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8 March 2023
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville/Jefferson County Metro GovernmentRead the Press Release
Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today that the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The Department also announced that it has entered into an agreement in principle with Louisville Metro and LMPD, which have committed to resolving the department’s findings through a court-enforceable consent decree with an independent monitor, rather than contested litigation.
Specifically, the Justice Department finds that LMPD:
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Uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers;
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Conducts searches based on invalid warrants;
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Unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing;
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Unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops;
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Unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities;
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Violates the rights of people engaged in protected free speech critical of policing; and
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Along with Louisville Metro, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.
The Department also identified deficiencies in LMPD’s response to and investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault, including its responses to allegations that LMPD officers engaged in sexual misconduct or domestic violence. Deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to LMPD and Louisville Metro’s unlawful conduct.
“The Justice Department has concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that Louisville Metro and LMPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional rights of the residents of Louisville — including by using excessive force, unlawfully discriminating against Black people, conducting searches based on invalid warrants, and violating the rights of those engaged in protected speech critical of policing,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This unacceptable and unconstitutional conduct erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing. It is also an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line to serve Louisville with honor. And it is an affront to the people of Louisville who deserve better. The Justice Department will work closely with Louisville Metro and LMPD to negotiate toward a consent decree and durable reforms that protect both the safety and civil rights of Louisville’s residents.”
“The findings are deeply troubling and sobering, and they compromise LMPD’s ability to serve and protect the people of Louisville,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “We are committed to working with Louisville on a path forward to constitutional policing and stronger police-community trust. Although police reform won’t happen overnight, focused effort and sustained commitment will bring us closer to transformed relationships, safe communities, and this nation’s promise of justice and equality under the law.”
“People in Louisville deserve policing that is constitutional, fair and non-discriminatory,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation found that the police department and city government failed to adequately protect and serve the people of Louisville, breached the public’s trust, and discriminated against Black people through unjustified stops, searches, and arrests. The police used excessive force, subjecting people to unlawful strikes, tasings, and canine bites. The police sought search warrants without justification and carried out no-knock warrants unlawfully, evading the constitution, defying federal law, and putting ordinary citizens in harm’s way. Today marks a new day and a new chapter for the people of Louisville.”
LMPD and Louisville Metro cooperated fully with the department’s investigation. The Justice Department provided a comprehensive, written report of its investigative findings to Louisville Metro and LMPD. The report acknowledges the changes already made by Louisville Metro and LMPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures that the department believes are necessary to fully address its findings.
The Department of Justice opened this investigation on April 26, 2021. The investigation was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. The investigation included numerous onsite tours; interviews of LMPD officers, supervisors, and command staff; ride-alongs; review of thousands of documents; and review of thousands of hours of body-worn camera footage. Department attorneys and staff also met with community members, advocates, service providers, and other stakeholders in the Louisville Metro area.
The department conducted this investigation pursuant to the 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law, the Safe Streets Act of 1968, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The findings announced today are the result of the department’s civil pattern or practice investigation and are separate from the department’s criminal cases against former LMPD officers for federal crimes related to the tragic death of Breonna Taylor. These findings are also separate from the department’s ongoing investigation into the Commonwealth of Kentucky under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additional information can be found at: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-civil-rights-investigation-kentucky-s-mental-health-service-0.
The department will be conducting outreach to members of the Louisville community for their views on remedies to address the department’s findings. Individuals may also submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-844-920-1460.
This is one of eight investigations into law enforcement agencies opened by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under Section 12601 during this Administration. The department has ongoing investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department; the Phoenix Police Department; the Mount Vernon (NY) Police Department; the Louisiana State Police; the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division; the Worcester (MA) Police Department; and the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky is available at www.justice.gov/usao-wdky.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found here: www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
The Justice Department will hold a virtual community meeting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the findings. Please join the meeting via this link www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_pmezYy52QZusNmr_nLPRAA.
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Justice Department Achieves Settlement with the Former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo to Relocate Animals to Locations in the Continental United StatesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have reached an agreement to ensure the health and safety of the animals housed at the former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo and the Centro de Detención en Cambalache (Cambalache). Under the agreement, the approximately 500 animals currently housed at the Zoo and Cambalache will be relocated within the next six months to facilities that are equipped and prepared to humanely and appropriately house and care for the animals.
The Justice Department recently arranged, with the assistance and coordination of DENR, for experts from the Wild Animal Sanctuary to complete an inventory and evaluation of the conditions of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache. Based on the information gathered during these evaluations, the Wild Animal Sanctuary is developing a plan for the transfer of all of the animals housed at the Zoo and at Cambalache to sanctuaries and other appropriate facilities in the continental United States. The Wild Animal Sanctuary operates four wildlife sanctuaries in Colorado and Texas, encompassing more than 33,000 acres, and will aid in relocating the animals from the Zoo and Cambalache to these and other facilities, as necessary and appropriate, to immediately address their pressing health and safety needs.
As part of the joint efforts between federal and local agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already removed a bald eagle, a golden eagle, two great horned owls, a red tail hawk, and two snakes. Additional transfers are expected in the upcoming weeks.
“We recognize the cooperation of Secretary Anais Rodríguez Vega who has made a laudable commitment to improve the health and welfare of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache by working alongside federal agencies to relocate them to locations throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to support the efforts to expeditiously rescue all the animals according to the recommendations for relocation to be made by the veterinary experts brought to Puerto Rico by the Wild Animal Sanctuary.”
“We deeply appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with Puerto Rico environmental and justice authorities to facilitate the transfer of these animals to a destination where their health and safety needs can be met,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Gottfried for the District of Puerto Rico and Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette, Briena Strippoli and Matthew Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division are handling this matter. The Justice Department worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and Investigative and Enforcement Services to achieve this successful resolution.
Justice Department Achieves Settlement with the Former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo to Relocate Animals to Locations in the Continental United StatesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on behalf of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have reached an agreement to ensure the health and safety of the animals housed at the former Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo and the Centro de Detención en Cambalache (Cambalache). Under the agreement, the approximately 500 animals currently housed at the Zoo and Cambalache will be relocated within the next six months to facilities that are equipped and prepared to humanely and appropriately house and care for the animals.
The Justice Department recently arranged, with the assistance and coordination of DENR, for experts from the Wild Animal Sanctuary to complete an inventory and evaluation of the conditions of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache. Based on the information gathered during these evaluations, the Wild Animal Sanctuary is developing a plan for the transfer of all of the animals housed at the Zoo and at Cambalache to sanctuaries and other appropriate facilities in the continental United States. The Wild Animal Sanctuary operates four wildlife sanctuaries in Colorado and Texas, encompassing more than 33,000 acres, and will aid in relocating the animals from the Zoo and Cambalache to these and other facilities, as necessary and appropriate, to immediately address their pressing health and safety needs.
As part of the joint efforts between federal and local agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already removed a bald eagle, a golden eagle, two great horned owls, a red tail hawk, and two snakes. Additional transfers are expected in the upcoming weeks.
“We recognize the cooperation of Secretary Anais Rodríguez Vega who has made a laudable commitment to improve the health and welfare of the animals at the Zoo and Cambalache by working alongside federal agencies to relocate them to locations throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to support the efforts to expeditiously rescue all the animals according to the recommendations for relocation to be made by the veterinary experts brought to Puerto Rico by the Wild Animal Sanctuary.”
“We deeply appreciate the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with Puerto Rico environmental and justice authorities to facilitate the transfer of these animals to a destination where their health and safety needs can be met,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Gottfried for the District of Puerto Rico and Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette, Briena Strippoli and Matthew Morris of the Environment and Natural Resources Division are handling this matter. The Justice Department worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and Investigative and Enforcement Services to achieve this successful resolution.
Jury Finds Uzbek National Guilty of Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Bridgeport has found SIDIKJON MAMADJONOV, 36, a citizen of Uzbekistan formerly residing in New Britain, guilty of making false statements to federal law enforcement and in immigration proceedings.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden began on March 1 and the jury returned the guilty verdicts yesterday.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Division, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew B. Millhollin of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, Mamadjonov immigrated to the U.S. in February 2009 and became a lawful permanent resident in September 2010.
On May 27, 2013, Mamadjonov departed the U.S. on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. During or before this trip, he learned that his brother, Saidjon Mamadjonov, had been killed while fighting in the civil war in Syria. Sidikjon Mamadjonov returned to the U.S. on June 11, 2013. In early July 2013, he received a DHL package that contained an iPhone 4. On the phone were several videos and photographs depicting Saidjon in Syria, including videos of Saidjon cleaning weapons in military dress while armed with a weapon, and a photograph of Saidjon after he was killed.
During three interviews with FBI special agents in 2014, Mamadjonov responded to questions about the trip he took to Turkey in 2013, and questions about his brother. Mamadjonov made multiple false statements, including that his brother was alive and living in Turkey or Dubai, that he met with his brother while he was in Turkey in 2013, and that his brother sent him a package after he returned from his trip.
In August 2016, Mamadjonov stated to FBI special agents that he had a received a package from Sidikjon, did not know the whereabouts of Saidjon, had not overheard any discussions of Uzbeks in the U.S. going over to Syria to fight, and was not aware of any Uzbeks travelling to Syria. At that time, Sidikjon knew that Saidjon was an Uzbek who had traveled from the U.S. to Syria and had died while fighting in the civil war, and that he died prior to the date the package was sent.
On October 27, 2016, in an interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer regarding his U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services an Application for Naturalization, Form N-400 that he had submitted in September 2014, Mamadjonov again provided false statements about his brother and whether he had previously lied to the FBI.
Mamadjonov was arrested on December 22, 2017.
The jury found Mamadjonov guilty of three counts of making a false statement to law enforcement, and one count of making a false swearing in an immigration matter. At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Mamadjonov faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years.
Mamadjonov is released on a $200,000 bond and residing in Pennsylvania pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, New Britain Police Department and Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang and Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine from California in his Airport BaggageRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Tyler Earl Ja Waun Cabell, 25, of Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2021, state and federal law enforcement officers were conducting narcotics searches at the Indianapolis International Airport, when they recovered Tyler Cabell’s baggage. Officers searched a multi-colored bag with Cabell’s name on the tag and found seven grams of marijuana. Cabell’s second bag, a blue roller, contained four vacuum sealed plastic bags containing approximately 8 pounds of pure methamphetamine, and ten vacuum sealed bags containing nearly 11 pounds of marijuana. The plastic bags were concealed inside of towels and clothes.
During an interview with law enforcement officers, Cabell admitted that he met someone in California who offered him $7,000 to transport the bag of methamphetamine and marijuana to Indianapolis. Cabell claimed he did not know how he would get paid or for whom he was transporting the drugs.
“This defendant transported methamphetamine into our community with no regard for the people and families harmed by this dangerous drug,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug traffickers like this defendant further the scourge of substance abuse disorder and must be held accountable. I commend the work of HSI, ISP, and the Plainfield Police Department in intercepting these illicit drugs and getting this defendant off our streets.”
“This sentence is a great example of what can be accomplished when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work in collaboration to stop the trafficking of narcotics,” said R. Sean Fitzgerald, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago. “We will continue our efforts to arrest individuals like Cabell to keep our communities safe from the harmful effects of illicit drugs.”
“We value our partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and are proud of the work they are doing to protect our communities from these dangerous drugs,” said Kyle Prewitt, Chief of Police for the Plainfield Police Department.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by Indiana State Police and the Plainfield Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Judge Barker also ordered that Cabell be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison, and pay a $1,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney William L. McCoskey, who prosecuted this case.
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Hampstead Woman Sentenced to Prison for Disaster FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Hampstead woman was sentenced today to 12 months and 1 day in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for fraudulent disaster assistance claims following Hurricane Florence. On November 17, 2022, Dishawn Batts pled guilty. As part of the judgment, Batts was also ordered to pay $24,835.50 in criminal restitution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"This defendant schemed to steal from a taxpayer-funded program that was intended to help displaced families recover from a natural disaster by providing necessary housing and utility assistance,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Now, she will be housed in a federal prison and required to repay every penny she stole."
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General, Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, said, “I appreciate the continued partnership between DHS OIG and the Justice Department. Defrauding the U.S. government is unconscionable. This guilty plea should serve as a deterrent to individuals intent on fleecing our federal system.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in an application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance, Batts falsely claimed she had been displaced by Hurricane Florence and was living in a temporary rental residence. Her initial application was approved, and Batts was awarded funds for personal property damage and two months of rental assistance. From September 15, 2018 to November 27, 2019, Batts submitted a series of claims for continued rental assistance wherein Batts falsely represented that she remained displaced and unable to return to her primary residence. In support of these claims, Batts submitted fraudulent documentation including phony lease agreements, rental receipts, utilities records, and Social Security Administration records. As a result, Batts received $24,835.50 in assistance for which she did not qualify.
The FEMA is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. FEMA administers disaster assistance to individuals in areas declared by the President as an emergency or major disaster. FEMA offers different types of assistance to people in disaster areas, including through the Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which provides for financial assistance and other services to eligible individuals for losses caused by a disaster that were not covered by insurance or other assistance programs. One component of IHP, Financial Housing Assistance, provided funds to
eligible applicants who lack the means to meet serious needs, including housing-related expenses such as home repair and replacement costs, and rental assistance for temporary housing accommodations while an applicant was displaced from their primary residence. Individuals awarded rental assistance through IHP can reapply for continued temporary rental assistance.
Between September 12, 2018 and September 15, 2018, Hurricane Florence impacted the coast North Carolina, resulting in Major Disaster Declaration [DR-4393] for Eastern North Carolina counties. As a result of the declaration, individuals in areas affected by Hurricane Florence were eligible to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR-00068-D.
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Greenwood Village Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Controlled Substances and Financial CrimesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Howard Weiss, age 69, of Greenwood Village, pleaded guilty today to distributing a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose, structuring financial transactions in a way to evade reporting requirements, and engaging in monetary transactions greater than $10,000 in property derived from specified unlawful activity. He also agreed to forfeit $826,083.24 in criminal proceeds and to a community restitution payment of $150,000.
The plea agreement filed in Court describes the defendant’s crimes. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began an investigation into the defendant because of suspicious financial activity and concerning reports related to his patients’ sale of controlled substances and one patients’ poly-drug overdose death. Further investigation revealed that the defendant was prescribing methamphetamine to several adult patients. Methamphetamine — a highly addictive Schedule II drug — has FDA approval and can be prescribed in very special cases. But most psychiatrists will never prescribe it in the course of their careers. When investigators looked in more detail at prescribing records they discovered other concerning patterns. It is unusual to prescribe high-dose stimulants with high-dose sedatives because the drugs have competing effects. When these drugs are prescribed in concert, it is a good indication that the putative patient may be diverting one or both drugs rather than personally using them, or that one or both drugs are not medically necessary because of the competing effects of these drugs. Yet, the defendant routinely prescribed high-dose stimulants with high-dose sedatives. The defendant also regularly prescribed stimulants such as Adderall at the upper end of the usual dosing range and, sometimes, well beyond the upper end of the usual dosing range.
In July 2017, one of the defendant’s patients was arrested when the patient showed up to a drug deal with 119 methamphetamine pills prescribed by the defendant. The defendant admitted in the plea agreement that he knew that his prescriptions to that patient were outside the usual course and did not have a legitimate medical purpose: the patient’s probation officer had previously contacted him to warn about the patient’s methamphetamine addiction. But he prescribed the methamphetamine anyway.
As part of the plea, the defendant admitted to illegal banking activity. Federal regulations prohibit the “structuring” of financial transactions to thwart the requirement that banks file reports for currency deposits of more than $10,000. But between November 2015 and February 2018, the defendant made forty-five cash deposits are in excess of $9,000 but below the $10,000 threshold, which would require the bank to file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). Bank tellers reported occasions in which the defendant would show up with a wad of cash, ask it to be counted, and then decline to deposit any amount more than $10,00.
Finally, the defendant also admitted that he used the proceeds of his illegal prescribing to make large financial transactions of more than $10,000.
Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the change of plea hearing on March 8, 2023. Sentencing is scheduled for June 6, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Denver Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Fields and Jena Neuscheler are handling the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Young is handling the parallel forfeiture action.
CASE NUMBER: 21-cr-00233
Fulton Man Indicted for Receiving, Distributing, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Austin Tennant, age 28, of Fulton, New York, was indicted last week for receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
The indictment alleges that, on January 16, 2023, Tennant sent multiple images depicting child pornography to another individual using an online messaging application installed on a tablet device. On that same device, in addition to the child pornography files Tennant distributed, Tennant also possessed thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. Tennant received, distributed, and possessed the child pornography while on pre-trial release from an August arrest involving New York state charges for promoting a sexual performance from a minor. Tennant has been ordered detained pending trial. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For the charges in the indictment, Tennant faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted, Tennant will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Oswego County Sherriff’s Office are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Tuck and Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Fort Wayne Woman Sentenced to 78 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Lakeshia Dominguez, age 45, of Fort Wayne, was sentenced before United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Dominguez was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by 8 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, local and federal law enforcement were involved in an investigation relating to the distribution of fentanyl. The investigation revealed that on multiple occasions between September and October 2021, Dominguez distributed several ounces of fentanyl powder and fentanyl pills.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Fort Wayne Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller and Sarah E. Nokes.
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Fort Wayne Man SentencedRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Lucian Boboia, age 49, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced before United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to obtaining a controlled substance, including fentanyl, by fraud or deception, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Boboia was sentenced to 60 months of probation.
According to documents in this case, Boboia, a pediatric dentist, acquired a Fort Wayne dental practice in March of 2021 and began seeing patients in April of 2021. He was the sole dentist there and was a registered practitioner with the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorized to order and administer controlled substances in accordance with his dental practice.
In August 2021, the DEA’s Diversion Control Division began to investigate allegations that Boboia was illegally obtaining controlled substances and engaging in measures to conceal this activity. The investigators learned that Boboia was ordering shipments of controlled substances to be delivered to his office on a weekly basis, including midazolam and fentanyl, and he was instructing staff members not to open the packages. The investigators were advised that fentanyl was not a substance used on patients.
In August 2021, investigators sought and received an administrative inspection warrant for the dental practice. During service of the warrant, investigators obtained records involving controlled substances to include receiving, dispensing, and inventory, as well as all controlled substances physically located at the practice. During the investigation, DEA found that between March through July, 2021, Boboia had ordered and received approximately 1,700 vials of fentanyl, about 600 bottles and vials of midazolam, and about 200 diazepam tablets. It was determined that only a small portion of the midazolam was actually administered to patients, leaving the remainder of the controlled substances unaccounted for.
The DEA’s data showed Boboia as being the second highest purchaser of fentanyl by a dentist in the entire nation from January through August of 2021. During the same time, he was the top fentanyl purchaser among dentists in Indiana, purchasing almost three times as much fentanyl as the next-highest dentist. As part of the administrative process, Boboia voluntarily surrendered his DEA registrations, which formerly allowed him to order and dispense controlled substances. His dental license has been placed on indefinite probation for a minimum of five years, and he was required to close his practice.
United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson said, “It is imperative that medical professionals who have the authority to order and to prescribe narcotics not use that authority as a means to fuel their own addiction. As shown by this case, this Office will take appropriate steps to stop such “self- dealing” of controlled substances.”
“The Drug Enforcement Administration remains committed to enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States. Registrants who divert controlled substances, such as pharmaceutical fentanyl, from the legitimate supply chain will be held accountable. In partnership with our law enforcement and prosecutor colleagues, we will continue to focus on keeping Hoosiers safe and healthy,” said Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Merrillville District Office.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Sarah E. Nokes.
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Former United States Congressional Candidate Pleads Guilty in Conduit Campaign Contribution CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former primary candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives pleaded guilty today to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by accepting a conduit campaign contribution.
According to court documents, Lynda Bennett, 65, of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, was a primary candidate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. In late December 2019, Bennett borrowed $25,000 from a family member, representing that she needed the money for personal expenses because she had to spend a large amount of her own money on her campaign. The day after depositing the loaned money into a personal account, Bennett then caused $80,000, including the $25,000 in loaned money, to be transferred to the bank account of Lynda Bennett for Congress (“LBC”), her authorized federal campaign committee. Under the FECA, Bennett was required to report a loan from a third-party individual as a campaign contribution. Bennett knowingly and willfully violated the FECA by reporting through LBC that the full $80,000 was a loan to her campaign using her own personal funds, rather than disclosing that $25,000 of that amount was a loan from another individual.
Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of accepting contributions in the name of another. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn for the District of Columbia provided assistance.
Former U.S. Congressional Candidate Pleads Guilty in Conduit Campaign Contribution CaseRead the Press Release
A former primary candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives pleaded guilty today to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by accepting a conduit campaign contribution.
According to court documents, Lynda Bennett, 65, of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, was a primary candidate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. In late December 2019, Bennett borrowed $25,000 from a family member, representing that she needed the money for personal expenses because she had to spend a large amount of her own money on her campaign. The day after depositing the loaned money into a personal account, Bennett then caused $80,000, including the $25,000 in loaned funds, to be transferred to the bank account of Lynda Bennett for Congress (LBC), her authorized federal campaign committee. Under the FECA, Bennett was required to report a loan from a third-party individual as a campaign contribution. Bennett knowingly and willfully violated the FECA by reporting through LBC that the full $80,000 was a loan to her campaign using her own personal funds, rather than disclosing that $25,000 of that amount was a loan from another individual.
Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of accepting contributions in the name of another. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn for the District of Columbia provided assistance.
Former Claims Examiner for Michigan Unemployment Agency Pleads Guilty in COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A former unemployment examiner for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (MUIA) pleaded guilty today to conspiring to steal federal unemployment insurance benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division in Detroit.
According to court documents, Semaje Reffigee, 26, of Detroit, began working as a contract unemployment insurance examiner with the MUIA in October 2020. In this position, she had electronic access to the MUIA claims database. Reffigee was able to use her credentials to access and approve specific fraudulent unemployment insurance claims submitted to the agency, including claims outside her assigned workflow.
Court documents indicate that shortly after she began her contract employment with MUIA, Reffigee entered into an agreement with various individuals to defraud the MUIA by obtaining unemployment benefits through the submission of false claims. Reffigee’s co-conspirators would electronically submit fraudulent claims to MUIA in the names of various individuals, some of whom would be victims of identity theft and some of whom were entirely fictitious people. These co-conspirators made false statements in the applications attesting to the eligibility of these purported claimants and would upload fictitious documentation to support those fraudulent claims. The co-conspirators would then communicate with Reffigee, either directly or through intermediaries, and identify the claims that they had submitted. Reffigee would then use her insider access to the MUIA system to approve the claims and release benefits. Most of the time, benefits would be electronically loaded onto Bank of America debit cards and mailed to addresses controlled by Reffigee’s co-conspirators. Reffigee was often paid a “kickback” for her services, typically receiving a few hundred dollars per claim. Reffigee herself also unlawfully received approximately $9,000 in unemployment insurance benefits during the course of her employment with MUIA.
U.S. Attorney Ison stated, “This case reflects our ongoing commitment to prosecute those who took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic by stealing funds intended for those in need. We treat this kind of fraud especially seriously because corruption within these programs undermines trust and confidence in government programs generally.”
“Semaje Reffigee was a state contract employee who was trusted to handle sensitive employment information. She abused her position for personal gain by using her access to state data systems to approve fraudulent UI claims submitted by her co-conspirators. Many of the fraudulent claims used the personally identifiable information of identity theft victims. Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains one of our highest priorities. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment benefits for those who need them and to bring to justice those who commit unemployment insurance fraud,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“Semaje Reffigee was entrusted to work for the State of Michigan. She, along with her co-conspirators, devised a scheme to steal money that was intended to provide financial assistance to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Charles Miller Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation Detroit Field Office. “IRS-CI is proud to work with our law enforcement partners as we continue the pursuit of criminals who steal from the American taxpayer.”
Reffigee pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2023. She faces a maximum of twenty years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Per the terms of her plea agreement, Reffigee will also be required to repay $313,497 in restitution to the State of Michigan.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Sarah Youngblood.
This investigation is being conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Florida Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Using a Minor to Produce Sexually Explicit MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A New Smyrna Beach, Florida man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison today for video recording himself sexually abusing a child he met on social media and sharing the abuse video with others online.
Michael Wayne Lyon, 39, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release. Lyon must also register as a sex offender for life.
According to court documents and trial testimony, in October 2017, Lyon began exchanging messages online with a 13-year-old child. He first claimed to be 15 years old and later “confessed” to be being 17. Lyon’s conversations with the child quickly turned explicit and he convinced the child to send him naked photos. By the time Lyon admitted to being in his 30s, he had already extracted extensive personal information from the child including their full name, age, phone number, address, and the names of various family members. When the child tried to end the communication, Lyon persisted, continued contacting the child, and, in March 2018, travelled to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of meeting the child.
Fearing for the safety of family, the child agreed to meet Lyon. After traveling across the country, Lyon rented a car in Seattle and traveled to Oregon where he took the child to a hotel. Lyon video recorded himself abusing the child at the hotel and later shared the video online with several of the child’s friends and acquaintances.
From 2018 through 2020, Lyon continued contacting the child and created multiple social media accounts to avoid the child’s repeated attempts to block him. Lyon’s messages became increasingly threatening and, later, openly violent. In October 2020, he threatened to kill the child and the child’s family. Soon after, the child’s mother reported Lyon’s abuse and threats to the FBI.
On December 11, 2020, Lyon was charged by federal criminal complaint and an arrest warrant was issued. Nine days later, he was arrested by local law enforcement in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and turned over to the FBI. Lyon has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
On February 2, 2021, Lyon was indicted by a federal grand jury in Portland, and, on August 11, 2022, he was convicted at trial.
This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) with assistance from the Hermiston and Umatilla Police Departments.
It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso and Suzanne Miles, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Five Time Wilmington Felon Receives 63 Months for Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On February 7, 2022, Terry Earl Hooper, Jr., age 35, pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 4, 2021, officers with the Wilmington Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Terry Earl Hooper for a window tint violation. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located five oxycodone hydrochloride pills, ten alprazolam pills, and a semi-automatic firearm with a laser attachment.
Mr. Hooper has multiple prior felony convictions, including possession of a gun on educational property, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, selling or delivering a schedule I controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, and the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff Office Mobile Field Force Unit investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case. Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-cr-00142-FL.
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Five Rock Hill Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involvement in Fentanyl Distribution RingRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Five residents of Rock Hill, South Carolina, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to charges relating to a multi-state drug operation out of the Rock Hill and Charlotte, North Carolina, area.
- Darryl Hemphill, 35, was sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Mikie Marcell Caldwell, 41, was sentenced to 17 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Drece Larod McMullen, 41, was sentenced to 11 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release;
- Odarrius Breonte Adams, 39, was sentenced to 14 years and 3 months to be followed by 6 years of supervised release; and
- Dontavius Devar Jordan, 35, was sentenced to 11 years to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis imposed the sentences. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit began to investigate a group of defendants who were obtaining large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana from a distributor in Southern California. Hemphill and Adams were leaders of the group and helped facilitate the other members’ travel to California. Based upon the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that members of the group were flying to California and having the drugs shipped back to the Rock Hill and Charlotte area. After the drugs were shipped back, the group distributed the drugs to local dealers. This group shipped more than 255 packages containing the drugs from California during a one-year period and distributed more than five kilograms of cocaine, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, one kilogram or more of heroin, and more than 1000 grams of marijuana.
The group used the fentanyl to make more than 1 million counterfeit Roxicodone pills, which were sold to users in Rock Hill, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Nineteen defendants were charged in this case. Sixteen defendants, including those listed above, pleaded guilty to their involvement. The remaining three defendants were convicted at trial in August 2022 and will be sentenced later.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI, York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Rock Hill Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William K. Witherspoon and Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
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Final Defendant Sentenced for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Last week, Darris Manero Vincent, 44, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Vincent pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Vincent’s co-defendants were sentenced in 2021 by Judge Brnovich. All four co-defendants had also pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Cristal Anita Perrin, 53, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on June 2, 2021, to 36 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Paul Zuccarello, 58, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on June 4, 2021, to 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Carlos Renteria Bustamante, Jr., 47, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced on August 13, 2021, to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Carlos Anthony De La Cruz, 36, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on December 6, 2021, to 72 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
In 2018, Vincent was the subject of an undercover operation involving the sale of methamphetamine on the Ak-Chin Community. During the course of the investigation, Vincent sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer on several occasions in 2018. Vincent then introduced the undercover officer to his co-defendants, who were some of the suppliers. The four co-defendants sold methamphetamine to the same undercover officer in 2018 and 2019.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ak-Chin Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-01367-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-029_Vincent et al.# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Federal Jury Convicts McCurtain County Resident of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact of A Child in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Brett Dewayne Cole, age 33, of Ringold, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child in Indian Country. The jury trial began on Monday, March 6, 2023, and concluded on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant engaged in sexual acts with a minor victim, who had not reached the age of 12, on at least two occasions from January of 2019 through May of 2019.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim in this case is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Cole was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah Jones and Casey Richmond represented the United States.
Federal Jury Convicts Henryetta Resident of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of A Minor in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Sean Paul Baker, age 30, of Henryetta, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. The jury trial began on Monday, March 6, 2023, and concluded on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that, for a 6-year period, the defendant, Sean Paul Baker, repeatedly engaged in sexual acts with a child under the age of 12.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant in this case is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Okmulgee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Baker was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Caila M. Cleary and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.
Eleventh Defendant Sentenced in $15 Million Scheme to Defraud Thousands of Spanish-Speaking United States ImmigrantsRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced to 65 months in prison for his role in conspiring with Peruvian-based call centers that defrauded Spanish-speaking United States residents by falsely threatening them with arrest, deportation, and other legal consequences. He is the eleventh defendant to be sentenced to prison in the scheme.
According to court documents, Luis Rendon, 60, of Harbor City, California, operated a distribution center that helped the call center operators execute their fraud scheme from Peru. He was part of a $15 million transnational fraud scheme aimed at defrauding Spanish-speaking residents of the United States by fraudulently threatening them with legal consequences if they did not pay for English-language learning products (products that the victims had never requested) or pay bogus “settlement fees.” More than 30,000 Spanish-speaking residents of the United States were defrauded.
“These cases demonstrate that the Consumer Protection Branch will vigorously pursue and prosecute transnational criminals who defraud vulnerable U.S. consumers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Individuals who defraud members of our immigrant communities will be brought to justice and held accountable in U.S. courts.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service works assiduously to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises targeting U.S. consumers,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we are sending a clear message to the criminals who think they are safe because they are not located in the U.S.: We will continue to aggressively pursue, arrest, and extradite those that aim to defraud U.S. consumers.”
According to court documents, Rendon owned and operated International Latin Market, a California-based distribution center that facilitated the large-scale telemarketing fraud and extortion scheme from 2011 until late 2017. Rendon aided and abetted the scheme by providing lists of prospective victims to the call centers in Peru, processing card payments from victims, and sending low-quality computer tablets pre-loaded with English language courses to victims in the Miami area and across the United States. The call centers then threatened and harassed victims to pay for the fraudulent classes, pretending to be lawyers and law enforcement officials.
With today’s sentencing, seven Peruvian call center owner-operators and four distribution center operators who processed payments and facilitated the fraud in the United States have now been sentenced. The seven call center owner-operator defendants were extradited from Peru and pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and received significant prison sentences. U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. sentenced Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla, and Josmell Espinoza to sentences ranging from 88 months to 110 months in prison. Two defendants who facilitated the operations of these fraudulent call centers, Milagros Urmeneta and Gonzalo Bazan, were sentenced in a related matter last year. Angel Adrianzen, who similarly operated a U.S.-based distribution center that facilitated an additional group of fraudulent Peruvian call centers that defrauded Spanish-speaking residents in the United States, was sentenced to 121 months in prison by Judge Scola in 2021.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case. Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Max Goldman of the Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the cases, and Assistant United States Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture. The Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Peruvian National Police provided critical assistance.
The Department of Justice continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents of the United States. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Doctor Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Illegally Distributing Oxycodone from Midtown Manhattan PracticeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HOWARD ADELGLASS was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to 150 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to illegally prescribe oxycodone. ADELGLASS was convicted in November 2022 following a two-week trial before Judge Rakoff.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Howard Adelglass illegally prescribed enormous quantities of highly addictive and deadly opioids to people he knew were suffering from substance abuse disorders or were dealers. By monetizing his prescription pad and distributing mammoth quantities of oxycodone pills for no legitimate medical purpose, Adelglass practiced as a drug dealer, not a doctor. Adelglass did not simply betray his medical oath; he destroyed lives and families and helped fuel the opioid epidemic gripping the nation. Today’s sentence makes clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to hold responsible those who have contributed to the national opioid crisis no matter their professional stature.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the evidence offered at trial, and matters included in public filings:
HOWARD ADELGLASS was a licensed physician. Together with his office manager, MARCELLO SANSONE, he operated a pain-management clinic located in Midtown Manhattan (the “Clinic”). The Clinic serviced purported patients seeking oxycodone and other pain-relief medications commonly diverted for illicit purposes. In exchange for cash payments, sex acts, and cocaine, ADELGLASS wrote thousands of prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone, many to individuals whom ADELGLASS knew did not need the pills for a legitimate medical purpose. When they occurred, ADELGLASS’s examinations were perfunctory. ADELGLASS's purported patients included individuals addicted to opioids and, in some cases, individuals who sold the oxycodone on the street. Even when faced with clear evidence of his purported patients’ drug abuse and diversion, ADELGLASS continued to prescribe large quantities of oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional practice.
Initially, ADELGLASS staffed the Clinic with inexperienced young women, some of whom he caused to be addicted to oxycodone through illegal prescriptions. Around October 2018, after serving as a primary source of patient referrals, SANSONE took over as the Clinic’s office manager. In that role, SANSONE helped to control access to ADELGLASS and the lucrative prescriptions he wrote for medically unnecessary oxycodone. With particularly vulnerable patients, ADELGLASS and SANSONE solicited and, in some instances, received sex acts in exchange for illegal oxycodone prescriptions.
Between in or about November 2017 and in or about September 2020, ADELGLASS prescribed more than 1.3 million oxycodone pills.
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In addition to their prison terms, ADELGLASS, 67, of New York, New York, and SANSONE, 37, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, were each sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York City Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Marguerite B. Colson, and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.
Doctor Licensed in the District of Columbia and Virginia Sentenced for Illegally Distributing Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Case Filed Following Overdose Death of Man in Virginia Last Year
WASHINGTON – Dr. Robert M. Cao, 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, and previously of Falls Church, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 15 months in prison for five felony counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance outside the scope of his professional practice. Cao pleaded guilty on November 8, 2022 to prescribing various narcotic pain medications in the months and days leading up to an overdose death in Virginia.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Kevin Davis, of the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered 36 months of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and ordered that he not hold a job that would give him access to controlled substances.
According to court documents, Cao was licensed to practice medicine in the District of Columbia and Virginia. On at least five occasions in 2021, he knowingly and intentionally wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone for a man identified as “V.C.” These Schedule II controlled substances have a high potential for abuse. Cao provided the narcotic prescriptions to the victim without having any doctor-patient relationship with him, without any physical examination, diagnosis, or treatment plan, and knowing that the victim had no medical condition that would necessitate such prescriptions.
On May 31, 2021, first responders were dispatched to a Fairfax, Virginia residence in response to a 911 call for assistance regarding “V.C.,” after his girlfriend found him cold and non-responsive. He was pronounced deceased under suspicious circumstances.
A subsequent autopsy report documented the cause of death as acute combined oxycodone and ethanol poisoning. On the nightstand next to where “V.C.” was found were prescription bottles, including one containing Percocet (a brand name of the narcotic analgesic oxycodone/acetaminophen) pills filled on May 23, 2021. Cao was the prescribing doctor listed on the bottle.
Court filings also detail text message exchanges between Cao and “V.C.,” including discussions about Cao prescribing narcotic pain medications to “V.C.” in exchange for agreeing to give Cao a kickback of some of the pills he had prescribed, and meetings between the two, including a meeting in a parking lot on the night before the man’s death so Cao could get a portion of the narcotic pills from “V.C.”
“It’s outrageous that someone who had a duty to ‘do no harm’ would turn around and prescribe a medically unnecessary, dangerous drug,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “People in our country are dying by the thousands from drug overdoses. The defendant was better positioned than most people to know the potential consequences of illegal distribution, yet he nevertheless decided to unlawfully prescribe a drug, regardless of the life-threatening consequences."
"Medical professionals take an oath to do no harm to their patients and public, but in this case, Robert Cao wrote unnecessary prescriptions for highly addictive narcotics,” said Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division. “As demonstrated by this investigation, the risks presented by opioid diversion outside of proper clinical practice are such that even a few illicit prescriptions can prove fatal. Along with our partners, we will continue our mission of bringing those who disregard patient safety and well-being by operating such criminal schemes to justice.”
As detailed in court documents, Cao took several steps to avoid detection from law enforcement and regulatory authorities. For example, he advised the victim not to create a paper trail, and to fill the prescriptions at times when they were least likely to be questioned by pharmacies. Cao also hid the pad that he used to write the man prescriptions, which Cao took from a District of Columbia cosmetic office where he previously worked, at his home inside a hollowed-out container made to look like a diary.
After learning of the victim’s untimely death, Cao created fraudulent backdated medical records to make it appear that Cao had provided legitimate prescriptions to the victim as part of a lawful doctor-patient relationship.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne P. McNamara and Christine Macey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Detroit-area Mortgage Broker Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the IRS and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Detroit returned an indictment yesterday charging a Michigan man with conspiring to defraud the United States and filing false income tax returns.
According to the indictment, from 2012 to 2018, Todd A. Marra of Shelby Township was a fifty-percent shareholder and co-managing partner of a mortgage brokerage in Troy, Michigan. During that time, Marra and another individual allegedly conspired to defraud the IRS by diverting more than $1.6 million in business proceeds. The indictment alleges that Marra and his coconspirator withdrew cash shortly after depositing checks into the business’s bank account and did not record all deposits and withdrawals on the business’s books and records. Marra and his coconspirator allegedly used these business proceeds to pay for personal expenses and debts and then provided false records to their return preparer that underreported gross receipts and concealed the diversion of funds. The indictment alleges that their actions caused the filing of false partnership returns that substantially underreported the business’s gross receipts and overreported expenses, and also caused the filing of false personal income tax returns that substantially underreported Marra’s income.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each false tax return count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Catriona M. Coppler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Department of Justice Announces Review of Memphis Police Department’s Use of Force and De-escalation Policies, and a Separate Review of Specialized Units Across the CountryRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced today it will be undertaking two important reviews: one related to the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and one that will examine the use of specialized units within law enforcement.
First, the COPS Office, through its Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), will conduct a review of certain policies and practices of the Memphis Police Department. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis requested this review, which will cover policies, practices, training, data and processes related to MPD’s use of force, de-escalation and specialized units. At the conclusion of the review, the COPS Office will issue a public report outlining its findings and recommendations.
The COPS Office’s CRI-TAC initiative is led and supported by nine leading law enforcement stakeholder associations. CRI-TAC provides a wide array of technical assistance services using a “by the field, for the field” approach. Since its inception in 2017, the program has provided technical assistance for over 800 law enforcement engagements.
Separate from the Memphis review, the COPS Office will produce a guide for police chiefs and mayors across the country to help them assess the appropriateness of the use of specialized units as well as how to ensure necessary management and oversight of such units, including review of policies, tactics, training, supervision, accountability, and transparency.
“In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight and accountability for such units. The COPS Office guide on specialized units will be a critical resource for law enforcement, mayors and community members committed to effective community policing that respects the dignity of community members and keeps people safe,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The department is also pleased to be able to fulfill Memphis’s request for technical assistance on the police department’s use of force and de-escalation policies, as well as the use of specialized units.”
“Providing technical assistance to law enforcement agencies so they can continue to improve their practices, while they also develop and maintain healthy relationships with the community, is at the heart of what we do at the COPS Office,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the COPS Office. “I know that this opportunity to work with MPD, as well as our examination of specialized units in law enforcement agencies across the country, will be important resources for both law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to over 13,000 state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 136,000 officers.
DeSoto County Career Criminal Sentenced to More Than Twenty Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Robert Steven Harrelson (45, Arcadia) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The court also ordered Harrelson to forfeit a firearm and ammunition possessed during the offense. Harrelson had pleaded guilty on November 30, 2022.
According to court records, on April 28, 2019, deputies from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Harrelson in the Forest Pines area of Arcadia. Instead of stopping his vehicle, Harrelson accelerated away from deputies until his vehicle became disabled after striking a power pole and a tree. Harrelson then ran from his vehicle before he was apprehended and arrested by pursuing deputies. Inside his vehicle, deputies located several large plastic bags filled with more than 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine and a loaded handgun. At the time of his offense, Harrelson was a previously convicted felon, including having two prior convictions for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
Denver Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming announced today that FLOYD GILBERT VIGIL, 40, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson, on February 27, 2022, to 90 months in prison with four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Vigil was also ordered to pay $500 in community restitution and a $100 special assessment.
The case arose out of the prosecution of two other fentanyl dealers in the Wyoming area. During those investigations, law enforcement obtained evidence showing Vigil had sold a substantial amount of fentanyl, which was transported by local co‑conspirators from Colorado to Wyoming for redistribution.
This crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Jonathan C. Coppom.
Case No: 22-CR-00108-ABJ
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking while on ParoleRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A previously convicted felon living in Rogers was sentenced today to 180 months in prison without the possibility of parole followed by five additional 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, in late 2020, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted an undercover investigation into large-scale methamphetamine trafficking in Northwest Arkansas. During the investigation, an informant, working at the direction of the DEA, made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine directly from Francisco Trujillo, age 26. On or about December 3, 2021, DEA agents, along with representatives from Arkansas Probation and Parole, preformed a home compliance check on Trujillo, who was on parole based on a previous felony conviction. During the search, agents located approximately four (4) pounds of methamphetamine.
Trujillo was subsequently charged in federal court via Grand Jury with drug trafficking and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. On or about August 15, 2022, Trujillo pleaded guilty to possessing the nearly four (4) pounds of methamphetamine and intending to distribute it.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Arkansas State Probation and Parole investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than 17 Years for Robbery and Discharging A Firearm During A Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle has sentenced Marques Howard (31, Tampa) to 17 years and 3 months in federal prison for Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit that robbery, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. As a part of the sentence, Howard was also ordered to forfeit the firearm and ammunition involved in the offenses. Howard had pleaded guilty on December 5, 2022.
According to court documents, on April 20, 2022, Howard robbed an individual at their residence in the Tampa area. During the robbery, Howard discharged his firearm, shooting the victim in the leg. Howard has a prior conviction for robbery, and as a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
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.
Colorado Man Charged with Sports Cards Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A complaint was unsealed this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging Mayo Gilbert McNeil with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme involving counterfeit sports trading cards. McNeil was arrested this morning in Denver and is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. McNeil will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced the arrest and charge.
“Protection from fraud extends to all consumers, regardless of what team they root for,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “As alleged, the defendant orchestrated a years’ long and far-reaching scheme to defraud sports trading cards enthusiasts and the sports memorabilia industry. Our Office is committed to addressing counterfeiting at all levels of the market.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department, which conducted this investigation with the FBI.
“As alleged, Mr. McNeil defrauded sports memorabilia collectors of more than $800,000 by intentionally misrepresenting the authenticity of the trading cards he was peddling when, in fact, they were counterfeit. The FBI remains committed to investigating fraud at all levels and bringing the subjects who engage in it to justice,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
As set forth in court filings, between April 2015 and July 2019, the defendant conspired with others to sell and trade sports trading cards, including 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie cards, with victims he found via the Internet and through online selling platforms. The defendant misrepresented that the sports trading cards he was offering were graded by a professional authentication company, when in reality the trading cards were not authentic. The defendant defrauded his victims of over $800,000 in cash and authentic sports trading cards that were traded for the counterfeits.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Department of Justice Trial Attorney Patrick J. Campbell and Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Mindlin are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
MAYO GILBERT MCNEIL
Age: 82
Denver, ColoradoE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-MJ-203
Cedar Rapids Man Involved in Shooting at Dairy Queen Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Methamphetamine He Intended to DistributeRead the Press Release
A man who possessed methamphetamine he intended to distribute was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison.
Richard Dean Hamilton, Jr., age 42, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 13, 2022 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, on October 8, 2021, a bail bondsman and his friend were attempting to locate Hamilton, Jr., to take him into custody for an active warrant. The bail bondsman and his friend utilized a woman to set up a deal to purchase methamphetamine from Hamilton, Jr., and a meeting was arranged for the woman and Hamilton, Jr., to conduct the drug deal at a Dairy Queen in Cedar Rapids. During the meeting between the woman and Hamilton, Jr., the bail bondsman and his friend pulled up in their vehicle and approached Hamilton, Jr. The bail bondsman told Hamilton, Jr., that he had a warrant, but Hamilton, Jr., disagreed. When the bail bondsman attempted to take Hamilton, Jr., into custody by placing a handcuff around one of his wrists, Hamilton, Jr., started to resist, and there was a struggle. During the struggle, the friend of the bail bondsman struck Hamilton, Jr., with an asp baton. At one point, Hamilton, Jr., grabbed the bail bondsman’s handgun and hit the magazine release causing the magazine to drop from the handgun. Additionally, Hamilton, Jr., grabbed a knife and swung it at the bail bondsman. The bail bondsman yelled that Hamilton, Jr., had a knife, and the bail bondsman’s friend fired one shot at Hamilton, Jr., striking him in the leg. Hamilton, Jr., put his vehicle in reverse, dragging the bail bondsman backwards. Hamilton, Jr., then put the vehicle in drive, driving towards the friend of the bail bondsman and dragging the bail bondsman forwards through the parking lot. The friend fired multiple shots at Hamilton, Jr., striking him multiple times, and the bail bondsman eventually let go of the handcuffs. Hamilton, Jr., drove away from the scene and drove to a residence belonging to someone he knew. Officers located Hamilton, Jr., at that residence, and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries. In the bathroom of the house where Hamilton, Jr., was treating his wounds, officers located a pocketknife and a set of handcuffs. In Hamilton, Jr.’s, car, officers located an empty baggie and six bags containing a total of 49.32 grams of actual methamphetamine.
Hamilton, Jr., was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hamilton, Jr., was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hamilton, Jr., is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-63.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Career Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Demetrius Haynes (37, Tampa) to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Because of Haynes’s lengthy criminal history, he was designated a Career Offender for purposes of sentencing. The court also ordered Haynes to forfeit $6,000 received from the sale of a Nissan Maxima which had been used by Haynes to facilitate the drug trafficking conspiracy. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had previously administratively forfeited approximately $46,161 that was traceable proceeds of the charged offenses, a Jimenez Arms pistol, and 34 rounds of ammunition. Haynes had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2022.
According to court documents, in January 2021, state and federal law enforcement began an investigation targeting fentanyl distribution in the Tampa area. During that investigation, agents identified Haynes as one of those distributors. As part of the investigation, law enforcement engaged in multiple undercover narcotics transactions with Haynes where they purchased fentanyl and cocaine from him. They made purchases of fentanyl and cocaine directly from Haynes on two occasions in January 2021 and four occasions in February 2021.
On February 12, 2021, the day of the final drug sale and Haynes’s arrest, ATF agents, assisted by the Tampa Police Department, executed a search warrant at Haynes’s residence. During the search, agents seized additional amounts of cocaine and fentanyl, a safe that contained approximately $34,000, a Jimenez Arms .380 caliber firearm, currency totaling approximately $6,850, approximately 30 rounds of ammunition, and an extended magazine.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.
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.
Butler County Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison on Methamphetamine, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - Jaleel D. Gipson, 31, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for the offenses of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Gipson appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
At a guilty plea hearing last year, Gipson admitted that following a traffic stop and vehicle search on June 11, 2022 in Ripley County, Missouri, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol found 233 grams of methamphetamine, 126 grams of marijuana and two 9mm semi-automatic pistols. Gipson further admitted that the firearms, fully loaded with ammunition, were for the protection of the narcotics that he intended to distribute to others. After serving his sentence in the Bureau of Prisons, Gipson will be on supervised release for a period of four years.
This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.
Broward Resident Sentenced for Stealing Social Security Benefits of Deceased FatherRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Terri Lynn Hankerson, 59, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida has been sentenced to five months of imprisonment followed by five months of home confinement for stealing nearly $50,000 in Social Security benefits directed to her deceased father. Hankerson must also pay restitution.
Hankerson’s father received Social Security benefits by direct deposit into a retirement account. Hankerson was made a joint owner of this account about a year and a half before her father died in June 2016. Hankerson did not notify the Social Security Administration or the bank of her father’s death. Therefore, the Social Security Administration continued to make the monthly deposits, including cost of living adjustments, from July 2016 until it suspended the benefits in February 2020.
Following her father’s death, Hankerson, spent nearly $50,000 in Social Security benefits at concerts, a local strip club, Miami Heat games, Costco, hotels, bars, and other places.
After a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Hankerson of stealing Social Security benefits years after her father died.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Rodregas W. Owens of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), Atlanta Field Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior United States District Court Judge James I. Cohn.
SSA OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Thompson and then-Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Raft prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
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-60227.
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Birmingham Woman Sentenced to More than Seven Years in Prison for Check Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham woman was sentenced yesterday for engaging in a check fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick M. Davis.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Myisha Ayana Green, 46, of Birmingham, to 94 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2022, Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the plea agreement, between May 2020 and May 2021, Green was involved in a conspiracy to produce fraudulent checks using the information on legitimate checks she received from other individuals. Green would then produce a fraudulent check by adding in a different payee name and changing the amount. Green would often include a phone number on the fraudulent check that would reroute to her personal number, in case a bank or business attempted to verify that the check was real, the call would go to Green, and not the actual payor. Green recruited individuals to be “runners,” who would attempt to cash the fraudulent checks. Once they became runners, these individuals often would come back to Green seeking additional checks or recommend friends who were willing to run checks. These runners would text a picture to Green the driver’s license of individuals who were willing to try to pass checks, and Green would use their information to produce fraudulent checks. Additionally, when law enforcement searched Green’s residence pursuant to a search warrant, a firearm was found in her nightstand.
The United States Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Trussville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan S. Rummage prosecuted the case.
Bigelow Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Bigelow man was sentenced to serve 25 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. Jakob Brown, 26, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Brian S. Miller.
In April 2020, Conway Police Department received a report about a male harassing and extorting a female victim on Facebook and SnapChat. The user of those social media accounts was determined to be Brown, who is a registered sex offender. Brown was arrested for sexual extortion, and his phone was seized. A search of Brown’s cell phone revealed 18 videos and 87 images of child sexual abuse material. Several of the videos were of prepubescent females approximately four-to-five years old performing sex acts. The FBI then obtained search warrants for Brown’s SnapChat accounts and discovered conversations Brown had with a minor female victim, beginning in February 2020.
During Brown’s conversations with the minor female victim on SnapChat, Brown offered to pay the minor for sexually-explicit videos, stating “everything has to show face and send the pictures and videos to chat.” After some discussion, the minor sent a 35-second video of herself engaged in explicit sexual conduct to Brown, as directed.
Brown was indicted in December 2020 and pleaded guilty in June 2022. In addition to the 25-year prison term, Brown was sentenced to 20 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Conway Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
# # #
This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
Armed Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to Life in Prison for Causing Fatal OverdoseRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Justin Kelly (36, New Port Richey) to concurrent terms of life in prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl resulting in death and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and 15 years’ imprisonment for three counts of possession/distribution of fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A federal jury had found Kelly guilty on November 16, 2022.
According to evidence presented at trial, Kelly was a supplier of fentanyl in Pasco County. He used addicts to sell the drug for him and yielded profits of thousands of dollars per day. In the early hours of November 18, 2020, “E.L.” was found face down in his kitchen by his wife, while his stepchildren were asleep a few feet away. Detectives from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office learned that a dealer named Steven Kinney had supplied the fentanyl. Kinney identified Kelly as his supplier. Search warrants executed at Kelly’s motel room and a storage unit resulted in the seizures of additional fentanyl, cash, kilogram presses, digital scales, and an M&P 15 rifle. Cellphone records corroborated that Kelly was the supplier of the fentanyl that Kinney had distributed to “E.L.” before he died.
Kinney previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced on January 4, 2023, to four years and nine months in federal prison.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tarpon Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Stoia and Dan Baeza. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
7 March 2023
“Logistics coordinator” convicted of drug traffickingRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 33-year-old Houston woman has been found guilty of two counts of drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Judge Rolando Olvera deliberated for three days before convicting Brenda Banessa Leal of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute. The bench trial began Feb. 27 and concluded March 1.
During trial, the judge heard evidence that since at least 2018, Leal assisted several family members who were part of a drug trafficking organization. She helped transport narcotics, mainly cocaine, from Mexico to Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. The drugs were hidden in the rear differential in tractor trailers.
Several members of the organization reside in Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon, Mexico where Leal has lived the majority of her adult life. She also assisted family members in transporting bulk cash money, ammunition and weapons to Mexico.
The court evidence about text and whatsapp messages between co-conspirators, jail call recordings as well as videos detailing Leal’s criminal actions.
The investigation revealed that between February 2021 and June 2021, Leal was the logistics coordinator of the drug trafficking organization. In that role, she coordinated drivers, dealers and cover loads on this side of the border. In June 2021, while Leal and co-conspirators were preparing to unload a tractor truck that contained approximately 33 kilograms of cocaine, the organization got robbed (“ripped”) of the cocaine by another drug trafficking organization.
Authorities apprehended that group shortly after stealing the cocaine from Leal.
The defense attempted to convince the judge that Leal did not have knowledge of the cocaine that was hidden in the tractor trailer and was simply a victim of the “rip crew.” Judge Olvera did not believe those claims and found Leal guilty as charged.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS - Criminal Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety. 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 on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandra Andrade and Ed Rodriguez are prosecuting the case.
Worcester Man Charged with Possessing a Machine GunRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man has been charged with possessing a machine gun after allegedly being found in possession of several Glock switches.
Jose Rivera, 24, was charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun. Rivera was arrested today and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, was detained pending a hearing set for March 10, 2023.
Glock switches convert semi-automatic Glock pistols into fully automatic machine guns and are considered machine guns under federal law. According to the charging documents, during a search of Rivera’s Worcester residence today, three Glock switches – including one attached to a Glock .40 caliber firearm – were recovered from Rivera’s bedroom.
The charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
West Plains Man Sentenced to 28 Years for Leading Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy that distributed 360 kilograms of methamphetamine in southern Missouri over a three-year period.
James W. Fithen, Jr., also known as “Boss,” 38, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 28 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fithen to pay a money judgment of $3.6 million, which represents a conservative estimate of the total proceeds he obtained from the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
On March 8, 2022, Fithen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of aiding and abetting the attempted possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Fithen acquired kilogram-level quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico and supplied co-defendants Patrick A. Dodson, also known as “Julio,” 42, of West Plains, and Samuel L. Pyatt, also known as “Tippy,” 47, of Pomona, Mo. Dodson and Pyatt then distributed methamphetamine to others during the three-year-long conspiracy that lasted from Feb. 28, 2017, to Feb. 28, 2020.
Fithen was arrested on Feb. 28, 2020, when he was intercepted by law enforcement in Arkansas on his return trip from buying methamphetamine in Texas. Officers found 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the back seat of the vehicle where Fithen was riding.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from conspirators who were supplied by Fithen. The Fithen drug-trafficking organization was selling 10 to 20 kilograms of methamphetamine per month, at a profit of approximately $100,000 per month.
According to court documents, Fithen put out a hit on co-defendant Christopher L. Dusenbury, 32, of Bowling Green, Mo., because Dusenbury stole seven pounds of methamphetamine from him.
Court documents report the impact such a large-scale drug-trafficking organization had on the small rural community in southern Missouri. The U.S. Census reported the population of West Plains was 11,986 in 2010. According to court documents, the amount of methamphetamine distributed by this drug-trafficking organization in one month alone was enough to supply four doses (0.25 grams) of methamphetamine to every man, woman, and child in the community.
In 2016, law enforcement officers in Howell County, Mo., reported 244 known violent and property crime offenses to the FBI. By 2020, that number had nearly doubled to 471.
Fithen is the twelfth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Dodson was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison without parole. Pyatt was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Dusenbury was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.
Megan L. Neal, also known as “Squirrel,” 39, of West Plains, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison without parole. Bradley J. Russell, 58, of West Plains, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Bolinda J. Gleghorn, 60, of West Plains, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole. Kevin L. Moss, 49, of West Plains, was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison without parole. Barbra L. Newton, 44, of West Plains, was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole. Brady T. Smith, 27, of West Plains, was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole. Austin L. Velarde, 27, of West Plains, was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Leslie O. Collins, 48, of West Plains, was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole.
Chelsea B. Cloven, 30, of West Plains, the final defendant remaining to be sentenced, pleaded guilty on July 5, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2023.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the South Central Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Howell, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the West Plains, Mo., Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, the Fulton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, and the Arkansas 16th Judicial Drug Task Force.
Ventura County Child Exploitation Task Force Arrests Moorpark ManRead the Press Release
VENTURA, California – The newly formed Ventura County Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force today announced the arrest of a Moorpark man who is charged in a federal criminal complaint with soliciting on social media platforms sexually explicit photos from two individuals he thought were 14-year-old girls.
Thomas Gissell, 27, of Moorpark, was taken into custody Monday morning by federal and state authorities participating in the Task Force.
Gissell is charged with attempted enticement of a minor, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office began investigating Gissell after receiving information that he had contacted undercover law enforcement officers posing as teenage girls. According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, Gissell engaged in online chats with the individuals and asked them to send nude photos.
Gissell was originally arrested on February 7 pursuant to charges filed by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Following that arrest, Task Force investigators determined Gissell had been receiving suspected child sexual abuse material during online chats with numerous victims around the country. The matter was subsequently presented to the United States Attorney’s Office, which filed the federal complaint on February 27.
At his initial appearance Monday afternoon in United States District Court, Gissell was ordered freed upon the posting of a secured $1 million bond. Once released, he will be subject to home incarceration with GPS monitoring. He was further ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18 years old and no access to internet-connected devices. An arraignment in this case was scheduled for April 11.
The Ventura County Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is comprised of investigators and prosecutors with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, the Simi Valley Police Department, the Oxnard Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office.
“We are committed to protecting our children by educating them about online predators, as well as focusing on proven enforcement and prosecution strategies,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Law enforcement partnerships are key to combatting exploitation crimes that have harmed too many children, and we will continue to vigorously prosecute these terrible crimes.”
“The FBI has worked seamlessly with our local law enforcement partners to address criminal violations of child exploitation and human trafficking throughout both Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and has recently formalized that collaboration by creating an official task force to maximize resources,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This task force will utilize tools at the local and federal level to address crimes affecting vulnerable children and victims of sex trafficking and to hold offenders accountable.”
“The work done by this partnership of local, county and federal agencies is making a significant difference in the way that local law enforcement investigates, arrests and prosecutes perpetrators of child exploitation and human trafficking,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Having a dedicated team that specializes in this sensitive and increasingly high-tech form of child abuse is helping to stop people like Thomas Gissell from victimizing children.”
Members of the Task Force are specially trained in investigating online child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and they strive to provide rapid responses to the sexual victimization of children. The Gissell investigation is the first criminal case brought by the Task Force.
“I am exceptionally proud of the work this task force has accomplished in working to safeguard our communities from child predators,” said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “This task force perfectly exemplifies how successful law enforcement can be when we work together to protect our communities and I expect their great work will continue into the future.”
Each member of the Task Force brings a variety of skills, resources, and expertise to the team.
“The Simi Valley Police Department is committed to pursuing criminal offenders who engage in the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material,” said SVPD Chief Steve Shorts. “Our department is committed to partnering with our federal and regional partners in order to assist in eradicating this worldwide problem and assist victims of sexual abuse.”
Task Force investigators believe there may be additional victims. If you have any information regarding Thomas Gissell, this case or other victims, please contact Detective Greg Webb of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Thousand Oaks Sexual Assault Unit, at (805) 371-8309 or [email protected].
Assistant United States Attorney Kellye M. Ng of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Resolves Disability Discrimination Investigation of Bark Bark Wag Dog RescueRead the Press Release
DETROIT –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan resolved its investigation of Bark Bark Wag, a local dog rescue organization based in Livonia, Michigan. The complainant alleged that her adoption application was denied based on stereotypes concerning her use of a wheelchair, leaving her feeling “dehumanized.” The settlement agreement between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Bark Bark Wag requires the dog rescue to fully comply with the non-discrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The ADA protects the rights of all individuals, regardless of disability, to fully and equally enjoy the benefits and services offered by places of public accommodation, which includes dog rescues. The settlement agreement emphasizes the organization’s commitment to ADA compliance going forward and requires Bark Bark Wag to adopt ADA policies to ensure that the adoption process does not improperly screen out or scrutinize individuals who have disabilities. Under the terms of the settlement, Bark Bark Wag must train its volunteers on ADA policies and practices and report any future complaints from individuals who have disabilities to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bark Bark Wag must also provide a copy of its non-discrimination policy to all current and future rescue organizations with which it is affiliated.
“All too often, discrimination comes in the form of implicit bias, stereotypes, or assumptions. Here, an individual was judged not by her actual ability to safely care for the pets she hoped to adopt, but by her perceived inability to do so,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “My office will continue to enforce the civil rights of our all of our citizens, including those who have disabilities.”
The investigation was led by AUSA Michael El-Zein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, a member of the Civil Rights Unit. The full and fair enforcement of the ADA is a priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Civil Rights Unit was established in 2010 with the mission of prioritizing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, including a copy of the agreement, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/programs/civil-rights.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or have experienced a civil rights violation can submit a complaint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office by email at [email protected] or by phone at (313) 226-9151. Complaints can also be submitted to the Civil Rights Division through its complaint portal.
Two men sent to prison in meth trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Two men charged in connection to multiple tractor trailers loads with meth have been ordered to prison, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Dorian Hazel Ruiz-Chavez, 36, a citizen of Mexico unlawfully in the United States, pleaded guilty Oct. 25, 2022, while Mario Alberto Ortiz, 43, Edinburg, plead guilty Oct. 3, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Ruiz-Chavez to serve 190 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. Ortiz was ordered to serve a 168 months in federal prison and further ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Ortiz owned a tractor trailer transport company and used his legitimate tractors to help transport narcotics. In sentencing Ruiz, the court noted he had direct contact with the Mexican suppliers. Even though law enforcement had seized large narcotics loads, it did not deter him from again transporting large quantities of 100% pure meth.
Judge Alvarez previously sentenced Luis Ramos, 35, Donna, to 70 months for his involvement.
Roel Longoria, 34, Edinburg, pleaded guilty June 23, 2022, for his role and is scheduled for sentencing May 17.
In September 2020, law enforcement initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in the Rio Grande Valley. They were believed to be involved with the importation of narcotics from Mexico utilizing commercial tractor trailers with hidden compartments.
Ruiz-Chavez would coordinate with a Mexican narcotics supplier who would send the tractor trailers across into the United States. Once there, Ruiz-Chavez worked with additional individuals to store and transport the trailers further north. Longoria and Ortiz were tasked with finding willing drivers to transport the narcotics-laden trailers after they entered the United States.
On Nov. 12, 2020, law enforcement seized a tractor trailer after it entered the United States through the Laredo Port of Entry. The trailer contained 119 kilograms of meth within a hidden compartment. On April 26, 2021, law enforcement again seized a tractor trailer after it entered the United States through the Pharr Port of Entry. The trailer contained 90 kilograms of meth within a hidden compartment. Both trailers were supposed to be transported at the direction of Ruiz-Chavez.
Following the seizures, the organization changed tactics and began to transport narcotics in smaller loads within passenger vehicles.
On May 12, 2021, Ramos received 42 kilograms of meth and was to transport it the following day in his personal vehicle. However, authorities stopped him and took him into custody. Ortiz recruited Ramos to transport the narcotics.
Ruiz-Chavez and Ortiz have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.
Three Former New York City Correction Officers Plead Guilty to Sick Leave FraudRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, former New York City correction officer Eduardo Trinidad pleaded guilty to federal program fraud, admitting that he fraudulently obtained his salary from the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) by taking sick leave even though he was able to work. On February 15, 2023, and February 27, 2023, respectively, former New York City correction officers Steven Cange and Monica Coaxum also pleaded guilty to the same charge. Today’s proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon. When sentenced, all three defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the guilty pleas.
“The defendants have admitted stealing taxpayer funds by collecting their full salaries while falsely claiming they were too sick to work,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Sick leave abuse is a plague on the New York City Department of Correction that puts fellow officers and inmates at risk during the ongoing staffing crisis in the jails. This Office is working with our federal and local law enforcement partners to identify those who exploit the sick leave policy and hold them accountable.”
DOI Commissioner Strauber stated: “These correction officers faked medical documentation to take sick leave they were not entitled to in the midst of a city jail staffing crisis. They violated DOC policy, and they broke the law. Their conduct — including travel around the country, partying, bowling, and home repairs, on stolen sick leave time — is an insult to the correction officers who do their jobs, who show up to work and risk their personal safety on a daily basis. I thank the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their partnership in bringing this case to a close.”
According to court documents and facts presented at the guilty plea proceedings, Cange fraudulently obtained more than $139,000 in salary while on sick leave from March 2021 to November 2022. During that period of time, Cange submitted more than 100 fraudulent medical notes to DOC claiming that he was at physical therapy or another medical provider when records subpoenaed from those providers demonstrate that Cange was not at those appointments. Law enforcement also observed Cange engaging in normal life activities with no apparent difficulty.
Coaxum fraudulently obtained more than $80,000 in salary while on sick leave from March 2021 to April 2022, and Trinidad, her fiancée, fraudulently obtained more than $119,000 in salary while on sick leave from June 2021 to October 2022. Although Coaxum claimed to suffer from multiple injuries, evidence collected by investigators showed that she was able to work. During her sick leave, Coaxum submitted nearly 50 fraudulent medical notes to DOC stating that she had gone to a medical appointment at a time when law enforcement determined she was elsewhere. Additionally, evidence showed that on some occasions when Coaxum claimed to be injured and at home, she was traveling and attending parties.
Trinidad also claimed that he was unable to work for over a year due to an injury. But video and photographic surveillance showed Trinidad performing home improvement work, bowling, and traveling abroad without any difficulty or help from equipment like an orthopedic boot, sling or cane which he used when attending required check-ins with DOC medical officials.
The defendants were arrested in November 2022 and resigned from the DOC in January 2023.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Grubin and Philip Pilmar.
The Defendants:
STEVEN CANGE
Age: 49
Brooklyn, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-060 (NGG)
MONICA COAXUM
Age: 36
Harrison, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-064 (LDH)
EDUARDO TRINIDAD
Age: 42
Yonkers, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-051 (DG)
Texas Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Production and Attempted Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Grant McKay Durtschi, age 51, of Lewisville, Texas, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to production and attempted production of child pornography. As a result of his conviction, Durtschi faces a significant term of imprisonment, a fine, and a period of supervised release, which includes sex offender registration requirements.
According to admissions made during his plea, on or around July 2020, Durtschi arranged for a minor female, a resident of the Middle District of Louisiana, to travel to a location in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, for a photoshoot. On or about July 20, 2020, at the location in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, Durtschi directed the minor to engage in specific poses that lasciviously displayed her genitals for the purposes of photographing her.
Durtschi transported the images from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, to his home, located in the Eastern District of Texas. Durtschi utilized the internet to upload some of the photographs, via a Google Drive account, where he also stored other images of the minor.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Lundin Craig and Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (“CEOS”).
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Attack on Four American Citizens in Matamoros, MexicoRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the attack on four American citizens in Matamoros, Mexico:
“Last Friday, four Americans were attacked in Matamoros, Mexico. In the wake of the attack, the FBI immediately contacted our Mexican law enforcement and security partners in an effort to locate the victims.
“The FBI has confirmed that two of the Americans were killed and another injured. The two surviving Americans are now receiving medical treatment in the United States.
“I want to offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of this heinous attack. The Justice Department will be relentless in pursuing justice on their behalf.
“We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens.”
Snapchat Gun Dealer Sentenced to Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andrew Jace Larrabure-Tuma, 20, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for unlawful dealing and manufacturing firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Tuma used Snapchat to advertise narcotics and guns for sale. Law enforcement used undercover officers and a confidential informant to buy guns from Tuma. Tuma was 19 and could not legally purchase a gun in the state of California. Instead, Tuma ordered kits from the internet, including from a company called Polymer 80, a licensed firearms manufacturer in Nevada, and manufactured his own firearms and then sold the guns.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sacramento Police Department, and the Western El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.
Co-defendant Juan Manriquez pleaded guilty to unlawful dealing in firearms and is set to be sentenced on May 16, 2023.
The Sacramento Region/San Francisco Bay Area Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force is one of five cross-jurisdictional strike forces launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in July 2021 to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Each strike force is led by designated United States Attorneys, who collaborate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and with state and local law enforcement partners within their own jurisdiction as well as law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. The strike forces use the latest data, evidence, and intelligence from crime scenes to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes, and are an important part of the Department’s Comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Prison for Meth and Gun ConvictionsRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while illegally possessing firearms was sentenced March 6, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City.
Alden Hendrickson, 57, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on October 11, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from January 2021 through March 23, 2022, Hendrickson and others conspired to distribute over 6 pounds of methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area. On March 23, 2022, law enforcement conducted a controlled buy operation and purchased 42.5 grams of pure methamphetamine from Hendrickson. Also on March 23, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hendrickson’s residence in Sioux City and seized 394.8 grams of pure methamphetamine, marijuana, $5,975, and five guns. Hendrickson admitted to the distribution of methamphetamine and being a user of methamphetamine, which prohibits anyone from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hendrickson was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 3-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Hendrickson remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 22-4030. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Doron Tucker, age 26, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarantino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
Tucker admitted to conspiring to sell pills containing fentanyl in Troy and Schenectady between June and October 2020. At first, he supplied his co-conspirator, Darren Favreau, with fentanyl pills, which Favreau personally sold to purchasers. Favreau and Tucker then shared the sale proceeds. After Favreau was arrested in August 2020, Tucker personally sold fentanyl pills to purchasers.
In executing a search warrant at Tucker’s apartment in Schenectady in October 2020, law enforcement seized marijuana, a digital scale, approximately $8,000 in cash, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun. Tucker’s black BMW, which was parked outside the apartment, contained 386 fentanyl pills, more marijuana, and another digital scale. Tucker also personally possessed about $1,000 in cash. Tucker admitted to possessing and intending to sell the fentanyl pills and marijuana and to possessing the handgun to protect his fentanyl, marijuana, and drug proceeds.
At sentencing, Tucker faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million on the drug charges. The gun charge carries a mandatory 5-year term of imprisonment and a maximum term of life, which must be imposed consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. Tucker will be required to serve at least 3 years and up to a life term of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
DEA investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck is prosecuting the case.
St. Thomas Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 87 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Yefri Martinez Herrera, 30, of St. Thomas, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller to conspiracy to possess cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, in January 2022, Martinez Herrera brokered 200-kilogram cocaine deal with individuals later revealed to be a confidential source and an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent. On February 2, 2022, Martinez Herrera agreed to sell the undercover agent 86 kilograms of cocaine, as part of that 200-kilogram deal. Federal agents later executed a search warrant on Martinez Herrera’s home in Frenchtown where 87 kilograms of cocaine and a Glock pistol were seized. Martinez Herrera was taken into custody after agent found him hiding inside a bedroom closet.
This case is being investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigation Air Marine Operations, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Postal Inspection Service, Puerto Rico Police Department and Virgin Islands Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Edwards.
Penn State Health Agrees to Pay $1,252,662.28 to Settle A Voluntary Disclosure Related to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (HMC) and St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC)Read the Press Release
HARRISBURG, PA —The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Penn State Health (PSH) has agreed to pay $1,252,662.28 to resolve allegations of civil liability for submitting claims to Medicare for Evaluation & Management (E&M) services that violated Medicare rules and regulations.
According to the U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Penn State Health voluntarily disclosed that, between January 2015 and March 2019 for HMC, and between July 2015 and June 2018 for SJMC, PSH submitted claims to Medicare Part B for E&M services that were not supported by the medical record on the same date of service as infusion services. After it discovered the problems, PSH took prompt corrective action.
This matter was handled by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG), and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Haken of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
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