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Thursday 23 February 2023
Lebanon Man Indicted on Attempted Child Enticement and Production of Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mason Morey, age 26, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of attempted online enticement and 14 counts of production of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the superseding indictment alleges that between November 28, 2022 and December 8, 2022, Morey used the internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. It further alleges that on December 7, 2022, Morey produced images and videos of child pornography. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Morey on December 8, 2022, on the attempted online enticement charges in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Following an initial appearance on the charge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. ordered Morey to be detained pending trial on the charge.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is lifetime imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Prison for $12 Million Advance Fee Telemarketing Scheme Targeting Small Business OwnersRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for defrauding hundreds of small business owners – many of them elderly – of about $12 million.
Michael Jones (43) pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud. In addition to the prison term, Jones was ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $11,509,087.67 to the victims, and a forfeiture money judgment in the total amount of $7,934,095.32.
According to court documents, from October 2009 to February 2014, Jones and his co-defendants convinced more than 2,100 small business owners to pay nearly $12 million for what Jones and his co-defendants described as advance fees to fund expenses to apply for supposed government, private and charitable grants for the victims’ businesses. Following a script, Jones and others would falsely tell the victims that government, private and charitable organizations would provide grants to them regardless of the type of business they operated, but the victim first needed to pay thousands of dollars in fees to access those grants. Jones and his co-defendants induced the small business owners to give them money in exchange for services that were never provided. The scheme functioned solely to enrich Jones and his co-defendants.
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cowhig prosecuted the case.
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Lafayette Man Sentenced for Possessing Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Bernell George, 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced today for possession of a stolen firearm, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced George to 115 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
George pleaded guilty November 10, 2022, to a bill of information charging him with one count of possession of a stolen firearm. The charge stems from an incident on September 20, 2017, when George was found in possession of 15.7 grams of marijuana, a hand rolled cigarette containing marijuana, and a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun with 11 rounds of ammunition in the magazine. Through their investigation, law enforcement officers learned that the firearm was stolen out of Iberia Parish. George admitted to possessing the marijuana and buying the stolen firearm off the street.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lafayette Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel.
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Keys Lobster Company Sentenced for Exporting Falsely Labelled ProductRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal judge in Key West, Florida has sentenced Elite Sky International, Inc. (Elite), a company that operates on Overseas Highway in Marathon, to a quarter million dollar fine and five years of probation for exporting falsely labelled spiny lobster and shark fins from Florida to China.
According to court documents, from November 2018 through October 2019, Elite purchased seafood products for export to China. To meet the high demand for spiny lobster, Elite imported lobster from Nicaragua and Belize for reexport to China. Elite reexported approximately 63,000 pounds of lobster and falsely labeled the product in shipping documents as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” In a similar violation, Elite acquired shark fins from a licensed local fisherman in Florida and exported approximately 5,666 pounds of shark fins, falsely labeling he product either as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” or “Frozen Fish.”
The court ordered Elite to pay a total of $250,000 and placed it on probation for five years. Additionally, the court ordered, as special conditions of probation, that the company establish a corporate compliance program and retain third-party independent auditors to oversee their future activities.
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 sentence imposed by United States District Judge K. Michael Moore.
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, HSI Miami, and FWC Division of Law Enforcement investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald prosecuted 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-10011.
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Kentucky Man Charged with Running Cocaine Distribution OperationRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Hopkinsville, Kentucky, man made an initial appearance in federal court Wednesday after being indicted for drug conspiracy and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Melvin Dontreele Brown, 30, was arrested Tuesday in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Law enforcement executed search warrants at four different locations there associated with Brown and on multiple bank accounts. Initial items recovered include approximately $100,000 in cash, $164,000 from bank accounts, marijuana, fentanyl, and a firearm.
Brown is charged with one count of drug conspiracy; two counts of laundering of monetary instruments; and 14 counts of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony.
Brown is accused of conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
According to the indictment, Brown and his coconspirators allegedly distributed bulk quantities of cocaine in the Hopkinsville and Tulsa areas from July 2020 to May 2021 .
The cocaine was allegedly imported from Mexico and transported by couriers in vehicles to Oklahoma and to Brown in Kentucky. The conspirators regularly used cellphones and coded phrases to coordinate their drug transactions. Examples of coded language included “ceiling paint” which referenced cocaine and “paper” which referenced currency used as payment for cocaine deliveries.
The conspirators received bulk quantities of currency as payment for cocaine deliveries and conducted financial transactions using banks in the Northern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere. Brown is charged in the indictment with making two financial transactions designed to conceal the nature and origin of the illicit proceeds.
Brown made an initial appearance in the Western District of Kentucky (Paducah) Wednesday and is scheduled for a detention hearing there Friday at 10 am.
The 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.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas and Louisville Divisions and the Tulsa and Hopkinsville Police Departments are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Tonkin is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Kentucky Man Charged with Running Cocaine Distribution OperationRead the Press Release
A Hopkinsville, Kentucky, man made an initial appearance in federal court Wednesday after being indicted for drug conspiracy and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Melvin Dontreele Brown, 30, was arrested Tuesday in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Law enforcement executed search warrants at four different locations there associated with Brown and on multiple bank accounts. Initial items recovered include approximately $100,000 in cash, $164,000 from bank accounts, marijuana, fentanyl, and a firearm.
Brown is charged with one count of drug conspiracy; two counts of laundering of monetary instruments; and 14 counts of use of a communication facility in committing, causing and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony.
Brown is accused of conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
According to the indictment, Brown and his coconspirators allegedly distributed bulk quantities of cocaine in the Hopkinsville and Tulsa areas from July 2020 to May 2021 .
The cocaine was allegedly imported from Mexico and transported by couriers in vehicles to Oklahoma and to Brown in Kentucky. The conspirators regularly used cellphones and coded phrases to coordinate their drug transactions. Examples of coded language included “ceiling paint” which referenced cocaine and “paper” which referenced currency used as payment for cocaine deliveries.
The conspirators received bulk quantities of currency as payment for cocaine deliveries and conducted financial transactions using banks in the Northern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere. Brown is charged in the indictment with making two financial transactions designed to conceal the nature and origin of the illicit proceeds.
Brown made an initial appearance in the Western District of Kentucky (Paducah) Wednesday and is scheduled for a detention hearing there Friday at 10 am.
The 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.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas and Louisville Divisions and the Tulsa and Hopkinsville Police Departments are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Tonkin is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law
Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justin Allen Bowen, 40, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Bowen received methamphetamine from his supplier for several months prior to December 5, 2022. Bowen would receive several pounds of methamphetamine at a time and distribute it to several of his customers throughout Kanawha County.
On December 5, 2023, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at locations where Bowen had delivered methamphetamine the night before and seized a total of approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine found in three locations.
Bowen is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, 2023, and faces a faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
Jasper Wemh, Richard Allen Bowen, McKenzie Bowen, Kimberly Dawn Legg, Larry Wayne Legg, Nicholas Bradford Confere, and Stanley Aaron Burkes were indicted along with Justin Allen Bowen and are scheduled for trial on April 25, 2023. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), Charleston Police Department, West Virginia State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy B. Wolfe and Nowles Heinrich are prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-4.
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KC Woman Sentenced for SNAP Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using six stolen identities to fraudulently file 71 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in four states.
Bridgette Ford, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to four years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Ford to pay $66,684 in restitution.
On July 28, 2022, Ford pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of theft of government money, one count of misuse of a Social Security number, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Ford received SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) from May 2018 through January 2020. During that time, she submitted six fraudulent applications for Missouri SNAP benefits using the names, Social Security numbers, and other identity information stolen from six victims. She listed her own email address and phone number on each fraudulent application, and she claimed the applicants were homeless. She directed all communication from the Department of Social Services regarding the fraudulent applications to be sent to her home address. When state officials required applicant interviews, she either assumed the identity she had stolen and conducted the interview herself, or she instructed one of her acquaintances to do it.
The Department of Social Services approved all six fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits. When Ford received the fraudulent EBT cards for the six accounts, she sold them for cash (or gave them to others to sell for cash) to buyers who then used the benefits on the cards. After they used the EBT cards to make purchases, they returned the cards to Ford.
Ford filed 71 SNAP benefit applications in four different states. She fraudulently received at least $21,546 in SNAP benefits between July 2018 through November 2020 under her own name in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. In addition, Ford fraudulently filed multiple applications for SNAP benefits under the names of others in those states and subsequently received $45,138 in additional benefits based on those applications.
Ford also concealed a disqualifying prior felony drug conviction in her own Missouri SNAP application and received SNAP benefits to which she was not entitled. Ford’s conduct resulted in a total SNAP benefits loss of $66,684.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten. It was investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Services and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General.
KC Woman Sentenced for CarjackingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a carjacking.
Kerri J. Seaboldt, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years in federal prison without parole.
On April 1, 2022, Seaboldt pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Seaboldt admitted that she aided and abetted two co-defendants to steal a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro at gunpoint on July 14, 2020.
In the early morning hours of July 14, 2020, Seaboldt and co-defendants Destiny J. White, 34, of Blue Springs, Mo., and Charles V. Bai, 29, of Independence, Mo., executed a scheme to steal the Camero. The victim of the carjacking, identified in court documents as “K.B.,” drove White in his Camaro to an alleyway in Kansas City, Mo. White told K.B. they were picking up Seaboldt because she was having an argument with her boyfriend. Seaboldt was on the phone with Bai, pretending to have an argument as K.B. and White stood by and waited.
Bai then walked into the alleyway, wielding a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine. Bai pointed the firearm at K.B. and ordered him to get out of the Camaro. Bai then got into the Camaro and drove it away.
At approximately 2:20 a.m., law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call regarding the carjacking and contacted K.B. K.B. requested location information for his vehicle using OnStar. Bai later fled from officers in the stolen vehicle, which he ultimately wrecked.
Bai was sentenced on April 8, 2022, to 13 years in federal prison without parole. White was sentenced on Nov. 17, 2022, to three years and four months in federal prison without parole.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Operation LeGend
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Jury Finds Armed Home Invaders Guilty of Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – After a two-week trial, a South Florida federal jury found Kejuan Brandon Campbell, Antonio Charles James Jr., and Dionte Alexander-Wilcox guilty on one count of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of bank robbery, and three counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.
The evidence at trial revealed that on October 11, 2020, Campbell, James, and Alexander-Wilcox conspired to commit a home invasion against a husband and wife – both of whom were over 60 -- because the couple’s estranged nephew had stolen $20,000 from Campbell earlier that day. Wearing masks and gloves, and carrying firearms, the three defendants forced their way into the couple’s home, assaulted the husband, and forced both victims to lie on the floor by pointing guns at them.
The defendants ransacked the couples’ home and took their phones and a wallet. Using the wife’s telephone, the defendants tried using CashApp to transfer $20,000 themselves, but the transactions were declined. Campbell then forced the wife to travel with him to multiple stores to try to cash $20,000 in checks. The other two defendants kept the husband at home, holding him at gunpoint.
After the stores declined to process the checks, the defendants stayed overnight at the victims’ home and planned to get the money from the couple’s bank the next morning. During their stay, the defendants cooked, drank alcohol, and smoked marijuana. They kept a gun pointed at the couple inside and did not allow them to speak to one another. At one point, with gun in hand, Alexander-Wilcox forced the wife into a bedroom and raped her.
The next morning, Campbell forced the wife to withdraw $20,000 from ATMs. After returning the wife home, the defendants filled a couple of suitcases with the victims’ jewelry, as well as items on which the defendants might have left their DNA. The defendants threatened to kill the victims if they called the police, locked the victims in a bathroom, took their house key, and left with the cash.
U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn will sentence the defendants in Fort Lauderdale federal court on April 27, 2023, -- Campbell at 9:30 a.m., James at 10:00 a.m., and Alexander-Wilcox at 10:30 am. They each face between 15 years and life in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and interim Chief of Police Jose Vargas of the Miramar Police Department, announced the guilty verdict.
FBI Miami and Miramar Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Davie Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Lauderhill Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ajay Alexander and Brooke Latta are prosecuting this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling the asset forfeiture aspect of the case.
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 21-cr-60011.
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Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – An Iowa City man was sentenced on February 21, 2023, to 14 years in prison following his plea to two counts of receiving child pornography.
According to court documents, Luke Kenneth Beckner, age 21, utilized his cellphone and social media accounts to meet minor females and solicit pornography from them. Beckner traveled to meet at least two of the minors and engaged in sexual intercourse with them. After receiving pornographic images, Beckner distributed some of the images of two identified minors to another person. Following his prison term, Beckner was ordered to serve an eight-year term of supervised release.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.
Inmate at United States Penitentiary at Canaan Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Another Inmate with A Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Isiah Robinson, age 36, formerly of Maryland, and an inmate at the United States Penitentiary, Canaan, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on February 23, 2023, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to the charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Robinson admitted to assaulting another inmate with a sharpened piece of metal commonly known as a “shank.” The charge stems from an incident in October 2020, at the institution, at which time Robinson stabbed another inmate twice. The victim inmate’s wounds were not life-threatening but required outpatient treatment at a hospital.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the charge is ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Huntersville, N.C. Man Is Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Benjamin Padua Jr., 57, of Huntersville, N.C., was sentenced to 30 months in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his employer following the company owner’s death. Padua was also ordered to serve three years under court supervision after he is released from prison and to pay $729,914.32 in restitution.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from September 2019 to February 2021, Padua abused his senior finance position with his employer, identified in court documents as Trucking Company, and used falsified documents and improper accounting entries to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars. Court documents show that, following the Trucking Company owner’s death in October 2019, Padua forged the owner’s signature on a fake employment agreement Padua created and backdated to prior to the owner’s death. The fraudulent employment agreement purported to increase Padua’s compensation significantly through higher wages, bonuses, and life insurance benefits. After he created the fake employment agreement, Padua received substantial compensation from the Trucking Company, to which he was not entitled.
Padua previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI in Charlotte for their investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Ryan, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
High-Ranking Blood Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 17 Years for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Darrick Charles, 31, of Wilmington, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for drug trafficking and gun charges. According to law enforcement, Charles was a high-ranking member of the United Blood Nation in Wilmington. Charles was ultimately apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Leland following a high-speed chase.
“Putting a stop to this high-ranking gang member’s criminal conduct is a victory for the citizens of Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Charles recklessly led police a high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood, then fled with a stolen gun. Today’s sentence is a warning. You gamble with your life and your future when you deal in gangs, guns, and drugs.”
According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other documents, between February 12, 2020, and June 2, 2020, law enforcement made five controlled purchases of heroin from Charles in Wilmington. During a sale on February 19, 2020, Charles possessed a 9mm handgun while he sold a confidential informant a quantity of heroin. On February 24, 2020, law enforcement also purchased a handgun from Charles, who said during the deal that the buyer did not have to worry about the gun being stolen because his girlfriend is able to purchase them legally. Charles is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior conviction for manufacturing, selling, distributing, or possessing a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
On June 4, 2020, law enforcement served a search warrant at Charles’ residence in Brunswick County. Law enforcement found three firearms and materials used for the distribution of heroin. An arrest warrant was ordered by the court for his failure to comply with his conditions of release for the previous charges.
On April 4, 2021, U.S. Marshals located Charles operating a vehicle in Leland, NC and attempted to stop him. Charles refused to stop and fled, driving in excess of 95 miles per hour in a residential area until he stopped near a wooded area and fled on foot. Charles was apprehended by the Marshals following a foot chase. While fleeing, Charles threw down a quantity of heroin and a loaded, stolen handgun. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement uncovered that Charles had made trips to
New Jersey and Greensboro to pick up heroin to be distributed in Eastern North Carolina.
On July 6, 2022, Charles pled guilty to five counts of distribution of a quantity of heroin, possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
This is part of “Operation Golfer,” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Wilmington Police Department, and the New Hanover and Brunswick County Sheriffs’ Offices investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Severo and Gabe Diaz 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. 7:21-cr-00120-BO-1.
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Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing CocaineRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS CARRASQUILLO, also known as “Cuchi,” 52, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a joint investigation led by the FBI and the Norwich, New London and Hartford Police Departments into a narcotics distribution network that stretched from southeastern Connecticut to the Hartford, New Britain and Waterbury areas. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, surveillance, search warrants, and seizures of cocaine and crack cocaine, revealed that Carrasquillo was acquiring large quantities of cocaine and selling the drug to other distributors, some of whom converted the cocaine to crack.
On March 17, 2020, law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Carrasquillo’s Adelaide Street residence and seized approximately three kilograms of cocaine and $71,340 in cash.
On June 30, 2020, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Carrasquillo and eight other individuals with offenses related to their involvement in this drug ring. Carrasquillo was arrested on July 1, 2020.
On June 9, 2022, Carrasquillo pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Carrasquillo, who is released on a $270,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 6.
This is Carrasquillo’s second federal conviction for a cocaine trafficking-related offense.
This matter has been investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Norwich, New London and Hartford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Harnett County Drug Dealer Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Harnett County man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for dealing methamphetamine. On October 6, 2022, Christopher Wayne McNeill pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, a multi-agency investigation identified that Christopher Wayne McNeill, 49, was trafficking kilograms of methamphetamine in Harnett County. Law enforcement made four controlled purchases of methamphetamine involving McNeill. Through their investigation, law enforcement determined McNeill was supplying other distributors with methamphetamine.
McNeill pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine and distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine. He has previous felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon (1994) and breaking and entering (2014) as well as a felony drug conviction (2021).
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Coats Police Department, Dunn Police Department, Harnett County Sherriff’s Department, and the State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey L. Peaden prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-174-1D.
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Georgia woman charged with stealing over $450,000 in government and retirement benefitsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Sandra D. Smith has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds. The indictment alleges that Smith stole more than $450,000 in Social Security Administration (SSA) retirement benefits and New York State Local and Retirement System (NYSLRS) benefits intended for M.S., who died in 2006 and was no longer eligible to receive those funds.
“Smith allegedly stole money that taxpayers and government employees faithfully paid into these retirement systems and to which she was not entitled,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This joint investigative effort is another excellent example of how collaboration between federal and state investigative partners help to uncover benefits fraud.”
“For nearly 15 years, the beneficiary’s death was allegedly concealed by Smith so that she could illegally obtain Social Security benefits, which is a federal crime. These charges exemplify that my office will continue to pursue those who defraud the Social Security Administration,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the SSA. “I thank the New York Office of the State Comptroller for investigating with us.”
“The defendant callously took advantage of her mother-in-law’s death to profit at the expense of New York’s retirement system and the Social Security Administration,” said New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who is trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund. “She has now been brought to justice and we will seek full restitution. I thank U.S. Attorney Buchanan and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General for their partnership on this matter.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: In approximately September 2005, M.S., Smith’s former mother-in-law, began receiving SSA and NYSLRS benefits directly deposited into a bank account that was solely in M.S.’s name. At the time of M.S.’s death in September 2006, Smith served as her caretaker and handled her finances. Smith had access to M.S.’s bank account as M.S.’s caretaker.
After M.S. died, neither Smith nor anyone else notified SSA or NYSLRS of M.S.’s passing. Nor did Smith close M.S.’s bank account. Instead, Smith kept M.S.’s bank account open into which SSA and NYSLRS continued to deposit funds until early 2021. Smith knew exactly when those monthly benefits were deposited, and each month she allegedly withdrew the funds from the account almost as soon as they were deposited.
In total, SSA deposited $194,351.00 and NYSLRS deposited $264,699.53 into the account. Smith, who was interviewed in connection with this investigation, admitted that she stole the money and that she knew that she was not entitled to the funds.
Sandra D. Smith, 49, of Morrow, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand. Smith was charged with 20 counts of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and 10 counts of theft of government funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General and New York Office of the State Comptroller.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fraudulent Firearm Purchases Lead to Federal Prison Sentences for Two Flint MenRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten today announced that Jonathan-Michael Brown, of Flint, Michigan was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison for illegally purchasing 62 firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in Michigan and Ohio. U.S. District Court Judge Jane M. Beckering also imposed a restitution order of $28,047.88 for losses to the firearms dealers and two years of supervised release following his term of incarceration. Co-defendant Jalen Kenyatta Malik Jackson, also of Flint, was sentenced in January to 12 months and one day imprisonment, two years of supervised release, and restitution of $12,004.27. In imposing the sentence against Brown, Judge Beckering commented that Brown’s “spree of firearms purchases” through the fraud scheme “victimized many people.”
“Protecting our communities by holding individuals accountable for straw purchasing weapons and fraudulently acquiring firearms that flood our streets with illegal guns is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “We will continue working with the ATF and our law enforcement partners to target these types of schemes that put our communities at risk.”
According to court documents, Brown, age 24, and Jackson, age 25, illegally purchased 62 firearms (and attempted to purchase 19 additional firearms) from federally licensed firearms dealers using multiple fraudulent methods. Brown had previously been convicted of a felony offense and could not lawfully possess any firearms. Brown acquired firearms by posing as another person and using the driver’s license and credit card account number assigned to that person and others to purchase the weapons for resale. After Brown’s arrest by state authorities, he recruited Jackson to make false statements to gun dealers and acquire multiple firearms using credit card numbers assigned to other people to purchase those weapons to resell to others. As a result, the cost of the guns was passed on to others and Brown and Jackson transferred the firearms to others for profit.
Brown pleaded guilty to three federal crimes: making a false statement and aggravated identity theft in connection with the purchase of two firearms, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for profiting from selling firearms that he and Jackson illegally purchased from firearms dealers. Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement during the purchase of firearms.
“Illegally providing firearms to prohibited persons fuels violent criminals presenting a grave threat to our communities,” said, ATF Acting SAC Craig Kailimai. “The collaborative effort with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our federal, State of Michigan, and local partners continues to remove illegally trafficked firearms and those individuals involved from our streets.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Michigan State Police, Flint Police Department, Saginaw Township Police Department, and Canton Police Department also aided in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay M. West prosecuted the case.
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Former Police Officer Sentenced for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Georgia man will serve 59 months in prison for his role in conspiracy to obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — United States Attorney Mark Totten today announced that former Georgia police officer Andre Jackson has been sentenced to 59 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to launder $500,000 in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds. During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering noted that Jackson’s behavior is “gutsy. It’s greedy. It’s concerning.”
“Andre Jackson was a con artist who tried to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for his own personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Totten. “Anyone who tries to get rich quick by stealing money intended to help those in need should expect to be held fully accountable.”
Jackson is a former police officer from Clayton County, Georgia. In 2020, he introduced fellow Georgia resident James Williams to Jemar Mason and David Kurbanov, both residents of the Western District of Michigan. Williams helped Mason and Kurbanov prepare fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. This Act was a federal law designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was designed to provide small businesses with loans in order to keep employees on payroll. Jackson and his co-conspirators exploited the program to obtain approximately $1.495 million in fraud proceeds.
Afterwards, Jackson attempted to launder some of the proceeds by directing two of his confederates to wire $500,000 to an overseas bank account that Jackson selected. Investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration detected the plot and the Internal Revenue Service took steps to freeze the bank accounts of the conspirators, ultimately recovering approximately $1.123 million of the fraud proceeds. Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Michigan brought charges against five codefendants, including Jackson, all of whom have now been convicted in connection with the scheme.
“Pandemic relief funds in the form of PPP loans were established to help legitimate businesses weather the economic crisis created by COVID-19.” said Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office. “In concert with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners, IRS-CI will continue to track down individuals who attempt to exploit this federal relief program for their own personal greed and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
“Jackson and his co-defendants stole money from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was a critical lifeline for Michigan’s small businesses during the pandemic,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “It was a serious crime, and the FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify fraudsters like this defendant and hold them fully accountable for their crimes.”
The charges in this case were part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, dubbed Operation Cashout, by law enforcement officers in the Western District of Michigan and the Northern District of Georgia, including the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Michigan State Police, Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team (KANET), and the Grand Rapids Police Department.
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.
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Former Pharma Executive and Cousin Charged with Insider Trading of Kodak StockRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JAMES ANDREW STILES, a/k/a “Andrew Stiles,” and EDWARD GRAY STILES, a/k/a “Gray Stiles,” with multiple counts of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit both wire fraud and securities fraud in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading based on misappropriated information about potential government loans to be made to the Eastman Kodak Company to finance the production of COVID-19-releated pharmaceutical components. ANDREW STILES was arrested this morning in South Carolina, and GRAY STILES was arrested this morning in Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “By stealing confidential business information, Andrew Stiles allegedly betrayed the trust and confidence of his employer — a pharmaceutical company working to help the public at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — and schemed with his cousin, Gray Stiles, to collectively make more than a million dollars of illegal profits. Today’s arrests show that this Office will continue to prosecute those who seek to profit at the expense of the integrity and fairness of our financial markets.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “As alleged, the defendants are the latest examples of criminal actors relying on material non-public information to trade securities for their own profit. When individuals motivated by greed illegally tip the scales in their favor, public confidence in the integrity of our financial markets is eroded. Investigating and holding accountable the perpetrators of these schemes remains a priority for the FBI.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court:[1]
Between June and July 2020, ANDREW STILES conducted an insider trading scheme in which he misappropriated material, non-public information (“MNPI”) and used it to trade in the stock of the Eastman Kodak Company (“Kodak”) and further provided that MNPI to his cousin, GRAY STILES, so that GRAY would likewise trade on the MNPI.
During that time, ANDREW STILES was an executive at a company (“Company-1”) that was working with Kodak to collaborate on the production of chemicals for pharmaceutical manufacturing in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Company-1 was also assisting Kodak in its application for a significant government loan, which ultimately resulted in the news, on July 27, 2020, of a government “letter of interest” to provide Kodak with a loan of $765 million (the “LOI”). In the following days, Kodak stock rose substantially, at one point increasing to more than 2,500% above the closing price prior to the news of the LOI.
During June and July 2020, ANDREW STILES was kept apprised of Kodak’s efforts to obtain the government loan, and he both traded using that non-public information and passed that information to GRAY STILES. For example, on July 9, 2020, when Kodak had applied for a loan in the amount of $655 million, ANDREW STILES and GRAY STILES exchanged the following coded text messages:
GRAY: Any update on the film we sent off a few weeks ago to get developed
ANDREW: 600+. Maybe 2 weeks out
GRAY: I can live with that hahaha
Between June 2020, after ANDREW STILES learned about the potential loan to Kodak, and July 27, 2020, the date the LOI was first publicized, ANDREW STILES purchased more than 90,000 shares of Kodak stock, including multiple purchases the day before the LOI was scheduled to be announced. GRAY STILES purchased more than 30,000 shares, more than half of which were purchased the day prior to the scheduled announcement of the LOI. In fact, on July 27, 2020, ANDREW STILES texted GRAY STILES, “Tmw,” indicating the expected date of the announcement. Less than one minute later, GRAY STILES responded, “Hot damn.” Following that exchange, and before the news was announced, ANDREW and GRAY STILES each purchased more than 10,000 additional shares.
ANDREW and GRAY STILES each sold the entirety of their shares in the days and weeks after the announcement. ANDREW STILES realized profits of more than $500,000; GRAY STILES realized profits of more than $700,000.
* * *
ANDREW STILES, 37, of South Carolina, and GRAY STILES, 37, of Virginia, are each charged with three counts of securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Rossmiller, Nicolas Roos, and Allison Nichols are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former Legislator Sentenced to Five Years and Three Months in Prison for Theft of Government Funds and Honest Services Wire FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, former legislator Nestor Alonso-Vega was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias Marxuach to serve 63 months in prison, announced United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. On June 6, 2022, Alonso-Vega was found guilty of nine counts of Federal Funds Theft, Kickbacks, and Honest Services Wire Fraud.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between April 2018 and September 2020, Nestor Alonso-Vega authorized several salary adjustments for his assistant. It was agreed that his assistant would kickback to Alonso-Vega half of the total amount of the pay raise, split between each pay day. The total loss for the House of Representatives was $81,500, of which defendant received more than $40,000.
It was further alleged that the assistant, who testified during the trial, used a variety of means to transfer the kickbacks to Alonso-Vega. For example, he used ATH Móvil, made withdrawals around the time he received his paycheck and paid Alonso-Vega in cash, and, at times, made payments to Alonso-Vega’s Home Depot account.
“We continue to see the results of our efforts fighting public corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The citizens of Puerto Rico deserve that their dollars be put to good use and not to line the pockets of corrupt officials. We will continue to investigate and prosecute corrupt behavior wherever we find it.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Anderson prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by FBI Special Agent Juan Carlos López of the San Juan Field Office.
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Former Jackson Township Official Sentenced to Prison for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Florida resident has been sentenced in federal court to 100 days in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, plus restitution of $150,000 on her conviction of mail fraud, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Linda Baun, 73, of Largo, FL 33770.
According to information presented to the court, Baun was formerly employed as the Secretary/Treasurer for Jackson Township, in Mercer County. Between 2011 and 2019, she embezzled at least $150,000 from the Township by making unauthorized ATM withdrawals and by charging personal purchases on Amazon to the Township’s debit card.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Colville stated that Baun committed a serious crime involving public corruption.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police and the Mercer County District Attorney’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Baun.
Former Assistant Chief of Staff of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison in Massive Corruption ScandalRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy Captain (Retired) Jesus Vasquez Cantu was sentenced today to 30 months in prison by a federal district judge in San Diego on charges that he received lavish bribes from foreign defense contractor Leonard Francis, who plied him with luxurious hotel stays, travel, and prostitutes. Cantu was also ordered to pay a criminal fine of $75,000 and restitution to the U.S. Navy in the amount of $100,000.
“Mr. Cantu entered a den of corruption and in the process repudiated his oath and betrayed the sacred trust placed in him by the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The Department of Justice and our agency partners will never relent in our pursuit of justice for schemes that dishonor our armed forces.”
Grossman thanked the prosecution team and agency partners for their excellent work on this case.
In his plea agreement, Cantu acknowledged that Francis took him and others out for drinks and dinners at posh restaurants, nightclubs and karaoke bars and paid for lavish hotel rooms and the services of prostitutes on numerous occasions in 2012 and 2013, during which time Cantu was the deputy commander, MSC Far East in Singapore, in charge of logistical sustainment to Navy ships operating in the Seventh Fleet. Cantu admitted that in return for these luxuries, he provided proprietary U.S. Navy information to Francis, and that he used his power and influence to help Francis and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, known as GDMA, in its ship husbanding business.
Cantu also admitted in his plea agreement that, in 2007, when he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics for the Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet aboard the USS Blue Ridge, he and others participated in a bribery conspiracy with Francis. Cantu and other members of the conspiracy accepted an ongoing stream of bribes from Francis, and in exchange, Cantu was influenced in the performance of his official Navy responsibilities and acted in violation of his official Navy duties.
“Mr. Cantu's sentencing holds him accountable for crimes he committed while serving as a senior Naval officer. His unconscionable criminal activity profoundly dishonored his oath, and unquestionably failed to meet the exacting standards required of all U.S. military personnel,” said Kelly P. Mayo, the Director of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “DCIS and its investigative partners will continue their tireless efforts to bring to justice those who choose a similar illicit and dishonorable path regardless of tenure or position.”
“Mr. Cantu betrayed his oath to his country and abused his position with the Navy by accepting lavish gifts from GDMA, including hotel rooms, entertainment, alcohol, and the services of prostitutes, in exchange for divulging sensitive information that helped Leonard Francis defraud the United States,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to fully investigating all allegations of conspiracy, bribery and corruption that threaten the integrity of the Department of the Navy.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher, Valerie Chu, Michelle Wasserman, and David Chu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 17-CR-2376
Captain (Retired) Jesus Vasquez Cantu Age 64 Silverdale, Washington
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or twice the gross pecuniary gain or twice the gross pecuniary loss, whichever is greaterINVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Felon admits illegal possession of firearm after offering to sell pistol, illegal switches for firearm conversionRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A California man suspected of offering to sell an undercover agent a pistol and switches used to convert firearms from semiautomatic to fully automatic admitted to a firearm charge today, U. S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Drew Parker Seymour, 24, of Banning, California, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Seymour faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Seymour was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Seymour has a felony conviction in California for illegally possessing a firearm. In March 2022 in Billings, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned that a person online offered to sell an individual illegal Glock switches, which are used to convert firearms from semiautomatic to fully automatic. The seller was later identified as Seymour. An undercover agent began communicating with Seymour, who offered to sell the agent Glock switches and a .45 caliber pistol. Seymour sent pictures of both. Seymour later withdrew his offer to sell the Glock switches. The undercover agent agreed to meet Seymour to buy the pistol. Earlier that day, before the meeting occurred, drug task force agents detained Seymour and his girlfriend at a U.S. Post Office in Billings as the couple was attempting to pick up a package of fentanyl. Law enforcement searched the couple’s motel room and located a .45-caliber, semiautomatic pistol hidden under a mattress. The pistol looked to be identical to the firearm in the pictures Seymour had sent, and Seymour’s fingerprint was recovered on the magazine of the gun.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Hargrove is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Billings Police Department, U.S. Postal Service and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Federal Indictment Charges Four Co-Conspirators for Scheme Involving Money Orders Stolen from Post OfficeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced that a federal grand jury in Charlotte has indicted four co-conspirators for a scheme involving stolen United States Postal Service (USPS) money orders.
Jeff Krafels, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which oversees Charlotte, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
Ravenna Lee Dorsey, Jr., 33, of Charlotte, Jaren Jamar Hopkins-Benton, 28, of Charlotte, Gregory Jeremy Singleton, 27, of Charlotte, and Shawn Joanta Brooks, 40, of Shelby, North Carolina, are each charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States by possessing and passing forged and altered USPS money orders, and possession of stolen and fraudulently altered USPS money orders.
According to allegations in the indictment, between November 2020 and February 2023, the co-conspirators acquired approximately 2,500 blank USPS money orders stolen from a Charlotte area post office. The indictment alleges that the co-conspirators purchased and used legitimate USPS money orders as “templates” to generate falsified and forged USPS money orders, which they deposited into multiple bank accounts and credit union accounts, and then withdrew the cash proceeds before the financial institutions detected the fraud. As alleged in the indictment, the co-conspirators redeemed approximately 800 of the stolen USPS money orders, causing losses totaling more than $750,000.
The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The conspiracy charge and each count of possession of stolen and fraudulently altered USPS money orders carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,00 fine per count. A federal district court judge will determine each defendant’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the USPS-OIG for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced yesterday to 140 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on January 25, 2022, detectives with the 4th Judicial Drug Task Force were investigating Richard Heath Brown, age 46, for drug trafficking. During the investigation, detectives learned that Brown was in possession of methamphetamine and that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. After receiving information of Browns vehicle, detectives were able to locate it and arrest him. A search of the vehicle resulted in detectives locating a black bag that contained approximately 412 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Department of Homeland Security forensic laboratory for further analysis.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on May 25, 2022, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Reginald Everette Counts, age 49, was selling methamphetamine in the Northwest Arkansas area. Detectives learned Counts was residing at a hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
As part of their investigation, detectives checked Counts through ACIC/NCIC and confirmed he was a probationer with a valid search waiver on file. Detectives then conducted surveillance at the hotel parking lot While conducting surveillance, detectives made contact with Counts in the parking lot as he was getting on his scooter. Detectives identified themselves as law enforcement officers and they searched Counts pursuant to his warrantless search waiver.
During the search of Counts, detectives located a pouch hanging around his neck. The pouch contained a bag of methamphetamine weighing approximately 28.5 grams, clear baggies and a digital scale. In Counts' jean pocket, detectives located a glass smoking pipe and $1,570.00 in U.S. currency. A search of Counts hotel room resulted in detectives locating five individually packaged bags of methamphetamine with an approximate weight of 143.3 grams. On May 27, 2022, Counts was released from custody on bond. On May 29, 2022, he was encountered again with a distribution amount of methamphetamine on his person. Counts attempted to flee the arresting officer and during the course of the arrest the officer sustained a torn ACL.
The drugs were subsequently sent to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory where they tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
Farmington Man Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Farmington man was sentenced today to 162 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on February 15, 2022, an officer with the Farmington Police Department was dispatched to a report of a suspicious male carrying a backpack who matched the description of a recent theft suspect. The officer located the male and made contact. The male identified himself as Robert James Poindexter, age 39. When the officer reviewed Poindexter’s record, he showed to have a warrantless search waiver on file as a condition of being on probation.
The officer observed that Poindexter appeared to be intoxicated and asked Poindexter if he had anything illegal on him. Poindexter removed a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and provided them to the officer. A search of Poindexter’s person and backpack resulted in officers locating approximately 248 grams of suspected methamphetamine in three separate baggies, a large bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Department of Homeland Security forensic laboratory where it was tested and determined to be methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Farmington Police Department and the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.
Farley Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting 3-Year-Old Victim to Produce, Distribute Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Farley, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexually assaulting a 3-year-old victim to produce child pornography and distribute it to others through the Kik application.
Andrew J. McCardie, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. McCardie remains in federal custody without bond pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
McCardie communicated with individuals through the Kik application beginning in January 2022, using a screen name to indicate he was willing and able to produce child pornography and distribute to other persons. McCardie produced 19 images and videos of child pornography involving a 3-year-old child victim on Feb. 11 and 12, 2022. Most of these were created live, meaning he was recording himself actively sexually abusing the child victim while communicating with other persons over Kik, and sending those images and videos to them during the abuse.
On March 5, 2022, McCardie created another live video during his sexual abuse of the child victim. McCardie didn’t know he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer through Kik. McCardie told the undercover officer he had been “doing these requests on Kik for a couple years now” and discussed how to sexually abuse a child. During this conversation, McCardie sent the undercover officer a screenshot of a chat he was having with the Kik user he produced the video for, in order to prove he had created the video live.
On March 6, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McCardie’s residence. The entry team attempted to take control of McCardie near the entrance of the residence but he resisted, initially holding a firearm as officers entered. McCardie was brought out into the yard, where he continued to resist before being handcuffed and placed under arrest. McCardie attempted to hide his iPhone in the bedroom closet, but officers found the phone and seized it in order to conduct a forensic investigation.
McCardie’s Kik account included 218 images and videos of child pornography. McCardie sent 58 separate videos and images of child pornography to other Kik users, and had received more than 200 images and videos of child pornography from other Kik users between Jan. 2 and March 7, 2022.
Under federal statutes, McCardie is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 80 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 Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Ex-Housing Authority Official Ordered to Pay Restitution for Federal Fraud CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Pamela McDaniel, 69, of Charleston, was ordered today to pay $17,543.92 in restitution and sentenced to five years of federal probation, including six months on home detention, for altering a postal money order and embezzling more than $28,000 from the Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority (CKHA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, McDaniel had been employed by CKHA since 2006 and was serving as a housing manager in 2018. As a housing manager, McDaniel’s duties included collecting tenant rental payments and forwarding them to the CKHA accounts clerk. On January 10, 2018, McDaniel received a $235 postal money order from a CKHA tenant intended for rental payment. McDaniel admitted to adding her own name to the postal money order to make it appear as though McDaniel was the intended beneficiary of the payment. McDaniel deposited the postal money order into her personal checking account.
McDaniel further admitted that from 2007 to 2018, she used her position as a CKHA housing manager to embezzle $28,523.30. As part of this scheme, McDaniel altered money orders she received from tenants attempting to pay dues that they owed CKHA and deposited the altered money orders into her personal checking account. McDaniel offset some of the money she stole by repaying a portion of the embezzled funds.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-157.
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Eight Members of Bronx Gangs “Sev Side” and “Third Side” Charged with Murder, Racketeering, and Related Violent OffensesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging KEVIN PEREZ, a/k/a “Kay Flock,” a/k/a “Kay,” a/k/a “KK,” DEVON MASON, a/k/a “BJ,” ERVIN BEAMON, a/k/a “EJ,” NICHOLAS JOHNSON, a/k/a “Nick,” SEAN SMITH, a/k/a “Sticky,” and JOSSI CASTRO, a/k/a “Jesse,” with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes related to their membership in “Sev Side,” or “DOA,” a street gang based in the Bronx, New York. On January 26, 2023, a Superseding Indictment was unsealed charging ISZAYAH ROWSON, a/k/a “Zay Munna,” a/k/a “Zay,” and MICHAEL GANT, a/k/a “AP,” with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes related to their membership in “Third Side,” a street gang also based in the Bronx, New York, that was closely affiliated with Sev Side. PEREZ was also charged with the gang-related murder of Hwascar Hernandez, who was shot to death on December 16, 2021, in the Hamilton Heights section of Upper Manhattan. PEREZ, MASON, BEAMON, JOHNSON, ROWSON, and GANT were further charged with multiple other violent crimes in connection with the Sev Side and Third Side gangs, including attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon arising from seven shootings committed in the Bronx between June 2020 and February 2022. The Sev Side Indictment is assigned to United States District Judge Lewis J. Liman. The Third Side Indictment is assigned to United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
ROWSON and GANT are currently in federal custody in connection with the charges contained in the Third Side Superseding Indictment. MASON, JOHNSON, and CASTRO were arrested this morning in the Bronx and are expected to be presented later today before Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo. PEREZ, who was in state custody, has been transferred to federal custody and is also expected to be presented later today. SMITH and BEAMON are fugitives.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over a span of several years, the members of these gangs allegedly terrorized neighborhoods in the Bronx and Manhattan by killing and shooting other people. Through these charges, we will hold Sev Side and Third Side members responsible for plaguing our communities with gun violence.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “The deadly nexus of gangs and illegal guns in New York City is a grave threat to public safety in our city. Combatting this crisis is the NYPD’s top priority, and today’s indictments are another step toward ridding our streets of violence and fear. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and everyone else involved with this case who worked to make our city safer for all the people we serve.”
According to the allegations in the Sev Side Indictment and the Third Side Superseding Indictment and statements previously made on the record in this case and related matters:[1]
From at least 2019 to 2022, members of Sev Side and Third Side, two street gangs based in the 48th Precinct in the Bronx, New York, aligned with one another to terrorize their own and surrounding neighborhoods by committing indiscriminate shootings against members of rival street gangs. Members of the gangs also promoted the gangs and gun violence on social media and through music they created and promoted, which referenced real acts of violence.
For years, Sev Side and Third Side engaged in disputes with rival crews in the Bronx and in Manhattan, which resulted in numerous acts of violence, including the following:
- PEREZ murdered Hwascar Hernandez in broad daylight in Manhattan on December 16, 2021;
- PEREZ, GANT, and ROWSON shot at rival gang members on June 20, 2020;
- JOHNSON shot at a rival gang member on June 26, 2020;
- GANT shot at rival gang members on July 7, 2020;
- GANT shot at rival gang members on July 16, 2020;
- ROWSON shot at a rival gang member on December 13, 2020;
- PEREZ, MASON, and BEAMON shot at rival gang members on November 10, 2021; and
- MASON shot at a rival gang member and hit an innocent bystander on February 10, 2022.
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A chart containing the names of the defendants who were charged today and on January 26, 2023, and the charges and minimum and maximum penalties they face is attached. All of the defendants are residents of the Bronx, New York.
The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and thanked the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Espinosa, Jim Ligtenberg, and Ni Qian are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment and the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defendant
Age
Charges
Minimum and Maximum Penalties
KEVIN PEREZ
19
Racketeering Conspiracy, Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm Resulting in Death, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
Mandatory life in prison or death
DEVON MASON
24
Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Possession of a Firearm with Defaced Serial Number
Maximum of life in prison; mandatory minimum 20 years to run consecutive to any other sentence
ERVIN BEAMON
23
Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
Maximum of life in prison; mandatory minimum 10 years to run consecutive to any other sentence
NICHOLAS JOHNSON
21
Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
Maximum of life in prison; mandatory minimum 10 years to run consecutive to any other sentence
SEAN SMITH
32
Racketeering Conspiracy, Possession of a Firearm After a Felony Conviction
Maximum of 30 years in prison
JOSSI CASTRO
25
Racketeering Conspiracy
Maximum of 20 years in prison
ISZAYAH ROWSON
22
Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon; Transportation and Receipt of a Firearm While Under Felony Indictment
Maximum of life in prison; mandatory minimum 20 years to run consecutive to any other sentence
MICHAEL GANT
21
Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Use of a Firearm for Attempted Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
Maximum of life in prison; mandatory minimum 20 years to run consecutive to any other sentence
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the Superseding Indictment and the description of the indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Delaware Woman Sentenced to 9 years in Federal Prison for Laundering Drug Proceeds over the Course of Eight YearsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that today Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, sitting by designation in the District of Delaware, sentenced Shakira Martinez to 9 years’ incarceration for money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and structuring bank transactions following a jury verdict in July of 2022. Martinez was convicted together with her husband, Omar Colon, who was previously sentenced to 45 years’ incarceration for money laundering and drug crimes. Colon was referred to in Court as one of the biggest cocaine traffickers in Delaware history.
According to court records and statements made in open court, between 2009 and 2017, Martinez and Colon laundered nearly a million dollars in drug proceeds through the purchase of real estate properties in Delaware and Pennsylvania using their company, Zemi Property Management. They deposited drug money into several different bank accounts – and asked their friends and family members to do the same – and then used those funds to buy cashier’s checks that funded the property purchases. As the government noted at the sentencing hearing, the success of Colon’s drug empire would not have been possible without Martinez’s money laundering and structuring crimes.
Colon was arrested on May 6, 2017, shortly after giving his cocaine supplier $382,045 in cash in a hotel parking lot in Newark, Delaware. The Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) subsequently discovered a secret underground bunker beneath Colon and Martinez’s residence, accessed by a tunnel behind a false fireplace, in which Colon hid a marijuana grow operation.
Before imposing sentence, Circuit Judge Bibas noted the seriousness of Martinez’s crimes, and said that money laundering is a “huge issue that fuels the drug trade with all its harms.” He further noted that the Court “needs to send a message that money laundering is a serious crime.”
U.S. Attorney Weiss commented on the case: “Ms. Martinez has received a serious sentence consistent with her central role in Colon’s drug empire. As Circuit Judge Bibas acknowledged in his remarks, drug trafficking wreaks havoc on the community and on families. Mr. Colon imported massive amounts of cocaine into Delaware for many years. The only way for Mr. Colon and Ms. Martinez to reap the fruits of Colon’s drug crimes and amass a real estate empire was through their money laundering scheme.”
“Martinez’s money laundering and structuring activities were the fuel that allowed her husband Colon to continue to purchase cocaine in furtherance of his drug-trafficking activities,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “We applaud the sentence that Judge Bibas’ imposed on Martinez and his declaration of money laundering as the serious crime that it is.”
Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty said “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are uniquely qualified to follow complex financial transactions and uncover the source of the illegal funds. Martinez and Colon employed multiple tactics to clean up their ill-gotten gains, but in the end, they could not outsmart the government. The sentence handed down today is a stark reminder of the fate of those who engage in money laundering schemes.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer K. Welsh and Meredith C. Ruggles prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by the DEA Philadelphia Division and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-00047-LPS.
Cumberland Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison in Largest Counterfeit Pill SeizureRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Cumberland man who admitted to possessing approximately 665,728 methamphetamine-laced counterfeit Adderall® pills, the largest known seizure of its kind in the country, was sentenced today to ten years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Dylan Rodas, 27, has been detained since his arrest on March 28, 2022, as the result of an expansive Project Safe Neighborhoods Rhode Island and DEA Drug Task Force investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine in Rhode Island. Rodas was arrested for delivery of methamphetamine to a confidential source which had occurred earlier in the month.
At the time of his arrest, Rodas immediately provided DEA agents with information about his drug trafficking activities, including the location where he packaged and stored narcotics and that he was in possession of a number of firearms, assorted ammunition and other illegal substance. Upon searching this location, agents seized approximately 665,728 methamphetamine-laced counterfeit Adderall® pills, weighing a total of approximately 660 pounds; approximately eleven kilograms of methamphetamine powder; fake Oxycodone fentanyl-laced pills; two motorized pill presses; 250 grams of cocaine; $15,000 in cash; and seven handguns, including two “ghost guns. This is believed to be the largest seizure of counterfeit Adderall pills and among the largest single methamphetamine seizures by DEA’s New England Field Division.
Rodas pleaded guilty on September 29, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of federal supervised release and to pay a $5,000 fine.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.
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.
The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force is comprised of personnel from the DEA; Rhode Island State Police; the East Providence, Cranston, Coventry, Newport, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket and Amtrak Police Departments; and Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
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Cumberland County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Anthony Lauro, age 35, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for receiving child pornography. Judge Conner also ordered Lauro to pay $24,000 in restitution to victims of his offenses, and to serve 10 years on supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Lauro pleaded guilty to receiving images and videos of child pornography that were sent to him by another Cumberland County resident named Ryan Banks, who created the illicit images with a 14-year-old boy in West Virginia in September 2020 when Banks was 36. Banks is currently serving a 17 ½ to 35-year prison sentence in West Virginia for his offenses. Lauro was found to have been in contact with both Banks and the victim at the time the victim was being sexually exploited. As part of the federal investigation, agents found Lauro in possession of more than 1,000 images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of other minors.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the Mechanicsburg Police Department, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office in West Virginia. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Criminal Organization Leader to Serve 25 Years in Federal Prison Once Current 10-Year Sentence EndsRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in San Antonio to 25 years in prison for his involvement in a criminal organization.
According to court documents, Jose Miguel Sandoval-Pineda aka “Primo,” aka “Chavalon,” 22, of Michoacan, Mexico, was the leader, organizer and recruiter for a criminal organization heavily involved in human smuggling, firearms trafficking and narcotics trafficking in the San Antonio area in 2019 and early 2020. Sandoval-Pineda and his organization are also tied to numerous shootings and arsons, including two homicides, mostly in the San Antonio area. Sandoval-Pineda was arrested on Jan. 17, 2020 in West Columbia, Texas and is currently serving a 10-year federal sentence for the illegal possession of a machine gun. On Nov. 4, 2021, Sandoval-Pineda pleaded guilty to four additional counts: conspiracy to transport illegal aliens; conspiracy to commit money laundering; conspiracy to commit arson; and use of fire or explosives to commit a federal felony.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez sentenced Sandoval-Pineda to 10 years for one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens; 15 years for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; and 15 years for one count of conspiracy to commit arson, which will run concurrent with each other. Judge Rodriguez also sentenced Sandoval-Pineda to a consecutive 10 years in prison for one count of the use of fire or explosives to commit a federal felony. Sandoval-Pineda will serve his 25-year federal prison sentence at the conclusion of his current 10-year sentence.
“This defendant, who was already serving 10 years in federal prison, will now remain locked up for more than two more long decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “That is thanks to the dedication of our skilled prosecutors and our law enforcement partners at the local and federal levels. Without them, this criminal organization would likely still be out there terrorizing our communities and putting innocent lives at risk.”
“Yesterday’s sentence is an example of Homeland Security Investigation’s commitment to seeking justice on individuals responsible for violent crimes and wreaking havoc in our neighborhoods as this defendant did,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of the HSI San Antonio Division. “The successful outcome of this case is a direct result of the steadfast efforts of HSI and our law enforcement partners in combating violent crime, human smuggling and firearms trafficking.”
“As this case demonstrates, ATF is uniquely positioned to investigate and bring to justice those that use gun violence and fire to hurt and intimidate others,” said Special Agent in Charge Fred J. Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Houston Field Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who commit violent crimes in our community.”
Of the 11 defendants in this case, six have been sentenced. On Aug. 26, 2021, co-defendant Jose Victor Calleja-Velasquez aka “Kory,” 32, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico was sentenced to 240 months for one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A second co-defendant Jorge Rodriguez, 27, of Austin was sentenced on Nov. 30, 2021, to concurrent sentences of 27 months for one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On Oct. 19, 2022, a third co-defendant Samuel Lee Jones, 33, of San Antonio was sentenced to time already served with three years of supervised release for one count of illegal possession of a machine gun. A fourth co-defendant, Emmanuel Valdovinos aka “Manny,” 22, of San Antonio was sentenced on Dec. 5, 2022 to concurrent sentences of 78 months for one count of conspiracy to commit arson and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. On Dec. 14, 2022, Jose Efrain Ovalle-Alvarado, 24, of San Antonio was sentenced to 33 months in prison for one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.
Four defendants are in federal custody as they await their sentencing hearings: Eduardo Angel Viera aka “Lalo,” 26, of San Antonio; Javier Duenas aka “Puppet,” 22, of San Antonio; Jahannatan Pachecano Andrade, 23, of San Antonio; and Daniel Boanerges Orellana-Cano, 23, of La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras. The eleventh defendant, Jose Carlos Martinez, 22, of San Antonio is pending trial.
The ATF, HSI and San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski prosecuted the case.
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Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 46 months for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a convicted felon for illegal firearm possession, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Edward Olin Jones, 66, of Hanceville to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Jones pleaded guilty to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm in November 2022.
According to the plea agreement, on March 16, 2022, Alabama Probation & Parole officers conducted a home visit at the residence of Jones located in Hanceville, Alabama. Jones was on state felony probation, and as conditions of his probation he had to submit to searches by probation officers and was prohibited from possessing firearms. The probation officers recovered a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, a Röhm .22 caliber revolver, a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun, a Weatherby .300 Weatherby Magnum rifle, a Remington .300 Winchester Magnum rifle, a Remington .22 caliber rifle, and 907 rounds of ammunition from Jones’ home.
Prior to his arrest in this case, Jones had been convicted of Sodomy, First Degree, and Sex Abuse, First Degree, in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama.
ATF investigated the case along with the Alabama Probation and Parole Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced an Anniston man and convicted felon for distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley.
U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Camerin Neshun Thomas aka “Killer Cam,” 29, to 18 years in prison. Thomas pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine in November 2022. Court documents showed that Thomas was also previously convicted in Calhoun County Circuit Court of Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute.
According to the plea agreement, in June 2022, the 7th Judicial Circuit Major Crimes Unit Investigator and a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Task Force officer coordinated two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Thomas. On June 1, 2022, Thomas sold 68.45 grams of pure methamphetamine from a residence on McCoy Avenue in Anniston. On June 21, 2022, Thomas sold a total of four ounces of pure methamphetamine from two separate locations in Anniston.
This investigation is an operation of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation “Lengua Doble.” OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational-organized-crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.
ATF and DEA investigated the case along with the 7th Judicial Circuit Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Garnett prosecuted the case.
Concord Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Child Sexual Exploitation CrimeRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Marc Pulsifer, 45, of Concord, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for the federal charge of transportation of child pornography, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers learned that Google had detected potential child exploitation materials on Google Photos accounts with an IP address that resolved to Concord, New Hampshire, at various times in 2020. Through their investigation, officers determined that Pulsifer had uploaded child sexual abuse images and child erotica images to Google Photos from his apartment in Concord. On June 3, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s apartment where they discovered child sexual abuse images actively displayed on various electronic media, including two large-screen televisions. Based on the forensic review of electronic media seized from the defendant’s residence, investigators confirmed that the defendant possessed thousands of child sexual abuse images and videos, which he organized in designated folders with descriptive names and stored across multiple devices. The defendant maintained multiple backup digital copies of his child sexual abuse images and child erotic collection, and he used cloud storage services to store and stream these images on his televisions and other electronic media.
Pulsifer previously pleaded guilty on October 5, 2022. In addition to the prison sentence, Pulsifer must spend five years on supervised release, pay $9,000 in restitution.
“Child sexual abuse image crimes exploit innocent children and cause immeasurable harm thus warranting significant federal prison time,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “In order to protect children, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit crimes involving child sexual abuse images in the Granite State.”
This matter was investigated by the Concord Police Department, with assistance from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam Le.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Columbus man sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to repay money received through unclaimed funds fraud schemeRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marcus C. Beatty, 55, of Columbus, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and repay $486,408.55 in unclaimed funds he stole from the State of Ohio, who was holding the funds in trust for the rightful owners.
Court documents outline the significant fraud scheme Beatty ran from at least June 2011 through at least March 2018 to steal from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds. In Ohio, as in many other states, when funds held by a financial institution are inactive for a certain length of time, the funds legally become “unclaimed funds” and are turned over to the state. The Division of Unclaimed Funds returns the money to the rightful owners who claim them.
For nearly eight years, Beatty repeatedly filed fraudulent claims for unclaimed funds through an intricate process of identifying Ohio businesses whose registrations had been cancelled, using fraudulent paperwork to reinstate the businesses with the Ohio Secretary of State, changing the names of these companies to the names of companies for which the Division of Unclaimed Funds held money in trust, then filing then fraudulent claims with the Division to obtain the unclaimed funds.
Beatty fraudulently obtained unclaimed funds held in trust for five Ohio companies. He also filed several false claims with the unclaimed-funds agencies in Alabama, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Beatty pleaded guilty in October 2022 to one count of mail fraud. In 2006, Beatty had been sentenced in federal court to 33 months in prison in a separate fraud scheme.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Sherry Maxfield, Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce announced the sentence imposed February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.
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Cincinnati man arrested with high-powered firearm while on bond for gun crimes sentenced to 54 months in prisonRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 54 months in prison for illegally possessing a high-powered, high-capacity pistol with a high-capacity magazine while he was on bond after serving two years in state prison for gun crimes.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Nahya Wimpye, 23, on Christmas Day 2020. He was a passenger in a car pulled over for a brake light violation near Lockland. Officers found a Century Arms, Micro Draco, 7.62x39 millimeter semi-automatic pistol loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62x39 millimeter ammunition in the car.
“The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office Crime Lab found the defendant's DNA on the firearm, which is essentially the pistol equivalent of an AK-47,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Reducing violent crime effectively sometimes means punishing those who demonstrate that they are repeatedly a threat to community safety.”
Court documents indicate that at the time of the Christmas Day arrest, Wimpye was on post-release control after serving two years in state custody for illegally possessing a firearm. While awaiting a hearing on the violations of his post-release control, he was found yet again with another firearm in February 2021. While on bond, he was arrested in Tennessee on felony charges.
A federal grand jury indicted Wimpye in October 2021 on one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Wimpye pleaded guilty to the indictment in September 2022.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Lockland Police Chief Chris Bundren announced the sentence imposed on February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley is representing the United States in this case.
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Cherokee, N.C. Man Is Sentenced to 15 Years for Sexual Contact with A MinorRead the Press Release
ASHEVILE, N.C. –David Green Edwards, 32, of Cherokee, N.C. was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for two counts of sexual contact with a minor occurring in 2014 in Indian Country, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Carla Neadeau of the Cherokee Indian Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, in 2019, the child victim disclosed the sexual abuse dating back to 2014, when the victim would have been approximately five years old. Both the child and Edwards are enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. According to information filed with the court, the child victim disclosed that, on at least two different instances, Edwards touched inappropriately the victim’s private area with his hand and genitalia. Information presented in court showed that Edwards was interviewed multiple times by law enforcement and denied sexually abusing the child, however he did admit that he wished the victim was closer to his age.
Edwards is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. When released he will be required to register as a sex offender.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee Indian Police Department, for their investigation of the case and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for their assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pritchard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Charleston Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kenneth Desaun Hayway, 38, and Hannah Elizabeth Barbee, 30, both of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Hayway sold fentanyl to a confidential informant asking for heroin on August 15, 2022, and August 19, 2022, in Charleston. Hayway further admitted to organizing the sale of fentanyl with Barbee and co-defendant Khalif Marquee Coleman to a confidential informant seeking heroin on August 19, 2022, at Barbee’s Chesterfield Avenue residence in Charleston.
Barbee admitted to selling fentanyl to a confidential informant seeking heroin on six occasions between August 5, 2022, and September 27, 2022, at her Chesterfield Avenue residence. On September 28, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Barbee’s residence and found mixtures containing fentanyl totaling 55.97 grams, scales, drug packaging materials, and $5,926. Some of the cash recovered during the search was prerecorded buy money from the sales to the confidential informants.
Hayway and Barbee are scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2023, and face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
Coleman, 35, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl on February 22, 2022. Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), and the assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-198.
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Castleton Man Sentenced to over 3 Years for String of Three Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Richard Gammon, 26, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to committing three bank robberies.
According to court documents, on December 17, 2020, Gammon entered a Fifth Third Bank on East 82nd Street in Indianapolis and approached the teller. Gammon showed the teller a cellphone with text on the screen that displayed words to the effect of “give me all the 100s and 50s in your drawer. No sudden moves. No alarms and no one will get hurt.” The teller complied and gave Gammon approximately $1,000 from the drawer.
On January 19, 2021, Gammon robbed the Regions Bank on 82nd Street in Indianapolis. Once again, Gammon showed the teller a cellphone with text on the screen that displayed words to the effect of “Give me all the money in the top drawer. Don’t trip any alarms or signal or message anyone.” The teller complied and gave Gammon $1,360 from the drawer.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigators determined the two robberies were likely committed by the same offender. Police later received two Crime-Stoppers tips identifying Gammon as the robbery suspect and began an investigation, which was joined by the FBI.
On the morning of April 11, 2021, Gammon entered the PNC Bank located on 96th street in Fishers, Indiana. Gammon asked the teller about opening an account, and then showed them his phone which displayed a message to the effect of “Give me 5000 dollars. All big bills. No alarm. No button.” The teller complied and gave Gammon $760.
Investigators were able to locate Gammon soon after the PNC Bank robbery, and followed him to his Castleton apartment building, where he was taken into custody. Investigators executed a search warrant at Gammons’ apartment and recovered some of the bills he stole that morning.
“Bank robbery is a very serious crime that carries very serious consequences,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The sentence imposed today demonstrates the commitment of federal and local law enforcement agencies to protect the public from repeat criminals like this defendant. I am grateful to the FBI, IMPD, and Fishers Police Department for their persistence in identifying this serial robber and holding him accountable.”
“This sentence is the culmination of the investigative collaboration between agencies to ensure that this violent individual was held fully accountable for his actions,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “It should send a clear message that robbing financial institutions in the state of Indiana will have one final outcome - a long sentence in federal prison.”
IMPD and FBI investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by the Fishers Police Department. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge, Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Gammon be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison. Gammon must also pay restitution of $1,000 to Fifth Third Bank and $1,360 to Regions Bank.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Peter A. Blackett, who prosecuted this case.
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Busby man admits strangling womanRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Busby man today admitted to strangling a woman while both were in a vehicle on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Tysawn Dantae Pine, 24, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with strangulation. Pine faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Pine was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Pine and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, had been in a dating relationship. On April 9, 2022, Jane Doe was asleep when she heard knocking. Pine had left the evening before and had been drinking and using methamphetamine. Pine forced himself into the house and then told Jane Doe they were going to his grandmother’s house. They got into a car and Jane Doe started to drive. Pine refused to get out of the car when they arrived at his grandmother’s house. The two argued inside the vehicle, and Pine began assaulting and strangling Jane Doe. Later that day, Jane Doe was examined for injuries at the emergency room.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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Bulk Fentanyl Trafficker Is Convicted of Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
STATESVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury in Statesville returned a guilty verdict today against Jermaine Douglas Grandy for trafficking fentanyl and illegal possession of firearms, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Grandy, 41, of Lenoir, N.C., was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Robert Schurmeier, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and Sheriff Alan C. Jones of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, evidence presented at trial and witness testimony, between December 2020 and February 2021, Grandy conspired with others to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in Caldwell County and surrounding areas. Trial evidence established that Grandy obtained the drugs from a supply source in Arizona, and frequently made trips there to purchase fentanyl pills in bulk quantities. The evidence further established that on February 14, 2021, as Grandy was returning to North Carolina from a trip to Arizona, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Grandy’s vehicle in Granite Falls, N.C. Upon searching the vehicle, law enforcement located inside the vehicle three loaded 9mm pistols, and approximately 34,221 pills wrapped in fourteen bundles concealed in the air vent under the hood of the car. Later the same day, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence associated with Grandy, from which they seized a money counter, two digital scales, and other items consistent with the packaging and distribution of narcotics. Law enforcement also seized 29 illegal firearms, including semi-automatic rifles and handguns, ammunition, and approximately 79 magazines.
Grandy is currently in federal custody. The drug conspiracy and the possession with intent to distribute charges each carry a minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of five years to be served consecutively with any other term imposed, and the possession of a firearm by a felon charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date for Grandy has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the ATF, the SBI, and the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case and thanked the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the Hickory Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.
Brunswick County Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Brunswick County man was sentenced today to 720 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for possessing and trading child pornography. The prison sentence imposed is the statutory maximum allowed for the crimes. Craig Connors Schenck, 39, of Saint James, North Carolina pled guilty on March 8, 2022 to Receipt of Child Pornography, Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Schenk was also ordered to pay $105,000 in restitution and was ordered to pay a special assessment of $15,000.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Craig Connors Schenck, 39 was investigated by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) after Google notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children a user had uploaded images of child pornography. The email address used by the individual contained Schenck’s first initial and last name. The IP address associated with the uploaded illegal material was being leased to Schenck’s parents with whom Schenck lived. The cybertip was classified as a priority because it was believed Schenck may have been employed in a capacity which gave him access to children.
The SBI executed a search warrant at Schenck’s residence the same day the cybertip was received. Schenck admitted to law enforcement that he was given a thumb drive in 2007 that had child pornography on it. He admitted to being a part of online platforms where child pornography was traded. Schenck also admitted that for some time he had been employed with various companies who cared for cognitively impaired children. Schenck’s digital devices were seized and analyzed by the SBI.
During the forensic analysis of Schenck’s digital devices nearly 1,500 images and over 600 videos that depicted child sexual abuse material were discovered. In addition to images, agents located a number of chats in various social media platforms, wherein Scheck discussed the sexual abuse of children, traded child pornography images and described graphic sexual fantasies. Agents also found child pornography images of a child that, in chats with other individuals online, Schenck admitted to producing. The child was identified as a child with whom Schenck had worked in the course of his employment.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II presided over the sentencing. North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson 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. 7:21-CR-00012-M.
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Bronx Man Guilty of Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Hartford has found LEONARDO HECTOR ROSADO, 52, of the Bronx, New York, guilty of fentanyl and cocaine distribution offenses.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson began on February17 and the jury returned verdicts of guilty on all counts of a three-count superseding indictment this morning.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2021, members of the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department coordinated the acquisition of a kilogram of heroin from Rosado. On April 13, 2021, Rosado drove from the Bronx to a meeting location in Bridgeport where he provided a cooperating witness with nearly a kilogram of a substance containing fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, and another small bag containing more than four grams of fentanyl. Investigators arranged another narcotics transaction and, on May 16, 2021, arrested Rosado after he drove to a location in Bridgeport with nearly three kilograms of a substance containing fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, and an additional 983 grams of cocaine.
The jury found Rosado guilty of two counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine. Judge Thompson scheduled sentencing for May 18, at which time Rosado faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Rosado has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Daniel E. Cummings.
Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Kishaun Andre Jones, 23, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 20, 2021, Jones sold a substance containing methamphetamine to a confidential informant near South Kanawha Street in Beckley. Jones admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling methamphetamine to the confidential informant on two other occasions in Raleigh County.
On February 23, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Jones’ Beckley residence and found quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin as well as three firearms and $6,445. Jones admitted that intended to distribute the controlled substances.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-64.
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Barnstead Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing over $130,000 from Barnstead and Hampton School DistrictsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Amy Burley, 47, of Barnstead, pleaded guilty in federal court today to embezzling more than $130,000 from both the Barnstead and Hampton School Districts, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Burley was employed as a bookkeeper for Barnstead School District and then Hampton School District. In her role, Burley processed payroll and handled the payment of invoices.
Burley used her access at Barnstead School District to alter her payroll information, make student loan payments and payments to personal creditors, and pay for an Amazon account charged to Barnstead but controlled by Burley, totaling $110,295.26. Following her termination from Barnstead, Burley was hired as a bookkeeper at Hampton School District, where she used her position to use district funds to pay student loans and credit cards belonging to her or her family members, totaling $20,966.52.
Burley is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education Office of the Inspector General, and the Barnstead Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Kennedy.
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Alleged ‘SIM Swapper’ Charged with Hacking into Instagram Influencers’ Accounts to Get Money and Sexually Explicit Video ChatsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Downtown Los Angeles man was charged today in a six-count federal grand jury indictment for allegedly defrauding female social media influencers, including by engaging in “SIM swapping” to hijack their Instagram accounts and obtain money from them and engage in sexually explicit video chats with him.
Amir Hossein Golshan, 24, is charged with two counts of wire fraud, one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of threatening to damage a protected computer.
Golshan has been in federal custody since his arrest on a criminal complaint in this case on February 2. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning in United States District Court.
A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) is a small, portable memory chip card that stores a cellphone user’s information and is used to authenticate cellphone subscribers.
“SIM swapping” is the process of fraudulently inducing a carrier to reassign a cellphone number from the legitimate subscriber or user’s SIM card to a SIM card controlled by another without the legitimate subscriber or user’s authorization.
According to the indictment and other court documents, from April 2019 to February 2023, Golshan schemed to defraud female social media influencers, models, and their friends on social media. Golshan allegedly accomplished his scheme by targeting social media influencers and causing the victims’ cell phone numbers to be SIM swapped. He allegedly did this by deceiving the victims’ phone carriers into transporting the victims’ cellphone number to a Golshan-controlled cellphone. Golshan then reset the password and codes for the victims’ social media accounts and caused them to be sent to a device he controlled, the indictment alleges.
Golshan then allegedly logged into the victims’ social media accounts, impersonated them to their online friends, and requested that the victims’ online friends send him money. Other times, Golshan allegedly extorted the victims for money and sexually explicit chats to return the victims’ social media accounts.
For example, in December 2021, a Los Angeles-based model and social media influencer identified in court documents as “Victim 1” received a direct message on Instagram from the account owned by one of her friends, stating, “Can you do me a favor? What’s your number?” Victim 1 provided her phone number to the person whom she believed was her friend.
Four hours later, Victim 1 noticed that her phone was no longer connecting to her cellphone network. She then received an email from her cellphone carrier stating that her account had been changed from her personal iPhone to a different iPhone that she did not recognize.
It took Victim 1 approximately two hours to regain control of her cellphone and she was unable to log into her Instagram account for one day because her password had been changed. During that time, Golshan allegedly hacked into Victim 1’s Instagram account, posed as Victim 1 and requested cellphone numbers and money from Victim’s friends, collecting approximately $15,000 in illicit gains in the process.
In another incident, Golshan allegedly SIM swapped another victim – identified in court papers as “Victim 3.” He allegedly took control of her Instagram account, changed its password, and demanded $5,000 from her. Golshan allegedly later told the victim that he would return her Instagram account to her if she initiated a video call and stripped for him.
Other times, Golshan allegedly engaged in other fraudulent schemes on social media. For example, Golshan lied to other Instagram users claiming that he could provide verified user badges on Instagram for a fee, the indictment states. Golshan allegedly then charged the victims hundreds of dollars each for verified badges, knowing that he could not provide the verified badges he purported to sell.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Golshan would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, up to five years in federal prison for each computer hacking-related count, and a mandatory two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.