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Thursday 29 June 2023
Justice Department Opens Application Period for Program to Enhance Tribal Access to National Crime Information DatabasesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is pleased to announce the opening of the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information, which improves public safety by providing federally recognized Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes, such as the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
“To improve public safety in Indian country, we must break down the barriers to criminal justice information that Tribal communities have faced for years,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why the Justice Department is expanding Tribal communities’ access to national crime databases that enhance law enforcement efforts and coordination through the Tribal Access Program.”
“The Tribal Access Program has strengthened Tribal criminal justice agencies,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “By using TAP, participating Tribes have shared information about missing persons, apprehended fugitives, registered sex offenders, enforced protection orders, and have made hundreds of entries into the FBI’s NICS Indices database to prevent prohibited persons from illegally obtaining access to firearms. The efficient and effective sharing of criminal justice information has improved public safety in Indian country and beyond.”
“The Justice Department is committed to supporting Tribal law enforcement and protecting Tribal communities,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “TAP empowers participating Tribes to take advantage of information from across the country to better investigate and prosecute crime, carry out background checks for potential foster parents, and keep their communities safe and secure from domestic violence and child abuse.”
The program provides training as well as a web-based application and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) systems. There are currently 123 federally recognized Tribes participating in TAP. The Department will accept TAP applications from July 3 to Sept. 1. Tribes selected to participate will be notified later in September.
“The TAP program has allowed the Poarch Creek Tribal Police Department to have cost-effective access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system,” said Chief Chris Rutherford of the Poarch Creek Tribal Police. “Now our officers have full NCIC access from their patrol vehicles, desk, or through our Emergency Tribal Dispatch Center. The value of this program to our reservation far exceeds the minimal effort required to be a participating partner in the TAP program.”
For Tribes that are considering applying, TAP staff will be conducting informational webinars describing the program and its capabilities. Webinars will be offered throughout July and August. For more information about TAP, including webinar dates, times, and access information, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
Using TAP, Tribes have shared information about missing persons; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; registered convicted sex offenders; run criminal histories; located fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.
“We cannot say enough about the efforts that have been made to get the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (KTTT) ready for this program,” said Director Cristina Collett-Jensen of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Legal Department. “Through these efforts, KTTT will have access to information that will substantially improve the KTTT Police Department’s operations, and thereby allow us to better protect and serve the KTTT community.”
The Department offers TAP services through one of the following two methods:
- TAP-LIGHT: Provides application that enables full access (both query and entry capabilities) to national crime information databases including the NCIC, the Interstate Identification Index, and the International Justice and Public Safety Network for criminal justice purposes.
- TAP-FULL: In addition to the basic access capabilities of TAP-LIGHT, provides a kiosk workstation that enables the ability to submit and query fingerprint-based transactions via FBI’s Next Generation Identification system for both criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes.
Because of the program’s funding sources, eligible Tribes must have — and agree to use TAP for — at least one of the following:
- A Tribal sex offender registry authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act,
- A Tribal law enforcement agency that has arrest powers,
- A Tribal court that issues orders of protection, or
- A Tribal government agency that screens individuals for foster care placement or that investigates allegations of child abuse/neglect.
TAP is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office on Violence Against Women. TAP is co-managed by the Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and Office of Tribal Justice.
- TAP-LIGHT: Provides application that enables full access (both query and entry capabilities) to national crime information databases including the NCIC, the Interstate Identification Index, and the International Justice and Public Safety Network for criminal justice purposes.
Justice Department Launches Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach ProgramRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – The Department of Justice announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people.
“This new program mobilizes the Justice Department’s resources to combat the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, which has shattered the lives of victims, their families, and entire Tribal communities.” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to accelerate our efforts, in partnership with Tribes, to keep their communities safe and pursue justice for American Indian and Alaska Native families.”
“These new positions represent the Justice Department’s continuing commitment to addressing the MMIP crisis with urgency and all of the tools at our disposal,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “MMIP prosecutors and coordinators will work with partners across jurisdictions and alongside the Tribal communities who have been most devastated by this epidemic.”
“These additional resources are a significant step toward strengthening our work with our Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “One of these new MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) will be placed in Minnesota. This position is in addition to four new AUSAs in our office that will focus on advancing public safety and engagement with our Tribal communities across Minnesota. For the first time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota will have a dedicated section to support the needs of our Tribal communities.”
The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to United States Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
The national program will dedicate five MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorneys and five MMIP coordinators to provide specialized support to United States Attorneys’ offices across the country to address and combat the issues of MMIP. This support includes assisting in the investigation of unresolved MMIP cases and related crimes, and promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, Tribal, local, and state law enforcement and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions, and MMIP personnel will be located within host United States Attorneys’ offices in the Districts of Alaska, Arizona, Eastern Washington, Minnesota, New Mexico, Northern Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and Western Michigan. Programmatic support will be provided by the MMIP Regional Outreach Program Coordinator at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
“The Executive Office for United States Attorneys and the United States Attorney community are committed to preventing and responding to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people. To that end, we will work together with all relevant federal, Tribal, state and local law enforcement partners to locate missing persons and solve crimes where they have occurred,” said Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director Monty Wilkinson. “This new program will allow the Department to build upon the work done by individual United States Attorneys’ offices and ensure continued support to those offices by coordinating outreach regionally on MMIP matters.
More broadly, this MMIP Program will complement the work of the Justice Department’s National Native American Outreach Services Liaison, who is helping amplify the voice of crime victims in Indian country and their families as they navigate the federal criminal justice system. Further, the MMIP Program will liaise with and enhance the work of the Department’s Tribal Liaisons and Indian Country Assistant United States Attorneys throughout Indian Country, the Native American Issues Coordinator, and the National Indian Country Training Initiative Coordinator to ensure a comprehensive response to MMIP.
Joseph Dale Hale Sentenced to 25 Years for Possession of A Firearm and EscapeRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On June 29, 2023, Joseph Dale Hale, 31, of Greeneville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. During the sentencing proceeding, Judge Corker found Hale to be an Armed Career Criminal based on his prior criminal history. Following his imprisonment, Hale will be on supervised release for five years.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Hale agreed to plead guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and escape from custody while confined for a felony offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 751(a).
According to the filed plea agreement, on July 29, 2021, an officer with the Greeneville Police Department identified Hale as the operator of a stolen vehicle. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Hale fled. Eventually, Hale stopped in the area of North Hill Street in Greeneville. When he exited the vehicle, he fired three rounds at the officers and then fled on foot into the nearby woods. Local, state, and federal law enforcement officers assisted in a search for Hale, who was located and apprehended later that day. Law enforcement recovered the firearm Hale used to shoot at the police officers, which contained ammunition that matched casings found at the scene of the shooting. Hale was indicted federally and ordered detained for the felony offense of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense.
On October 7, 2021, while being housed in the Greene County Detention Center, Hale, assisted by another inmate, obtained a set of trustee clothes. Hale then used a ruse to be removed from his cell to a shower area, then donned the trustee clothes. He was then able to get access through two security doors and gained access to an unsecured area of the jail. Once outside, he fled the jail and stole a vehicle. He was apprehended by law enforcement later that day after crashing the vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Greeneville Police Department, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This investigation was led by ATF Special Agent Bryan Williams.
Assistant United States Attorneys B. Todd Martin and Luke McLauren represented the United States.
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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Illinois Man Sentenced to 37 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Darius Dudley, 30 years old, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Dudley was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release
According to documents in the case, in July 2021, law enforcement responded to shots fired call in the 4800 block of Northcote Avenue in East Chicago, Indiana. Upon arrival, Dudley was observed in possession of a semi-automatic pistol. The pistol had an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device attached to it. The machinegun conversion made the pistol capable of firing multiple shots with a single pull of the trigger. Dudley’s criminal history revealed that he has prior felony convictions for burglary, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and as such is prohibited from possessing the firearm in this case.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the East Chicago Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth.
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.
Houstonian sent to prison for supporting terrorismRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 23-year-old U.S. citizen from Houston has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani and Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya attempted to join and support ISIS from August 2017 until his arrest in December 2017. He pleaded guilty July 8, 2019.
U.S. District Judge U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered him to serve 165 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
“Damlarkaya wanted to kill in the name of ISIS,” said Hamdani. “He slept with a machete by his bed, ready to use on law enforcement, provided instructions on how to make a bomb to ISIS supporters, and prepared to travel overseas and become a martyr for our enemies. Today’s sentence insures that Damlarkaya will spend many many years away from machetes and explosives, making everyone in the Southern District of Texas a lot safer.”
In addition to wanting to join ISIS, Damlarkaya also provided information to ISIS supporters about the use of machetes, homemade construction of an automatic weapon and how to build and use explosive materials.
“Preventing a terrorist attack remains the FBI’s number one priority, but the threat of terrorism has morphed significantly from the sophisticated, externally directed plot to the individual, inspired attack,” said Special Agent in Charge James Smith of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Fortunately, for us and the public, Damlarkaya was stopped before he was able to carry out his terrorism plan. He dreamed of being a martyr. The reality is that he’s now a federal prisoner and will be one for years to come. Our Joint Terrorism Task Force will continue to gather and share information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to protect our communities.”
As part of his plans to join ISIS overseas, starting in approximately early August 2017, Damlarkaya had numerous conversations online with many individuals he believed to be fellow ISIS supporters. During these discussions, he described his intentions to travel overseas to fight for ISIS in Syria or Afghanistan. Damlarkaya added that if he was unsuccessful in joining ISIS overseas, he would conduct an on attack on non-Muslims in the United States and that it was his “dream” to be a martyr.
Damalarkaya also provided information to other ISIS supporters, on at least two separate occasions, about ways to manufacture a bomb. Specifically, he described how to make explosives formula using triacetone triperoxide and cautioned the others to “take safety seriously while you make this” to be “useful until you can strike.”
Damlarkaya further illustrated to ISIS supporters ways to construct an automatic weapon. He claimed he could buy a “GIANT machete for $15” and stated “a lot of us are poor… or we don't have experience. So not all of us can get a gun or make explosives, but we can afford to buy a $15 knife.” He claimed he slept with a machete under his pillow ready to use if law enforcement raided his house.
When agents arrested Damlarkaya, they executed a search warrant at his residence and found a machete by his bed.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Jones is prosecuting the case along with DOJ Trial Attorneys Kevin Nunnally and Gregory Gonzalez of National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Honduran Man Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Honduran man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegal reentry.
Blas Antonio Celaya-Padilla, 41, of Chelsea, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 45 months in prison. His sentence will be served concurrently with a 37 month federal sentence he is currently serving for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Padilla was previously deported from the United States on five prior occasions between 1999 and 2015 and has three prior federal convictions for illegal reentry: a 2004 conviction in the Western District of Texas; a 2011 conviction in the District of Arizona; and a 2012 conviction also in the District of Arizona. Sometime after his 2012 deportation, Padilla illegally reentered the United States. Padilla’s criminal conduct in North Carolina occurred after his three prior illegal reentry convictions.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Chelsea Police Chief Keith E. Houghton made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Levy’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Government Contractor Settles False Claims Act Allegations Based on Violations of the Trade Agreements ActRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – OMNI Business Systems, Inc., located in Alexandria, has agreed to pay $80,944.00 to settle a civil fraud case alleging that OMNI violated the Trade Agreements Act and the False Claims Act by fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin for certain products on federal supply schedules.
The settlement arises in connection with a lawsuit filed by an OMNI competitor under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act: United States ex rel. Vogel v. OMNI Business Systems, Inc., et al. The settlement resolves allegations that OMNI violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin for over a dozen toner products manufactured by HP, Inc., and offering them for sale, as Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliant, through a General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract and an Air Force Blanket Purchase Agreement. Despite Omni being told to remove the non-TAA compliant items, the settlement resolves allegations that the products remained available for purchase—and sales were made of the items—through GSA and the Air Force.
A whistleblower suit, or qui tam action under the False Claims Act, is commenced by an individual, known as a “relator,” filing a complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court, and providing a copy of the complaint and other evidence to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The United States then has an opportunity to investigate the claims. The False Claims Act provides whistleblowers with a share of the government’s recovery. The relator here will receive a share of the False Claims Act settlement.
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 Virginia, the GSA Office of Inspector General, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Starr. The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Georgia Woman Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Role in International Conspiracy to Launder Proceeds of “Boiler Room” FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Rachael Maia Winslow (55, Roswell, GA) to 11 years and 3 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Winslow was also ordered to forfeit $747,608.81 of victim-investors’ funds seized from two bank accounts she had used during the conspiracy. A federal jury had found Winslow guilty in November 2022.
According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Winslow was a member of an international conspiracy to launder funds generated via boiler room fraud. The boiler rooms sold to foreign victims what they were led to believe were legitimate investments, primarily shares or stock in reputable companies such as Facebook, Chesapeake Energy, or Toys R Us. In fact, the investments were worthless, and the boiler rooms defrauded the victims of more than $14 million during the period when Winslow was involved, at least $4.7 million of which passed through accounts controlled by Winslow.
Winslow formed shell companies in various states and then opened bank accounts in the names of those shell companies for the purpose of receiving fraud proceeds from victim-investors. Fraud proceeds were then wired back overseas and used to pay expenses and boiler room workers and otherwise perpetuate the scheme. Fraud proceeds were also wired to accounts controlled by co-conspirators in the money laundering operation in the United States and overseas, including to Winslow’s overseas accounts, to compensate them for their roles in the conspiracy and otherwise for their personal enrichment. Winslow participated in this scheme while living in Barcelona, Spain, and in Miami, Florida.
The testimony and evidence presented at trial also proved that certain assets that the United States is forfeiting from Winslow, specifically, $525,595.62 seized from an account in the name of Guardian Holdings, LLC, and $222,013.19 seized from an account in the name of First Assured Contact, LLC are traceable to proceeds of the offense.
“This elaborate international money laundering conspiracy scheme defrauded many victims of their hard-earned money to the tune of more than $14 million dollars,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas. “This conviction sends a message that HSI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, alongside our many law enforcement partners, will not be deterred in their pursuits of these fraudsters.”
“This case illustrates the complex international schemes con artists will design and employ to defraud and enrich themselves from unsuspecting victims,” said Brian Payne, special agent in charge IRS Criminal Investigation, Tampa field office. “IRS-CI and our interagency partners are laser-focused in our commitment to use our technology and financial investigation expertise to find these criminals and bring them to justice, no matter where they may operate.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and United States Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachelle DesVaux Bedke and David W.A. Chee.
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Misuse of a Social Security Number and Aggravated Identity Theft in an Attempt to Steal the Identity of a Syracuse University GraduateRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Gregory William Hill, age 38, of Georgia, whose many aliases include Gregory Allen Davis, Gregory William Davis, Gregory Davis Dutton, and John Martin Hill, pled guilty today in federal court in Syracuse to misuse of a social security number and aggravated identity theft. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Hill admitted that in 2018 he impersonated a graduate of Syracuse University and fraudulently attempted to obtain copies of the victim’s final transcript and diploma from Syracuse University. In furtherance of his scheme, Hill sent the university a copy of a Virginia driver’s license displaying Hill’s picture and the victim’s name. Hill also fraudulently presented his own social security card as the victim’s and attempted to convince Syracuse University officials that the university needed to update its files with respect to the victim’s social security number. Hill also admitted that he applied for a job with a non-profit health care company based in Virginia while posing as the victim and falsely claiming to be a Syracuse University graduate. Hill never attended Syracuse University, and he is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Georgia for a serial romance fraud scheme that led some news outlets to describe him as the “Sweetheart Swindler.”
The felony charges to which Hill pled guilty carry a maximum sentence of up to 7 years in prison, including up to 5 years for the social security fraud count, followed by a mandatory consecutive two-year term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft count. Hill also faces a fine of up to $500,000 and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The defendant will be sentenced on November 2, 2023, by United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, who presides over the case.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Former Uniontown Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A previous resident of Uniontown, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of distributing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
William Kenneth Bosley, Jr., age 53, who is currently incarcerated at the Somerset State Correctional Institution on a previous felony conviction, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Bosley sent a sexually explicit photograph of a minor via text message.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2023. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court ordered the defendant be detained.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of William Bosley.
Former Sewerage and Water Board Official Pleads Guilty to TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMES ARNOLD pleaded guilty yesterday to Theft from an Agency Receiving Federal Funds, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
ARNOLD admitted to engaging in a theft scheme while he was employed as a Utility Services Administrator for the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (S&WB). Beginning in approximately 2012 and continuing until in or about November 2021, ARNOLD stole S&WB funds by causing the S&WB to issue plumbing permits when it had not received the fees required for the issuance of those permits. ARNOLD did this by instructing plumbers to provide him with payments for the fees. ARNOLD would then keep the payments for his personal use and cause the S&WB to issue the permits without the S&WB having received the required fees. By engaging in this scheme, ARNOLD caused a loss to the S&WB of approximately $108,290.
The offense to which ARNOLD pled guilty is punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment followed by up to three years’ supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 special assessment. United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo scheduled ARNOLD’s sentencing for October 11, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Santa Fe Priest Indicted on Sexual Exploitation OffenseRead 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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Daniel Balizan was arrested on criminal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, related to his alleged persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of a child under the age of 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.
According to court documents, Balizan, 61, of Springer, a former priest at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico and St. Patrick’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Raton, New Mexico, allegedly used text messages to coerce and entice a minor victim, identified as John Doe in court documents, to engage in sexual activity with him.
“Abusing children under the veil of religious authority is an attack on the faith itself,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez. “I am humbled by the bravery of John Doe. With our partners, we will vigorously pursue justice for him and all of our children.”
“We have and will continue to do everything we possibly can to protect our children from predators who seek to do them harm by abusing their inherent positions of trust.” said Raul Bujanda, FBI Special Agent in Charge.
If convicted, Balizan faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal is prosecuting the case.
Balizan is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Starting today, information about the federal prosecution of Balizan, including the indictment, will be available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/priest-prosecution. Also starting today, individuals may provide any information related to Balizan’s contact with minors by calling the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Below is a timeline of Balizan’s assignments from 1989 to 2022:
FBIAn indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Former Ohio House Speaker sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million in bribesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, 64, of Glenford, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court here today to 240 months in prison for leading a racketeering conspiracy to receive nearly $61 million in bribes to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout. The Court remanded Householder to the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the conclusion of sentencing.
"Larry Householder led a criminal enterprise responsible for one of the largest public corruption conspiracies in Ohio history," said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Elected officials owe a duty to provide honest services to their constituents – transparency, integrity and accountability are foundational principles of democracy. Householder once held one of the three most powerful offices in the State of Ohio. Now, because of his corruption, he will serve a substantial prison sentence.”
“The people of Ohio are the true victims of Larry Householder’s corrupt scheme to increase his power and pass a billion-dollar corporate bailout,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “While we hope this sentence clearly demonstrates that corruption does not pay, the FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who abuse their positions and take advantage of the public.”
A jury found Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Mathew Borges, 50, of Bexley, Ohio, guilty of participating in a racketeering conspiracy. The verdict was announced in March, following a six-week trial that included more than 1,000 exhibits and 25 witnesses.
The government proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that Householder and his enterprise conspired to violate the racketeering statute through honest services wire fraud, receipt of millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering.
Householder and his conspirators exploited the lack of transparency in 501(c)(4) entities to bury their corrupt and complex scheme to accept nearly $61 million in bribes to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout.
According to court documents and trial testimony, from March 2017 to March 2020, the enterprise traded millions of dollars in bribery campaign donations in exchange for Householder’s and the enterprise’s help in passing House Bill 6. The defendants then also worked to corruptly ensure that HB 6 went into effect by defeating a ballot initiative to overturn the legislation.
In March 2017, Householder began receiving quarterly $250,000 payments from the related-energy companies into the bank account of his 501(c)(4), Generation Now. Team Householder spent millions of the company’s dollars to support Householder’s political bid to become Speaker, to support House candidates they believed would back Householder, and for their own personal benefit.
The United States detailed that Householder spent more than half a million dollars of the dark money to pay off his credit card balances, repair his Florida home and settle a business lawsuit.
Borges used approximately $366,000 for his personal benefit.
Borges was budgeted $25,000 to bribe an Ohio Republican operative to try to save House Bill 6. Borges gave the man a $15,000 check in exchange for information on the number of signatures collected on the anti-House Bill 6 ballot referendum. Borges is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.
Householder’s longtime campaign and political strategist, Jeffrey Longstreth, and lobbyist Juan Cespedes, both of Columbus, Ohio, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy. FirstEnergy Corp. signed a deferred prosecution settlement in July 2021, agreeing to pay a $230 million penalty for conspiring to bribe public officials and others. Longstreth and Cespedes await sentencing; their hearings have not yet been scheduled.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew C. Singer, Megan Gaffney Painter and Timothy S. Mangan represented the United States in this case.
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Former CFO Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $3 Million from EmployerRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after embezzling more than $3 million from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, David Efrem Katz, 56, was the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Durand and Associates (“D&A”), a property management company that specialized in servicing homeowner associations (“HOAs”). Between 2012 and 2017, Katz embezzled over $3 million from D&A and its client HOAs.
Katz worked for D&A from approximately 1998 to 2017, starting as an accountant and eventually becoming CFO. As CFO, Katz had authorization to open credit cards in D&A’s name and use those credit cards for business expenses. However, Katz was not authorized to charge personal expenses to the cards, take out loans on D&A’s behalf without the owner’s approval, or use funds belonging to D&A or its HOA clients to pay his personal expenses.
Beginning in at least 2012 and continuing into 2017, Katz embezzled over $3 million from D&A and its HOA clients. Katz, who as CFO of D&A was responsible for payroll, paid himself significantly more than his agreed upon salary. Between 2011 and 2017, Katz paid himself $6,500 every two weeks as a salary despite his base salary never being more than $47,500 annually.
Katz also reimbursed himself for personal expenses and business expenses he never actually incurred. Katz paid himself between approximately $6,000 and $10,000 in reimbursements every two weeks. He labeled these payments as miscellaneous earnings and reimbursements, “recovery loans,” bonuses, and commissions. Katz never loaned or invested money in D&A that he was entitled to “recover.” To the extent he earned bonuses and commissions, they were in amounts significantly less than what he paid himself. And although Katz incurred some legitimate business-related expenses, they were in amounts significantly less than what he reimbursed himself.
Katz pleaded guilty on June 26, 2023, in U.S. District Court before Judge Katherine M Menendez to one count of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Matthew S. Ebert are prosecuting the case.
Former Bosnian Combatant Pleads Guilty to Passport FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Winthrop man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining a U.S. passport, and then using it to enter the United States from Istanbul, Turkey in 2021.
Azem Gigo Zebic, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a fraudulently obtained passport. U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Nov. 30, 2023. Zebic was arrested by information and subsequently waived his indictment in May 2023.
Zebic was admitted to the United States from Croatia in 1997 after falsely claiming that he had been the subject of persecution by Serb forces during the Bosnian War. Zebic falsely claimed, among other things, that Serb forces had captured, interrogated, beaten him and forced him to pull wounded soldiers from the front lines. Further, once in the United States, Zebic continued to make false statements about his past, including that he had never assisted anyone else enter the country illegally. However, Zebic had, in fact, assisted another alleged Bosnian combatant – Kemal Mrndzic – enter the United States unlawfully by falsely claiming that he was Mrndzic’s half-brother. Mrndzic, who was recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, allegedly engaged in the persecution of Serbs while a supervisor of guards at the notorious Celebic prison camp before he fraudulently applied for refuge in the United States. Zebic used this false history and his additional false statements, to obtain lawful permanent residency, American citizenship and a United States passport.
The use of a fraudulently obtained passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Sharon B. MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; and Jonathan Davidson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. McNeil and Jason A. Casey of Levy’s National Security Unit are prosecuting the case.
Former Army Training Manager Pleads Guilty to Public Corruption ChargeRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this week, ALFRED PALMA, 64, of Duncan, pleaded guilty to bribery charges, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On May 3, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a twelve-count indictment against Palma and co-defendant Candy Hanza. Palma was charged in Count 2 with accepting a bribe as a public official.
According to public record, Palma, a United States Army employee and public official, was the manager of the Institutional Training Directed Lodging and Meals (“ITDLM”) program at Fort Sill, through which he booked hotel rooms for soldiers who attended on-post trainings. According to the Indictment, Hanza, then the general manager of a local hotel in Lawton, paid Palma to direct soldiers to the hotel.
At a hearing before United States District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick on Monday, Palma admitted that he received cash and checks totaling $103,200.00 from Hanza in return for favoring the hotel at which Hanza was a general manager when Palma booked soldiers for off-post trainings. Palma further admitted that he used the cash to purchase money orders from Walmart in $1,000.00 increments, which he then deposited, along with the checks that Hanza gave him, into his personal checking account.
At sentencing, Palma faces up to fifteen years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000.00 or three times the monetary value of the bribes, and up to three years of supervised release.
Hanza has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. The public is reminded that charges against Hanza are merely allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Department of Defense Contract Audit Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry is prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Sextortion SchemeRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Peterson Jean-Baptiste, 23, of Palm Bay, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and placed on lifetime supervision for his role in disseminating child pornography.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that, while on probation in Florida for a drug distribution conviction, Jean-Baptiste targeted teenage girls on Snapchat. After establishing a relationship with his victims, Jean-Baptiste requested nude photographs. Once in possession of nude images, Jean-Baptiste threatened to post the images on the internet if the victims did not provide more images. Jean-Baptiste would then direct the victims on how to pose and forced some victims to involve an animal in the pictures.
This matter came to the attention of law enforcement when one victim informed her parents of the sextortion, and the sextortion was reported to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office began an investigation and requested assistance from the Department of Homeland Security once it became apparent that the crime involved multiple states.
Law enforcement was able to locate the defendant in Florida, seize his mobile device, and search the device. A search of the phone showed that the defendant regularly used FaceTime video to chat with young girls, and he had them film their bodies while he watched, usually only showing his forehead or part of his face. On one occasion he mistakenly showed his entire face, and this further confirmed the defendant’s identity.
Two victims—one 14 years old and the other 15 years old—resided in South Carolina. Additional images of young girls were found on the phone, but law enforcement did not have enough information to identify them.
“Sextortion has been on the rise in recent years and presents an extreme danger to our children,” said United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “We are grateful to the young victim and parents that first reported this crime to law enforcement. We will continue to dedicate resources to identifying victims of this predatory conduct and ensuring that offenders face serious consequences for sextortion.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks presided over the case. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins prosecuted the case.
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Florida Contractors and Owner to Pay More than $7.7 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Procurement of Small Business ContractsRead the Press Release
HX5 LLC and its owner and Chief Executive Officer, Margarita Howard, located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and an affiliated joint venture HX5 Sierra LLC, located in Cleveland, Ohio, have agreed to pay the United States $7,759,693.92 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing false information to the Small Business Administration relating to HX5’s and HX5 Sierra’s eligibility for federal set-aside contracts intended for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
“Small business set-aside contracts assist small businesses, including socially disadvantaged companies, to compete in the American economy,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When companies misrepresent their eligibility for such contracts, they prevent others from receiving the business opportunities Congress intended.”
The SBA’s 8(a) business development program is intended to help small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Once certified, 8(a) Program participants are eligible to receive federal contracting preferences. The settlement announced today resolves allegations that HX5, HX5 Sierra and Howard fraudulently obtained six 8(a) contracts during the period Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2021. More specifically, the government alleged that HX5 and Howard failed to report distributions and payments to Howard’s family members and allegedly provided false information to SBA regarding Howard’s assets. The government further alleged that if HX5 and Howard had provided accurate information it would have resulted in HX5’s termination from the SBA 8(a) Program, which, in turn, would also have made HX5 Sierra ineligible for 8(a) set-aside contracts. As a result of the alleged false statements, HX5 improperly maintained its status as an 8(a) Program participant, and HX5 and HX5 Sierra were awarded 8(a) set-aside contracts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force for which the companies were not eligible.
“We are very pleased with today’s agreement,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida. “This result demonstrates a coordinated effort among our agency partners to ensure that disregard for the integrity of small business contracting will not go unchecked.”
“Individuals that provided fraudulent information to gain access to SBA funds intended to support eligible small businesses will face justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the SBA’s Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region. “Today’s settlement sends a strong message that those responsible will be held accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuit of justice in this case.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Vantage Systems Inc. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Vantage Systems, Inc. v. HX5 LLC, et al., et al., No. 20-cv-3649 (N.D. Fla.). As part of today’s resolution, Vantage Systems will receive $1,357,964.00.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, with assistance from the NASA Office of the General Counsel, NASA Office of Inspector General, Air Force Office of General Counsel, Air Force Office of the Judge Advocate General, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Army Office of the Judge Advocate General, Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency, and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Laura Hill of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, former Trial Attorney Andrew Jaco of the Justice Department’s Civil Division (now with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Ann Couch for the Northern District of Florida.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Fifteen People Charged in Passaic County Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Fifteen members and associates of a Paterson-based street gang were charged today in connection with their roles in the distribution of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
The 11 defendants arrested today are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court. Two defendants were already in custody on state charges and two defendants remain at large. All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. A number of the defendants are also charged with weapons offenses. (See chart below.)
“As alleged in the criminal complaint, these defendants were affiliated with a street gang that trafficked fentanyl, an extremely dangerous synthetic opioid that can kill users with a single dose,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “Not only did they deal these dangerous drugs in Paterson, certain gang members are alleged to have had guns to solidify their control of the drug trade. We have no higher priority than taking apart these gangs and addressing the drivers of violence. Independent of this case, thanks to the efforts of our federal, state, and local partners there have been fewer shooting incidents in New Jersey and fewer shooting victims in Paterson this year than in 2022. We are committed to building upon this progress and keeping our communities safe.”
“ATF is dedicated to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling gangs and criminal organizations,” Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, said. “We appreciate the commitment and tireless efforts of our federal, state and local partners and our personnel in bringing accountability to criminals. Our collaborative and unified efforts are essential to reducing violent crime and removing those offenders that terrorize our communities and threaten public safety.”
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants are all members and associates of the UpTop street gang, based in the Fourth Ward of Paterson, in the area of Governor and Carroll streets, the Incca Village housing complex, and Harrison Street. The gang members and associates are involved in the distribution of controlled substances.
Jamal Ricks, aka “Bop,” and Rahjohn Leary, aka “Rah,” are high-ranking members of UpTop who worked with the other conspirators to control the sale of drugs in and around Paterson. Quadair Williams, aka “Fed Baby,” aka “Mega,” is a close associate of senior members of UpTop, including Ricks and Leary, and one of the gang’s drug suppliers.
Some members of the gang, including Marquis Turner, aka “June Bug,” and Quajamir Price, aka “Porkchop,” used and possessed and conspired to use and possess firearms in furtherance of the gang’s drug trafficking activities. Turner is charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Price is charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
The count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million. The count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000. The count of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed, and a fine of up to $250,000. The count of conspiracy to possess a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Miller; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Isa M. Abbasi of the Office of the Attorney General; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; special agents of U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jose Riera in Newark; special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), under the direction of Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; and the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Earle Graves and Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations Newark, Newark Police Department, Passaic Police Department, and Hillside Police Department for their assistance with the case.
This case is part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), which was formed in 2020 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Paterson’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Paterson. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals, the Paterson Department of Public Safety, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Parole, Passaic County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, and N.J. Department of Corrections.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Graham of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Kim of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
RESIDENCE
Quadair Williams
aka “Fed Baby”
aka “Mega”41
Hackensack, New Jersey
Jamal Ricks
aka “Bop”35
Paterson
Rahjohn Leary
aka “Rah”29
Newark
Ronald Taylor
aka “Fat Cat”
aka “Cat”29
Passaic, New Jersey
Malachi Fields
aka “Chicago”28
Paterson
Marquis Turner
aka “June Bug”26
Paterson
Prince Carter
aka “Eighty”
aka “Eight”41
Paterson
*Terrance Drakeford
30
Prospect Park, New Jersey
Xavier Classen
aka “Swaggy”25
Paterson
Quajamir Price
aka “Porkchop”20
Paterson
*Jamah Godwin
29
Paterson
Troy Blair
48
Paterson
Elton Baker
45
Paterson
Justin Carlos
aka “Spaz”36
Paterson
Marecius Samuels
aka “Re-Up”35
Paterson
*denotes at large
23-190
uptop.complaint.pdfFelon sentenced for illegal possession of firearm after offering to sell pistol, illegal switches for gun conversionRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A California felon who was identified offering to sell an undercover agent a pistol and switches used to convert guns from semi-automatic firearms to fully-automatic was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U. S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Drew Parker Seymour, 24, of Banning, California, pleaded guilty in February to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Seymour has been convicted of four felonies, including this case, that involve him illegally possessing firearms. In March 2022 in Billings, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned that Seymour offered online to sell an individual illegal Glock switches, which are used to convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic machine guns. An undercover agent began communicating with Seymour, who offered to sell the agent Glock switches and a .45 caliber pistol. Seymour sent pictures of both. Seymour later withdrew his offer to sell the Glock switches. The undercover agent agreed to meet Seymour to buy the pistol. Before the meeting occurred, drug task force agents detained Seymour and his girlfriend at a post office in Billings as they attempted to pick up a package of fentanyl. In a search of the couple’s motel room, law enforcement located a .45-caliber, semi-automatic pistol hidden under a mattress. Seymour’s fingerprint was recovered from the gun’s magazine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Hargrove prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Billings Police Department, U.S. Postal Service and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force 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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Federal Lawsuit Against Los Angeles County Alleges ADA Violations and Discrimination Against Voters with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Following a lengthy investigation that determined the County of Los Angeles discriminated against persons with disabilities at vote centers during recent elections, the United States Attorney’s Office today filed a lawsuit alleging the county has failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The investigation into the county’s voting program found that the county, acting through its registrar-recorder, excluded qualified individuals with mobility disabilities and those with vision disabilities from participating in the county’s voting programs. The complaint filed in United States District Court seeks a court order directing the county to comply with the ADA, promptly develop a plan to completely remedy the alleged violations, and not further discriminate against individuals with disabilities.
“Voting is a fundamental right, and we will do everything we can to ensure that it is not limited or denied to anyone in our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Through this lawsuit, we demand that Los Angeles County afford individuals with disabilities an opportunity to participate in the county’s voting program that is equal to that provided to nondisabled individuals.”
“Voting is the bedrock of our democracy, and all voters, including those with disabilities, should have an equal opportunity to participate in the voting process. This lawsuit should send a strong message to officials across the country regarding the Justice Department’s firm commitment to ensuring polling place accessibility,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
The lawsuit was brought under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits public entities from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. The federal investigation has focused on physical accessibility for persons with mobility disabilities and persons with vision disabilities at county vote centers during the 2020 primary election, the 2020 general election and the 2022 general election. The United States Attorney’s Office also reviewed other aspects of the county’s voting programs, including curbside voting and ballot drop boxes.
On May 16, the United States issued a Letter of Findings that advised the county of its findings about inaccessible vote centers during the March 2020, November 2020, and November 2022 elections; inaccessible ballot drop boxes from the November 2020 and 2022 elections; and the inaccessible curbside voting system. The United States advised the county that its use of physically inaccessible vote centers and its curbside voting system violated Title II of the ADA.
The lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles alleges that the county is responsible for selecting and providing accessible facilities to be used as polling places or vote centers for federal, state and local elections.
During elections in June 2016, March 2020 and November 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office surveyed well over 250 polling places and vote centers, finding that only a small percentage of them complied with the ADA, according to the complaint.
During the November 2022 general election, the United States surveyed 52 Los Angeles County vote centers to determine if they were compliant with the ADA and applicable standards for accessibility. “Each of the surveyed vote centers had non-compliant elements or features, including, for example, a lack of van accessible parking; wide gaps, abrupt level changes, and excessive cross slopes on designated accessible routes; ramps with steep running slopes and without the required handrails; entrances and/or exits that were obstructed or too narrow, lacked level landings, or had high thresholds; interior routes that had protruding objects; and voting areas with narrow routes,” the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit identifies specific vote centers in Pasadena, North Hollywood, Downey and Watts that are still in use, even though the federal government first alerted the county about accessibility deficiencies at the first three facilities in September 2016 and the Watts location in July 2020.
Other accessibility problems were identified with ballot drop boxes used during the November 2020 and November 2022 general elections.
The lawsuit discusses difficulties experienced during the August 2019 special election by a voter who uses a wheelchair. This voter “reported feeling dismayed and frustrated by her treatment at the polling place and that she felt as if she had lost her freedom to vote privately and independently like everyone else,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s ADA Voting Initiative, which seeks to increase accessibility for voters with disabilities across the country. A hallmark of the ADA Voting Initiative is its collaboration with jurisdictions to increase accessibility at vote centers or polling places. Through this initiative, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have surveyed more than 2,700 polling places and increased polling place accessibility in more than 50 jurisdictions, including Kenton County, Kentucky; Travis County, Texas; and Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine M. Hikida of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section is handling this case.
Information about the Civil Rights Section in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office is available on our website. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations to our office via email to [email protected].
Federal Jury Convicts Tulsa Resident of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that that Danny Gene Kirby, age 65, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on June 26, 2023, and concluded on June 28, 2023, with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant caused the death of his passenger while driving a motorcycle under the combined influence of drugs and alcohol.
On July 23, 2022, in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, Kirby and a passenger left a bar on Kirby’s motorcycle. A short distance from the bar, Kirby left the roadway while making a turn. He lost control of the motorcycle attempting to re-enter the roadway, throwing his passenger from the bike. Emergency responders life-flighted the victim to a Tulsa hospital, where the victim was pronounced dead the following morning. At the time of the crash, Kirby was under the combined influence of alcohol, marijuana, tramadol, trazodone, amphetamines, citalopram, and oxycodone, and was unable to complete field sobriety tests administered by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper.
The guilty verdict was the result of investigations by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Indian Country, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial in Muskogee and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. The defendant was allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Joshua Satter represented the United States.
Federal Jury Convicts Ocala Man of Possession of Child Sex Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Justin Lewis (41, Ocala) guilty of possession of child sex abuse images. Lewis faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Lewis had originally been indicted on February 6, 2019. A federal grand jury later returned a superseding indictment on June 20, 2023.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, federal agents executed a search warrant at Lewis’s Ocala residence on February 7, 2018, in an unrelated wire fraud investigation. During the search, agents located two external hard drives on Lewis’s desk that contained video files depicting young children being sexually abused. The hard drives also contained numerous files and documents attributed to Lewis, including personal photographs, copies of his high school diploma, emails, text messages, and business records. One of the hard drives was also encrypted with a password that Lewis also used for many of his personal accounts.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ex-employee Accused of Arson at St. Louis Airport MarriottRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri has been indicted on an arson charge and accused of setting fires at a hotel after being fired.
Ramona Cook, 25, was indicted May 10 and arrested and pleaded not guilty Wednesday. She is due in court Friday for a hearing that will determine whether she is jailed until trial.
The indictment says that on Dec. 22, 2022, Cook maliciously damaged by means of fire the Marriott St. Louis Airport hotel at 10700 Pear Tree Drive.
A motion seeking to have Cook held in jail says that she was fired that day for being intoxicated at work. She returned shortly after being escorted out of the hotel by police and set multiple fires in the hotel, the motion says, displacing the occupants of more than 400 rooms.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The arson charge carries a penalty of 5 years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Erie Resident Sentenced to Eight Years for Violating Federal Laws Relating to the Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to eight years in jail, five years supervised release, ordered to make restitution in the amount of $18,000 and pay a special assessment in the amount of $5,200 on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Randy Lee Eicher, of Erie, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, from September 2018 to December 2018, Eicher received and distributed images and videos depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended Homeland Security Investigations and the Boone, North Carolina Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Eicher.
Elmer City Man Sentenced to 60 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking Linked to Overdose on the Colville Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Andre Pierre Picard, age 67 of Elmer City, Washington, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to Distribution of Heroin and Distribution of Methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of sixty months in federal custody to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to Court documents and information disclosed during the sentencing hearing, on or about April 28, 2020, Piccard sold heroin to a young woman (hereafter “D.S.”) from his home in Elmer City, Washington. The very next day, April 29, 2020, D.S. was found lifeless, and the autopsy results determined the death was caused by a drug overdose.
From April 2022 through December 2022, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement engaged in several controlled purchases from Picard, ultimately arresting him and linking him to the sale of drugs that appeared to have contributed to D.S.’s overdose.
“I’m grateful for our incredible law enforcement team, who devote their lives to protecting our community,” said United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref, the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Washington. She further stated, “Today’s sentence demonstrates the seriousness of Mr. Picard’s drug trafficking activities. While Mr. Picard described himself as a low-level drug dealer, he was dealing in large quantities of illegal drugs given the relative size of the Elmer City community and the Colville Reservation. Ultimately, Mr. Picard’s distribution had devastating consequences. I commend the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs for their work to remove illegal drugs from our communities. I am also grateful to the law enforcement team from the Colville Tribe, which worked hand-in-hand with our federal partners to seek justice in this case.”
“Mr. Picard showed a willful disregard for the members of his own community.” Said Gregory L. Austin, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Despite witnessing the devastating effects of these dangerous narcotics, he continued to distribute them to people he knew. The FBI and our partners will continue to fight the plague of illegal drugs on our state’s reservations.”
“The Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement is committed to removing dangerous drug dealers in Indian Country, including those that hide in plain sight and continually profit off the pain and tragic loss of their fellow community members, such as Mr. Picard,” stated Deputy Associate Director, Jerin Falcon. “The Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement is devoted to continuing to protect our native communities and is thankful for the partnership with the Colville Tribal Police, FBI, DEA and other local law enforcement agencies. “
This case was investigated by the Colville Tribal Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Drug Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Richard R. Barker and David H. Herzog, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
2:22-CR-00173-TOR
Drug trafficker sent to prison for possession of multiple variations of weapons earmarked for cartel in MexicoRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 42-year-old Mexican citizen illegally residing in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for drug trafficking on U.S. streets and unlawfully possessing a rocket launcher, rocket-propelled grenades, guns and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Alfredo Gonzalez-Diaz pleaded guilty May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute kilograms of heroin and cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm.
Today, U.S. District Judge Alfred H Bennett ordered Gonzalez-Diaz to serve a total of 175 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment..
“A rocket launcher, two rocket propelled grenades, 8.5 kilos of heroin, and lots, and lots, of cash,” said Hamdani. “These are the tools of terror of the Mexican cartels. Cartels like Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartel threaten our communities and our families. This U.S. Attorney’s Office will not rest until we seize the cartel’s weapons, drugs and cash, and welcome those, like Gonzalez-Diaz, to the inside of a prison cell.”
As part of the undercover investigation into individuals affiliated with the CJNG, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant and seized 8.5 kilograms of heroin and approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Authorities also seized a rocket launcher, two rocket propelled grenades and two guns inside a stereo speaker prepared for transport to Mexico.
The investigation revealed the weapons were destined for imminent distribution to the CJNG in Mexico.
Authorities also discovered additional guns, ammunition and $111,762 in drug proceeds.
Gonzalez-Diaz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Houston Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Homeland Security Investigations conducted this investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shelley J. Sullivan and Lisa Collins prosecuted this case.
These such cooperative matters provide for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the DEA Strike Force is to identify and prosecute all members of narcotics trafficking organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Drug trafficker sent to prison for possession of multiple variations of weapons earmarked for cartel in MexicoRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 42-year-old Mexican citizen illegally residing in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for drug trafficking on U.S. streets and unlawfully possessing a rocket launcher, rocket-propelled grenades, guns and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Alfredo Gonzalez-Diaz pleaded guilty May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute kilograms of heroin and cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H Bennett ordered Gonzalez-Diaz to serve a total of 175 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
“A rocket launcher, two rocket propelled grenades, 8.5 kilos of heroin, and lots, and lots, of cash,” said Hamdani. “These are the tools of terror of the Mexican cartels. Cartels like Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartel threaten our communities and our families. This U.S. Attorney’s Office will not rest until we seize the cartel’s weapons, drugs and cash, and welcome those, like Gonzalez-Diaz, to the inside of a prison cell.”
As part of the undercover investigation into individuals affiliated with the CJNG, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant and seized 8.5 kilograms of heroin and approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Authorities also seized a rocket launcher, two rocket propelled grenades and two guns inside a stereo speaker prepared for transport to Mexico.
The investigation revealed the weapons were destined for imminent distribution to the CJNG in Mexico.
Authorities also discovered additional guns, ammunition and $111,762 in drug proceeds.
Gonzalez-Diaz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Houston Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Homeland Security Investigations conducted this investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shelley J. Sullivan and Lisa Collins prosecuted this case.
These such cooperative matters provide for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the DEA Strike Force is to identify and prosecute all members of narcotics trafficking organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
DeForest Man Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Making ThreatsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michael A. Yaker, 53, DeForest, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to one year and one day in federal prison for transmitting in interstate commerce a threatening communication. Yaker’s prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Yaker sent threatening communications on and off to various public officials and government employees since 2010. Yaker’s campaign of threats continued when he left Wisconsin in January 2022. As a result of leaving Wisconsin, Yaker’s threats—telephone calls and emails—were transmitted in interstate commerce, thus triggering federal jurisdiction. Yaker was charged in federal court and pled guilty on March 29, 2023.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Peterson stated, ”You have hurt people … You injure the people you threaten.” The sentencing hearing primarily focused on protecting the public by treating Yaker’s mental health needs. Judge Peterson directed that Yaker participate in mental health counseling during his supervised release term. While making clear that mental health resources would be provided, Judge Peterson addressed Yaker directly: “You are not a child. The primary responsibility for managing mental health is yours.” Judge Peterson warned Yaker that revocation and return to custody would be swift if Yaker failed to comply with the release conditions. “I’m responsible, I get it,” Yaker replied.
The charge against Yaker was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Capitol Police, and the Hamilton County, Kansas Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution of this case has been handled by U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anita Marie Boor.
Connecticut Real Estate Agent Agrees to Plead Guilty to Defrauding Clients in Long Running Short Sale Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A real estate agent was charged yesterday and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with a multi-year scheme to defraud his clients by engaging in fraudulent short sales of government and bank-owned properties to straw buyers acting at the direction of the defendant and a co-conspirator.
Sheldon Haag, 34, of Glastonbury, Conn., has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging document, Haag and a co-conspirator used straw buyers to acquire properties owned by the clients of the brokerage where he worked, which included banks and other mortgage holders. The straw buyers included a shell company set up by a co-conspirator as a purported construction company. Haag and his co-conspirators allegedly hid their involvement as the de facto buyers of short sale properties from their clients, the owners of the properties, and used their inside knowledge as the owner’s broker to minimize sale prices in order to maximize their gain from later “flipping” the properties.
It is also alleged that, while perpetrating the “flipping scheme,” Haag and his co-conspirators further defrauded clients by submitting fraudulent renovation bids from contractors to their own clients, including from the fake construction company they controlled through a co-conspirator. Once their clients accepted a fraudulent bid, Haag and his co-conspirators would allegedly hire different contractors at much lower cost and pocket the difference between the fraudulent bid and the actual cost of property repairs.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Levy’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Columbus man sentenced to 45 years in prison for sexually exploiting three minorsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 37-year-old Columbus man was sentenced today to 540 months in prison for coercing at least three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit activity for the purpose of producing images and videos of the acts. Two of those victims were offered cash and gifts to entice them into performing and/or engaging in sexually explicit acts with him.
Raymond L. Williams committed this exploitation between 2016 and July 2022.
Court documents say that the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force received a CyberTipLine report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that images depicting child sexual abuse had been uploaded to an online account that was traced to one of the victims, an approximately 14-year-old minor male. Investigators interviewed the minor victim who said the images and videos were created for Williams and that his chats with Williams took place through third party messaging apps.
The investigation further revealed that Williams would provide sex toys to the minor victim to use in the sexually explicit conduct by leaving them in hiding places around the downtown branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Law enforcement then assumed the identity of the minor victim in online platforms and began communicating with Williams, setting up a meeting at the library in which Williams expected to engage in sexual intercourse with the minor. Upon his arrival, Williams was placed under arrest by the ICAC task force and his electronic devices were seized. Williams has been in custody since his arrest.
Further investigation and forensic analysis of those devices identified two additional victims who stated that Williams offered them cash or gifts in exchange for sexual acts occurring between the time frame when the victims were 11 through 17 years of age. Investigators found images, videos, and text messages with the victims on phones seized from Williams further confirming the statements of all three victims. Williams pleaded guilty in March 2023 to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. He was sentenced today to 360 months on each count of sexual exploitation of a minor and 540 months on the coercion and enticement of a minor charge, with each count to run concurrently.
“Predators are looking for underaged people they can manipulate and exploit,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Sexual abuse is never contained to a present moment. It lingers across a child’s lifetime and has pervasive, long-term ramifications.”
Parker was joined by Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and agencies participating in the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children task force in announcing the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
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Columbus Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. –A Columbus, Georgia, resident admitted to possessing photos and videos of children being sexual abused in federal court today, resulting from a joint FBI and GBI investigation into the production and distribution of child pornography online.
Townes Ward Borum, 38, of Columbus, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. Borum faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, she is facing up to a lifetime of supervised release and will have to register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 29.
“There is an evil online world of adults—hiding behind their screens—who will do and pay anything for the sexual abuse of young children, and there are child predators who will provide this horrific content. It is a sickening reality and one that every level of law enforcement will never stop fighting,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to commend the many law enforcement agencies and community groups involved in this case for their unyielding dedication to protecting children and bringing child predators to justice.”
“People like Borum, who sexually exploit children for monetary gain, do serious lasting harm and facilitate in the continued manufacturing and trading of child sexual abuse material,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta “The FBI is committed to working with our partners to find such predators, and lock them up so they can do no further harm.”
“This case shows how low predators will go to profit from innocent lives. Working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit remains committed to diligently investigating individuals who exploit our children,” said GBI Director Michael Register.
According to facts presented at court, GBI was contacted by law enforcement in New Jersey on May 20, 2022, with information that an adult female in the Middle District of Georgia was distributing nude photos of a young child to a man in their jurisdiction. The initial Cybertip leading to the New Jersey man came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and a subsequent investigation found digital files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the man’s cell phone. The man told authorities that Borum was providing him with the CSAM material, and that they had been communicating on the Whisper app and by text message. The man said he paid Borum’s rent and other expenses in exchange for sexually explicit photos and videos of young children.
A search warrant was executed by GBI at Borum’s Columbus home on May 21, 2022. Borum’s cell phone was seized; it contained hundreds of images and videos of CSAM, including images of CSAM depicting young children. Her phone also contained numerous messages between Borum and others discussing the exchange of child sexual abuse material for money. Agents also found online advertisements she created and posted to sell child sexual abuse material. Borum admitted to the facts in court.
The plea agreement in this case is sealed at the request of the Government for protection of minor victims.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by GBI, FBI-Atlanta, FBI-Dallas and FBI-Los Angeles, with special assistance from the Bergen County, New Jersey, District Attorney’s Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Colorado Man Sentenced to More than Thirteen Years for Drug and Gun Charges.Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Daniel M. Gutirez, 43, of Del Norte, Colorado, was sentenced on June 26, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm in Connection with Drug Trafficking. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Gutirez to 160 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. He was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after his release from prison.
On December 1, 2021, Gutirez and co-defendant Sheri Griego were stopped while driving in the area of 8th and Brown Streets in Omaha after officers observed their vehicle commit several traffic infractions. After speaking with the two, officers became suspicious that they were involved in criminal activity. Gutirez was asked if he had any weapons. He said he had a gun in his waistband. He was detained and the handgun was found. A search of his person revealed a quantity of methamphetamine. A search of the car revealed a rifle and 67 grams of methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia.
Co-defendant Griego is currently scheduled for trial starting August 8, 2023.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Omaha Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Central Coast County Organized Health System, Three Health Care Providers Agree to Pay $68M for Alleged False Claims to Medi-CalRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A county organized health system (COHS) that arranges services for Medi-Cal enrollees in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and three Central Coast health care providers have agreed to pay a total of $68 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the California False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of false claims to Medi-Cal related to Medicaid Adult Expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The four entities that entered into settlement agreements with the United States and the State of California are the Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo Regional Health Authority, doing business as CenCal Health, a COHS that contracts to arrange for the provision of health care services under Medi-Cal, which is California’s Medicaid program; Cottage Health System, a not-for-profit hospital network operating in Santa Barbara County; Sansum Clinic, a non-profit outpatient clinic operating in Santa Barbara County; and Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC), a non-profit community health center operating in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
The settlement agreements were executed earlier this month, and late Wednesday a federal judge unsealed the “whistleblower” case naming the entities.
Pursuant to the ACA, beginning in January 2014, Medi-Cal was expanded to cover the previously uninsured “Adult Expansion” population – adults between the ages of 19 and 64 without dependent children with annual incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. The federal government fully funded the expansion coverage for the first three years of the program. Under contracts with California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), if CenCal did not spend at least 85% of the funds it received for the Adult Expansion population on “allowed medical expenses,” CenCal was required to pay back to the state the difference between 85% and what it actually spent. California, in turn, was required to return that amount to the federal government.
The four settlements resolve allegations that CenCal, Cottage, Sansum, and CHC knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medi-Cal for “Enhanced Services” that were purportedly provided to Adult Expansion Medi-Cal members: by Cottage between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016; by Sansum and CHC between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016; and by certain other healthcare providers between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016.
The United States and California alleged that the payments were not “allowed medical expenses” permissible under the contract between DHCS and CenCal; were pre-determined amounts that did not reflect the fair market value of any Enhanced Services provided; and/or the Enhanced Services were duplicative of services already required to be rendered. The United States and California further alleged that the payments were unlawful gifts of public funds in violation of the California Constitution.
As a result of the settlements, CenCal will pay $49.5 million, Cottage will pay $9 million, Sansum will pay $4.5 million, and CHC will pay $3.15 million to the United States. In addition, California will receive payments totaling $1.85 million.
“These historic settlements demonstrate our steadfast efforts to eradicate fraud involving Medicaid Adult Expansion,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Health care systems and providers are on notice that the False Claims Act provides us with a powerful tool to ensure that taxpayer-funded health care programs are used for patient care, and not for furtive financial gain.”
“Medicaid expansion funds must be used for their intended purpose of providing health care services to low-income individuals,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When health care systems and providers knowingly misuse Medicaid funds, they will be held accountable.”
“Federal health care programs are an important resource for millions of Americans to receive medical care,” said Timothy B. DeFrancesca, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to ensure that federal health care funds are used as intended and protected from fraud, waste, and abuse.”
“Medi-Cal is a lifeline that provides access to free or affordable healthcare services for millions of Californians and their families,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “When any healthcare provider or agency defrauds the program, they break the public’s trust and put their own bottom line before the patients who count on them for honest, quality care and services. I am grateful to the Justice Department for its extensive efforts throughout the course of this investigation. The California Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable those who defraud the Medi-Cal program, and protect those it serves.”
The civil settlements include the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Julio Bordas, CenCal’s former medical director. Under the act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Dr. Bordas will receive approximately $12.56 million as his share of the federal recovery.
The United States previously settled similar allegations against Dignity Health (which operates Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria) and Twin Cities Community Hospital and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, two subsidiaries of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, relating to payments they received from CenCal under the Adult Expansion program.
The partial resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office; the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; and the California Department of Justice, with assistance from HHS-OIG and DHCS. This case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jack D. Ross of the Civil Fraud Section, and Trial Attorneys Mary Beth Hickox-Howard and Tiffany L. Ho of the Commercial Litigation Branch.
The investigation of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare 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).
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
California County Organized Health System and Three Health Care Providers Agree to Pay $68 Million for Alleged False Claims to California’s Medicaid ProgramRead the Press Release
Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo Regional Health Authority, dba CenCal Health (CenCal), a county organized health system (COHS) that contracts to arrange for the provision of health care services under California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, California; Cottage Health System (Cottage), a not-for-profit hospital network operating in Santa Barbara County; Sansum Clinic (Sansum), a non-profit outpatient clinic operating in Santa Barbara County; and Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC), a non-profit community health center operating in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, have agreed to pay a total of $68 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the California False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of false claims to Medi-Cal related to Medicaid Adult Expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Pursuant to the ACA, beginning in January 2014, Medi-Cal was expanded to cover the previously uninsured “Adult Expansion” population – adults between the ages of 19 and 64 without dependent children with annual incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. The federal government fully funded the expansion coverage for the first three years of the program. Under contracts with California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), if CenCal did not spend at least 85% of the funds it received for the Adult Expansion population on “allowed medical expenses,” CenCal was required to pay back to the state the difference between 85% and what it actually spent. California, in turn, was required to return that amount to the federal government.
The four settlements resolve allegations that CenCal, Cottage, Sansum, and CHC knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medi-Cal for “Enhanced Services” that were purportedly provided to Adult Expansion Medi-Cal members: by Cottage between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016; by Sansum and CHC between Jan. 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016; and by certain other healthcare providers between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016. The United States and California alleged that the payments were not “allowed medical expenses” permissible under the contract between DHCS and CenCal; were pre-determined amounts that did not reflect the fair market value of any Enhanced Services provided; and/or the Enhanced Services were duplicative of services already required to be rendered. The United States and California further alleged that the payments were unlawful gifts of public funds in violation of the California Constitution.
As a result of the settlements, CenCal will pay $49.5 million, Cottage will pay $9 million, Sansum will pay $4.5 million, and CHC will pay $3.15 million to the United States. In addition, California will receive payments totaling $1.85 million.
“Medicaid expansion funds must be used for their intended purpose of providing health care services to low-income individuals,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When health care systems and providers knowingly misuse Medicaid funds, they will be held accountable.”
“These historic settlements demonstrate our steadfast efforts to eradicate fraud involving Medicaid Adult Expansion,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Health care systems and providers are on notice that the False Claims Act provides us with a powerful tool to ensure that taxpayer-funded health care programs are used for patient care, and not for furtive financial gain.”
“Federal health care programs are an important resource for millions of Americans to receive medical care,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to ensure that federal health care funds are used as intended and protected from fraud, waste, and abuse.”
“Medi-Cal is a lifeline that provides access to free or affordable healthcare services for millions of Californians and their families,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “When any healthcare provider or agency defrauds the program, they break the public’s trust and put their own bottom line before the patients who count on them for honest, quality care and services. I am grateful to the USDOJ for its extensive efforts throughout the course of this investigation. The California Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable those who defraud the Medi-Cal program, and protect those it serves.”
The civil settlements include the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Julio Bordas, CenCal’s former medical director. Under the act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States and State of California ex rel. Bordas v. CenCal Health, Cottage Health System, Sansum Santa Barbara Clinic, Inc., Community Health Center of the Central Coast, et al. Mr. Bordas will receive approximately $12.56 million as his share of the federal recovery.
The United States previously settled similar allegations against Dignity Health and Twin Cities Community Hospital and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, two subsidiaries of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, relating to payments they received from CenCal under the Adult Expansion program.
The partial resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and the California Department of Justice, with assistance from HHS-OIG and DHCS.
The investigation of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare 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 HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Trial Attorneys Mary Beth Hickcox-Howard and Tiffany L. Ho of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack D. Ross for the Central District of California handled this case.
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Cottage Settlement Sansum Settlement CHC Settlement CenCal SettlementBurlington Man Sentenced to Thirty Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and HeroinRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – A Burlington man was sentenced on June 23, 2023 to thirty years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
According to court documents, and evidence presented at sentencing, Kourtney Melvin Connors, 35, was identified by law enforcement as a distributor of methamphetamine through an investigation that began in the spring of 2019. During the course of the investigation, numerous individuals identified Connors as a supplier of large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin in the Burlington and Quad Cities areas. In all Connors was held accountable for more than 4,500 grams of ice methamphetamine, nearly 500 grams of heroin, and 40 grams of fentanyl.
This sentence was ordered to be served consecutively with any sentence of imprisonment imposed in relation to a criminal case in Marathon County, Wisconsin. After completing his term of imprisonment, Connors will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Burlington Police Department, Davenport Police Department, Bettendorf Police Department.
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. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Brentwood Couple Sentenced for Conspiracy to Produce and Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Matthew Lee Pelton and Heather Electa Halwig Gharibian were sentenced to 360 and 264 months in prison, respectively, for producing and conspiring to produce child pornography, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentences were handed down by the Hon. Jefferey S. White, U.S. District Judge.
Pelton, 50, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to the charges on February 14, 2023. Gharibian, 53, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to the charges on February 21, 2023. According to the plea agreements, both Pelton and Gharibian admitted that from March 29, 2021, to at least June 14, 2021, they conspired with each other to produce and film visual depictions of two minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The defendants communicated via WhatsApp messenger that Pelton used to request that Gharibian perform sexual acts on a then 10-year-old child in her care. Pelton described his arousal, gave instructions on how to perform sexual acts on the victim, and requested that Gharibian make a video of the molestation of the child. In response to Pelton’s request, Gharibian performed requested sexual acts on the victim, filmed it, and sent it to Pelton. Further, both minor victims described how ring cameras were placed throughout their house, including their bedrooms and bathrooms, allowing Gharibian and Pelton to view them at will.
In papers submitted in connection with sentencing, the government argued Gharibian sexually exploited the minor victims in her care for the sexual gratification of her then-boyfriend, Pelton, who the government described as a “pedophile with a seeming predilection for preteens and teenagers.” At sentencing, Judge White stated that the defendants stole the victims’ childhood.
On November 17, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted the defendants charging both with conspiracy to produce child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251 (a) and (e); production of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251 (a) and (e). In addition, Gharibian was charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2), (b) and (e); and Pelton was charged with two counts of receipt of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2), (b) and (e). Both defendants pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and production charges. In accordance with the plea agreements, Judge White dismissed the remaining charges at sentencing.
In addition to the prison term, Judge White ordered Pelton and Gharibian to serve 180 months of supervised release, which will begin after their respective prison terms. Restitution will be decided at a later hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Chambers and Kelly Volkar are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jasmine Sanders and Laurie Worthen. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Investigation Office, and the Brentwood Police Department.
Boise Man Convicted of Three Attempted Sex Crimes Against ChildrenRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – A federal jury convicted Mohammad Ali Alizadah Nawai, 45, of Boise for three attempted sex crimes, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced. The counts of conviction were (1) attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, (2) sexual exploitation of a child, and (3) coercion and enticement. The crimes reflect the defendant’s attempted transfer of obscene matters to a child under 16 years of age, the attempted production of child pornography, and the attempted persuasion of a child to meet for sexual intercourse. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill presided over the trial, which began on June 20, and concluded with guilty verdicts on June 23.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nawai communicated with an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old child on an online dating program. The detective was posing as a child to detect and investigate online offenders seeking children. Nawai, after being told the apparent child’s age, requested that the child produce sexually explicit content. Nawai further sent the apparent child obscene materials, which included bestiality and images he represented as child pornography. Nawai also made arrangements to meet the child for sexual intercourse. He travelled from Boise to Rupert on June 23, 2021, where members of the Rupert Police Department promptly arrested him.
Nawai is scheduled to be sentenced on September 13, 2023 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and up to life in federal prison. Judge Winmill determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit thanked the Rupert Police Department for its efforts, which led to the charges. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Robins and John Shirts.
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.justice.gov/psc.
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Babb man admits multiple assaults of dating partner on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Babb man accused of assaulting his dating partner on three occasions within a year admitted to charges this week, U.S Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Zachary James Cassidy, 33, pleaded guilty on June 28 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of assault of a dating partner resulting in substantial injury. Cassidy faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
In a plea agreement reached in the case, the parties agreed that a specific term of between 48 months and 72 months of imprisonment is appropriate.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Nov. 30. Cassidy was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Cassidy and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, were in a romantic relationship between March 2022 and January 2023. During that time, Cassidy assaulted the victim on three separate occasions. In June 2022, Cassidy and the victim were at a bar in St. Mary when Cassidy became upset with Jane Doe. Cassidy physically assaulted the victim in the bar and dragged her outside using a chokehold. Cassidy continued assaulting Jane Doe in the parking lot, dragged her to a truck and drove to his residence, where he continued the assault. Jane Doe woke up on a couch, was alone and could not move. When found, she had to be carried to a car. Jane Doe sought medical attention the next day for multiple injuries and returned to the hospital a month later for follow up. In August, Cassidy assaulted Jane Doe at his residence. When a friend sought to intervene, Cassidy kicked the friend in the back and pushed her head into a truck. Cassidy told the friend she was trespassing and that he was going to shoot her. That night, a friend went to check on Jane Doe and tried to take the victim with her, but Cassidy wouldn’t let her. Eventually, Jane Doe’s family members came to get her and took her to the hospital for treatment of injuries. A third assault occurred on Jan. 9 as Cassidy and Jane Doe were traveling from Doe’s family residence toward Babb. Cassidy started getting mad at Jane Doe and his truck ultimately got stuck in the snow. Cassidy assaulted Jane Doe, who refused to get out of the truck. A neighbor witnessed the assault and called law enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, conducted the investigation.
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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Supreme Court’s Ruling in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. (SFFA) v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North CarolinaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in two cases — Students for Fair Admissions Inc. (SFFA) v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina:
“The Supreme Court’s decision undercuts efforts by universities across the country to create a diverse group of graduates prepared to lead in an increasingly diverse nation. It will significantly set back efforts to advance educational opportunity for all Americans. And it upends nearly 50 years of precedent.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to promoting student diversity in higher education using all available legal tools. In the coming weeks, we will work with the Department of Education to provide resources to college and universities on what admissions practices and programs remain lawful following the Court’s decision.”
Atlanta man indicted for allegedly distributing fentanyl that killed oneRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Antonio Milner has been arraigned on federal charges of distributing fentanyl resulting in the death of another. Milner allegedly distributed fentanyl to a person who was found dead in a vehicle alongside I-75.
“Fentanyl is an extraordinarily dangerous substance and even the smallest quantity can be lethal,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting these cases to combat this scourge plaguing our communities.”
“Fentanyl poisonings and other dangerous drugs are taking a terrible toll on our communities.” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “This drug trafficker will face the consequences of his actions.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: On December 13, 2022, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Stockbridge Police Department responded to a request for a welfare check at I-75 Southbound at mile marker 224. Upon arrival, officers located the victim deceased in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. The victim’s cause of death was determined to be fentanyl and morphine toxicity. The DEA traced the victim’s steps and established that Milner had allegedly distributed fentanyl to the victim just prior to her death.
Antonio Milner, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand. Milner was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 27, 2023. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy M. Palumbo is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Carfentanil, Heroin, and CocaineRead the Press Release
DETROIT – An armed drug trafficker selling a fentanyl analogue advertised as “heroin” was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Branden Smith, 38, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Judge Victoria A. Roberts after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute drugs and for possessing carfentanil. According to court records, Smith was identified by federal agents as a multi-state distributor of illegal drugs, including heroin. Following several months of investigation, undercover law enforcement agents purchased what Smith had advertised as “heroin,” but was in fact carfentanil, a dangerous fentanyl analogue. Investigators ultimately executed a search warrant at a residence associated with Smith. They found distribution quantities of multiple controlled substances (including carfentanil), multiple electronic scales, vacuum sealers, face masks, and rubber gloves. Smith was arrested on the scene, and investigators recovered a Glock 23 pistol in his waistband, as well as an AK-47 extended pistol in the driver’s side door of the vehicle he was observed exiting.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020 alone, more than 56,000 deaths involved synthetic opioids in the United States, which accounted for over 82% of all opioid-involved deaths in 2020. Carfentanil is one of the most potent fentanyl analogues and is estimated to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
“Deadly drugs like carfentanil are lethal by themselves, but even more dangerous when they are marketed as another drug. Adding guns to that mix increases the harm and risk to the community exponentially,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “That’s why federal law provides for sever penalties for armed drug trafficking, and we will not hesitate to insist on those penalties when necessary to keep this community safe.”
“Today’s sentencing underscores the commitment of the men and women of the DEA, the USAO EDMI and the Warren Police Department, to hold accountable, anyone who chooses to distribute deadly drugs like Carfentanil in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Greene. “Mr. Smith intentionally misrepresented the fact he was selling a fentanyl analogue, 100 times more potent than fentanyl and which is normally used to tranquilize elephants and other large mammals. Mr. Smith’s possession of firearms further compounded the danger he posed to the community and today he was held to account for his actions.”
The case was investigated by federal agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, alongside task force officers from the Warren Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin Casey and Robert White prosecuted the case for the United States.
Appleton Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Methamphetamine for DistributionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ari Lor, 30, Appleton, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Lor pleaded guilty to this charge on April 4, 2023.
In January of 2022, law enforcement agents began a drug investigation into Lor. On June 20, 2022, GPS location data from Lor’s cellular telephone showed he was driving towards Wausau, Wisconsin, from his home in Appleton. Based on information developed during the investigation, agents believed Lor was planning to meet with co-defendant Devin Needham to buy methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officers located Lor’s black minivan parked at a market in Wausau. Officers observed Lor leave the market carrying at least one plastic bag and get in the passenger side of the minivan. The minivan drove away but was pulled over by law enforcement officers a short time later for an expired registration sticker. After a K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics, officers searched the minivan and found approximately one pound of methamphetamine in a white plastic bag.
Officers later reviewed surveillance video from the market and saw Lor and Needham walk around the store together. In the video, Needham is carrying a white plastic bag and the name of a store printed on the side of the bag was identical to the bag found in the minivan containing the methamphetamine.
During Lor’s arrest, agents seized two cellular telephones from him. Officers later searched the phones pursuant to a warrant, and on one of the phones found a message over the application “Telegram” from June 19, 2022, in which Lor asked Needham about the price of one pound of methamphetamine. Needham responded it would cost $4,000. Telegram messages prior to Lor’s arrest on June 20 show him and Needham making plans to meet that day in Wausau.
Lor’s criminal history includes four prior felony convictions, including convictions for strangulation and suffocation and possession with intent to distribute amphetamine. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Peterson concluded that a significant sentence was warranted because Lor’s criminal history showed a commitment to a criminal lifestyle. Judge Peterson also noted that Lor had been provided with many opportunities to turn his life around but failed to do so.
Needham pleaded guilty on April 5, 2023 to possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine for distribution. He will be sentenced by Judge Peterson on July 20, 2023.
The charge against Lor is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Wausau Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Everest Metro Police Department, and Wisconsin’s National Guard Counterdrug Program. The Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group and the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner is handling the prosecution.
Albany Sex Offender Arrested for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Stephen Brisee, a/k/a Sage Brisee, age 29, of Albany, was arrested today for distributing child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.
The charge filed against Brisee carries a prison term of at least 15 years and up to 40 years; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. 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.
United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel ordered Brisee detained pending a detention hearing scheduled to take place next week.
The complaint charges Brisee with distributing videos of adults subjecting girls between the ages of six months and 10 years to sexual penetration. At the time of the offense, Brisee was a registered sex offender on post-release supervision following a New York State conviction for promoting a sexual performance by a child.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
18 Firearms Seized After Domestic Violence Incident Leads to Federal Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A domestic violence shooting in Detroit has led to the recovery of 18 firearms, including a machine gun, and a federal criminal complaint against one man, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Saliah Algahmi, 37, of Melvindale, Michigan, was charged in a criminal complaint with being unlawfully in possession of firearms and knowingly in receipt of counterfeit federal law enforcement badges. He was ordered detained by visiting United States Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen.
According to court records, the charges stem from an incident on May 19, 2023, when Algahmi’s wife reported that Algahmi had fired a gun at her while she sat in her vehicle. Fortunately, she was not injured. This incident led police to search a residence in Melvindale on June 8, 2023. In the residence, police found 18 firearms, various ammunition, and two fake police badges. The ongoing investigation has preliminarily determined, through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), that the firearm used during the domestic assault on May 19, 2023, was one of the 18 firearms recovered from the residence. Several of the firearms were stolen and or unregistered, one had an obliterated serial number, and at least one firearm is classified as a machine gun. Algahmi also was in possession of a counterfeit badge of the Drug Enforcement Administration and a fake Department of Defense federal law enforcement badge.
For unlawful possession of firearms, Algahmi faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment.
“Through his illegal possession of an arsenal of 18 firearms, including a machine gun, and his willingness to use a firearm against a family member, this defendant represented an ongoing threat to the community,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “This threat has been stopped by the swift actions of law enforcement, and we are thankful this case did not result in someone being injured or killed.”
“All people deserve to feel safe in their relationships. Alhahmi’s repeated use of firearms to commit domestic violence is unacceptable” said, ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir “ATF and our law enforcement partners remain resolute in holding violent offenders who threaten the safety of their family and our community accountable.”
The United States Attorney’s Office and the ATF are focused on prosecuting those individuals who are using firearms to commit violent acts against people in the Eastern District of Michigan. The strategy is a part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN continues to be the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is an evidence-based program that focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to pursue lasting reductions in crime.
A complaint is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by ATF with the assistance from the Detroit Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Cowen, assigned to the Violent and Organized Crime Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
13 Defendants Charged in Federal Drug Trafficking Probe Targeting Fentanyl-Laced Heroin and Cocaine Sales in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal drug trafficking investigation has resulted in charges against 13 individuals for allegedly trafficking fentanyl-laced heroin and cocaine on the West Side of Chicago.
The multi-year investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations, the Chicago Police Department, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, utilized covert surveillance operations, undercover narcotics purchases, and wiretapped communications to shut down an open-air drug market in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Many of the defendants, including the group’s suspected leader, are allegedly members of the Traveling Vice Lords street gang. In addition to federal drug charges, three of the defendants are charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities. One of the defendants was recently arrested while illegally possessing a loaded handgun on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line train.
Law enforcement on Wednesday executed court-authorized searches of multiple locations in Chicago and the suburbs. Law enforcement seized approximately ten firearms, two 50-round drum ammunition magazines, several extended ammunition magazines, more than a kilogram of cocaine, more than 250 grams of heroin containing fentanyl, and approximately nine vehicles that allegedly were used in furtherance of narcotics trafficking.
Charged with federal drug conspiracy are TERRANCE SANDERS, 40, of Aurora, Ill., SHAVELLE SIMS, 32, of Glendale Heights, Ill., TYRON PAULK, 36, of Bellwood, Ill., SAMUEL LOPEZ, 33, of Chicago, DEMECCO TARTT, 30, of Chicago, TARANCE BANKS, 30, of Calumet City, Ill., DEANDRE MADDOX, 34, of Chicago, DELAWRENCE ISON, 38, of Chicago, LAVELL GRIFFIN, 33, of Chicago, BRIAN WILLIAMS, 20, of Chicago, and RAHEEM SMITH, 30, of Bolingbrook, Ill. Sanders, Paulk, and Smith are also each charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver are PARTGANAN BURCH, 36, of Chicago, and DEMORRIS HILL, 41, of South Holland, Ill.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in federal court, Sanders led a drug trafficking organization that operated the open-air market in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue in Chicago. Sanders and others utilized a “stash house” in the 1600 block of North Karlov Avenue in Chicago to store narcotics and prepare them for delivery to the open-air market, where they were then sold to customers, the complaint states. Sims supervised the collection of narcotics proceeds and met with Sanders to re-supply the drug spot as needed, the complaint states.
Most of the 13 federal defendants were arrested Wednesday and have begun making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago. In addition to the federal charges, 19 other individuals were charged in state court as a result of this investigation.
The federal charges were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI in Chicago; Fred Waller, Interim Superintendent of CPD; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS-CI in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Mott and Chester Choi represent the government.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sanders et al complaint
Wednesday 28 June 2023
Woman Charged with Covid-19 Card FraudRead the Press Release
WILLIAMPSORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Collen Brungard, age 37, of Milton, Pennsylvania, was charged on June 28, 2023, by criminal Information with knowingly possessing and making a fake COVID-19 vaccine card.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information charges Brungard with knowingly possessing and making unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine cards, specifically fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards, purportedly issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control to record medical information about vaccines purportedly received, and bearing the insignia of the Center for Disease Control.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across 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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 6 months’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Wetumka Resident Sentenced for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Carl Lloyd True, age 56, of Wetumka, Oklahoma, was sentenced on June 16, 2023, for firearm offenses. True was sentenced to sixteen months in prison for one count of Making a False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm and sixteen months for one count of being a Prohibited Person Receiving and Possessing Firearms and Ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently.
The charges arose from investigations by the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On February 21, 2023, True pleaded guilty to False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm and Prohibited Person Receiving and Possessing Firearms and Ammunition. In June of 2022, True was charged in the District Court of Hughes County, Oklahoma, with felony Domestic Assault and Battery by Strangulation. Within days of being released on bond in that case, True provided false information on the ATF Firearm Transaction Record so he could illegally purchase two firearms despite being under information for the felony offense.
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 based on 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.
“Investigating and prosecuting what we refer to as ‘lie and buy offenses’ is a priority of the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “In this case, the defendant could not obtain a firearm because he was charged in state court with a felony crime. He provided false information to the licensed gun dealer in order to obtain two firearms.”
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. True will remain in 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 Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Use of a Phone to Facilitate Cocaine Distribution on Menominee Indian Reservation Leads to Prison Sentence for Keshena WomanRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Candice A. Sanapaw (age: 42), of Keshena on the Menominee Indian Reservation, received a sentence of 12 months in federal prison following a conviction for use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug offense.
The sentence, imposed on June 26, 2023, by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach, was the result of a guilty plea entered by the defendant on March 14, 2023. Sanapaw will also face one year of supervised release once she completes her sentence.
According to court records, an investigation revealed that on June 3, 2021, law enforcement responded to an address on 1st Avenue in Neopit, Wisconsin, on report of an unconscious female who was not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts by officers and first responders, the woman was declared deceased. A subsequent autopsy revealed the presence of cocaine metabolites and fentanyl, and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the woman’s cause of death to be Acute Mixed Drug Intoxication.
Examination of the deceased’s phone and interviews with her associates led to the identification of Sanapaw as the source of the cocaine that led to the woman’s death. The investigation further revealed that the deceased had purchased cocaine from Sanapaw on four prior occasions.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Griesbach noted the seriousness of the crime the defendant committed and remarked upon the need to deter those who might consider similar actions to protect the community from the destructive effects of the abuse of controlled substances.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier prosecuted in United States District Court.
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United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref Announces Eastern District of Washington’s Participation in Coordinated National Health Care Fraud Enforcement ActionRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced criminal charges against two defendants in connection with millions of dollars in fraud prosecuted in the Eastern District of Washington, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2023 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The Eastern District of Washington cases charge a physician and pharmacist in connection with separate schemes involving telemarketing fraud and falsifying COVID-19 vaccine information.
“These enforcement actions, including against one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever prosecuted by the Justice Department, represent our intensified efforts to combat fraud and prosecute the individuals who profit from it,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will find and bring to justice criminals who seek to defraud Americans and steal from taxpayer-funded programs.”
“Health care fraud harms elderly and vulnerable members of our community, undermines confidence in our health care system, and diverts precious funds from vital government programs,” said United States Attorney Waldref. “It has a corrupting and devastating impact on our community. We will not rest in our pursuit of health care providers who abuse their positions of trust for their own personal benefit. Our office will continue to work hand-in-glove with our law enforcement partners to ensure that these fraudsters are brought to justice.”
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Waldref are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 78 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.5 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, and, in some cases, used the proceeds of the schemes to purchase luxury items, including exotic automobiles and yachts.
The Eastern District of Washington charges stem from two separate cases. In United States v. David Antonio Becerril, a grand jury indicted a Yakima area physician on sixteen counts of fraud, false statements, and conspiracy in connection with a telemarketing scheme and conspiracy to fraudulently bill Medicare for millions of dollars in medically unnecessary genetic tests and medical equipment. In United States v. Reynolds, an East Wenatchee pharmacist was charged by information with one count of making false statements in connection with health care matters for falsifying COVID-19 vaccination information for Washington state employees.
The Becerril and Reynolds cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. The other cases in the National Enforcement Action are being prosecuted by the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Health Care Fraud Unit’s Strike Forces in Brooklyn, Dallas, Detroit, the Gulf Coast, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, and Tampa; the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response Strike Force; the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Southern District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Southern District of Ohio, District of South Carolina, Southern District of Texas, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and the State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Indiana, New York, and Pennsylvania, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of cases involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/2023-national-hcf-court-documents.
United States v. Becerril is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Allie Jensen and Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene, and was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Seattle Field Office. United States v. Reynolds is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Spokane Resident Office and HHS-OIG.
The Fraud Section uses the Victim Notification System to provide victims with case information and updates related to cases charged by the Fraud Section in the National Enforcement Action. Victims with questions may contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Assistance Unit by calling the Victim Assistance phone line at 1-888-549-3945 or by emailing [email protected]. Victims with questions about the cases charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office may contact (509) 353-2767. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-steven-diamantstein.
A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States v. Becerril, 1:23-CR-02029-SAB
United States v. Reynolds, 2:23-CR-00076-MKD