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Thursday 30 March 2023
Foreign National Pleads Guilty to Role in International Human Smuggling and Cocaine Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
A Honduran national pleaded guilty today to his role in a scheme to illegally bring Honduran nationals to, and to distribute cocaine in, the United States.
According to court documents, beginning in as early as January 2021, Josue Flores-Villeda, 36, and six co-conspirators schemed to bring Honduran nationals and cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Villeda and his co-conspirators attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran nationals and at least 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, by boat. At some point, the vessel developed engine trouble in the Gulf of Mexico. Villeda and his co-conspirators then chartered a boat and attempted to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Coast Guard located the vessel adrift approximately 95 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and towed it to shore.
Villeda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
HSI Houma is investigating the case with assistance from HSI Pittsburgh, HSI Atlanta, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carter Guice and Ben Myers for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Acting Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case.
The investigation is being conducted under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Since its creation, JTFA has successfully increased coordination and collaboration between the Justice Department, DHS, and other interagency law enforcement participants, and with foreign law enforcement partners, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; targeted those organizations who have the most impact on the United States; and coordinated significant smuggling indictments and extradition efforts in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. JTFA is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California, and dedicated support for the program is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA – led by the HRSP, and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). JTFA is made possible by substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners.
The investigation is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), as well as the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Foreign National Pleads Guilty to Role in International Human Smuggling and Cocaine Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
A Honduran national pleaded guilty today to his role in a scheme to illegally bring Honduran nationals to, and to distribute cocaine in, the United States.
According to court documents, beginning in as early as January 2021, Josue Flores-Villeda, 36, and six co-conspirators schemed to bring Honduran nationals and cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Villeda and his co-conspirators attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran nationals and at least 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, by boat. At some point, the vessel developed engine trouble in the Gulf of Mexico. Villeda and his co-conspirators then chartered a boat and attempted to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Coast Guard located the vessel adrift approximately 95 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and towed it to shore.
Villeda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
HSI Houma is investigating the case with assistance from HSI Pittsburgh, HSI Atlanta, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carter Guice and Ben Myers for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Acting Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case.
The investigation is being conducted under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Since its creation, JTFA has successfully increased coordination and collaboration between the Justice Department, DHS, and other interagency law enforcement participants, and with foreign law enforcement partners, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; targeted those organizations who have the most impact on the United States; and coordinated significant smuggling indictments and extradition efforts in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. JTFA is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California, and dedicated support for the program is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA – led by the HRSP, and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). JTFA is made possible by substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners.
The investigation is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), as well as the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Florissant Man Indicted, Accused of Cool Valley MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri was indicted Wednesday and accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Devon Williams at a Cool Valley gas station in January.
Bryant Pirtle, 20, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on three felonies: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
A motion seeking to keep Pirtle in jail until trial says two people shot Williams early on the morning of January 29, 2023 after he tried to buy marijuana from them at the BP gas station at 1790 South Florissant Road. They then ran Williams over while driving away.
Police arrested Pirtle on March 22, 2023, after he and others fled in a stolen car from the same gas station where Williams was murdered. The car contained $4,500 in cash, about one pound of marijuana, two digital scales, baggies and two AR-15-style rifles, one of which was stolen.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Normandy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nino Przulj and Jen Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.
Florida man sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in international health care fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Nagaindra Srivastav has been sentenced on conspiracy and kickback charges for his role in selling fraudulent doctors’ orders to his co-conspirators who used the orders to obtain more than $48 million in fraudulent payments from Medicare.
“Srivastav knowingly sold fake doctors’ orders to conspirators around the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “These orders were used to cause massive losses to the Medicare program and to taxpayers. Health care and telemedicine fraud is a high priority for the Department and this office, and we will vigorously pursue those who exploit our health care system for personal gain.”
“This defendant left a number of victims in his wake, including American taxpayers,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Health care costs are driven up when doctors and staff bill for unnecessary services and the FBI and our partners will continue to use every resource in our power to stop it.”
"This individual exploited the Medicare program for personal financial gain. Not only does this behavior undermine the integrity of federal health care programs; it also wastes valuable taxpayer dollars," said Tamala Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "As this case demonstrates, HHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate attempts to steal from federal health care programs and defraud the American taxpayer."
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Srivastav was the owner of B2B Apps Solutions (“B2B”), a Florida-based company. Through B2B, Srivastav and his co-conspirators created and operated an internet-based platform that individuals and businesses in the health care industry used for the purchase and sale of physician orders for Durable Medical Equipment (“DME”), such as ankle, back, knee, and leg braces.
Through B2B, Srivastav paid and received remuneration for the referral of federal health care business. To accomplish this scheme, Srivastav created a website, RepsHub, in which DME companies and others uploaded potential DME-patient information, called “leads,” which were generally obtained through telemarketing campaigns targeting beneficiaries for whom DME products could be billed. In addition, and in conjunction with his selling of physician orders, Srivastav also offered and sold leads, which he obtained through call centers controlled by himself and his co-conspirators.
Srivastav purchased the physicians’ orders that he sold to his customers from purported telemedicine companies based in the Philippines and Pakistan. These orders lacked medical necessity, and Srivastav was notified on numerous occasions that the purported authorizing physician had not actually spoken with the patient, signed the order, or prescribed the braces. The physicians’ orders that Srivastav sold were used to obtain more than $48 million in fraudulently obtained payments from Medicare.
Nagaindra Srivastav, 58, of Tampa, Florida, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $48,150,692.49. On October 19, 2022, Srivastav was convicted of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371, and solicitation and receipt of kickbacks, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 1320a-7b, after he pleaded guilty.
Judge Jones also sentenced Brian Tisdale, 46, of Amory, Mississippi. Tisdale was one of Srivastav’s customers who operated two DME companies in Mississippi and Georgia. Tisdale received a sentence of three years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Tisdale was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,675,093.80. On December 16, 2022, Tisdale was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and to pay kickbacks, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Flint Convenience Store Operator Pleads Guilty to $1.1 Million Nutrition Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
FLINT – A Flint convenience store operator pleaded guilty this week to engaging in more than $1.1 million in fraudulent transactions involving food and nutrition benefit programs, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Midwest Region.
Ranjit (“Nancy”) Ghotra, age 33, formerly of Swartz Creek, Michigan, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before United States District Judge F. Kay Behm. Ghotra assisted in the operation of Cheers Market, a convenience store in Flint, Michigan.
According to the information provided to the Court at the guilty plea hearing, Ghotra engaged in a fraud scheme involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. These programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provide benefits to raise the level of nutrition of low-income households and children.
As part of the scheme, Ghotra permitted beneficiaries of the SNAP and WIC programs to use their benefits to buy ineligible items, such as alcohol and tobacco, or allowed them to obtain cash instead of food products, in violation of program regulations. In each case, Ghotra charged program beneficiaries approximately double the amount in benefits as the price of the ineligible items purchased or the cash provided. Between 2017 and 2020, Ghotra carried out more than $1.1 million in fraudulent SNAP and WIC transactions.
While the federal prosecution was pending, Ghotra purchased an international plane ticket and attempted to leave the country in violation of her bond conditions. She was arrested at the gate at Chicago O’Hare International Airport with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol agents, and returned to Michigan.
Ghotra faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud. Judge Behm will ultimately determine the appropriate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Ranjit Ghotra spent years defrauding benefits programs that were intended to assist low-income households, and especially children,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “This guilty plea reflects my office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of federal programs that help ensure that everyone can afford to provide their families with healthy, nutritious food.”
“This investigation and prosecution should serve as warning to all stores participating in the WIC and SNAP programs as vendors that fraud and trafficking—the purchase of WIC and SNAP benefits for cash—will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted by the USDA-OIG, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and its stakeholders. The USDA-OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney's Office, who prosecuted this case, Homeland Security Investigations, and Genesee County Sheriff’s office for their assistance with the investigation,” said Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Midwest Region.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Genesee County Sheriff’s office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Nee and Adriana Dydell.
Federal Search Warrants ExecutedRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – On Thursday, March 30, 2023, federal search warrants were executed at the following locations in Des Moines:
• 2500 block of Maury Street,
• 2500 block of East 23rd Street,
• 3600 block of Amherst Street,
• 1500 block of King Avenue,
• 3400 block of Southwest 8th Street,
• 4100 block of 11th Place, and
• 1600 block of Washington Avenue.
The searches at these locations were an official law enforcement action involving officers, agents, and investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (MINE), United States Marshals Service, Des Moines Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Iowa State Patrol (ISP), the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Suburban Emergency Response Team (SERT), and Metro Special Tactics and Response (STAR).Federal Judge Sentences Florida Man to over 21 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Jorge Luis Perez, 36, of Wimauma, Florida, to 260 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on drug and gun charges, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court documents and court proceedings, between May and July 2020, Perez distributed methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl in Jackson and Swain Counties. Law enforcement conducting an investigation into drug trafficking networks operating in Western North Carolina learned of Perez’s drug trafficking activities in the area. Court records show that Perez obtained his drugs from drug distributors in Mexico by way of Georgia. Perez then distributed the drugs in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. According to court records, on May 21, 2020, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Perez’s vehicle in Sylva, North Carolina. Over the course of the stop, law enforcement recovered a distribution quantity of methamphetamine, a firearm, and $10,384 in U.S. currency. Perez falsely claimed that he won the money at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.
According to court records, on July 13, 2020, law enforcement stopped Perez’s vehicle for a traffic violation. In the vehicle, law enforcement found a larger distribution quantity of methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. Later the same day, a search warrant was executed at Perez’s camper. Law enforcement seized from the camper two firearms, more methamphetamine, a money counter, and several AR-15 magazines and ammunition. Law enforcement also found several wire transfer receipts indicating that Perez was wiring money to Mexico, under false names and addresses. In the camper, Perez also had a shrine dedicated to Santa Muerte, who has been adopted by drug traffickers as a folk “patron saint.”
Perez was arrested in Florida on January 5, 2022, on charges arising from his criminal conduct in North Carolina. Perez was in possession of another distribution quantity of methamphetamine at the time. During the course of the trial, several more ounces of methamphetamine and a kilogram of heroin were attributed to Perez.
A federal jury convicted Perez on November 9, 2022, of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of “actual” methamphetamine.
At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court enhanced Perez’s sentence, after the Court found that Perez obstructed justice on a number of occasions. First, Perez filed a petition falsely claiming that the $10,384 seized by law enforcement was the result of several days of winnings at the Casino. Then again during his federal trial, Perez lied under oath that he was a tomato farmer and had never been involved in drug trafficking activities. Perez also lied about owning the camper and claimed that he had not lived in the camper for over a year. Over the course of the trial, Perez lied again about the source of the $10,384 seized by law enforcement.
Perez is currently in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney King credited today’s sentence to the investigative efforts of the Asheville, North Carolina and Tampa, Florida Offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Jackson County, Swain County, and Transylvania County Sheriff’s Offices in North Carolina; and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Kent, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Murdering Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A federal inmate pleaded guilty today to murdering a fellow inmate at the Milan Correctional Institution in Milan, Michigan, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Jonathan Hemingway, Warden, Milan Federal Correctional Institution.
Alex Albert Castro, 42, a former resident of Fontana, California, pleaded guilty today to second degree murder before United States District Court Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey.
According to court records, on January 2, 2019, Castro, along with co-defendants Jason Kechego, 41, and Adam Taylor Wright, 42, killed fellow inmate Christian Maire. Castro repeatedly stabbed Maire while Kechego and Wright kicked and stomped him in the head. Castro, along with his two co-defendants, then threw Maire’s body down a flight of stairs. Maire died from multiple stab wounds (28 total) and blunt force trauma to the head from being thrown down the stairs.
Castro’s plea agreement calls for a possible sentence of up to life in prison, which could be imposed concurrently, partially concurrently, or consecutively to the 42-year sentence Castro is already serving for his underlying 2017 federal drug trafficking conviction.
In 2022, Wright pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to just over 24 years of imprisonment. Kechego was convicted at trial of second degree murder and sentenced to 28 years of imprisonment. At that same trial, the jury was unable to agree on a verdict for Castro and a mistrial was declared.
“This savage crime deserves the most serious of consequences. My office is committed to preventing violence wherever it occurs. These convictions show that we will not turn a blind eye to this type of conduct and will aggressively prosecute violence within our prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Ison.
“The senseless murder committed by Mr. Wright and his codefendants jeopardized the safety of corrections officers, staff, and inmates,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with the Bureau of Prisons to hold violent offenders accountable for the crimes they commit while behind bars.”
Sentencing has been set for July 28, 2023 at 10am.
This case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frances Lee Carlson and Andrew R. Picek.
Federal Agent Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements in Connection with a Sexual Relationship with a Victim WitnessRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Melissa Saurwein, 44, of Martinez, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of making a false statement in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a victim witness in a separate federal criminal case, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Saurwein was formerly a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California. While working in that capacity on the human trafficking case United States v. Job Torres Hernandez, 4:17-cr-462-JSW, Saurwein developed a romantic sexual relationship with a victim witness in the case. In preparation for Saurwein’s testimony at trial, prosecutors asked Saurwein if she had a personal relationship with any witness or victim in the case. Saurwein lied in response to the questioning in order to conceal her sexual relationship with the victim witness. The human trafficking case then went to trial and both Saurwein and the victim witness testified. The relationship between Saurwein and the victim witness did not come to light until after the trial and sentencing of the defendant in the human trafficking case were complete. Due to Saurwein’s conduct, the judgement in the human trafficking case was later vacated on the motion of the government, with the defendant having only served three years of his 103-month sentence.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District was recused from this case, which is proceeding in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Special Attorney to the Attorney General Audrey B. Hemesath is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. Saurwein faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Ecuadorian Woman Sentenced to Prison of Participating in Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; announced that OLGA AUCAPINA, also known as Olga Aucapina Paredes, 53, a citizen of Ecuador residing in Woodbridge, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to five months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in a tax refund fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately May 2013 to April 2017, Aucapina and several other Ecuadoran nationals participated in a scheme to illegally obtain tax refunds from the IRS. In order to obtain the refunds, Aucapina and others filed fraudulent federal tax returns, in the names of other foreign nationals (“claimants”), with the IRS. The fraudulent tax returns stated that the claimants resided in the U.S., earned wages from companies in the U.S., and had federal income tax withheld from the claimants’ wages. In truth, the claimants never worked for or earned income from those companies. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have no records of the claimants even being present in the U.S. during the tax years for which the returns were filed. Based on these false tax returns, the IRS issued tax refunds, which were then deposited into bank accounts that were controlled by Aucapina and her associates
Through this scheme, Aucapina and her associates obtained 142 tax refunds, totaling approximately $435,500. Aucapina personally deposited 59 of those refunds, totaling approximately $177,589, into her own bank accounts. Aucapina and her associates spent some of the proceeds for their personal use, and they wired some of the proceeds to relatives in Ecuador.
Judge Arterton ordered Aucapina to pay restitution of $177,589.
Aucapina, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on May 30.
On July 16, 2021, Aucapina and three others with were arrested on an indictment charging them with various offenses stemming from this scheme. On February 14, 2022, Aucapina pleaded guilty to theft of public money. Her co-defendants pleaded guilty to related charges.
This matter has been investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
District Man Sentenced to 44 Months for Sexually Assaulting Three Women and Physically Assaulting a FourthRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Elvin Cruz (“Cruz”), 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for aggravated assault, third degree sexual abuse, two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse, and assault, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Cruz pleaded guilty on September 1, 2022.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2021, Cruz followed his first victim as she was walking to the store. He approached the victim from behind and put his hand in between her legs touching her vagina, without her consent. On July 24, 2021, Cruz followed his second victim as she was walking home from a friend’s house. When she arrived at the front steps of her residence, Cruz shoved her to the ground. Cruz then placed himself on top of the victim and started touching her private area through her shorts while also lifting up her dress. The victim tried to fend Cruz off and defend herself by pushing him away. Cruz continued the assault and began to strangle the victim around the neck area, until the victim blacked out and lost consciousness.
On August 7, 2021, Cruz approached a third victim by following her and a companion as they were walking home. Cruz followed them for multiple blocks and, after being noticed by the companion, ran up to the victim and grabbed her private area without her consent. Cruz then continued to try to grab the victim while her companion tried to fend him off. Less than an hour following this assault, Cruz approached a fourth victim, whom he followed while she was walking home. Upon observing Cruz following her, the victim sped up but the defendant started running and caught up to her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. The victim managed to break free and eventually run away and call 911.
In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Judge Milton Lee ordered six years of supervised release and ordered Cruz to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Over the government’s objection, Judge Lee sentenced Cruz pursuant to the Youth Rehabilitation Act.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Lezlie Richardson and Tracey Hawkins the Victim/Witness Specialist assigned to this matter, and paralegal Tiffany Jones. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Crocetti, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Diabetes Blood Test Distributor GlycoMark Agrees to Pay $195,000 to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA—United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that GlycoMark, Inc., a joint-venture subsidiary owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Toyota Tsusho America, Inc., and Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., has agreed to pay $195,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by encouraging its customers to submit claims for the GlycoMark test after the test was no longer approved for reimbursement to Medicare and Medicaid.
Between approximately 2016 and 2018, GlycoMark distributed the GlycoMark test, which was used to detect hyperglycemia and hyperglycemic excursions. According to GlycoMark, the GlycoMark test is used for a “more complete assessment of glycemic control to identify patients that may benefit from closer diabetes management.”
Prior to September 1, 2016, the GlycoMark test was eligible for reimbursement under Medicare’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 84378, providing coverage for a variety of tests related to blood sugars. In September 2016, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) issued Local Coverage Determination (LCD) L36761, specifically prohibiting Medicare reimbursement for the GlycoMark test, stating that the GlycoMark test was not reasonable or necessary for the management of diabetes, and is not covered. The non-coverage policy went into effect on October 17, 2016.
Despite knowing of the prohibition of Medicare reimbursement and being aware of the billing oversight for the GlycoMark test, the United States alleges that GlycoMark, from November 1, 2016 to May 30, 2019, knowingly caused to be submitted claims for GlycoMark tests that it knew were not covered by the Federal health care programs. The United States further contends that GlycoMark encouraged its customers to submit GlycoMark tests for Medicare reimbursement in two ways: (1) by encouraging labs to continue billing for the GlycoMark test using CPT code 84378; and (2) by printing and distributing marketing materials that stated “reimbursed by Medicare” and by displaying CPT code 84378 with no disclaimer that Medicare reimbursement is prohibited.
“We are committed to ensuring that testing manufacturing companies appropriately bill Medicare,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “GlycoMark allegedly encouraged labs to charge the government for quantities of tests after it was aware that federal programs would not reimburse for this testing. Those who engage in these deceptive practices in the name of profits will be held accountable.”
“Testing manufacturing companies have a responsibility to follow Medicare regulations,” stated Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is committed to working with the United States Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of inappropriate insurance claims and to safeguard the integrity of our federal health care programs.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Jeffery Johnston v. GlycoMark, Inc., et al., No. 2:18 -cv-5033 (E.D. Pa.) and was filed by Thomas W. Sheridan of Sheridan & Murray LLC in Philadelphia, PA.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The investigation and resolution obtained in this action were handled by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and Auditor George Niedzwicki.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Craven County Gang Member Receives 15 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Eric Best, also known as “Slime,” 24, of New Bern was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl. The investigation revealed that from March 2019, until December 2022, Best was involved in the distribution of more than two kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 500 grams of fentanyl. Best pled guilty to the charges on October 4, 2022.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other evidence, on April 26, 2019, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a car in Craven County. Law enforcement found four guns including an assault rifle and $8,000. Best was one of three people in the car. It was later determined that they were going to New Jersey to sell the guns.
On December 22, 2020, the New Bern Police conducted a traffic stop on a car being driven by Best. An officer noticed the odor of marijuana. During a search, officers located 74 grams of fentanyl and 27 grams of methamphetamine inside of the car and on a passenger. The investigation uncovered that Best had instructed the passenger to hide the drugs. According to law enforcement, Best is a validated gang member and held a position of leadership in the Pretty Tony Blood gang.
This is part of operation “Jersey South” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Craven and Granville County Sheriffs’ Offices, and the New Bern Police Department investigated the case. Additionally, the Craven County District Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney Scott Thomas assisted with the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-CR-0053-D-4.
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Coon Rapids Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening a U.S. SenatorRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Coon Rapids man has been sentenced to one year and one day for making interstate threats against a U.S. Senator, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2022, Brendon Michael Daugherty, 35, left two voicemail messages on the field office telephone of a U.S. Senator located outside the state of Minnesota. Both messages contained threats of violence directed at the U.S. Senator. In his first message, Daugherty stated, “You and the Republican Party should be proud that you’re pushing me to become a domestic terrorist. Have a nice [expletive] day; can’t wait to kill ya.” In his second message, Daugherty stated, “I also just wanted to note, thank God the Republican Party is against gun control laws because it would keep guns out of the hands of a person that was disabled and volatile like I am, but you guys are totally against that. So, I may actually get to carry out my nefarious goals.” Field office staff retrieved and recorded the messages and reported them to U.S. Capitol Police.
Daugherty pleaded guilty on November 1, 2022, to one count of interstate transmission of a threat to injure the person of another. Daugherty was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud emphasized that threats directed at elected officials pose a “pernicious threat to our democratic institutions.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen prosecuted the case.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to Eighty Years in Prison on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Madison County man on child sexual exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.
U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Kevin Alexander Guerrero-Beltran, 32, to 960 months in prison followed by lifetime of supervised release. Guerrero-Beltran was also ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution to the victims. In January 2023, Guerrero-Beltran pleaded guilty to transportation and distribution of child pornography.
“This defendant has proven that he will continue to abuse and sexually exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “It took a collaborative effort to remove the danger presented by Guerrero-Beltran to the children in our communities. We thank our local, state, and federal partners in protecting our most vulnerable victims. The sentence imposed ensures that Guerrero-Beltran will spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“Mr. Guerrero-Beltran is a serial offender who has repeatedly targeted the most vulnerable of our population and, with today’s sentence, I am grateful that he will never be in a position to harm another child again,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Peeples. “While no amount of prison time or restitution will ever give his victims back the innocence he stole from them, I hope they know that the FBI and our partners will never tire in our efforts to find those who seek to harm our children.”
“While we know the young victims and families of this egregious child predator will have a lifetime of recovery, we hope this significant sentence brings them the relief of knowing he will never harm another child,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Berger. “This case sends a resounding message to those who would target our youth - we will find you and hold you accountable for your heinous crimes.”
According to court documents, Guerrero-Beltran has a history of committing sex crimes against children and was previously convicted of traveling to meet a child for a sex act in Marshall County. He was on state probation at the time he committed these federal offenses. Guerrero-Beltran was released from state prison on May 28, 2020, and a mere three months after his release from prison, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) issued a cyber tip involving the defendant sending an image of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Snapchat. Separate from that, between October 17, 2020, and October 23, 2020, the defendant was involved in and became the administrator of a specific online group where individuals exchanged CSAM. There was also a second cyber tip issued from NCMEC involving the defendant uploading CSAM on a social media application between November 6, 2020, and November 17, 2020. Furthermore, between May 28, 2021, and June 4, 2021, the defendant was in communication with another individual inquiring about having sex with an eight-year-old girl.
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF), FBI Phoenix Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Huntsville Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation participated in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Carnegie Man Sentenced to 6½ Years for $3.8 Million Paycheck Protection Program FraudRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced in federal court to 78 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, plus restitution of $3,885,082 on his conviction for bank fraud and money laundering, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Randy Frasinelli, 66, of Carnegie, PA 15106.
According to information presented to the court, Frasinelli filed six fraudulent applications for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, falsely asserting that he had businesses with dozens of employees and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly payroll. After receiving more than $3.8 million as a result of those loans, Frasinelli spent the money on luxury items including vehicles, a villa in Mexico, an African safari, firearms, works of art, precious metals, watches, and personal investments. Then, prior to sentencing, Frasinelli submitted at least 13 forged character letters, purportedly from prominent individuals in politics, finance, business, technology, and charitable organizations, in an attempt to receive a more lenient sentence.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hardy stated that Frasinelli had committed a very serious crime involving funds that were intended to help small businesses maintain payroll during the pandemic. Judge Hardy also emphasized that Frasinelli’s submission of the forged character letters had eroded the Court’s trust in him at sentencing. Frasinelli was taken into the custody of the United States Marshals at the conclusion of the hearing.
“The scope and magnitude of this defendant’s ongoing fraud and deception is enormous. He lied in an effort to obtain pandemic relief funds while already facing charges of illegally taking federal money meant for businesses on the verge of collapse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “Mr. Frasinelli viewed the Payroll Protection Program as an opportunity to enrich himself at the expense of taxpayers. His continuing deceit—right up to the time of sentencing when he targeted the Court by submitting fraudulent character letters in support of his request for leniency—demonstrates a complete lack of respect for the law. A sentence of six and a half years appropriately holds him accountable and is just punishment for his $3.8 million scheme.”
“Mr. Frasinelli spent millions of dollars he stole from the Paycheck Protection Program to take lavish trips and buy expensive gifts he felt he was entitled to,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “He then tried to undermine the justice system by submitting false character letters attesting to his generosity. The sentence handed down today demonstrates that those who defraud government programs will be held accountable for their actions.”
“Randy Frasinelli’s greed caused him to repeatedly abuse the Payroll Protection Program, and today he is paying the price for doing so,” said Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “While Mr. Frasinelli’s actions were a crime against the government, they also negatively impacted people and businesses who legitimately needed the money but couldn’t get it because the program had been drained. IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to bringing fraudsters like Mr. Frasinelli to justice.”
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Frasinelli.
California Pharmacist Agrees to Settle Allegations of FraudRead the Press Release
Gisele Nguyen, a pharmacist residing in Huntington Beach, California, has agreed to pay $3,933,993 to resolve allegations that she fraudulently billed the Medicare Program for medications that were never dispensed.
The United States alleged that, from at least Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2018, Nguyen, by and through the operation of Gisele Nguyen, Inc., doing business as Natico Pharmacy, which was located in Garden Grove, California, fraudulently submitted claims to Part D of the Medicare Program for prescription medications that were never dispensed to beneficiaries. According to the United States, inventory records showed that Natico Pharmacy did not purchase enough of these medications from wholesaler distributors to fill all of the prescriptions billed to Medicare.
“Federal health care programs provide critical health care services to millions of Americans,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable those who seek to defraud these programs, including by billing for goods or services that they did not provide.”
The resolution obtained in this matter was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer Cihon, with assistance from Assistant U.S Attorney Zoran J. Segina for the Central District of California.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Nationwide Marijuana Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sammy Olague, age 36, of Clovis, California, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute marijuana.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Olague admitted that he was a member of a marijuana-trafficking organization that shipped marijuana from Fresno, California, to locations through the United States, including the Capital Region, between 2016 and February 2020. The marijuana was shipped through UPS and FedEx from a shipping store, Fast Pack & Ship, in Fresno. The defendant owned and operated Fast Pack & Ship from 2016 through June 2018, when he sold the business to Nehemiah Fane, aka “Neil.” A portion of the purchase money was paid in cash by Dwight A. Singletary II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” whom the defendant called “New York.”
Before selling Fast Pack & Ship, Olague shipped approximately 86 kilograms (189 pounds) of marijuana from Fast Pack & Ship to Ruskin, Florida. He also shipped marijuana to, among other locations, the Capital Region and New York City for Singletary.
Between April 2016 and May 2018, Olague shipped at least 104 packages—55 of which contained over 340 kilograms (750 pounds) of marijuana—from Fast Pack & Ship to the Capital Region. In the same period, he received money transfers from and cash, cashier’s checks, and money order deposits into his bank accounts in the Capital Region. As payment for marijuana from Singletary, in May 2018, McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” sent a $1,650 money transfer from the Capital Region to Olague in Fresno; in July and August 2018, three $5,000 cashier’s checks purchased by Isiah Ti-Quan Clements, aka “Zay,” were deposited into Olague’s bank account at a bank in the Capital Region.
After selling Fast Pack & Ship to Fane, between July 2018 and February 2020, Olague shipped at least 30 packages containing approximately 56 kilograms (123 pounds) of marijuana from Fast Pack & Ship to Ruskin.
Olague was charged in an indictment with Singletary, Coles, Fane, Clements, and 19 other people charging marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracies, firearms offenses, and other crimes. Singletary, Coles, Fane, and Clements have pled not guilty, and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations.
Olague faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million at sentencing. He will also be required to serve at least 4 years and up to a lifetime term of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The ATF, DEA, Troy Police Department and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Burtonsville Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for the Armed Robberies of an Armored Truck, Two Banks and a Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has sentenced Israel Ramirez, age 29, of Burtonsville, Maryland, to 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an armed robbery of an armored truck, two armed bank robberies and the armed robbery of a convenience store. In each of the armed robberies, Ramirez discharged his weapon. Ramirez discharged his handgun multiple times in the bank robberies.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on July 4, 2021 Ramirez committed the armed robbery of convenience store in Laurel, Maryland. During the robbery, Ramirez brandished a firearm, which he fired into a cigarette display behind the register when the employees had trouble opening the register. Ultimately, the employees were able to open the register and provided Ramirez with cash. On July 12th, Ramirez robbed the same store. An employee recognized Ramirez as the person that had robbed the store and discharged his weapon the week before. Ramirez kept his hand in his pocket and demanded that the employee open the register. The employee provided Ramirez with cash from the register and Ramirez left the store.
Later on July 12, 2021, Ramirez began following an armored truck that had recently conducted a cash drop/pickup at a nearby bank. The armored truck pulled into a shopping center and parked in front of a bank. The driver of the armored truck went into the bank for a pickup/drop off. Shortly thereafter, Ramirez pulled into the parking lot and parked near the armored truck. Ramirez got out of his car and adjusted the front and rear license plates, so they were folded up onto themselves, then watched as the driver left the bank with deposit bags and got into the armored truck. Ramirez followed as the armored truck driver pulled into another parking lot to conduct another pickup. Ramirez, brandishing a gun, approached the driver as he was leaving a business with the deposit bag. Ramirez demanded the bag, which the driver gave him. Ramirez demanded that the driver give him the earlier deposit bags, but the driver said he could not get back into the armored truck. As Ramirez returned to his car, the driver attempted to get into the driver’s side of the armored truck and Ramirez aimed his gun in the direction of the driver and the armored truck and fired one shot. Ramirez then fled with the cash he stole from the driver.
On November 4, 2021 and December 3, 2021, Ramirez robbed two banks in Silver Spring, Maryland. In each robbery, Ramirez brandished a gun, which he fired after entering the bank, and demanded that the bank employees give him $10,000. In the first robbery, after receiving money from an employee, Ramirez walked toward the exit and fired his gun into a wall as he left the bank. In the second bank robbery, Ramirez fired multiple shots into the ceiling of the bank before demanding cash.
During the second robbery, a bank employee saw Ramirez pull down his mask and recognized him as a frequent customer of the bank. A search warrant was executed at Ramirez’s residence that same day. Law enforcement recovered a black 9mm handgun that matched the description of the gun used by Ramirez during the robberies. Shell casings recovered from each of the robberies were also identified as coming from that gun, which was registered to Ramirez.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (“ATF”) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Prince George’s Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Crespo and Caitlin Cottingham, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Brooklyn Park Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brooklyn Park man was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on September 19, 2021, Marlin Lavar White, 27, possessed a Springfield Armory, model XDM-9, 9mm caliber, semiautomatic pistol while in downtown Minneapolis. When White saw police officers he ran and placed the firearm into a planter near a hotel. The firearm was later recovered from the planter.
Because White has several prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited from lawfully possessing any firearms or ammunition. White pleaded guilty on December 1, 2022, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced yesterday by Senior Judge Ann D. Montgomery.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David P. Steinkamp, Justin A. Wesley, and Craig R. Baune prosecuted the case.
Brooklyn High School Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years' Imprisonment for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jonathan Deutsch was sentenced today in federal court in Brooklyn by United States District Judge Frederic Block to 20 years in prison for four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and six counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Deutsch is employed as a teacher by the New York City Department of Education, and immediately prior to his arrest, he was teaching at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Brooklyn. The defendant was convicted in June 2022 following a one-week trial.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
“The defendant will be incarcerated for many years and deservedly so because he is the most dangerous type of predator, a teacher who enjoys victimizing children. Instead of using his training and skills as a teacher to enrich children, he used those skills to gain the trust of minors in order to sexually exploit them,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will continue to do all that we can to protect our children from sexual exploitation.”
“Deutsch was convicted at trial of sexually exploiting children as young as 10-years old, and with today’s sentence, he learned the consequences of his depraved actions. He will rightfully serve a lengthy term in federal prison, where he will no longer pose a threat to our society’s most vulnerable members,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
“Mr. Deutsch violated, in a truly reprehensible way, the sacred trust that exists between teachers and young people,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “Today’s sentencing sends an unequivocal message that the NYPD and our law enforcement partners will never tolerate the appalling acts of such criminal predators. I commend and thank all of the involved investigators at the city, state, and federal levels, and everyone at the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District and the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, for their critical efforts on this important case.”
As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum and related court proceedings, in 2016 and 2017, Deutsch used multiple Facebook accounts to meet minors online. In one of his Facebook accounts, Deutsch posed as a 33-year-old teacher from New York, and in another account, he posed as a 14-year-old boy. Deutsch joined Facebook groups frequented by LGBTQ+ minors who were struggling with their sexuality and gender identity. After meeting in groups, Deutsch directly messaged children to develop relationships with them. When chatting with children, the defendant flattered them to gain their trust, and he offered support, comfort and affirmation when they expressed sadness, insecurity or pain. Then, Deutsch engaged the children in hyper-sexual conversation and enticed them to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could get videos and photos of that conduct. He also sent minors sexual photos that he represented to be of himself. Ultimately, Deutsch requested and received sexually explicit images or videos from at least four children, ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan E. Farrell and Rachel A. Bennek are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Adam Bernard.
The Defendant:
JONATHAN DEUTSCH
Age: 39
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-502 (S-1) (FB)
Bremerton, Washington man indicted for three-month ‘swatting’ campaign that threatened victims across the USA and in CanadaRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 20-year-old Bremerton, Washington, man was arrested early today on an indictment charging him with ten federal felonies related to his illegal harassing activity – also known as “swatting.” Ashton Connor Garcia will make his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
“Every time Mr. Garcia is alleged to have made one of his false reports to law enforcement, he triggered a potentially deadly event – sending heavily armed police officers to an address where they mistakenly believed they would confront someone who was armed and dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the unpredictable and terrifying dynamic these calls created for Mr. Garcia’s alleged victims cannot be overstated. There is nothing funny about abusing emergency resources and intentionally placing people in harm’s way.”
“Fortunately, no one was hurt as law enforcement responded to Mr. Garcia’s swatting calls,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “However, it is impossible to quantify the significant harm caused by his actions, which affected communities across the nation. Mr. Garcia will be held accountable for his actions, and we hope this also serves as an example of how serious the FBI, the US Attorney’s Office, state, and local law enforcement take these threats.”
According to the indictment, between June 2022 and early September 2022, Garcia made more than 20 swatting calls to law enforcement, targeting victims in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. According to the indictment, Garcia gathered personal information about his victims, and then threatened his victims with harm, including placing swatting calls to send an armed police presence to their home. In some instances, he made swatting calls at the request of friends. Garcia demanded money, virtual currency, credit card information, or sexually explicit photos from some of the people he threatened.
Garcia used voice over internet technology to hide his identity. Using false identities, he made fake reports to non-emergency police numbers claiming things such as that he and others had planted explosive devices in particular locations. He falsely accused other individuals of committing crimes, such as murder, rape, and kidnapping, and he falsely claimed that these individuals possessed dangerous weapons, such as knives, firearms, and explosive devices. Frequently he used the same scripts claiming that his father was holding him hostage, false claims that he shot his parents, false claims that his father stabbed his mother, and false claims that his father had raped female members of the family.
The false reports tied up law enforcement resources that could have been used for actual emergencies. In some instances, law enforcement entered the victim residence with weapons drawn and detained people at the residence.
Garcia allegedly treated the swatting calls like entertainment. He broadcast his swatting calls via the internet platform Discord. Garcia allegedly told other Discord users that he considered himself a “cyber terrorist.”
Specifically, the indictment charges Garcia with these crimes:
- Extortion – Ohio: On July 17, 2022, allegedly demanded credit card information or would injure the reputation of the victim, their family, would leak nude photos, and “swat them.”
- Threats and Hoaxes -Ohio: On July 22, 2022, allegedly made a swatting call to the Shaker Heights Police Department falsely alleging his father was holding the family hostage with firearms and a hand grenade.
- Threats and Hoaxes – Ohio: On July 28, 2022, allegedly called the Cleveland Police Department falsely claiming he had planted a bomb at the Fox News station in Cleveland.
- Hoaxes regarding firearms – California: On July 29, 2022, allegedly called the Los Angeles Police Department falsely claiming his father was raping his sister, that his father had lots of guns and was both mentally ill and a drug addict.
- Interstate threats – Kentucky: on July 30, 2022, allegedly called the Kentucky State Police threatening to kill named hostages.
- Hoaxes regarding aircraft – California: on August 23, 2022, allegedly called the Los Angeles Police and claimed his daughter told him there was a bomb on her flight from Honolulu to LAX.
- Extortion – New jersey: on August 24, 2022, allegedly attempted to obtain photographs and videos of a minor female’s body by threatening to accuse a family member of a crime and “swat” them.
- Threats and hoaxes regarding explosives – Michigan: allegedly reported to the Milan Michigan Police Department that his father was holding him hostage with a gun and bomb.
- Threats and hoaxes – Tennessee: on September 2, 2022, allegedly called the Milan, Tennessee Police Department alleging he was being held hostage by his father who had a gun and bomb.
- Threats and hoaxes regarding explosives – California: allegedly called Los Angeles Police Department alleging he had stashed four pounds of C4 explosives at an airport in Los Angeles and would detonate it unless he was paid $200,000 in bitcoin.
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.
Threats and hoaxes involving explosives are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Other charged threats and hoaxes are punishable by up to five years in prison. Extortion is punishable by up to two years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from numerous local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and in Canada.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Manca.
garcia_indictment_court_stamped.pdfBinghamton Man Sentenced for Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Adam Baldwin, age 42, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced today to 30 months’ imprisonment for attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Baldwin admitted that in September 2021, he agreed to receive shipments of methamphetamine, which he provided to another individual in exchange for payment. Baldwin had the shipments delivered to a UPS Store in Alexandria Bay, New York, where he picked them up. In October 2021, law enforcement intercepted two of the packages addressed to Baldwin, which contained a total of approximately 1,070 grams of pure methamphetamine.
United States District Judge David N. Hurd also ordered Baldwin to serve a three-year term of supervision following his release from prison.
This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force (comprised of detectives from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Watertown Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office), and the Santa Ana Police Department in California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.
Wednesday 29 March 2023
Yakima Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced James Duane Deckard, age 25, of Yakima, Washington, to 48 months in federal prison after Deckard had pleaded guilty on November 15, 2022 to being an Unlawful User of Controlled Substances and Person Convicted of Domestic Violence in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Deckard will also serve three years of supervised release after his release from confinement.
According to court documents, on December 16, 2021, Deckard was involved in a domestic dispute where Deckard pointed a firearm at his intimate partner. On December 18, 2021, officers with the Yakima Police Department attempted to stop Deckard’s vehicle. Deckard accelerated and attempted to elude law enforcement through Yakima, eventually colliding with a fire engine. Deckard then ran from the vehicle and was apprehended. Deckard’s intimate partner – who had been inside the vehicle – alerted officers that Deckard had thrown an item out of the car while driving by a park. Officers responded to Raymond Park where they located a firearm, which was later found to have Deckard’s DNA. Various rounds of ammunition were recovered from Deckard’s vehicle as well as a substantial amount of marijuana. When detained, Deckard made statements indicating that Deckard was a user of methamphetamine. Deckard had previously been convicted of a domestic violence assault against his intimate partner.
After Deckard was sentenced, United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref stated, “Through our Safe Homes, Safe Community Initiative, we are protecting families and preventing firearm homicides perpetrated by those who have a history of domestic violence and unlawfully possess firearms. When there is a gun in a house that has a domestic abuser, the risk of violence increases significantly. Indeed, Offenders with a history of domestic violence that possess firearms are five times more likely to kill their partners. Abusers also use firearms to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control. By keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, our communities are safer and stronger.”
“The combination of domestic violence, drugs and firearms is not a good strategy for success,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “Once he completes his sentence, Mr. Deckard will still be relatively young. We are hopeful that as a result of the prosecution in this case, Mr. Deckard can make the necessary changes in his life to become a positive member of the community on his release.”
Chief Matthew Murray, Chief of Police for the Yakima Police Department commended the corroborative work of law enforcement to bring justice in this case. Chief Murray stated, "I applaud the work of both the ATF and U.S. Attorney in this case. They are strong partners in Yakima’s effort to combat domestic violence in our community. These prosecutions were the proactive concept of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I believe send a strong message that acts of domestic violence will not be tolerated.
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Yakima Police Department, and the Washington State Patrol. This case was prosecuted by Michael J. Ellis, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
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United States Inspector Generals Commit to Fighting Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Federal Funds in the Virgin IslandsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – Dozens of federal Inspector General officials gathered in St. Thomas on March 22-23, 2023, for the first Virgin Islands Office of Inspector General Spring Symposium. The federal oversight and law enforcement officials spent two days collaborating and sharing information as part of their ongoing commitment to protect federal funds awarded to the Virgin Islands.
“As a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Territory received tens of billions of federal funds,” United States Attorney Delia L. Smith said. “We are committed to ensuring that these funds are properly utilized to improve the lives of the people of the Virgin Islands.” Sponsored by the United States Attorney Office and the Virgin Islands OIG Council, the symposium focused on identifying strategies to combat waste, fraud and abuse, and to improve efficiency in the federally funded programs in the Virgin Islands.
“The symposium was an excellent opportunity to do what the Inspector General community does best: work together to combat fraud, waste and abuse across federal government programs,” said Mark Lee Greenblatt, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Greenblatt thanked United States Attorney Smith for bringing together such a diverse array of federal law enforcement organizations. “Collaboration with our on-island partners – including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Virgin Islands OIG and local law enforcement – is critical to the DOI OIG’s success here. I look forward to bolstering those partnerships as we work together to identify and address misconduct in DOI programs in the U.S. Virgin Islands”, Greenblatt said.
Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Hannibal “Mike” Ware, added that “the inaugural symposium showcased the unwavering commitment of the Inspector General community to combatting waste, fraud and abuse. With potential fraud on the rise, the IG community has implemented a whole-of-government approach by investing in partnerships to bring wrongdoers to justice and reclaim stolen taxpayer dollars.”
“This symposium represents the unprecedented commitment of the IG community and federal and local law enforcement partners to interagency collaboration in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thank you to U.S. Attorney Delia Smith for hosting this historical symposium. We look forward to continued partnership with our local partners in the Virgin Islands to combat fraud, waste and abuse and to protect the integrity of HUD programs", said Rae Oliver Davis, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Representatives from 16 Inspector General Offices and federal oversight agencies, including Small Business Administration, Interior, Health and Human Services, Housing and
Urban Development, Education, Treasury, Transportation Security Administration, General Services Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service, Transportation, U.S. Postal Service, Energy, Labor, Department of Justice and Commerce, attended the symposium. Federal law enforcement agents and analysts stationed in the Virgin Islands also attended the symposium, as well as representatives from the Virgin Islands Office of the Inspector General. The symposium was held at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Smith Bay, St. Thomas.U.S. Attorney Hurwit Announces Sentences in Two Cases Involving Fentanyl and Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
BOISE – Two men from southern Idaho were sentenced to federal prison in separate drug and firearms cases this week, announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit.
Keith McClary, 38, of Nampa, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered McClary to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court records, in October 2021, McClary broke into a gun store in Nampa and stole twenty-four firearms. McClary then distributed the firearms, trading some of the firearms for a large quantity of fentanyl pills. McClary has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for burglary, domestic violence, and possession of a controlled substance.
In a separate case, Jase Anderson, 35, of Mountain Home, was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Anderson to serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court records, over the course of a two-day investigation in July 2022, law enforcement seized six ounces of fentanyl powder, $9,440 in drug proceeds, three firearms—one of which was stolen, and numerous rounds and calibers of ammunition from Anderson.
Anderson also has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for attempted malicious injury to property, possession of a controlled substance, and domestic battery.
“The successful prosecution of these dangerous offenders demonstrates our commitment to making our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “The success of our Project Safe Neighborhoods program is the result of our close partnerships with local law enforcement agencies who help us identify and prosecute violent offenders across the state.”
U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and Nampa Police Department for their collaboration on the McClary case and commended Boise Police Department and the Boise Area Narcotic Drug Interdiction Team (BANDIT) for their work on the Anderson case.
These cases were prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Two Orlando Women Sentenced for Preparing Fraudulent Tax Returns for Three YearsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Erotida Natasha Harden Ortiz to eight years in federal prison and Aida Cortes to four years and six months in federal prison. A federal jury had found Harden and Cortes guilty in October 2022. Harden was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and six counts of aiding in fraudulent and false statements related to IRS tax returns. Cortes was convicted of one count conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to evidence admitted during the trial and sentencing hearing, Ortiz owned Certified Taxes, LLC and Cortes was her office manager. Prior to opening Certified Taxes, Harden and Cortes both worked for two other tax businesses that had been closed down by the IRS. From 2016 through 2018, Ortiz and Cortes orchestrated a scheme to file taxes for unsuspecting taxpayers by filling out fraudulent Schedule C forms, which showed a business loss and enabled the taxpayers to obtain the Earned Income Tax credit. By obtaining the Earned Income Tax credit, the taxpayers were able to receive refunds to which the taxpayers were not entitled. As a result, the taxpayers continued to come back to Certified Taxes every year. The evidence revealed that Certified Taxes did not provide the tax returns to the taxpayers to review or review the tax returns with the taxpayers prior to filing them with the IRS.
During the conspiracy, Certified Taxes filed more than 3,600 tax returns with the IRS, with only 1 tax return resulting in a taxpayer owing money to the IRS. For each tax return Certified Taxes charged the taxpayer approximately $400, resulting in Certified Taxes receiving more than $1.2 million in tax preparation fees. In addition, in the last year of operation, Harden claimed income from Certified Taxes of approximately $394,000 but due to a fraudulent Schedule C, which claimed expenses of $379,000 on her tax return, she was able to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and receive a refund of $6,375.
At sentencing, Harden and Cortes were ordered to repay the IRS $3.796 million in restitution for the fraudulent tax returns that generated tax refunds to which taxpayers were not entitled.
“Knowingly submitting false documents to the IRS is a crime,” said Ronald A. Loecker, IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “The defendants personally benefitted from filing false tax returns for clients and yesterday’s sentence demonstrates that willfully interfering with the integrity of our nation’s tax system will result in fraudsters spending time in prison.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
Two Additional Defendants Charged with Civil Rights Conspiracy Targeting Pregnancy Resource CentersRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned a superseding indictment charging two additional Florida residents with federal crimes arising out of a series of targeted attacks on pregnancy resource facilities in the state. Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, were previously charged with the same offenses in March.
According to the superseding indictment, Gabriella Oropesa and Annarella Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, engaged in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants allegedly targeted pregnancy resource facilities and vandalized those facilities with spray-painted threats. Some of the co-conspirators are alleged to have spray painted threats, including “If abortions aren’t safe than niether [sic] are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING for U,” and “We are everywhere,” on a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven, Florida. Facilities in Hollywood, Florida, and Hialeah, Florida, were also allegedly targeted.
The superseding indictment also alleges that Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, violated the FACE Act by using threats of force to intimidate and interfere with the employees of a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven because those employees were providing or seeking to provide reproductive health services. The superseding indictment further alleges that Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, violated the FACE Act by intentionally damaging and destroying the facility’s property because the facility provides reproductive health services.
If convicted of the offenses, Rivera, Freestone and Smith-Stewart each face up to a maximum of 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $350,000. Oropesa faces up to a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
The FBI Tampa Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, the Miami Police Department, the Hialeah Police Department and the Hollywood Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Thelwell for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats, and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov.
For more information about clinic violence, and the Department of Justice’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-against-reproductive-health-care-providers.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Additional Defendants Charged with Civil Rights Conspiracy Targeting Pregnancy Resource CentersRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned a superseding indictment charging two additional Florida residents with federal crimes arising out of a series of targeted attacks on pregnancy resource facilities in the state. Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, were previously charged with the same offenses in March.
According to the superseding indictment, Gabriella Oropesa and Annarella Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, engaged in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants allegedly targeted pregnancy resource facilities and vandalized those facilities with spray-painted threats. Some of the co-conspirators are alleged to have spray painted threats, including “If abortions aren’t safe than niether [sic] are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING for U,” and “We are everywhere,” on a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven, Florida. Facilities in Hollywood, Florida, and Hialeah, Florida, were also allegedly targeted.
The superseding indictment also alleges that Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, violated the FACE Act by using threats of force to intimidate and interfere with the employees of a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven because those employees were providing or seeking to provide reproductive health services. The superseding indictment further alleges that Rivera, along with Freestone and Smith-Stewart, violated the FACE Act by intentionally damaging and destroying the facility’s property because the facility provides reproductive health services.
If convicted of the offenses, Rivera, Freestone and Smith-Stewart each face up to a maximum of 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $350,000. Oropesa faces up to a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
The FBI Tampa Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, the Miami Police Department, the Hialeah Police Department and the Hollywood Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Thelwell for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats, and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov.
For more information about clinic violence, and the Department of Justice’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-against-reproductive-health-care-providers.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Trafficker ordered to prison for putting meth on Greyhound busRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 47-year-old Donna man has received a significant sentence following his conviction of conspiracy to traffic meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Cesar Rocha pleaded guilty March 30, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Rocha to serve 228 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that the meth had been smuggled in from Mexico before Rocha took possession and moved it further north. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Rocha’s prior convictions for similar offenses, possession with intent to distribute and delivery of controlled substances in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively.
On Nov. 28, 2021, a K-9 alerted law enforcement to specific luggage on a Greyhound bus that was traveling from Harlingen to Corpus Christi. Upon opening the bag, they found a wrapped bundle containing nearly one kilogram of meth.
Surveillance footage revealed Rocha had carried the bag in from the bus station in Harlingen. He also purchased a ticket for another individual and put that person on the bus with the bag containing the drugs. Authorities discovered 12 other bus trips matching the same pattern that occurred from December 2020 to November of 2021.
Rocha will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.
Texas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Break into Businesses in Maryland and Illinois to Steal from ATMsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Robert Reeves III, age 37 of Dallas, Texas, to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods where the defendant and his co-conspirators broke into businesses and stole cash from Bitcoin-related ATMs. Judge Hollander also ordered Reeves to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $55,316. The sentence was imposed on March 27, 2023.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from August 2018 through at least September 13, 2018, Reeves, co-defendants Meleech Neugent and Brandon Davis, and other individuals conspired to travel from the Dallas, Texas area to other parts of the United States, including the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, break into businesses after they closed and steal cash from Bitcoin-related automated teller machines (“ATMs”). Specifically, on August 29, 2018, Reeves, his co-defendants and others traveled from Dallas, Texas to Dulles International Airport and rented a vehicle. In the early morning hours of August 31, 2018 and September 1, 2018, they used that vehicle to drive to locations in Rockville, Columbia and Baltimore, Maryland, where they broke into four separate businesses. Once inside the business, the conspirators stole cash from the ATM machines.
As stated in is plea agreement, video surveillance from the burglary locations showed three individuals committed the acts, arriving and departing in a black Jeep Patriot with New Jersey license plates. Records revealed that the vehicle was owned by a car rental company and had been rented at Dulles Airport by Reeves and his co-conspirators. Records associated with Reeves’ internet and cell phone accounts showed that he searched for each victim business while the group was in Maryland. Later on September 1, Reeves and other co-conspirators visited a shopping center in Tysons Corner, Virginia. A video posted to co-defendant Neugent’s social media showed Neugent counting bundles of cash while purchasing shoes at a high-end designer retail store. Reeves and some co-conspirators returned to Texas, flying from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before leaving, the Jeep Patriot that was rented by Reeves was reported as being in a car accident with Reeves and Neugent listed as the occupants of the vehicle.
Reeves admitted that on August 23, 2018, he participated in a similar burglary in Illinois. Specifically, Reeves and another man approached a business in Elgin, Illinois, while carrying prying tools. One man pried open the door and the men then pried open the ATM inside the business, removing approximately $3,000 from the ATM.
Meleesh Neugent, age 40, and Brandon Davis, age 35, both of Dallas, Texas, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Neugent was sentenced to time served and Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2023.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI Baltimore and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Tampa Felon Charged with Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Leonon Ricky Davis (37, Tampa) with being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Davis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to statements made in open court, on December 1, 2022, Davis crashed into a parked vehicle while driving drunk on 26th Street in Tampa. Eyewitnesses reported that Davis was waving a black pistol when he exited the vehicle. Davis fled from the scene of the crash on foot, abandoning the pistol, a bag of crack cocaine, and cash along the way. Officers from the Tampa Police Department responded to the scene and apprehended Davis minutes after the crash.
Davis has multiple prior felony convictions, including for possession of cocaine, felony battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As such, federal law prohibits him from possessing firearms and ammunition.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.
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 out 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Sylvania Woman Sentenced to Prison for Providing False Statements to Law Enforcement Regarding Illegally Purchased FirearmRead the Press Release
TOLEDO – Taylor Elysse Corggens, 30, of Sylvania, Ohio, was sentenced on Monday, March 20, 2023, to 6 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James G. Carr after she pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with her purchase of a firearm for a felon.
According to court documents, on May 24, 2021, Corggens and another individual, who was a convicted felon, entered a federally licensed firearms dealer together in the Oregon, Ohio, area. While in the store, court documents state that the felon picked out and handled a firearm despite being legally prohibited from such activities.
Court documents state that Corggens then used her identification to purchase the firearm from the dealer. Records show that the felon was later pulled over by Toledo Police Department officers and found to be in possession of the same firearm that Corggens purchased.
Later, in December 2021, federal law enforcement authorities interviewed Corggens about the firearm and asked Corggens if anyone was with her when she purchased the firearm. Corggens stated that no one was with her when she purchased the firearm despite surveillance video evidence from the firearms dealer showing Corggens and another individual arriving together in the same vehicle and entering the dealer simultaneously.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Toledo Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert N. Melching.
Statement from United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona on Fallen Huntsville Police Department Officer Garrett CrumbyRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – “My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and fellow officers of Huntsville PD Officer Garrett Crumby who tragically lost his life in the line of duty. Officer Crumby bravely put his life on the line every day to protect the citizens of Huntsville, and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are also with Huntsville PD Officer Albert Morin who was wounded and is fighting for his life.”
Southwest Virginia Pair Sentenced to 10 Years in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Two people, who were sources of supply in a broader methamphetamine conspiracy, were sentenced last week to 10 years each in federal prison for their roles in the drug trafficking operation.
Chelsey Lynn Doss, 39, of Washington County, Virginia, and William Lee Whitt, 41, of Tazewell, Virginia, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, in July 2022, law enforcement arranged a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Doss based on information provided from a confidential source. When Doss and Whitt arrived at the scene, law enforcement searched their car and arrested them after finding more than 250 grams of high-purity methamphetamine, digital scales, and more than $3,500 in cash.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit D. Pierce prosecuted the case.
South Carolina Man Arrested on Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol BreachRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A South Carolina man has been arrested on felony charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Thomas Andrew Casselman, 29, of Walhalla, South Carolina, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds or buildings, all felonies, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building. He was arrested this morning in Walhalla and made his initial appearance in the District of South Carolina before Magistrate Judge Kevin McDonald.
According to court documents, Casselman is seen in images from Jan. 6, 2021, published widely, wearing a dark grey cap with design on the front, black face mask, American flag gaiter or scarf around the neck, black jacket, and backpack while in the crowd on the west side of the Capitol Building. Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage from D.C. Metropolitan Police officers as well as open-source video footage show Casselman spraying law enforcement officers with an orange colored spray, presumed to be a chemical irritant, specifically, bear spray. A victim of the use of this chemical irritant also described the spray as bear spray.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Columbia, South Carolina Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Casselman as #363 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 26 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South Beloit Woman Found Guilty of Bail-Jumping ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A South Beloit woman was convicted on Friday for her participation in a bail jumping conspiracy following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Rockford.
According to the indictment and evidence at trial, PATRICIA WERSCHIN, aka PATRICIA FRISELLA, 56, conspired with others in June of 2016 to help her son, Adrian Peters, flee to Canada to avoid federal prosecution. In July 2015, Peters was charged with sexual exploitation of minors, a crime that carried a 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. While the case was pending, Peters was on home confinement with a $15,000 cash bond and with Werschin acting as his third-party custodian.
Werschin played a critical part in the conspiracy to help her son try to evade his federal charges by fleeing the country. Instead of ensuring that her son abided by the conditions of pre-trial release, Werschin created fake identification documents for her son to use in Canada, worked with co-conspirators to recruit and pay others to drive her son to the border, and then arranged for court approval for her son to leave the house on June 28, 2016, under the pretext of a doctor’s appointment. Werschin dropped her son off at Rock Cut State Park where he was then picked up and driven to the Canadian border by a co-conspirator. Peters crossed into Canada on foot, but the coconspirator was stopped by border patrol as he pulled away from the crossing. The coconspirator confessed what he knew of the plan and Peters was apprehended in Canada the next day.
Once Werschin learned that border patrol had stopped the co-conspirator, she immediately fled from her home in South Beloit. Werschin traveled through multiple states, eventually crossing into Mexico.
Werschin faces a maximum potential penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The court must impose a reasonable sentence guided by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing for Werschin is scheduled for June 16, 2023. Sentencing for Werschin’s son, Adrian Peters, who was also charged in the conspiracy and previously pled guilty, is scheduled for June 30, 2016. Peters previously pled guilty and was sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment for the original criminal charge.
The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The South Beloit Police Department, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian Border Patrol Services Agency, Illinois Secretary of State, and United States Marshal Service assisted in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus, Talia M. Bucci, and Lisa Munch. AUSA Mike Love and former AUSA Scott Paccagnini provided significant assistance during the investigation.
Skagit County man sentenced to ten years in prison for drug and gun crimesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 24-year-old resident of Mount Vernon, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison for drug trafficking while armed with multiple firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Santos Gutierrez-Fosella was arrested on March 14, 2022, with more than 89,000 fentanyl pills, two kilos of methamphetamine and five firearms – one of them a ghost gun. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Lauren King said, “The seriousness of your crimes has been escalating and all are tied to drugs…. You amplified the danger to the public, law enforcement and yourself by trying to protect your drugs with guns.”
“Mr. Gutierrez-Fosella took more than $130,000 to Arizona to load up on potentially deadly fentanyl pills – that conduct alone indicates he was a prolific drug distributor,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “When the Skagit County authorities tried to arrest him, he rammed a patrol car in a futile attempt to escape. In his pocket was a loaded 9mm ghost gun. His conduct posed a danger to the community on many levels.”
According to records filed in the case, Gutierrez-Fosella was indicted with two others on March 30, 2022. Robert Johnny was purchasing pills from Gutierrez-Fosella. He was sentenced in January 2023, to six years in prison. A third co-defendant, Steven Lopez Ruiz is scheduled for sentencing on April 5, 2023.
When law enforcement searched Gutierrez-Fosella’s car after the traffic stop, they found not only the fentanyl and methamphetamine, but S10,000 in cash and four firearms: a .40 caliber Hi Point handgun, a Beretta APX handgun, a Palmetto PA15 rifle, and a CZ Scorpion rifle. Gutierrez-Fosella had the loaded ghost gun and another $7,000 in cash in his pockets.
As part of the agreement to resolve the federal case, the Skagit County Prosecutor agreed to resolve its pending charges against Gutierrez-Fosella, including charges related to an armed robbery, by accepting pleas to the following charges pending in Skagit County: Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree, and Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree.
The case was investigated by the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Swinomish Police Department, and the Mount Vernon Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman.
Sioux Falls Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography and KidnappingRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for two counts of Production of Child Pornography and two counts of kidnapping.
Derek Wayne Rondeau, age 32, was indicted in January of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on March 27, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $400 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 9, 2022, and again on June 15, 2023, Rondeau kidnapped two juvenile females and knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced them to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. Rondeau also knew and had reason to know that such depictions would be transported in interstate and foreign commerce, or mailed, shipped, and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, including by a computer.
The charges are merely accusations and Rondeau is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Rondeau was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Sioux Falls Man Charged with Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Maurice Sitting Bear, age 48, was indicted in March of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on March 9, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that Sitting Bear, who had previously been convicted of a sex crime and required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, failed to do so between April 12, 2021, and January 18, 2023.
The charge is merely an accusation and Sitting Bear is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Sitting Bear was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial, which has been set for May 16, 2023.
San Jose Police Union Executive Charged with Attempted Illegal Importation of Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – The Office of the United States Attorney has filed a federal criminal complaint charging Joanne Marian Segovia with attempt to illegally import a controlled substance in connection with a scheme to bring synthetic opioids into the country and distribute them throughout the United States, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The criminal complaint was filed on March 27, 2023, and unsealed the next day.
According to the complaint, Segovia, 64, of San Jose, is the Executive Director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association (SJPOA). The complaint alleges that Segovia used her personal and office computers to order thousands of opioid and other pills to her home and agreed to distribute the drugs elsewhere in the United States.
The complaint alleges that Segovia was apprehended as part of an ongoing Homeland Security investigation into a network that was shipping controlled substances into the San Francisco Bay Area from abroad.
The complaint alleges that between October 2015 and January 2023, Segovia had at least 61 shipments mailed to her home, originating from countries including Hong Kong, Hungary, India, and Singapore. The manifests for these shipments declared their contents with labels like “Wedding Party Favors,” “Gift Makeup,” or “Chocolate and Sweets.” But between July 2019 and January 2023, officials intercepted and opened five of these shipments and found that they contained thousands of pills of controlled substances, including the synthetic opioids Tramadol and Tapentadol. Certain parcels were valued at thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs.
Also alleged is that Segovia used encrypted WhatsApp communications to plan the logistics for receiving and sending pill shipments. For example, the complaint describes a three-year period between January 2020 and March 2023 during which Segovia is alleged to have exchanged hundreds of messages with someone using a phone with an India country code. The messages discussed details for shipping and payment of pills and contained hundreds of pictures of tablets, shipping labels, packaging, payment receipts, and payment confirmations.
The complaint alleges that Segovia used her office at the San Jose Police Officers’ Association to distribute controlled substances. For example, in spring 2021, Segovia was told by a supplier to send a package to a woman in North Carolina. Segovia then sent this supplier a photograph of a shipment made using the UPS account of San Jose Police Officers’ Association.
According to the complaint, Segovia continued to order controlled substances even after being interviewed by federal investigators in February 2023. On March 13, 2023, federal agents seized a parcel in Kentucky, containing valeryl fentanyl, addressed to Segovia. The package allegedly originated from China on March 10, 2023 and declared its contents as a “clock.”
Segovia is charged with attempt to unlawfully import valeryl fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 952(a).
A criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and, like all defendants, Segovia is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Segovia faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years. In addition, as part of any sentence, the court may order the defendant to serve at least 3 years of supervised release and to pay a fine of up to $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tartakovsky is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Margoth Turcios. This prosecution is the result of investigation by HSI.
St. John Man Charged with Possession of 18 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Calis Sewer of St. John made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged with possession with intent to distribute 18 kilograms of cocaine. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller ordered that Sewer remain in custody pending trial in this matter.
According to court documents, on March 21, 2023, Virgin Islands Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop on a Suzuki Vitara driven by and registered to Sewer. During the stop, a drug canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the trunk of Sewer’s vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed a black duffle bag containing 18 brick-shaped bundles the contents of which tested positive for cocaine.
Prior to the traffic stop, federal agents observed Sewer traveling down the Brown Bay Trail in St. John’s heading towards the beach, a location known to law enforcement for narcotics and human smuggling. Approximately 30 minutes later, Sewer was observed traveling up the trail carrying a large black duffle bag. Thereafter, Sewer was observed at his residence in St. John as he transferred the black duffle bag from a Dodge Journey and placed it inside the Suzuki Vitara. Sewer then drove the Vitara from his home and boarded the Car Ferry in St. John. Upon arrival in Red Hook, St. Thomas, VIPD immediately initiated a traffic stop of Sewer’s vehicle which led to the discovery of a black duffle bag containing 18 bricks of cocaine.
This case is being investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigation and Virgin Islands Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Edwards.
Repeat offender ordered to prison after re-entering the country…for the 6th timeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 35-year-old from Mexico has been ordered to federal prison for illegal re-entry after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury found Laureano Mar-Peres guilty Nov. 29, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered him to serve 33 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Mar-Peres is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted that how Mar-Peres had been removed from the United States five times.
At trial, testimony revealed that on Jan. 11, 2022, authorities had encountered Mar-Peres attempting to circumvent the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint in Kenedy County. A fingerprint expert was able to identify Mar-Peres as the same individual previously ordered removed from the United States, the most recent being Oct. 22, 2021.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that because so many people are removed from the United States, there was no way to keep track of all of them. They did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
Mar-Peres has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.
Repeat offender heads back to prison for distributing, receiving and possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 39-year-old Spring resident has been sent to prison…again, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Colt Jacoby Barnett pleaded guilty Oct. 17,2022, to multiple child pornography charges.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Barnett to prison for a total of 210 months for distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography as well as destruction of evidence. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that the troubling fact that he was a repeat offender. Barnett was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Barnett will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Offenders who exploit children by repeatedly traumatizing them via collecting and making their images available through the internet are a plague on our society,” said Hamdani. “This defendant was previously prosecuted and punished for similar behavior, and thankfully, the enhanced penalties for repeat offenders ensure he will spend even longer in prison this time, thus protecting our children further from his deviant criminal behavior.”
In January 2019, law enforcement conducted an investigation into the sharing of child pornography through the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network. They soon downloaded a video from a particular internet protocol (IP) address that was over two minutes in length. It showed a female under the age of 12 engaged in oral sex with an adult male.
The IP address was traced back to Barnett’s residence in Spring. The investigation revealed he was a registered sex offender from a previous conviction in 2004 for receipt of child pornography.
Authorities conducted a search warrant at his residence, at which time Barnett attempted to destroy a laptop computer in his possession. A forensic examination of the hard drive from the damaged laptop revealed 55 videos containing child pornography.
Barnett was found to have received and distributed child pornography via peer-to-peer programs. Of the 55 videos he possessed, at least two depicted bondage of a child, another two were over five minutes in length and one depicted the penetration of a minor under the age of five.
Barnett was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI Houston conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. The sentencing took place on March 24, 2023.
Warren Hotchkiss, 42, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hotchkiss was indicted for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm by a federal grand jury in September of 2022. He pleaded guilty on November 21, 2022.
In August of 2022, at Rapid City, Hotchkiss was found in possession of a semi-automatic rifle with a barrel length less than 16 inches which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Hotchkiss was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Indicted for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
John Ray Heath, age 51, was indicted in March of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on March 24, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count of conviction. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge relates to Heath attempting to engage an undercover law enforcement agent, posing as a 14-year-old female, in sexual activity between January and March of 2023.
The charge is merely an accusation and Heath is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.
Heath was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Rapid City Man Found Guilty of Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Nathan David Hankins, age 30, of Rapid City, South Dakota, has been convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography following a court trial in federal district court in Rapid City. The verdict was returned by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken on March 23, 2023.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years up to of 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count. Restitution may also be ordered.
Hankins was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2019.
Hankins was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in relation to a download of child pornography from Hankins’ Google account. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on Hankins’ residence and located several devices. A forensic examination of those devices found hundreds of images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Property Manager Defrauds Program for Elderly & Low IncomeRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Kansas man admits to defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Program of approximately $1 million intended to help elderly and low income residents with rental housing expenses. Perry Johnson, 55, of Ozawkie pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement on loan or credit applications.
Rural Development works with rental property owners to subsize rent and maintenance repair expenses on behalf of low income and elderly tenants. Rural Development has a policy requiring all properties to submit Identity of Interest (IOI) disclosures concerning any personal relationships with vendors performing work on properties.
According to court documents, between 2014 and 2017, Johnson worked as the regional manager of a company that managed 47 properties in Kansas. He was responsible for each property’s budget and approval of contracts. Johnson ignored the IOI policy and created approximately $1 million in vendor maintenance and repair invoices in the names of relatives and friends from which he financially benefited. Johnson also created false worksheets claiming his son resided at three different rural housing apartments although his son was never a tenant at any of those properties.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21, 2023. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The USDA – Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting the case.
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Ponte Vedra Beach Contract Postal Carrier Pleads Guilty to Theft of MailRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kori Ann Moreno (26, Ponte Vedra Beach) has pleaded guilty to theft of mail. She faces up to five years in prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Moreno was arrested on November 29, 2022, by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) and subsequently released on a bond.
According to court documents, in 2020, Moreno began working as a highway contract carrier delivering U.S. Mail on multiple highway contract routes (HCRs), primarily in the area of Ponte Vedra Beach. In July 2022, the USPS-OIG received multiple complaints regarding a high volume of stolen and undelivered mail on various HCRs handled by Moreno. On July 13, 2022, the USPS-OIG put a greeting card containing two $20 bills in a mail depository for outgoing U.S. Mail at a condominium complex on one of Moreno’s HCRs in Ponte Vedra Beach. Later that morning, while Moreno was processing mail at the condominium complex, USPS-OIG agents determined that Moreno had opened the greeting card. Agents who were in the area approached Moreno and located the greeting card which had been opened and was missing the cash. Moreno subsequently handed the missing money over to the agents.
During an on-scene search of Moreno’s car and personal belongings, agents located mail and gift cards that had been stolen out of the mail. During an interview with agents, Moreno stated in substance that since around December 2021 she had been opening mail – two to three letters a day. If the mail contained cash and/or gift cards, she would steal the contents and throw the cards in the trash. She was unsure how much money she obtained through her theft of mail.
This case was investigated by United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Pittsburgh Felon Indicted on Firearms Charges in Project Safe Neighborhoods CaseRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The three-count Indictment, returned yesterday, named Tyrenzo Morton, 36, currently incarcerated at the Butler County Prison, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about June 29 and Sept. 2, 2021, Morton, after a prior felony conviction, possessed firearms and ammunition. Under federal law, a convicted felon is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Additionally, on or about Sept. 2, 2021, Morton possessed a firearm, namely a .223 Remington caliber, AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle having a barrel less than 16 inches in length and bearing no serial number, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Baldwin Borough Police Department, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner, Butler County Detectives, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and
strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.