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Wednesday 8 March 2023
Sarasota Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms and Distribution Quantities of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Clinton Justesen (48, Sebring) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. Justesen faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for the firearm offense and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for the drug offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on September 9, 2022, deputies from the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office stopped a truck driven by Justesen near the intersection of Williamsburg Street and North Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota. Justesen was towing a motorcycle which had been reported stolen on August 23, 2022. A search of Justesen’s truck and the trailer carrying the motorcycle yielded multiple firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition of different calibers, approximately 12.6 grams of methamphetamine, a vacuum sealer, a digital scale, assorted pills and tablets of various colors, and approximately $12,000.
The firearms found in Justesen’s truck included a HS Produkt XD9 9mm pistol, a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield 9mm pistol, and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223/5.56mm caliber rifle with an installed vertical foregrip.
At the time, Justesen had multiple prior felony convictions including vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a crash with death, armed robbery, and felon in possession of a firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Justesen is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Justesen admitted to selling narcotics, possessing the firearms, and that he needed the firearms for his protection during his drug dealing activities.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
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.
Ridgeland Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Making Threats Against CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Ridgeland man was sentenced to two years in prison for making threats in interstate commerce, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2021, Robert Wiser Bates, 39, placed phone calls to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and left voicemails for CDC Director Rochelle Walensky that were threatening in nature. Through the investigation it was determined that Bates made similar threats towards Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health. The root of his anger was due to the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Robert was indicted by a federal grand jury and he pled guilty on December 19, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.
Richland Man with Extensive Criminal History Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison After Shooting A Person and Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl-Laced Pills in Tri-CitiesRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington – On March 8, 2023, Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea
sentenced Jonathan Scott Ard, 30, of Richland, Washington, to 12 years in in federal prison after
his guilty plea to federal fentanyl and gun charges. Ard will also serve 5 years of federal
supervision after he is released from custody. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Shea noted
Ard’s long criminal record, which began when he was 14 years old and includes a significant
history of crimes of violence. Judge Shea also expressed concern about the fact that Ard was
under the supervision of the Washington Department of Corrections when he engaged in his
current misconduct.According to information disclosed during court proceedings, the investigation began in
December 2020 when Ard was in his car smoking a fentanyl-laced pill and in possession of
distribution quantities of fentanyl and a loaded firearm. Another person approached Ard’s car,
and Ard – acting in what a different court concluded was self-defense – got out of his car and
shot the person in the leg. Ard then retrieved drug-related items from the car and went into his
house; he neither alerted authorities nor sought emergency aid for the person he had just shot.
To the contrary, he soon came back outside to retrieve more items from his car, and simply
walked past his victim, who was laying on the ground after being shot by Ard. Ard then
barricaded himself inside from law enforcement before eventually surrendering. When law
enforcement officers searched Ard’s home, they recovered approximately 500 fentanyl-laced
pills and the gun Ard had used in the shooting.Ard went into custody on state charges but continued to conspire with other people to distribute
fentanyl from inside the jail. He was released from state custody and was arrested again after
fleeing from law enforcement at a motel in Richland in March 2021. When he was arrested the
second time, Ard had a loaded gun with him, along with another approximately 400 fentanyl-laced
pills, a distribution quantity of heroin, and drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement officers
searched Ard’s cellular telephone and recovered additional drug-related evidence and numerous
pictures and social media posts by Ard idealizing his criminal lifestyle.Fentanyl is the new face of the opioid epidemic and the leading cause of overdose deaths across
the country. According to DEA, in 2021 there was enough lethal fentanyl seized to kill every
single American in the United States. Based on DEA lab confirmations, 6 in every 10 fentanyl
laced pills contain a lethal dose. In Benton and Franklin Counties, the rate of overdose deaths increased to a high of 23 people per 100,000 in a year in 2020, or about 70 deaths in 2020, an
increase in a year of more than 100%. Department of Health records from Spokane County
show over an 186% increase in fentanyl-related overdoses between 2020 and 2021 and a 1233%
increase in fentanyl-related overdoses in the four-year period between 2017 and 2021.
Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington,
commended the joint efforts of law enforcement: “Drug distribution and gun violence are a
scourge in the Tri-Cities and elsewhere. It is particularly disheartening that an offender with an
extensive criminal history – who had already shot another person while in possession of
distribution quantities of fentanyl – was released pending trial, only to continue possessing
loaded firearms and additional fentanyl for distribution.”U.S. Attorney Waldref continued: “I commend the collaborative efforts of the Richland Police
Department, DEA, FBI, and LEAD Task Force, who work together seamlessly to keep Eastern
Washington safe and strong. The people in this community are also incredibly fortunate to be
represented in federal court by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter, who
spearheads federal drug prosecutions in the Tri-Cities and elsewhere.”“By leveraging our law enforcement partnerships, we were able to remove Mr. Ard from the
community where he has repeatedly distributed deadly fentanyl-laced pills and presented
significant danger to the community through his violent actions,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting
Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.“Even incarceration did not deter Mr. Ard from conspiring to distribute fentanyl and continue a
lifestyle of lawlessness,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle
field office. “Additionally, he’s an offender who has proven his willingness to use violence. For
the safety of our community, I hope significant time in federal prison will prevent him from
conducting other criminal activities and send a message about the commitment of the law
enforcement community to fight violence. This case highlights the work of the FBI and our
partners with the US Attorney’s Office, DEA, and Richland Police Department to stop the spread
of fentanyl.”This case was investigated by the Richland Police Department, the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Law Enforcement Against Drugs
Task Force in the Tri-Cities. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Stephanie Van Marter.4:21-CR-6008-EFS
Previously Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition as a previously convicted felon.
Kevin Blackmore, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper schedule sentencing for June 29, 2023. Blackmore was charged in October 2022.
On June 19, 2022, local law enforcement was dispatched to a hotel in Sharon in response to a call for a possible disturbance involving two vehicles. At the scene, the female occupant of one vehicle requested police assistance in collecting personal items from Blackmore, who was driving the second vehicle. When officers assisted Blackmore in searching the vehicle for those items, they recovered a black Smith and Wesson .45 caliber semi-automatic firearm, a Taurus .9mm semi-automatic firearm, 67 rounds of .9mm ammunition and 80 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Due to prior felony convictions stemming from 2006 through 2020, Blackmore is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Sharon Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
President of Beaver Falls Mineral Processing Company Pleads Guilty to Filing False Income Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – The president of a Pittsburgh-area mineral company pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to a charge of filing a false income tax return, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Paul J. Austin pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Arthur Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that from 2012 through 2017, the defendant was the President of J.P. Austin Associates, Inc., a mineral processing company in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. For calendar years 2012 through 2017, the defendant and his spouse, who served as the company’s Treasurer, jointly filed annual Form 1040 federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The defendant admitted in Court that during the relevant time period, payments were made from company accounts for college expenses, which were falsely categorized as business expenses using fictitious vendor names. The return preparer for Mr. Austin and his spouse was not informed about these college expense payments, and the payments were not included as taxable income on Form 1040 returns that were ultimately filed with the IRS. Thus, the defendant willfully made and subscribed Form 1040 returns for calendar years 2012 through 2017 that materially underreported his taxable income. In connection with his guilty plea, the defendant agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $159,982.00, plus interest.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2023. The law provides for a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney David Lew is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Information in this case.
Postal Worker Sentenced for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced today in Worcester for stealing packages in Gardner.
Roberta Feliz, 33, of Fitchburg, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to three years of probation, with the first six months to be served in home confinement. In April 2022, Feliz pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.
Feliz was employed as Lead Sales and Services Associate with the Gardner Post Office. Between February and July 2020, Feliz stole over $90,000 in cash deposits that were mailed from a Tractor Supply Company to its bank. Feliz, who was scheduled to work on each day that a cash package was mailed, was observed on surveillance camera removing envelopes from the postal service floor into the employee locker area or the women’s restroom. In August 2020, Feliz was approached by law enforcement after she took a control package containing cash from the postal floor into an office, removed money from the envelope and hid it in an unused desk. Feliz admitted to stealing packages from the Tractor Supply Company and stated that she used the money to pay off debt and sent some to family overseas.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison for Operating Fraudulent Debt Relief SchemeRead the Press Release
A Philadelphia woman was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS and assisting others in filing false income tax returns.
On July 16, 2021, Yolonda Thompson, also known as Qhama Al, and a co-conspirator, Albert Upshur, also known as Kelinde Jaha, were found guilty at a bench trial of conspiring to defraud the IRS and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2009 and 2015, Thompson and Upshur attempted to obtain millions of dollars for themselves and other participants in a fraudulent debt relief scheme they referred to as the Debt Payoff Process. As part of the scheme, Thompson and Upshur formed the Yolonda Denise Thompson Living Trust (the “Thompson Trust”). Participants in the Debt Payoff Process were told that if they paid money to Upshur and filed tax returns and other documents Thompson prepared for them, they could access funds from the Thompson Trust to pay off their mortgages and other debts. The tax returns that Thompson prepared, and participants filed with the IRS, claimed refunds to which they were not entitled. In total, the scheme sought more than $325 million in fraudulent refunds, of which the IRS paid out $1,511,236.
The evidence at trial also established that after the IRS began to investigate the Debt Payoff Process, Thompson and Upshur attempted to obtain money from the IRS by other fraudulent means, including using checks drawn on closed bank accounts and trying to use financial instruments such as fictitious bonds. The defendants also continued to file false tax returns for themselves and others after the IRS assessed civil penalties against them and notified them that they were under criminal investigation.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone ordered Thompson to serve three years of supervised release. Upshur was previously sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the scheme.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. He thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which provided support in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Melissa S. Siskind, who serves as National Director of the Tax Division’s Tax Defier Initiative, prosecuted the case.
POSTPONED - MEDIA ADVISORY Marion County Man to be Sentenced in Federal Court for Kidnapping, Carjacking, and Murder of 80-Year-Old VictimRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — The sentencing of Dominique Brand, 31, of Marion, for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder—which was scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, at 10:00 am—has been postponed. A new date for sentencing will be set after the Supreme Court issues an opinion in Lora v. United States.
Operators and Attorney of Global Multi-Million-Dollar Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme “AirBit Club” Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the guilty pleas of PABLO RENATO RODRIGUEZ, GUTEMBERG DOS SANTOS, SCOTT HUGHES, CECILIA MILLAN, KARINA CHAIREZ, and JACKIE AGUILAR for their roles in an internationally coordinated fraud and money laundering ring that deceived individuals into investing in AirBit Club, a purported cryptocurrency mining and trading company. AirBit Club co-founder DOS SANTOS pled guilty before United States District Judge George B. Daniels on October 21, 2021. Senior AirBit Club promoters CHAIREZ, MILLAN, and AGUILAR pled guilty before Judge Daniels on January 31, February 8, and February 22, 2023, respectively, and are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Daniels on June 28, July 25, and June 27, 2023, respectively. SCOTT HUGHES, an attorney who laundered Airbit Club fraud proceeds for RODRIGUEZ and DOS SANTOS, pled guilty before Judge Daniels on March 2, 2023, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9, 2023. Airbit Club co-founder RODRIGUEZ pled guilty before Judge Daniels earlier today and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2023. As part of their guilty pleas, the defendants collectively have been ordered to forfeit their fraudulent proceeds of Airbit Club, which include seized or restrained assets consisting of U.S. currency, Bitcoin, and real estate currently valued at approximately $100 million.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The defendants took advantage of the growing hype around cryptocurrency to con unsuspecting victims around the world out of millions of dollars with false promises that their money was being invested in cryptocurrency trading and mining. Instead of doing any cryptocurrency trading or mining on behalf of investors, the defendants built a Ponzi scheme and took the victims’ money to line their own pockets. These guilty pleas send a clear message that we are coming after all of those who seek to exploit cryptocurrency to commit fraud.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, the defendants’ statements when pleading guilty, and statements made in related court filings and proceedings:
RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, HUGHES, MILLAN, CHAIREZ, and AGUILAR participated in a coordinated scheme in which victim-investors (the “Victims”) were induced to invest in AirBit Club based on the false promise of guaranteed profits in exchange for cash investments in club “memberships” (the “AirBit Club Scheme” or the “Scheme”). Beginning in late 2015, AirBit Club, through its founders, RODRIGUEZ and DOS SANTOS, as well as its promoters (the “Promoters”), including MILLAN, CHAIREZ, and AGUILAR, marketed AirBit Club as a multilevel marketing club in the cryptocurrency industry. Promoters falsely promised Victims that AirBit Club earned returns on cryptocurrency mining and trading and that Victims would earn passive, guaranteed daily returns on any membership purchased.
RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, HUGHES, MILLAN, CHAIREZ, and AGUILAR traveled throughout the United States and around the world to places in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, where they hosted lavish expos and small community presentations aimed at convincing Victims to purchase AirBit Club memberships. In furtherance of the AirBit Club Scheme, the Victims were fraudulently induced to buy memberships in cash, including in the Southern District of New York. Following a Victim’s investment, a Promoter provided the Victim with access to an online AirBit Club portal to view the purported returns on memberships (the “Online Portal”). While Victims saw “profits” accumulate on their Online Portal, those representations were false; no Bitcoin mining or trading on behalf of Victims in fact took place. Instead, RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, MILLAN, and AGUILAR enriched themselves and spent Victim money on cars, jewelry, and luxury homes, and financed more extravagant expos to recruit more Victims.
HUGHES, an attorney licensed to practice law in California, had previously represented RODRIGUEZ and DOS SANTOS in a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation related to another investment scheme known as Vizinova. He then aided RODRIGUEZ and DOS SANTOS in perpetrating the AirBit Club Scheme by, among other things, helping to remove negative information about AirBit Club and Vizinova from the internet.
In many instances, as early as 2016, Victims who attempted to withdraw money from the AirBit Club Online Portal and complained to a Promoter were met with excuses, delays, and hidden fees amounting to more than 50% of the Victim’s requested withdrawal, if they were able to make any withdrawal at all. In one instance, AGUILAR told one Victim of the AirBit Club Scheme who was complaining about her inability to withdraw AirBit Club returns that she should “bring new blood” into the AirBit Club Scheme in order to receive her returns.
In April 2020, another victim received a notice on the AirBit Club Online Portal that his account was closed – and principal investment lost – due to “execution of financial sustainability Reserve, policy #34 of the Airbit Club Terms and Conditions, due to the economic and financial crisis caused by (Covid-19).”
RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, HUGHES, CHAIREZ, and MILLAN sought to conceal the AirBit Club Scheme, as well as their respective control of the proceeds of that Scheme, by requesting that Victims purchase memberships in cash, using third-party cryptocurrency brokers, and by laundering the Scheme’s proceeds through several domestic and foreign bank accounts, including an attorney trust account managed by HUGHES (the “Hughes Trust Account”). The Hughes Trust Account was ostensibly intended to maintain custody of HUGHES’s law practice’s client funds. Instead, the Hughes Trust Account was used by RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, HUGHES, CHAIREZ, and MILLAN to conceal the nature and origin of the AirBit Club Scheme’s illicit proceeds. Through that account, HUGHES directed Victim funds to the personal expenses of RODRIGUEZ, DOS SANTOS, CHAIREZ, MILLAN, and himself, and funded promotional events and sponsorships designed to further promote the AirBit Club Scheme.
* * *
RODRIGUEZ, 40, of Irvine, California, DOS SANTOS, 48, of Panama City, Panama, MILLAN, 41, of Greensboro, North Carolina, CHAIREZ, 47, of Modesto, California, AGUILAR, 58, of Plano, Texas, and HUGHES, 47, of Newport Beach, California, have pled guilty to charges including wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison; and bank fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 30 years in prison.
The maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ (“HSI”) El Dorado Task Force, HSI Panama, the HSI Panama City Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit, and HSI New Orleans. Mr. Williams further thanked the attorneys and investigators at the Securities and Exchange Commission whose expertise and diligence were integral to the development of this investigation.
If you believe you are a victim of the AirBit Club fraud, updated information regarding the case and victims’ rights as well as contact information for the victim witness coordinator is available here.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kiersten A. Fletcher, Samuel L. Raymond, and Cecilia E. Vogel are in charge of the prosecution.
Onceavo acusado sentenciado por estafar a miles de inmigrantes estadounidenses de habla hispana en un esquema de $15 millones de dólaresRead the Press Release
Un hombre de California fue sentenciado a 65 meses de prisión por su papel en la conspiración en centros de llamadas con sede en Perú que defraudaron a residentes estadounidenses de habla hispana, que los amenazaba falsamente con arresto, deportación y otras consecuencias legales. Es el onceavo acusado en ser sentenciado a prisión en el esquema.
De acuerdo con documentos judiciales, Luis Rendón, 60, de Harbor City, California, operaba en un centro de distribución que ayudaba a operadores del centro de llamadas a ejecutar un esquema de fraude desde Perú. Formaba parte de un esquema de fraude internacional centrado en defraudar residentes de habla hispana en Estados Unidos amenazándolos fraudulentamente con consecuencias legales si no pagaban productos de aprendizaje del idioma inglés (productos que las víctimas nunca solicitaron) o si no pagaban “tarifas de liquidación” falsas. Defraudaron a más de 30,000 residentes de habla hispana de Estados Unidos.
“Estos casos demuestran que la Rama de Protección al Consumidor perseguirá enérgicamente y procesará a los delincuentes internacionales que defraudan a los consumidores estadounidenses vulnerables”, dijo el Fiscal General Principal Adjunto, General Brian M. Boynton, jefe de la División Civil del Departamento de Justicia. “Las personas que defraudan a miembros de nuestras comunidades de inmigrantes se presentarán ante la justicia y rendirán cuentas ante los tribunales estadounidenses”.
“El Servicio de Inspección Postal de Estados Unidos trabaja arduamente para interrumpir y desmantelar las empresas delictivas dirigidas a los consumidores estadounidenses”, dijo Juan A. Vargas, Inspector a Cargo, División del Servicio de Inspección de Estados Unidos en Miami. “Junto con nuestros socios encargados de que se cumpla la ley, estamos enviando un claro mensaje a los delincuentes que crean que están a salvo porque no se encuentran en Estados Unidos: Continuaremos persiguiendo, arrestando y extraditando firmemente a quienes estén centrados en defraudar a los consumidores estadounidenses”.
Según documentos judiciales, Rendón era dueño y operaba International Latin Market, un centro de distribución con sede en California que facilitó el esquema de extorsión y fraude de telemercadeo a gran escala desde el 2011 hasta finales del 2017. Rendón ayudó y fue cómplice del esquema al proporcionar listas de posibles víctimas a los centros de llamadas en Perú, procesó pagos de tarjetas a las víctimas y envió tabletas con cursos de inglés precargados a las víctimas en el área de Miami y en todo Estados Unidos. Los centros de llamadas luego amenazaban y hostigaban a las víctimas para que pagaran clases fraudulentas, pretendiendo ser abogados y agentes del orden.
Con la sentencia de hoy, ya fueron sentenciados siete operadores y propietarios de centros de llamadas peruanos y cuatro operadores de centros de distribución que procesaron pagos y facilitaron el frauden en Estados Unidos. Los siete acusados, propietarios y operadores del centro de llamadas fueron extraditados de Perú y se declararon culpables de conspiración para cometer fraude postal y electrónico en un tribunal federal y recibieron importantes sentencias a prisión. El Juez Federal de Distrito, Robert N. Scola Jr., condenó a Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Rentería, Fernán Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla y Josmell Espinoza a sentencias que van de 88 a 110 meses en prisión. Dos acusados que facilitaron las operaciones de estos centros de llamadas fraudulentos, Milagros Urmeneta y Gonzalo Bazán, fueron sentenciados el año pasado por un asunto relacionado. Ángel Adrianzen, quien también operaba un centro de distribución con sede en Estados Unidos que facilitó un grupo adicional de centros de llamadas peruanos fraudulentos que estafaron a residentes de habla hispana en Estados Unidos, fue sentenciado a 121 meses en prisión por el Juez Scola en 2021.
El Servicio de Inspección Postal de Estados Unidos y la Rama de Protección al Consumidor investigaron el caso. El Abogado Superior Litigante, Phil Toomajian, y el Abogado Litigante, Max Goldman, de la Rama de Protección al Consumidor, están procesando los casos y la Fiscal Federal Adjunta, Annika Miranda, se encarga del decomiso de bienes. La Comisión Federal de Comercio, la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia, la Oficina del Fiscal Federal del Distrito Sur de Florida, el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática del Departamento de Estado y la Policía Nacional de Perú proporcionaron asistencia crítica.
El Departamento de Justicia continúa investigando y presentando cargos en otros asuntos similares relacionados con amenazas contra residentes de habla hispana en Estados Unidos. Si usted, o alguien que conoce, tiene 60 años o más y fue víctima de fraude financiero, tiene ayuda disponible en la Línea Directa Nacional de Fraude a Ancianos: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
Puede encontrar información adicional sobre la Rama de Protección al Consumidor y sus esfuerzos para combatir el fraude en www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Omaha Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Multi-Million Dollar EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jeffrey Stenstrom, 42, of Omaha, Nebraska pleaded guilty to a Criminal Information today charging him with Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Stenstrom faces a maximum possible punishment of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of the laundered funds, or both. As part of his sentence, Stenstrom has agreed to pay restitution in excess of $5,100,000 to Darland Properties, LLC. Stenstrom also admitted to forfeiture allegations agreeing to forfeit his interest in a 2020 McLaren 600LT Spider, multiple trucks, various items of jewelry, a residence in Arizona, multiple properties in Nebraska, currency, and multiple life insurance policies worth in excess of $2,000,000.
United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered a Pre-Sentence Investigation be conducted and set Stenstrom’s sentencing hearing in front of Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for June 2, 2023, at 1:30 pm.
Stenstrom is also currently pending sentencing for Income Tax Evasion in a different matter where he faces a maximum possible punishment of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. In that matter Stenstrom agreed to pay $1,954,505.10 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Olathe Man Pleads Guilty to Airport Disruption Following Police Chase on Downtown Airport RunwayRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Olathe, Kansas, man who led police officers on a high-speed chase down a runway at the downtown airport pleaded guilty in federal court today to disrupting airport operations as well as illegally possessing a firearm.
Efren Torres-Rodriguez, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of damaging or disrupting an international airport and one count of being a felon and an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.
Kansas City, Mo., police officers were notified of a suspicious car, a Dodge Charger, parked near a gate at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on Feb. 1, 2022. When officers arrived, they found Torres-Rodriguez passed out in the driver’s seat of the running car. Officers turned off the car and opened the door, which woke up Torres-Rodriguez.
Officers ordered Torres-Rodriguez out of the car, but he refused. Instead, Torres-Rodriguez started the vehicle. An officer discharged his taser as Torres-Rodriguez drove away. Officers pursued Torres-Rodriguez, who crashed through the gate to the airfield. Torres-Rodriguez drove at speeds up to 100 miles per hour down the airport runway, with officers in pursuit. Torres-Rodriguez drove on a tarmac on the west side of the airfield. When he attempted to cross over the airstrip into a grassy area, his vehicle became inoperable.
Officers removed Torres-Rodriguez from the vehicle after he refused to get out, and placed him under arrest. Officers found a clear plastic bag in his pants pocket that contained 4.6 grams of methamphetamine.
When officers searched Torres-Rodriguez’s vehicle, they found a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, which were both empty of ammunition, under the driver’s seat. They also found several rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Torres-Rodriguez has prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm with a prior violent offense, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for robbery.
Torres-Rodriguez was interviewed by law enforcement officials and admitted to using methamphetamine every other day and to smoking marijuana daily since he was 15 years old.
As a result of Torres-Rodriguez’s actions, the airport’s activities were significantly disrupted. For approximately 40 minutes, operations at the airport were closed and planes were not allowed to land or take off. Torres-Rodriguez’s further interfered with the operations at the airport as two aircraft had delayed departures, one aircraft had a delayed arrival and had to remain airborne for approximately 50 minutes, one aircraft had to cancel its flight and one aircraft did not depart. Torres-Rodriguez destroyed the gate and caused serious damage to the air navigation facility’s fence that is designed to keep both trespassers and animals away from the runways. In addition to disrupting the airport’s aviation services, Torres-Rodriguez’s actions endangered the safety of those utilizing the airport.
Under federal statutes, Torres-Rodriguez is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
Oklahoma City Man Convicted of Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – NATHAN BENFALL, 34, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty today to producing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On October 5, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Benfall. Counts 1 and 2 alleged Benfall sexually exploited a child on two separate occasions. Count 3 alleged Benfall distributed child pornography. Count 4 alleged Benfall possessed child pornography.
Today, Benfall pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot to producing child pornography, as charged in Count 1 of the indictment. As part of his plea, Benfall admitted that he used a hidden camera in his home bathroom to video-record a boy’s genitals for Benfall’s own sexual gratification.
At sentencing, Benfall faces mandatory minimum sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 30 years in a federal prison, a $250,000 fine, up to lifetime supervised release, and up to $50,100 in assessments. In determining Benfall’s sentence, the Court will take into account the nature and circumstances of the offense, Benfall’s history and characteristics, and the need to protect the public from further crimes of Benfall. Sentencing will take place in approximately 120 days. Benfall will also be required to register as a convicted sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Prison for Possessing Gun and Drugs on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBBIE SMITH, 34, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 100 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for firearm and narcotics offenses, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2016, Judge Bolden sentenced Smith to 36 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for participating in a narcotics trafficking organization that distributed heroin and crack cocaine throughout New Haven. He was released from prison in May 2018.
In December 2018, New Haven Police received information that Smith was in possession of a handgun and had been involved in a shooting incident. On December 28, 2018, a court-authorized search of Smith’s apartment revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson K-22 revolver, a quantity of crack cocaine, and drug packaging materials. The revolver had been reported stolen in Madison.
Smith’s criminal history also includes a state conviction for first-degree robbery. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Smith has been detained since his arrest. On July 18, 2019, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”). Smith also admitted that he had violated the terms of his supervised release.
This investigation was conducted by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
New Britain Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ROBERTO MERCEDES-RODRIGUEZ, 43, of New Britain, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the New Britain Police Department determined that Mercedes-Rodriguez and others were selling fentanyl throughout the greater New Britain area. In February 2021, New Britain Police arrested Mercedes-Rodriguez on state charges after he was found in possession of a quantity of packaged fentanyl, a loaded stolen 9mm handgun, and two loaded high capacity magazines. Investigators continued to investigate Mercedes-Rodriguez while he was released on bond in his state case and, between August 2021 and February 2022, observed him conducting hand-to-hand drug transactions.
Mercedes-Rodriguez was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on February 24, 2022. On that date, a court-authorized search of his Cottage Place residence revealed 2,000 wax paper folds containing fentanyl.
Mercedes-Rodriguez’s criminal history includes felony convictions for narcotics, robbery, assault, failure to appear and domestic violence-related offenses, and multiple probation violations. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
On December 12, 2022, Mercedes-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Mercedes-Rodriguez has been detained since March 11, 2022, when his bond was revoked.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the New Britain Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
Narcotrafficker Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 8, 2023
SAN DIEGO – A narcotrafficker pleaded guilty today to international cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, beginning in the 1980s through 2017, Raul Flores-Hernandez, aka El Tio, 70, led a drug-trafficking organization based in Mexico’s Jalisco State that trafficked cocaine from South America to Mexico for subsequent importation into the United States. He leveraged his business connections to coordinate the transportation of substantial quantities of cocaine from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia to ports in Mexico, from which they were transported by land to and across the U.S. border.
In July 2017, Mexican authorities arrested Flores-Hernandez at the request of the United States. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States in February 2021.
Flores-Hernandez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) supported this case.
The DEA Los Angeles and San Diego Field Divisions, FBI Washington Field Office, and HSI San Diego Field Office are investigating the case. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego provided substantial assistance.
The Justice Department thanks Mexican authorities for their assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Flores-Hernandez.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Martin for the Southern District of California, Acting Deputy Chief Katharine Wagner and Trial Attorney Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
DEFENDANT Case Number 17CR0051 (BAH)
Raul Flores-Hernandez Age: 70 Guadalajara, MX
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – 21 U.S.C. §§ 959(a), 960(a)(3), 960(b)(1), and 963
Maximum penalty: Life in Prison and $10 million fine
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Customs and Border Protection
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
Narcotrafficker Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A narcotrafficker pleaded guilty today to international cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, beginning in the 1980s through 2017, Raul Flores-Hernandez, aka El Tio, 70, led a drug-trafficking organization based in Mexico’s Jalisco State that trafficked cocaine from South America to Mexico for subsequent importation into the United States. He leveraged his business connections to coordinate the transportation of substantial quantities of cocaine from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia to ports in Mexico, from which they were transported by land to and across the U.S. border.
In July 2017, Mexican authorities arrested Flores-Hernandez at the request of the United States. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States in February 2021.
Flores-Hernandez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California, Administrator Anne Milgram of the DEA, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) supported this case.
The DEA Los Angeles and San Diego Field Divisions, FBI Washington Field Office, and HSI San Diego Field Office are investigating the case. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego provided substantial assistance.
The Justice Department thanks Mexican authorities for their assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Flores-Hernandez.
Acting Deputy Chief Katharine Wagner and Trial Attorney Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Martin for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
Montgomery Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing Ammunition Used During Shooting at a FuneralRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that Gerald Dyron Little, 41, from Montgomery, Alabama, was found guilty of illegally possessing ammunition he used during a shooting at a funeral.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on June 26, 2021, Little attended a memorial service for one of his relatives at the municipal complex in Fort Deposit, Alabama. During the gathering, Little caused a disruption and family members asked him to leave. Little complied and left the facility. After the memorial service, family members and attendees gathered in a nearby cemetery for a graveside service. Witnesses testified that Little was in the front passenger seat of a white SUV parked at the cemetery near the burial site. The windows of the SUV were down and loud music was coming from the vehicle, disturbing the service. Family members went to the vehicle and asked Little and the driver of the SUV to leave, as they were being disruptive. The two failed to do so. Instead, Little began arguing with the family members. The driver then grabbed a handgun. Little took the handgun from the driver and then fired the weapon from the open window of the SUV. Officers from the Fort Deposit Police Department were nearby and rushed to the scene after hearing the shots. However, Little fled before they arrived. Four funeral attendees, including the brother of the deceased, were struck by bullets during the shooting.
Investigators interviewed witnesses and soon identified Little as the shooter. Law enforcement also recovered four discharged shell casings from the scene. The State of Alabama issued an arrest warrant for Little and he was arrested in Montgomery by the United States Marshals Service during the early morning hours of July 1, 2021. That same day, federal agents obtained a complaint and arrest warrant charging Little with being a felon in possession of ammunition.
In reaching its verdict on March 8, 2023, the jury found that the shell casings recovered from the scene came from ammunition possessed by Little during the shooting. Little had a previous felony conviction and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Following this conviction, Little faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison with no parole. State charges related to the shooting are pending.
The Fort Deposit Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, with assistance from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen K. Moulton and Brandon W. Bates are prosecuting the case.
Missouri Woman Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine PossessionRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – April M. Rulo, 47, of Branson, Missouri, was sentenced Tuesday to 8 years in federal prison for the offense of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Rulo appeared for her sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
At a guilty plea hearing last year, Rulo admitted that she was in possession of 95 grams of methamphetamine that she had picked up from her supplier in Springfield, Missouri, and was delivering to Piedmont, Missouri, for distribution to others. On June 22, 2022, a confidential source alerted law enforcement officers that Rulo was bringing several ounces of methamphetamine into Wayne County and would be arriving at a convenience store in Piedmont to deliver the narcotics. A Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force Officer made contact with Rulo, and she consented to a search of the vehicle she was traveling in. Officers located four baggies of methamphetamine packaged for distribution, marijuana, and Hydrocodone pills.
This case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.
Missouri Man Admits Machine Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU– A man from Pemiscot County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing a machine gun after a shootout in 2022.
Jamaal L. Jackson Jr., 20, of Caruthersville, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. to one count of possession of a machine gun.
On Aug. 23, 2022, the Caruthersville Police Department responded to a shootout between two groups in the city. Jackson admitted being among the group standing on a corner and shooting at a vehicle that was driving past. That group then fled to Jackson’s girlfriend’s house, where police later found a backpack containing Jackson’s identification and a Glock 19 pistol with a drum magazine. The pistol had jammed with 16 rounds left in the magazine, Jackson’s plea agreement says. It also had part of a “Glock switch,” which converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon, attached. Another part of the switch was found at the scene of the shooting.
Jackson was indicted in November.
The charge carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The Caruthersville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Middle Georgia Man with Prior Voluntary Manslaughter Conviction Sentenced to Prison on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who was previously convicted and sentenced to ten years imprisonment for voluntary manslaughter was sentenced to federal prison after he was caught trying to sell a firearm and ammunition in the community.
Jeffery Maurice Willis, 45, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 33 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on March 7 after he previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is holding individuals with prior violent felonies accountable at the federal level when they are caught with firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Working with law enforcement, we are using every resource available to protect our communities from the threat of firearms in the hands of criminals.”
“ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with crucial federal and local law enforcement partners to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal activity in the communities we serve,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
“This case is an example of how a felony conviction for a violent crime as a young adult will carry federal consequences when that individual chooses to illegally take up a firearm later in life,” said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis.
According to facts entered in court, ATF agents conducted several controlled buys of firearms and ammunitions in May 2021 as part of a larger investigation into gun trafficking and drug distribution in Macon and the surrounding areas. ATF agents observed and recorded Willis sell a .44 revolver and five rounds of ammunition in Macon on May 6, 2021. Willis was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the Superior Court of Bibb County, Georgia, in 1997. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is the result of Operation United Front, an ongoing ATF-led investigation into illegal gun possession and drug distribution in Middle Georgia utilizing the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes prosecuted the case.
Merced Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Sexual Assault in Yosemite National ParkRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Ramonchito Racion, 52, of Merced, was sentenced today to seven years and one month in prison for one count of attempted sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to evidence presented at trial, Racion, who was working as a cook for a private company in Yosemite in the summer of 2019, sexually assaulted his roommate while the roommate was sleeping. Racion was found guilty by a federal jury after a six–day trial.
This case was the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Tierney and Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Zyeaire Brent, age 26, of Salisbury, Maryland, was sentenced on March 3, 2023, to 21 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Brent previously pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol on November 19, 2020, in Susquehanna County, while knowing that he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James Buchanan prosecuted the case.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Local banker sent to prison for money laundering conspiracyRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A former Wells Fargo branch manager has been ordered to federal prison for helping a drug trafficking ring launder their money through his bank, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Stephen Roland Reyna, 36, pleaded guilty Sept. 1, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Rivera ordered Reyna to serve 20 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 16 months of supervised release with home detention. At the hearing, the court Reyna was given and held a position of trust with the bank, of which he took advantage. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the amount of money Reyna laundered and the sequence of events in which he participated.
“If you help drug traffickers ‘clean’ their money, you will be prosecuted,” said Hamdani. “It is especially disappointing that a bank manager for Wells Fargo chose to violate his position of trust for easy money, money from organizations that are destroying our communities.”
Reyna was the manager of a Wells Fargo branch in Harlingen. While serving in that position and utilizing his position and knowledge of the banking industry, Reyna assisted a drug trafficking organization to launder $410,000 in drug sale proceeds.
The organization would transport multi-kilogram cocaine loads from the Rio Grande Valley to northern states. Upon successful delivery, thousands of dollars in drug proceeds would then be dispersed through multiple Wells Fargo bank accounts in the northern states.
Reyna would coordinate with multiple co-conspirators in the Rio Grande Valley to launder the funds through their accounts at Wells Fargo. Reyna ensured the proceeds were successfully withdrawn from his branch in Harlingen.
Co-conspirators would frequently pay Reyna in cash right after he helped them get their drug proceeds out of the bank.
Reyna ultimately admitted he suspected the funds were from illegal activity, including narcotics trafficking.
Reyna was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office and Wells Fargo. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Lindenmuth and Karen Betancourt prosecuted the case.
Life Sentence for Sex Trafficking of A MinorRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Palestine man was sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a six-year-old child. Mario Waters, 34, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
In February 2018, a six-year-old child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital due to symptoms that were later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases. The child was interviewed by an FBI forensic interviewer and disclosed that a man, later determined to be DeMarcus George, had raped her. The child also disclosed that another man, later determined to be Mario Waters, had also raped her. The child told interviewers that the rape occurred in a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room, and she described a picture hanging on the wall in the hotel room. According to the child, on at least one occasion, Waters came to the hotel room where she was with George; Waters raped her; and Waters gave George money.
Law enforcement was able to locate a hotel in Little Rock that matched the description provided by the minor, including the picture on the wall and the curtain in the room. Financial records from the hotel showed that the minor’s mother had rented a room at the hotel in March 2018 and paid with a credit card. The child has since been removed from the mother’s custody.
Doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital determined that it was unlikely the child had obtained each sexually transmitted disease from the same offender and that there were likely multiple offenders. Officers obtained search warrants for George and Waters’ blood and urine. Results indicated that George and Waters tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases that the minor had contracted.
Both George and Waters were indicted in September 2019, and both pleaded guilty in November 2021. Both defendants admitted in court that they had sexual contact with the minor and were involved in trafficking her with others. George was sentenced to life in prison on October 25, 2022. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Little Rock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant prosecuted the case.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
Lexington Man Sentenced to 151 Months for Fentanyl Trafficking and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky.— A Lexington, Ky., man, Isaiah Wimberly, 30, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to his plea agreement, an arrest warrant was issued for Wimberly in September 2021. Upon executing the warrant, after Wimberly had exited his vehicle, a search of the vehicle discovered two, loaded firearms. A search of his residence then uncovered 90 grams of fentanyl, scales, and an unloaded firearm. Thereafter, in April 2022, law enforcement received information that Wimberly was selling narcotics at a local hotel. Wimberly was arrested and law enforcement seized an additional 191 grams of fentanyl. Wimberly admitted that he possessed the narcotics seized on both occasions and that he intended to distribute it. Wimberly also admitted that he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm, due to prior felony convictions.
Wimberly pleaded guilty in September 2022. Wimberly was previously convicted, in June of 2019, of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, in Fayette Circuit Court.
Under federal law, Wimberly must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, FBI, and the Lexington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cindy Rieker.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Lebanon County Woman Sentenced for Making Interstate ThreatsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lisa Marie Famiglietti, age 42, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 3, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to a period of time-served, consisting of 35 days’ incarceration, for making interstate threats.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, between October and December 2021, Famiglietti sent multiple explicitly threatening messages to two victims through fake Instagram and Twitter accounts. The threats included burning down the victim’s house with the victim inside, throwing the victim into a fire pit, and using an ax to break the victim’s arms, legs, and head. Famiglietti’s cyberthreats continued even after she was confronted by the FBI in November 2021. As argued by the government at sentencing, Famiglietti’s anonymous interstate threats were particularly alarming and unsettling to the victims, because the victims did not know who was making the threats and what steps, if any, were being taken to carry out the threats.
In addition to her five weeks in prison, the Court ordered Lisa Famiglietti to serve one year of supervised release to include computer monitoring software on all her electronic devices.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel S. Dalke prosecuted the case.
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Leader of Illegal Copyright Infringement Scheme Sentenced to 5 ½ Years’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Bill Omar Carrasquillo, 36 years old, of Swedesboro, NJ, was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, more than $30 million in forfeiture, and more than $15 million in restitution by United States District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III, for crimes arising from a wide-ranging copyright infringement scheme that involved piracy of cable TV, access device fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of copyright infringement.
As the Indictment set forth, from about March 2016 until at least November 2019, Carrasquillo along with his co-defendants operated a large-scale internet protocol television (IPTV) piracy scheme in which they fraudulently obtained cable television accounts and then resold copyrighted content to thousands of their own subscribers, who could then stream or playback content. The defendants also made fraudulent misrepresentations to banks and merchant processors in an effort to obtain merchant processing accounts. During the period of their scheme, the defendants earned more than $30 million. Carrasquillo, in particular, converted a large portion of his profits into homes and dozens of vehicles, including high-end sports cars. When agents attempted to seize those items pursuant to judicially-authorized warrants, Carrasquillo made false statements about and attempted to hide some of those vehicles, including a Freightliner recreational vehicle and a McLaren sports vehicle.
Carrasquillo was convicted of one count of conspiracy; one count of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; 1 count of reproduction of a protected work; 3 counts of public performance of a protected work; 1 count of access device fraud; 1 count of wire fraud; 1 count of making false statements to a bank; 1 count of money laundering; 1 count of making false statements to law enforcement officers; and 1 count of tax evasion.
In addition to a sentence of 66 months’ imprisonment, the court ordered Carrasquillo to pay $10.7 million in restitution to the victim cable companies, more than $5 million in restitution to the IRS, and to forfeit over $30 million in illegal proceeds that he reaped from the scheme.
"Income gained from the infringement of copyrights is taken seriously, and the federal government will continue its commitment to protecting copyright holders, creators, and the millions of customers who enjoy the fruits of a strong intellectual property rights system," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "Carrasquillo and his co-defendants operated a large-scale cable piracy scheme. They fraudulently obtained cable television accounts and then resold copyrighted content to tens of thousands of subscribers across the country and abroad, earning over 30 million dollars in illicit revenue in about three years, none of which was reported on state or federal income tax return. Accordingly, today's sentencing of Omar Carrasquillo includes prison time and substantial forfeiture and restitution reflecting the severity of his actions."
“Making money off of someone else’s copyrighted work is theft, plain and simple,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Mr. Carrasquillo hijacked all of this content, sold it to his subscribers, and lived large off the illegal proceeds. Today’s sentence should send a message that willfully stealing another party’s intellectual property is a serious crime and the FBI is committed to holding violators accountable.”
“Whether obtained legally or illegally, all income must be reported,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. Carrasquillo took multiple steps to evade his tax liability, including attempting to hide the source of his ill-gotten gains by depositing them into bank accounts held in names other than his own. Thanks to the hard work of IRS-CI and its law enforcement partners, Carrasquillo has been held accountable for his criminal conduct.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew T. Newcomer and Sara A. Solow, and DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section Trial Attorneys Adrienne Rose and Jason Gull. Special Assistant United States Attorney David Weisberg and Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Baer also assisted with the prosecution, forfeiture, and restitution.
Laurence Doud, Former CEO of Pharmaceutical Distributor, Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Unlawfully Distribute Controlled Substances and Defrauding the DEARead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LAURENCE F. DOUD III, the former Chief Executive Officer of Rochester Drug Co-Operative, Inc. (“RDC”), was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 27 months in prison for conspiring to unlawfully distribute oxycodone and fentanyl and conspiring to defraud the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). DOUD was sentenced today by United States District Judge George B. Daniels after being convicted at trial in February 2022.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Laurence Doud cared more about his own paycheck than his responsibility as CEO of RDC to prevent dangerous opioids from making their way to pharmacies, drug dealers, and people struggling with addiction. The sentence imposed today holds Doud responsible for shipping massive amounts of dangerous and highly addictive oxycodone and fentanyl to pharmacies that he knew were illegally dispensing those controlled substances and reaffirms this Office’s commitment to seeking justice for the many victims of the opioid epidemic.”
According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:
Violations of the Federal Narcotics Laws
From 2012 through March 2017, DOUD knowingly and intentionally violated the federal narcotics laws by distributing, through RDC, dangerous, highly addictive opioids to pharmacy customers that he knew were being sold and used illicitly. At the direction of its senior management, including DOUD, RDC supplied large quantities of oxycodone, fentanyl, and other dangerous opioids to pharmacy customers that its own compliance personnel determined were dispensing those drugs to individuals who had no legitimate medical need for them. RDC, at the direction of DOUD and others, distributed controlled substances to those pharmacies even after identifying “red flags” of diversion, including dispensing highly abused controlled substances in large quantities; dispensing primarily controlled substances; dispensing quantities of controlled substances in amounts consistently higher than accepted medical standards; accepting a high percentage of cash for controlled substance prescriptions; dispensing to out-of-state patients; and filling controlled substances prescriptions issued by practitioners acting outside the scope of their medical practice, under investigation by law enforcement, or on RDC’s “watch list.” In addition, and at DOUD’s direction, RDC frequently brought on pharmacy customers that had been terminated by other distributors.
Conspiracy to Defraud the DEA
From 2012 through March 2017, DOUD took steps to conceal RDC’s illicit distribution of controlled substances from the DEA and other law enforcement authorities. Among other things, DOUD made the deliberate decision not to investigate, monitor, or report to the DEA pharmacy customers that DOUD and others at RDC knew were diverting controlled substances for illegitimate use. Because they knew that reporting these pharmacies would likely result in the DEA investigating and shutting down RDC’s customers, RDC’s senior management, including DOUD, directed the company’s compliance department not to report them and instead to continue supplying those customers with dangerous controlled substances that the company knew were being dispensed and used for illicit purposes. Among other things, pursuant to DOUD’s instructions, and contrary to the company’s representations to the DEA, RDC opened new customer accounts without conducting due diligence and supplied those customers – some of whom had been terminated by other distributors – with dangerous controlled substances. Additionally, DOUD caused RDC to avoid filing suspicious order reports with the DEA as required by law. As a result, the DEA’s ability to identify and prevent the illicit dispensing of highly addictive controlled substances by several of RDC’s pharmacy customers was impeded.
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In addition to his prison term, LAURENCE F. DOUD III, 79, of Port Orange, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s Westchester Tactical Diversion Team and thanked Special Agents of United States Attorney’s Office for their assistance.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Burnett, Nicolas Roos, and Alexandra Rothman are in charge of the prosecution and represented the Government at trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Pellegrino also participated in the investigation into RDC and DOUD.
Kissimmee Felon Given Maximum Sentence for Stockpiling Firearms and Ammunition in His ResidenceRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Daniel Stephen King (28, Kissimmee) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered King to forfeit nine firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition. A federal jury had found King guilty on November 14, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on April 23, 2022, the Osceola County Sherriff’s Office was called to King’s residence due to a domestic disturbance. When the deputies arrived, a resident of the house frantically ran outside with her four-year old daughter. The deputies were informed that King had a large number of firearms and ammunition in the house and that King had strapped on a bullet proof vest. At the time, King was a convicted felon who was on probation and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. The deputies surrounded the house, and after approximately two hours, they persuaded King to come out and surrender. A warrant was obtained to search the residence and nine firearms were recovered, including three rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a ballistic vest. A rifle safe, multiple gun lockboxes, magazines, and an ammunition can were also recovered from inside of the house.
King has a criminal history that includes multiple firearms offenses for which he served prison time, as well as violations of probation.
This case was investigated by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John M. Gardella.
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.
Keys Lobster Company and its President Pled Guilty to Exporting Falsely Labeled ProductRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Aifa Seafood, Inc., (Aifa), a Florida corporation, and its president, Jiu Fa Chen, 57, of Parkland, Fla., have pled guilty to exporting falsely labeled spiny lobster from Florida to China.
According to court documents, including a Joint Factual Statement submitted by the parties, from May through August 2019, Aifa purchased seafood products for export to China. To meet the high demand for spiny lobster, Aifa imported lobster from Haiti for reexport to China. Aifa reexported approximately 5,900 pounds of lobster and falsely labeled the product in shipping documents as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.”
Aifa faces a sentence of up to five years’ probation and a fine of up to $500,000. Chen faces a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of $250,000, and a period of three years supervised release. Judge Moreno set the sentencing hearing for both defendants on May 23, at 9:30 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Manny Antonaras of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southeast Division, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Major Alberto Maza, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Division of Law Enforcement, South B Region, announced the convictions.
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, HSI Key Largo, and FWC Division of Law Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is prosecuting the case.
If you have any information regarding this investigation, or other wildlife crimes, you may contact the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline: (800) 853-1964 and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453. Locally, environmental crimes, including wildlife violations and environmental justice matters may be reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 305-961-9001 or [email protected] .
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20479.
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KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Machine Gun Used in Fatal Shooting of KC FiremanRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing the firearm used in the fatal shooting of an Independence, Mo., firefighter during an altercation in a liquor store parking lot.
Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a machine gun. Taylor has been detained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.
By pleading guilty today, Taylor admitted he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber handgun, which had been converted to a machine gun. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Taylor has prior felony convictions for robbery and distributing marijuana.
According to court documents, Independence police officers were dispatched to Liquor Land, 11100 E. U.S. 40 Highway in Independence, on a reported shooting of an Independence firefighter on Oct. 6, 2022. Taylor was located across the street and taken into custody.
Officers searched Taylor’s vehicle and found the Glock machine gun, a broken extended magazine, and a 15-round magazine. Taylor told investigators that he bought the gun from a guy off the street a few months ago for $500.
Under federal statutes, Taylor is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on Aug. 3, 2023.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville/Jefferson County Metro GovernmentRead the Press Release
Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today that the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The Department also announced that it has entered into an agreement in principle with Louisville Metro and LMPD, which have committed to resolving the department’s findings through a court-enforceable consent decree with an independent monitor, rather than contested litigation.
Specifically, the Justice Department finds that LMPD:
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Uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers;
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Conducts searches based on invalid warrants;
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Unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing;
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Unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops;
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Unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities;
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Violates the rights of people engaged in protected free speech critical of policing; and
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Along with Louisville Metro, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.
The Department also identified deficiencies in LMPD’s response to and investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault, including its responses to allegations that LMPD officers engaged in sexual misconduct or domestic violence. Deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to LMPD and Louisville Metro’s unlawful conduct.
“The Justice Department has concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that Louisville Metro and LMPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional rights of the residents of Louisville — including by using excessive force, unlawfully discriminating against Black people, conducting searches based on invalid warrants, and violating the rights of those engaged in protected speech critical of policing,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This unacceptable and unconstitutional conduct erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing. It is also an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line to serve Louisville with honor. And it is an affront to the people of Louisville who deserve better. The Justice Department will work closely with Louisville Metro and LMPD to negotiate toward a consent decree and durable reforms that protect both the safety and civil rights of Louisville’s residents.”
“The findings are deeply troubling and sobering, and they compromise LMPD’s ability to serve and protect the people of Louisville,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “We are committed to working with Louisville on a path forward to constitutional policing and stronger police-community trust. Although police reform won’t happen overnight, focused effort and sustained commitment will bring us closer to transformed relationships, safe communities, and this nation’s promise of justice and equality under the law.”
“People in Louisville deserve policing that is constitutional, fair and non-discriminatory,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation found that the police department and city government failed to adequately protect and serve the people of Louisville, breached the public’s trust, and discriminated against Black people through unjustified stops, searches, and arrests. The police used excessive force, subjecting people to unlawful strikes, tasings, and canine bites. The police sought search warrants without justification and carried out no-knock warrants unlawfully, evading the constitution, defying federal law, and putting ordinary citizens in harm’s way. Today marks a new day and a new chapter for the people of Louisville.”
LMPD and Louisville Metro cooperated fully with the department’s investigation. The Justice Department provided a comprehensive, written report of its investigative findings to Louisville Metro and LMPD. The report acknowledges the changes already made by Louisville Metro and LMPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures that the department believes are necessary to fully address its findings.
The Department of Justice opened this investigation on April 26, 2021. The investigation was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. The investigation included numerous onsite tours; interviews of LMPD officers, supervisors, and command staff; ride-alongs; review of thousands of documents; and review of thousands of hours of body-worn camera footage. Department attorneys and staff also met with community members, advocates, service providers, and other stakeholders in the Louisville Metro area.
The department conducted this investigation pursuant to the 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law, the Safe Streets Act of 1968, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The findings announced today are the result of the department’s civil pattern or practice investigation and are separate from the department’s criminal cases against former LMPD officers for federal crimes related to the tragic death of Breonna Taylor. These findings are also separate from the department’s ongoing investigation into the Commonwealth of Kentucky under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additional information can be found at: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-civil-rights-investigation-kentucky-s-mental-health-service-0.
The department will be conducting outreach to members of the Louisville community for their views on remedies to address the department’s findings. Individuals may also submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-844-920-1460.
This is one of eight investigations into law enforcement agencies opened by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under Section 12601 during this Administration. The department has ongoing investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department; the Phoenix Police Department; the Mount Vernon (NY) Police Department; the Louisiana State Police; the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division; the Worcester (MA) Police Department; and the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky is available at www.justice.gov/usao-wdky.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found here: www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
The Justice Department will hold a virtual community meeting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the findings. Please join the meeting via this link www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_pmezYy52QZusNmr_nLPRAA.
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Justice Department Achieves Settlement with the Former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo to Relocate Animals to Locations in the Continental United StatesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have reached an agreement to ensure the health and safety of the animals housed at the former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo and the Centro de Detención en Cambalache (Cambalache). Under the agreement, the approximately 500 animals currently housed at the Zoo and Cambalache will be relocated within the next six months to facilities that are equipped and prepared to humanely and appropriately house and care for the animals.
The Justice Department recently arranged, with the assistance and coordination of DENR, for experts from the Wild Animal Sanctuary to complete an inventory and evaluation of the conditions of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache. Based on the information gathered during these evaluations, the Wild Animal Sanctuary is developing a plan for the transfer of all of the animals housed at the Zoo and at Cambalache to sanctuaries and other appropriate facilities in the continental United States. The Wild Animal Sanctuary operates four wildlife sanctuaries in Colorado and Texas, encompassing more than 33,000 acres, and will aid in relocating the animals from the Zoo and Cambalache to these and other facilities, as necessary and appropriate, to immediately address their pressing health and safety needs.
As part of the joint efforts between federal and local agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already removed a bald eagle, a golden eagle, two great horned owls, a red tail hawk, and two snakes. Additional transfers are expected in the upcoming weeks.
“We recognize the cooperation of Secretary Anais Rodríguez Vega who has made a laudable commitment to improve the health and welfare of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache by working alongside federal agencies to relocate them to locations throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to support the efforts to expeditiously rescue all the animals according to the recommendations for relocation to be made by the veterinary experts brought to Puerto Rico by the Wild Animal Sanctuary.”
“We deeply appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with Puerto Rico environmental and justice authorities to facilitate the transfer of these animals to a destination where their health and safety needs can be met,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Gottfried for the District of Puerto Rico and Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette, Briena Strippoli and Matthew Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division are handling this matter. The Justice Department worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and Investigative and Enforcement Services to achieve this successful resolution.
Justice Department Achieves Settlement with the Former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo to Relocate Animals to Locations in the Continental United StatesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have reached an agreement to ensure the health and safety of the animals housed at the former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo and the Centro de Detención en Cambalache (Cambalache). Under the agreement, the approximately 500 animals currently housed at the Zoo and Cambalache will be relocated within the next six months to facilities that are equipped and prepared to humanely and appropriately house and care for the animals.
The Justice Department recently arranged, with the assistance and coordination of DENR, for experts from the Wild Animal Sanctuary to complete an inventory and evaluation of the conditions of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache. Based on the information gathered during these evaluations, the Wild Animal Sanctuary is developing a plan for the transfer of all of the animals housed at the Zoo and at Cambalache to sanctuaries and other appropriate facilities in the continental United States. The Wild Animal Sanctuary operates four wildlife sanctuaries in Colorado and Texas, encompassing more than 33,000 acres, and will aid in relocating the animals from the Zoo and Cambalache to these and other facilities, as necessary and appropriate, to immediately address their pressing health and safety needs.
As part of the joint efforts between federal and local agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already removed a bald eagle, a golden eagle, two great horned owls, a red tail hawk, and two snakes. Additional transfers are expected in the upcoming weeks.
“We recognize the cooperation of Secretary Anais Rodríguez Vega who has made a laudable commitment to improve the health and welfare of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache by working alongside federal agencies to relocate them to locations throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to support the efforts to expeditiously rescue all the animals according to the recommendations for relocation to be made by the veterinary experts brought to Puerto Rico by the Wild Animal Sanctuary.”
“We deeply appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with Puerto Rico environmental and justice authorities to facilitate the transfer of these animals to a destination where their health and safety needs can be met,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Gottfried for the District of Puerto Rico and Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette, Briena Strippoli and Matthew Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division are handling this matter. The Justice Department worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and Investigative and Enforcement Services to achieve this successful resolution.
Jury Finds Uzbek National Guilty of Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Bridgeport has found SIDIKJON MAMADJONOV, 36, a citizen of Uzbekistan formerly residing in New Britain, guilty of making false statements to federal law enforcement and in immigration proceedings.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden began on March 1 and the jury returned the guilty verdicts yesterday.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Division, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew B. Millhollin of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, Mamadjonov immigrated to the U.S. in February 2009 and became a lawful permanent resident in September 2010.
On May 27, 2013, Mamadjonov departed the U.S. on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. During or before this trip, he learned that his brother, Saidjon Mamadjonov, had been killed while fighting in the civil war in Syria. Sidikjon Mamadjonov returned to the U.S. on June 11, 2013. In early July 2013, he received a DHL package that contained an iPhone 4. On the phone were several videos and photographs depicting Saidjon in Syria, including videos of Saidjon cleaning weapons in military dress while armed with a weapon, and a photograph of Saidjon after he was killed.
During three interviews with FBI special agents in 2014, Mamadjonov responded to questions about the trip he took to Turkey in 2013, and questions about his brother. Mamadjonov made multiple false statements, including that his brother was alive and living in Turkey or Dubai, that he met with his brother while he was in Turkey in 2013, and that his brother sent him a package after he returned from his trip.
In August 2016, Mamadjonov stated to FBI special agents that he had a received a package from Sidikjon, did not know the whereabouts of Saidjon, had not overheard any discussions of Uzbeks in the U.S. going over to Syria to fight, and was not aware of any Uzbeks travelling to Syria. At that time, Sidikjon knew that Saidjon was an Uzbek who had traveled from the U.S. to Syria and had died while fighting in the civil war, and that he died prior to the date the package was sent.
On October 27, 2016, in an interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer regarding his U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services an Application for Naturalization, Form N-400 that he had submitted in September 2014, Mamadjonov again provided false statements about his brother and whether he had previously lied to the FBI.
Mamadjonov was arrested on December 22, 2017.
The jury found Mamadjonov guilty of three counts of making a false statement to law enforcement, and one count of making a false swearing in an immigration matter. At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Mamadjonov faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years.
Mamadjonov is released on a $200,000 bond and residing in Pennsylvania pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, New Britain Police Department and Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang and Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine from California in his Airport BaggageRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Tyler Earl Ja Waun Cabell, 25, of Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2021, state and federal law enforcement officers were conducting narcotics searches at the Indianapolis International Airport, when they recovered Tyler Cabell’s baggage. Officers searched a multi-colored bag with Cabell’s name on the tag and found seven grams of marijuana. Cabell’s second bag, a blue roller, contained four vacuum sealed plastic bags containing approximately 8 pounds of pure methamphetamine, and ten vacuum sealed bags containing nearly 11 pounds of marijuana. The plastic bags were concealed inside of towels and clothes.
During an interview with law enforcement officers, Cabell admitted that he met someone in California who offered him $7,000 to transport the bag of methamphetamine and marijuana to Indianapolis. Cabell claimed he did not know how he would get paid or for whom he was transporting the drugs.
“This defendant transported methamphetamine into our community with no regard for the people and families harmed by this dangerous drug,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug traffickers like this defendant further the scourge of substance abuse disorder and must be held accountable. I commend the work of HSI, ISP, and the Plainfield Police Department in intercepting these illicit drugs and getting this defendant off our streets.”
“This sentence is a great example of what can be accomplished when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work in collaboration to stop the trafficking of narcotics,” said R. Sean Fitzgerald, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago. “We will continue our efforts to arrest individuals like Cabell to keep our communities safe from the harmful effects of illicit drugs.”
“We value our partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and are proud of the work they are doing to protect our communities from these dangerous drugs,” said Kyle Prewitt, Chief of Police for the Plainfield Police Department.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by Indiana State Police and the Plainfield Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Judge Barker also ordered that Cabell be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison, and pay a $1,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney William L. McCoskey, who prosecuted this case.
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Hampstead Woman Sentenced to Prison for Disaster FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Hampstead woman was sentenced today to 12 months and 1 day in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for fraudulent disaster assistance claims following Hurricane Florence. On November 17, 2022, Dishawn Batts pled guilty. As part of the judgment, Batts was also ordered to pay $24,835.50 in criminal restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"This defendant schemed to steal from a taxpayer-funded program that was intended to help displaced families recover from a natural disaster by providing necessary housing and utility assistance,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Now, she will be housed in a federal prison and required to repay every penny she stole."
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General, Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, said, “I appreciate the continued partnership between DHS OIG and the Justice Department. Defrauding the U.S. government is unconscionable. This guilty plea should serve as a deterrent to individuals intent on fleecing our federal system.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in an application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance, Batts falsely claimed she had been displaced by Hurricane Florence and was living in a temporary rental residence. Her initial application was approved, and Batts was awarded funds for personal property damage and two months of rental assistance. From September 15, 2018 to November 27, 2019, Batts submitted a series of claims for continued rental assistance wherein Batts falsely represented that she remained displaced and unable to return to her primary residence. In support of these claims, Batts submitted fraudulent documentation including phony lease agreements, rental receipts, utilities records, and Social Security Administration records. As a result, Batts received $24,835.50 in assistance for which she did not qualify.
The FEMA is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. FEMA administers disaster assistance to individuals in areas declared by the President as an emergency or major disaster. FEMA offers different types of assistance to people in disaster areas, including through the Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which provides for financial assistance and other services to eligible individuals for losses caused by a disaster that were not covered by insurance or other assistance programs. One component of IHP, Financial Housing Assistance, provided funds to
eligible applicants who lack the means to meet serious needs, including housing-related expenses such as home repair and replacement costs, and rental assistance for temporary housing accommodations while an applicant was displaced from their primary residence. Individuals awarded rental assistance through IHP can reapply for continued temporary rental assistance.
Between September 12, 2018 and September 15, 2018, Hurricane Florence impacted the coast North Carolina, resulting in Major Disaster Declaration [DR-4393] for Eastern North Carolina counties. As a result of the declaration, individuals in areas affected by Hurricane Florence were eligible to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
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 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan 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. 7:22-CR-00068-D.
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Greenwood Village Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Controlled Substances and Financial CrimesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Howard Weiss, age 69, of Greenwood Village, pleaded guilty today to distributing a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose, structuring financial transactions in a way to evade reporting requirements, and engaging in monetary transactions greater than $10,000 in property derived from specified unlawful activity. He also agreed to forfeit $826,083.24 in criminal proceeds and to a community restitution payment of $150,000.
The plea agreement filed in Court describes the defendant’s crimes. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began an investigation into the defendant because of suspicious financial activity and concerning reports related to his patients’ sale of controlled substances and one patients’ poly-drug overdose death. Further investigation revealed that the defendant was prescribing methamphetamine to several adult patients. Methamphetamine — a highly addictive Schedule II drug — has FDA approval and can be prescribed in very special cases. But most psychiatrists will never prescribe it in the course of their careers. When investigators looked in more detail at prescribing records they discovered other concerning patterns. It is unusual to prescribe high-dose stimulants with high-dose sedatives because the drugs have competing effects. When these drugs are prescribed in concert, it is a good indication that the putative patient may be diverting one or both drugs rather than personally using them, or that one or both drugs are not medically necessary because of the competing effects of these drugs. Yet, the defendant routinely prescribed high-dose stimulants with high-dose sedatives. The defendant also regularly prescribed stimulants such as Adderall at the upper end of the usual dosing range and, sometimes, well beyond the upper end of the usual dosing range.
In July 2017, one of the defendant’s patients was arrested when the patient showed up to a drug deal with 119 methamphetamine pills prescribed by the defendant. The defendant admitted in the plea agreement that he knew that his prescriptions to that patient were outside the usual course and did not have a legitimate medical purpose: the patient’s probation officer had previously contacted him to warn about the patient’s methamphetamine addiction. But he prescribed the methamphetamine anyway.
As part of the plea, the defendant admitted to illegal banking activity. Federal regulations prohibit the “structuring” of financial transactions to thwart the requirement that banks file reports for currency deposits of more than $10,000. But between November 2015 and February 2018, the defendant made forty-five cash deposits are in excess of $9,000 but below the $10,000 threshold, which would require the bank to file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). Bank tellers reported occasions in which the defendant would show up with a wad of cash, ask it to be counted, and then decline to deposit any amount more than $10,00.
Finally, the defendant also admitted that he used the proceeds of his illegal prescribing to make large financial transactions of more than $10,000.
Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the change of plea hearing on March 8, 2023. Sentencing is scheduled for June 6, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Denver Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Fields and Jena Neuscheler are handling the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Young is handling the parallel forfeiture action.
CASE NUMBER: 21-cr-00233
Fulton Man Indicted for Receiving, Distributing, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Austin Tennant, age 28, of Fulton, New York, was indicted last week for receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
The indictment alleges that, on January 16, 2023, Tennant sent multiple images depicting child pornography to another individual using an online messaging application installed on a tablet device. On that same device, in addition to the child pornography files Tennant distributed, Tennant also possessed thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. Tennant received, distributed, and possessed the child pornography while on pre-trial release from an August arrest involving New York state charges for promoting a sexual performance from a minor. Tennant has been ordered detained pending trial. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For the charges in the indictment, Tennant faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted, Tennant will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. 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.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Oswego County Sherriff’s Office are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Tuck and Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Fort Wayne Woman Sentenced to 78 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Lakeshia Dominguez, age 45, of Fort Wayne, was sentenced before United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Dominguez was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, local and federal law enforcement were involved in an investigation relating to the distribution of fentanyl. The investigation revealed that on multiple occasions between September and October 2021, Dominguez distributed several ounces of fentanyl powder and fentanyl pills.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Fort Wayne Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller and Sarah E. Nokes.
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Fort Wayne Man SentencedRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Lucian Boboia, age 49, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced before United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to obtaining a controlled substance, including fentanyl, by fraud or deception, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Boboia was sentenced to 60 months of probation.
According to documents in this case, Boboia, a pediatric dentist, acquired a Fort Wayne dental practice in March of 2021 and began seeing patients in April of 2021. He was the sole dentist there and was a registered practitioner with the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorized to order and administer controlled substances in accordance with his dental practice.
In August 2021, the DEA’s Diversion Control Division began to investigate allegations that Boboia was illegally obtaining controlled substances and engaging in measures to conceal this activity. The investigators learned that Boboia was ordering shipments of controlled substances to be delivered to his office on a weekly basis, including midazolam and fentanyl, and he was instructing staff members not to open the packages. The investigators were advised that fentanyl was not a substance used on patients.
In August 2021, investigators sought and received an administrative inspection warrant for the dental practice. During service of the warrant, investigators obtained records involving controlled substances to include receiving, dispensing, and inventory, as well as all controlled substances physically located at the practice. During the investigation, DEA found that between March through July, 2021, Boboia had ordered and received approximately 1,700 vials of fentanyl, about 600 bottles and vials of midazolam, and about 200 diazepam tablets. It was determined that only a small portion of the midazolam was actually administered to patients, leaving the remainder of the controlled substances unaccounted for.
The DEA’s data showed Boboia as being the second highest purchaser of fentanyl by a dentist in the entire nation from January through August of 2021. During the same time, he was the top fentanyl purchaser among dentists in Indiana, purchasing almost three times as much fentanyl as the next-highest dentist. As part of the administrative process, Boboia voluntarily surrendered his DEA registrations, which formerly allowed him to order and dispense controlled substances. His dental license has been placed on indefinite probation for a minimum of five years, and he was required to close his practice.
United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson said, “It is imperative that medical professionals who have the authority to order and to prescribe narcotics not use that authority as a means to fuel their own addiction. As shown by this case, this Office will take appropriate steps to stop such “self- dealing” of controlled substances.”
“The Drug Enforcement Administration remains committed to enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States. Registrants who divert controlled substances, such as pharmaceutical fentanyl, from the legitimate supply chain will be held accountable. In partnership with our law enforcement and prosecutor colleagues, we will continue to focus on keeping Hoosiers safe and healthy,” said Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Merrillville District Office.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Sarah E. Nokes.
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Former United States Congressional Candidate Pleads Guilty in Conduit Campaign Contribution CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former primary candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives pleaded guilty today to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by accepting a conduit campaign contribution.
According to court documents, Lynda Bennett, 65, of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, was a primary candidate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. In late December 2019, Bennett borrowed $25,000 from a family member, representing that she needed the money for personal expenses because she had to spend a large amount of her own money on her campaign. The day after depositing the loaned money into a personal account, Bennett then caused $80,000, including the $25,000 in loaned money, to be transferred to the bank account of Lynda Bennett for Congress (“LBC”), her authorized federal campaign committee. Under the FECA, Bennett was required to report a loan from a third-party individual as a campaign contribution. Bennett knowingly and willfully violated the FECA by reporting through LBC that the full $80,000 was a loan to her campaign using her own personal funds, rather than disclosing that $25,000 of that amount was a loan from another individual.
Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of accepting contributions in the name of another. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn for the District of Columbia provided assistance.
Former U.S. Congressional Candidate Pleads Guilty in Conduit Campaign Contribution CaseRead the Press Release
A former primary candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives pleaded guilty today to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by accepting a conduit campaign contribution.
According to court documents, Lynda Bennett, 65, of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, was a primary candidate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. In late December 2019, Bennett borrowed $25,000 from a family member, representing that she needed the money for personal expenses because she had to spend a large amount of her own money on her campaign. The day after depositing the loaned money into a personal account, Bennett then caused $80,000, including the $25,000 in loaned funds, to be transferred to the bank account of Lynda Bennett for Congress (LBC), her authorized federal campaign committee. Under the FECA, Bennett was required to report a loan from a third-party individual as a campaign contribution. Bennett knowingly and willfully violated the FECA by reporting through LBC that the full $80,000 was a loan to her campaign using her own personal funds, rather than disclosing that $25,000 of that amount was a loan from another individual.
Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of accepting contributions in the name of another. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn for the District of Columbia provided assistance.
Former Claims Examiner for Michigan Unemployment Agency Pleads Guilty in COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A former unemployment examiner for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (MUIA) pleaded guilty today to conspiring to steal federal unemployment insurance benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division in Detroit.
According to court documents, Semaje Reffigee, 26, of Detroit, began working as a contract unemployment insurance examiner with the MUIA in October 2020. In this position, she had electronic access to the MUIA claims database. Reffigee was able to use her credentials to access and approve specific fraudulent unemployment insurance claims submitted to the agency, including claims outside her assigned workflow.
Court documents indicate that shortly after she began her contract employment with MUIA, Reffigee entered into an agreement with various individuals to defraud the MUIA by obtaining unemployment benefits through the submission of false claims. Reffigee’s co-conspirators would electronically submit fraudulent claims to MUIA in the names of various individuals, some of whom would be victims of identity theft and some of whom were entirely fictitious people. These co-conspirators made false statements in the applications attesting to the eligibility of these purported claimants and would upload fictitious documentation to support those fraudulent claims. The co-conspirators would then communicate with Reffigee, either directly or through intermediaries, and identify the claims that they had submitted. Reffigee would then use her insider access to the MUIA system to approve the claims and release benefits. Most of the time, benefits would be electronically loaded onto Bank of America debit cards and mailed to addresses controlled by Reffigee’s co-conspirators. Reffigee was often paid a “kickback” for her services, typically receiving a few hundred dollars per claim. Reffigee herself also unlawfully received approximately $9,000 in unemployment insurance benefits during the course of her employment with MUIA.
U.S. Attorney Ison stated, “This case reflects our ongoing commitment to prosecute those who took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic by stealing funds intended for those in need. We treat this kind of fraud especially seriously because corruption within these programs undermines trust and confidence in government programs generally.”
“Semaje Reffigee was a state contract employee who was trusted to handle sensitive employment information. She abused her position for personal gain by using her access to state data systems to approve fraudulent UI claims submitted by her co-conspirators. Many of the fraudulent claims used the personally identifiable information of identity theft victims. Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains one of our highest priorities. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment benefits for those who need them and to bring to justice those who commit unemployment insurance fraud,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“Semaje Reffigee was entrusted to work for the State of Michigan. She, along with her co-conspirators, devised a scheme to steal money that was intended to provide financial assistance to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Charles Miller Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation Detroit Field Office. “IRS-CI is proud to work with our law enforcement partners as we continue the pursuit of criminals who steal from the American taxpayer.”
Reffigee pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2023. She faces a maximum of twenty years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Per the terms of her plea agreement, Reffigee will also be required to repay $313,497 in restitution to the State of Michigan.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Sarah Youngblood.
This investigation is being conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Florida Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Using a Minor to Produce Sexually Explicit MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A New Smyrna Beach, Florida man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison today for video recording himself sexually abusing a child he met on social media and sharing the abuse video with others online.
Michael Wayne Lyon, 39, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release. Lyon must also register as a sex offender for life.
According to court documents and trial testimony, in October 2017, Lyon began exchanging messages online with a 13-year-old child. He first claimed to be 15 years old and later “confessed” to be being 17. Lyon’s conversations with the child quickly turned explicit and he convinced the child to send him naked photos. By the time Lyon admitted to being in his 30s, he had already extracted extensive personal information from the child including their full name, age, phone number, address, and the names of various family members. When the child tried to end the communication, Lyon persisted, continued contacting the child, and, in March 2018, travelled to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of meeting the child.
Fearing for the safety of family, the child agreed to meet Lyon. After traveling across the country, Lyon rented a car in Seattle and traveled to Oregon where he took the child to a hotel. Lyon video recorded himself abusing the child at the hotel and later shared the video online with several of the child’s friends and acquaintances.
From 2018 through 2020, Lyon continued contacting the child and created multiple social media accounts to avoid the child’s repeated attempts to block him. Lyon’s messages became increasingly threatening and, later, openly violent. In October 2020, he threatened to kill the child and the child’s family. Soon after, the child’s mother reported Lyon’s abuse and threats to the FBI.
On December 11, 2020, Lyon was charged by federal criminal complaint and an arrest warrant was issued. Nine days later, he was arrested by local law enforcement in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and turned over to the FBI. Lyon has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
On February 2, 2021, Lyon was indicted by a federal grand jury in Portland, and, on August 11, 2022, he was convicted at trial.
This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) with assistance from the Hermiston and Umatilla Police Departments.
It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso and Suzanne Miles, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Five Time Wilmington Felon Receives 63 Months for Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On February 7, 2022, Terry Earl Hooper, Jr., age 35, pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 4, 2021, officers with the Wilmington Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Terry Earl Hooper for a window tint violation. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located five oxycodone hydrochloride pills, ten alprazolam pills, and a semi-automatic firearm with a laser attachment.
Mr. Hooper has multiple prior felony convictions, including possession of a gun on educational property, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, selling or delivering a schedule I controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, and the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff Office Mobile Field Force Unit investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case. Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
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. 7:21-cr-00142-FL.
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Five Rock Hill Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involvement in Fentanyl Distribution RingRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Five residents of Rock Hill, South Carolina, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to charges relating to a multi-state drug operation out of the Rock Hill and Charlotte, North Carolina, area.
- Darryl Hemphill, 35, was sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Mikie Marcell Caldwell, 41, was sentenced to 17 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Drece Larod McMullen, 41, was sentenced to 11 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Odarrius Breonte Adams, 39, was sentenced to 14 years and 3 months to be followed by 6 years of supervised release; and
- Dontavius Devar Jordan, 35, was sentenced to 11 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis imposed the sentences. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit began to investigate a group of defendants who were obtaining large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana from a distributor in Southern California. Hemphill and Adams were leaders of the group and helped facilitate the other members’ travel to California. Based upon the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that members of the group were flying to California and having the drugs shipped back to the Rock Hill and Charlotte area. After the drugs were shipped back, the group distributed the drugs to local dealers. This group shipped more than 255 packages containing the drugs from California during a one-year period and distributed more than five kilograms of cocaine, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one kilogram or more of heroin, and more than 1000 grams of marijuana.
The group used the fentanyl to make more than 1 million counterfeit Roxicodone pills, which were sold to users in Rock Hill, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Nineteen defendants were charged in this case. Sixteen defendants, including those listed above, pleaded guilty to their involvement. The remaining three defendants were convicted at trial in August 2022 and will be sentenced later.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI, York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Rock Hill Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William K. Witherspoon and Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
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Final Defendant Sentenced for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Darris Manero Vincent, 44, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Vincent pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Vincent’s co-defendants were sentenced in 2021 by Judge Brnovich. All four co-defendants had also pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Cristal Anita Perrin, 53, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on June 2, 2021, to 36 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Paul Zuccarello, 58, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on June 4, 2021, to 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Carlos Renteria Bustamante, Jr., 47, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on August 13, 2021, to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Carlos Anthony De La Cruz, 36, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on December 6, 2021, to 72 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
In 2018, Vincent was the subject of an undercover operation involving the sale of methamphetamine on the Ak-Chin Community. During the course of the investigation, Vincent sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer on several occasions in 2018. Vincent then introduced the undercover officer to his co-defendants, who were some of the suppliers. The four co-defendants sold methamphetamine to the same undercover officer in 2018 and 2019.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ak-Chin Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-01367-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-029_Vincent et al.# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Federal Jury Convicts McCurtain County Resident of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact of A Child in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Brett Dewayne Cole, age 33, of Ringold, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in Indian Country. The jury trial began on Monday, March 6, 2023, and concluded on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant engaged in sexual acts with a minor victim, who had not reached the age of 12, on at least two occasions from January of 2019 through May of 2019.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim in this case is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Cole was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah Jones and Casey Richmond represented the United States.