see your FBI at my door. I would love to see something in the news.”
The government further alleged that Smith’s voicemails, including the frequency and threats of murder, rose to the level that the United States Capitol Police and FBI began investigating. Despite being warned by the FBI not to threaten public officials, Smith refused to stop. Smith acknowledged in the recordings that he threatened Sen. Tester and such threats were “on purpose.” Smith made the threats because he was upset with Sen. Tester’s political decisions.
In total, Smith left about 60 messages for Sen. Tester. After arresting Smith, law enforcement searched his residence and recovered 19 firearms, including four shotguns, five rifles, eight pistols, a home-made silencer and 1,186 rounds of ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI and U.S. Capital Police conducted the investigation.
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Texas Man Sentenced for String of Nebraska Pharmacy BurglariesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Christopher Allen Williams, 32, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced on August 23, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for his involvement in a string of pharmacy burglaries that occurred in Nebraska. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Williams to 63 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Williams will begin a three-year term of supervised release. Williams was also ordered to pay $24,917 in restitution.
From February 10, 2021 to February 12, 2021, seven Nebraska pharmacies, located in Springfield, Fremont, and Omaha, were burglarized. In response, a Drug Enforcement Administration-led task force was formed, which included the Omaha Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol. Analyzing cell-tower data, videos taken from the burglaries, and historical cell phone location data, the task force was able to identify specific cell phones that were present at the different burglaries. It was determined from the data that the cell phones were traveling between Texas and Nebraska via Interstate 35. With cooperation from law enforcement agencies in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa, it was determined that two individuals involved in the pharmacy burglaries were Christopher Blanton and Christopher Williams.
“Today’s verdict is a testament to the combined efforts of state, local and federal law enforcement agencies working across five states,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “It is the responsibility of the DEA to investigate these cases of theft from pharmacies and we are grateful for the assistance of our partners in finding, arresting, and sentencing two individuals who crossed state lines while putting our community members at risk.”
Blanton was sentenced on May 17, 2023, to 63 months’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Omaha Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Terre Haute Child Molester Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material Using KikRead the Press Release
TERRE HAUTE- Paul Hoopingarner, 62, of Terre Haute, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to three counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material, three counts of receiving child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, beginning in at least January 2021, and continuing to at least February 2021, Hoopingarner used Kik to distribute and receive images and videos of the sexual abuse of children as young as eight-years-old. Hoopingarner used the screenname “domeeasey69” to communicate and share images and videos of adults engaged in sex acts with children with others who were also sexually interested in children. The material Hoopingarner shared and stored included depictions of the sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence as well as depictions of the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants.
Hoopingarner is a repeat and dangerous sex offender against children, following his 1996 conviction for Child Molesting in Morgan County, Indiana.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, Indiana State Police Superintendent, Douglas Carter, and Jeffrey R. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the USSS Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
“Pedophiles use the perceived anonymity of communications apps to share horrific images of child sex abuse and communicate with like-minded criminals,” said United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “This defendant engaged in a series of horrific crimes and abuses against children, online and off, and he has now been held accountable for his actions. Thanks to the outstanding work of the Secret Service, Indiana State Police, and our federal prosecutor, the serious federal prison sentence imposed here ensures that he will never again harm a child.”
The United States Secret Service and Indiana State Police Investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, James P. Hanlon. Judge Hanlon ordered that Hoopingarner be supervised by the U.S. Probation office for the rest of his life following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc
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Taunton Woman Sentenced for Cocaine PossessionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton woman has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for possessing cocaine intended for distribution.
Kiyanna Ambers, 42, was sentenced on Aug. 22, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In August 2020, Ambers pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine. Ambers participated in the Court-run RISE program (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge), which she successfully completed.
In June 2020, following a multi-week investigation into Ambers and her associates, a search warrant was executed at Ambers’ residence. During the search, multiple baggies of white powder containing a total of over 340 grams of cocaine and cocaine base, as well as approximately $11,462 were recovered in Ambers’ home.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
South Carolina Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Hate Crime and Conspiracy for Bias-Motivated Armed Robberies Targeting Hispanic VictimsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A South Carolina man and woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbia, South Carolina, to a federal hate crime, conspiracy and other charges.
According to court documents, beginning in January 2021 and continuing through February 2021, Gabriel Brunson, 20, and Sierra Fletcher, 33, both of Columbia, conspired to target people the defendants identified as Mexican or Hispanic at places of public accommodation, including gas stations and grocery stores. After identifying these targets, the defendants would rob their victims at gunpoint. The defendants targeted their victims because of their victims’ race and national origin.
Both defendants admitted their involvement in a Jan. 22, 2021, armed robbery in which the defendants followed their victims from a grocery store and restaurant to their home, and then robbed the victims at gunpoint, stealing cash and a cellphone. Fletcher admitted to being involved in several other robberies on Jan. 30, 2021, including a carjacking and a home invasion robbery of other Hispanic victims. The defendants admitted to using guns during their crimes.
The information to which Brunson and Fletcher pleaded guilty charges each of them with one hate crime for the Jan. 22, 2021, robbery of Hispanic victims. The information further charges Brunson and Fletcher with conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery and carrying firearms in connection with those crimes.
“These defendants targeted Hispanic victims for violent acts of armed robbery because of their race, national origin and perceived vulnerability,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No person should have to fear for their lives or property because of their race or national origin. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit bias-motivated crimes.”
“Prosecuting civil rights crimes is a priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Federal law recognizes that crimes targeting people of a particular race or national origin is particularly egregious, and we stand ready to enforce the national hate crimes law here in South Carolina.”
“These were not crimes of opportunity. The defendants systematically robbed at gunpoint people whom they identified as Mexican or Hispanic,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Hate motived violence has no place in our country. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate these crimes and promote a culture of safety and inclusivity in all the communities we serve.”
“The heinous crimes described in this case have no place in society,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office Steve Jensen. “The FBI is committed to seeking justice for crime victims while holding perpetrators accountable.”
The plea agreements require both defendants to pay restitution to all victims. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Columbia Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Richland County and Lexington County Sheriff’s Departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Garner and Brook Andrews for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
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Schenectady Man Sentenced for Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Doron Tucker, age 27, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarantino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
In pleading guilty, Tucker admitted to conspiring to sell pills containing fentanyl in Troy and Schenectady between June and October 2020. At first, the defendant supplied his co-conspirator, Darren Favreau, with fentanyl pills, which Favreau personally sold to purchasers. Favreau and Tucker then shared the sale proceeds. After Favreau was arrested in August 2020, Tucker personally sold fentanyl pills to purchasers.
In executing a search warrant at Tucker’s apartment in Schenectady in October 2020, law enforcement seized marijuana, a digital scale, approximately $8,000 in cash, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun. Tucker’s black BMW, which was parked outside the apartment, contained 386 fentanyl pills, more marijuana, and another digital scale. Approximately $1,000 in cash was seized from Tucker himself. Tucker admitted to possessing and intending to sell the fentanyl pills and marijuana, and to possessing the handgun to protect his fentanyl, marijuana, and drug proceeds.
Tucker was also sentenced to serve 3 years of post-release supervision.
Favreau, age 52, of Troy, was previously sentenced to 77 months in prison and a 4-year term of supervised release for his role in the fentanyl-trafficking conspiracy.
DEA investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck.
Schenectady County Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Failing to Update His Sex Offender RegistrationRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Craig Foley, 57, of Schenectady County, New York was sentenced yesterday to serve 21 months in prison and five years of post-imprisonment supervised release for failing to update his sex offender residential address information with the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York, made the announcement.
In previously pleading guilty, Foley admitted that he was convicted of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree in Utica City Court in 2011 and, because of that conviction, was designated a Level III sex offender with a lifetime registration requirement under New York law and became a person required to register as a sex offender under SORNA. He further admitted that he knowingly failed to update his residential address as required after relocating from a residence in Pennsylvania to the State of New York in approximately November 2020.
The United States Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is the prosecutor. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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.
Roca Man Sentenced to More than 16 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Timothy Alan Moore, 58, of Roca, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Moore was sentenced to 200 months in prison and will also serve 5 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Additionally, Moore will forfeit to the United States $9,930 in U.S. currency that was seized during the investigation.
On June 28, 2021, investigators with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Task Force executed a search warrant for Moore’s residence in Roca. During the search, officers found three baggies of suspected methamphetamine weighing 318.5 grams, 8.7 grams, and 2.5 grams. Officers also found a handgun with a magazine containing 8 rounds of ammunition and a total of $9,930 in U.S. currency.
A lab determined that the baggie weighing 318.5 grams contained about 310.91 grams of methamphetamine, of which at least 290 grams were pure methamphetamine. The other baggies were confirmed by the lab to contain methamphetamine. The currency seized was the proceeds of drug sales or used to facilitate Moore’s sale of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
Real Estate Investor Resentenced to Prison for Bid Rigging After Retaliating Against WitnessesRead the Press Release
A real estate investor was resentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to 18 months in prison after his probation was revoked for retaliating against witnesses. He is also required to pay a criminal fine of $171,000 and restitution of $79,000.
Mackie E. Shelton of Scottsville, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to bid rigging a farmland auction on Nov. 29, 2022, in violation of the Sherman Act. According to court documents, Shelton and a co-defendant were real-estate investors who demanded and accepted payoffs to rig the outcome of an April 21, 2018, auction for hundreds of acres of farmland and timber in Allen County, Kentucky. The crime resulted in a financial loss to the Kentucky family selling the property. As a result of his conviction, Shelton lost his professional auctioneer and real-estate licenses, and initially received a sentence of three years of probation with 26 consecutive weekends in jail. While on probation, he retaliated against witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement in the case, resulting in the resentencing. His 18-month prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. He was required to report for prison in two days.
“As part of our commitment to investigating and prosecuting antitrust crimes throughout America’s heartland, we will never hesitate to protect witnesses who cooperate with law enforcement,” said Acting Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This sentence is a warning that intimidating or retaliating against witnesses will not be tolerated.”
“Retaliating against a witness strikes at the very heart of our country’s judicial system,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The FBI will aggressively investigate allegations of witness retaliation as our system of justice demands that actions such as these not be tolerated.”
The FBI’s International Corruption Unit investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jariel A. Rendell and Alison M. Friberg of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
Anyone with information about bid rigging and other antitrust crimes targeting America’s farmers and rural communities should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Purvis Man Sentenced to Prison for Assisting in the Preparation of False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. -- A Purvis man was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for assisting in the preparation of a materially false tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Atlanta Field Office.
Terance Dewune Price, 41, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Price was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and $58,582 in restitution to the IRS.
According to court documents, Price was identified in an investigation by the IRS-CI as a tax preparer who assisted in the preparation and presentation to the IRS of a false U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, for an individual A. E. for the calendar year 2017. The investigation revealed that the return was false and fraudulent as to a material matter in that the information provided on Line 53, a “Residential Energy Credit”, and information on Line 64, for “Federal Income Tax Withheld from Form 1099,” was false, and the defendant knew it was false.
“Providing clients assistance in complying with current tax laws when submitting federal returns is a responsibility Terance Price unlawfully failed to do,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Dishonest tax preparers who use their knowledge of the tax system to work around it should look at Price’s sentencing as a warning that IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will hold them accountable for cheating the government.”
Price pled guilty on April 17, 2023 to assisting in the preparation of a materially false tax return.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones prosecuted the case.
Plainville Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FELIX OSORIO, JR., 27, of Plainville, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Osorio was arrested on June 7, 2022, after a court-authorized search of his residence on Basswood Street in Plainville revealed packaged fentanyl and loose fentanyl totaling more than 500 grams, a quarter-kilogram hydraulic press, and other items used in the processing and packaging of narcotics for street sale.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for November 20, at which time Osorio faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Osorio is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, with assistance from the New Britain Police Department. The Tactical Diversion Squad included officers from the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Watertown Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to Two Years’ Probation and a Restitution Amount of $109,413.90 for Conviction of Theft of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to two years’ probation and a restitution amount of $109,413.90 on her conviction of theft of government property, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge David Stewart Cercone imposed the sentence on Jacqueline Waters (age 59), of Pittsburgh, PA. The conditions of probation included that Waters serve the first six months in a community confinement center, followed by another six months of home confinement.
According to information presented to the court, from June 2004 through July 2018, Waters concealed a common law marriage that would have affected her continued eligibility for Social Security Income benefits.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cercone stated that given Waters various health conditions, the nature of the offense, and her criminal history, a two-year term of probation with community confinement and home detention was sufficient but not greater than necessary.
United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan and Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Waters.
Pearland resident gets 40 years for soliciting sexually explicit images and videos of minorsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 27-year-old suburban Houston man has been ordered to federal prison after his convictions of production, receipt and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Andrew Joel Galvan pleaded guilty Sept. 21, 2022, to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown sentenced him to 360 months on each of the sexual exploitation of a minor counts to run concurrently and a total of 120 months for the receipt and possession of child pornography combined. The sexual exploitation counts will run consecutively to other term for a total 480-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard how Galvan had reached out to 10 different prepubescent females requesting them to send naked photos and videos of themselves to him. In imposing the sentence, Judge Brown commented on how Galvan’s conduct is very different than others who just collect child pornography.
Galvan was furthered ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In April 2020, the mother of an 8-year-old child contacted law enforcement after discovering sexually explicit chats between her daughter and an unknown individual on Instagram. Authorities later identified that person as Galvan.
A search of the minor’s cell phone revealed several private chats in which Galvan was soliciting naked photos and videos of the minor. He would direct the minor on how to position herself and requested multiple images. She ultimately did as he requested.
Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for Galvan’s Instagram account which was only two months old. They found numerous conversations between Galvan and several prepubescent children in which Galvan would solicit child pornography and direct these minors on how to take the images and videos.
Galvan admitted he would portray himself as a 13, 14 or 15-year-old boy and targeted girls between the ages of 8 and 13. He also admitted to sending these children pictures of his private parts.
Authorities ultimately discovered 10 victims, all under the age of 12, from whom Galvan solicited child pornography.
Law enforcement also conducted a forensic exam on Galvan’s electronic devices found 7,500 images and 650 videos of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images and videos include children under the age of 12, bondage, bestiality and acts of violence such as the penetration of the victims.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations – Galveston, Pearland Police Department and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children task force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Luis Batarse prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Owner of insurance company in Rosebud County admits defrauding customersRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Forsyth woman accused of defrauding customers through her business, Rosebud County Insurance Inc., by spending client payments on personal expenses admitted fraud charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Kileen Moria Hagadone, 57, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft. Hagadone faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the wire fraud crime and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, consecutive to any other punishment, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft crime.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Hagadone was released pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Hagadone owned and operated Rosebud County Insurance Inc., an insurance brokerage business that acted as an intermediary between customers and national insurance companies. Hagadone was supposed to help negotiate insurance contracts for her customers and then receive and transmit payments from the customers to the companies for the negotiated policies. Hagadone received these payments from customers but failed to send the funds to the insurance companies. Instead, Hagadone misappropriated the money for personal expenses. The scheme ran from about 2020 until April 2023.
The government further alleged that one of the victims was the Chief Dull Knife College of Lame Deer, which engaged Hagadone to find an insurance policy for the college. Hagadone did so, and the negotiated premium for the policy in November 2021 was $91,883. The college paid Hagadone the full amount at that time. Instead of sending the premium to the insurance company, Hagadone fraudulently contracted to finance the college’s insurance premium with a premium financing company and forged the signature of a college representative on the contract. The agreement enabled Hagadone to keep most of the payment without immediately cancelling the insurance policy. Eventually, Hagadone embezzled too much money from her business trust account and could not pay the financing payments she fraudulently created. As a result, by April 2022, the college’s insurance had been terminated. Hagadone concealed this from the college and falsely represented that the college was insured when it was not.
In addition, the government alleged that in November 2022, Hagadone falsely told the college that the insurance policy needed to be renewed, even though it had been cancelled and did not exist. Hagadone then created a false insurance contract for a policy that did not exist and induced the college to pay $98,893 for the fictious policy. Hagadone embezzled the entire payment, and the college was uninsured from April 2022 until April 2023. Hagadone cheated other customers in a similar way, although the amounts paid were typically smaller.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich is prosecuting the case. The Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, FBI and Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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Operators of physical therapy chain charged in fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Two individuals involved in a state-wide chain of physical therapy clinics have been charged with defrauding a federal worker’s compensation program, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Authorities took Ricardo Cano, 46, McAllen, and Rosita Cano Meeks, 56, Edinburg, into custody today. They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 1 p.m.
The 18-count indictment charges Cano and Meeks with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 10 counts of health care fraud. Cano is also charged with seven counts of money laundering.
The indictment alleges between 2014 and 2019, the clinics operated under the name Texas Federal Wellness Center. During that time, they allegedly billed more than $80 million to the Department of Labor – (DOL) Office of Worker’s Compensation Program for physical therapy services provided to injured federal employees.
According to the indictment, Cano and Meeks allegedly caused the clinics to submit inflated claims for therapy, fictional medical visits, excessive therapy and fraudulent durable medical equipment. The charges allege Cano and Meeks directed clinic employees to falsify patient checkout times on medical records to conceal the inflated therapy claims. Meeks was in charge of, and oversaw, the fraudulent billing, according to the indictment.
The charges also allege Cano is not a physician. He was only a physician’s assistant and allegedly instructed employees to refer to him as Dr. Cano.
According to the indictment, Cano entered into an arrangement with a physician to falsely give the appearance a licensed doctor oversaw, managed and controlled the clinics, as Texas law requires. The charges allege Cano is, in fact, the true owner of the enterprise which he managed and controlled.
As part of the scheme, Cano allegedly coordinated with that physician to obstruct a Texas Medical Board inquiry into a complaint about Cano’s role in operating the clinics and submitting false corporate records. The indictment also alleges Cano transferred approximately $43 million from the Texas Federal Wellness Center clinics to various bank accounts in Cano’s name or in the name of clinics Cano controlled.
If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and substantive counts of health care fraud. Cano also faces up to 10 years for each conviction of money laundering.
The U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General (OIG), FBI, Department of Homeland Security-OIG and DOL-OIG conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Swartz is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Willis Parker, 32, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 24, 2023, in federal court in Omaha for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Parker to 120 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. After Parker’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
From about July of 2016 to November of 2020, Parker was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana. The conspiracy involved over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 100 kilograms of marijuana. Parker was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana in the Omaha area.
On November 23, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Parker’s Omaha residence. Officers located approximately 80 pills containing methamphetamine, 0.205 kilograms of marijuana, and a digital scale. Parker possessed the methamphetamine and marijuana during and in furtherance of the conspiracy. Officers also located seven destructive devices similar to a bomb. Parker was previously charged federally and sentenced to 37 months in prison for possessing the destructive devices.
Co-defendants Ty-Sean Nunn, George Buck, Dominique Thomas, Anthony Hill-Gaines, and Jerrell Jackson have all pleaded guilty to charges related to the drug conspiracy. Thomas was sentenced on June 7, 2023, to 90 months in prison. Buck was sentenced on July 26, 2023, to 120 months in prison. Nunn was sentenced on August 17, 2023, to 168 months in prison. Hill-Gaines was sentenced on August 17, 2023, to 90 months in prison. Jackson is pending sentencing. Only co-defendant Terrance Traynham is pending trial. Traynham was previously sentenced to 106 months in federal prison for conduct related to this conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the Bellevue Police Department.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Possessing Destructive Device in Public HousingRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Willie Harbour, 61, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for being a felon in possession of a destructive device. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Harbour to 57 months’ imprisonment. Upon release from prison, Harbour will be required to complete a 3-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In the early morning hours of August 2, 2022, Harbour placed an explosive device near an entry door of an apartment at the Benson Towers, an Omaha Housing Authority property. The explosive device detonated and caused property damage, including collapsing part of an overhead sprinkler system and lights, and damaging a metal door frame such that it trapped the resident inside. Investigators recovered surveillance video from the Benson Towers which showed Harbour light and place the explosive device. After he was arrested, Harbour admitted to investigators that he placed the explosive device at the Benson Towers.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the City of Omaha Fire Department.
Omaha Man Convicted of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Wesley T. Vavra, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was found guilty on August 23, 2023, by a jury in federal court in Omaha. Vavra was convicted of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Sentencing is set for November 21, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. before Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Vavra faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Between May 2022 and July 16, 2022, Vavra communicated on the Whisper application and through text messages with someone Vavra thought was interested in “open family play dates”. The other Whisper user was a law enforcement officer working in an undercover (“UC”) capacity pretending to be a father with an 8-year-old child. Vavra arranged to meet the UC on July 18, 2022, to engage in sexual acts with the supposed father’s 8-year-old child. Vavra was arrested upon arrival at the meetup location in Omaha. Vavra’s cell phone was seized. Analysis of Vavra’s phone showed that in addition to communicating with the UC, Vavra was also communicating with someone he thought was a 13-year-old female during this same timeframe. The 13-year-old female was also a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity.
This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Brandon Ellis Gates, 37, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 12, 2022, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Gates on Interstate 77 in Jackson County. Gates admitted to possessing approximately four pounds of methamphetamine found during the officer’s search of the vehicle. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory confirmed the controlled substance was crystal methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” and was 93 percent pure.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Marshals Service and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie M. White and J.C. MacCallum prosecuted 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. 2:22-cr-146.
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Nursing Home Aide and Daughter Convicted of Identity Theft FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Yesterday, a South Florida jury found Aisladys Diaz, 45, and her daughter Ailensy Buron Diaz, 29, both of Miami, Florida, guilty of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, use of an unauthorized access device, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
Aisladys Diaz was a private duty health aide who worked with a home health aide agency. The agency provided home health aides to residents at senior communities in Miami-Dade County. From May to June 2020, Aisladys Diaz stole the personal identifiable information of two elderly residents under her care. Aisladys Diaz then shared the information with her daughter, Ailensy Buron Diaz, Berto Omar Rodriguez Fonseca, a finance manager at a car dealership in Miami Lakes, and others who used the information to purchase numerous new and used vehicles at car dealerships, at a cost totaling over $500,000, and apply for credit cards, an Economic Disaster Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Scott H. Moffit of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Cybercrime Investigations Division, made the announcement.
Berto Omar Rodriguez Fonseca is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on August 29, 2023. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
FBI Miami and TIGTA’s Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lois Foster-Steers prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Zloch is handling asset forfeiture.
Anyone with information about allegations of elder fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 833–372–8311.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20354.
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Nine KC Gang Leaders, Members Indicted in Racketeering, Murder ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three leaders and six members of a confederation of street gangs in the Kansas City metropolitan area have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in an ongoing criminal enterprise that involved armed violence, including a murder conspiracy and drive-by shootings, and illegal drug trafficking.
Steven K. Lee, also known as “Bizzle” and “SB,” 38, Charles V. Williams, also known as “Cheese” and “Chucky D,” 35, Travis L. Cook, also known as “Trav,” 30, Richard B. Johnson, also known as “Scritch” and “Rich,” 24, Deion D. Alford, also known as “Wommy,” 23, Ewon R. Kelley, also known as “Won,” 33, Myreku L. Frazier, also known as “Rekus,” 30, Anthony D. Hunter, also known as “Dee,” 25, and Jacequin Boswell, also known as “Nunu” and “Noodles,” 30, were charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 17, 2023. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of three of the defendants.
Lee, Williams, Cook, Kelley, and Hunter were all arrested in an operation on Thursday, August 24, 2023. Johnson and Alford are already in custody in connection with other charges. The operation involved more than 140 law enforcement officers from multiple local and federal agencies and searches of 16 residences associated with gang members. During the searches and arrests, law enforcement seized approximately 27 firearms, two machineguns, 1,069 rounds of ammunition, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, and bulk cash associated with the gangs. Additional seizures are still in the process of being logged into evidence.
According to the indictment, seven of the defendants—Lee, Johnson, Alford, Kelley, Frazier, Hunter, and Boswell—were members of an organized criminal enterprise, a gang called the Park Side Greasies, which is centered around the intersection of 33rd Street and Park Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. Members of Park Side Greasies allegedly engaged in acts of violence, including murder, conspiracy to murder, armed assault and robbery, and drug trafficking.
According to the indictment, Lee is the leader of Park Side Greasies. Williams leads Click Clack Gang and Cook leads South Benton Gang. Members of the three gangs maintain regular communication and frequently cooperate for the purpose of illegal drug trafficking and violent crimes, creating a confederation of gangs known as South Park Click. The gang alliance was memorialized in a 2013 song entitled “For Da 30’s,” the indictment says, which includes the verse “South Park Click. That’s South Benton, Park, and Click Clack. If somebody got shot, close your mouth – we probably did that. McDonald’s or Wendy’s, we don’t give a (expletive). You won’t move until the paramedics pick you up.”
Leaders, members, and associates of the criminal enterprise promoted a climate of fear in the community through repeated waves of gunfire, assaults, and destruction of property, among other crimes of violence and intimidation, the indictment says. They used and threatened to use physical violence to suppress challenges from rival criminals and others who threatened the enterprise. They enhanced their reputation for violence by killing, attempting to kill, and otherwise violently confronting people who challenged them. They enriched themselves, and funded the operations of the criminal enterprise, with the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking, robbery, and burglary.
The indictment charges all nine of the defendants in one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy since at least Jan. 1, 2008. They allegedly engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity, including multiple acts and threats of murder, robbery, and drug trafficking as part of the criminal enterprise.
The indictment charges all nine of the defendants in one count of participating in a drug-trafficking conspiracy since at least Jan. 1, 2008. They allegedly conspired to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, PCP, alprazolam, oxycodone, and marijuana.
The indictment charges Lee, Johnson, Alford, Kelley, Hunter, and Boswell in one count of participating in a murder conspiracy since at least Dec. 8, 2017, in aid of the racketeering enterprise. Lee allegedly issued a contract for the murder of a rival gang member. Boswell located and attempted to shoot the victim in the area of 34th Street in Kansas City, Mo., but the victim successfully fled. Hunter shot at the victim on Dec. 30, 2018, reporting to Lee that they had “exchanged metal.” Kelley located the victim on Jan. 1, 2019, but was unable to execute the contract because too many people were around.
On Jan. 28, 2021, Johnson allegedly fired on multiple vehicles, believing them to be occupied by rivals, causing an injury to an uninvolved citizen and damaging property. Johnson is charged with one count of aiding and abetting another person to attempt to murder and to assault another person with a dangerous weapon, a Glock 9mm handgun. Johnson is also charged with one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Bradshaw. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
New Orleans Steamboat Company and Employee Plead Guilty and Sentenced for Discharging Ballast Material into the Industrial CanalRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that the NEW ORLEANS STEAMBOAT COMPANY (“NOSC”), plead guilty to a violation of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), Title 33, United States Code, Section 1319 (c)(2)(A), in connection with a discharge of excess ballast material into the Industrial Canal in New Orleans in 2019. The maximum penalty for this violation is five years’ probation, up to a $50,000 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571 and a mandatory $400 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, NOSC admitted to discharging, without the knowledge of the Board of Directors, a quantity of a substance into a navigable water of the United States. The discharge took place on or around February 12, 2019, in the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (“IHNC”), more commonly known as the Industrial Canal.
Additionally, MATT DOW (“DOW”), an NOSC employee, plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the CWA, Title 33, United States Code, Section 1319 (c)(2)(A), punishable by up to one year in jail, up to a $100,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release and a $25 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey conducted a sentencing hearing with the consent of the parties after the guilty pleas were entered. Following the hearing, Judge Zainey sentenced NOSC to a $50,000 fine, the maximum penalty for the violation, one year probation and a $400 special assessment fee. DOW was sentenced to one year probation, forty hours of community service and a $25 mandatory special assessment fee.
The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, and the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, age 39, a New Orleans resident, pleaded guilty on August 23, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to a two-count superseding bill of information that charged him with conspiracy to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846, and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, JOHNSON regularly received half-kilogram quantities of heroin through the mail from his source of supply in California. JOHNSON then distributed the heroin in multiple ounce quantities to other co-conspirators. On June 22, 2021, agents seized 485 grams of heroin that was mailed to JOHNSON and a co-conspirator.
For the conspiracy charge, JOHNSON faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment,a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For the possession with intent to distribute heroin charge, JOHNSON faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years, up to forty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000.000, at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (New Orleans Gang Task Force), with the assistance of the New Orleans Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, led the investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Couple Indicted on Drug Conspiracy and Distribution Charges and Federal Gun ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on August 18, 2023, JAVAN ROBINSON a/k/a “Diddy,” age 59, and MICHELE COLEMAN, age 57, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a seven-count indictment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, distribution of cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), possession with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(C), possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i), and possession of firearms by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e)(1).
After receiving information that both defendants were conducting narcotics transactions within Orleans Parish, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and members of the New Orleans Gang Task Force (NOGTF) conducted surveillance, set up pole cameras, conducted controlled purchases, and executed search warrants on two residences associated with both defendants. Agents located multiple firearms, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, paraphernalia, and a large amount of money between both residences.
If convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, ROBINSON and COLEMAN each face a maximum term of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and a minimum of three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of the three distribution of cocaine charges, ROBINSON faces a maximum term of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and a minimum of three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, ROBINSON and COLEMAN each face a minimum term of five (5) years up to a maximum term of life imprisonment to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release. If convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, ROBINSON faces a minimum term of fifteen (15) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release. As to each of the charged counts, ROBINSON and COLEMAN, individually, face payment of a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Muskogee County Resident Sentenced for Death of ToddlerRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ezzard Charles Onebear, age 29, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 324 months in prison for causing the death of a person with a firearm.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Muskogee Police Department.
On July 28, 2022, Onebear pleaded guilty to one count of Causing the Death of Another Person with a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. On December 21, 2011, Onebear, who had accepted a contract to kill the target of a gang hit, approached the target’s residence, and in the ensuing struggle discharged a .380 caliber handgun into the home. That bullet struck and killed a two-year-old child. The crime occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“This needless tragedy is a stark reminder of why combatting gun violence is a priority of law enforcement and the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.
The Honorable Bernard M. Jones, II, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting by appointment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Onebear will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin D. Traster represented the United States at the sentencing hearing.
Morgantown Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Steven Reger, 47, of Morgantown, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 23, 2021, Reger sold approximately 428.1 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant near a garage in Parkersburg. Reger admitted to selling the methamphetamine to the informant and receiving $5,000 as well as $10,000 from prior drug deals from the informant.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Parkersburg Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua Hanks and Negar M. Kordestani prosecuted 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. 2:22-cr-196.
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Mifflin County Man Sentenced to 12 Months and One Day in Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Daniel P. Sickels, age 49, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 12 months and one day in prison by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for wire fraud. Sickels was also ordered to pay $267,264.87 in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Sickels previously worked as a Network and Systems Manager at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Office of Development and Alumni Relations (ODA), located in State College, PA. Sickels fraudulently acquired equipment through false representations to PSU ODA that the equipment was necessary to upgrade, replace, or maintain PSU ODA servers, when, in fact, Sickels knew that the equipment was not necessary. Sickels subsequently sold the equipment for his personal benefit to third parties. The scheme lasted from approximately 2005 to 2017, in Centre and Mifflin Counties.
The matter was investigated by investigators at PSU and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
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Michigan Man Sustains Thermal Burns in Yellowstone National ParkRead the Press Release
Jason D. Wicks, age 49, of Hillman, Michigan, was arraigned in federal court on August 23, 2023, facing criminal charges of off-trail travel in a Yellowstone National Park thermal area and being under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the degree he was a danger to himself or others. Wicks pleaded not guilty to the charges. As part of the conditions for release, Wicks is banned from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks until these criminal charges are resolved. This incident remains under investigation. A trial date has not been set.
The violation notice merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In a statement, Yellowstone National Park officials said that the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface. Therefore, everyone must remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around Yellowstone’s thermal features. You can learn more about safety in thermal areas here: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/safety.htm.
For additional information related to Yellowstone National Park, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 307-344-2015 or [email protected].
Michigan Doctor to Pay $6.5 million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A Michigan interventional pain management specialist, Rajendra Bothra, M.D., and two medical entities that he owned and operated, The Pain Center USA, PLLC, and Interventional Pain Center, PLLC, (collectively, “Defendants”) have agreed to pay $6,500,000 to resolve claims that they violated the federal False Claims Act, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, Defendants billed Medicare and Medicaid for excessive and medically unnecessary presumptive and definitive urine drug tests that were not relevant to their patients’ diagnosis or treatment, along with additional laboratory charges that were not separately billable with the urine drug tests. Additionally, Defendants are alleged to have billed Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary moderate sedation services that were routinely performed in conjunction with interventional pain management procedures that did not require moderate sedation services. The government also alleges that Defendants frequently charged Medicare and Medicaid for expensive back braces that were medically unnecessary or otherwise ineligible for reimbursement.
“Our office remains steadfast in our commitment to protect federal health care programs, their beneficiaries, and taxpayers from fraud and abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Ison.
“This settlement underscores the important role that medical providers have in ensuring that the claims submitted to Federal health care programs are medically necessary,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Our office remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that health care providers who violate the False Claims Act are held accountable.”
“When healthcare providers manipulate the Medicaid and Medicare systems, it wastes resources meant to help those in need,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “This settlement brings to bear some economic justice by requiring those who orchestrated the fraud scheme to pay for their actions.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims in two separate lawsuits brought by relators under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under these
provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The two qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Ronald Kufner et al. vs. The Pain Center USA PLLC, et al., No. 2:17-cv-11644 (E.D. Mich.) and United States ex rel. Hersh Patel vs. Interventional Pain Center, et al, No. 2:18-cv-12728 (E.D. Mich.). As part of the settlement, the relators will receive a combined payment in the amount of
$1,267,500.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the Michigan Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell Harbin represented the United States in this matter.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800- HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Martin County Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Producing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Donald York, 60, of Beauty, Ky., was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 60 years in prison, following his convictions for producing and distributing sexually explicit images of a minor.
York was convicted by a jury in April 2023, of four counts of production of child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography. According to the evidence presented at his trial, York coerced a 15-year female victim, who was in his care, to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could produce images of that conduct. York then uploaded some of these images to a pornographic website.
Under federal law, York must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Brian Jones, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office; Col. Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff John Kirk, Martin County Sherriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FBI, Kentucky State Police, and the Martin County Sherriff’s Office. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Blankenship and Jason Parman.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Magnolia Man Sentenced for Killing a Bald EagleRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Magnolia man was sentenced on June 15, 2023, to 24 months of federal probation, with the first 60 days to be served on home detention and ordered to pay $2,025 dollars in restitution and fees on one count of Aiding and Abetting in the Taking of a Bald Eagle. The Honorable Magistrate Judge Barry A. Bryant presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, on January 16, 2022, Officers with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission were dispatched to Lake Columbia, which is within the Western District of Arkansas, El Dorado Division. Upon arrival, officers made contact with a witness who advised that he was duck hunting with his children when he observed a Bald Eagle fly over their location. The witness observed a subject shoot the Bald Eagle. The witness then observed a subject go out and retrieve the bird from the water. Shortly thereafter, officers made contact with Christopher Lane Shackelford, age 20. Shackelford initially denied shooting the Bald Eagle, but later confessed to the officers.
Bald Eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The violations of these statutes can carry maximum criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and/or two years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s David Harris, Bryan Achorn and Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information concerning violations of wildlife crimes is asked to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement in Conway, AR at (501) 513-4470; or contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at (833) 356-0824 or text your tip to TIP411 (847411) (charges may apply).
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov
Madison County Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Thomas Collins, age 35, of Chittenango, New York, pled guilty yesterday to multiple counts of distribution and possession of child pornography announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.
As part of his guilty plea, Collins admitted that on several occasions in April of 2023, he distributed images and videos of child pornography to two undercover law enforcement officers via the same social networking application. Collins also admitted that on the day of his arrest, May 18, 2023, he possessed numerous images and videos of child pornography on several of his electronic devices.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 20, 2023, before United States District Judge David N. Hurd. Collins faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison, a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and up to life. Collins will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The case is being investigated by HSI, the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle prosecuted the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Macy Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Assault on an OfficerRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jordan Wolfe, 25, of Macy, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln for assaulting an officer and violating the terms of his supervised release. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Wolfe to 24 months in prison for assault of an officer and six months in prison for the violation of his term of supervised release to be served consecutively. There is no parole in the federal prison system. After his release from prison, Wolfe will serve two years of supervised release.
On March 28, 2022, an officer with the Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services responded to a residence in Macy on a request to remove an intoxicated male who was causing a disturbance. The officer identified Wolfe as the male causing a disturbance and learned that he was arguing with his girlfriend. The officer attempted to remove the female from the situation and Wolfe continued to be belligerent and disruptive. When the officer went to place Wolfe under arrest, Wolfe pulled and pushed away from the officer and then punched the officer in the face. Wolfe was taken into custody. At the time, Wolfe was on federal supervised release for assault with a dangerous weapon.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Lubbock Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for $4 Million PPP FraudRead the Press Release
A Lubbock man who defrauded pandemic-era financial programs out nearly $4 million was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Andrew Travis Johnson, 59, pleaded guilty in March to three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who ordered him to pay $4.15 million in restitution and to forfeit numerous assets, including multiple luxury cars.
According to plea papers, Mr. Johnson admitted that he fraudulently applied for and obtained 27 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling almost $4 million.
He admitted he applied for loans on behalf of three entities: an actual business that provided contract speech and occupational therapy services, an actual nonprofit that organized community fundraisers for individuals with intellectual limitations, and a fictitious entity that never provided goods or services of any kind and had no employees.
In the business’s application, Mr. Johnson falsely claimed the company paid 49 employees an average of $441,667 per month and provided a fabricated IRS Form 940 that indicated it paid its employees more than $5.1 million in calendar year 2019. In actuality, the company employed about 10 individuals on an ad hoc basis and paid less than $100,000 in wages in 2019. Nevertheless, based on his application, the business qualified for a $1.1 million PPP loan, which it re-drew the following year, for a total of $2.2 million.
In the nonprofit’s application, he falsely claimed the organization employed 33 individuals (in actuality, it employed fewer than five), and in the application submitted on behalf of the fictitious entity, he falsely claimed the company employed 24 individuals (in actuality, the company did not exist). For each entity, he provided fabricated lists of employees, some of which did not exist and others of which were clients of the rehabilitation company, along with fabricated IRS forms. Nevertheless, he qualified for a $326,770 loan for the entity and a $523,00 loan for the nonprofit. He redrew a loan for the non-existent entity the following year for a total of $653,540.
Each entity sought – and received – forgiveness on the principal and interest on each of the small business PPP loans. Yet very little, if any, of the money was used for payroll or business expenses. Instead, Mr. Johnson and a woman with whom he had a relationship, 50-year-old Hope Leticia Hastey, spent nearly $3.5 million on home renovations, vacations, clothing, cosmetic surgery, college tuition, cars, wedding expenses, and equipment for an unrelated business venture.
In addition to the small business loans, Mr. Johnson also fraudulently obtained $436,524.80 in first and second draw loans for 11 purported independent contractors, several of whom were related to him or Ms. Hastey.
At least four of the recipients were unaware that Mr. Johnson had used their identifying information to obtain the loans, nor did they ever receive any proceeds of the loans. Mr. Johnson opened bank accounts under the victim’s names, transferred to loan proceeds into the accounts, and obtained debit cards for each account; he and Ms. Hastey used the debit cards to spend the loan monies.
Mr. Johnsons and others sought – and received – forgiveness on the principal and interest on each of the independent contractor loans, which ranged from roughly $15,000 to nearly $24,000 each.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors said that he used his elderly mother’s and elderly aunt’s identifying information and forged their signatures on loan documents. The women never received any of the money. Mr. Johnson also used the identifying information and forged the signature of L.G., a resident of Plainview, to obtain two loans.
Ms. Hastey has been charged with misprison (concealment) of Mr. Johnson’s felonies and is set to enter a plea on Aug. 30. She remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and IRS – Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Howey prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beverly Chapman, Saurabh Sharad, and John de la Garza.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPP provided forgivable loans to small businesses to cover payroll, rent, and other certain business expenses; the program ended in May 2021.
Concerned citizens who suspect waste, fraud, or abuse of financial-era pandemic programs, including the PPP, or who suspect violations of pandemic-related legislation can report it to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) at https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/contact/about-hotline.
Local man sentenced for trading child porn via KikRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ja-Anthony Ledell Kennedy pleaded guilty April 24.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Kennedy to 180 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard about the harm to victims of this type of crime. In handing down the prison term, Judge Rosenthal noted efforts to promote respect for the law, deter similar future crimes and fashion a just sentence considering all factors.
Kennedy was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victims and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of the prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Kennedy will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
In 2020, authorities learned of files being stores online that contained images of child pornography. Those files were linked to Kennedy.
The investigation revealed he had been sending and receiving images and videos of child pornography on the Kik messaging application from 2020 to 2021. Kennedy admitted to trading child pornography in the Kik chats to continue to receive access to this material.
Kennedy had 76 videos and 60 images of child pornography in his online accounts. Some included victims as young as two years old.
Previously released on bond, Kennedy is expected to surrender this afternoon 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 the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Lu and Sherin S. Daniel prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Lincoln Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Possession of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Maggie Welling, 46, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a 15-year term of imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine with a prior serious drug felony. After her release from prison, Welling will begin a10-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Welling pleaded guilty to her offense on November 29, 2022.
Welling was stopped by an officer with the Lincoln Police Department on March 25, 2022, for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, the officer observed drug paraphernalia in her vehicle. The officer then searched the car and located approximately 221 grams of methamphetamine in Welling’s purse. Those drugs were sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory and were found to contain at least 210 grams of actual or pure methamphetamine.
Welling was convicted in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on October 10, 2018.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
Lexington Woman Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Sanjuana Garcia-Ramirez, 40, of Lexington, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Garcia-Ramirez to 78 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, Garcia-Ramirez will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
On January 5, 2021, officers went to Garcia-Ramirez’s Lexington residence after receiving information that she was selling methamphetamine. Garcia-Ramirez was in drug court at the time in Dawson County, Nebraska, based on a prior conviction for possession of methamphetamine. Officers searched a bedroom and located multiple baggies of methamphetamine and a scale. Laboratory tests confirmed there was at least 53 grams of actual methamphetamine. Garcia-Ramirez intended to distribute the drugs.
The investigation revealed Garcia-Ramirez used her cell phone to facilitate her drug trafficking. Messages revealed her asking a drug buyer, “How much are you wanting,” and providing the buyer with the quantity and price of the drugs she could sell. In a December 2020 message, Garcia-Ramirez wrote, “I’m not using I promise,” and, “It’s all about the money it’s all.”
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, the Lexington, Nebraska, Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lansing Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Davion Shymarri Shaltry, 19, of Lansing, Michigan, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Shaltry will be on supervised release for three years after he is released from prison.
“Mr. Shaltry was caught with a gun three days after his sentencing in Ingham County for illegally possessing a different gun,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “As this sentence reflects, we’re serious about stopping the flow of illegal firearms, which is fueling a gun violence epidemic across Michigan and the United States. Ending gun violence is a top priority of my office. No parent, no child, no person should have to live with the threat of violence this crisis has created.”
“Davion Shaltry, only 19-years-old, with a felony record blatantly thumbed his nose at the criminal justice system when he possessed an illegal firearm three days after being sentenced in a separate gun case,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “Mr. Shaltry is now heading to prison rather than trying to obtain another illegal firearm. Our community is much safer with Mr. Shaltry off the streets.”
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Michigan State Police, and the Lansing Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Pulda.
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Justice Department Sues SpaceX for Discriminating Against Asylees and Refugees in HiringRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) for discriminating against asylees and refugees in hiring. The lawsuit alleges that, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
In job postings and public statements over several years, SpaceX wrongly claimed that under federal regulations known as “export control laws,” SpaceX could hire only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, sometimes referred to as “green card holders.” Export control laws impose no such hiring restrictions. Moreover, asylees’ and refugees’ permission to live and work in the United States does not expire, and they stand on equal footing with U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under export control laws. Under these laws, companies like SpaceX can hire asylees and refugees for the same positions they would hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. And once hired, asylees and refugees can access export-controlled information and materials without additional government approval, just like U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
“Our investigation found that SpaceX failed to fairly consider or hire asylees and refugees because of their citizenship status and imposed what amounted to a ban on their hire regardless of their qualification, in violation of federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation also found that SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company. Asylees and refugees have overcome many obstacles in their lives, and unlawful employment discrimination based on their citizenship status should not be one of them. Through this lawsuit we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal employment practices and seek relief that allows asylees and refugees to fairly compete for job opportunities and contribute their talents to SpaceX’s workforce.”
The department’s lawsuit alleges that SpaceX discriminated against asylees and refugees based on citizenship status at multiple stages of the hiring process. For example:
- SpaceX discouraged asylees and refugees from applying for open positions, through public announcements, job applications and other online recruiting communications that excluded asylees and refugees.
- SpaceX failed to fairly consider applications submitted by asylees and refugees.
- SpaceX refused to hire qualified asylee and refugee applicants and repeatedly rejected asylee and refugee applicants because of their citizenship status.
- SpaceX hired only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, from September 2018 to September 2020.
SpaceX recruits and hires for a variety of positions, including welders, cooks, crane operators, baristas and dishwashers, as well as information technology specialists, software engineers, business analysts, rocket engineers and marketing professionals. The jobs at issue in the lawsuit are not limited to those that require advanced degrees.
Asylees and refugees are migrants to the United States who have fled persecution. To obtain their status, they undergo thorough vetting by the United States government. Under the INA, employers cannot discriminate against them in hiring, unless a law, regulation, executive order or government contract requires the employer to do so. In this instance, no law, regulation, executive order or government contract required or permitted SpaceX to engage in the widespread discrimination against asylees or refugees that the department’s investigation found, as explained in the complaint.
Because SpaceX works with certain goods, software, technology and technical data (referred to here as export-controlled items), SpaceX must comply with export control laws and regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations. Under these regulations, asylees, refugees, lawful permanent residents, U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals working at U.S. companies can access export-controlled items without authorization from the U.S. government. Therefore, these laws do not require SpaceX to treat asylees and refugees differently than U.S. citizens or green card holders. Find more information here on how employers can avoid discrimination when complying with export control requirements.
The United States seeks fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination. The United States also seeks civil penalties in an amount to be determined by the court and policy changes to ensure it complies with the INA’s nondiscrimination mandate going forward.
Please contact the department’s Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) at [email protected] or 1-888-473-3845 if you are or were an asylee or refugee who experienced any one of the following at any point in time:
(1) You applied to a job at SpaceX and were rejected.
(2) You were discouraged from applying to SpaceX because you were not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
(3) A recruiter or other SpaceX employee told you that SpaceX could only hire U.S. citizens and/or lawful permanent residents.
IER is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute generally prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation; and intimidation.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); e-mail [email protected]; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe for e-mail updates from IER.
ComplaintJury Finds Gang-Member Guilty of Firearm Offense Stemming from Hartford Club Shooting in 2020Read the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Harford has found CARL JONES, also known as “M.O.B.,” 42, of Hartford, guilty of a firearm offense.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams began August 21 and the jury returned the guilty verdict yesterday afternoon.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial and in court documents, in the early morning hours of February 16, 2020, Jones was involved in a gang-related shooting incident inside the Majestic Lounge on Franklin Avenue in Hartford. During the incident, Jones, a member of Los Solidos, chased down, shot, and wounded a fleeing fellow gang member Joshua Saez and an unintended second victim. Saez had just shot another gang member Marquis Treadwell, Treadwell’s girlfriend, and an unintended third victim. Treadwell later succumbed to his injuries. Jones used a .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun, which he had retrieved from Treadwell after the initial shooting by Saez. Jones fled the scene with the firearm, but Hartford Police later recovered it from a vehicle on Lawrence Street during an unrelated drug trafficking investigation in September 2021.
Jones’ criminal history includes convictions for felony narcotics, assault, larceny, and failure to appear offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The jury found Jones guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Jones is detained pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.
Saez is serving a state sentence for the murder of Treadwell and the assault of Treadwell’s girlfriend.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the FBI, Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ruff and Geoffrey M. Stone.
Jefferson Parish Woman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Buyer of Personal Protective EquipmentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS - CYNTHIA CARONNA, a resident of Jefferson Parish, pleaded guilty on August 22, 2023, to a bill of information for conspiring with her co-defendant, Frank LaBruzzo, and with a resident of the United Kingdom to defraud a business seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
CARONNA and the UK resident formed a business venture to offer the sale of PPE, and selected LaBruzzo to serve as the venture’s escrow agent. LaBruzzo ( an attorney employed as an investigator with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office) was presented to would-be buyers of PPE as a trustworthy escrow agent who would safeguard purchase funds in an escrow account until the PPE was satisfactorily delivered.
According to court records, the conspirators agreed that LaBruzzo would disburse the would-be buyer’s funds despite the would-be buyers having neither received PPE nor consented to the disbursements. The conspirators also agreed that each would receive portions of the would-be buyer’s funds without the would-be buyers’ knowledge or consent.
U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry scheduled CARONNA’s sentencing for November 28, 2023. Conspiracy is punishable by up to five years imprisonment followed by up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the defendant’s guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Interaction with Undercover Agent in an Online Chatroom for Kids Leads to Prison Sentence for Canton ManRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Canton man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Dale Carr, 52, to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Carr pleaded guilty on January 24, 2023.
According to court records, in September 2019, Carr began chatting with an undercover FBI agent posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online chatroom designed for children aged 16 and under. Over the course of the next several weeks, Carr repeatedly asked the agent, who he believed was an underage girl, for sexually explicit photos and expressed an interest in having sex with her. In October 2019, he sent the undercover agent a close-up photograph of his penis.
The FBI investigated the case.
Online enticement is increasing: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported an alarming 97.5% increase in online enticement reports between 2019 and 2020. “Online enticement” involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This type of victimization takes place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. Learn more about online enticement, including red flags and risk factors, at www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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