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17 May 2023
Missing Marksmanship Medals Returned to Springfield Armory National Historic SiteRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Earlier today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service held a ceremony to mark the return of the late-19th century marksmanship medals that went missing from the Springfield Armory, a national historic site located in Springfield, Mass., in the 1990s.
“The medals you see before you are a part of Massachusetts history that should be preserved for the benefit of the public. Today, we return the 24 marksmanship medals that were unlawfully removed from the Springfield Armory many years ago,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This recovery would not have been possible without the efforts between the FBI, the National Park Service, and my office’s Asset Recovery Unit – whose collaboration is an example of our commitment toward the protection and preservation of our Commonwealth’s history. We are proud to say that these artifacts have returned to their rightful home.”
“As we return these treasured medals, we do so with the purpose of preserving history. Their absence represented not just a physical and financial loss, but a loss to every visitor who missed out on viewing these significant pieces of military history, and our nation’s heritage. The FBI is honored to be able to return them to their rightful owner,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Combating the theft and sale of stolen historical property is a top priority of the FBI’s art crime team, and we’re grateful for the partnerships in this case that allowed us to recover, protect, and preserve these historic artifacts.”
“Thanks to the efforts of federal law enforcement officers the National Park Service is happy to have these medals returned to their rightful owners, the American people,” said Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, Deputy Regional Director of the National Park Service. “These medals are returned to Springfield Armory, where federal employees have the expertise to preserve them for future generations to appreciate.”
The medals were awarded to Milan Bull and Freeman Bull, members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in the late 1800s. The daughter and niece of Freeman Bull and Milan Bull donated the medals to the Springfield Armory in 1944.
In October 2021, a collector contacted Curator Alex MacKenzie at the Springfield Armory inquiring about the marksmanship medals. Based on the information provided by the collector, the Springfield Armory was able to determine that numerous items matching the collector’s items were missing from the Armory’s collection since the 1990s.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation subsequently seized the medals. It is a violation of federal law to embezzle, steal, purloin, or knowingly convert, or, without authority, to sell, convey or dispose of government property.
In July 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture action against the medals. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims. After the conclusion of the forfeiture case, the Department of Justice granted the National Park Service’s petition for remission to return the medals.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and NPS Deputy Regional Director Talken-Spauling made the announcement today. The civil forfeiture action was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit.
ABOUT THE PARK: Springfield Armory National Historic Site is the location of the nation’s first armory (1794 – 1968) and was established by George Washington. The site includes historic grounds, buildings, and the world’s largest historic American military firearms collection. For updates and further information call 413-734-8551, check the website at https://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm or go to https://www.facebook.com/SPARNHS/.
Minnesota Man Charged in Connection with “Ruby Slippers” TheftRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Terry Martin for the theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum. Martin is charged with one count of theft of major artwork. The indictment was filed on May 16 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
The Indictment alleges that in 2005, Martin stole an authentic pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz,” from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. At the time of theft, the slippers were insured for $1 million but current fair market appraisal value the slippers at $3.5 million.
The ruby slippers, which were recovered by the FBI and Grand Rapids Police Department in July 2018, are one of the four remaining pairs and are widely viewed as among the most recognizable memorabilia in American film history.
The charges announced today are the result of a federal investigation into the initial theft of the ruby slippers. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Division.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter was assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 515(a).
Because the case is ongoing, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota will have no additional comment at this time.
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Mingo County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Paul Thomasson, 57, of Delbarton, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Thomasson admitted to selling quantities of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at his residence in Delbarton on October 4, 2021, and October 12, 2021.
On October 20, 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Thomasson at his residence on a warrant. Officers searched the residence and found more than 1 pound of fentanyl, 30 grams of fentanyl, three firearms and $12,089.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-141.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics and Firearms Offenses for Maintaining Stash House in DC Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eder Luciano Pacheco, 36, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to maintaining a drug-involved premises and unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Luciano Pacheco entered the plea in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Chief Judge James E. Boasberg scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 31, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 28, 2022, members of the Metropolitan Police Department responded to an apartment building in the District’s Southwest Waterfront neighborhood after receiving a report that a vacant apartment unit was being unlawfully occupied. Upon officers’ entry into the unit, the defendant exited a bedroom and made his presence known to police. Officers observed large bags of a leafy green substance consistent in appearance with marijuana. Officers also observed several large duffle bags containing suspected marijuana. The substance was later weighed, and a representative sample was field tested. The substance weighed approximately 618.75 pounds (approximately 280.66 kilograms) and field-tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. Officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun from the bedroom the defendant had been occupying when they first entered the unit. The defendant advised officers that there was another gun in a cabinet above the refrigerator. The few other items in the apartment, such as a FoodSaver vacuum sealer, indicated that the apartment was being used to repackage bulk marijuana for further distribution.
Luciano Pacheco was arrested on May 28, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.
Maintaining a drug-involved premises carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Unlawful possession of a firearm by a person illegally or unlawfully in the United States carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Forget, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Karla Nunez.
Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Samuel Frey, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Mexican Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Alfredo Escobar, 40, of Guanajuato, Mexico, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for Conspiracy to Possesses with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Escobar to 10 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Escobar will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Law enforcement made two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Escobar over the course of a 10-month period in the Omaha area. The first buy was for one ounce of methamphetamine on August 3, 2020. The second buy was for two ounces of methamphetamine on June 1, 2021. On June 11, 2021, a search warrant was served on Escobar’s Omaha residence with officers locating approximately one pound of methamphetamine. During a post-arrest interview, Escobar admitted to his involvement in distributing methamphetamine.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Omaha Police Department.
Mexican Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Tomas Lorenzo-Cruz, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced on May 16, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for his participation in a methamphetamine drug conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lorenzo-Cruz to 135 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Lorenzo-Cruz will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Beginning in November 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated Operation Pollos Socios, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) to investigate the distribution activities of a Mexican-based Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) active in Omaha, Nebraska. This investigation included numerous warrants including a court-authorized Title III interception of phone calls and text messages. During the investigation, DEA special agents identified Lorenzo-Cruz as a methamphetamine distributor for the DTO. A Title III intercept of Lorenzo-Cruz’s phone led investigators to other co-conspirators. Ultimately, a search warrant was executed on a stash house that resulted in the seizure of 21 pounds of pure methamphetamine.
Lorenzo-Cruz was the last defendant to be sentenced as part of this investigation. Fidel Cardenas-Alvarez was sentenced on December 9, 2022, to 144 months’ imprisonment. Darald Sandman was sentenced on March 6, 2023, to 138 months’ imprisonment. Teresa Forbes was sentenced on March 6, 2023, to 70 months’ imprisonment.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is one of two Mexican drug trafficking organizations who have made their destructive presence felt in the United States and within our own Midwestern communities,” Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “The DEA remains focused on targeting and disrupting associates and distributors of the Cartel. Today’s sentencing is the result of the cooperative efforts between several state, local and federal law enforcement partners. Working together we can make a positive impact in Nebraska.”
This effort is part of an OCDETF investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omaha Police Department.
Memphis Man Charged with Trafficking Counterfeit Airbags from ChinaRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Mohammed Al-Abadi, 51, of Memphis, has been indicted and arrested for one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods and one count of causing the criminal transportation of hazardous materials by air carrier. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the charges today.
According to United States Attorney Ritz and the information presented in court, from about October 1, 2019, to January 14, 2021, Al-Abadi imported counterfeit motor vehicle airbag parts from China, assembled them and then sold them on eBay to unsuspecting automobile repair shops and individual customers. Federal agents recovered more than 2,000 counterfeit airbags and parts from the defendant’s residence and place of business.
“The alleged actions of the defendant have placed unsuspecting motorists and the general public in harm’s way,” said United States Attorney Kevin Ritz. “Vehicle airbags are subject to strict quality standards which must be followed to ensure passenger safety. The defendant’s alleged actions undermined the efforts of the automobile industry and regulatory bodies to keep the public safe.”
“The diligent and extensive investigative work by our special agents led to the discovery of the sale of fraudulent, counterfeit airbags, sold by bypassing regulatory oversight meant to keep dangerous and ineffective products out of the U.S. market,” said Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud, HSI Nashville. “The defendant will now have to answer for his alleged criminal actions that put consumers lives at risk.”
“Counterfeit air bags are not regulated or tested to ensure they meet federal safety standards, and when transported and used by unsuspecting consumers, they can be unsafe and lead to potentially grave consequences,” said Todd Damiani, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Southern Region. “The indictment and arrest handed down demonstrates the continuous coordination with our federal and prosecutorial partners to curtail the flow of these dangerous and illegal automobile products into the United States.”
If convicted, Al-Abadi faces up to ten years imprisonment and a fine of two million dollars for trafficking in the counterfeit airbags and up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for causing the transportation of hazardous materials by air carrier. Both charges also carry a period of up to three years supervision following release from imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin is prosecuting this case.
McAlester Resident Sentenced for Arson in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dalyn Ray Lane Johnson, age 24, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced on May 4, 2023, to 39 months in prison for Arson in Indian Country.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Hartshorne Police Department, the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to investigators, on April 29, 2021, Johnson started a fight with a Hartshorne resident, and threatened to return and burn down the house. That same afternoon, video surveillance showed Johnson filling a fuel canister with gasoline at a Casey’s gas station. In the early morning hours of May 1st, the Hartshorne Fire Department responded to an emergency call and extinguished a fire at an unoccupied residence. Johnson fled, attempting to evade prosecution, and was later arrested on a federal warrant in Michigan on October 21st.
On March 9, 2022, Johnson pleaded guilty to Arson in Indian Country.
“Johnson’s arrest and conviction for arson was a team effort that resulted in a serious violent crime being solved and the perpetrator held accountable,” said SSA Ashley Stephens, Resident Agent in Charge, ATF Tulsa Field Office. “ATF is committed to working with our state, local and tribal partners to tirelessly combat violent crime in Eastern Oklahoma.”
"Arson can sometimes be a difficult crime to prosecute,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Our law enforcement partners did an excellent job of gathering evidence and tracking down the defendant hundreds of miles from the crime scene.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted this case because the defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing in Muskogee. Johnson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal at the conclusion of sentencing and will remain in custody pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Anthony C. Marek represented the United States.
Man Indicted for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in a Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man on drug trafficking charges.
According to court documents, Noel Carias Marin, 47, of Wichita was indicted on four counts of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intention to distribute methamphetamine. Marin has been known to also go by the name Ruben Gonzalez Lopez.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ola Odeyemi and Katie Andrusak are prosecuting the case.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Cody McCormick, 27, of Wichita was indicted on three counts of making a threat against the President of the United States. The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Treaster and Katie Andrusak are prosecuting the case.
Kenny Rivera-Colon, 28, of Wichita was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Treaster and Katie Andrusak are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Man Charged with Forcibly Assaulting U.S. Government Employee at Congressman’s OfficeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A criminal complaint has been filed charging a Fairfax man with assault of an employee of the United States engaged in the performance of official duties, which inflicted bodily injury.
According to allegations in the complaint, on May 15, Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, entered the District Office of Congressman Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly in Fairfax with a baseball bat. At that time, a member of Congressman Connolly’s staff (Victim 1) was showing a a new intern (Victim 2), how to complete administrative tasks. Using the bat, Pham allegedly struck Victim 1 on the head, causing her to fall to the floor, and struck Victim 2 in the ribs. He then returned to hitting Victim 1, allegedly saying, “I’m going to kill you” and “you’re going to die.” Victim 1 estimated that the defendant struck her approximately eight times. At one point thereafter, Pham was allegedly heard yelling, “Gerry,” and that he wanted to “talk to Connolly” as he destroyed items in the office with his bat.
City of Fairfax Police Department officers responded to the scene, restrained Pham and placed him under arrest. Pham remains detained pending local charges being pursued by the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-mj-107.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
MEDIA ADVISORY: U.S. Attorney’s Office to Host Elder Justice Initiative on Friday in GarnerRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina is hosting a lunch and learn event to ‘Build Strong Support for Older Americans by Learning More about Elder Abuse.’ The event is sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Garner Senior Center, and Meals on Wheels. Registration for the event is not required.
WHERE: Garner Senior Center, 205 East Garner Road, Garner, NC 27529
WHEN: Friday, May 19, 2023, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (Meals on Wheels will serve lunch beginning at 10:45)
Media: please arrive at the Garner Senior Center by 11:00 for set up.
For logistical information in advance of the media availability, please contact Don Connelly at [email protected].
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Luzerne County Man Sentenced to Seven Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that William Heck, age 42, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to seven years’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and an additional amount of fentanyl.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Heck previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and additional amounts of fentanyl for distribution in the Hazleton area of Luzerne County in 2020. The charges stem from an incident on October 2, 2020, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police served a search warrant at a residence in Hazleton, where Heck was living, and seized 226 grams of methamphetamine, 2,464 packets of fentanyl, $4,452 in U.S. currency, and other items of drug paraphernalia.
The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Louisville Man Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Bomb Hoax and Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment today charging a local man with one count of violating a federal law prohibiting false information and hoaxes and with three counts of assaulting federal officers.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, on April 17, 2023, Cameron Hyatt, 29, engaged in conduct with intent to convey false and misleading information under circumstances where such information may reasonably be believed in that he threatened to bomb an Internal Revenue Service processing facility where he previously worked as a contract employee. Additionally, on April 20, 2023, Hyatt assaulted, resisted, or impeded three TIGTA Special Agents.
Hyatt was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on April 20, 2023. He remains in federal custody. Hyatt’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 23, 2023, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, Hyatt faces a maximum sentence of 29 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The TIGTA is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Elver is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Los Angeles Harbor Area Gang Members and Associates Targeted in Federal Complaints Alleging Fentanyl and ‘Ghost Gun’ SalesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement this morning arrested seven members and associates of Los Angeles Harbor area street gangs – including from the two largest gangs, Westside Wilmas and Eastside Wilmas – on federal charges alleging the trafficking of firearms and pound quantities of narcotics such as fentanyl.
Those arrested today are among 10 members and associates of street gangs who are named across three criminal complaints filed in federal court. One defendant is in state custody, and law enforcement continues to search for two defendants. Authorities arrested an additional four defendants on state charges.
In relation to the charges unsealed today, law enforcement seized approximately 23 firearms, 26.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 23,000 fentanyl pills, 2.4 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, and one kilogram of cocaine.
This morning’s arrests are the latest development in a violence reduction initiative started in late 2020 by a joint FBI and Los Angeles Police Department task force that targeted gang activity in the Harbor area. Prior to today’s arrests, 11 Harbor area gang members and associates were charged with federal drug, firearms and Hobbs Act robbery crimes. Three of those defendants already have been convicted and sentenced, receiving prison sentences of between 10 and 20 years.
The seven federal defendants arrested today are charged in complaints filed May 10 with various federal crimes, including distribution of controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to an affidavit filed with one of the complaints, the task force has investigated influential members and associates of the Eastside Wilmas, Westside Wilmas and other Harbor area gangs who were suspected of being involved in a host of illegal activities. Both Eastside and Westside Wilmas are based in Wilmington, a Los Angeles neighborhood located near the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Harbor area gangs, including the Wilmas, commit their crimes under the direction and authority of the Mexican Mafia, a California prison gang that controls many of the Latino street gangs in Southern California. Mexican Mafia leaders and associates direct the activities of the Wilmas gangs from within the California state prison system. Leaders have access to illicit cellular telephones and other digital devices that they use to communicate with gang members in the community.
Law enforcement believes the Wilmas gangs are controlled by separate Mexican Mafia members who are each serving a life sentence in a California state prison after being convicted of murder. One Mexican Mafia associate directs firearm and drug sales from prison despite being sentenced to death for murder.
The complaint affidavit alleges from October 2022 to February 2023, reputed Wilmas and Mexican Mafia associate Patricia Amelia Limon, 53, of Lomita, fulfilled seven drug and firearm deals under the direction of the Mexican Mafia associate on death row. Limon personally, and at least once through an intermediary, supplied methamphetamine, fentanyl, firearms and ammunition to a buyer and collected money on behalf of the Mexican Mafia member.
In one deal on November 2, 2022, Limon allegedly supplied 5,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills to a buyer for $5,300. Fifteen days later, Limon allegedly supplied 1.71 kilograms (3.8 pounds) of methamphetamine and 2,000 fentanyl pills to a buyer for $5,000. The affidavit further alleges Limon engaged in other illicit sales of fentanyl and firearms.
The affidavit further alleges that Jesus Chuy Delgado, 46, of San Pedro, who reputedly is a high-ranking Westside Wilmas member, engaged in a series of methamphetamine and firearms sales, including several in January and February 2023 that allegedly occurred across the street from a high school and a middle school in San Pedro. Delgado allegedly sold firearms – including semi-automatic weapons lacking a serial number, commonly known as “ghost guns” – and 883.9 grams (1.95 pounds) of methamphetamine while on parole.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Limon and Delgado – who are charged with distribution of controlled substances – would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The FBI and the LAPD are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin B. Reidy of Major Frauds Section and Suria M. Bahadue of the Criminal Appeals Section are prosecuting this case.
Livingston County Man Sentenced in Federal Court to 11 years and 8 months for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Paducah, KY – A Livingston County Kentucky man was sentenced yesterday for methamphetamine distribution.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
According to court documents, Donald K. Duncan, 52, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by a 5-year term of supervised release, for possessing with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a methamphetamine mixture. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the DEA Paducah Post of Duty with assistance from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
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La Crosse Woman Sentenced to 5 Years for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kojoua Vu, 33, La Crosse, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 5 years in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Vu pleaded guilty to this charge on January 26, 2023.
On August 18, 2021, Vu sold an ounce, or approximately 28 grams, of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in La Crosse.
On October 28, 2021, law enforcement officers pulled over Vu’s car in La Crosse. She had a bag containing 30 grams of methamphetamine in her coat pocket, and a bag containing 195 grams of methamphetamine was found under the driver’s seat of the car. Vu admitted to possessing the methamphetamine and when officers told her that they had completed a controlled buy on her, she asked, “Was it three days ago?” This response led the officers to believe that Vu was still regularly selling methamphetamine.
Officers also executed a search warrant at the residence in Onalaska, Wisconsin where Vu was believed to be living with her boyfriend. Additional methamphetamine, a large quantity of cash, and drug trafficking paraphernalia were found at the residence.
At the time of these events, Vu was on state supervision for a prior felony state methamphetamine trafficking conviction and out on bond for an open felony state case that alleged maintaining a drug trafficking home and possessing methamphetamine. Vu’s supervision was revoked in August of 2022, and she was ordered to serve 2 years, 3 months, and 29 days in state prison. Judge Conley ordered that Vu’s federal sentence run concurrently with the remainder of her state sentence.
At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted that Vu was already on state supervision for methamphetamine trafficking at the time she engaged in the conduct charged in this federal case.
The charge against Vu was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse, Onalaska, and Campbell Police Departments and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. The La Crosse County District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Aaron D. Wegner prosecuted this case.
Justice Department and EPA Announce Settlement to Reduce Hazardous Air Emissions at BP Products’ Whiting Refinery in IndianaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Clean Air Act Settlement with BP Products North America Inc., (BPP), a subsidiary of BP p.l.c., requiring control technology expected to reduce benzene by an estimated seven tons per year, other hazardous air pollutants (HAP) by 28 tons per year, and other volatile organic compound emissions (VOC) by 372 tons per year at its Whiting Refinery in Indiana. The United States’ complaint, filed simultaneously with the settlement, alleges that BPP violated federal regulations limiting benzene in refinery wastewater streams, and HAP and VOC emissions at its Whiting Refinery, as well as the general requirement to use good air pollution control practices. As part of the settlement, BPP will install one or more permanent benzene strippers to reduce benzene in wastewater streams leading to its lakefront wastewater treatment plant.
“This settlement sends an important message to the refining industry that the United States will take decisive action against illegal benzene and VOC emissions,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Under the settlement, the refinery will implement controls that will greatly improve air quality and reduce health impacts on the overburdened communities that surround the facility.”
“This settlement will result in the reduction of hundreds of tons of harmful air pollution a year, which means cleaner, healthier air for local communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This is one of several recent settlements that show that EPA and the Department of Justice are committed to improving air quality in local communities by holding industrial sources accountable for violations of emission standards under the Clean Air Act.”
“This settlement advances my office’s environmental justice initiative by providing cleaner air and reducing the negative health impacts on the low income and minority residents who live near BPP’s refinery,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana Clifford D. Johnson. “My office is committed to continuing to enforce the Nation’s environmental laws so that all residents of Northern Indiana can live, work, and play in a cleaner, healthier environment.”
In addition to securing injunctive relief, including capital investments, estimated to exceed $197 million, the settlement obligates BPP to pay a total financial penalty of $40 million, comprised of civil penalties and stipulated penalties for violations of an earlier settlement. This is the largest civil penalty ever secured for a Clean Air Act stationary source settlement. BPP separately agreed to undertake a $5 million supplemental environmental project to reduce diesel emissions in the communities surrounding the Whiting Refinery. BPP will also install 10 air pollutant monitoring stations to monitor air quality outside of the refinery fence line. The settlement terms are included in a proposed consent decree filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans. Short-term inhalation exposure to benzene also may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, and, at high levels, unconsciousness. Long-term inhalation exposure can cause various disorders in the blood, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and anemia in occupational settings. Reproductive effects have been reported for women exposed by inhalation to high levels, and adverse effects on the developing fetus have been observed in animal tests.
VOCs along with NOX, play a major role in the atmospheric reactions that produce ozone, which is the primary constituent of smog. People with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active can be affected when ozone levels are unhealthy. Ground-level ozone exposure is linked to a variety of short-term health problems, including lung irritation and difficulty breathing, as well as long-term problems, such as permanent lung damage from repeated exposure, aggravated asthma, reduced lung capacity, and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
The Whiting Refinery is surrounded by communities with environmental justice concerns. This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s and EPA’s ongoing focus on assisting communities that have been historically marginalized and disproportionately exposed to pollution.
This settlement also supports EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative (NECI): Creating Cleaner Air for Communities by Reducing Excess Emissions of Harmful Pollutants. To learn more about this NECI /www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-enforcement-and-compliance-initiative-creating-cleaner-air-communities
The State of Indiana assisted in the negotiations and is also a party to the settlement.
The settlement is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
Justice Department and EPA Announce Settlement to Reduce Hazardous Air Emissions at BP Products’ Whiting Refinery in IndianaRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Clean Air Act Settlement with BP Products North America Inc., (BPP), a subsidiary of BP p.l.c., requiring control technology expected to reduce benzene by an estimated seven tons per year, other hazardous air pollutants (HAP) by 28 tons per year and other volatile organic compound emissions (VOC) by 372 tons per year at its Whiting Refinery in Indiana. The United States’ complaint, filed simultaneously with the settlement, alleges that BPP violated federal regulations limiting benzene in refinery wastewater streams, and HAP and VOC emissions at its Whiting Refinery, as well as the general requirement to use good air pollution control practices. As part of the settlement, BPP will install one or more permanent benzene strippers to reduce benzene in wastewater streams leading to its lakefront wastewater treatment plant.
“This settlement sends an important message to the refining industry that the United States will take decisive action against illegal benzene and VOC emissions,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Under the settlement, the refinery will implement controls that will greatly improve air quality and reduce health impacts on the overburdened communities that surround the facility.”
“This settlement will result in the reduction of hundreds of tons of harmful air pollution a year, which means cleaner, healthier air for local communities, including communities with environmental justice concerns,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This is one of several recent settlements that show that EPA and the Department of Justice are committed to improving air quality in local communities by holding industrial sources accountable for violations of emission standards under the Clean Air Act.”
“This settlement advances my office’s environmental justice initiative by providing cleaner air and reducing the negative health impacts on the low income and minority residents who live near BPP’s refinery,” said U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana. “My office is committed to continuing to enforce the nation’s environmental laws so that all residents of Northern Indiana can live, work and play in a cleaner, healthier environment.”
In addition to securing injunctive relief, including capital investments, estimated to exceed $197 million, the settlement obligates BPP to pay a total financial penalty of $40 million, comprised of civil penalties and stipulated penalties for violations of an earlier settlement. This is the largest civil penalty ever secured for a Clean Air Act stationary source settlement. BPP separately agreed to undertake a $5 million supplemental environmental project to reduce diesel emissions in the communities surrounding the Whiting Refinery. BPP will also install 10 air pollutant monitoring stations to monitor air quality outside of the refinery fence line. The settlement terms are included in a proposed consent decree filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans. Short-term inhalation exposure to benzene also may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, and, at high levels, unconsciousness. Long-term inhalation exposure can cause various disorders in the blood, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and anemia in occupational settings. Reproductive effects have been reported for women exposed by inhalation to high levels, and adverse effects on the developing fetus have been observed in animal tests.
VOCs, along with NOX, play a major role in the atmospheric reactions that produce ozone, which is the primary constituent of smog. People with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active can be affected when ozone levels are unhealthy. Ground-level ozone exposure is linked to a variety of short-term health problems, including lung irritation and difficulty breathing, as well as long-term problems, such as permanent lung damage from repeated exposure, aggravated asthma, reduced lung capacity and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
The Whiting Refinery is surrounded by communities with environmental justice concerns. This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s and EPA’s ongoing focus on assisting communities that have been historically marginalized and disproportionately exposed to pollution.
This settlement also supports EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative (NECI): Creating Cleaner Air for Communities by Reducing Excess Emissions of Harmful Pollutants. To learn more about this NECI, visit www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-enforcement-and-compliance-initiative-creating-cleaner-air-communities.
The State of Indiana assisted in the negotiations and is also a party to the settlement.
The settlement is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with IT Staffing and Services Company for Posting Discriminatory Job AdvertisementsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with American CyberSystems Inc., a Georgia-based company that provides IT services and staff recruiting nationwide under the name Innova Solutions (formerly ACS Solutions). The settlement resolves the department’s determination that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it recruited for two positions using advertisements that unlawfully excluded certain applicants based on their citizenship statuses.
“Employers cannot unlawfully discriminate against individuals based on their citizenship status when they advertise job opportunities, plain and simple,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement makes clear our commitment to holding employers accountable when they run afoul of the law and discriminate on the basis of citizenship.”
The Civil Rights Division’s new fact sheet adds to the many other department resources available to help employers train their hiring and recruiting staff to avoid the types of discrimination that happened here.
The department’s investigation found that American CyberSystems discriminated against U.S. nationals, refugees and asylees by posting an advertisement recruiting only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. The position advertised involved access to materials subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The ITAR and EAR require employers to seek special authorization from the U.S. government for certain workers if their job requires accessing export-controlled items. Under these regulations, however, U.S. nationals, asylees and refugees are on the same footing as U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, and employers do not need authorization to share export-controlled items with these workers. The department concluded that the company had no justification to exclude them from hiring.
The department also found that the company posted a second, unrelated job advertisement that discriminated against immigrant and U.S. citizen workers by specifically seeking workers with temporary work visas.
Under the settlement, American CyberSystems must train its recruiting and human resources staff on the requirements of the INA’s anti-discrimination provision, review its policies to ensure compliance with relevant law and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements. American CyberSystems also must pay a civil penalty as a result of the discriminatory ads.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation. As explained in a new fact sheet the department issued on April 18, employer obligations under this law do not change when complying with export-control laws and regulations. Another department fact sheet is aimed at helping employers avoid discrimination when recruiting using online job ads.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Find more information on how employers can avoid citizenship status discrimination on IER’s website. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe for email updates from IER.
Spanish version
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Cumberland County Addressing Mental Health Care, Suicide Prevention and Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opiate Withdrawal at the Cumberland County JailRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today filed a complaint and proposed consent decree with Cumberland County, New Jersey and the Cumberland County Department of Corrections to resolve allegations that conditions at the Cumberland County Jail violate the Constitution.
The proposed consent decree resolves the department’s claims that the jail fails to provide adequate mental health care to incarcerated individuals at risk of self-harm and suicide, and fails to provide medication-assisted treatment, where clinically indicated, to incarcerated individuals experiencing unmedicated opiate withdrawal. The proposed consent decree requires the jail to provide adequate mental health care and medication-assisted treatment in those circumstances.
“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone in our country, and under our Constitution, jails and prisons must provide adequate medical care to incarcerated individuals,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s proposed consent decree is a significant step toward improving the care of individuals incarcerated in Cumberland County who are struggling with serious mental health disorders, and toward protecting the civil rights that are guaranteed by our Constitution.”
“This consent decree marks a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat discrimination against those with opioid use disorder and to protect the civil rights of people in our jails and prisons,” said Assistant Attorney General for Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under this agreement, Cumberland County must provide adequate medical and mental health care, including access to life-saving medications, treatment for opiate withdrawal, and protection for those with a heightened risk of self-harm and suicide. We commend Cumberland County for working collaboratively with us to implement the reforms in this decree to protect the safety and constitutional rights of incarcerated people at Cumberland County Jail.”
“The opioid epidemic is a public health emergency that plagues too many communities across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “Medications are a critically important tool in combatting the opioid crisis, and they save lives. By providing medication-assisted treatment to incarcerated individuals experiencing opiate withdrawal, officials at jails and prisons can take significant steps to both combat the opioid epidemic and protect the constitutional rights of their populations.”
In June 2018, following suicides at the jail by six incarcerated people denied medication-assisted treatment, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey initiated the investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. That statute authorizes the Justice Department to address a pattern or practice of deprivation of constitutional rights of individuals confined to state or local government-run correctional facilities. In January 2021, the Department found reasonable cause to believe that Cumberland County’s failure to provide medication-assisted treatment to incarcerated people with opioid use disorder, together with its failure to offer adequate mental health and suicide prevention measures, violated the rights of incarcerated individuals. The Department also identified measures necessary to remedy the unlawful conditions.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Civil Rights Division is available at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement. Individuals with relevant information about compliance with the agreement are encouraged to contact the Department by phone at 833-223-1547, or by email at [email protected].
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Cumberland County Addressing Conditions at County JailRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The Justice Department today filed a complaint and proposed consent decree with Cumberland County, New Jersey, and the Cumberland County Department of Corrections to resolve allegations that conditions at the Cumberland County Jail violate the Constitution.
The proposed consent decree, which must still be approved by the court, resolves the United States’ claims that the jail fails to provide adequate mental health care to incarcerated individuals at risk of self-harm and suicide, and fails to provide medication-assisted treatment, where clinically indicated, to incarcerated individuals experiencing unmedicated opiate withdrawal. The proposed consent decree requires the jail to provide adequate mental health care and medication-assisted treatment in those circumstances.
“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone in our country, and under our Constitution, jails and prisons must provide adequate medical care to incarcerated individuals,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “Today’s proposed consent decree is a significant step toward improving the care of individuals incarcerated in Cumberland County who are struggling with serious mental health disorders, and toward protecting the civil rights that are guaranteed by our Constitution.”
“The opioid epidemic is a public health emergency that plagues too many communities across the country,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. “Medications are a critically important tool in combatting the opioid crisis, and they save lives. By providing medication-assisted treatment to incarcerated individuals experiencing opiate withdrawal, officials at jails and prisons can take significant steps to both combat the opioid epidemic and protect the constitutional rights of their populations.”
“This consent decree marks a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat discrimination against those with opioid use disorder and to protect the civil rights of people in our jails and prisons,” said Assistant Attorney General for Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under this agreement, Cumberland County must provide adequate medical and mental health care, including access to life-saving medications, treatment for opiate withdrawal, and protection for those with a heightened risk of self-harm and suicide. We commend Cumberland County for working collaboratively with us to implement the reforms in this decree to protect the safety and constitutional rights of incarcerated people at Cumberland County Jail.”
The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for District of New Jersey initiated the investigation in June 2018 under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, which authorizes the department to take action to address a pattern or practice of deprivation of constitutional rights of individuals confined to state or local government-run correctional facilities. In January 2021, the Department of Justice provided the county written notice of the alleged unlawful conditions and remedial measures necessary to address them.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. Individuals who believe their civil rights may have been violated may file a complaint with the U.S Attorney’s Office at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
The government is represented by Michael E. Campion, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Junis Baldon of the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Rights Division; Laura Cowall, Deputy Chief of the Special Litigation Section in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Marlysha Myrthil, Senior Trial Attorney, Special Litigation Section; and Curtis Harris, Trial Attorney, Special Litigation Section.
cumberland.complaint.pdf cumberlandagreement.pdfJustice Department Leadership Honors Service and Sacrifice of Nation’s Law Enforcement for Police WeekRead the Press Release
In recognition of National Police Week, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta joined law enforcement partners to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to our nation.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement community. This year, memorial events ran May 9 - 20.
Today, Attorney General Garland delivered remarks at the 2021-2022 Medal of Valor ceremony hosted by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., at the White House. The Medal of Valor is awarded to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect others from harm. The Deputy and Associate Attorneys General also attended the ceremony.
In his remarks, Attorney General Garland said, “Every day, in communities across the country, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency services officers are asked to respond to our most difficult moments. And every day, without hesitation, you answer that call. You are on the frontlines of our nation’s most pressing public safety challenges. And you are the Justice Department’s indispensable partners in our shared work to keep communities safe. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the entire Justice Department – thank you.”
Earlier this week, Attorney General Garland delivered the keynote address at the Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, sponsored by the Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Police and the Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary, on the west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., honoring the officers who recently made the ultimate sacrifice and paying tribute to all the fallen. Deputy Attorney General Monaco and Associate Attorney General Gupta attended the service.
Last week, Attorney General Garland, Deputy Attorney General Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Gupta visited the National Law Enforcement Memorial and laid a wreath in honor of the men and women who have died in the line of duty. To recognize not only Justice Department employees who died in the line of duty but also their surviving family members and friends, Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Monaco attended memorial services for the Justice Department’s four law enforcement components: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Deputy Attorney General Monaco also delivered remarks at a memorial service to honor fallen federal correctional officers from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), during National Correctional Officers Week, which ran May 7 - May 13.
The Department’s leadership also convened a gathering of 10 law enforcement associations with whom they regularly meet, the four heads of the Justice Department’s law enforcement components, and representatives from other federal agencies to discuss the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, recruitment and retention of law enforcement, improving access to behavioral health services, and responding to people in crisis. Joined virtually by Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona and in-person by the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Andrea Palm, the discussion focused on whole of government approach federal agencies are taking to combat gun violence and violent crime.
Over the weekend, Attorney General Garland attended the annual candlelight vigil honoring the officers who lost their lives in 2022. Attorney General Garland and other high-ranking government officials, along with officials from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, read the names of the fallen.
According to the FBI’s recent release of statistics, 118 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2022. So far in 2023, 22 law enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.
A full list of the events attended on behalf of the Department include:
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Wreath Laying
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FBI Memorial Service
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ATF Memorial Service
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DEA Memorial Service
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USMS Memorial Service
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BOP Memorial Service
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Law Enforcement Quarterly Meeting and Reception with partners
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 35th Annual Candlelight Vigil
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National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service
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Medal of Valor Awards Ceremony
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Justice Department Files Proposed Amended Complaint and Consent Decree with Fourth Poultry Processor, Further Addressing Long-Running Conspiracy to Suppress Workers’ CompensationRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice filed a proposed amended complaint and consent decree today in the District of Maryland with George’s Inc. and George’s Foods LLC (George’s) that would resolve claims that George’s conspired with other poultry processors for years to suppress workers’ wages by exchanging compensation information. George’s provided significant and voluntary cooperation to the Justice Department's investigation. The department previously reached proposed consent decrees in this matter with poultry processors Cargill, Sanderson Farms, and Wayne Farms, as well as with a data consultant, Webber, Meng, Sahl and Company, and its president, G. Jonathan Meng.
“Today’s action is another important milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to hold poultry processors accountable for antitrust violations that harm workers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The antitrust laws protect American workers from information exchanges, like these, that damage competition and the competitive process.”
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, George’s must cease sharing competitively sensitive information about poultry processing plant workers’ compensation. If approved by the court, the proposed settlement also:
- Imposes a court-appointed compliance monitor who, for the next seven years, will ensure George’s compliance with the terms of the proposed decree;
- Grants the court-appointed monitor authority to ensure George’s compliance with all federal antitrust laws as they relate to its poultry processing facilities, workers at its poultry processing plants, chicken growers, integrated poultry feed, hatcheries, transportation of poultry and poultry products, and the sale of poultry, and to submit regular reports on George’s antitrust compliance;
- Prohibits George’s from retaliating against any employee or third party for disclosing information to the monitor or to government authorities;
- Permits the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to inspect George’s facilities and interview employees to ensure George’s compliance with the consent decree; and
- Commits George’s to pay $5.8 million in restitution for poultry processing plant workers who were harmed by the conspiracy.
These terms would expire seven years after the consent decree is approved by the court.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed consent decree during a 60-day comment period to Chief, Civil Conduct Task Force, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 8600, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.
Today’s actions are part of a broader investigation into anticompetitive labor market abuses in the poultry processing industry. Anyone with information about poultry industry collusion, competitors sharing non-public compensation information, anticompetitive conduct violations against workers, or any other violations of the antitrust laws is encouraged to contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258 or [email protected]. The division will forward complaints about the settling processor defendants to the court-appointed antitrust monitor, where appropriate. Information about anticompetitive practices in livestock and poultry markets can also be submitted to the USDA and Justice Department's Agricultural Markets Enforcement Partnership at www.farmerfairness.gov.
The Justice Department thanks the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General for its assistance with this investigation.
Judge Imposes Eight Consecutive Life Sentences Plus 260 Years in Prison for ISIS-Inspired 2017 Murder of Eight Victims and Attempted Murder of 18 Others in NYC Truck AttackRead the Press Release
Sayfullo Saipov, 34, of Uzbekistan, was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences, two concurrent life sentences, and a consecutive sentence of 260 years in prison for carrying out a terrorist attack on Oct. 31, 2017, in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), in which Saipov used a truck to murder eight victims and injure many more on a bike path in lower Manhattan.
On Jan. 26, a jury convicted Saipov of all 28 counts in the indictment, which charged Saipov with murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) resulting in death; and damage and destruction to a motor vehicle resulting in death. On March 13, 2023, the same jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Saipov should be sentenced to death, resulting in a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
“Today’s sentence means that Sayfullo Saipov will spend the rest of his life in federal prison for brutally murdering eight innocent victims during his carefully calculated ISIS terrorist attack,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice honors the victims, their families, and the survivors of this horrific attack. We will continue to vigorously defend the American people from threats of terrorism and will work tirelessly to bring those who perpetrate terrorist attacks to justice.”
“Although it has been more than five years since Sayfullo Saipov carried out this horrific, senseless attack in the name of ISIS, the FBI never relented in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their loved ones,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who commit acts of violence inspired by terrorist groups.”
“In March 2023, a jury determined that Sayfullo Saipov would spend the rest of his life in prison for his heinous crimes. Today, the court issued the maximum possible penalty on each count of conviction and ordered that eight of Saipov’s life sentences along with 260 years in prison will run consecutively to the other sentences imposed,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “These eight life sentences account for the eight lives Saipov stole when he committed his vicious ISIS attack. The 260 years in prison constitutes the maximum penalty for the 18 attempted murders Saipov cruelly committed, which included the attempted murders of four children. More than just holding Saipov accountable for his depraved crimes, the proceedings today gave further voice to the victims. More than 20 victims and family members addressed the Court and confronted Saipov. They bravely and boldly shared their pain and devastation. While we cannot make these victims whole after what Saipov stole from them, this office along with our partners in the Department of Justice and the FBI are proud to have served the victims and sought justice on their behalf.”
As set forth in public documents in the case and statements made during court proceedings:
On Halloween afternoon in 2017, Saipov used a 6,000-pound truck to strike more than 20 innocent people on the Hudson River Bike Path in lower Manhattan. Saipov killed eight of his victims and critically injured many others, including a 14-year-old child. Saipov’s surviving victims suffered amputations, serious brain injuries, life-altering physical injuries, and significant psychological trauma. Saipov committed his attack after years of devotion to the brutal terrorist organization ISIS and after months of careful planning. In the weeks before his attack, for example, Saipov rented a truck to practice maneuvering it so that he could hit as many people as possible. Saipov brought a note to the attack with the ISIS flag and rallying cry written on it. After his attack, while in custody at a hospital, Saipov told the FBI that he committed the attack in response to calls from the leader of ISIS and that he was proud of what he had done. Saipov smiled when describing his attack and sought to hang the ISIS flag in his hospital room.
After the attack, ISIS praised Saipov as an Islamic State soldier and called his attack one of the most prominent attacks in the United States. In the years since his attack, Saipov continued to demonstrate his devotion to ISIS, including though statements in court, recorded telephone calls, and writings seized from his prison cell. In prison, Saipov also made statements confirming his continued belief that enemies of ISIS should be eliminated and threatening to cut the heads off of corrections officers. At the liability and sentencing phases of trial, many of Saipov’s victims and their family members bravely described the terror he caused and the pain and suffering they continue to endure.
While the jury determined that Saipov would be sentenced to life in prison on six counts of conviction, Judge Broderick sentenced Saipov to the statutory maximum penalty on each count of conviction and ordered that Saipov’s sentences on the counts of conviction charging him with murder and attempted murder of particular victims would run consecutively to all other sentences imposed. In total, Saipov was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences, 260 years in prison to run consecutively, and two additional life sentences to run concurrently to each other and to all other sentences imposed. The judge will issue an order concerning restitution to victims at a later date.
More than 20 victims and family members delivered emotional and powerful victim impact statements at Saipov’s sentencing.
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies investigated the case. The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section and Organized Crime and Gang Section provided valuable assistance, as did the Justice Department’s Office of Enforcement Operations and Office of International Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda L. Houle, Jason A. Richman, Alexander Li, and Andrew Dember for the Southern District of New York, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Daniel Sitko, and Trial Attorney John Cella of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Trial Attorney Michael Warbel of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section prosecuted the case.
Judge Imposes Eight Consecutive Life Sentences Plus 260 Years in Prison for 2017 Murder of Eight Victims and Attempted Murder of 18 Others in NYC ISIS Truck AttackRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, and Christopher A. Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that United States District Judge Vernon S. Broderick sentenced SAYFULLO SAIPOV to eight consecutive life sentences, two concurrent life sentences, and a consecutive sentence of 260 years in prison for carrying out a terrorist attack on October 31, 2017, in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”), in which SAIPOV used a truck to murder eight victims and injure many more on a bike path in lower Manhattan.
On January 26, 2023, a jury convicted SAIPOV of all 28 counts in the Indictment, which charged SAIPOV with murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) resulting in death; and damage and destruction to a motor vehicle resulting in death. On March 13, 2023, the same jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Saipov should be sentenced to death, resulting in a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “In March 2023, a jury determined that Sayfullo Saipov would spend the rest of his life in prison for his heinous crimes. Today, the Court issued the maximum possible penalty on each count of conviction and ordered that eight of Saipov’s life sentences along with 260 years in prison will run consecutively to the other sentences imposed. These eight life sentences account for the eight lives Saipov stole when he committed his vicious ISIS attack. The 260 years in prison constitutes the maximum penalty for the eighteen attempted murders Saipov cruelly committed, which included the attempted murders of four children. More than just holding Saipov accountable for his depraved crimes, the proceedings today gave further voice to the victims. More than 20 victims and family members addressed the Court and confronted Saipov. They bravely and boldly shared their pain and devastation. While we cannot make these victims whole after what Saipov stole from them, this Office along with our partners in the Department of Justice and the FBI are proud to have served the victims and sought justice on their behalf.”
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “Today’s sentence means that Sayfullo Saipov will spend the rest of his life in federal prison for brutally murdering eight innocent victims during his carefully calculated ISIS terrorist attack. The Department of Justice honors the victims, their families, and the survivors of this horrific attack. We will continue to vigorously defend the American people from threats of terrorism and will work tirelessly to bring those who perpetrate terrorist attacks to justice.”
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said: “Although it has been more than five years since Sayfullo Saipov carried out this horrific, senseless attack in the name of ISIS, the FBI never relented in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their loved ones. This case demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who commit acts of violence inspired by terrorist groups.”
As set forth in public documents in the case and statements made during court proceedings:
On Halloween afternoon in 2017, SAYFULLO SAIPOV used a 6,000-pound truck to strike more than 20 innocent people on the Hudson River Bike Path in lower Manhattan. SAIPOV killed eight of his victims and critically injured many others, including a 14-year-old child. SAIPOV’s surviving victims suffered amputations, serious brain injuries, life-altering physical injuries, and significant psychological trauma. SAIPOV committed his attack after years of devotion to the brutal terrorist organization ISIS and after months of careful planning. In the weeks before his attack, for example, SAIPOV rented a truck to practice maneuvering it so that he could hit as many people as possible. SAIPOV brought a note to the attack with the ISIS flag and rallying cry written on it. After his attack, while in custody at a hospital, SAIPOV told the FBI that he committed the attack in response to calls from the leader of ISIS and that he was proud of what he had done. SAIPOV smiled when describing his attack and sought to hang the ISIS flag in his hospital room. After the attack, ISIS praised SAIPOV as an Islamic State soldier and called his attack one of the most prominent attacks in the United States. In the years since his attack, SAIPOV continued to demonstrate his devotion to ISIS, including through statements in court, recorded telephone calls, and writings seized from his prison cell. In prison, SAIPOV also made statements confirming his continued belief that enemies of ISIS should be eliminated and threatening to cut the heads off of corrections officers. At the liability and sentencing phases of trial, many of SAIPOV’s victims and their family members bravely described the terror he caused and the pain and suffering they continue to endure.
Judge Broderick sentenced SAIPOV to the statutory maximum penalty on each count of conviction and ordered that SAIPOV’s sentences on the counts of conviction charging him with murder and attempted murder of particular victims would run consecutively to each other and to all other sentences imposed. In total, SAIPOV was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences, 260 years in prison to run consecutively, and two additional life sentences to run concurrently to each other and to all other sentences imposed. The Judge will issue an order concerning restitution to victims at a later date.
More than 20 victims and family members delivered emotional and powerful victim impact statements at SAIPOV’s sentencing.
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In addition, SAIPOV, 34, of Uzbekistan, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Mr. Williams also thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section, Organized Crime and Gang Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, and Office of International Affairs for their assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda L. Houle, Jason A. Richman, Alexander Li, and Andrew Dember, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Daniel Sitko, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Michael Warbel of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section and Trial Attorney John Cella of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Inmate at FCI Schuylkill Charged with Assault with A Dangerous Weapon and Possession of Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jared Sebaugh, age 35, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, in Minersville, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on February 20, 2023, Sebaugh assaulted another inmate with a prison-made weapon consisting of a combination lock attached to a cloth strap.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for each charge is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Indiana Man Charged in Federal Court in Chicago with Unlawfully Transferring Handgun to Illinois ResidentRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An Indiana man has been charged with a federal firearm offense for allegedly unlawfully transferring a handgun to an Illinois resident.
COREY GRAY, 21, of LaPorte, Ind., is charged with one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to an individual who was neither a licensed dealer nor a resident of the same state as Gray. A criminal complaint unsealed today in federal court in Chicago accuses Gray of transferring the firearm to the Illinois resident in the fall or winter of 2021. At the time of the transfer, Gray knew that the purchaser was neither a licensed firearms dealer nor a resident of Indiana, the complaint states.
The Illinois resident to whom Gray transferred the gun died last month, the complaint states. Last week, the gun was discovered by law enforcement in the possession of an individual in Chicago at the time of that individual’s arrest in connection with the murder of a police officer, the complaint states.
Gray was arrested this morning. He made an initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz, who ordered Gray to remain held in federal custody pending a detention hearing on May 22, 2023, at 11:45 a.m.
The charge and arrest were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Fred Waller, Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Schied represents the government.
The public is reminded that the complaint contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Holdrege Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Cory D. Sikes, 41, of Holdrege, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for possession of child pornography. Sikes was sentenced to 138 months in prison and will also serve 10 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Sikes was additionally ordered to pay $3,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of crimes.
This case began when a CyberTipline Report (“CTR”) was provided to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children from a social media application on October 31, 2021. The CTR specified that eight images and one video depicting child pornography were uploaded by an individual, later identified as Sikes, between the dates of October 28, 2021 and October 29, 2021.
Based on the information from the CTR, a search warrant was received and executed on January 13, 2022, for Sikes’s residence. During the search, Sikes was interviewed and admitted to searching for child pornography online. Several of Sikes’s devices were seized during the execution of the search warrant. The devices were forensically downloaded and examined. Sikes’s personal cellphone contained 120 images of child pornography and another 483 images were questionable and/or child erotica. His laptop contained 350 images of child pornography and another 500 images which were questionable and/or child erotica.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Henrico Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County man was sentenced yesterday to 19 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin and fentanyl.
According to court documents, Hugh Mason, 41, possessed over 300 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl that he intended to distribute. Law enforcement agents executed search warrants at Mason’s primary residence in Henrico County and an apartment Mason utilized in in the City of Richmond.
During a court authorized search of Mason’s home on February 16, 2022, agents recovered over $28,000, drug trafficking paraphernalia, items used for preparing and packaging illegal controlled substances for resale, and a loaded FN 57, 5.7 caliber semiautomatic handgun. From the apartment in Richmond, agents recovered 315.63 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl, an additional 35.6 grams of heroin, ammunition and magazines for the FN 57 handgun, digital scales, and packaging materials used for packaging illegal drugs for distribution. Mason admitted that for over a year, he distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute at least 12 kilograms of cocaine and at least 3 kilograms of heroin. Mason, a convicted felon, also admitted that he possessed the FN 57 handgun to protect his drugs and drug proceeds and himself while engaged in drug trafficking.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael T. Weddel, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division; and Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia L. Norman and Jessica Wright prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-66.
Harvey Man Pleads Guilty to Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FREDERICK TURNER, age 51, a resident of Harvey, Louisiana, pled guilty on May 16, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. TURNER pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and a quantity of cocaine base (“crack”), in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, a DEA investigation revealed that TURNER was involved in a narcotics distribution conspiracy with several other co-conspirators between June 8, 2020, and June 5, 2021. As part of the conspiracy, TURNER regularly distributed amounts of cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine) and crack cocaine. Additionally, officers executed a search warrant at TURNER’s residence where they seized an illegal shotgun.
For the drug conspiracy charge, TURNER faces up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. For being a felon in possession of a firearm, TURNER faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Additionally, TURNER faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Juan Velasquez-Velasquez, 48, of Guatemala, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for false representation of a social security number. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Velasquez-Velasquez to imprisonment for 6 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Velasquez-Velasquez will begin a 1-year term of supervised release. Velasquez-Velasquez will be removed by immigration authorities from the United States to Mexico after completing his sentence.
In August of 2022, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (NEDMV) Fraud Unit contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after receiving a complaint from an identity theft victim.
HSI obtained a copy of a USCIS Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form completed by the Velasquez-Velasquez on February 24, 2022, at Cornerstone Staffing using the victim’s name, date of birth, and Social Security Number. Velasquez-Velasquez used a fraudulent Nebraska Identification Card and a Social Security Card bearing the victim’s Social Security Number, as proof of identity to obtain employment. Velasquez-Velasquez also attested to holding U.S. citizenship while completing the form.
The case was investigated by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
Great Falls meth trafficker sentenced to more than five years in prisonRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls man who admitted to selling methamphetamine to an undercover officer was sentenced today to five years and eight months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
John Robert Terry, 38, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in early 2020, law enforcement learned Terry was dealing meth in Great Falls. Witnesses told agents that they bought meth from Terry and that he kept firearms near where he stored meth at his house. Law enforcement conducted five controlled purchases of meth from Terry and found him in possession of meth during a stop of his vehicle because he had outstanding warrants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley prosecuted the case. The FBI, Great Falls Police Department, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and Russell Country Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Missouri Man Charged with Producing Child Pornography
Ryan A. Campbell, 46, Richmond, Missouri, is charged with one count of producing child pornography. The indictment alleges that on August 14, 2020, Campbell used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct.
Campbell was charged with this offense in a sealed complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on May 8, 2023. The complaint alleged that he was staying at a residence in Amery, Wisconsin at the time the offense occurred.
Campbell was arrested on May 10 in Kansas City, Missouri. He appeared in federal court in Missouri and was ordered held in federal custody. A date for his initial appearance in Wisconsin has not been set.
If convicted, Campbell faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Wisconsin and Missouri, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas City Police Department and Jackson County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman is handling the prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri handled Campbell’s appearance in federal court there.
Texas Woman Charged with Fraud Scheme & Tax Evasion
Sarah Doherty, also known as Sarah McKibbin, 33, Azle, Texas, is charged with eleven counts of wire fraud and four counts of tax evasion as part of a scheme to defraud that occurred between November 2016 and October 2020. The indictment alleges that a business owner hired Doherty to provide services for the business, named in the indictment as Business-1, and that in 2015, Doherty formed an S-corporation, Faith Outdoor Consulting, LLC, to facilitate the relationship with the business. The indictment alleges that Doherty used her access to the financial information of the business and its owner to defraud the business of approximately $3.43 million, and that she told the business’s bookkeepers and its outside accountant that the money was spent on business expenses, when she actually used the money to pay her personal expenses.
The indictment also alleges that Doherty attempted to evade income taxes owed to the United States by submitting to the IRS a false and fraudulent Form 1040 for calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and by submitting a false and fraudulent Form 1120-S for Faith Outdoor Consulting, LLC, for calendar years 2017, 2018, and 2019. The indictment alleges that these tax forms substantially understated her gross income and concealed gross income by disguising it as business expenses for Business-1.
If convicted, Doherty faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each wire fraud count, and 5 years in prison on each tax evasion count. The charges against her are the result of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fall River Police Department, and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner is handling the prosecution.
Mexican Citizen Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.
Rogelio Bautista Bautista, 36, a citizen of Mexico found living in Abbotsford, Wisconsin, is charged with illegally reentering the United States. The indictment alleges that he was found in the United States on May 8, 2023, after previously having been deported and removed.
If convicted, Bautista Bautista faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result on an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Duchemin is handling the prosecution.
Milwaukee Man Charged with Escape
Floyd L. Marlow, Jr., 28, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is charged with escape. The indictment alleges that on February 20, 2023, he escaped from the Rock Valley Community Programs Center in Janesville, Wisconsin.
If convicted, Marlow faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson is handling the prosecution.
Gangster Disciple Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Firebombing and Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
A member of the Gangster Disciples gang pleaded guilty today to a racketeering conspiracy involving his firebombing of a prison guard’s house and the distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Today’s plea marks the 12th and final conviction in the Northern District of Mississippi case against five members of the Gangster Disciples and seven members of the Simon City Royals, a gang aligned with the Gangster Disciples.
According to court documents, Darrell Steele, 49, of Meridian, Mississippi, was a member of the Gangster Disciples. Acting on the orders of high-ranking Gangster Disciples leaders, Steele and other gang members manufactured firebombs to bomb the home of a prison guard who was interfering with the gang’s illegal drug operation within Mississippi state prisons. On or about Sept. 11, 2019, Steele threw a firebomb into the home where the guard lived with his wife and young children. The firebomb malfunctioned, and the guard and his family escaped unharmed.
Steele pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 16 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The other 11 defendants in the case have already been sentenced to the following terms of imprisonment:
Defendant
Prison Sentence
Latroy Daniels, aka Duke
10 years
Gregory Moffett, aka Gutta, aka Sir Judah
10 years
Michael Willie, aka OG Mike
10 years
Derrick Houston, aka Psycho
16 years and eight months
Donald Jones, aka Worm
Seven years and eight months
Wilton Johnson, aka Big Boi
Three years and five months
Jeremy Smith, aka Lil One
Three years and five months
Carl McMillian
Five years and 10 months
James Vaughn, aka Sir Flute:
Five years and 10 months
Justin Hannah
Eight years and four months
Joe Johnson
Seven years and eight months
In a related case, the Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi are currently prosecuting another 21 members and associates of the Simon City Royals. According to court documents, the Gangster Disciples and Simon City Royals were allied under the “Folk Nation Alliance.” Within the Mississippi state prison system and throughout the state of Mississippi, the Gangster Disciples and Simon City Royals worked together to conduct fraud, narcotics trafficking, and other criminal moneymaking schemes, and committed several acts of violence, including assaults and attempted murders.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the ATF New Orleans Field Division made the announcement.
The ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, FBI Jackson Field Office, Mississippi Department of Corrections, and local law enforcement agencies across multiple states are investigating the cases.
Trial Attorney Brendan Woods of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Stringfellow for the Northern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.
Four MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced for Racketeering, Violent Crimes, and Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four Northern Virginia MS-13 gang members were sentenced today to terms of imprisonment of 10 and 20 years for drug distribution, racketeering, and their roles in two attempted murders in Prince William County in 2019.
According to court documents, Roberto Cruz Moreno, 23, of Woodbridge, was a “pasa de homeboy,” and Marvin Torres, 22, of Manassas, was a “chequeo,” which are soldiers, in the Guanacos Lil Cycos (GLCS) clique of MS‑13; Kevin Perez Sandoval, 25, of Warrenton, was an “observacion,” which is a lower-level soldier in the GLCS clique; and Jose Rosales Juarez, 32, of Manassas, was a “paro,” which is an entry level member of the GLCS clique.
In March 2019, Cruz Moreno picked up three other GLCS gang members and a victim identified as E.P.A. and drove them to an isolated wooded area in Bristow, where one GLCS gang member shot E.P.A. multiple times and another stabbed E.P.A. in the neck and attempted to slit his throat. GLCS gang members believed E.P.A. had been disrespecting MS-13 and associating with a rival gang. Following the attempted murder, Cruz Moreno fled the scene with the three other GLCS participants and drove them to his residence. In April 2019, local law enforcement officers in Fairfax County found Cruz Moreno in possession of a firearm and several grams of packaged cocaine in his vehicle, along with three other GLCS gang members traveling with him in the vehicle. Cruz Moreno had earlier that day been selling cocaine on behalf of the clique.
In July 2019, Torres identified a victim, known as N.M.S., as a rival gang member in GLCS‑controlled territory and provided photographs of N.M.S. to fellow gang members. On August 3 and 4, 2019, Rosales Juarez surveilled N.M.S. at a restaurant in Manassas, and discussed plans to kill N.M.S. with GLCS’s First Word, or leader, Andy Tovar, 33, of White Post. Tovar is considered to be one of the highest-ranking MS-13 members in the United States. On Aug. 12, 2019, Tovar granted GLCS permission to kill N.M.S. That day, Perez Sandoval drove two members or associates of MS-13 to retrieve a firearm, a mask, and a change of clothes, then back to N.M.S.’s location where a member or associate of MS-13 shot him. Perez Sandoval then drove the associates from the scene of the shooting to Rosales Juarez’s residence. Rosales Juarez provided Perez Sandoval a different car to drive and rented a hotel room under his own name for the two other GLCS gang members involved in the attempted murder of N.M.S., in order to hinder law enforcement detection of those involved.
On February 4, 2022, Tovar pleaded guilty to each of the crimes with which he was charged in an indictment, including engaging in conspiracies to murder a victim identified as M.R.G. Tovar authorized GLCS gang members to kill M.R.G., and, on July 3, 2017, GLCS gang members traveled from Prince William County to Charlottesville to murder M.R.G because the GLCS clique believed M.R.G was a rival gang member. Following Tovar’s authorization, four GLCS gang members stabbed M.R.G to death over 140 times using knives and a machete before they dumped the victim’s body in a creek, burned his car, and fled back to Prince William County. On September 27, 2022, Tovar was sentenced to life imprisonment.
For their roles in the conspiracies, Cruz Moreno and Perez Sandoval were sentenced to 20 years in prison and Torres and Jose Rosales Juarez were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division; Colonel Sean Reeves, Chief of Albemarle County Police; Douglas W. Keen, Chief of Manassas City Police; Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police; Amy Ashworth, Commonwealth Attorney for Prince William County; and Kevin Davis, Chief of Fairfax County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson and Amanda Lowe, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy, prosecuted the case.
These prosecutions are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-18.
Former company Chief Financial Officer indicted for using $35 million in company cash to invest in cryptocurrency ventureRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Mercer Island, Washington resident who previously served as a start-up company Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was indicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for wire fraud for taking and misusing some $35 million from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Nevin Shetty, 39, is scheduled for arraignment on the indictment on May 25, 2023.
According to the indictment, Shetty was hired as the CFO of a private company in March 2021. The company was raising capital for its work in multiple rounds of funding. The company, with Shetty, was working on policies as to how the money raised should be conservatively invested while the company worked to grow its business. The company adopted an investment policy statement that called for company cash to be invested only in fixed income instruments payable in U.S. dollars. Only certain types of conservative investments were approved.
Despite the fact that Shetty helped draft the policy and disseminate it, he moved $35 million in company funds to a cryptocurrency platform he controlled as a side business. Shetty created that side business, called HighTower Treasury, in or around February 2022. In March 2022, he was told he could not continue as CFO at his employer due to concerns about his performance. Shortly after he got this news, Shetty secretly transferred the funds out of the company’s account.
Between April 1 and 12, 2022, Shetty transferred $35,000,100 of his employer’s money to an account for HighTower. No one else at the company knew of these transfers. The money was supposed to be invested by HighTower in a realm of cryptocurrency sometimes referred to as decentralized finance or “DeFi.” HighTower would pay Shetty’s company 6% interest and keep the remainder of any interest earned, which could have been substantial. As an owner of HighTower, Shetty stood to keep those profits. Shetty kept this investment in cryptocurrency secret from the board and other employees at the company where he worked.
However, the cryptocurrency investments soon began declining and by May 13, 2022, the value of the $35 million investment was nearly zero.
The company reported the embezzlement to the FBI who launched an investigation.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Kopczynski.
shetty_indictment.pdfFormer NYSP Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Tipping Off Target of Gambling InvestigationRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, NY--U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Thomas J. Loewke, 51, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to obstruction of a state or local law enforcement investigation, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that in October 2020, the New York State Police, together with other local and federal law enforcement agencies, began an investigation into the illegal gambling activities of Louis P. Ferrari II and others. Loewke, who was aware that Ferrari owned an illegal bookmaking operation, learned of the investigation on December 17, 2021. On December 27, 2021, Loewke disclosed the existence of the investigation to Ferrari. On January 2, 2021, Ferrari used this information to attempt to obstruct the investigation by changing the password of his sports betting website, changing the appearance of the sports betting website, and deleting the history of bets placed through his sports betting website.
Charges of conspiracy, transmission of wagering information, operation of an illegal gambling business, and money laundering, remain pending against Ferrari.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Brian Ratajczak, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, and Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 6, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Larimer.
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Former Mutual Fund Founder and Manager Sentenced for Defrauding InvestorsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that OFER ABARBANEL was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to four years in prison for defrauding investors and prospective investors in a mutual fund he founded and controlled. ABARBANEL previously pled guilty to one count of investment adviser fraud.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Ofer Abarbanel violated the trust placed in him by investors. He promised investors safe and liquid investments, but instead transferred their money to counterparties he controlled and engaged in risky investments he was not authorized to make. Today’s sentence should send a strong signal to investment advisers that violations of their fiduciary duties to investors will have consequences.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, Superseding Information, and statements made in public court proceedings:
Beginning in approximately 2018 through his arrest in June 2021, OFER ABARBANEL engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in a mutual fund he founded and controlled, called “Income Collecting 1-3 Months T-Bills Mutual Fund” (the “Fund”). ABARBANEL also owned and controlled the investment adviser to the Fund. In that capacity, ABARBANEL made materially false representations and omitted material information to the largest group of investors (the “Investor Group”) about how their money would be invested.
Among other things, ABARBANEL falsely represented that investments in the Fund would be placed “primarily” in short-term United States Treasury securities, when instead of investing in such securities directly, ABARBANEL and his confederates transferred the investor funds to counterparties controlled by or otherwise closely associated with ABARBANEL for use, among other things, in trading not authorized by the Fund’s offering documents.
ABARBANEL further represented that, in order to enhance income, the Fund intended to invest in securities lending transactions as well as repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements. ABARBANEL represented, as to these transactions, that the Fund would receive and maintain in its possession and control safe and secure collateral in the form of Treasury securities that could be quickly liquidated in the event a counterparty defaulted on its obligations. ABARBANEL, however, failed to obtain for the Fund the promised collateral to secure the investments. Nonetheless, ABARBANEL repeatedly represented, in substance, that the Fund had possession of the collateral.
In or about May and June 2021, ABARBANEL failed to honor a redemption request by the Investor Group for the entirety of its outstanding investment, totaling more than $100 million, instead placing conditions on the redemption that were contrary to the Fund’s offering document and to the Fund’s practices with respect to prior redemptions. On or about June 16, 2021, the Fund transferred more than $10 million in investor funds from the Fund to a personal brokerage account of an attorney working with the Fund.
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In addition to the prison sentence, OFER ABARBANEL, 48, of Woodland Hills, California, was ordered to forfeit $106 million and to pay restitution to victims in the amount of $106 million.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Nichols is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Idaho Farm Foreman Indicted for Wire Fraud, Extortion, and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
BOISE – A federal grand jury in Boise returned an indictment charging Ernesto Garibay Garza, 61, of Texas, with wire fraud, extortion, and filing false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to the indictment, Garza worked as a farm foreman in Idaho at least between 2005 and 2019, during which time he used H-2A agricultural workers, who lawfully enter the United States to perform agricultural labor or services on a temporary or seasonal basis, to further a scheme to defraud the farm and he also extorted the H-2A agricultural workers for annual cash payments. The indictment also charges Garza with filing false tax returns.
According to the indictment, Garza implemented the unlawful scheme while he worked as a supervisor and foreman for F.D.C. in Glenns Ferry. F.D.C. is an agricultural services company that operates farms throughout Idaho, including in Glenns Ferry. The farm employs H-2A agricultural workers each year from approximately March to November.
According to the indictment, beginning in approximately May 2005, Garza began defrauding F.D.C. by reporting more hours on timesheets than actually worked by the H-2A agricultural workers, then requiring the H-2A agricultural workers to pay back the hours that the H-2A agricultural workers did not work in cash to Garza every two weeks. Garza directed and caused another individual to collect cash from the H-2A agricultural workers. Garza informed the H-2A agricultural workers that they would not be allowed to return to F.D.C. the following year if they refused to remit the cash to Garza. Garza also obtained separate annual cash payments from H-2A agricultural workers as a condition of future employment, with their consent induced by wrongful threat of economic harm against H-2A rules and regulations.
Garza is scheduled for trial on July 10, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of the Idaho State Police and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, which led to the charges.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Former D.C. Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing more than $350,000 from the District’s Project Empowerment ProgramRead the Press Release
Defendant Previously Served Prison Sentence for Different Theft Scheme
WASHINGTON – Rhayda Barnes Thomas, 52, of Washington, D.C., a former employee of the D.C. Department of Employment Services’ Project Empowerment Program, pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $350,000 from the Project Empowerment Program between May 2015 and April 2018.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Barnes Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before the Honorable Richard J. Leon, who scheduled sentencing for August 16, 2023. As part of her plea agreement, she agreed to pay restitution of at least $354,000, and to be liable for a forfeiture money judgment totaling $318,413.
The D.C. government’s Project Empowerment Program provides employment services to D.C. residents who have multiple barriers to employment, such as a history of substance abuse, a history of job cycling (not maintaining steady employment), and either a felony conviction or previous incarceration. One phase of the program consists of subsidized employment, which involves the D.C. government paying the wages of participants while they work at worksites. During this phase, worksites were responsible for entering participants’ work hours into an electronic system used by Project Empowerment. In turn, the D.C. government would then have payments corresponding with those hours issued to accounts associated with participants, usually in the form of pre-paid bank debit cards.
In 2011, Barnes Thomas pleaded guilty in Maryland federal court to theft involving a federal government program in connection with a scheme to use federal funds received by her school employer to buy technology for herself, her family, and friends. She was sentenced to 27 months in prison for that offense.
In August 2013, following her release from prison, Barnes Thomas participated in the Project Empowerment Program. She ultimately was hired by the program as a Program Support Assistant in February 2014. From May 2015 through April 2018, she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the program by reviving 16 former Project Empowerment participants’ profiles and modifying entries in a database to falsely show them as working for a non-profit organization, which was not true. She also used the name of a former employee from the non‑profit organization to enter and approve time in the database showing individuals as working when they were not. In addition, she ordered or caused to be ordered replacement and new prepaid debit cards on behalf of the former Project Empowerment participants whose profiles she fraudulently revived. As a result of her conduct, she caused the D.C. government to request that Wells Fargo Bank load funds onto those prepaid debit cards, which she controlled.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Inspector General Lucas, and Inspector in Charge Wood commended the work of those who investigated the case from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Criminal Investigations Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged the efforts of individuals from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and David Gorman, Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Mariela Andrade, and Amanda Rohde, and former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Aisha Keys.
Former Corrections Officer Sentenced to 12 Months for Bribery and Contraband SchemeRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Kamel Smallwood, 28, of Greenville, was recently sentenced to 12 months in prison for accepting a bribe as a public official and aiding and abetting. Smallwood was one of four former employees of Rivers Federal Correctional Institution (Rivers CI), in Winton, to be charged in a five-count indictment on March 2, 2022. She pled guilty to the charge on July 6, 2022.
“Public corruption undermines the rule of law and, when it arises in our prisons, endangers corrections officers, staff, and the public,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Smallwood and Sykes put their greed for short term profits ahead of their oath to the public. We are partnering with the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General to investigate and prosecute corrupt correction officers like these who smuggle contraband into our federal prisons.”
“Smallwood’s actions undermined the safety and security of the Rivers Federal Correctional Institution. The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General is committed to rooting out these kinds of bribery schemes and bringing the perpetrators to justice,” said Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office.
According to court records and statements made during hearings, in 2019, a former correctional officer at Rivers CI provided the names of several other Rivers CI employees that she believed were bringing contraband into the prison.
Based on that information, investigators obtained records from CashApp, a mobile application, for individuals including Smallwood and co-defendant Twonisha Sykes. These showed that between March 2 and March 12, 2019, Smallwood had four transactions or attempted transactions with user “Rico,” an account later confirmed to belong to Rivers CI inmate Francois Toure. Law enforcement identified a variety of other transactions in which inmates or friends, or family of inmates transferred money to Smallwood. In total, these transactions accounted for well over $10,000. Records showed that Sykes also received numerous CashApp payments from inmate Toure. In one instance, 10 minutes after Sykes received a $1,200 payment from Toure, she paid the same amount to Smallwood.
Sykes admitted during a December 2019 interview that she introduced Smallwood to inmate Toure. Toure then began paying Smallwood to smuggle cigarettes into the prison. Sykes estimated that Smallwood brought in cigarettes four times, each time plastic wrapped to her body. Sykes admitted that inmate Toure gave her the money to pay Smallwood for the contraband because Smallwood at first preferred not to deal directly with Toure.
In March 2020, agents interviewed Francois Toure. He confirmed that he gave Sykes money to transfer to Smallwood in payment for Smallwood bringing in cigarettes. He estimated that Smallwood brought in cigarettes on two occasions, with two or three cartons each time. He said that they arranged for Smallwood to make drops in bathrooms. He further stated that Smallwood began dealing with another inmate once Toure was sent to the special housing unit for disciplinary reasons. CashApp records for Smallwood included a memo that bore the second inmate’s name.
Co-defendant Sykes was sentenced on March 1, 2023 and received a day of custody and three years of supervised release.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (DOJ OIG) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh 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. 2:22-cr-0003-FL-001.
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Former Chief Financial Officer of $21 Billion Biopharmaceutical Company Admits Insider TradingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The former chief financial officer for a biopharmaceutical company today admitted his role in an insider trading scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Usama Malik, 48, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to Count One of an indictment charging him with securities fraud/insider trading.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2018 through October 2020, Malik was the chief financial officer (CFO) of a New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. On April 6, 2020, the company publicly announced for the first time that its breast cancer drug – an antibody-based drug designed to treat certain breast cancer patients who had very limited treatment options beyond chemotherapy – had proven effective in pre-market clinical trials. In October 2020, another biopharmaceutical company acquired the company for which Malik worked for approximately $21 billion.
Malik was among the first, and one of the few, employees who received material non-public information about the breast cancer drug before the public announcement. Within minutes of obtaining that information, Malik passed it along to Lauren S. Wood, 34, also of Washington, D.C. Wood lived with Malik at the time and was formerly employed by the same company as him. Before April 6, 2020, and within hours of receiving the insider information from Malik, Wood placed an order for approximately 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, despite the fact that during the same time period the company’s stock was downgraded by financial experts. After the company announced that its cancer drug had proven effective in pre-market clinical trials, its stock price increased. After selling her shares, Wood realized a significant profit.
The count to which Malik pleaded guilty is punishable by a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18, 2023.
Wood pleaded guilty on June 22, 2022, to an information charging her with securities fraud/insider trading. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18, 2023.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also filed a civil complaint on Dec. 1, 2021, based on the same conduct.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the SEC Enforcement Division, under the leadership of Director Gurbir S. Grewal, and the FBI in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua L. Haber, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna.
malik.indictment.pdfFormer Bosnian Prison Camp Supervisor Charged with Decades-Long Scheme to Conceal Wartime PersecutionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Swampscott man was arrested and charged today for allegedly making fraudulent claims of persecution to become a United States refugee and, later, a United States citizen.
Kemal Mrndzic, 50, was charged with falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact from the U.S. government by trick, scheme, or device; using a fraudulently obtained U.S. passport; and possessing and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and fraudulently obtained Social Security card. Mrndzic was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon before Chief Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley, was released on a $30,000 cash bond.
According to the complaint affidavit, Mrndzic served as a supervisor of the guards at a notorious prison camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the sectarian war which fractured the country in the 1990s. The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found that guards at the Celebici prison camp had committed numerous murders, rapes, and had engaged in torture and other forms of persecution of Serb prisoners held at the camp. Three of Mrndzic’s fellow guards were convicted by the ICTY after a trial in the Hague at which survivors testified to the harrowing prison camp conditions. According to the complaint, numerous survivors have since identified Mrndzic as being involved in the beatings and other abuses committed there.
According to court documents, after the war ended, investigators from the ICTY interviewed Mrndzic in Sarajevo and allegedly accused him of being involved in the abuses at Celebici. Mrndzic subsequently concocted a scheme to flee the country by crossing the border into Croatia and allegedly applying as a refugee to the United States using a fabricated story. It is alleged that in his refugee application and interview, he falsely claimed that he fled his home after he was captured, interrogated and abused by Serb forces, and could not return home for fear of future persecution. He was admitted to the U.S. as a refugee in 1999, and ultimately became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009.
Celebici Camp survivors and family members who have information about the operation of the Camp, or have questions regarding this matter, should call the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 888-221-6023 or send an email to: [email protected]. Please indicate if you would prefer to be contacted in English or Serbo-Croatian.Bivši logoraši koji su bili u logoru u Čelebićima ili članovi njihovih porodica koji imaju informacije o logoru ili pitanje o ovom predmetu, mogu nazvati Jedinice za pomoć žrtаva kod kancelarije federalnog tužioca tel. 888-221-6023 ili putem e-mailom: [email protected]. Molim obavjestite nas ako želite da mi vas kontaktiramo na engleskom ili na srpskom-hrvatskom-bosanskom jeziku.
Бивши логораши који су били у логору Челебићима или чланови њихових породица који имају информације о логору или питање о овом предмету, могу назвати Јединице за помоћ жртава код канцеларије федералног тужиоца тел. 888-221-6023 или путем е-маилом: [email protected]. Молим обавјестите нас ако желите да ми вас контактирамо на енгелеском или на српском-хрватском босанском језику.
The use of a fraudulently obtained passport and fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate charges each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. On each of the two remaining charges, the maximum sentence under the statutes is five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. 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.
The ICTY judgment which provides a detailed recitation of crimes committed at Celebici can be found here.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Sharon B. MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; and Jonathan Davidson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center. The Swampscott Police Department also provided important assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. McNeil and Jason A. Casey of Rollins’ National Security Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Board Chair of Connecticut Energy Cooperative Sentenced to Prison for Misusing FundsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney, for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES SULLIVAN, 56, former chairperson of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Corporation (“CMEEC”) Board of Directors, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for misusing CMEEC funds.
CMEEC is a cooperative public corporation that permits municipal electric utilities in Connecticut to join together to furnish electric power in the municipalities’ areas of operation. CMEEC’s members included the City of Norwich, the City of Groton, the Borough of Jewett City, the Second Taxing District of the City of Norwalk, the Third Taxing District of the City of Norwalk, and the Town of Bozrah. As the owners of CMEEC, each member town executed an agreement through its respective municipal electric utility outlining the terms and conditions under which the CMEEC members participated together in CMEEC. The CMEEC membership agreement provides that excess revenues are designated as “CMEEC Margin,” and that the excess revenues are to be returned to the member towns to help keep electricity costs stable for ratepayers.
Between 2010 and 2015, CMEEC received more than $9 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy. CMEEC member towns also received funds from federal grants.
According to the evidence and testimony presented during a trial in 2021, Drew Rankin, who was the former chief executive officer of CMEEC, Sullivan, and other members of the CMEEC Board of Directors, planned, organized, and directed lavish trips outside of Connecticut, including trips to the Kentucky Derby in 2015 and 2016, and to a luxury golf resort in West Virginia in 2015. These trips did not relate to CMEEC business, but were intended to personally benefit, compensate and reward Rankin, Sullivan, CMEEC Board members, their family members, friends, and associates. Costs for the trips, which totaled more than $800,000, included travel expenses, private chartered airfare, first-class hotel accommodations, meals, tickets to sporting events, golf fees, souvenirs and gifts.
For the Kentucky Derby trip in 2015, which had an average cost of approximately $9,000 per guest, Sullivan brought his son, his brother, his sister-in-law, a young woman he knew through her work as a bartender, and the woman’s friend. In August 2015, Rankin, Sullivan, and two other CMEEC Board members traveled, at CMEEC expense and a cost of more than $21,000, to the Greenbrier golf resort in West Virginia. When Rankin initially proposed the trip to Sullivan, Sullivan responded, “Is your name ‘I deserve a raise?’”
In response to reporter inquiries about the Kentucky Derby and golf trips, Rankin underreported the costs of the trips, omitted the names of attendees who were not CMEEC employees or board members, and made other false statements related to how the trips were funded. After the trips were known to the general public, CMEEC canceled a reservation it had made for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, and was refunded only approximately $90,000 of the $298,960 it had prepaid for the trip in May 2016.
On December 10, 2021, a jury found Rankin; Sullivan, and John Bilda, the former City of Norwich representative on the CMEEC Board of Directors, guilty of one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
On May 16, 2023, Judge Meyer sentenced Rankin to 12 months of imprisonment. Bilda is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.
Restitution will be determined after additional court proceedings.
Sullivan is required to report to prison on July 12.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Energy. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah P. Karwan, Michael S. McGarry and Tara E. Levens.
Felon sentenced for washateria carjacking and shootingRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 31-year-old local man has been sent to prison for carjacking and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Zachary Smith, Houston, pleaded guilty Feb. 21.
Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed Smith a 41-month-term of imprisonment for the carjacking and another 120 months for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentenced imposed. The total 161-month-sentence will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described the Smith’s criminal history.
On Feb. 6, Smith discharged a firearm while carjacking the victim and stealing his vehicle in the parking lot of a washateria on Melbourne Drive. He was also involved in a shooting Feb. 7 on the 2000 block of Broadway Street. On that day, Smith led law enforcement in a pursuit that came to an end when he crashed into a patrol unit.
Smith has been and will remain in custody.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Cooper is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Alabama Resident of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announces today that Dennis Hebert, age 38, of Phenix City, Alabama, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on May 15, 2023, and concluded on May 17, 2023, with the guilty verdict.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on July 21, 2021, in McAlester, Oklahoma, the defendant, Dennis Hebert, engaged in a sexual act with a child under the age of twelve. The government also called another witness who testified to having been sexually abused by Hebert as a child.
The case was investigated by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial in Muskogee and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony C. Marek and Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.
Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down New York Tax PreparerRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Eastern District of New York has permanently enjoined a tax return preparer and her Brooklyn-based business from preparing federal tax returns for others and from owning, operating, or working for any tax return preparation business in the future.
The civil complaint filed in the case alleged that Melida Portorreal, through her tax return preparation company, International Travel Multi & Tax Corp., prepared fraudulent federal income tax returns for others. According to the complaint, Portorreal prepared and filed fraudulent federal tax returns for others that included the following schemes:
- reporting false filing statuses, including, in at least one instance, using one customer’s name and social security number to qualify another customer for Head of Household filing status without either customer’s knowledge or consent;
- fabricating erroneous itemized deductions to reduce taxable income, including false student loan interest deductions, false educator expense deductions, and false employee business expense deductions;
- fabricating business expenses; and
- claiming non-deductible expenses on customers’ tax returns in order to obtain entitlement to the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit.
The complaint alleges the IRS estimated that Portorreal filed returns due for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 tax years that caused losses to the United States exceeding $1 million in each year.
According to the court’s order, Portorreal and her company consented to entry of the injunction, which permits the United States to conduct post-judgment discovery to monitor compliance with the injunction. The order requires that they (1) send notice of the injunction to each person for whom Portorreal and her company prepared federal tax returns, amended tax returns, or claims for refund from February 25, 2021 through May 31 2022, and (2) post an electronic copy of the injunction on any business social media profile currently maintained or created over the next five years.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Shady tax return preparers remain a concern of the IRS, which recently warned taxpayers about unscrupulous tax return preparers are part of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen series. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information.
In the past decade, the Department of Justice Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
False Claims Act Settlement Reached with Rockingham Health Care ProviderRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston announced today that Compassionate Counseling Services, LLC (“Compassionate”), a behavioral health provider located in Rockingham, North Carolina, has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle civil claims under the Federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts concerning allegations that Compassionate caused the submission of false claims to the North Carolina Medicaid program.
Specifically, the United States and the State of North Carolina alleged that from June 7, 2016 through January 8, 2021, Compassionate circumvented North Carolina Medicaid requirements by improperly submitting claims for Diagnostic Assessments and also by improperly submitting claims following those Diagnostic Assessments. Under North Carolina Medicaid rules and regulations, Diagnostic Assessments serve as the initial order to establish medical necessity for certain treatment services: they must be signed and dated by certain professionals and serve as the initial order for services to take place.
The governments alleged that Compassionate employed only one such authorized professional to sign Diagnostic Assessments, who only worked on-site at Compassionate’s office location on the third Friday of each month and could not have provided the required signatures until then. The governments alleged that Compassionate circumvented the Diagnostic Assessment requirements by billing for, but failing to maintain, Diagnostic Assessments that were properly signed and dated by a required professional, while also engaging in the improper backdating of Diagnostic Assessments. As a result of failing to maintain properly signed and dated Diagnostic Assessments, the governments alleged that Compassionate failed to maintain documents supporting that the Diagnostic Assessments were properly rendered as claimed. The governments also alleged that Compassionate was unable to support medical necessity for services that were claimed as being rendered following the Diagnostic Assessments that were improperly billed without signature from a required professional.
“Healthcare providers who choose to circumvent rules and regulations for an increase in their profits cause harm to our government healthcare programs and the populations they serve,” said United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston. “My office will continue to hold such providers accountable for their actions to protect the integrity of our government sponsored healthcare programs, for North Carolina Medicaid recipients, and taxpayers.”
“Health care providers that receive Medicaid resources need to use those resources properly,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “When providers fail to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars, my office will hold them accountable. I’m grateful to U.S. Attorney Hairston and her office for their continued partnership to protect health care resources.”
The civil claims resolved by settlement here are allegations only. There has been no judicial determination of wrongdoing or admission of liability, and Compassionate denies the allegations.
This matter was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina and the Medicaid Investigations Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office (“MID”). Special Deputy Attorney General Matthew R. Petracca, who also serves as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, represented the United States and the State of North Carolina.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina, in partnership with law enforcement agencies and state entities, investigates and prosecutes healthcare providers that defraud government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and abuse their patients. The Medicaid Investigations Division investigates and prosecutes Medicaid fraud, patient abuse of Medicaid recipients, patient abuse of any patient in facilities that receive Medicaid funding, and misappropriation of any patients’ private funds in nursing homes that receive Medicaid funding.
To report Medicare fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, please visit the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ website at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/ or call 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). To report Medicaid fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, please call the MID at 919-881-2320.
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El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con una compañía de contratación y servicios informáticos por haber publicado anuncios laborales discriminatoriosRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con American CyberSystems, Inc. una compañía con sede en Georgia que presta personal y servicios informáticos por todo el país bajo el nombre Innova Solutions (previamente conocida como ACS Solutions). El acuerdo resuelve la determinación por parte del Departamento que la compañía vulneró la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés) al reclutar para dos puestos mediante anuncios que, de manera ilegal, excluyeron a ciertos postulantes con base en su estatus de ciudadanía.
«Los empleadores simplemente no pueden discriminar, de forma ilícita, a individuos con base en su estatus de ciudadanía a la hora de publicar oportunidades laborales», declaró Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Este acuerdo deja en claro nuestro compromiso de responsabilizar a los empleadores cuando vulneran la ley y discriminan por motivos de ciudadanía.»
«La nueva hoja informativa de la División de Derechos Civiles es un recurso más entre otros muchos recursos departamentales que existen para ayudar a empleadores a capacitar a su personal de contratación y reclutamiento a evitar los tipos de discriminación que ocurrieron en este caso.»
La investigación del División de Derechos Civiles halló que American CyberSystems discriminó a nacionales de los EE. UU., refugiados y asilados al publicar un anuncio que reclutaba únicamente a ciudadanos y residentes permanentes legales de los EE. UU. El puesto publicado involucraba el acceso a materiales que quedan sujetos a los Reglamentos del Tráfico de Armas Internacionales de los Estados Unidos (ITAR, por sus siglas en inglés) y los Reglamentos para la Administración de Exportaciones (EAR, por sus siglas en inglés). Los ITAR y EAR requieren que los empleadores pidan una autorización especial del Gobierno de los EE. UU. para ciertos trabajadores si su puesto requiere que accedan a artículos sometidos a controles a la exportación. No obstante, de acuerdo con estos reglamentos, los nacionales estadounidenses, así como los refugiados y asilados, están en la misma posición como ciudadanos y residentes permanentes legales de los EE. UU., y los empleadores no necesitan autorización para poder compartir artículos sometidos a controles a la exportación con esos trabajadores. El Departamento concluyó que la compañía no tenía motivos fundados para excluirlos de la contratación.
Por otra parte, el Departamento halló que la compañía publicó otro anuncio laboral no relacionado con el primero que discriminó a trabajadores inmigrantes y ciudadanos de los EE. UU. al buscar específicamente a trabajadores con visas temporales.
Conforme el acuerdo, American CyberSystems deberá capacitar a su personal de recursos humanos en cuanto a los requisitos de la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA, revisar sus políticas para garantizar que cumplan con las leyes relevantes y someterse a los requisitos de supervisión y declaración del Departamento. Asimismo, American CyberSystems deberá pagar una sanción civil como resultado de los anuncios discriminatorios.
La Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados de la División de Derechos Civiles es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. La ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía y nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión, prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación. Según se explica en una nueva hoja informativa que el Departamento publicó el 18 de abril, las obligaciones del empleador al amparo de esta ley no cambian a la hora de cumplir con los reglamentos y leyes que controlan las exportaciones. Otra hoja informativa tiene como objetivo ayudar a los empleadores a evitar la discriminación cuando reclutan mediante el uso de anuncios laborales en línea.
Para aprender más sobre la labor de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda, vea este vídeo corto. Aprenda más sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía en el sitio web de la IER. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su estatus migratorio, ciudadanía o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected]; inscribirse a un seminario en línea gratuito; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés o español. Inscríbase para recibir las últimas noticias de la IER por correo electrónico.
Drug Trafficker Enlisted Juvenile in Drug Trafficking Operation, Sentenced to 140 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that Daniel Ruiz, aka “P-Nut,” 35, of Agawam, Massachusetts was sentenced today to serve 140 months of imprisonment after his conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base. Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Ruiz to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his incarceration.
According to court records, Ruiz was arrested on March 23, 2022, shortly after the execution of search warrants at the Highlander Motel in Rutland, Vermont. Ruiz fled out the bathroom window of Room 15 of the Motel, and was apprehended shortly thereafter. Inside of Room 15, law enforcement located approximately 37 grams of cocaine base, 168 bags of fentanyl, over $5,000 in cash, and a Glock 9mm handgun. Law enforcement’s investigation revealed Ruiz was a supervisor and manager of a drug trafficking operation that operated out of the Highlander Motel from approximately January 2022 until Ruiz’s arrest on March 23, 2022. Ruiz’s criminal conduct involved the trafficking of at least 200 grams of cocaine and 80 grams of fentanyl, with Ruiz making up to $1,000 a day in profits from the sale of controlled substances. One of the people Ruiz managed and supervised was his co-defendant, Joel Caquias Aviles, 21, who was sentenced on November 9, 2022 to serve 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ruiz also managed and supervised the drug trafficking activities of a 17-year-old juvenile, whom Ruiz recruited into the group. Ruiz had the juvenile make deliveries of cocaine base and fentanyl to purchasing customers, paying the juvenile in both cash and marijuana.
Ruiz has a prior federal conviction in the District of Massachusetts for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine base, as well as a conviction in Massachusetts state court for possession with intent to distribute heroin. These two convictions made Ruiz a career offender under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Rutland City Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Vermont State Police, the Bennington Police Department, the Weathersfield Police Department, the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department, the Ludlow Police Department, the Rutland Town Police Department, Vermont Department of Corrections, and the Burlington Police Department.
The government was represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and John J. Boscia. Ruiz was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino, Esq.
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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.