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Tuesday 27 June 2023
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Distribution of Marijuana and OxycodoneRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kiyon Boyd, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Boyd, who utilized the street nickname “Workey,” pleaded guilty on April 7, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to marijuana and oxycodone, and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. As part of his plea agreement, Boyd admitted that he distributed, or conspired to distribute, between 80 and 100 kilograms of marijuana. Boyd also admitted that firearms were used or possessed as part of the drug dealing conspiracy. Boyd was sentenced by the Honorable Beryl A. Howell. Following completion of his prison term, Boyd will be placed on three years of supervised release.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI, ATF, and MPD. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jimmy Martez Ellis, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on June 26, 2023, to 60 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Division.
Ellis, who utilized the street nicknames “Big Oso” and “Jim Bob” pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. As part of his plea agreement, Ellis admitted that he was arrested on April 19, 2020, in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun and that he was arrested again on August 6, 2021, in possession of a loaded .38 caliber handgun. Ellis admitted that, as a convicted felon, he was not legally permitted to possess either handgun, and further admitted that he possessed the firearms in connection to another felony crime – namely the distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
Ellis was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Following completion of his prison term, Ellis will be placed on three years of supervised release.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, and Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Cuatro detenidos por el incidente de tráfico de personas en un tráiler que resultó en 53 muertesRead the Press Release
Cuatro ciudadanos mexicanos fueron detenidos ayer en San Antonio, Houston y Marshall, Texas, por su presunta participación en un incidente de tráfico de personas en un tráiler que resultó en 53 personas indocumentadas fallecidas y 11 lesionadas hoy hace un año.
“Los traficantes de personas se aprovechan de la esperanza de los migrantes de una vida mejor, pero su única prioridad es obtener ganancias”, señaló el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland. “Trágicamente, 53 personas que habían sido hacinadas en un tráiler en Texas y soportaron horas de inimaginable crueldad, perdieron la vida debido a este plan despiadado. Los traficantes de personas que ponen en riesgo la vida de las personas para obtener ganancias e infringen nuestras leyes no podrán esconderse por mucho tiempo: Los encontraremos y los llevaremos ante la justicia”.
“El anuncio de hoy es otro paso importante en nuestro esfuerzo sin precedentes contra los traficantes”, expresó el secretario de Seguridad Nacional, Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Estas acusaciones formales son el resultado directo de todo un esfuerzo del gobierno para prevenir estos horribles crímenes y es la campaña más grande de este tipo en la historia de los Estados Unidos. Los traficantes de personas harán cualquier cosa para obtener ganancias, y el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) continuará haciendo todo lo posible para detenerlos. Estoy agradecido por el liderazgo de nuestro equipo de Investigación de Seguridad Nacional (HSI) y la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de los EE. UU., por buscar justicia para las 53 vidas perdidas el año pasado”.
Estos cargos fueron el resultado de los esfuerzos coordinados de la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Alfa (JTFA), que el fiscal general Garland estableció en junio de 2021 en colaboración con el secretario Mayorkas, para fortalecer los esfuerzos generales de los departamentos para combatir estos delitos en función del aumento del tráfico prolífico y peligroso que proviene de Centroamérica y afecta a nuestras comunidades fronterizas. JTFA mejora los esfuerzos de las autoridades del orden público de los EE. UU., contra los grupos de tráfico y trata de personas más prolíficos y peligrosos que operan en México, Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras.
Según documentos judiciales, entre diciembre de 2021 y junio de 2022, Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, también conocido como Rrili, también conocido como Rilay, 30 años; Felipe Orduña-Torres, también conocido como Cholo, también conocido como Chuequito/Chuekito, también conocido como Negro, 28 años; Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, también conocido como Cowboy, 37 años; y Armando Gonzáles-Ortega, también conocido como El Don, también conocido como Don Gon, 53 años, están acusados de participar en una organización de tráfico de personas que traía ilegalmente adultos y niños de Guatemala, Honduras y México a los Estados Unidos. Los presuntos traficantes trabajaron en conjunto para transportar a los migrantes compartiendo rutas, guías, escondites, camiones, remolques y transportadores para consolidar costos, minimizar riesgos y maximizar ganancias. La organización mantuvo una variedad de tractores y remolques para sus operaciones de contrabando, algunos de los cuales estaban guardados en un estacionamiento privado en San Antonio.
“Hoy hace un año, un delito impensable perpetrado por traficantes de personas en nuestra frontera sur causó la muerte de 53 seres humanos”, señaló la fiscal general adjunta Lisa O. Mónaco. “Pero las detenciones de hoy demuestran que aquellos que buscan sacar provecho de la desesperación serán llevados ante la justicia. Al trabajar con colaboradores internacionales, el Departamento de Justicia responde a la delincuencia organizada internacional y envía un mensaje claro de que no existe un refugio seguro para el tráfico de armas de fuego, narcóticos letales o seres humanos”.
“Esta horrible tragedia pone de relieve el cruel desprecio que las organizaciones criminales de traficantes tienen por la vida humana, incluidas las vidas de los niños”, expresó el fiscal general adjunto Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia. “Estas acusaciones formales y detenciones son otro paso adelante para obtener justicia y rendición de cuentas por estas muertes sin sentido. La Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Alfa se mantendrá firme en sus esfuerzos para frustrar estos planes mortales impulsados por la codicia a expensas de la seguridad y la protección”.
La acusación formal alega que en los días previos al 27 de junio de 2022, Covarrubias-Ponce, Orduña-Torres y otros intercambiaron los nombres de personas indocumentadas que serían traficadas en un tráiler. Los cuatro nuevos acusados imputados en la acusación formal supuestamente orquestaron la obtención de un tráiler vacío y su correspondiente entrega al conductor el 27 de junio. El conductor, Homero Zamorano Jr. de Elkhart, Texas, fue imputado previamente en una acusación formal de julio de 2022 junto con Christian Martínez, de Palestina, Texas. Orduña-Torres supuestamente proporcionó la dirección de Laredo, Texas, en la que Zamorano cargó a los migrantes en el tráiler. La acusación formal también alega que González-Ortega viajó a Laredo para localizar el tráiler, donde al menos 66 personas indocumentadas, incluidos ocho niños y una mujer embarazada, fueron subidos en la parte trasera para traficarlas. Martínez, Covarrubias-Ponce, Orduña-Torres, Rivera-Leal y Gonzáles-Ortega supuestamente coordinaron, facilitaron, pasaron mensajes y se mantuvieron informados sobre el avance del tráiler.
“Las alegaciones en la acusación formal son espantosas”, dijo el fiscal federal Jaime Esparza para el Distrito Oeste de Texas. “Docenas de hombres, mujeres y niños desesperados y vulnerables confiaron en los traficantes, quienes los abandonaron en un tráiler cerrado para luego perecer en el despiadado verano del sur de Texas. Gracias a nuestros colaboradores de las fuerzas del orden público a nivel local, estatal y federal, con la División de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional de San Antonio a la cabeza de la investigación, estamos un paso más cerca de hacer justicia para esos migrantes y sus familias”.
Algunos de los acusados supuestamente sabían que la unidad de aire acondicionado del tráiler no funcionaba bien y que no salía aire fresco para los migrantes que estaban dentro. Cuando los miembros de la organización se encontraron con el tráiler al final de su viaje de casi tres horas a San Antonio, abrieron las puertas y encontraron que 48 de los migrantes, incluida la mujer embarazada, estaban muertos. Dieciséis de los indocumentados fueron transportados a hospitales y cinco de ellos murieron allí.
“Hoy hace un año, HSI respondió a una situación de tráfico masivo de personas con víctimas que ocurrió en San Antonio, terminó en la muerte de 53 no ciudadanos indocumentados de México, Guatemala y Honduras”, comentó el alto funcionario que desempeñaba las funciones del subdirector PJ Lechleitner de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE). “Las acusaciones formales anunciadas hoy enfatizan que trabajaremos incansablemente para llevar ante la justicia a los responsables de esta horrible tragedia. HSI continúa los esfuerzos de investigación con la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Alfa y los colaboradores internacionales para desmantelar las redes de traficantes que no demuestran aprecio por la vida humana”.
Cada acusado está imputado de un cargo de asociación delictuosa para transportar extranjeros ilegales con resultado de muerte, asociación delictuosa para transportar extranjeros ilegales con resultado de lesiones corporales graves y poner vidas en peligro, transporte de extranjeros ilegales con resultado de muerte y transporte de extranjeros ilegales con resultado de lesiones graves corporales y poner vidas en peligro. Si son condenados por los cargos principales, cada uno enfrenta una pena máxima de cadena perpetua.
HSI está investigando el caso con la valiosa asistencia de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza, Patrulla Fronteriza, Operaciones de Detención y Deportación de ICE, FBI, ATF, Departamento de Policía de San Antonio, Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Bexar, Departamento de Bomberos de San Antonio, Departamento de Policía de Marshall y Departamento de Policía de Palestina.
Los fiscales federales adjuntos Eric Fuchs, Sarah Spears y Amanda Brown para el Distrito Oeste de Texas están procesando el caso.
Desde su creación, JTFA ha aumentado con éxito la coordinación y la colaboración entre el Departamento de Justicia, el DHS y otros participantes interinstitucionales del orden público, y con colaboradores extranjeros del orden público, incluido en El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y México; se ha dirigido contra aquellas organizaciones que tienen el impacto más significativo en los Estados Unidos; y coordinando importantes acusaciones formales de tráfico y esfuerzos de extradición en las fiscalías federales de los Estados Unidos en todo el país. JTFA está compuesto por fiscales de las fiscalías federales de los EE. UU. en la frontera suroeste, incluido el Distrito Sur de Texas, el Distrito Oeste de Texas, el Distrito de Nuevo México, el Distrito de Arizona y el Distrito Sur de California. Numerosos componentes de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia que forman parte de JTFA también brindan apoyo dedicado para el grupo de tarea, dirigido por la Sección de Derechos Humanos y Procesamientos Especiales (HRSP) y apoyado por la Oficina de Desarrollo Procesal, Asistencia y Capacitación (OPDAT), la Sección de Estupefacientes y Drogas Peligrosas (NDDS), la Sección de Blanqueo de Capitales y Recuperación de Activos (MLARS), la Oficina de Operaciones del Orden Público (OEO), la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales (OIA) del Departamento de Justicia y la Sección de Delincuencia Organizada y Pandillas (OCGS). JTFA es posible gracias a una inversión sustancial en las fuerzas del orden público por parte del DHS, el FBI, la DEA y otros colaboradores.
Una acusación formal es simplemente un alegato. Todos los acusados se presumen inocentes hasta que se pruebe su culpabilidad más allá de toda duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
Columbia Man Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Leon Johnny King, 38, of Columbia, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that in June 2019, Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) narcotics investigators began investigating King for drug trafficking activity in the Columbia area. Investigators made a series of controlled buys of heroin from King, which led to investigators executing a search warrant at King’s apartment in July 2019. Investigators found a loaded .380 pistol and a quantity of heroin in a bag in King’s bedroom. After his arrest, investigators found a quantity of crack cocaine and more heroin on his person. Federal law prohibits King from possessing firearms or ammunition based on convictions for trafficking cocaine and autobreaking.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced King to 90 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
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Columbia Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Kendell Deion Pollock, 28, of Columbia, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that on November 12, 2020, Columbia Police Department (CPD) officers were dispatched to investigate a robbery call in the Marlboro St. area of Columbia. Officers saw Pollock and another man riding in a car thought to be involved in the robbery, and they stopped the car. They searched the car due to a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car.
Officers found a 9mm pistol with a fully loaded 30-round ammunition magazine attached, nearly a quarter of a pound of marijuana, and other drug paraphernalia in the car. Pollock admitted to possessing the marijuana and pistol. Pollock had previous convictions for burglary and drug possession.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Pollock to 78 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
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Cherokee County Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Teens in Tyler AreaRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas - A Jacksonville, Texas man has been convicted of federal sex trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today.
Desnique Deshawn Herndon, 27, was convicted of six counts of sex trafficking of children and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Herndon was found guilty of all counts by a jury following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker.
According to information presented in court, beginning in 2019, Herndon engaged in trafficking multiple teenage girls for commercial sex acts. Herndon recruited the girls by social media, deceived them by promising riches, and placed them in hotels in the Tyler area. He then posted advertisements on sex trafficking websites showing explicit photos of the girls and offering commercial sex acts. Some of Herndon’s victims were as young as 13 years old. During trial, jurors heard testimony that Herndon used co-conspirators to continue to run his operation while he was in jail so that the victims could earn money to pay his bond.
Three of Herndon's co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the offenses. Malcolm Kadeem Roberts, 27, of Tyler, pleaded guilty on October 4, 2022, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Roberts also faces pending aggravated sexual assault of a child charges in Smith County for his conduct in relation to one of the minor victims in this case. Patrick Lamont Cross, Jr, 27, of Palestine, Texas pleaded guilty on August 22, 2022, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Tavarus D. Watkins, 27, of Jacksonville, Texas, pleaded guilty on August 9, 2022, to interstate transport of a minor for illegal sexual activity.
Under federal statutes, Herndon faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Tyler Resident Agency, the FBI Tyler Resident Agency, Texas DPS Criminal Investigations Division, the Texas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit, Tyler Police Department, Henderson County Sherriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sherriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Alan Jackson, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Jiral.
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Camden County Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Hiring Hitman via InternetRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for paying $20,000 in bitcoin to have a 14-year old child murdered, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
John Michael Musbach, 34, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an indictment charging him with one count of knowingly and intentionally using and causing another to use a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that is the internet, with the intent that a murder be committed. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In the summer of 2015, Musbach exchanged via the internet sexually explicit photographs and videos with the victim, a 13-year-old living in New York. The victim’s parents found out about the inappropriate contact and contacted the local police. Upon identifying Musbach, then a resident of Atlantic County, New Jersey, New York law enforcement officers reached out to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO). In March 2016, officers from the ACPO arrested Musbach on child pornography charges and executed a search warrant at his residence, then in Galloway, New Jersey.
Musbach decided to have the victim killed so that the victim could not testify against him in the pending criminal case. During the period from May 7, 2016, through May 20, 2016, Musbach repeatedly communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website, which operated on the dark net, and which purported to offer contract killings or other acts of violence in return for payment in cryptocurrency, and arranged for a murder-for-hire. Musbach asked if a 14-year-old was too young to target, and upon hearing that the age was not a problem, paid approximately 40 bitcoin (approximately $20,000 at the time) for the hit. Musbach repeatedly messaged the website’s administrator following up on the hit and asking when it would occur. When pressed for an additional $5,000 to secure the hit, Musbach eventually sought to cancel and asked for a refund of his $20,000. The website’s administrator then revealed that the website was a scam and threatened to reveal Musbach’s information to law enforcement.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Musbach to three years of supervised release and fined him $30,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark and Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig in Camden.
California resident sentenced to 3+ years in prison for smuggling scheme using ride share companies to transport Indian Nationals crossing the northern border illegallyRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 49-year-old resident of Elk Grove, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 45 months in prison for Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Certain Aliens for Profit and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Rajinder Pal Singh, aka Jaspal Gill, pleaded guilty in February 2023, admitting that he took in more than $500,000 as a key member of a smuggling ring bringing hundreds of Indian Nationals across the border from Canada and then to locations in the mid-west and beyond. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour accepted the joint sentencing recommendation.
“Over a four-year period, Mr. Singh arranged for more than 800 people to be smuggled into the U.S. across the northern border and into Washington State,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “This conduct was not just a security risk for our country, it also subjected those smuggled to security and safety risks during the often weeks-long smuggling route from India to the United States. Mr. Singh’s participation in this conspiracy preyed upon the Indian Nationals’ hopes for a better life in the United States, while saddling those smuggled with crushing debt of as much as $70,000.”
“Mr. Singh spent years illegally smuggling hundreds of Indian nationals into this country; all to make a quick profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Fortunately, through a committed HSI investigative team, complemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that scheme has come to an end. Mr. Singh crushed the dreams of so many who quickly found themselves drowning in debt to their smuggler and unable to realize the life they sought in this country. Mr. Singh won’t need to order up any more Uber rides for the next three years.”
According to records filed in the case, as early as July 2018, Singh and his coconspirators used the ride share app Uber to transport people who had illegally crossed the border from Canada to the Seattle area. Those records detail how trips beginning near the border in the early hours of the morning, would be split between different rides. For example, one Uber trip would be from the border to Sea-Tac airport, and then minutes later the second Uber trip would be from a nearby airport hotel to an address in Lacey, Washington, owned by Singh’s spouse. All told, from mid-2018 to May 2022, Singh arranged more than 600 trips involving the transportation of Indian Nationals who had been illegally smuggled into the U.S.
Once the non-citizens had been smuggled into the U.S., Singh coordinated with other coconspirators who, using one-way vehicle rentals, would transport these individuals to their ultimate destinations outside Washington State.
Singh and his coconspirators used sophisticated means to launder the organization’s illicit proceeds. For example, on one instance, Singh and his coconspirators arranged for smuggling fees to be sent via Hawala from India to New York. Once the smuggling fee was received in cash from the New York Hawala, these funds were converted into a check, mailed to a coconspirator in Kentucky, and then were washed through multiple financial accounts. In the plea agreement, Singh admitted that the purpose of this money movement was to obscure the illicit nature of these funds, i.e., money laundering.
The smuggling scheme has been underway since at least 2018. It slowed during the pandemic when Canada was not admitting non-citizens. However as pandemic restrictions were lifted, the smuggling scheme became active again. In all, the investigation estimates that between July 2018, and April 2022, the 17 Uber accounts tied to this smuggling ring ran up more than $80,000 in charges.
In addition to the search of the home in Lacey, law enforcement searched two of Singh’s residences in California. During the search of one of his homes in Elk Grove, California, investigators found about $45,000 in cash as well as counterfeit identity documents. They also found copies of falsified documents that had been submitted to immigration judges in Washington during bond hearings for non-citizens who had been smuggled into the United States by Singh and his coconspirators, but who had been arrested by immigration authorities after illegally crossing the border.
Singh has agreed to forfeit cash and other personal property seized during the search of his residences, as well as a money judgement of $500,000 which represents proceeds he obtained from his criminal scheme.
Both sides agreed to recommend that Singh serve 45 months in prison. Singh is not legally present in the United States and will likely be deported following his prison term.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Uber assisted with the investigation shortly before the arrest in this case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joe Silvio.
Buffalo Man Arrested, Charged with Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Mark Nash, 34, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, who is handling the case, stated that on April 4, 2023, the Buffalo Police Department received a report that Nash had nude images of a minor victim on his phone and that he had allegedly sexually abused the girl. A search warrant executed on Nash’s phone recovered over 200 sexually explicit images of the minor victim.
Nash is currently on probation following a 2022 conviction in Erie County Court for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.
Nash made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on June 29, 2023.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Bronx Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Enticement of Multiple Minors to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MICHAEL BARRETO was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla to 20 years in prison for repeatedly enticing minors to meet him for illegal sexual activity over the course of more than a decade and receipt of child pornography. BARRETO previously pled guilty to three counts of enticement and three counts of receipt of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over the course of more than a decade, Michael Barreto repeatedly victimized minors in his community in the Bronx. Barreto tried and succeeded in luring minors to meet him for illegal sexual activity, often by lying to the victims about his own age. Today’s sentence shows that this abhorrent conduct will not be tolerated and will lead to a lengthy prison sentence. This Office is committed to prosecuting those who prey on children.”
According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:
In 2008, BARRETO, age 19 or 20, had sex with one victim, age 14, and then told the victim to run away from home and lie about their relationship. In 2017, BARRETO, age 29, met a second victim, age 13, at a store in the Bronx, New York. BARRETO lied about his age and began an illegal sexual relationship with him. Two years after meeting, BARRETO surreptitiously recorded illegal sexual activity between himself and the victim. In 2018, BARRETO, age 30, exchanged sexual Facebook messages with a third victim, age 14, lied about his own age, and encouraged the victim to travel to BARRETO’s apartment in the Bronx. This victim in fact traveled to BARRETO’s apartment, where BARRETO engaged in illegal sexual activity with him. In 2018 and 2019, BARRETO exchanged sexual messages with three other victims, each age 14 or 15, lied about his age to each, and eventually received nude photographs constituting child pornography from the victims.
Apart from these victims, from approximately 2017 through 2019, BARRETO attempted to entice more than a dozen other minors using social media chat platforms. In these chats, BARRETO frequently lied about his own age, sent flirtatious and sexual messages, and expressed an interest in meeting with the minor victims in person to engage in sexual activity.
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In addition to the prison term, BARRETO, 34, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution, and ordered to pay a $300 assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of New York City Police Department. He also thanked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kedar S. Bhatia and Brandon D. Harper are in charge of the prosecution.
Bridgeport Felon Found with Loaded Ghost Gun While on Supervised Release Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMOTHY STATON, 28, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, and to violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2018, Bridgeport Police officers arrested Staton after he discarded a 9mm handgun during a pursuit. Staton, who had previously been convicted in state court of narcotics, firearm, and racketeering offenses, subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and, on June 3, 2019, was sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in May 2022.
On December 13, 2022, Bridgeport Police officers arrested Staton after they found him in possession of a loaded semi-automatic 9mm privately manufactured firearm (“ghost gun”).
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Staton faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years for the firearm offense, and an additional penalty for the violating the conditions of his supervised release. Staton has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Bolivar Sex Offender Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Bolivar, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child victim.
Merle G. Daniels, 44, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Daniels is a registered sex offender after having been previously convicted of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy, and interference with custody in Greene County, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Daniels used a victim under the age of 16 to produce child pornography from Nov. 9 to Dec. 9, 2022. Daniels is also charged with one count of being a registered sex offender and committing a felony offense involving a minor, and one count of transferring obscene material to the child victim.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Arizona Woman Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EMILY HUCKABEE, age 23, a resident of Yuma, Arizona, pled guilty on June 22, 2023 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a superseding bill of information charging her with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on June 28, 2022, a Louisiana State Police Trooper stopped a 2015 Ford F-150 driven by HUCKABEE and traveling on I-59 in Pearl River, Louisiana, for traffic violations. A narcotics detection canine sniffed the vehicle and detected a narcotics odor. HUCKABEE admitted to the Troopers that there was a large amount of controlled substances in a bag on the rear seat of the vehicle. Troopers searched the vehicle and discovered 10.58 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine wrapped in twenty-seven vacuum sealed packages.
HUCKABEE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, a term of supervised release of at least three (3) years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones of the Narcotics Unit.
All Hands on Deck CEO Convicted of Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, Witness Tampering, and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Attila Colar, aka Dahood Sariff Bey, aka Sharieff Dahood Bey, aka Saharieff Pasha, aka Georgi Petrakov, was convicted of forty-four counts that included conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, false statements to a bank, destruction of property to prevent a search, possession of a firearm as a felon, making a false tax return, obstruction, and witness tampering, by a federal jury on June 23, 2023. The guilty verdicts followed a three-week jury trial before the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Judge.
Colar, 51, of Richmond, Calif., is the former Chief Executive Officer of All Hands on Deck in Richmond, Calif., a residential reentry home for probationers, parolees, homeless persons, and persons with mild mental illness. In finding him guilty of the sundry crimes, the jury concluded Colar carried out multiple schemes to defraud, including defrauding organizations that placed residents at his company’s transitional housing facilities and defrauding several lenders that were participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The jury also found that Colar attempted to destroy evidence, obstructed the FBI’s and grand jury’s investigations into his crimes, and tampered with a witness by attempting to conceal a witness while law enforcement was taking steps to execute a material witness order.
“The evidence in this case demonstrates that during his various fraud schemes, Colar trafficked in multiple people’s identities.” U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey said. “He targeted some of the most marginalized and dispossessed persons in our community. Their badly needed cash went into the defendant’s pocket. In the end, the defendant manipulated the very people who came to him for help.”
“Colar attempted to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program of $34 million intended to help honest businesses in need during the pandemic,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Today's verdict should serve as a warning to fraudsters like Colar that the FBI and our government partners will continue to pursue those who have exploited government programs for personal gain and stolen from American taxpayers.”
“The brazen fraud scheme committed in this case simply for personal gain harmed legitimate businesses in need. This conviction sends a clear message that those who defraud the federal government of pandemic relief funds will be held accountable and brought to justice for their actions,” said Jon Ellwanger, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “I commend our agents and their federal law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence, which ultimately led to this conviction.”
“Providing false information to fraudulently gain access to pandemic relief funds is a theft of taxpayer funds,” said U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General Western Region Acting Special Agent in Charge Keven Standley. “OIG will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and bring them to justice. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”
“Mr. Colar abused the tax system by submitting fraudulent federal employment tax returns and W-2s to further a scheme he devised and orchestrated that aimed at defrauding the U.S. government of funds designed to help businesses that were impacted by the pandemic under the CARES Act,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Darren Lian of the Oakland Field Office. “IRS-Criminal Investigation will continue to provide resources to help uncover and prosecute such egregious acts. I want to thank those on the trial team, including our federal law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorney’s Office for diligently working together to serve justice.”
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to defraud taxpayer-funded Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act programs, which were established to provide assistance to American business owners during unprecedented times,” stated Inspector General J. Russell George. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts to ensure individuals engaged in criminal activity are held to account.”
Evidence at trial showed that starting in late 2018, Colar engaged in a scheme to defraud, among others, GEO Reentry, which provided treatment and supervision programs for adult probationers, parolees, and pretrial defendants in residential, in-custody, and non-residential reentry centers for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Specifically, in or about 2019, Colar fraudulently induced GEO Reentry to refer parolees to All Hands on Deck using falsified fire inspection clearance reports, a false letter of recommendation, false security clearance documents, and false and misleading information about its staff.
Additional evidence demonstrated that in April and June of 2020, Colar engaged in a second scheme to defraud lenders participating in the PPP lending plan authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pursuant to the CARES Act, the SBA managed the PPP lending plan. Trial evidence established Colar submitted multiple loan applications on behalf of All Hands on Deck to lenders that were false and misleading. For example, the applications substantially overstated the number and payroll of All Hands on Deck employees—while Colar’s loan applications stated All Hands on Deck had approximately 73 to 81 employees, the business had, in fact, perhaps other than himself, no salaried employees.
Colar was also convicted of offenses related to the submission of multiple fraudulent loan applications in the name of other companies. The evidence demonstrated Colar hastily revived two dormant companies, and then submitted loan applications from the PPP lending plan for the bogus businesses. To carry out this scheme to defraud, Colar used, without legal authority, the names and identities of two persons living in his residential reentry facility. Colar falsely represented that the residents were “CEO”s of companies with hundreds of employees with million-dollar payrolls.
In all, the evidence at trial showed that Colar submitted a total of 16 fraudulent loan applications to the PPP lending plan seeking approximately $34,655,437 in PPP loans.
Colar also was convicted of obstruction and witness tampering relating to the investigations into his crimes. Colar has been found guilty of destroying documents during a search of his home, lying to the FBI about a firearm, falsifying records produced to the grand jury, interfering with the representation by counsel of a material witness by impersonating the witness’s Power of Attorney, coaching a witness to falsely state that the witness was the CEO of one of Colar’s bogus companies that submitted fraudulent loan applications, and concealing a witness in multiple hotels and other locations in the Bay Area to forestall or prevent the witness from providing testimony in the federal grand jury.
In sum, Colar was convicted of forty-four (44) federal criminal offenses for his conduct. The convictions include the following: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; one count to commit conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; two counts of bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344; sixteen counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343; eight counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A; two counts of false statement to a bank, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014; one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g); one count of destruction of property to prevent a search or seizure, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a); one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2); two counts of falsification of records in a federal investigation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519; six counts of making a false tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206; one count of conspiracy to tamper with a witness, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(k); one count of tampering with a witness, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(1); and one count of tampering with a witness, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(2).
Colar is currently being held without bail pending his sentencing. Judge Gilliam scheduled Colar’s sentencing hearing for September 6, 2023. Colar faces the following maximum statutory penalties:
Charge
Maximum Statutory Penalty (per count)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation 18 U.S.C. § 1349
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit brank fraud and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349
30 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine
Bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344
30 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine
Wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A
Mandatory 2 years’ imprisonment, consecutive to prison terms
False statement to a bank, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)
10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Destruction of property to prevent a search or seizure, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a)
5 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2)
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Falsification of records in a federal investigation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Making a false tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206
3 years’ imprisonment and $100,000 fine
Conspiracy to tamper with a witness, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(k)
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
Witness tampering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(1) & (2)
20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine
However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara J. Valliere, Adam A. Reeves, and Ross D. Mazer are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Laurie Worthen and Legal Assistant Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Internal Revenue Service: Criminal Investigation, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Alabama Woman Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Lisa England, age 51, of Attalla, Alabama, was charged in an indictment with two counts of tax evasion.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that England failed to file tax returns and pay income tax for the years 2016 and 2017, while in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The indictment further alleges that England evaded paying taxes by obtaining payroll payments that were issued in the names of others and shredding paystubs that had been issued for those other individuals.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli is prosecuting the case. The matter has been specially assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for prosecution.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of 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.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Additional Tangipahoa Parish Men Sentenced in Jungle Life Mafia Street Gang ProsecutionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MICHAEL ALEXANDER, SR. age 41, a Ponchatoula, Louisiana resident, was sentenced on June 15, 2023, to 180 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. ALEXANDER previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and a quantity of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) agents began investigating the drug trafficking activities of the Jungle Life Mafia street gang in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana in 2019. On December 2, 2021, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant on ALEXANDER’s home in Ponchatoula. During the search, agents discovered approximately eleven ounces of heroin mixed with fentanyl and five illegal guns. Additionally, agents seized $289,224.70 in U.S. currency. The investigation spanned two years.
JOSHUA PRINE, age 42, a Tangipahoa Parish resident, was sentenced on June 13, 2023, to 20 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. PRINE previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 1 kilogram or more of heroin.
Pursuant to a traffic stop, PRINE was found to be in possession of four ounces of heroin mixed with fentanyl that he planned to deliver to a co-conspirator.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Hammond Police Department, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Twenty-First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Twenty-Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.
Adam Snider to Serve as Public Affairs Specialist for Western District of OklahomaRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, United States Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the selection of Adam Snider to serve as the Public Affairs Specialist for the Western District of Oklahoma.
“Adam Snider is a seasoned communications professional with a demonstrated ability and passion to accurately keep the public informed,” said U.S. Attorney Troester. “We gladly welcome Snider to our team and know he will enhance our efforts to share the vital role our office plays in keeping Oklahomans safe.”
Snider is the first person to be selected for this newly created position. As the Public Affairs Specialist, he will work with local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement to help inform the public on cases and matters of interest in the district. Snider will also engage with media outlets at all levels and spearhead community engagement initiatives and events.
Before Snider joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he spent more than a decade as a television reporter and anchor in Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma. He also served as a Public Information Manager with the State of Oklahoma.
Members of the media can reach Snider through his email, [email protected], or through the U.S. Attorney’s Office media phone line, (405) 553-8999.
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Monday 26 June 2023
“Wolf of Airbnb” Pleads Guilty in Connection with PPP and Real Estate Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that KONRAD BICHER pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent operation of real estate companies, including by entering lease agreements for residential apartment units in Manhattan on false and fraudulent pretenses and by making false statements to obtain loans guaranteed by the United States government. BICHER pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Bicher proudly referred to himself as the ‘Wolf of Airbnb.’ But, as he admitted in court today, his businesses were premised on fraud. Bicher entered into lease agreements on false pretenses and made false statements to obtain loans guaranteed by the United States government. Bicher lined his own pockets by abusing government programs and tenant protections intended to benefit those in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the hard work of the FBI and this Office, he is being held accountable for his conduct.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint, Indictment, other court documents, and statements made in Court:
Beginning in at least February 2019, BICHER, and/or individuals working in concert with BICHER, began renting apartment units (the “Units”) in Manhattan. The Units were leased pursuant to lease agreements which required that the lessee make monthly rental payments and also included clauses that prohibited the lessee from renting the Units to third parties on a short-term basis and/or included clauses that prohibited the lessee from subletting the Units to third parties without written consent of the owner. Despite the requirement to make monthly rental payments, BICHER failed to make payments as required by the lease agreements. For many of the Units, BICHER also refused to vacate the Units after the expiration of the lease agreements. During the period of time that BICHER failed to make required rental payments, including the period of time after a lease agreement expired and the premises had not been vacated, BICHER derived income by renting the Units on a short-term basis, including by posting the Units for rent on various online marketplaces, such as Airbnb, Inc. (“Airbnb”).
Between in or about July 2019 and in or about April 2022, BICHER and his associates failed to make more than $1,000,000 in payments pursuant to the Lease Agreements or, for the period of time after the expiration of the Lease Agreements, based on the estimated fair market value for the Units. During this period, BICHER caused the Units to be listed for short-term rent on Airbnb and at least one other online marketplace for short-term rentals, resulting in at least $1,170,000 in rental income to BICHER and his associates.
Throughout the course of this scheme, the lessors of the Units made numerous efforts to recover rental payments from BICHER and/or to stop BICHER from continuing to rent the Units on a short-term basis, including by initiating civil litigation against BICHER. BICHER relied on legal protections intended to benefit tenants, including tenant protections adopted in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to oppose the lawsuits. Despite relying on tenant protections for New Yorkers in need, BICHER continued to generate revenue by renting certain Units on a short-term basis.
In addition, between at least in or about April 2021 until in or about July 2021, BICHER obtained government-guaranteed loans through a loan program of the United States Small Business Administration designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). In furtherance of this scheme, BICHER submitted at least four applications for PPP loans on behalf of at least three entities and obtained over $565,000 in loan proceeds. These PPP applications contained fraudulent documents and false information. For example, in connection with the PPP applications, BICHER submitted tax documents which were purportedly filed with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). These documents were falsified in that the entities seeking PPP loans had not actually filed the purported tax returns with the IRS, and BICHER has not otherwise reported the purported income to the IRS.
During the course of the scheme, BICHER referred to himself as the “Wolf of Airbnb” and explained to media outlets that this nickname referred to the fact that he was “hungry and ruthless enough to get on top of the financial ladder” and had the “ferocity…of a wolf, because wolves are territorial, vicious, and show no mercy when provoked.”
* * *
BICHER, 31, of Hialeah, Florida, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. BICHER also agreed to forfeit $1,740,407.12 and to make restitution to victims in the amount of $1,985,251.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weinberg is in charge of the prosecution.
Yankton Man Sentenced for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Yankton, South Dakota, man convicted of Production of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on June 23, 2023.
Jason Sejnoha, age 44, was sentenced to 15 ½ years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $5,100, and restitution in the amount of $439.06.
Sejnoha was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2021. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between May 6, 2021, and May 31, 2021, when Sejnoha intentionally hid a camera in a home to create video recordings. The camera was disguised to be part of an electrical outlet and was placed in the bathroom of a home in Yankton. Sejnoha used the hidden camera to create video recordings of unclothed minors.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Yankton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Sejnoha was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Winchester Man and Former Medical Device Sales Rep Arrested for Defrauding Boston Hospital and Lying to Federal AuthoritiesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former DePuy Synthes sales representative and team lead was arrested today for allegedly defrauding a Boston area hospital and lied to federal authorities investigating his interference with the hospital’s sterilization processes.
Matthew Capobianco, 45, of Winchester, Mass., was indicted on eight counts of wire fraud and one count of making material false statements. Capobianco was arrested today and, following an initial appearance and arraignment in federal court in Boston this afternoon, was released on conditions.
According to the indictment, from January 2016 through June 2017, Capobianco defrauded a Boston area hospital out of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of spine products that he falsely represented were used in spine surgeries he covered. As a sales representative at DePuy, Capobianco was present in operating rooms at the hospital during spine surgeries dressed in scrubs and a surgical mask. In that role, Capobianco was responsible for tracking the type and quantity of DePuy products used in the spine surgeries on usage forms that he submitted to the hospital’s billing department, among other things. It is alleged that Capobianco’s compensation was tied to the volume of products that surgeons at the hospital and elsewhere used in their surgeries. To boost his sales numbers, increase his compensation, and attain higher rankings within DePuy’s sales organization, Capobianco falsely represented on usage forms that more—and more expensive—DePuy products were used during the spine surgeries than were actually used. Capobianco’s alleged fraudulent overbilling caused the hospital to pay DePuy for products that were not used in spine surgeries and caused DePuy, in turn, to pay Capobianco commissions that he was not entitled to.
It is further alleged that, in late 2016, Capobianco instructed a subordinate DePuy sales representative to bring certain DePuy spinal implants into an operating room at the hospital for a surgery, without those implants first being sterilized. As Capobianco and his sales colleagues understood, using unsterile implants in a spine surgery could lead to serious infection or death. It is alleged that on May 30, 2017, after this 2016 incident, , Capobianco himself brought DePuy spinal implants that were not in compliance with the hospital’s sterilization policies to an operating room at the Boston area hospital. Concerned about the dangers posed by unsterile implants, hospital employees confiscated the spinal implants to ensure they were not used in a scheduled surgery that day, and Capobianco was banned from the hospital that afternoon. During a subsequent interview with federal agents that day about the sterilization incident and his interference with the hospital’s sterilization processes in the months leading up to it, Capobianco allegedly made false statements, including about his actions earlier that day.
The charges of wire fraud provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, 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 Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; and Robert Coviello Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations made the announcement today. Patrick M. Callahan, Deputy Chief of Levy’s Health Care Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Brady of Levy’s Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Weakley County Woman Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced a Weakley County woman to 96 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release following her guilty plea to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Kevin Ritz, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
“Methamphetamine trafficked in and through West Tennessee is approaching dangerous levels of purity, and continues to destroy individuals, families, and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz. “Drug dealers who profit from the pain, addiction, violence, and death caused by these dangerous substances deserve proper punishment. This defendant had a very brief criminal history, but the sheer volume of the drugs that she sold commanded the strong response reflected in the sentence imposed by the Court."
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to information presented in court, law enforcement officers became aware in July 2021 that Amy Marie Mitchell, 34, of Dresden, TN and her co-defendant, Robert Warren Gearin, were distributing crystal methamphetamine – any form of the drug that is 80 percent or higher in purity – in and around Weakley County. Investigators worked with a confidential informant on July 15, 2021 to purchase approximately 13 grams of crystal methamphetamine from someone who had obtained the drugs from Mitchell and Gearin’s home in Dresden.
On October 21, 2021, officers executed a search warrant at the defendants’ residence and seized close to 400 grams of methamphetamine, plastic baggies, three sets of digital scales, a Taurus TX .22 caliber pistol with matching ammunition, and a police scanner. The Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory later confirmed that the methamphetamine seized from the defendants’ home weighed 393.27 grams and was 97 percent pure. Officers learned through witnesses and additional investigation that over a four-month period Mitchell and Gearin sold approximately four pounds of methamphetamine in the Weakley County area.
On March 6, 2023, Mitchell pled guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Gearin entered a guilty plea to similar charges and is awaiting sentencing.
The Weakley Co. Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 27th Judicial District Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow who prosecuted this case on behalf of the government, as well as the law enforcement partners.
Wayne County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – David Lee Pinson, 41, of Ceredo, pleaded guilty today to possession of prepubescent child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Pinson admitted to uploading several images and videos of child pornography to his Google Photos account on May 28, 2022, in Ceredo. One of the videos depicts a prepubescent boy and girl engaging in sexual intercourse and sexually explicit conduct.
Pinson further admitted to possessing six images and 332 videos of child pornography on a memory card on August 16, 2022, and to viewing the images using his cell phone. Pinson also admitted that 44 of the images and videos depict known child victims, and that some of the images depict infants and toddlers.
Pinson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Pinson is a registered sex offender as a result of his conviction for possession of child erotica in Wayne County Circuit Court on August 20, 2020.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-173.
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Watervliet Woman Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ouida Cordell, age 47, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced today to two years of probation for her submission of a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Matthew Miraglia, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office, made the announcement.
As part of her previously entered guilty plea, Cordell admitted that on July 13, 2020, she submitted an online application to the SBA for an EIDL on behalf of her company, Bashment Entertainment LLC (Bashment), that falsely overstated Bashment’s annual revenues. As a result of the fraud, Cordell and her company Bashment received an EIDL loan in the amount of $149,500 for which she and the company were not entitled. EIDLs were low-interest, government-backed loans meant for businesses struggling with the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Cordell to perform 100 hours of community service, and to pay restitution in the amount of $149,400.
The FBI, with assistance from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Office of Internal Affairs, and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss prosecuted this case.
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.
Watervliet Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ronnie Robinson, age 29, of Watervliet, New York, pled guilty today to possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing and intending to distribute marijuana, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
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.
Robinson admitted that on November 30, 2021, he possessed approximately 268 grams of marijuana that he intended to distribute and that he possessed a firearm in order to protect the marijuana, drug proceeds, and his marijuana trafficking business. Robinson had been previously convicted of three felonies and was on supervised release for a 2015 conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon when he was caught with the marijuana and the firearm in this case.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 26, 2023, before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. Robinson faces a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of at least 2 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.
This case was investigated by the FBI, New York State Police, and the United States Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin C. Segovia and Cyrus P.W. Rieck are prosecuting the case.
Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Road Rage ConfrontationRead the Press Release
Defendant Pointed Firearm at Mother and Daughter
WASHINGTON – Jacobi Williams, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 72 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for felony assault, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Williams was found guilty by a jury on December 9, 2022, of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm) following a two-week trial in D.C. Superior Court.
On April 26, 2018, Williams began honking his horn at a mother and daughter sitting in the vehicle ahead of him in traffic at the intersection of 4th and I Street NW. Mr. Williams tried to drive around them but was unable to do so. He reversed his vehicle and threatened the mother and daughter at gunpoint before driving away when the traffic cleared. Williams was identified from surveillance footage in the immediate moments before and after the assault.
Mr. Williams is awaiting trial on an unrelated 2021 homicide offense, which is set for trial in September 2023. Mr. Williams is facing another homicide offense in Charles County, Maryland.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed Assefi and Anna Forgie, who tried the case.
Virginia-area man who groomed a child online and sexually assaulted her after moving to Wisconsin receives 20 years in federal prison.Read the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 23, 2023, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Stanley J. Seifert III (age: 45) to a total sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, followed by 20 years’ supervised release, and a lifetime sex-offender registration after Seifert pled guilty to child enticement and receiving child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252A and 2422.
According to court records, when Seifert was living in Virginia, he met a then-15-year-old from Wisconsin in an online game platform. Unknown to the child’s parents, Seifert groomed her for months, including sexually explicit chats and live videos of child pornography. Seifert moved to Green Bay in July 2022 to be closer to the victim. Soon thereafter, Seifert bought the victim a phone and began surreptitiously picking her up for sexual encounters in a secluded wooded area. The child’s mother first learned of Seifert’s existence and conduct when she went into the child’s room and interrupted a live video where Seifert was directing the child to perform sexually explicit acts. Officers were immediately contacted and began investigating. They found and arrested Seifert in Michigan, where he was working for his Wisconsin-based employer, a job he recently obtained to move closer to the victim.
Seifert was extradited to Wisconsin by the Kewaunee County District Attorney’s Office, and Seifert remained in continuous custody as state and federal prosecutors worked collaboratively toward the outcome.
In sentencing Seifert, Judge Griesbach emphasized that Seifert targeted, groomed, and sexually assaulted the child, with an obviously devastating impact and loss of her childhood, and potentially residual impact going forward into adulthood. The judge said that Seifert’s conduct called for strong punishment and the need to protect the public from him, as well as the broader deterrent message for others contemplating similar conduct.
United States Attorney Haanstad said, “The United States Department of Justice has made the protection of our nation’s children a top priority through Project Safe Childhood and other efforts. Prosecutions like this one promote that critically important goal.” He added: “Anyone involved in the enticement of children, including anyone who travels for the purpose of meeting with a child for sexual purposes, will be investigated thoroughly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Kewaunee County District Attorney Andrew P. Naze stated “I applaud the hard work of all the local law enforcement agencies that worked to bring Mr. Seifert to justice, especially the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s office and Inv. Vandermoss for their diligent investigation and apprehension of Mr. Seifert. AUSA Funnell and the FBI should be applauded for their work in securing a just sentence for Mr. Seifert as well.”
The investigation was spearheaded by the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department, with critical assistance from the Brown County Sheriff’s Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Michigan State Police ICAC, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Green Bay. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy W. Funnell.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Victorville Woman Sentenced to 2½ Years in Federal Prison for Using Inmates’ Info to Illegally Obtain over $500,000 in COVID Jobless AidRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County woman was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by using the names of inmates locked up the California state prison system.
Cynthia Ann Hernandez, 33, a.k.a. “Cynthia Roberts,” of Victorville, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who also ordered her to pay $515,138 in restitution.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on January 23 to one count of mail fraud and one count of access device fraud.
During the summer of 2020, Hernandez filed with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) fraudulent applications for UI benefits in the names of persons incarcerated in the California state prison system and who were ineligible to receive jobless benefits. EDD manages California’s unemployment insurance benefit program.
Hernandez falsely stated on the UI benefits applications that the named claimants were individuals whose employment had been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and were eligible for pandemic unemployment assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Congress passed the CARES Act in March 2020, in part, to help individuals whose employment and finances were adversely affected by the pandemic.
The applications also falsely stated that the named claimants were eligible for the UI benefits and that they resided and worked in Los Angeles and Orange counties. EDD then authorized Bank of America to issue debit cards in the claimants’ names that were mailed to Hernandez’s mailing address.
In total, Hernandez caused at least 29 fraudulent applications to be filed with EDD.
“[Hernandez] orchestrated a sophisticated scheme that deprived the state of over [$500,000] meant to provide relief for vulnerable taxpayers who were unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “She did so by applying for UI benefits for people who were plainly ineligible and did so for her own financial gain.”
This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; the California Employment Development Department, Investigation Division; Homeland Security Investigations; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and United States Customs and Border Protection’s Special Response Team.
Assistant United States Attorney Haoxiaohan Cai of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
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 Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Union Financial Recording Secretary Sentenced for False Entry in a Union RecordRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – WILBERT BARNES, a resident of Angie, Louisiana, was sentenced on June 22, 2023 to 2 years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $25 mandatory special assessment fee, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans. Pursuant to the Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, United States District Judge Barry Ashe further imposed restitution of $12,500, which BARNES has already paid. BARNES previously pled guilty to making a false entry in a union record, having misappropriated $12,500 of funds from United Steelworkers Local 1362.
According to court records, BARNES held the position of Recording Secretary of United Steelworkers Local 1362. BARNES confessed to the local sheriff’s office that he took $12,500 of Local 1352’s funds via two unauthorized checks in June 2021. Upon further investigation, it was determined that BARNES had misappropriated at least $25,000 of Local 1362’s funds since 2017. In 2017, BARNES negotiated a Local 1362 check worth $9,000. In May of 2021, BARNES negotiated a check for $4,000 with a memo entry falsely stating that the check was for “school books, t-shirts.” In June of 2021, BARNES forged a check for $7,500 and made a cash withdrawal from the union’s account in the amount of $5,000. BARNES confessed that he used this money to pay his gambling debts.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Labor in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Results of Recent Efforts to Crack Down on Gun Violence Throughout IdahoRead the Press Release
BOISE – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today that, in the past week, eight individuals pleaded guilty or were sentenced in federal district court for firearms offenses and related drug trafficking offenses. These Idaho investigations are all part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a key component of the Department of Justice violent crime reduction strategy.
The following defendants were sentenced within the past week:
- Jeffery Donald Manchester, 36, of Auburn, Washington, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Manchester sold a confidential informant an unlawfully‑possessed AK47 style rifle. Manchester possessed the firearm he sold to the confidential informant knowing that he had previously been convicted of several crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. Those convictions included the manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance in King County, Washington, drug trafficking in heroin and unlawful possession of a firearm in Ada County, Idaho, and conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and heroin in the Idaho.
- Anthony Erasmo Madrid, Sr., 45, of Nampa, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, for unlawful possession of a firearm, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Madrid sold a Remington 6mm rifle to a confidential informant for $500. Madrid was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2019 conviction for burglary. Madrid had previously been convicted of battery on two occasions, domestic battery on two occasions, forgery on two occasions, burglary on two occasions, violation of a no contact order, identity theft, possession of methamphetamine, and grand theft. At the time Madrid unlawfully possessed the firearm, he was under a criminal justice sentence in four separate cases.
- Gary Carl Partee, 39, who was squatting on public land outside of Mountain Home, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On August 4, 2022, Bureau of Land Management served a search warrant on a motorhome that had been illegally parked on public land for several months. At this time, Partee was living in a makeshift tent next to the motorhome, which was broken down. Law enforcement observed a rifle in a parked vehicle that Partee admitted to possessing. Partee also possessed a rattlesnake, which he kept in a box next to the motorhome, that he was ordered to release. Partee was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2017 conviction for delivery of a controlled substance. Partee had also previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. In 2016, he was charged with possessing prohibited wild animals for possessing a rattlesnake.
- Spencer Gibson, 32, of Nampa, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for dealing firearms without a license, to be followed by two years of supervised release. According to court records, between January 2020 and April 21, 2022, Gibson purchased and resold approximately 22 firearms with the principal objective of livelihood and profit. Gibson also sold an AR style rifle to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Gibson is not a licensed firearms dealer and admitted knowing that his conduct was unlawful. One of the firearms sold by Gibson was transported out of state and used by another person to shoot and kill a police officer.
- Travis Johnson, 50, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to four months of home detention, to be followed by three years of probation, and a $55,000.00 fine, for dealing firearms without a license. According to court records, between November 21, 2020, to June 7, 2021, Johnson sold approximately 15 firearms to another individual. Approximately five of those firearms were ordered by that individual and Johnson thereafter purchased and resold them to this customer. Johnson is not a licensed firearms dealer and admitted knowing that his conduct was unlawful. One of the firearms sold by Johnson was recovered in Los Angeles, California, 53 days after purchase, and seized as part of an investigation of criminal activity.
- Thomas Downs, 37, of Blythe, California, was sentenced to 136 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, to be followed by five years of supervised release. According to court records, in April 2022, the Idaho State Police stopped Downs on the interstate for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, troopers located four pounds of methamphetamine and a firearm in the vehicle. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Downs’s cell phone, which revealed additional evidence of drug trafficking, messages about acquiring firearms, and pictures of firearms. Downs has a criminal history that includes domestic violence and making threats.
In addition, the following defendants pleaded guilty in the past week:
- Shane Michael Bohn, 35, of Lewiston, Idaho, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms. Bohn was initially charged in November of 2022 after officers found multiple firearms at his residence. He was on probation at the time and had previously been convicted of aggravated assault. Bohn was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior conviction.
- Matthew Durham, 24, of Lewiston, Idaho, also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms. In December of 2022, Durham was in possession of a shotgun that was ultimately located and seized by officers. At the time Durham possessed the firearm, he had previously been convicted of possession of controlled substances, was on parole, and had an active civil protection order pending.
Bohn and Durham are now scheduled to be sentenced in October of 2023, and each faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Reducing violent crime is a top priority for my Office,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “Our law enforcement partners and prosecutors are very effective at identifying and removing from our streets those individuals who pose the greatest risk of violence in our communities. And I am grateful to our state and local partners who support our efforts and help us to better understand the particular issues in their communities. It’s all about maintaining our quality way of life throughout Idaho.”
“In almost every case highlighted here the individual knew that they were not supposed to possess firearms,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “Further, some of these individuals were dealing in firearms illegally, and in one case it led to the murder of a police officer. We will never stop investigating those who are illegally possessing or illegally selling firearms.”
Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program which has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of participants in identifying the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses on strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders and prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships. In 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
In addition to the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, U.S. Attorney Hurwit has continued to strengthen programs sponsored by state and local partnerships.
- In Southwestern Idaho, the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho hired a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) to address gang crimes. This position, which was created in 2007, has been instrumental in combatting violent crime. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.
- In Southeastern Idaho, a similar SAUSA position was created in 2016 by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho.
- In North Idaho, the Nez Perce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has designated one of its Deputy Prosecuting Attorney’s as a SAUSA to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including on the Bohm and Durham cases announced today
These SAUSA programs allow law enforcement to leverage the federal criminal justice system to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals, and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive significant penalties in federal prison that are served outside of Idaho, saving the State of Idaho millions of dollars as measured by what it would cost to prosecute and house these offenders through the state system.
The cases described above were investigated by various law enforcement agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as other federal, state, and local partners.
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U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell Announces RetirementRead the Press Release
After 37 years of service, United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska Steven A. Russell announced today that he intends to retire on June 30, 2023.
An alumnus of the University of Nebraska College of Law (Class of 1982), Russell joined the United States Attorney’s Office in 1985, briefly serving in Omaha before moving to Lincoln in January 1986. Russell handled a wide variety of civil and criminal matters, including civil litigation, white collar fraud, tax crimes, drug trafficking, civil rights violations and crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. During his time in the office, Russell has served at various times as Branch Manager for the Lincoln U.S Attorney’s Office, Senior Litigation Counsel, Appellate Coordinator and First Assistant United States Attorney. On June 1, 2022, Russell was appointed as Acting United States Attorney and later appointed by the United States District Court to serve as Interim United States Attorney, a position he has held since. The United States District Court will appoint Russell’s successor to take over as Interim United States Attorney following the end of his service until such time as a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney is named.
Russell said, “It is an honor to have served the citizens of Nebraska in the United States Attorney’s Office for the past nearly 38 years. It is a privilege to have worked with many talented law enforcement agents who are dedicated public servants truly desiring to make their communities safer every day. I am humbled to have been employed with so many excellent attorneys and support staff during my tenure here. I was incredibly fortunate to have practiced before the finest judges in the country, whose intelligence, temperament, and commitment to the rule of law made each of them the living embodiment of what a great judge should be. There can be no greater source of professional pride than saying to the Court or a jury that ‘my name is Steve Russell, and I am an Attorney representing the United States of America.’ It has been a joy and pleasure to have worked in the United States Attorney’s Office.”
Two sentenced to a combined 23 years for bank robberies in West Virginia, Virginia, and PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Virginia couple was sentenced today for bank robberies that spanned three states.
William Birdsall, 51, of Boones Mill, Virginia, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery. Jaqueline Elizabeth Havens, 56, also of Boones Mill, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for disposing of the money that was stolen.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh heard testimony today that Birdsall carried out a series of bank robberies in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania over an eight-month span, stealing more than $162,000. The targeted banks in West Virginia were the Bank of Romney, in Augusta; Summit Community Bank, in Rupert; and M&T Bank in Fort Ashby. Following the robberies, Havens assisted Birdsall with hiding the money and spending the proceeds on three vehicles, Havens’ mortgage, and a down payment on land. Birdsall previously served a 15-year sentence for robbing six banks in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Nevada in 2004 and 2005.
Birdsall must pay $162,475 in restitution, and Havens is jointly responsible for $129,300 of that amount. The judge ordered Birdsall and Havens to forfeit the three purchased vehicles, a firearm, and cash.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Division; the West Virginia State Police; the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office; the Augusta County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office; and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Troy Man Sentenced to 20 Months for Unlawfully Possessing a Short-Barreled RifleRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Curtis D. Black, Jr., age 32, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Black, Jr. admitted to possessing an unregistered PA-15 Multi-Caliber Palmetto State Armory rifle. The rifle, which had a barrel length of less than 16 inches, was not registered to the defendant in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Black, Jr. to a 3-year term of supervised release, to begin after his imprisonment.
ATF and Troy Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey and Joshua Rosenthal prosecuted the case.
Taunton Woman Agrees to Plead Guilty in Conspiracy to Issue Driver's Licenses to Applicants Who Did Not Take Road TestRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton woman has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) into issuing driver’s licenses to applicants who did not take the road test.
Neta Centio, 55, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging document, Centio used CashApp to pay a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent to the RMV that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when in fact they did not even show up to take the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants. It is alleged that after Centio’s fraud was discovered, she told the road test examiner, “Don’t say nothing about the CashApp. . . . Break the phone.”
The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charging document also seeks a $20,215 forfeiture money judgment. 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; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. The Mattapoisett Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch of Levy’s Public Corruption Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South St. Paul Felon Pleads Guilty in Drug Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A South St. Paul felon has pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to the defendant’s plea agreement and court documents, on December 4, 2022, Nicholas Neil Nikiforakis, 34, posted a photo on Facebook that showed him in possession of a black firearm with a tan-colored extended magazine. Law enforcement officers were able to determine Nikiforakis’s location and conducted physical surveillance. When the defendant was spotted getting behind the wheel of a black Ford Explorer, officers attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, but Nikiforakis rammed into a responding squad car and fled the area at a high rate of speed. He eventually crashed as he attempted a high-speed turn, hit a fire hydrant, and collided with a nearby building. The defendant fled on foot but was ultimately apprehended at the scene. A subsequent search of the black Ford Explorer revealed a black and dark green privately made firearm or “ghost gun” – with a tan-colored extended magazine in the center console with a large black bag that contained fentanyl pills, marijuana, and a digital scale.
Nikiforakis pleaded guilty on June 23, 2023, in U.S. District Court before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing is prosecuting the case.
Schenectady Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael E. Robbins, II, age 27, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. 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.
Robbins previously pled guilty to the offense on February 13, 2023, the day his trial was scheduled to begin. Robbins admitted that between February and March 2021, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with an undercover officer posing as a 12-year old girl, in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him. Robbins admitted that he initiated the conversations with the minor after locating her in an online chat group for teens in the 518 area code. Robbins further admitted that he arranged to meet the minor on March 18, 2021 at a bowling alley in Latham, New York, and he traveled to the bowling alley on that date with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 12-year-old child. Robbins was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location.
Robbins will be required to register as a sex offender and will serve a 15-year term of post-release supervision when he is released from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted this 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.
Salina Couple Convicted of Child Abuse and NeglectRead the Press Release
TULSA – On Friday June 23, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against Amanda Irene Smith, 44, and Joel Richard Smith, 48, for Child Abuse in Indian Country and Child Neglect in Indian Country following a four-day trial. The jury deliberated into the evening.
“The abuse of children will never be tolerated or go unpunished,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson. “The years of abuse the victim suffered at the hands of those she should have been able to trust is both heartbreaking and unconscionable. My office and our law enforcement partners are committed to prosecuting perpetrators of child abuse.”
According to the victim’s testimony presented at trial, she “escaped” to a neighboring home on April 5, 2019, when she was 9 years old. She was filthy, in need of medical attention and extremely hungry. She was wearing a diaper and showed signs of physical abuse, and the neighbor alerted authorities. The victim, who weighed 41 pounds and was wearing a toddler size-four t-shirt, was hospitalized for a week to treat malnutrition and inflections from her wounds. The Mayes County Sheriff’s Office investigation showed that the defendants routinely denied the victim food and access to the bathroom, handcuffed her to a “pack n’ play,” and beat her with a belt and livestock whip. Testimony at trial also revealed the defendants forced her to work outside moving rocks and dirt with her hands, pulling weeds and picking up sticks for several hours at a time.
Previously released on bond prior to trial, the couple was permitted to remain on bond for two weeks and self-report to federal custody for formal sentencing.
U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman presided over trial and sentencing is yet to be scheduled. At that time, both face up to life in federal prison.
Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Melody Nelson prosecuted the case.
Riverside County Tax Preparer Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Preparing False Returns that Caused over $3 Million in Losses to IRSRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Inland Empire tax preparer was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison for knowingly filing thousands of tax returns that falsely claimed deductions, such as fake medical expenses and bogus mortgage interest, and which caused more than $3 million in losses to the IRS.
Andrew Zepeda Hansack, 40, of Riverside, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, who said Hansack’s crimes were “one of the most serious offenses I’ve encountered while on the bench.”
In addition to the six-year prison term, Judge Wilson ordered Hansack to pay a $50,000 fine and $3,369,886 in restitution.
Hansack pleaded guilty on February 27 to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Judge Wilson imposed the statutory maximum sentence for each of the two counts.
Starting in January 2015, Hansack prepared personal income tax returns at AJ Loyal Income Tax Service, a Riverside-based company. Hansack filed tax returns for some of his clients that included false itemized deductions. Specifically, Hansack filed tax returns for these clients that indicated they had paid mortgage interest for their homes, when in truth, as Hansack knew, his clients did not own a home. Hansack also claimed false medical expenses, sales tax, and gifts by cash or check on some tax returns he prepared that he knew to be false.
For the tax years 2015 through 2019, Hansack filed approximately 2,533 tax returns with false deductions on behalf of his clients, according to court documents. Because of Hansack’s criminal activity, the IRS was prevented from assessing and collecting the correct amount of taxes owed by the clients. Judge Wilson found that the IRS suffered losses of approximately $3.37 million.
For example, in February 2020, Hansack aided and assisted the preparation of a federal income tax return for a South Gate resident. This tax return falsely claimed $30,488 in itemized deductions, including deductions for mortgage interest. The false and fraudulent deductions caused the South Gate taxpayer to claim a refund from the IRS in the amount of $7,318 to which the taxpayer was not entitled.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Mitchell of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
Readout from United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez’s Violent Crime Listening Session with Community Leaders in the International DistrictRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, federal prosecutors, and other staff from the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) met with representatives from organizations that serving Albuquerque’s International District (ID) last week at the International District Library to discuss violent crime. John Bulten, Co-Executive Director of East Central Ministries, Sachi Watase, Executive Director of the New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC), Khadijah Asili Bottom, the founder of Vizionz-Sankofa, and Will Williams, a community coordinator from Vizionz-Sankofa, presented statements. This listening session focused on violent crime, community-based solutions, and the relationship between law enforcement and the community. This was the first of a series of listening sessions to be held throughout the Albuquerque this summer.
United States Attorney Uballez opened the session by asking how the Department of Justice could support the ID in confronting violence. Participants described the link between violence and fentanyl trafficking, use, and addiction, and the need for additional resources in the ID—from funding community organizations to increasing law enforcement visibility. Others described a harrowing federal grant process that felt incongruous with the level to which federal law enforcement relies on their organizations. All participants emphasized the importance of building authentic relationships between law enforcement and the community.
John Bulten and Will Williams described how fentanyl changed the violent crime landscape. “I’ve seen how quickly and aggressively . . . fentanyl took over and just it's deteriorating these people out here and it's causing a lot of the violence,” said Williams. “If fentanyl isn't made like a public health emergency,” Williams added, “everything we're talking about now is going to be ten times worse five years from now.”
Sachi Watase highlighted the importance of building trust in the Pan-Asian community. Following an arrest, she said, the “tension does not disappear.” Watase described how language barriers, a lack of cultural competency, and a reactive approach to enforcement stand in the way of authentic relationships with the Asian community in New Mexico. Watase also expressed frustration with the federal grant process. She described the heavy reliance of federal law enforcement on NMAFC for translation, intelligence, and community connection and contrasted it against the onerous process of seeking federal grants. “It is too much for us to constantly have to . . . go through a competitive process when we're the only ones who are doing this and [federal law enforcement] need us to do it.” said Sachi Watase. “We know that these [federal law enforcement] entities trust us and that we're doing a good job because they're the ones who are asking us to do this.”
All participants stressed the importance of authentic investment in the ID. Khadijah Asili Bottom stated that, “[I]t'll take time . . . to get the trust of the community. So, I think that’s a cool thing to start having and being visible at community functions.” Williams complemented Albuquerque Community Safety’s Violence Intervention Program, describing community walks as a critical way to achieve a positive police presence and avoid over-policing.
This was the first in a series of listening sessions USA Uballez will convene in the coming months as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program. USA Uballez will meet with community leaders from the Westgate community, service providers for the unhoused, social justice advocates, addiction and treatment service providers, and families impacted by violent crime. These sessions are an opportunity for the USA, federal prosecutors, and USAO staff to recognize the vital role that these leaders, providers and advocates play in our community.
PSN is an evidence-based program proven effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. In New Mexico, the United States Attorney’s Office pursues a community violence intervention approach. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based intervention, prevention, and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies and community organizations. The programs’ emphasis on community engagement, prevention and intervention measures, focused and strategic enforcement, and measurement and accountability has helped achieve overall reductions in violent crime, including gun homicides, in neighborhoods where PSN strategies have been implemented.
(left to right) AUSA Tom Aliberti, Sachi Watase, EAUSA Aja Brooks, Law Enforcement Coordinator Specialist Alyssa Skrepcinski, USA Uballez, FAUSA Holland Kastrin, AUSA Paul Mysliwiec, AUSA Kim Bell, AUSA David Hirsch, Khadijah Asili Bottom, Will Williams and AUSA Nora Williams.
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Readout from United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez’s Violent Crime Listening Session with Community Leaders in the International DistrictRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, federal prosecutors, and other staff from the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) met with representatives from organizations that serving Albuquerque’s International District (ID) last week at the International District Library to discuss violent crime. John Bulten, Co-Executive Director of East Central Ministries, Sachi Watase, Executive Director of the New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC), Khadijah Asili Bottom, the founder of Vizionz-Sankofa, and Will Williams, a community coordinator from Vizionz-Sankofa, presented statements. This listening session focused on violent crime, community-based solutions, and the relationship between law enforcement and the community. This was the first of a series of listening sessions to be held throughout the Albuquerque this summer.
United States Attorney Uballez opened the session by asking how the Department of Justice could support the ID in confronting violence. Participants described the link between violence and fentanyl trafficking, use, and addiction, and the need for additional resources in the ID—from funding community organizations to increasing law enforcement visibility. Others described a harrowing federal grant process that felt incongruous with the level to which federal law enforcement relies on their organizations. All participants emphasized the importance of building authentic relationships between law enforcement and the community.
John Bulten and Will Williams described how fentanyl changed the violent crime landscape. “I’ve seen how quickly and aggressively . . . fentanyl took over and just it's deteriorating these people out here and it's causing a lot of the violence,” said Williams. “If fentanyl isn't made like a public health emergency,” Williams added, “everything we're talking about now is going to be ten times worse five years from now.”
Sachi Watase highlighted the importance of building trust in the Pan-Asian community. Following an arrest, she said, the “tension does not disappear.” Watase described how language barriers, a lack of cultural competency, and a reactive approach to enforcement stand in the way of authentic relationships with the Asian community in New Mexico. Watase also expressed frustration with the federal grant process. She described the heavy reliance of federal law enforcement on NMAFC for translation, intelligence, and community connection and contrasted it against the onerous process of seeking federal grants. “It is too much for us to constantly have to . . . go through a competitive process when we're the only ones who are doing this and [federal law enforcement] need us to do it.” said Sachi Watase. “We know that these [federal law enforcement] entities trust us and that we're doing a good job because they're the ones who are asking us to do this.”
All participants stressed the importance of authentic investment in the ID. Khadijah Asili Bottom stated that, “[I]t'll take time . . . to get the trust of the community. So, I think that’s a cool thing to start having and being visible at community functions.” Williams complemented Albuquerque Community Safety’s Violence Intervention Program, describing community walks as a critical way to achieve a positive police presence and avoid over-policing.
This was the first in a series of listening sessions USA Uballez will convene in the coming months as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program. USA Uballez will meet with community leaders from the Westgate community, service providers for the unhoused, social justice advocates, addiction and treatment service providers, and families impacted by violent crime. These sessions are an opportunity for the USA, federal prosecutors, and USAO staff to recognize the vital role that these leaders, providers and advocates play in our community.
PSN is an evidence-based program proven effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. In New Mexico, the United States Attorney’s Office pursues a community violence intervention approach. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based intervention, prevention, and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies and community organizations. The programs’ emphasis on community engagement, prevention and intervention measures, focused and strategic enforcement, and measurement and accountability has helped achieve overall reductions in violent crime, including gun homicides, in neighborhoods where PSN strategies have been implemented.
(left to right) AUSA Tom Aliberti, Sachi Watase, EAUSA Aja Brooks, Law Enforcement Coordinator Specialist Alyssa Skrepcinski, USA Uballez, FAUSA Holland Kastrin, AUSA Paul Mysliwiec, AUSA Kim Bell, AUSA David Hirsch, Khadijah Asili Bottom, Will Williams and AUSA Nora Williams.
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Putnam County Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Declaration in Bankruptcy CaseRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – William Howard Gregory, 73, of Scott Depot, pleaded guilty today to knowingly and fraudulently making a false declaration in a bankruptcy case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 1, 2018, Gregory filed false documents in his bankruptcy case that failed to disclose the existence of five life insurance policies with the collective surrender value of approximately $235,000. Gregory admitted that he knew he was required to disclose the existence of his policies and chose not to disclose them.
Gregory is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The U.S. Trustee’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia made the criminal referral of this case to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The United States Trustee Program is the component of the Department of Justice that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-95.
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Prince George’s County Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for a Conspiracy to Obtain over $1 Million in COVID-19 CARES Act Loans and Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Jerry Phillips, a/k/a “Tian Juzo,” age 25, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and illegal possession of a machine gun, related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loan applications (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster loan applications (“EIDL”), and unemployment insurance claims. Judge Chuang also ordered Phillips to pay restitution of $1,235,213.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”); Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration - Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Eastern Region, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano, of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (“FDIC-OIG”).
“Once again, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s COVID fraud enforcement strategy is taking illegal guns out of the hands of criminals,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “This case highlights two of our office priorities—taking illegal guns off the streets and holding accountable those who fraudulently took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to line their pockets.”
According to his plea agreement, from March 2020 to February 2022, Phillips worked with his brother and co-defendant, Jaleel Phillips, and at least one other person. to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 related benefits, including filing fraudulent PPP loan applications, EIDL loan applications, and unemployment insurance claims. As detailed in the statement of facts, Phillips and his co-conspirators created fictitious aliases, used the personal identifying information of real people, and used defunct corporate entities or new business entities with no actual business operations to apply for PPP and EIDL loans, and unemployment benefits.
As part of the scheme, Phillips admitted that he created and used multiple fake identities to submit fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications and used the personal identifying information of more than 20 real people in furtherance of fraudulent unemployment claims. The fraudulently obtained PPP and EIDL loans and unemployment insurance claims were deposited into the bank accounts opened in the names of the aliases. The money was then withdrawn by Phillips and his co-conspirators through ATM withdrawals and purchases made on the associated debit and credit cards or transferred between the various financial accounts established in the aliases’ names. Phillips used $65,538.95 of the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro, which he registered in his name at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Jerry Phillips also admitted that he personally obtained and controlled more than $1 million in fraud proceeds from the fraudulent PPPs and EIDLs.
A search of the defendant’s residence recovered more than 25 fake driver’s licenses from multiple states and multiple identification documents from different jurisdictions with Jerry Phillips’ photograph and the same alias. Law enforcement also recovered four “ghost guns” which Jerry Phillips purchased online, using an alias. Phillips admitted that he illegally modified one of the ghost guns into a machine gun capable of firing multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger.
Jaleel Phillips, age 25, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the wire fraud conspiracy and was sentenced on June 22, 2023, to 30 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,142,769.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of three strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, SBA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the Office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch-Public Integrity Division, for its assistance. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who is prosecuting the case and recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Plaquemines Parish Men Indicted for Violating the Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JORDAN MEAUX, age 32, and LEON THOMPSON, age 38, both residents of Plaquemines Parish, were charged on June 22, 2023, in a four-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846, and possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. MEAUX was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
If convicted of the conspiracy count, MEAUX AND THOMPSON each face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of the possession with intent to distribute counts, MEAUX and THOMPSON each face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years up to a maximum term of imprisonment of forty years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, and at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of the felon in possession count, MEAUX faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to three years of supervised release. As to each charged count, MEAUX and THOMPSON also face payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones of the Narcotics Unit.
Placerville Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Possessing 27 Dogs for FightingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carlos Villasenor, 40, of Placerville, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for possession of dogs for use in an animal fighting venture, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Villasenor was also ordered to pay a $5,500 fine and a $2,700 special assessment.
According to court documents, Villasenor operated a dog breeding business in which he bred dogs from a number of well-known and desirable dogfighting bloodlines. Villasenor transported dogs between California and Mexico for dogfighting, trained dogs for dogfighting on his property in Placerville, and sold dogs to buyers primarily outside California.
In September 2020, the sound of dogfighting, with humans egging the dogs on, could be heard from Villasenor’s Placerville property. In June 2021, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Villasenor’s property and seized 27 pit bull-type dogs, one of whom had injuries to its face consistent with an attack from another dog. Agents also seized one chihuahua mix that was used as a “bait dog.” Approximately half the dogs were tethered by heavy chains and spaced so that they could see one another, but not reach one another, in order to frustrate the dogs and foster aggression. Many of the dogs had untreated veterinary conditions. Numerous implements of the dogfighting trade were found on the property, including a breeding stand, treadmills, and veterinary supplies including skin staplers, antibiotics, syringes, and IV bags. In his plea agreement in December 2022, Villasenor surrendered his interest in the dogs and property seized by law enforcement.
Evidence in the case, including phone records, showed that Villasenor engaged in the sale of dogs for profit, selling dogs both within and outside California. Villasenor used his reputation to build a clientele outside of the West Coast, for the purpose of keeping his dogs outside the hands of his competition in the Bay Area. He also traveled to Mexico to further the illegal sport. His history in the business of breeding, selling, and fighting dogs dates back to at least 2009.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with assistance from El Dorado County Animal Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Hemesath prosecuted the case.
Physician assistant admits to unlawful practice of medicineRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 50-year-old Brownsville man has pleaded guilty to health care fraud in relation to his work at an area mental health clinic, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
In July 2021, the Texas Medical Board deemed Fernando Mendez a “continuing threat to public welfare” and suspended his license as a physician assistant.
However, he continued to practice medicine at CCI Therapy Counseling Centers International P.C. (CCI), which has locations in Harlingen and Brownsville, following the suspension.
Mendez further admitted he manufactured medical records to make it appear a different medical provider had seen CCI patients when he was the one who had actually done so.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. accepted the plea and will impose sentencing Oct. 2. At that time, Mendez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Mendez was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (OIG), Texas Health and Human Services, Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Department of Homeland Security-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Swartz is prosecuting the case.
Pharmacist Convicted of Stealing and Selling COVID-19 CardsRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Chicago convicted an Illinois pharmacist on Friday for stealing and selling COVID-19 vaccination cards.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, pharmacist Tangtang Zhao, 36, of Chicago, stole CDC-issued COVID-19 vaccination cards from the pharmacy where he worked, and sold them to buyers across the country through an online marketplace. Zhao and other pharmacists administered COVID-19 vaccinations to the public, and therefore Zhao had access to vaccination cards at the pharmacy. During a three-week timeframe in March and April 2021, Zhao posted listings for over 650 COVID-19 vaccination cards that he advertised as “authentic” and “straight from the CDC.” In total, he sold 630 cards to approximately 200 unique buyers, who paid Zhao more than $5,600.
The jury convicted Zhao of 12 counts of theft of government property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 28 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak and Victor Yanz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant Chief Leslie S. Garthwaite investigated the case.
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 via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Peru Man Sentenced to 110 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Curtis Birner, 37 years old, of Peru, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. after being found guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm following a two-day jury trial in January, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Birner was sentenced to 110 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in October 2021, Birner entered a Peru gas station with a gun concealed in his sweatshirt. He displayed the firearm to another person prompting a call to law enforcement. At the time law enforcement located Birner, he was in a car in the parking lot of a different gas station with a rifle and handgun on his seat along with shotgun in the back seat area. Birner has been convicted of several prior felony offenses, including a federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm. Any one of his prior felony convictions prohibited Birner from possessing the firearms in this case.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Miami County Sheriff’s Department and the Peru Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Katelan M. Doyle.
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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Operation Take Aim: U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF Dallas, Dallas PD Announce Summer Volent Crime InitiativeRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office – in partnership with ATF Dallas and the Dallas Police Department – today announced Operation Take Aim, a collaborative initiative designed to curb violent crime by federally prosecuting offenders most likely to harm the community when at large and by proactively engaging with these offenders to discourage them from committing further crimes and entering the federal system.
Building on the office’s already strong collaboration with ATF Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, and other state and local law enforcement partners, Operation Take Aim has two components. First, it complements law enforcement’s earlier efforts – which focused primarily on specific locations – by zeroing in on the most dangerous repeat offenders with violent criminal histories and prosecuting their crimes federally.
Second, it involves holding deterrence programs called “Reentry Nights” for individuals in the state criminal justice system. Reentry Night programming encourages these offenders to pursue an education or other productive life path and deters them from committing more crimes. Take Aim also bolsters federal involvement in initiatives like the Dallas Police Department’s Focused Deterrence sessions, which seek to provide support services to a specific set of offenders identified by data as most likely to reoffend.
The United States Attorney’s Office has already ramped up coordination with Dallas Police and ATF to vet each violent crime case within the jurisdiction’s borders and determine which should be prosecuted federally. (Federal charges carry significantly stiffer sentences on some crimes than state charges do, and there is no possibility of parole.)
Because the coordination involves constant collaboration between federal prosecutors and other state and local agencies, the office is devoting even more prosecutors to handling these cases.
Operation Take Aim builds on Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s focused deterrence program, an initiative funded in part by a Justice Department grant that endeavors to change the behavior of high-risk offenders through a combination of deterrence, incapacitation (arrest), and community involvement.
“Given a foothold, violent crime rips through communities. Our neighbors turn into casualties. Talk to any violent crime survivor and they’ll tell you: Their blood pressure never quite returns to normal. Once you’ve been victimized, life always feels precarious, no matter where you go,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said at a press conference at the Earle Cabell Federal Building Monday morning.
“If we believe someone presents a heightened risk of continued violence, we will take their case federally,” Ms. Simonton said. “When you commit a violent crime, all of us are on the case. And together, we have the manpower, the technology, and the expertise to apprehend you, prosecute you, and put you behind bars.”
“It takes all of us to fight and prevent crime and criminal activity,” Chief Garcia said. “It doesn't matter if offenders commit acts of violence themselves, with a gang, a crew, a posse, or who they hang out with. We have made it our business to learn about individuals causing violence in Dallas. Re-offending is not an option, and we will not let violent activity become the status quo in Dallas.”
“Every one of these cases causes trauma. We are committed to putting these people in jail. ATF has doubled down here in Dallas,” said ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Boshek. “Nowhere in the country is there the support and the cooperation amongst federal prosecutors, state prosecutors, police departments, and the feds like there is here in north Texas. We’re committed to helping make Dallas and north Texas safer.”
Of particular interest to Take Aim officers, agents, and prosecutors are gun crimes, including prohibited person in possession of a firearm, unlicensed dealing, straw purchasing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
At Monday’s press conference, Ms. Simonton, the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, announced that the Northern District of Texas is on track to convict substantially more firearm offenders than in previous years. (The district, which has historically convicted around 400 firearm offenders each year, consistently ranks among the top five districts in the nation for gun-crime cases filed. The district’s gun crime conviction rate stands at 97 percent – four percentage points higher than the national average.)
One such case is U.S. v Suttles. Javier Dominque Suttles, 26, had already plead guilty in the state system to two robberies and been placed on deferred adjudication and community supervision. During his time under supervision, he allegedly committed three armed robberies over the course of just five days. Each time, he brandished a handgun with an extended magazine and menaced store employees. During one incident, Mr. Suttles – apparently frustrated that there wasn’t more cash on the premises -- allegedly ordered an employee into the bathroom and forced the employee to strip naked.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas charged Mr. Suttles with two federal crimes: Interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. A federal judge immediately ordered him detained pending trial. Mr. Suttles is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law; if convicted, however, he faces up to 27 years in federal prison.
In addition to prosecuting gun crimes and building up deterrence programs, federal agents and prosecutors will be taking part in community initiatives including those endorsed by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s Summer of Safety program.
Operation Take Aim comports with United State Attorney General Merrick Garland’s directive to U.S. Attorneys to prioritize combatting gun violence and other violent crime.
Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Latesha Lashae Nappier, 29, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Nappier admitted to her role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nappier admitted to conspiring with others to distribute quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl between November 2022 and March 22, 2023. Nappier lived with one of her co-defendants in Charleston during that time. Nappier admitted that this co-defendant had her sell the controlled substances to individuals while he was at work and collect the payments from the sales. Nappier would later give the money to this co-defendant.
On January 30, 2023, Nappier’s co-defendant directed her by phone to sell methamphetamine to a female customer. Nappier admitted to selling approximately 10.5 grams of methamphetamine to the customer as instructed at her residence in exchange for $160.
Nappier is scheduled to be sentenced on October 12, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Nappier is among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement has seized of well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.
Ten other co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.
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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Nathaniel Jarvis Kennard, 39, of South Point, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 12, 2022, Kennard sold approximately 20 grams of fentanyl for $1,000 to a confidential informant at a location on U.S. Route 60 in Huntington. Kennard admitted to that transaction and further admitted to five additional transactions with the confidential informant between July 20 and September 21, 2022. Kennard sold a total of approximately 82 grams of fentanyl, 10 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and 10 grams of methamphetamine during these transactions.
On September 28, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Huntington residence where Kennard lived. During the search, officers found approximately 96 grams of fentanyl and 274 grams of methamphetamine in a vacant lot across the road from the residence. Kennard admitted that he hid the controlled substances in the vacant lot and intended to distribute them. Kennard told officers that he had distributed controlled substances “off and on” in the Huntington area for at least the previous three years.
Kennard is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-189.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On June 22, 2023, BRIAN TARDY, age 31, a resident of Orleans Parish, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 106 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to a three-count superseding bill of information, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
Count One charged TARDY with possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(D). Count Two charged TARDY with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1). Count Three charged TARDY with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, on July 8, 2021, NOPD was conducting proactive surveillance in New Orleans East. While doing so, officers witnessed TARDY exit and re-enter a vehicle with an assault rifle. Upon discovering that the vehicle was uninsured, NOPD conducted a traffic stop and saw marijuana in plain view and detected strong smell of same. After arresting TARDY, officers discovered additional marijuana on his person and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. During the execution of the warrant, officers located the same assault rifle TARDY was seen with, along with other controlled substances.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit .