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1 June 2023
Three Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Pandemic Assistance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Three Macomb County residents were charged for their alleged roles in a multi-million-dollar Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar, United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Julia Dale, Director, Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Rita Shaba, 37, of Macomb and Samer Kammo, 43 of Shelby Township were charged in an indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; wire fraud; bank fraud; false statements in connection with a bank loan; and, aggravated identity theft.
Christina Anasi, 33, of Shelby, was charged in a related criminal complaint with the same offenses, as well as money laundering.
According to the indictment and complaint, the defendants caused fraudulent PPP applications to be submitted for several business entities. Those applications are alleged to have misrepresented payroll information for the business entities and falsely certified that PPP loan funds would be used for permissible business-related purposes. The defendants are also alleged to have caused fictitious payroll, health insurance, bank, and tax records to be submitted in connection with the PPP loan applications.
According to court records, the defendants received over $3 million in fraudulent PPP loan funds. To date, law enforcement has seized and recovered over $2.1 million of those funds.
Anasi is also alleged to have engaged in unemployment insurance fraud.
The Paycheck Protection Program was created by Congress to provide assistance to businesses harmed by the economic dislocations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
U.S. Attorney Ison stated, “If you stole government funds designed to help other Americans make it through the global pandemic, my office—along with our law enforcement partners—is coming for you.”
“These defendants are charged with defrauding American taxpayers and stealing from businesses that were in desperate need of support during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI and are law enforcement partners remain committed to finding people who commit fraud and holding them accountable for their crimes.”
“The pandemic took a toll on our communities and local businesses, yet some saw that suffering as an opportunity to steal from their fellow citizens,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “Our agents will continue to investigate instances of PPP fraud and help hold offenders accountable to the people we serve.”
“The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency’s Investigations Division has a long, successful record of identifying bad actors who steal money from hard-working Michiganders and Michigan businesses,” said UIA Director Julia Dale. “The close partnership that we have with federal law enforcement ensures fraudsters receive the justice they rightly deserve for violating the integrity of the state’s unemployment insurance program.”
The defendants face up to twenty years in prison based on the wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges, and they face a maximum of thirty years in prison on the bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy charges. Each of the defendants face consecutive two-year prison sentences for aggravated identity theft.
An indictment and a complaint are both only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed, a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment on the charges brought in the complaint. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The Unemployment Insurance Agency, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has also provided valuable assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind. Related forfeiture matters are being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michael El-Zein.
Texas Man Who Embezzled Nearly $10 Million from Employer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A Horizon City man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $9.8 million in restitution for wire fraud.
According to court documents, Ricardo Robles, 41, was employed in a position in which he was responsible for purchasing goods from suppliers. His employer would then resell the goods for profit. Robles created numerous sham companies beginning in 2010 and used those sham companies to purchase goods and inflate the prices along with his co-conspirators. On his employer’s behalf, Robles would then purchase from his sham companies and divert portions of those payments to his personal bank accounts.
“This case demonstrates the commitment of our prosecutors and our partners at the FBI to deliver justice to those who rob and defraud their own communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “These schemes have a devastating impact on businesses, as well as the employees and others who depend on those businesses for their livelihood.”
“The defendant violated the trust placed in him by his employer through the multi-year theft of company funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that those who engage in these types of fraudulent schemes will be held accountable. In this effort, one of our most important partners is the public, and we encourage citizens to continue to report corrupt activity to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or call us at (915) 832-5000.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.
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Tampa Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Dempsey Gilmore (32, Tampa) to 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Gilmore to forfeit an HS Produkt (Springfield Armory) model XDM-45 .45 caliber pistol and ammunition, which were used in the commission of the offenses. A federal jury had found Gilmore guilty on March 9, 2023.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on February 9, 2022, an officer from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) observed a red Dodge Charger fail to stop for a stop sign and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled at speeds over 100 miles per hour. A TPD Air Support Unit tracked and recorded the vehicle as it fled from the police, ultimately stopping near a residence, where the driver and passenger got out, scaled a fence, and ran into a house.
During the flight, the air unit recorded the vehicle temporarily stopping and its occupants throwing items from the car. TPD officers arrived at that location and, along the side of the road, found a bag containing almost 200 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, a zip-top bag labeled “Dempsey,” and a fully loaded firearm (pictured below). They also found a box with bags of marijuana and a digital scale nearby.
After obtaining a search warrant for the house where the suspects had entered, officers ordered the occupants to exit the home. Several individuals immediately complied, but Gilmore and another man initially remained in the house before ultimately coming out. Officers found a security video from the house showing Gilmore and the other man running into the residence and located more marijuana inside the Dodge Charger that had been abandoned near the residence. A fingerprint recovered from the vehicle matched that of Gilmore.
Gilmore wad previously convicted of multiple felonies, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and escape. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Beckman.
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.
Susquehanna County Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Justin Passetti, age 31, of Kingsley, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Passetti admitted to conspiring with other individuals to distribute between 1.5 kilograms and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Susquehanna County area in March 2020. The charge stems from an incident on March 11, 2020, in which the Pennsylvania State Police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Passetti was an occupant. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of five pounds of crystal methamphetamine.
The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is also 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.
Under federal law, the drug trafficking offense carries a maximum sentence of up to life in prison, 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.
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Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing Girl to Produce Sexually Explicit PhotosRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for enticing a 14-year-old girl to produce sexually explicit photos of herself and a younger sibling.
BRANDON T. HANAHAN, 26, of Bridgeview, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal child pornography charges. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the sentence Wednesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
Hanahan admitted in a plea agreement that in 2016 he communicated on Instagram with the 14-year-old girl and enticed her to take sexually explicit photos of herself and send them to him. Over the next several months, Hanahan repeatedly instructed and enticed the girl, who lived in California, to send him explicit photographs. Hanahan also repeatedly asked the girl to send him sexually explicit photos of the girl’s younger sister, who was less than ten years old at the time. The 14-year-old girl complied with Hanahan’s requests and sent him numerous photographs of herself and the sibling via Instagram private messaging.
Law enforcement searched Hanahan’s residence and discovered more than 200 images of child pornography on his electronic devices.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Orange County, Calif., Child Exploitation Task Force and the Santa Ana, Calif., Police Department. The government was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Stockton Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Selling Methamphetamine through FacebookRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eliyen Alejandro Alarcon-Flores, 31, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to nine years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Alarcon-Flores was a methamphetamine trafficker based in Stockton who sold up to 30 pounds of methamphetamine at a time. In 2021, an undercover officer arranged to purchase methamphetamine from a Facebook account that Alarcon-Flores had set up under a fake name. After law enforcement had identified Alarcon-Flores’s distribution network, officers arrested Alarcon-Flores and searched his house. During the search, officers seized 13 pounds of methamphetamine.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force (METRO), the Stockton Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee prosecuted the case.
On June 9, 2022, co-defendant Juan Jose Valenzuela-Bustamante was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Santo Domingo Man Charged with Sexual Abuse of Minor, Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Jordian Pacheco was arraigned on an indictment charging him with sexual abuse of a minor and receipt of child pornography. Pacheco, 32, of Santo Domingo Pueblo, and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Pacheco on May 24. According to the indictment and other court records, on Jan. 10, 2021, officers from the Navajo Police Department (NPD) responded to a call from a woman reporting that a man was hiding in the closet of her minor daughter, identified in court records as Jane Doe. When officers arrived at the residence, they located Pacheco. He provided officers with the name “Scott Nieto” and told them he was 18-years old and his mother had dropped him off at Jane Doe’s home. Pacheco was detained and transported to Window Rock Adult Detention Center.
NPD officers located an unknown vehicle outside Jane Doe’s residence and towed it. When they ran the plates, it came back as belonging to Pacheco. Officers spoke to Pacheco again who confirmed that he had given them false identification. Pacheco told NPD officers that he had met Jane Doe on Tik Tok a year before and that he knew she was a minor. During the interview Pacheco claimed to have lost his phone. Upon his release from Window Rock Adult Detention Center on Jan. 11, 2021, Pacheco gained access to his vehicle to retrieve his cellphone, however NPD intercepted him and seized his phone and 8 other devices located in the vehicle. NPS obtained a search warrant for the devices and extracted information which included sexually explicit conversations with and photos of Jane Doe, as well as other minors. Based on the evidence, the FBI expanded their search for additional minor victims of Pacheco who he contacted through social media between 2014 and 2018.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Pacheco faces up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
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Rocky Mount Man Involved in Raleigh Shooting Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Terrance Daniels, 34, of Rocky Mount was sentenced today to 150 months in prison for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court records and evidence presented in court, Terrance Daniels engaged in a shooting outside of a convenience store on Poole Road in Raleigh on July 6, 2022. The shooting was captured on video and Daniels could be seen firing the illegally possessed firearm nine times in the direction of two victims, one of whom was an acquaintance of Daniels. The two victims were engaged in a fist fight outside of the store when Daniels fired at them, striking them both in their legs. Daniels was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and indicted on November 1, 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 7, 2023.
The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-00275-BO.
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Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to COVID FraudRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Kenyatta Phipps, 46, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who is handling the case, stated that in February 2020, Phipps filed a federal income tax return for the tax year 2019, reporting wages and interest income of $13,273.00, which resulted in a refund of $696. In August 2020, Phipps attempted four times to file a second 2019 federal income tax return on which he falsely reported additional income he earned in the amount of $333,522 from a company he operated called Platinum Express Cleaning. If the returns were accepted Phipps would have received a fraudulent tax refund of $164,951. After all four attempts were rejected by the IRS, in September 2020, Phipps filed a fraudulent amended federal income tax return for the year 2019, which was accepted by the IRS. In the fraudulent return, Phipps falsely reported that Platinum Express Cleaning received gross receipts of $455,734 from Eastman Kodak Company and had taxes withheld from such income of more than $355,000. This resulted in Phipps receiving a fraudulent tax refund and tax loss to the IRS of $186,570.
In addition to defrauding the IRS, Phipps used information from the false tax returns to submit three fraudulent loan applications in the name of Platinum Express Cleaning to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in attempts to obtain COVID relief funding through the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program provided by the 2020 CARES Act. Phipps also falsely stated on the EIDL loan applications that Platinum Express Cleaning had more than 120 employees which would have qualified his company for $573,200 on EIDL program loans. Prior to funding the EIDLs program loans, the SBA discovered the fraudulent loan applications and did not fund the loans.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Fattorusso.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2023, before Judge Geraci.
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Retired New Jersey Doctor Sentenced for Selling Toxic DNP Online and Faking Cancer Diagnosis to Avoid TrialRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that William Merlino, 85, of Mays Landing, NJ, was sentenced to thirty-three months in prison and one year of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh for selling misbranded drugs online and obstruction of justice.
The chemical 2,4-Dinitrophenol (“DNP”) has a variety of industrial and commercial uses, such as herbicides, dyes, and wood preservatives. In the 1930s, before federal law required drugs to be proven safe before they were marketed, DNP was used as a weight-loss drug despite significant adverse side effects, including dehydration, cataracts, liver damage, and death. Owing to DNP’s toxicity, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has never approved DNP for human consumption.
A year-long investigation by the FDA revealed that Merlino, a retired physician, packaged and sold DNP for human consumption as a weight-loss drug, and that he used Twitter to advertise, eBay to sell, and email to communicate with customers in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Merlino operated his online business out of his home from at least November 2017 until March 2019, and earned approximately $54,000 from his sales of DNP to hundreds of customers. A search warrant executed at the defendant's residence recovered bulk DNP, packaging and encapsulating materials, and a pill press.
In December 2019, Merlino was charged with one count of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce in connection with operating his illegal business, and in August of 2021, while under indictment and awaiting trial on the misbranding charge, he faked a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in order to avoid trial. Based on forged medical records and doctor’s letters submitted to the court, Merlino’s trial was delayed several months. When the obstruction was discovered in January 2022, he was charged with obstructing justice and detained.
In August 2022, Merlino was convicted at trial of the misbranding charge, and subsequently pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge in January 2023. During the trial, a witness from the shipping service the defendant used to ship the drug to customers testified that they referred to Merlino among their colleagues as “the yellow man,” owing to the fact that every time he would bring in a package to ship, they would see yellow dust from the chemical on his skin, nails, and clothes. At sentencing, the government presented evidence that a customer in the U.K. died of DNP toxicity after ingesting pills he purchased from Merlino, who knew that DNP was toxic to humans and illegal to market as a drug.
“Misbranding and selling a toxic chemical not fit for human consumption as a diet drug places the public at grave and obvious risk,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “The defendant’s deliberate, dangerous, and deceptive conduct in this case was egregious, and resulted in the tragic loss of a life. His faking having cancer to avoid accountability in our justice system only underscores his shocking contempt for the law.”
“Distributing unapproved and potentially toxic drugs under false labeling and in a deliberate attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny endangers consumers who are in many cases desperate for treatment,” said Special Agent in Charge George A. Scavdis, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “The fact a medical professional was involved makes the situation ever more troubling. We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who jeopardize the public health.”
The cases were investigated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, U. S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Atlantic City under the HSI Newark office and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joan Burnes.
Registered Sex Offender from Beverly Indicted for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Beverly man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on a child pornography offense.
Robert Miller, 58, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Miller was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the same offense on May 3, 2023.
According to court documents, this case arose from an investigation of a secure online chat platform often used for, among other things, accessing and exchanging child pornography. Miller was identified as an alleged member of a large-scale group chat trading child pornography on the platform. During a search of Miller’s residence today, approximately 15 electronic devices were seized and allegedly found to contain multiple videos depicting child pornography.
In September 2018, Miller was convicted of possession of child pornography in Essex County Superior Court, for which he received a three-year probationary sentence and was required to register as a sex offender in Massachusetts.
Due to Miller’s prior conviction, the charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison with a 10 year mandatory minimum period of incarceration, at least 5 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Beverly Police Chief John G. LeLacheur made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Levy’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Charged with Coercion and Enticement of 15-Year-Old in Orange CountyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today an Indictment charging CURTIS ELLINGTON with enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and committing this offense while being a registered sex offender. ELLINGTON was arrested in Kansas on April 27, 2023, and detained pending his transfer to White Plains federal court. Today, ELLINGTON was arraigned in White Plains and detained.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Curtis Ellington, a convicted rapist, was allegedly undeterred by his previous involvement with the criminal justice system. This case underlines the urgent need for law enforcement to continue its efforts to protect children from those who prey on them. We will use every tool available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those alleged to have sexually exploited children. We encourage anyone who may have additional information into Curtis Ellington’s conduct to please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed on April 26, 2023, and the Indictment filed on May 24, 2023, in White Plains federal court:[1]
CURTIS ELLINGTON was convicted on or about January 12, 2007, in Orange County Court of Rape in the First Degree: Intercourse with A Person Less Than 11 Years Old and sentenced to seven years in prison. As a result of this conviction, ELLINGTON is required to register as a sex offender.
On or about April 7, 2023, ELLINGTON slept at the home of a 15-year-old minor (“Victim-1”) and, while there, engaged in sexual activity with Victim-1. Prior to engaging in sexual activity with Victim-1, ELLINGTON and Victim-1 engaged in numerous communications via Instagram in which ELLINGTON, who used the Instagram screen name “Godson,” discussed his desire to engage in sexual activity with Victim-1.
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ELLINGTON, 33, of Junction City, Kansas, is charged in Count One with enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and in Count Two with engaging in this offense while a registered sex offender. Count One carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Count Two carries a mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, which must be imposed to run consecutive to any sentence imposed in connection with Count One.
The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams stated that the investigation is ongoing. Mr. Williams requests that any individuals who have information with respect to CURTIS ELLINGTON contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Mr. Williams praised the efforts of the FBI, the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, and the Middletown Police Department in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint and the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and Indictment and the description of the Complaint and Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
u.s._v._ellington_complaint.pdf u.s._v._ellington_indictment.pdfRapid City Brothers Found Guilty of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has convicted Elias Condon, age 24, and Jordan Condon, age 22, both of Rapid City, South Dakota, of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance following a two-day court trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on May 24, 2023.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in custody and/or a $10,000,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Elias Condon and Jordan Condon were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2021. During their involvement in the conspiracy, the brothers made multiple trips to the Denver, Colorado, area where they purchased methamphetamine. They then returned to South Dakota and distributed the methamphetamine to others to further sell or use. Several times the defendants brought firearms to trade for the methamphetamine. Two co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty to their involvement. Edward Ybarra was sentenced to 15 ½ years in federal prison on March 3, 2023. Ramon Morales-Padilla will be sentenced on July 21, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), which is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing dates are pending. The defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Physician Sentenced for Stealing Approximately $250K from COVID-19 Relief ProgramsRead the Press Release
A Colorado physician was sentenced today to two and a half years in prison for fraudulently obtaining and misappropriating approximately $250,000 from two separate COVID-19 relief programs.
According to court documents, Dr. Francis F. Joseph, 58, of Highlands Ranch, was the supervisory physician at Springs Medical Associates, a medical clinic with three offices in Colorado. From March through June 2020, Joseph applied for and received government funds for COVID-19 relief from the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program and the Paycheck Protection Program. Both programs were designed to provide emergency financial assistance to medical providers and small businesses who were suffering economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, Joseph received approximately $250,000 from these programs and used the money to pay for his personal expenses.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Curt Muller of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Kansas City Region; and Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Western Region made the announcement.
The HHS-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jennifer Bilinkas and John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with respect to the resources made available by Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for programs including the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and the Provider Relief Fund. Since the CARES Act passed, Fraud Section attorneys have prosecuted more than 210 defendants in more than 140 criminal cases related to CARES Act programs and funds. The Fraud Section has also seized more than $80 million in cash proceeds derived from CARES Act-related fraud schemes, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/cares-act-fraud.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY — Today, STEVEN NEEL HARRY, 61, of Oklahoma City pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Harry started communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer in September 2022. During those conversations, Harry discussed meeting an individual at a hotel in Oklahoma City to engage in sexual activity with a person whom Harry believed was a 12-year-old girl. FBI agents arrested Harry on March 22, 2023, after he arrived at the metro hotel.
On April 18, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Harry. Count 1 charged him with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and Count 2 charged him with commission of a felony sex offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender.
This afternoon, Harry pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the indictment before Judge Charles B. Goodwin. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in approximately 90 days. At sentencing, Harry faces not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $55,100. Harry would also be required to serve a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He has been in federal custody since his arrest on March 22, 2023.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison B. Christian and Brandon Hale are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public records for more information.
Odessa Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for Meth Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
MIDLAND, Texas – An Odessa man was sentenced today to 235 months in prison for meth trafficking and firearm charges.
According to court documents, Odessa Police Department detectives surveilled Brandon Mendoza, 35, on Nov. 30, 2022, as he conducted multiple narcotics transactions. Detectives performed a traffic stop on Mendoza and recovered both methamphetamine and a semi-automatic firearm from Mendoza’s truck. Detectives later searched Mendoza’s apartment where they recovered additional methamphetamine, multiple baggies, and scales. In total, detectives recovered four firearms.
Mendoza was on federal supervised release for a 2021 firearm charge when he was arrested by the Odessa Police Department in November 2022. As a result, Mendoza was also sentenced consecutively to 24 months for violating his supervised release. In total, Mendoza will serve over 21 years in federal prison.
“This defendant demonstrated an inability to comply with the terms of his federal supervised release and continued selling methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “The substantial sentence ordered in this case is reflective of the dangers drug traffickers pose to innocent members of the community, especially when firearms are involved. I appreciate the efforts of our local law enforcement partners, helping us bring yet another trafficker to justice.”
The Odessa Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Mahoney prosecuted the case.
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O.C. Man Charged in Alleged $1.8M Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County-based businessman who portrayed himself as a wealthy and successful entrepreneur – sometimes bragging that he was one of the richest men in Africa – was arrested this morning on federal charges alleging he solicited investments under false pretenses and used the investors’ money to support his own high-end lifestyle.
Amadou Kane Diallo, 44, a Senegalese national living in Laguna Niguel, was arrested at his residence this morning by FBI special agents. Diallo is expected to be arraigned on a 21-count indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
The federal grand jury indictment unsealed today alleges that Diallo fraudulently obtained more than $1.8 million from at least 11 victims who thought their investments would allow them to reap the benefits of Diallo’s supposed business successes while facing little to no risk.
Diallo was the CEO of two Newport Beach-based companies – Virtual Advisors LLC and Liquide, Inc. – which he allegedly used to solicit investments in purported business opportunities related to various sectors and topics, including technology, healthcare, real estate, home ownership and service to the African diaspora. Diallo made various representations to victims, including falsely telling some potential investors that he had previously raised hundreds of millions of dollars for another investment firm and its real estate investment fund – a claim that simply was not true, according to the indictment.
Contrary to his representations to victims, Diallo allegedly used most of the investment funds for his own extravagant lifestyle, which included making rent payments on his residence, purchasing or making payments on luxury vehicles, buying clothes and fancy dinners, and hosting lavish events for foreign government officials.
In conjunction with Diallo’s arrest, authorities seized a number of items related to allegedly fraudulent conduct, including three late model luxury vehicles – a Ferrari SF90 Stradale, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Range Rover – a Harry Winston ring worth approximately $12,500, and a brokerage account containing about $500,000 worth of stocks.
The indictment charges Diallo with 19 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each of the wire fraud counts and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the money laundering counts.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI is conducting the ongoing investigation in this matter.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan G. Adams of the Santa Ana Branch Office and Justice Department Trial Attorney William E. Schurmann of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney Tara Vavere of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling today’s seizures.
If you believe you are a victim in this case or other conduct by Mr. Diallo, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected].
New Bern Getaway Driver in Armed Robbery Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Justin Pickens, 31, of New Bern was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for charges related to an armed robbery in New Bern, North Carolina.
According to court records and evidence presented in court, Justin Pickens and two of his co-defendants, Quamaime Donnell Smith and Francesco Greco, Jr., planned and executed an armed robbery of the Five Points gas station in New Bern on May 17, 2021. The robbery was captured on the video surveillance footage from inside the store. The footage shows two male suspects enter the store, one armed with a handgun and the other armed with a tire iron. The robber with the gun, Smith, could been seen striking the store clerk in the head with his gun. The two robbers then emptied the cash register and fled the store in a getaway vehicle driven by Pickens. In total, the three stole roughly $3,000 in cash from the store. New Bern Police located and arrested all three suspects within 24 hours of the robbery and recovered the firearm used during the robbery.
“Brutal armed robberies like this one leave victims traumatized for years, and sometimes with lifelong physical limitations. This gas station attendant was not just held-up, he was pistol-whipped in the head. Hardworking people should never be subjected to violence just for doing their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The FBI and New Bern Police worked hard to get justice for this victim. And, for his role in a violent crime that netted roughly $3,000, this defendant and his co-conspirators are now spending time behind bars.”
“The New Bern Police Department serves and protects the citizens and businesses within the City,” said New Bern Police Chief Patrick Gallagher. “Our daily goal is to create and maintain a peaceful place to live, work, and visit. These perpetrators committed a heinous act of assaulting the clerk and robbery of the business. Members of the agency worked together tirelessly, using various investigative techniques and methods, to bring about the best possible outcome for the victim, as well as those within the community. Let this outcome serve as notice to criminals that the New Bern Police Department will bring the full weight of the justice system on individuals who threaten the balance of peace within our community.”
Pickens, the getaway driver, was named in a one count indictment on July 21, 2022, charging him with interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting. He pleaded guilty on February 23, 2023. Greco was sentenced to 40 months on April 21, 2022, and Smith was sentenced to 144 months on May 25, 2022.
Michael F. Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The New Bern Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-CR-00038-BO.
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Navajo Man Charged with Assault, Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Tyrell Willie was ordered detained after he appeared at a preliminary and detention hearing before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Willie, 37, is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
According to the criminal complaint, on May 28, 2023, in Shiprock, Willie allegedly drove to the home of a woman he had met on Facebook approximately two weeks before. When he arrived, the woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, came out of the residence and sat in the passenger side of Willie’s truck. After a short discussion, Willie allegedly became upset for an unknown reason, got out of his truck, walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and tried to throw Jane Doe out of the truck. Doe threatened to scream if Willie did not let her go, which he did not, so Doe screamed. Doe’s son, identified as John Doe in court records, came out of the residence, grabbed Willie, and threw him to the ground. Jane Doe got out of the truck and Willie got back up, got back into the truck, then drove away, hitting Jane Doe’s and her neighbor’s fence in the process.
Jane Doe believed that she observed Willie circling the block twice before he left. About thirty minutes later, John Doe thought he heard the truck approaching, so he went outside. While he was outside, Jane Doe saw Willie’s truck pull up slowly with the lights off. Jane Doe heard gunshots and John Doe yelled. When Jane Doe walked outside, John Doe was holding his midsection. Almost immediately, Jane Doe was able to flag down two marked police officers from the Navajo Police Department and told them what had happened. The officers had been responding to multiple calls reporting a truck driving erratically and causing property damage in the area, had heard the gunshots and had seen Willie’s truck drive by them. One officer pursued Willie while the second transported John Doe to the hospital.
The pursuing officers located Willie’s truck stalled on the road and initiated a high-risk stop. Willie stepped out of the truck holding a shotgun. After being given commands to drop the gun, Willie slid the shotgun under the truck. The shotgun was loaded with four shells.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Willie faces a minimum of ten years in prison.
FBI Farmington Agency investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. McGinley is prosecuting the case.
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Mountain View Resident Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Enticing Children to Engage in Production of PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Christopher Raymond Campbell was sentenced today to 150 months in prison for possessing, and enticing children to engage in the production of, child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Vince Chhabria, United States District Judge.
Campbell, 37, of Mountain View, pleaded guilty to the charges on January 17, 2023. According to his plea agreement, Campbell admitted that, between March of 2021 and March of 2022, he corresponded with multiple minors through social media platforms using his iPhone and other electronic devices. Campbell admitted he often used aliases and screennames to dupe his victims into taking sexually explicit photos of themselves and sending the images to him. For example, Campbell admitted he presented himself as a young female, and then talked to victims he knew to be young girls; by pretending to be a girl, he would gain the trust of his victims and persuade them to send him pornographic photographs and videos of themselves. Similarly, Campbell acknowledged he sometimes pretended to be other individuals to make his victims think they were talking to multiple different people; Campbell then pressured the minors into creating sexually explicit images of themselves.
Campbell acknowledged in his plea agreement that he sometimes used a recording function on his phone to take and save live video of his communications with the minor females. He also admitted he gave his victims instructions on how to take the photos, including coaching them while they masturbated or, in the case of one victim (who was 9 years old), instructing her to insert various objects into her vagina despite the pain it caused her. Campbell admitted he enticed one minor to send him at least 10 videos of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct and that another minor victim (estimated to be between 10 and 14 years old) sent him videos including one showing her breasts and pubic region.
On August 25, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Campbell, charging him with one count each of coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b); receipt of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and (b); and possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2). Campbell pleaded guilty to the possession charge and the coercion and enticement of a minor charge. Judge Chhabria dismissed the receipt of child pornography charge at sentencing.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chhabria also ordered Campbell to serve 60 months of supervised release—to begin after his prison term. Judge Chhabria ordered Campbell to begin serving his prison term on July 28, 2023.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Yeh is prosecuting the case with assistance from Lakisha Holliman and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI.
Motel Manager Pleads Guilty to Coercing Labor and Sex Acts by Female VictimRead the Press Release
A hotel manager in Georgia pleaded guilty today to trafficking with respect to peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude or forced labor.
According to court documents, Shreesh Tiwari, 70, an Indian national and legal U.S. permanent resident, began managing the Budgetel Motel in Cartersville, Georgia, in 2020. Tiwari hired the victim to work as a house cleaner at the motel. Tiwari knew that, prior to arriving at the Budgetel, the victim had experienced homelessness, struggled with a heroin addiction and lost custody of her young child. Tiwari promised the victim that he would help her regain custody of her child by providing her with pay, an apartment, and an attorney.
Instead of following through with his promises, Tiwari monitored the victim’s interactions with motel guests and employees and forbade her from speaking to them. Tiwari also made numerous sexual overtures to the victim. When Tiwari became angry at the victim, he threatened to evict her from the room he offered her at the Budgetel, knowing that she would become homeless as a result. Tiwari also threatened to report the victim’s drug use to law enforcement or child welfare agencies whenever he was angry at her. Eventually, Tiwari began to regularly “evict” the victim from her motel room, and even locked her out of her room at night without warning. Tiwari later required the victim to perform oral sex on him to stay at the motel. If she did not, Tiwari removed her from the property, causing her to be homeless.
“Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime in which traffickers specifically identify and target the most vulnerable members of our society, often using fraudulent promises to offer hope to someone in need,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This conviction demonstrates that the Justice Department is committed to prosecuting motel operators and other landlords who misuse and abuse their position of power over tenants to compel them to engage in commercial sex acts.”
“Victims of sex trafficking crimes are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our communities and they are targeted by traffickers as a result,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “We refuse to tolerate human trafficking of any kind and this conviction reinforces our commitment to protecting all victims of crime in our community – regardless of their status.”
“Prosecuting human traffickers and rescuing human trafficking victims is a top priority of this office and the Department of Homeland Security,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta Field Office. “This guilty plea highlights that commitment and serves as a warning to other predators that law enforcement is determined to find, arrest and punish those involved in this heinous crime.”
Sentencing is set for Sept. 6. Tiwari faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Tiwari agreed to pay slightly over $40,000 in mandatory restitution to the victims of offense. A federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Buchanan and Acting Special Agent in Charge Pickard made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Dalton Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne Marek and Annalise Peters for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Kate Hill of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Mexican National Living in Sacramento Indicted on Fentanyl ChargesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Luis Enrique Vasquez-Lopez, 45, a Mexican national living in Sacramento, charging him with distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, from December 2022 to April 2023, Vasquez-Lopez sold a confidential source at least 40 grams of fentanyl on four occasions. During the investigation, agents identified two privately owned rural properties that Vasquez-Lopez was utilizing to store his drugs. On May 22, 2023, Vasquez-Lopez was arrested and found to be in possession of a kilogram of fentanyl, heroin, and a firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Vasquez-Lopez faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mexican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Raul Martinez-Perez, age 48, of Mexico, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury with illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Martinez-Perez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in June 1999. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after June 1999 and was found in the United States in Adams County, Pennsylvania after being arrested on state felony charges.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Miovas, Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Based on his prior criminal history, Martinez-Perez faces a maximum penalty of 20 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 are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Marion County Woman Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Ocala, FL – U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Nishera Remon Johnson (42, Silver Springs Shores) to 16 years and 8 months years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute narcotics (including methamphetamine and cocaine) and possessing a firearm as an armed career criminal. Johnson had been indicted on September 2, 2020. She was previously found guilty by a federal jury on June 29, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on November 26, 2019, pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement officers searched a vehicle belonging to Johnson and found nearly two pounds of methamphetamine. During the execution of a search warrant of a co-conspirator’s cellphone, agents found evidence of a marijuana grow operation at Johnson’s residence. When that home was searched pursuant to a search warrant on December 16, 2019, agents located numerous firearms and ammunition and nearly half a kilogram of powder cocaine. Agents also located the marijuana grow operation in a shed behind the home. Johnson had been living at the home together with her co-conspirator and her minor child.
As a convicted felon, Johnson is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. Furthermore, Johnson’s extensive criminal record—including multiple convictions for the sale and distribution of cocaine—qualified her for a sentencing enhancement as an Armed Career Criminal on the firearm offense.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ocala Police Department, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
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.
Marathon County Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking & Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Lawrence E. Lavergne, 41, Wausau, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 9 years in federal prison for distributing 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 8 years of supervised release. Lavergne pleaded guilty to these charges on February 14, 2023.
On February 21, 2022, Lavergne sold 24 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in a hotel room in Rothschild.
Later that day, Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force officers executed a search warrant at the same hotel room. When officers announced themselves at the door, Lavergne leapt out of the second story hotel room window. He was taken into custody and had over $7,000 in cash on him, including $500 in prerecorded buy money from the drug deal earlier that day. A total of 233 grams of methamphetamine were located in the hotel room along with drug trafficking paraphernalia.
The day after Lavergne’s arrest, a woman contacted law enforcement to report that there were two firearms at her house in Antigo, Wisconsin that she believed belonged to Lavergne. Officers responded and located a Hi-Point 9mm handgun, a Masterpiece Arms 9mm handgun, two loaded magazines, and a container with 9mm ammunition. Lavergne’s DNA was found on both handguns. Lavergne was legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on multiple prior felony convictions. The firearms charge was filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, then transferred to the Western District when the defendant pleaded guilty.
At the time of these events, Lavergne was on state extended supervision in three separate cases, including a case involving drug trafficking and a case involving possessing a firearm as a felon. Lavergne’s supervision has since been revoked in those cases and he has been re-confined in state prison with an anticipated release date of July 16, 2023. Judge Conley ordered that Lavergne’s 9-year federal sentence start today and run concurrently with the remainder of his state sentences.
At sentencing, Judge Conley told Lavergne that nothing seemed to have changed since his last federal sentence (a 2011 federal conviction for distribution of crack cocaine) and his conduct now seemed to be worse given the inclusion of firearms. Judge Conley noted Lavergne had four state felony convictions since his prior federal offense.
The charges against Lavergne were the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI's Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Marathon County Sheriff's Office, Portage County Sheriff's Office, Everest Metro Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson, Corey C. Stephan, and Daniel R. Humble (Eastern District of Wisconsin) prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 26 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving a Violent Murder and for Drug Distribution and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced El Salvadoran national Jose Lopez Rivera, age 27, of Elmont, New York, formerly residing in Maryland, to 26 years in federal prison for a racketeering conspiracy involving a violent murder connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13, and for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department; Frederick County Chief Deputy, Colonel David Benjamin of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Since at least 2015, Lopez Rivera was a member of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) MS-13 clique.
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations, and reputation, including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on August 31, 2015, while Lopez Rivera and other MS-13 gang members were drinking in Wheaton, Maryland, they went to a coffee shop where they saw Victim 5. Victim 5 was wearing Nike Cortez sneakers, which according to MS-13 rules, were only to be worn by gang members. A MS-13 member had previously warned Victim 5 about wearing those sneakers. As they walked past Victim 5, he spit on one of the gang members who then punched Victim 5 in the mouth. Victim 5 threw a beer at one of the MS-13 gang members and ran. Lopez Rivera and another gang member chased Victim 5 away from the coffee shop and Victim 5 was then stabbed to death. Following the murder, the gang members reported to their leadership that they had killed a rival gang member.
According to his plea agreement, on July 22, 2021, investigators searched an apartment in Elmont, New York, where Lopez Rivera was living at the time and recovered a shotgun, ammunition, and a brick of packed white powder, which tested positive for cocaine. Lopez Rivera admitted that he possessed the cocaine to distribute it and possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug distribution. Further, Lopez Rivera knew that he was in the United States illegally and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
More than 30 MS-13 gang members and associates have been convicted in this and related cases.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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 is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; ATF; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in these investigations, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Anatoly Smolkin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Louisville Man Charged with Transporting Minors Across State Lines with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY –A federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant were issued last week charging Brian Anthony Sauer, 44, of Louisville, Kentucky, with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, during the late hours of May 7, 2023, going into May 8, 2023, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, Sauer transported three minor girls who had run away from a residential care facility in Louisville, Kentucky, to Clarksville, Indiana, and subsequently engaged in sexual activity with the girls. Sauer ultimately drove all three girls to a trailer park in the southwest area of Jefferson County, Kentucky, where he left them, on May 10, 2023.
Sauer made his initial appearance yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Sauer remains in federal custody and is scheduled for preliminary and detention hearings in the U.S. Gene Snyder Courthouse on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.
If convicted, Sauer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and maximum potential penalties of life in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, and at least five years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Louisville Metro Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.”
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Los Angeles County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Conspiracy with Yuba County ManRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pedro Luis Millan, aka Peter Millan, 37, of Montebello, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in May 2021, Millan conspired with Brent Hooton, 50, of Marysville, to produce an image of a child under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hooton produced the image and then sent it to Millan and other users over the Kik messaging app. Millan received that image, as well as additional pornographic images of the same child victim, from Hooton over the Kik app.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Millan is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Millan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
On May 30, 2023, Hooton pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd.
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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Lexington Couple Sentenced for Participating in a Darknet Marketplace Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— Benjamin Norman Joseph Flanigan, 27, and Haleigh Breanne Flanigan, 27, of Lexington, were sentenced to federal prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell. Benjamin Flanigan pled guilty to drug distribution and conspiracy to commit drug distribution and was sentenced to 18 months. Haleigh Flanigan also pled guilty to was conspiracy to commit drug distribution and conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 48 months.
According to both Flanigans’ plea agreements, they admitted to participating in a darknet market drug trafficking organization, operating under the moniker PartyCrew. The darknet is an overlay of the internet that is only accessible through certain software, configurations, or authorization. Access to the darknet is designed to anonymize the user, and it is mostly used for illicit purposes. Marketplaces on the darknet are used to buy and sell illicit goods and services. The PartyCrew darknet marketplace posting advertised the sale of multiple controlled substances in exchange for cryptocurrencies such as Monero and Bitcoin. For their part, the Flanigans fulfilled orders for controlled substances, by packaging and mailing them through the U.S. mail to customers across the United States. Haleigh Flanigan received payment for her services in cryptocurrencies, which she further attempted to conceal through the use of cryptocurrency anonymizing tools.
The prosecution included a third member of the conspiracy, Joshua Cook, who has pled guilty to the same offenses as Haleigh Flanigan and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2023. It also amounted to a total dismantling of the PartyCrew drug trafficking organization.
Benjamin and Haleigh Flanigan pled guilty in February of 2023.
Under federal law, the Defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences; and upon their release from prison, they will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Cincinnati, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Dieruf and Emily Greenfield.
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Leader of Boston Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man responsible for leading a large drug trafficking organization (DTO) was sentenced yesterday for heroin and fentanyl conspiracy charges and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of his organization.
Mujab Mubarak, a/k/a “Big Homie,” a/k/a “Easy,” a/k/a “E,” 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release. On March 3, 2023, Mubarak pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and one count of use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. As part of the plea agreement, Mubarak agreed to forfeit $360,000 in cash, two motorcycles, a truck and multiple luxury watches that were purchased with proceeds of the drug trafficking organization. In total, the value of the forfeited property is approximately $523,000.
Mubarak was responsible for a large DTO and employed multiple lower-level co-conspirators as part of his distribution network. Recordings obtained during the course of the investigation captured Mubarak describing the scope and extent of his drug trafficking operation. A cooperating witness made over 20 recorded purchases of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine from subordinates of Mubarak. Mubarak also discussed employing the cooperating witness as a distributor and explained the business in detail.
Additionally, Mubarak was captured on a recording discussing a 2017 shooting incident where he targeted a former co-conspirator because he believed the co-conspirator had stolen the DTO’s drug money. Mubarak explained that the co-conspirator was transporting cash through Logan airport on behalf of Mubarak’s DTO and that the co-conspirator claimed that the money was seized by police, which was in fact true. When the co-conspirator failed to provide satisfactory proof of the seizure, Mubarak stated on recording that he located the co-conspirator and shot him. Police and medical records showed that the co-conspirator was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his back.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department also provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard of Levy’s Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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.
Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 23 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Uriel Fajardo-Albarran (28, Coleman) to 23 years in federal prison. A federal jury previously convicted Fajardo-Albarran of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and three other drug distribution counts on January 6, 2023.
According to evidence presented at trial, between January 2021 and October 2022, Fajardo-Albarran received large amounts of methamphetamine from sources in Mexico, Texas, and Georgia. He then transported the methamphetamine to the Middle District of Florida, where he used lower-level dealers to distribute multiple kilograms of the substance each week for approximately two years. Fajardo-Albarran had organized the drug distribution network after taking over for another supplier who had been convicted and sentenced to federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake City Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Sarah J. Swartzberg.
Korean National Sentenced to 2 Years and 9 months in Prison for “Bust Out” Bank Fraud Scheme in Sacramento Area and ElsewhereRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hee Soung Oh, 47, a Korean national residing in Southern California, was sentenced today to two years and nine months in prison for bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between January 2017 and September 2017, Oh participated in a nationwide check kiting “bust out” scheme in order to obtain cash from banks. The scheme’s participants obtained a real Republic of Korea passport that was altered to bear a new photograph and name, which they used to open bank accounts with a small amount of cash. The accounts were dormant until a time the participants believed the bank would allow the account holder to deposit a check and make withdrawals before the check actually cleared. At that time, the participants wrote checks from a different bank account with non-sufficient funds, deposited those checks into the dormant account, and then withdrew cash from the dormant account before the checks cleared. The participants would access funds by purchasing a money order and then depositing the money order into yet another bank account associated with the scheme.
The bust-out scheme resulted in an actual loss of $273,800 to the banks, and a total intended loss of $466,318 based on additional, unsuccessful bust-out attempts.
This case was the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey B. Hemesath prosecuted the case.
Korean nationals Jong Eun Lee, 48, and Kyung Min Kong, 55, were previously sentenced: Lee to 22 months in prison and Kong to seven years and nine months in prison. Charges are pending against Ki Jang and Bon Soke Hong, who were indicted on Oct. 21, 2021. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
KC Man Sentenced to 30 Years for $10 Million Conspiracy to Distribute 1,000 Kilos of MethRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Joshua A. Brown, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, May 31, to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Brown to forfeit to the government $31,108, which represents his proceeds from illegal drug trafficking.
On June 27, 2022, Brown pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. According to court documents, Brown was responsible for the distribution of nearly 3.8 kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy.
Brown has also been charged with the murder of a victim identified in court documents as “T.D.” in the District Court of Leavenworth County, Kansas, and that case is currently pending. The body of the victim, who suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, was discovered on March 12, 2019.
Brown was arrested on March 26, 2019, after he paid $5,000 to purchase methamphetamine from a co-defendant through an intermediate, who was a confidential law enforcement source. Kansas City, Mo., police officers then arrested Brown in the parking lot of the apartment building where he received the methamphetamine.
Brown, who was driving a stolen Volkswagen Jetta, had a loaded Smith and Wesson .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in his waistband when he was taken into custody. A .45-caliber shell casing recovered at the scene where T. D.’s body was found had been fired through the Smith and Wesson .45-caliber pistol, which had been reported as stolen.
Officers searched the Jetta and found a red backpack that contained an Iver Johnson Arms .32-caliber revolver, an Arminus Titan Tiger.38-caliber revolver, and an Iver Johnson Arms .45-caliber revolver, all of which had been reported as stolen. The backpack also contained a blue Nike bag with approximately 735.7 grams of pure methamphetamine and 23.7 grams of marijuana.
Brown told investigators he purchased whole kilograms of methamphetamine every few days. Brown admitted he sold methamphetamine by the ounce and made $150 profit on each ounce sold. Brown also told investigators he acquired the stolen firearms through trades for methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Brown was under a criminal justice sentence for possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest by fleeing – creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death, and unlawful use of a weapon in the Circuit Court of Platte County, Mo., and possession of drug contraband in prison in the District Court of Ellsworth County, Kan., when he committed this federal offense.
Brown has nine prior felony convictions for possession of stolen property, aggravated battery, criminal use of weapons, distribution of certain hallucinogens, possession of drug contraband in prison, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest by fleeing – creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death, and unlawful use of a weapon. Brown also has been convicted of 20 misdemeanor and/or ordinance offenses.
Brown is the final defendant among 18 defendants who have been sentenced in two separate indictments that resulted from this investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Jefferson Parish Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CHRIS BAO NGUYEN (“NGUYEN”), age 30, of Marrero, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 30, 2023 for receipt of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to documents filed in federal court, the case against NGUYEN resulted from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) CyberTip report to the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”). Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) special agents along with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and LBI executed a federal search warrant at NGUYEN’s home in Marrero. HSI’s investigation determined NGUYEN received images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
United States District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced NGUYEN to 5 years imprisonment, 15 years supervised release, registratio0n as a sex offender, and $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, and the Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of Financial Crimes Unit.
Jacksonville Brothers Plead Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Joshua Thomas Brown (28, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing photos and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including prepubescent children. At sentencing, Brown faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Joshua Brown’s brother, Jonathan William Brown (25, Jacksonville), pleaded guilty on March 16, 2023, to downloading and receiving photos and videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. His sentencing hearing is set for June 26, 2023. Jonathan Brown faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years, up to 20 years, in prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Both men have been detained since their arrests.
According to court documents, in January 2022, an electronic service provider (ESP) documented several incidents involving uploads of child sexual abuse material from a particular online account with the username “Jonathan Brown” and other identifiers traceable to the same name. These uploads had occurred from July 2021 through and December 23, 2021. These ESP reports were forwarded to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office for investigation. This investigation revealed that at least one contraband file had been uploaded to the internet from Jonathan Brown’s residence in Jacksonville.
On July 8, 2022, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), together with officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, executed a federal search warrant at Jonathan Brown’s residence, who was at the residence. During the execution of this warrant, agents seized several electronic devices, including computers, cellular telephones, and storage media. During an interview with law enforcement, Jonathan Brown stated that he used his desktop computer to download child sexual abuse materials, had started engaging in this conduct “a long time ago,” and since then has been in a cycle of seeking such materials on the internet, downloading it, and then deleting it. Forensic analysis of Brown’s electronic devices revealed hundreds of files of child sexual abuse materials, including a photo depicting a prepubescent child being sexually abused that Jonathan Brown downloaded from the internet on March 21, 2022.
Jonathan Brown’s brother, Joshua Brown, lived at the same residence and was present during the search on July 8, 2022. During an interview with law enforcement, Joshua Brown admitted that a particular cellular telephone that was seized belonged to him and was used only by him. Forensic analysis of this phone revealed that it contained hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material, including a photo depicting a prepubescent child being sexually abused. In total, Joshua Brown knowingly possessed more than 2,100 videos and more than 600 photos depicting children being sexually abused that were recovered from three cellular phones, a gaming computer, an external hard disk drive, and an online file-sharing account.
These cases were investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and D. Rodney Brown.
These cases were 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.justice.gov/psc.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Murder of a U.S. Postal Service EmployeeRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Tony Cushingberry, 24, of Indianapolis, Indiana, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to murder and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2020, at approximately 3:57 p.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers were called to North Denny Street in Indianapolis in reference to a person shot. Officers arrived at the scene and located a United States Postal Service (USPS) employee, later identified as Angela Summers, shot and laying on the front porch of the residence. Ms. Summers was working as a letter carrier and was delivering mail on her route at the time she was shot.
Cushingberry was sitting on his porch when he watched Summers walk past his house and proceed to the next residence. Cushingberry aggressively approached Summers on the neighbor’s porch and demanded his mail several times. Cushingberry continued to pursue Summers while displaying a handgun, eventually pulling it from the right side of his waistband and shooting Summers in the chest from several feet away.
Cushingberry immediately fled the scene and stashed the gun in the detached garage of a nearby residence. On April 27, 2020, United States Postal Inspectors and IMPD Officers searched Cushingberry’ s home and located a safe that contained multiple boxes of ammunition, including the same caliber and brand of fired cartridge casing matching the Glock he used.
Summers was transported to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead at 5:31pm that evening.
“Angela Summers was a beloved family member and public servant, and she should be alive today. She was taken from those who cared for her by the defendant’s evil decision to gun her down while she was simply doing her job,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our communities should not have to live in fear of every conflict leading to gun violence. No term of imprisonment will bring Angela back, but the sentence imposed today demonstrates that those who kill will face judgment and accountability. I commend the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, ATF, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors for their efforts to seek justice in this case.”
“The safety and security of Postal Service employees and customers is core to the mission of the Postal Inspection Service. This tragic death is a tremendous example of how local and federal partners joined together to investigate and bring to justice Tony Cushingberry, who senselessly took the life of our colleague. This sentence should serve as a warning to others who commit violent acts against Postal Service employees that Postal Inspectors will aggressively investigate and seek to have those individuals sentenced to the maximum extent possible” said Detroit Division Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins.
“Angela Summers did not deserve to be killed for doing her job,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “My condolences go out to her family, friends, and colleagues, and I hope that this sentence at least provides a measure of closure for them.”
United States Postal Inspection Service, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Jane Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Cushingberry be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Jayson W. McGrath and Peter A. Blackett, who prosecuted this case.
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Illinois Man Sentenced to 24 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Levar Tyms, 20 years old, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody after pleading guilty to possessing an unregistered machinegun, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Tyms was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release
According to documents in the case, on March 9, 2022, law enforcement attempted to stop a stolen vehicle driven by Tyms in Gary, Indiana. Tyms fled from officers at a high rate of speed and crashed the vehicle. From the vehicle, officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine. The firearm also contained a conversion device known as a “Glock Switch” which converted the semi-automatic firearm to a fully automatic weapon. The machinegun was not registered to Tyms in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer record, making his possession of it illegal.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel L. Mathur and Kevin F. Wolff.
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.
Holly, Michigan Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison After Threatening Bar Patrons with an AR-15-Style RifleRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Holly, Michigan man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a weapon after he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at patrons inside the Holly Inn Bar in March 2022, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Joshua Allgeyer, 40, was sentenced by United States District Judge George Caram Steeh after having previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a Springfield Armory Saint AR-15-style rifle. Witnesses told investigators that after Allgeyer left the Holly Inn Bar following a verbal fight inside, he returned with the rifle and pointed it through a side window at patrons inside, causing them to run for cover and fear for their lives. Allgeyer then fled the scene and hid inside his local residence, refusing to exit once officers arrived to arrest him. After a barricade was set up and the SWAT team was called in, Allgeyer eventually exited the residence. Inside, law enforcement recovered the rifle, over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and seven rifle magazines. Allgeyer had prior convictions for armed robbery and home invasion and had previously served 14 years in prison for these crimes.
“This individual posed a great danger to members of our community who were just trying to enjoy an evening at a local bar when he pointed an assault rifle at them. We work continuously to keep dangerous felons off the streets and away from deadly firearms,” U.S. Attorney Ison said.
“Allgeyer’s reckless disregard for human life has real consequences. The use of an illegal firearm to intimidate people by a previous repeat offender in our community is reprehensible,” said, ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir “The women and men of the ATF are steadfast in their commitment to hold violent felons accountable for criminal misconduct involving illegal firearms.”
This case was investigated by the Detroit Field Office of the ATF and by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin Casey and Diane Princ.
Harrisburg Man Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Princeton Flagg-Garrett, age 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by federal grand jury with committing bank fraud while on federal pretrial release for similar offenses.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that in 2022, Flagg-Garrett pleaded guilty to committing bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. While he was on pretrial release in that case, Flagg-Garrett is alleged to have obtained employment at Penn State Hershey Medical Center through Allied Universal Security Services by submitting an application that used a false social security number and which omitted Flagg-Garrett’s prior criminal convictions. The indictment alleges that while working at Penn State Hershey, Flagg-Garrett stole more than two dozen checks in the aggregate amount of $167,934.68, which he fraudulently altered to be made payable to himself and third parties who are alleged to have negotiated or attempted to negotiate the checks at banks and credit unions in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland.
The case was investigated by the Derry Township Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the United States Secret Service -Harrisburg. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the charged offense is imprisonment for up to 30 years, up to five years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Because Flagg-Garrett is alleged to have committed the offenses while under pretrial supervision, he may be subject to additional consecutive penalties if he is convicted. 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 are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Hamden Man Admits Mailing Numerous Threatening LettersRead the Press Release
GARRETT SANTILLO, 43, of Hamden, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to mailing numerous threatening letters to individuals in Connecticut and elsewhere.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately December 2021 and June 2022, Santillo mailed more than 100 letters containing threatening and hateful statements, including threats of violence, to journalists, judges and other public officials and individuals in Connecticut and elsewhere, including a Justice of the United States Supreme Court and a United States Supreme Court Justice Nominee. Several letters mailed by Santillo contained this or similar language: “If you don’t obey what this letter says, you along with others including [name redacted] and people in Washington DC and everywhere and you. You all will be killed!!”
Santillo pleaded guilty to one count of mailing threatening communications to a United States Judge, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled. He has been released on a $100,000 bond since his arrest on July 6, 2022.
Santillo has been federally prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced for mailing threatening letters three prior times, and he completed his most recent term of federal supervision in August 2021.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Hamden, Milford, Ridgefield, and New Haven Police Departments. The investigation has also been assisted by the offices of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney, the New Haven State’s Attorney and the Litchfield State’s Attorney.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
Greensboro Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms Dealing as a Result of New Legislation Aimed at Building Safer CommunitiesRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Guilford County man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to dealing firearms without a license after a lengthy investigation revealed an extensive illegal firearms business, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston.
According to court records, GREGORY VINCE RACHAL, age 58, of Greensboro, was contacted in September 2020 by law enforcement after sales records revealed that RACHAL had purchased a large number of firearms on multiple occasions that were the same make and model. At the time of the purchases, RACHAL did not have a license to deal firearms, and the sales records mirrored the behavior of a firearms dealer. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) visited RACHAL to inquire about the sales and RACHAL voluntarily admitted to selling firearms without a license. RACHAL said he was not sure that he needed a license and agreed to no longer sell firearms. In the days immediately after the interview, RACHAL continued to obtain additional similar firearms, prompting a federal investigation. In November 2020, local ATF agents received multiple reports that firearms purchased by RACHAL were recovered by law enforcement agencies across multiple states. In total, twenty-seven of RACHAL’s firearms were recovered in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
In September 2021, a confidential source revealed to law enforcement that RACHAL owned and operated a tactical supply store located besides his business, POPS Electric, wherein he sold ammunition, tactical gear, and firearms parts, and that he was manufacturing privately-made firearms (PMFs), also known as “ghost guns.”.
In an additional interview with ATF agents in December 2021, RACHAL again admitted that he had continued to sell firearms despite warnings from federal agents. RACHAL also informed the agents that he had maintained a log of all of his firearms transactions which he provided to law enforcement. According to his records, RACHAL had acquired over 200 sterilized firearms between March 2020 and January 2021. His records further detailed that he sold approximately fourteen of those after the initial warning from investigators in September 2020.
In July of 2022, a confidential source (CS) revealed to law enforcement that RACHAL had PMFs for sale at his tactical shop. The CS then made a series of controlled purchases of PMFs at this location that were audio and visually recorded by law enforcement.
This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.
“This case is just one example of how our law enforcement agencies work hard each day to keep Americans safe. By tracing and confiscating illegal firearms and removing unlicensed dealers from our communities, the threat that these weapons will fall into the hands of those prohibited from possessing them is substantially decreased,” said U. S. Attorney Sandra Hairston.
On October 31, 2022, RACHAL and one co-defendant were charged in a sealed Indictment. RACHAL was charged with one count of dealing firearms without a license and six counts of knowingly selling firearms to a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license on March 1, 2023.
RACHAL was sentenced today to a 60 month term of imprisonment by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, RACHAL was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay a $5,000 fine and a special assessment of $100.00.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Greensboro Police Department, and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole DuPré.
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Garner Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth and Heroin ChargesRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and heroin pled guilty June 1, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City.
Brook Paulsen, 40, from Garner, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
At the plea hearing, Paulsen admitted that during the course of the conspiracy, October 2020 through December 2021, she and others participated in the distribution of more than 2.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and over one pound of heroin. Paulsen and a co-defendant admitted they would receive packages of drugs through FedEx and DHL from a source in Mexico to addresses in Minnesota and Iowa for further distribution in Iowa. Other evidence presented showed that on April 28, 2021, she and a co-defendant distributed methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with law enforcement.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Paulsen was taken into custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Paulsen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa DCI Laboratory, and the Rochester Minnesota Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-3024. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Founding Member of New York’s Largest Latin Kings Set Sentenced to 27 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DIEGO MATEO, a/k/a “Casa,” was sentenced to 27 years in prison in connection with his participation in the Black Mob set of the Latin Kings and their distribution of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. MATEO pled guilty on February 23, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For two decades, Mateo ran the largest and most violent set of the Latin Kings in the New York area. He recruited hundreds of young men into his gang and used them to run a massive drug operation that committed countless acts of violence. Today’s sentencing — along with the other significant sentences that have been imposed in this case — proves that gang life is not glamorous and will lead to years in prison.”
According to public filings and statements made in court:
The Black Mob is a New York-based set, or “tribe,” of the nationwide Latin Kings gang. In order to enrich the enterprise, protect and expand its criminal operations, enforce discipline among its members, and retaliate against members of rival gangs, members and associates of the Black Mob committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence; distributed and possessed with intent to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and crack; committed robberies; and obtained, possessed, and used firearms.
MATEO was the highest-ranking member of the Black Mob. He founded the gang in 2002 and then grew the Black Mob into the largest Latin Kings set in the New York area with a power base built on massive amounts of drug trafficking and a reputation for violence. Prior to the instant prosecution, the Black Mob had approximately 300 members. The fear and power wielded by the Black Mob amplified MATEO’s own personal reputation, making him, at one point, the highest-ranking Latin King in the entire East Coast. As the leader of the Black Mob, MATEO oversaw the Black Mob’s operations and also ordered and participated in acts of violence and narcotics trafficking. This violence included multiple arsons and a November 18, 2012, shooting at a gang rival’s funeral that was ordered by MATEO. Three of the deceased’s family members were shot.
In December 2019, 17 members and associates of the Black Mob were charged with racketeering offenses, narcotics conspiracy, and firearms offenses. In April 2021, seven additional members and associates of the gang were charged, including MATEO. The defendants in this case have included the entire senior leadership of the gang and its most violent members. In addition to today’s sentencing of MATEO, the sentences of the Black Mob leadership have included CARMELO VELEZ (228 months in prison), CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ (210 months in prison), ANGEL LOPEZ (240 months in prison), LUIS SEPULVEDA (180 months in prison), EMMANUEL BONAFE (216 months in prison), MARK WOODS (228 months in prison), WILLIAM GONZALEZ (204 months in prison), ALBERTO BORGES (204 months in prison), RICARDO RICUARTE (168 months in prison), JUAN HERNANDEZ (192 months in prison), RAUL CUELLO (168 months in prison), and PAUL CUELLO (168 months in prison).
MATEO pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics. In connection with his guilty plea, MATEO further stipulated to his involvement in multiple acts of violence: the November 18, 2012, shooting at a gang rival’s funeral and a 2016 arson of a commercial wedding venue in Connecticut.
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In addition to the prison term, MATEO, 46, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Hobson, David Robles, Elinor Tarlow, and Patrick Moroney are in charge of the prosecution.
Former West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of over $150,000 in Official FundsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr., announced that Mandy Nicole Miller, age 44, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to a Bill of Information charging her with Federal Program Theft.
According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, while employed at the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Miller stole cash paid for traffic tickets and hid the thefts by recording fraudulent journal entries in the Sheriff’s Office accounting system. Miller’s scheme began on or about July 1, 2018, and continued through in or about September 2022. In all, Miller embezzled, stole, and converted to her personal use more than $150,000 in official funds.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, Investigative Audit Services, with assistance from the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III.
Former USDA animal inspector sentenced for accepting bribesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 69-year-old Laredo man has been ordered to federal prison for accepting bribes from Mexican cattle brokers, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Roberto Adams pleaded guilty on April 25, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered he serve a total of 57 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The sentenced was enhanced because he accepted more than one bribe payment while in a position of public trust for a total amount of over $40,000. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Adams did not understand the gravity of the crime he committed and the significance of the harm he did or could have caused by allowing diseased cattle into the country. He was also ordered to immediately pay $40,000 in fines.
“It is critical that we do not allow corruption to infect positions of public trust, including inspectors at the port of entry,” said Hamdani. “They are supposed to ensure the safety and integrity of the agricultural products passing into the United States. Adams put that system at risk. We hope this sentence serves as deterrent to others thinking of violating their obligations.”
At the time of his plea, Adams admitted he accepted over $40,000 in bribe payments from Mexican cattle brokers while acting in his official position as a USDA employee. In return, he allowed cattle to enter the United States without proper quarantine or inspection.
Adams was a employed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a lead animal health technician for 10 years. In that role, he was responsible for inspecting and quarantining or excluding tick-infested or diseased cattle. He was only one of two technicians the USDA employed in Laredo and exercised high level decision-making authority.
The FBI and USDA - Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Winter is prosecuting the case.
Former U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Sentenced to 36 Months’ Imprisonment for Willfully Retaining Top Secret National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle today sentenced Robert L. Birchum (55, Tampa) to three years in federal prison for unlawfully possessing and retaining classified documents relating to the national defense of the United States. The court also ordered Birchum to pay a fine of $25,000.
Birchum pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing and retaining classified documents relating to the national defense of the United States on February. 21, 2023. According to the plea agreement, Birchum previously served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. During his 29-year career, Birchum served in various positions in intelligence, including those requiring him to work with classified intelligence information for the Joint Special Operations Command, the Special Operations Command, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. While on active duty, Birchum entered into several agreements with the United States regarding the protection and proper handling of classified information.
In 2017, however, law enforcement officers discovered that Birchum knowingly removed more than 300 classified files or documents, including more than 30 items marked Top Secret, from authorized locations. Birchum kept these classified materials in his home, his overseas officer’s quarters, and a storage pod in his driveway. None of these locations were authorized for storage of classified national defense information. In particular, the criminal information charges that Birchum possessed two documents on a thumb drive found in his home that contained information relating to the National Security Agency’s capabilities and methods of collection and targets’ vulnerabilities. Both of these documents were classified as Top Secret/SCI, and their unauthorized release could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.
“The unauthorized removal of highly sensitive documents by the defendant in this case posed great risk to our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “We are grateful for our law enforcement partners who work diligently to keep our nation safe every day.”
“A goal of the FBI’s Counterintelligence program is to protect the secrets of the US Intelligence community. This sentencing illustrates the bureau’s commitment and perseverance in pursuing those individuals who knowingly jeopardize our nation’s security,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge David Walker.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cherie L. Krigsman of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Former Oklahoma Jail Sergeant Sentenced for Using Excessive ForceRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Johnnie K. Drewery, 29, a former sergeant with the Grady County Jail in Chickasha, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve 48 months of probation, 30 days of weekend incarceration, and 104 hours of community service for using excessive force against an inmate, and thereby violating the inmate’s constitutional civil rights, announced Robert J. Troester, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On January 19, 2022, Drewery pleaded guilty to a felony civil rights violation. According to court documents and admissions Drewery made during the plea hearing, on July 11, 2020, Drewery, along with other officers, transported an inmate, D.H., into a holding cell at the Grady County Jail. As the cell door was closing, D.H. spit on Drewery. Drewery then screamed for the cell door to be reopened. When the cell door was unlocked, Drewery rushed into the cell and, in retaliation for being spit on, struck and repeatedly kneed D.H. D.H. suffered a fractured rib as a result of this assault.
“Former Sergeant Drewery violated the public trust and the laws he was sworn to uphold when he assaulted a man entrusted to his care,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “Being a correctional officer did not make him above the law. My office remains committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans – including those who are incarcerated.”
“Mr. Drewery’s retaliatory actions toward an inmate in his care not only violated the victim’s civil rights, but also compromised the public’s trust toward the law enforcement community,” said Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “The sentence handed down today illustrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans.”
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry for the Western of District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to court records for further information.
Former KC Bank Manager Indicted for Facilitating Covid Fraud Scheme, Unemployment Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A former bank branch manager in Kansas City, Mo., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for accepting Kansas City Chiefs playoffs tickets and a new Chevrolet Tahoe in exchange for facilitating a $12.4 million Covid fraud scheme by a Jefferson City, Mo., business owner, as well as a separate fraud scheme to receive unemployment benefits.
Anthony Omar Brockman, 48, who currently resides in Bennington, Nebraska, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., on Tuesday, May 30. That indictment was unsealed and made public today following Brockman’s arrest.
Brockman was the branch manager of the Truman Hospital location of US Bank in Kansas City, Mo., until the COVID-19 pandemic caused the bank branch to close. Brockman was reassigned to US Bank’s Paycheck Protection Program project from April 12 through July 19, 2020. Brockman was then returned to his role as on-site manager at the Truman Hospital bank branch until May 22, 2021.
On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.
The indictment alleges that Brockman assisted and facilitated fraudulent PPP loan applications for Tod Ray Keilholz, the owner of TRK Construction, LLC, TRK Valpo, LLC, TL Builders, LLC, and Project Design, LLC, in Jefferson City. Keilholz has been charged in a separate indictment for his role in a more than $27.1 million bank fraud scheme that included more than $12.4 million in PPP loans for his businesses.
According to that separate indictment, Keilholz received a total of $12,430,932 in PPP loans for his four businesses. In each of those loan applications, the indictment says, Keilholz failed to disclose his ownership in the other three businesses, and made materially false and fraudulent claims in the loan applications and supporting documentation. Keilholz allegedly inflated the income of those businesses and claimed payrolls for employees who did not exist or no longer worked for him.
Brockman is charged with two counts of receiving gifts in exchange for assisting Keilholz in procuring those loans. On Nov. 4, 2020, Keilholz allegedly used PPP loan proceeds to pay for a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe that he gave to Brockman. On Jan. 18, 2021, Keilholz allegedly used PPP loan proceeds to purchase tickets to the Jan. 24, 2021, AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. These gifts, the indictment says, were intended to influence and reward Brockman in connection with Keilholz’s applications for PPP loans and Keilholz’s applications for the forgiveness of PPP loans.
The indictment also charges Brockman with one count of money laundering. Brockman allegedly signed an affidavit gifting the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe to Rich Girl, Rich Boy Prep, Inc., a charity of which his wife was the Chief Executive Officer. On May 25, 2021, Brockman transferred the title to the Tahoe to Rich Girl, Rich Boy Prep but continued to drive the Tahoe until he sold it in July 2022.
The indictment charges Brockman with five counts of wire fraud related to a scheme to receive $11,040 in unemployment benefits from March 27, 2020, to Nov. 4, 2021, while he was employed by US Bank.
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 Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-Office of Inspector General, the Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Former Engineer Sentenced for Possessing Stolen Semiconductor Trade SecretRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lexington, Mass. man was sentenced today in Boston federal court for possessing the stolen prototype design of a microchip, known as the HMC1022A, which was owned and developed by his former employer, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a semiconductor company headquartered in Wilmington, Mass. This chip is used in both aerospace and defense applications.
Haoyang Yu, 45, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, during which he may not work in the microchip industry. Yu was also ordered to pay a fine of $55,000 and restitution to be determined at a later date. In May 2022, following a month-long trial, a federal jury convicted Yu of possessing ADI’s stolen trade secret. The jury acquitted Yu of alleging possession of other stolen trade secrets, wire fraud, immigration fraud, and the illegal export of controlled technology.
“This prosecution demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the semiconductor market, as this technology plays a critical role in both our country’s industrial policy and geopolitical strategy. Mr. Yu stole intellectual property from his employer, plain and simple, and used that pilfered information to line his own pocket. I commend the work of the Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service in their dedicated work to the investigation and prosecution of this matter,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
“Yu was convicted by a federal jury of stealing trade secret associated with the design for a semiconductor utilized in defense and aerospace industries. As a result of an intensive investigation, Yu is facing federal prison for his crime,” said Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “HSI works tirelessly with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure the security of sensitive U.S. strategic technologies and will continue to disrupt and dismantle any attempts to obtain them for financial gain.”“Today, Mr. Yu learned his fate for possessing a stolen semiconductor trade secret for his own financial gain. Thankfully, his actions did not destroy his former employer’s business,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “While we all welcome fair competition, the FBI will not tolerate stealing and cheating. It’s illegal, unethical, and unfair, and this type of criminal conduct hurts American businesses, jobs, and consumers.”
Between 2014 and 2017, Yu worked at ADI, where he designed microchips used by the communications, defense, and aerospace industries. Through his employment, Yu had access to various kinds of ADI intellectual property, including present and future microchip designs, schematics, layouts, modeling files, customer lists, and ordering histories.
While employed at ADI, Yu used this information to start his own microchip business, Tricon MMIC, LLC. Forensic analysis later showed that Yu’s personal, at-home computer held exact, bit-for-bit copies of hundreds of ADI intellectual property files. Trial evidence showed that Yu had accessed these files on ADI’s secure servers, copied them, changed their filenames – often to those of cartoon characters, and then saved them on his personal electronic accounts and devices.
Trial evidence showed that all of the chips Yu’s business sold were built with ADI’s stolen intellectual property. In particular, Yu used the stolen HMC1022A design to manufacture two knock-off versions of ADI’s chip. Yu then began selling his versions of the HMC1022A to ADI’s customers and others even before ADI went to market with its own completed design. In all, before his arrest, Yu manufactured about 10,000 chips built with stolen ADI property and grossed about $235,000. ADI cooperated fully in the government’s investigation.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; Rashel Assouri, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, Boston Field Office; HSI Acting SAC Krol; FBI SAC Bonavolonta; and Michael Wiest, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Massachusetts State Police and the Lexington and Hingham Police Departments provided assistance with the investigation. Valuable assistance in the case was provided by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Beck, Jason A. Casey and John A. Capin of Levy’s National Security Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Credit Union Assistant Branch Manager in Tulare Arrested for Stealing over $60,000 from Members’ Accounts to Spend on TikTokRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Esther Andrade Olson, 48, of Hanford, was arrested today on the charge that she embezzled over $60,000 from multiple members’ accounts at a Tulare-based credit union where she was previously employed, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Olson began working at the credit union in 2005 and was promoted to assistant branch manager in 2019. In July and August 2022, Olson made several unauthorized withdrawals from four members’ accounts, including seven withdrawals totaling $35,000 from one member. When questioned by credit union officials, Olson abruptly resigned from her position. Court documents indicate that Olson was using some of the embezzled funds to promote herself on TikTok.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chan Hee Chu and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Olson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.