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Wednesday 4 January 2023
Queens Man Sentenced to 39 Months for Pandemic-Related FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Melvin Ansong, age 27, of Corona, New York, was sentenced today to 39 months in prison for mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with schemes in which he obtained more than $190,000 in unemployment insurance benefits and government-backed loans meant to provide relief from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG); Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
As part of his July 25, 2021 guilty plea, Ansong admitted that he fraudulently obtained $165,182 in unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) in the names of 13 other people and an additional $18,480 in benefits from the Arizona Department of Economic Security in the name of another person. Ansong further admitted that he fraudulently obtained an $8,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by claiming that he owned a pet grooming company when in fact no such company existed.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Ansong to 1 year of supervised release, to begin following his term of imprisonment, and ordered him to pay restitution in the amounts of $165,182 to the State of New York, $18,480 to the State of Arizona, and $8,000 to the SBA.
The case was investigated by USDOL-OIG, USPIS, and HSI, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office and the NYSDOL’s Office of Special Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping and Joshua R. Rosenthal.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Owensboro Doctor Pays $931,500 to Resolve Allegations He Received Kickbacks from a Laboratory in Exchange for Ordering Genetic TestsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Kishor Vora, M.D., of Owensboro, KY, has entered into a settlement with the United States Department of Justice to resolve allegations that he referred patients for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks, announced Michael A. Bennett, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. Dr. Vora has paid $931,500 to resolve the allegations.
“Our office will continue to investigate and hold accountable medical professionals who undermine our healthcare system and programs by accepting illegal kickbacks,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. “I commend HHS-OIG and AUSAs Malloy and Weyand for their outstanding work in this case.”
“Providers who aid in the submission of false claims to Medicare undermine the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that all health care providers who misuse their medical professional status for financial gain are held accountable.”
The United States’ complaint alleged that Dr. Vora executed an elaborate and extensive scheme to maximize profits at the expense of both patients and Medicare. In particular, the complaint alleged that, between May 2012 and March 2013, Dr. Vora violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute by accepting illegal kickbacks from a laboratory, National Molecular Testing Corporation (NMTC), in exchange for sending Medicare-reimbursed orders for pharmacogenomics testing (tests that show how genes affect a person’s response to particular drugs). The complaint also alleged that Dr. Vora ordered and submitted medically unnecessary and unreasonable tests to NMTC in exchange for these illegal kickbacks.
The case is styled United States of America v. Kishor N. Vora et al., Case No. 4:20-cv-66-BJB (WDKY).
The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. C. Malloy and A. Matthew Weyand.
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Omaha Repeat Offender Sentenced to 450 Months for Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Prince L. Spellman, 39, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and phencyclidine (PCP), possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm. On September 30, 2022, Spellman was convicted by a federal jury. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Spellman to imprisonment for a term of 450 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Spellman will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On the evening of March 8, 2021, Omaha police officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the area of 2877 Fort Street in Omaha. The officers observed a silver Jeep Cherokee in the area which appeared to be consistent with 911 callers’ descriptions of a suspect vehicle involved in the shots fired incident. The officers followed the Jeep and obtained the license plate number and registration information but did not have sufficient information to stop it at that time. Thereafter, they returned to the area of 5628 N. 29th Street, where they obtained additional information from witnesses and collected 9mm bullet casings from the street. The witnesses’ information regarding the suspect vehicle confirmed that the Jeep Cherokee they observed earlier was, in fact, the correct vehicle.
On the following day, March 9, 2021, at about 9:00 p.m., an Omaha Police Department gang unit detective was on patrol in an unmarked police vehicle near 40 Bedford Avenue and observed the vehicle traveling northbound. The Jeep Cherokee was stopped at a McDonald’s restaurant in the area of 30 Taylor Street. Three occupants were ordered from the Jeep. In plain view, on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat, officers observed a pink and black Tanfoglio Witness P-Compact 9mm handgun.
Spellman was the driver of the Jeep and was searched. Officers located a vial of brown liquid in Spellman’s groin that was later determined to contain PCP. Officers also recovered a bag containing approximately 55 grams of white powder, later confirmed as cocaine through lab testing. Lastly, officers found a bottle containing 100 blue pills stamped "M”, which were later determined to contain fentanyl. Spellman, who has an extensive record of felony convictions, was arrested. His prior felony convictions include Robbery, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Criminal Impersonation (False Information), Strangulation, all in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, and multiple offenses involving firearms including a prior conviction for Felon in Possession of a Firearm in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.
Employees of the Omaha Police Department later examined the firearm recovered from the Jeep and casings recovered on March 8, 2021 and determined that the firearm Jeep was the same firearm used during the shots fired call requiring the police response on the evening of March 8, 2021.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with the support of and investigation by the following Project Guardian partners: the Omaha Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan.
Obregon, Mexico Man Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced an Obregon, Mexico, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 15, 2022.
Noel Rivera, 44, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Rivera was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in August of 2021. He pleaded guilty on April 25, 2022.
As part of his role within the drug trafficking organization, Rivera coordinated with other co-conspirators and would transport large quantities of methamphetamine from Arizona and other places outside of South Dakota into South Dakota. Rivera also coordinated with others regarding the storage and distribution of the methamphetamine once it arrived in South Dakota. The conspiracy lasted more than a year’s time frame. In August of 2021, agents conducted a search warrant of multiple locations in the Rapid City area tied to the conspiracy and located over 70 pounds of methamphetamine, multiple pounds of heroin and cocaine, as well as thousands of fentanyl pills, approximately $144,000, and thirteen firearms. One co-conspirator has pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and is awaiting sentencing. The second co-conspirator is awaiting trial.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Nelson prosecuted the case.
Rivera was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mexican citizen admits to concealing drugs near vehicle consoleRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old man from Monterrey, Mexico, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 6.15 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On Oct. 2, 2022, Luis Carlos Rodriguez-Elizondo attempted to drive through the Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry in Laredo. At that time, he told authorities he was visiting Six Flags and planned an overnight trip. However, he did not have luggage and did not have a believable travel itinerary.
An X-ray scan also revealed anomalies near the center console of his vehicle. Upon further inspection, law enforcement discovered several bundles containing cocaine.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $150,000.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing April 11. At that time, Rodriguez0-Elizondo faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Isaac and Michael Makens are prosecuting the case.
Mentmore man sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for carjacking and assaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Nathan Singer Lee was sentenced on Dec. 22, 2022, to seven and a half years in prison. On Aug. 25, 2021, Lee, 28, of Mentmore, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury, obstructing justice by retaliating against a witness, victim, or informant resulting in bodily harm, and carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury.
Lee had been staying at the home of the victim, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, identified in court records as Jane Doe, in Ramah, New Mexico, since Jan. 26, 2020. On Jan. 28, Jane Doe and her boyfriend traveled to Albuquerque, where they had been summoned to testify before a grand jury in a matter involving an individual known by Lee. Jane Doe and her boyfriend told Lee that they were both witnesses in the case against the other individual, and Lee travelled to Albuquerque with them.
On Jan. 31, 2020, Lee and Jane Doe’s boyfriend were arrested in connection with a dispute with a neighbor. Lee was released from custody around 1:30am on Feb. 1, 2020, and returned to Jane Doe’s home. Jane Doe provided Lee with blankets to sleep, then proceeded to clean her room before going to bed.
Around 3:00am, Jane Doe went to the kitchen for a mop and encountered Lee, who told her he had been waiting for her. Lee threw Jane Doe to the floor and punched and kicked her repeatedly. When she tried to get up, he threw her to the floor again, causing an injury to her head. She asked Lee why he was doing this, and he told her it was because she and her boyfriend were “snitches.” At another point during the assault, Lee also said, “I don’t care, I’ll [expletive] kill you.”
As Lee continued to assault Jane Doe, she attempted to call the police. Lee took her cell phone and tried to break it with his hands, then used a hatchet to break it. Lee reached into Jane Doe’s pockets and took her EBT card and her keys. After recovering some of his belongings, Lee fled in Jane Doe’s vehicle.
Upon his release from prison, Lee will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores prosecuted the case.
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Maryland Drug Dealer Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for the Murder of a Woman and Her Seven-Year-Old Child in Relation to Federal Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Andre Ricardo Briscoe, a/k/a “Poo”, age 39, of Baltimore and Cambridge, Maryland, to life in federal prison for federal drug distribution charges, use of a firearm to commit murder in relation to drug trafficking crimes, killing a witness to prevent communication with law enforcement and being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. Defendant Briscoe was convicted of those charges on June 8, 2022, after a 12-day jury trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Justin Todd of the Cambridge Police Department.
According to the facts proven at his trial, from March through October 2015, Briscoe conspired with others to distribute heroin. On May 25, 2015, Briscoe traveled from his home in Cambridge, Maryland, to the home of co-defendant Kiara Haynes, with whom he was romantically involved. He told Haynes that he planned to steal heroin from Jennifer Jeffrey, a long-time friend of Haynes. According to trial testimony, during the course of the evening, Briscoe explained that Ms. Jeffrey had heroin and he planned to rob and kill Ms. Jeffrey to get the heroin. Haynes told Briscoe she would help him get a gun.
Haynes subsequently contacted a relative whom she knew to have a gun. The relative was incarcerated at the time. Haynes told the relative on a recorded jail line that she needed the gun so Briscoe could rob Ms. Jeffrey of her drugs. In exchange for allowing Haynes to use the gun, Haynes promised to give the inmate “like 30 [grams]” of the stolen heroin and give him the gun back. The inmate agreed to loan Haynes the gun. After the call, Haynes and Briscoe met with the inmate’s brother, who gave Haynes a .45 caliber firearm. Briscoe and Haynes returned to Haynes’s apartment with the gun.
Later that night, Briscoe left Haynes’s apartment and went to visit Ms. Jeffrey at her nearby home. As detailed during trial testimony, after Briscoe returned to Haynes’s apartment on the morning of May 27, 2015, Briscoe told Haynes that Ms. Jeffrey had shown him a large amount of heroin and that Ms. Jeffrey’s child did not feel well and had not gone to school that day. At approximately 11:41 a.m. Haynes overheard Briscoe on the phone with Ms. Jeffrey, who was talking about making breakfast for Briscoe. Briscoe retrieved the .45-caliber gun from Haynes’s bedroom and told her that he was going to Ms. Jeffrey’s to get the drugs.
Briscoe then went to Ms. Jeffrey’s home, where he carried out his plan by robbing her of at least 80 grams of drugs and murdered Ms. Jeffrey, shooting her in the wrist, shoulder, chest, and back of the head. Briscoe also killed Ms. Jeffrey’s child while he was in his bed by shooting the child multiple times in the head.
Briscoe returned to Haynes’s apartment and told her that Jennifer Jeffrey and her child were dead and gave Haynes a bag of heroin as her “cut.” As detailed in Haynes’s plea agreement, she returned the gun to the inmate’s relative along with the heroin given to her by Briscoe, as payment for the use of the gun. On May 28, 2015, after a receiving a call for assistance, the Baltimore Police Department discovered Ms. Jeffrey and her child dead in their home.
Co-defendant Kiara Haynes, age 38, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for two counts of aiding and abetting the use and discharge of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and crime of violence, causing the death of Jennifer Jeffrey and her seven-year-old child.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Cambridge Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Hanlon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Wilkinson for their assistance.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Man Sentenced to Decade in Federal Prison Following Shootout with Nash County Deputies on I-95Read the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jarred Javon Ford was sentenced today to 10 years imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon after being involved in a shootout with Nash County Deputies on I-95. This is the statutory maximum sentence available for this offense. Ford also faces attempted murder charges in state court.
“This case was a violent shooting of a law enforcement officer that, thankfully, did not result in a loss of life,” stated U.S. Attorney Michel Easley. “Due to the quick reaction of the deputy who was able to return fire, this felon was apprehended. My office stands by law enforcement, and we will continue to vigorously prosecute those who attack the men and women to put their lives on the line to protect us.”
“During a traffic stop in Nash County, Ford fired over a dozen rounds at Deputies Shelby Smith and William Toney,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “With the training the Deputies had received, they were able to bring Ford into custody after a gun battle which left Deputy Toney shot four times and bleeding badly. Deputy Smith and Deputy Toney are true heroes. As noted by Franklin D. Roosevelt ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.’ Men and women of law enforcement don a badge each and every day willing to lay down their life. I am grateful for the ongoing partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office, working together with law enforcement at every level, to protect our communities from violence. We remain vigilant and dedicated to our duty to protect and serve.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Ford was speeding on Interstate 95 and Nash County deputies conducted a traffic stop based on the speeding violation. One of the deputies noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle as she interacted with Ford and asked Ford step out of the vehicle. The second deputy arrived on the scene as back up and stood by Ford as the first deputy explained to Ford, she had smelled marijuana. Ford indicated there was marijuana in the car. She explained to Ford that she was going to search him, and his car, and Ford began to struggle with the deputies. Ford pulled a gun out of his pocket and discharged it multiple times, striking one of the deputies in both arms and his hip. The other deputy was able to return fire and struck Ford multiple times.
Ford testified in his own defense at his trial and admitted to possessing the firearm and to shooting the Nash County Deputy. Ford said he discharged his firearm at least 4-5 times until his gun jammed.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded. U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle presided over the sentencing. Nash County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aakash Singh and Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-105.
Man Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Visa Fraud ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
A Georgia man pleaded guilty today for his roles in two bribery conspiracies — one related to U.S. government reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan and one related to a U.S. Department of State visa fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Orlando Clark, 57, of Smyrna, managed reconstruction projects in Afghanistan on behalf of a U.S. company. In 2011 and 2012, Clark conspired with an analyst at a different U.S. company, who evaluated bids for U.S.-funded reconstruction contracts that were awarded by the U.S. military, to receive approximately $400,000 in bribes from an Afghan company in return for assisting it in obtaining millions of dollars in contracts. To conceal his criminal conduct, Clark registered fictitious companies and bank accounts in Georgia – to which he sent bribe payments via wire transfers from Afghanistan – and created invoices to make it appear as though he was involved in a car-exporting business. In reality, Clark used the bribe payments funneled through these accounts to enrich himself and purchase personal items, including two BMWs.
In addition, between 2015 and 2020, Clark also received bribes to sign false letters of recommendation for visas authorized for Afghan nationals who worked as translators with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Clark signed over 10 letters in which he falsely claimed to have supervised the applicants and in which he stated, without any factual basis, that he had no reason to believe that they posed a threat to U.S. national security.
Clark pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official and conspiracy to commit visa fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each charge. 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 Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia; Inspector General John F. Sopko of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR); Special Agent in Charge Peter Tolentino of the Economic Crimes Field Office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); Special Agent in Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Transnational Operations Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); and Supervisory Special Agent Gregory Batman, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DOS-DSS) made the announcement.
SIGAR, NCIS, DCIS, and DOS-DSS are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
MEDIA ADVISORY Marion County Man to be Sentenced in Federal Court for Kidnapping, Carjacking, and Murder of 80-Year-Old VictimRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Dominique Brand, 31, of Marion, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Friday, January 6, for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder.
Brand was convicted following a multi-day bench trial in September 2022. Evidence presented at trial established that on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Brand entered Mary Ann Elvington’s home in Nichols, South Carolina. At about 6:11 p.m. that Sunday, Brand forced Ms. Elvington to drive him from her house to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back into South Carolina. During this trip, Mr. Brand sat behind Ms. Elvington with a shotgun.
Later that evening, Brand drove Ms. Elvington to a remote crossroads in Marion County and walked her behind the abandoned Zion Grocery store. He held the shotgun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger, executing her. Brand then drove Ms. Elvington’s car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Ms. Elvington’s body was located the following evening, March 29, 2021. After learning he was a suspect, Brand turned himself in to authorities on March 31, 2021.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and will impose the sentence. Brand faces a penalty of life imprisonment on each count.
WHEN: Friday, February 3, 2023, at 10:00 am
WHERE: McMillan Federal Building
Courtroom 1
401 West Evans Street
Florence, South Carolina
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KC Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms.
Richard Maples, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
On April 25, 2022, Maples pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Maples admitted that he was involved in the distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during his involvement in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from 2017 to 2019.
Maples sold large quantities of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer on three separate occasions in March and April 2018. After selling 111 grams of methamphetamine to a co-defendant on March 26, 2018, law enforcement officers attempted to stop Maples but he fled at a high rate of speed and eluded them.
On May 14, 2018, Maples was arrested during a car stop while he was in possession of 251 grams of methamphetamine, a Springfield Armory XD-40, a Taurus PT-145, a Vulcan, and $2,330 in cash that must be forfeited to the government. Maples was arrested again on June 18, 2019, at a hotel in Kansas City, Mo. He attempted to flee from officers in a stolen vehicle and struck light fixtures and a fence before disabling the vehicle. One of the pursuing police vehicles struck a parked vehicle. Inside the stolen vehicle, officers found methamphetamine, a firearm, and drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement officers also found 18 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in his hotel room.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Maples has prior felony convictions for possessing a cocaine, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, and burglary. He was on felony parole when he committed the crimes in this case. Maples also has 20 misdemeanor convictions that include stealing and stolen property offenses, traffic offenses, fleeing, and assault.
Maples is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Six co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Moeder. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Justice Department Awards over $567,000 to State of Louisiana in Continued Support of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that the State of Louisiana has received $567,366 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and its component, the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, to increase the availability of delinquency prevention and intervention programs for at risk youth, juvenile justice system improvements, and to maintain compliance with the four core requirements of the JJDP Act. This project plans to support both state and local efforts.
The recipient of this award, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, is a foundation located in Baton Rouge dedicated to improving the operations of the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems and to promoting public safety by providing progressive leadership and coordination within the criminal justice community.
Jet Medical and Related Companies Agree to Pay More Than $700,000 to Resolve Medical Device AllegationsRead the Press Release
Pennsylvania-based medical device distributor Jet Medical Inc. (Jet) agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve criminal allegations relating to a migraine headache treatment, and Jet and two related companies agreed to pay another $545,000 in a civil settlement involving the same device.
In a criminal information filed today in the Southern District of Illinois, the government alleged that between April 2014 and April 2019, Jet introduced into interstate commerce devices that were misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) because Jet did not obtain approval or clearance from the FDA prior to distributing the devices. Jet’s device, the Allevio SPG Nerve Block Catheter (Allevio), was intended to treat migraine headaches by administering nerve blocks to the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), a collection of nerves located deep in the midface of the skull. The information alleges that Jet never sought approval or clearance from FDA to distribute the Allevio for this intended use, nor did Jet conduct an investigational study regarding the Allevio’s safety and effectiveness when used as intended.
The resolution announced today includes a deferred prosecution agreement and criminal penalties totaling $200,000. As part of the deferred prosecution agreement, which must be approved by the court, Jet admitted that it distributed misbranded devices in violation of the FDCA and agreed to implement enhanced compliance measures. The resolution also includes a civil settlement with the federal government under the False Claims Act (FCA) totaling $545,133. Along with Jet, related companies Medical Components Inc. (MedComp) and Martech Medical Products Inc. (Martech) are parties to the civil settlement.
“The FDA approval and clearance process serves an important role in ensuring that devices used to treat patients are safe, effective, and medically appropriate,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will not permit companies to circumvent that process and put profits over patient safety.”
“Medical device companies put vulnerable patients at risk when they fail to follow FDA’s standards and requirements,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for the Southern District of Illinois. “This resolution reflects our commitment to holding companies accountable for violating the integrity of the FDA approval process and placing profits over people.”
“Doctors and their patients rely on FDA oversight to ensure that the medical devices they depend upon are safe and effective for their intended uses. Device manufacturers who circumvent the proper regulatory path in bringing their products to market endanger patients and put the public health at risk,” said Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Catherine A. Hermsen of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice companies that ignore the law and jeopardize the public health.”
“This medical device distributor undermined the integrity of the FDA approval process and disregarded patient safety for personal profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Curt L. Muller of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who put the health and safety of patients at risk and waste valuable taxpayer dollars.”
The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act in the Southern District of Illinois. That lawsuit alleged that Jet, MedComp, and Martech violated the FCA by causing medical providers to submit false claims to the Medicare Program for procedures using the Allevio. The lawsuit alleged the Allevio was not approved or authorized by the FDA for use in SPG nerve blocks for the treatment of headaches, and that the procedure was not covered by Medicare. The suit alleged that Jet, MedComp, and Martech instructed, coached, and encouraged medical providers to submit improper billing codes to Medicare for reimbursement of services using the Allevio device.
The resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. The FCA is one of the most powerful tools in this effort. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 900-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Weissler for the Southern District of Illinois and Trial Attorney David Hixson of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with assistance from the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel, represented the government in the criminal case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Barke for the Southern District of Illinois represented the government in the civil case.
Except as to conduct admitted in connection with the deferred prosecution agreement, the claims settled by the civil agreement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil.
Jefferson City Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Jefferson City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Ashanti Terrell Roberson, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Jude Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, Jan. 3, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The sentence is an upward variance from the federal sentencing guidelines.
On March 3, 2022, Roberson pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Law enforcement officers saw Roberson, who had outstanding warrants for his arrest, leaving a Jefferson City hotel on Feb. 11, 2019. Jefferson City police officers stopped his vehicle and arrested him. Roberson had $1,000 in his possession, all in $20 bills.
Investigators searched Roberson’s hotel room and found pill bottles that contained Xanax and other unidentified pills as well as drug paraphernalia. Several of the pills were packaged into small plastic bags, with 10 pills in each bag. Officers also found a small metal safe that contained a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol, 32.32 grams of methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.
According to court documents, Roberson acquired his first felony conviction in 1998 for selling a controlled substance. Between 1998 and his arrest in this case, Roberson acquired eight felony convictions, including distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, forgery, and sale of a controlled substance. Roberson also acquired at least 15 misdemeanor convictions, including possession of drug paraphernalia, stealing, and a multitude of driving while suspended convictions.
Roberson has an extensive history of drug abuse, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, opiates, Xanax, LSD, PCP, psilocin mushrooms, and synthetic cannabinoids. Roberson has used marijuana daily since age 30 until his arrest in this case.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Richenberger. It was investigated by the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department, the Cole County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, MUSTANG (the Mid-Missouri Unified Strike Team and Narcotics Group), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Honduran National Admits Illegally Reentering the U.S.Read the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MARLON AMAYA-LOPEZ, also known as Elder Figueroa, 35, a citizen of Honduras last residing in Bridgeport, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to one count of illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Amaya-Lopez was previously deported and removed from the U.S. to Honduras following a felony conviction in April 2007 in Connecticut Superior Court for attempted robbery in the second degree. He reentered the U.S. and returned to Connecticut without obtaining the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or his successor, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, to reapply for admission into the U.S.
Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2023, at which time Amaya-Lopez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The penalties in this matter are enhanced based on his prior conviction.
Amaya-Lopez has been detained since his arrest on November 30, 2022.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel, Anastasia E. King and Stephanie T. Levick.
High speed rollover lands Texan in federal prisonRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 22-year-old Roma man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens resulting in serious bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Orlando Gonzalez pleaded guilty Aug. 1, 2022.
Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Gonzalez to serve 72 months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release. The court found Gonzalez’s actions to be a danger to the community, noting he led law enforcement agents on a 100 mph high speed chase which resulted in a tragic rollover. Several individuals suffered life altering injuries.
In May 20, 2022, law enforcement learned that several undocumented aliens had entered a blue GMC near Fronton. As authorities arrived on scene, Gonzalez began to drive the vehicle at a high rate of speed veering on and off the main roadway. In that process, he struck one of the responding law enforcement vehicles.
Gonzalez continued to drive at a high rate of speed until he struck a utility pole which caused the vehicle to roll over multiple times, coming to rest in a local church parking lot. Two of the three undocumented aliens who were in the vehicle were ejected approximately 50ft in the air. One suffered a traumatic brain injury and was placed on life support.
At the time of the incident, Gonzalez was on supervised release from a 2020 human trafficking conviction.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric D. Flores prosecuted the case.
Fremont Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jorgen Johannssen, 24, of Fremont, Nebraska, was sentenced today for distributing child pornography. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Johannssen to 10 years of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender. Johannssen was further ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution to a total of 15 victims.
In August of 2017 a federal search warrant was executed at Johannssen’s residence in Fremont. He was 19 and found to have uploaded more than 20,000 images of child pornography. In March of 2021 agents from Homeland Security Investigations returned to the residence with a second search warrant. Johannssen, now 22, was found to possess more than 290 videos and more than 400 images of child pornography. He admitted to downloading and distributing child pornography about a year after the first warrant.
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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Franklin County Woman Sentenced to Two More Years in Prison for Committing Pandemic Loan Fraud After $727,000 EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a woman from Franklin County, Missouri to two more years in prison for fraudulently applying for three Paycheck Protection Program loans after she had pleaded guilty to an unrelated $727,000 embezzlement case.
Judge Schelp on Wednesday called Christen Diane Schulte’s conduct “outrageous” and “very aggravating.”
Schulte, now 37, had pleaded guilty and was awaiting sentencing on the embezzlement case in the spring of 2021 when she fraudulently applied for three PPP loans, designed to help save small businesses and jobs from economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schulte lied on the loans when asked if she was facing or had been convicted of a felony, and when asked the same question about a felony involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement or a false statement in an application for a loan or for federal assistance.
She also lied about the gross income for the “Mama Bear Cake Company.”
One application for a $13,691 loan was rejected due to her criminal history. A $13,566 loan was approved by a different financial institution. She then sought and received a “second draw” of $13,566 from that company, receiving the money on May 19, 2021.
Eight days later, Schulte was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison and ordered to repay $517,140 in the embezzlement case. She pleaded guilty in 2020 to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of money laundering and admitted embezzling funds from her employer and other individuals and entities associated with her employer.
Schulte pleaded guilty in September to three more counts of bank fraud in the new case. She was also ordered on Wednesday to repay the loan money.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Fourth sentenced in government impersonation call center scamRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Indian citizen who illegally resided in the United States has received his sentence following his conviction of conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Moin Idrishbhai Pinjara pleaded guilty Nov. 30, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen imposed a 29-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, Pinjara is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. The court further ordered him to pay $635,103 in restitution to the victims of the conspiracy.
Between December 2019 and July 2020, Pinjara was a “runner” in an Indian-based call center scam. Callers in India would contact potential victims in the United States to extort money from them. Pinjara would then use aliases and fake identification documents to pick up parcels containing cash which the victims had mailed.
One common script used in the schemes involved coercing victims into believing federal agents were investigating them. The “agent” on the phone would convince the victim the only way to clear his or her name from investigation was to send cash in a parcel package shipped through FedEx to a name and address they provided. Runners like Pinjara in the United States would then pick up the parcels.
Throughout the course of the investigation, law enforcement identified hundreds of victims of this scheme, with total losses exceeding millions of dollars.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) consistently warns people of similar scams and encourages citizens to protect themselves.
Prior to Pinjara’s sentencing today, three other runners had been sentenced in Houston for their involvement in the same conspiracy. Viral Gandhi and Burhan Syed, both 33 and Indian citizens illegally residing in the United States, received 27 and 41 months, respectively. Myisha Carter, 33, Houston, was ordered to serve a 71-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. All must also pay restitution.
The SSA - Office of Inspector General (OIG), FBI and the Department of Homeland Security – OIG conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Stephanie Bauman and Special AUSA Benjamin Sandel prosecuted the cases.
Former United States Postal Service Employee Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Stealing Blank Money Orders Valued at over $4 MillionRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Jaleesa Wallace was sentenced by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon to 30 months in prison for postal theft. As part of her sentence, Wallace was also ordered to pay over $4 million in restitution.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office (USPS-OIG), announced the sentence.
“The defendant exploited her position with one of our most trusted institutions, the United States Postal Service, for her own personal gain and caused significant losses to financial institutions,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Residents of the district need to be confident that postal employees carry out their duties honestly and that important documents can travel safely in the mail.”
Mr. Peace also expressed his thanks to the United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division, and the New York City Police Department for their diligent efforts on the case.
“The Special Agents of the USPS OIG will vigorously investigate Postal Service employees who compromise their integrity for personal gain. The sentence imposed on the defendant will serve as a reminder that there are severe consequences when individuals utilize their Postal position to commit crimes,” stated USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Modafferi. “The U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General would like to thank our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice for their dedication and efforts in this investigation.”
As set forth in court filings, in February 2021, 10,000 blank money orders were reported missing from a USPS post office on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn where Wallace worked. The money orders can be deposited with a financial institution for up to $1,000 each. Agents recovered over 3,000 of the stolen money orders from Wallace’s residence. Over $4 million worth of the stolen money orders have been cashed at various financial institutions throughout the country. Agents also recovered prepaid Department of Labor unemployment benefit cards and approximately $43,000 in cash from Wallace’s apartment. Additionally, Wallace was in possession of approximately 42 pieces of mail from the Department of Labor that were not in her name.
Wallace was terminated by the USPS in August 2021. She forfeited the cash seized from her apartment to the United States Postal Inspection Service. A related defendant, Willie Cook, pleaded guilty to mail theft in March 2022 and is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case was handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Alessi is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JALEESA WALLACE
Age: 31
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-153 (CBA)
Former St. Louis-Area Union Employee Indicted for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former employee of a St. Louis, Missouri area union appeared in court Wednesday to face a federal charge accusing her of embezzling nearly $20,000 from her union.
Tina Metrolis, 54, was indicted September 28 on one felony count of embezzlement from a labor union. She was arrested December 16 in the Southern District of Mississippi and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to plead not guilty to the charge.
The indictment alleges that Metrolis, while officer manager of Stage and Picture Operators IATSE Local 6, took the money from roughly February through December of 2019. She wrote about $19,533 worth of checks to herself and covered up the theft by altering accounting records, the indictment says. Her actions caused another $6,412 in losses due to penalties and interest on tax liabilities that were not paid during her tenure, the indictment says.
In 2020, Local 6 represented approximately 167 members who work for various theater production companies serving the greater St. Louis region and has collective bargaining agreements with approximately 30 employers.
The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.
Former Portsmouth, New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Robert Corson, 34, formerly of Portsmouth, New Hampshire was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April and May 2021, Corson sold quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to an undercover New Hampshire State Police Trooper and a cooperating individual. In July 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Corson for the drug sales outside of a storage unit Corson rented in Portsmouth. A search of the storage unit resulted in the seizure of approximately 200 grams of fentanyl and “ice” methamphetamine, small quantities of other narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.
“The sentence imposed on the defendant sends a strong message that those who sell drugs will be vigorously prosecuted and the government will seek significant periods of incarceration,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “Fentanyl kills members of our communities daily and the United States Attorney’s Office along with our federal partners will employ every asset available to stop the flow of these poisons onto our streets.”
“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Corson who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine to the citizens of New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Corson accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic with deadly drugs in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA’s top priority is combatting this epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes this poison.”
“Robert Corson has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of respect for the law with his lengthy record of criminal convictions and numerous violations of bail, probation, and parole. In fact, he was on parole when an undercover officer with the FBI’s Major Offender Task Force bought deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine from him,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Mr. Corson’s criminal conduct is well deserving of today’s significant prison sentence because trafficking in fentanyl and methamphetamine not only destroys lives and families but causes countless deaths of the very people ensnared in their addictions to these dangerous drugs.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Hampshire Major Offender Task Force, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, New Hampshire State Police, and the Portsmouth Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer C. Davis.
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.
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Former New Jersey Official Admits Defrauding New Jersey Health Care Benefit Program of More Than $4.5 MillionRead the Press Release
New Jersey Woman Also Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Fund of Millions of Dollars
TRENTON, N.J. – The former manager of the New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Fund (TBI Fund) and one of his conspirators today admitted their roles in a long-running scheme to defraud the fund, a publicly funded health care benefit program, of more than $4.5 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Harry Pizutelli, 64, of Edison, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Maritza Flores, 45, of Toms River, New Jersey, also pleaded guilty before Judge Quraishi in Trenton to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and tax evasion.
In January 2021, Pizutelli, Flores, and co-defendant C.R. Kraus were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the TBI Fund of millions of dollars of public funds for their own personal benefit. The charges against Kraus remain pending.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The TBI Fund is a publicly funded program run by the New Jersey Division of Disability Services, a component of the New Jersey Department of Human Services. The TBI Fund’s purpose is to provide New Jersey residents who have suffered a traumatic brain injury with services and support in order to maximize their quality of life when funding from insurance, personal resources, or other programs is unavailable to meet their needs. Services funded by the TBI Fund include physical, occupational, and speech therapy; service coordination; assistive technology; cognitive therapy; neuropsychological services; pharmaceuticals; wheelchair ramp installation and other home modifications; and general home management and maintenance.
After a prospective patient applies for services, TBI Fund personnel review the application and, if approved, the patient is authorized to secure designated services from a third-party vendor. Once a patient receives services approved by the TBI Fund, the vendor or service provider submits an invoice to the TBI Fund for payment. When an invoice is received, TBI Fund personnel review the invoice to ensure that the patient had been approved to receive the services. If the invoice is approved, an internal payment voucher is generated, authorized by TBI Fund personnel, and then submitted to the New Jersey Department of the Treasury for payment, which issues a check directly to the vendor.
Pizutelli was the manager of the TBI Fund and was responsible for its day-to-day operation. He supervised, managed, and oversaw the process by which third-party vendors were paid for services rendered to eligible TBI Fund patients. From 2009 through June 2019, Pizutelli, Kraus, Flores, and others conspired to defraud the TBI Fund by misappropriating more than $4.5 million in fraudulent vendor payments for purported services that were never actually provided. Pizutelli orchestrated the distribution of fraudulent vendor payments to Flores, Kraus, and others by generating and processing false invoices and internal payment vouchers. Pizutelli generated these invoices and vouchers to give the appearance that Flores, Kraus, and other conspirators had provided approved services to eligible patients when, in fact, they had not provided any services. Pizutelli then approved and transmitted the internal payment vouchers.
Pizutelli orchestrated these fraudulent payments to maintain and further romantic and/or sexual relationships with Flores and other conspirators. Pizutelli orchestrated the fraudulent payment of more than $4.5 million from the TBI Fund to members of the conspiracy, including more than $940,000 in fraudulent distributions to Flores and more than $3.245 million in fraudulent distributions to Kraus, which they used for their own personal benefit and enrichment. Flores and Kraus also evaded the payment of substantial amount of income taxes by making material misstatements and omissions on their federal income tax returns and significantly underreporting the income they had derived from the fraudulent scheme.
The healthcare fraud conspiracy charge to which Pizutelli and Flores each pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross receipts to the defendants or gross loss sustained by any victims, whichever is greater. The tax evasion charge to which Flores pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing for Pizutelli is scheduled for May 8, 2023, and for Flores, May 9, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy; and special agents of the IRS, Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy L. Tomlins, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division of Law, and the New Jersey Department of Human Services, for their assistance.
The government is represented by J. Brendan Day, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in Newark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Suggs of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Trenton Branch Office.
The charges and allegations against Kraus are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel:
Pizutelli: Benjamin J. West Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender
Flores: Aidan P. O’Connor Esq. Hackensack, New Jersey
Former Government Contractor Sentenced for Helping Himself to Electronic Devices That He Sold on eBayRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dennis Gamarra, 53, of Woodbridge, VA, was sentenced today to one year of probation, to include six months of home confinement, for stealing government property from the Department of Commerce and the Library of Congress, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
Gamarra pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of theft of government property. In addition to the term of probation and home confinement, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb ordered $56,960 in restitution to the affected agencies and a forfeiture order for the same amount.
According to the government’s evidence and the defendant’s admissions when entering his guilty plea, Gamarra was employed as a contractor working at the United States Department of Commerce (“DOC”) within the International Trade Administration (“ITA”) beginning in October 2014, at an office in Washington, D.C. While there, Defendant Gamarra largely worked to provide information technology (“IT”) support to the ITA and through his employment had access to certain government-furnished equipment, including Microsoft Surface tablet devices belonging to DOC and issued to DOC employees. During his tenure, Defendant Gamarra stole at least one Microsoft Surface Tablet, worth USD $1,370, removing it from ITA’s offices, advertising it for sale online through his eBay account, and ultimately re-selling it to another individual through eBay. Defendant did so knowingly, with the intent to deprive the owner, in this case, DOC, of the right to use that property. Starting in November 2019, Defendant Gamarra began working as a contractor for the Library of Congress (“LOC”), at an office in Washington, D.C. While at LOC, he similarly worked to provide IT support services. As in his role at DOC, Defendant Gamarra had access to government-furnished equipment, including Dell Laptops that were the property of LOC and that were issued to LOC employees. While at LOC, Defendant Gamarra removed at least 29 separate Dell laptops from LOC that he knew to belong to LOC, cumulatively worth a total of approximately USD $55,590, advertised them on eBay, and ultimately resold them to different customers through that account. Defendant took these laptops knowingly, with the intent to deprive the owner, in this case, LOC, of the right to use them.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the relevant investigators from the Library of Congress Office of Inspector General and the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Chad Byron and Michon Tart. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Will Hart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Bolivian Minister of Government Sentenced for Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The former Bolivian Minister of Government was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to launder bribes he received in exchange for corruptly helping a U.S. company win a lucrative contract from the Bolivian government.
Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic, 58, of Bolivia, pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Murillo received at least $532,000 in bribe payments from a Florida-based company in exchange for helping that company secure an approximately $5.6 million contract in 2019 to provide tear gas and other non-lethal equipment to the Bolivian Ministry of Defense. Murillo and his co-conspirators laundered the proceeds of the bribery scheme through the U.S. financial system, including bank accounts in Miami. Murillo received approximately $130,000 in cash bribe payments at a family member’s home in Miami.
Murillo’s co-conspirators – Sergio Rodrigo Mendez Mendizabal, Luis Berkman, Bryan Berkman, and Philip Lichtenfeld – previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the same scheme and were each sentenced in June 2022.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
HSI’s Miami Field Office (Fort Lauderdale Unit) investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Gerald M. Moody Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli S. Rubin for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Former Airline Executive Sentenced to Prison for Willfully Failing to Pay $2.6 Million in Taxes Owed to the IRSRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A former airline executive was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to two years in prison after pleading guilty to failing to pay over $2.6 million in employment taxes to the IRS.
William Acor pleaded guilty in March 2022 to willful failure to collect and pay over employment taxes. In addition to the prison term, Acor has also agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $1,667,290.46 to the IRS.
According to court documents, Acor had been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Vision Airlines Inc., an airline headquartered in North Las Vegas. On behalf of Vision Airlines, Acor was responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over to the IRS taxes withheld from employee wages, including federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax. In addition, Vision Airlines was responsible for paying the employer matching share of Social Security taxes. From 2014 to 2016, Acor failed to pay over on behalf of Vision Airlines a total of $2,657,254.75 in combined employee tax withholdings and employer matching share of taxes. The government further alleged that Acor thwarted IRS collection efforts by transferring assets and income to a third party.
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress for the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
IRS-CI investigated the case; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Schmale prosecuted the case.
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Federal Inmate Convicted of Indecent Exposure to a Prison Staff MemberRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, JAMES M. LYNCH, 46, of Washington, D.C., was convicted of one felony count of indecent exposure, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Public records reflect that, on December 16, 2020, James M. Lynch was charged with one count of indecent exposure while he was an inmate at the Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. FTC is a penal institution operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Department of Justice, that primarily houses offenders and parole violators who have yet to be assigned to a permanent prison facility.
According to evidence presented at a bench trial held on December 13, 2022, Lynch willfully exposed his genitalia and engaged in masturbatory acts in front of a female FTC employee. The trial lasted four hours. On December 28, 2022, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Timothy DeGiusti found Griffin guilty of Indecent Exposure.
A sentencing hearing will take place in approximately 90 days. At sentencing, Lynch faces no less than 30 days and up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Special Investigative Services at the Federal Transfer Center and the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary E. Walters and D.H. Dilbeck prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Federal Grand Jury A Indictments Announced- January 2023Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the January 2023 Federal Grand Jury A.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Legreasha Junice Alexander. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-4). From April 11, 2021, to the date of the indictment, Alexander, 40, of Tulsa, devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) when she submitted two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and two PPP loan forgiveness applications to an SBA approved lender in Laguna Hills, California. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-6
Edson Vladimir Bellefleur. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-4). From April 2, 2021, through the date of the indictment, Bellefleur, 36, of Tulsa, devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and two PPP loan forgiveness applications to an SBA approved lender in Laguna Hills, California. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-5
Jose Cruz-Perez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Cruz-Perez, 29, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 2, 2018, at or near San Luis, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-4
Luis Fuentes-Martinez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Fuentes-Martinez, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Jan. 4, 2018, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-3
Tara Alvita-Gourd Gutierrez. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 1) Distribution of Methamphetamine (Counts 2-3) Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 4-9) (superseding). Gutierrez, 46, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on Nov. 26, 2022. In this superseding indictment, she is also charged with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on Sept. 14, 2022, and on Oct. 4, 2022. She is also charged with coordinating the distribution of methamphetamine using a phone. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer Willson is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-407
Scotty Wayne Harjo. Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country (Counts 1-25). In the past year, Harjo, 38, of Tulsa, allegedly broke into and entered commercial buildings on 25 different occasions with the intent to steal property or cash. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-2
Malcolm Andre Jones. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-6); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 7-10). Jones, 30, of Broken Arrow, allegedly devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and fraudulent PPP loan forgiveness applications to SBA approved lenders in Lake Mary, Florida, and Bedford, Texas. Jones fraudulently submitted one loan and one forgiveness application in his name. He further fraudulently submitted two loans and two forgiveness applications using another individual’s identity. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-7
Noe Nava-Mata. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Nava-Mata, 34, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Jan. 20, 2013, at or near Calexico, California. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-8
Yovanny Padilla-Aguilar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Padilla-Aguilar, 39, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 24, 2019, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-9
Desiree Rochelle Wofford. Child Neglect in Indian Country. From Aug. 15, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2022, Wofford, 26, of Tulsa, allegedly failed to get medical care for her child after he was injured. The delay in care resulted in further medical issues. Additionally, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the home and discovered that it was unfit to live in. The FBI and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-10
Renferio Yanez-Palacios. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Yanez-Palacios, 51, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Sept. 21, 2002, at or near Laredo, Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-11
Erie Man Admits Setting Fire to Local Coffee Shop in May 2020Read the Press Release
ERIE Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of malicious destruction of property by fire, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Melquan Barnett, 30, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Barnett set fire to the Ember + Forge building located at 401 State Street in Erie on May 30, 2020.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for May 2, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued Barnett on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Barnett.
DOJ settles tort claim over arrest and detention of Des Moines Washington “Dreamer”Read the Press Release
Seattle – The Department of Justice and attorneys for a Des Moines, Washington man have resolved a $450,000 tort claim against various government agencies because of the arrest and detention of a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. The settlement provides that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will issue 29-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina a four-year stay of removal from the United States. Mr. Ramirez Medina may apply for other immigration relief during that four-year period. ICE will not use any record or statement made before May 15, 2018, in evaluating any of Mr. Ramirez Medina’s applications and specifically will not consider any allegation that he is a gang member or a threat to public safety.
“This settlement essentially gives Mr. Ramirez Medina a clean slate as he works to obtain legal status in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “I am pleased that this settlement involves no monetary payment and yet goes to the core of what Mr. Ramirez Medina wants: a fair chance to obtain legal status in the U.S.”
On February 10, 2017, ICE agents arrested Mr. Ramirez Medina at the Des Moines, Washington apartment he shared with his father and brother. Mr. Ramirez Medina was detained at the ICE detention facility in Tacoma until an immigration judge ordered him released on March 29, 2017. In his tort claims for false arrest and false imprisonment, Mr. Ramirez Medina alleges that he was wrongly arrested and detained.
The settlement agreement states that it is not an admission of liability or fault by any of the parties including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or Mr. Ramirez Medina.
The agreement also states that should Mr. Ramirez Medina violate the law, the grant of deferred action can be terminated.
The resolution of this matter was negotiated by Assistant United States Attorneys Nickolas Bohl and Kristen Vogel.
Brooklyn, New York Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on December 27, 2022, Jermaine Dixon, 39, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont to serve 14 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of distribution of cocaine base. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Dixon to serve a three-year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, in December 2021, Dixon sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant in the Burlington area on two occasions. On January 7, 2022, law enforcement responded to a residence in Burlington regarding a report of several men fighting. As police officers approached the residence, a detective on the perimeter of the building observed Dixon lean out of a broken window and throw two baggies onto the roof. The detective retrieved the baggies, which together contained over 50 grams of cocaine base. Dixon was arrested and has been detained since then.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Burlington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration in the investigation and prosecution of Dixon.Assistant United States Attorney John J. Boscia handled the prosecution of Dixon. Ian P. Carleton, Esq. and Devin T. McKnight, Esq. of Sheehey, Furlong & Behm P.C. represented Dixon.
Bronx Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Connection with COVID-19-Related Tax and Unemployment Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JUAN CARLOS CASTRO GONZALEZ was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in prison in connection with his participation in COVID-19-related tax fraud and unemployment benefits fraud schemes that resulted in actual losses totaling over $570,000 and intended losses of over $3.3 million. On April 6, 2022, CASTRO GONZALEZ pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Juan Carlos Castro Gonzalez exploited the Government’s efforts to help individuals struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to enrich himself and his co-conspirators. Castro Gonzalez’s sentence shows that this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to prosecute those who sought to commit pandemic relief fraud.”
According to the allegations in the Information to which the defendant pled guilty, other public filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
From 2019 to 2021, CASTRO GONZALEZ participated in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud by defrauding government agencies. Between July 2019 and August 2021, CASTRO GONZALEZ worked with others to obtain fraudulent tax refunds and Economic Impact Payments, which were authorized as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, from the Internal Revenue Service (the “Tax Fraud Scheme”). Between June 2020 and August 2021, CASTRO GONZALEZ worked with others to obtain CARES Act unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (the “UI Benefits Fraud Scheme”).
With respect to the Tax Fraud Scheme, CASTRO GONZALEZ controlled several bank accounts under different identities. These accounts were used by CASTRO GONZALEZ to deposit and receive, among other things, U.S. Treasury payments in the names of other individuals. CASTRO GONZALEZ was observed on bank surveillance footage at several of these bank locations depositing U.S. Treasury checks into the accounts. CASTRO GONZALEZ is responsible for $56,648.01 in losses to the Internal Revenue Service.
With respect to the UI Benefits Fraud Scheme, CASTRO GONZALEZ verified CARES Act UI benefit applications to the New York Department of Labor (the “NY DOL”) that had been fraudulently submitted using the names and social security numbers of people who were unaware that such applications had been made using their personal information. Once the NY DOL received and approved the fraudulent UI benefit applications, the funds were sent to specified bank accounts or to pre-paid cards, at least some of which were controlled and received by CASTRO GONZALEZ. CASTRO GONZALEZ and his co-conspirators caused actual losses to the NYL DOL of $500,079 and intended losses of approximately $3,363,000.
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In addition to his prison term, CASTRO GONZALEZ, 35, of the Bronx, New York, was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $574,202.01 and to forfeit the same amount to the Government.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich and Danielle M. Kudla are in charge of the prosecution.
Bristol Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEXANDER PATTERSON, 34, of Bristol, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 77 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 9, 2021, law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Tyrone Brown’s residence on Stevens Street in New Haven and seized a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Brown, who was a convicted felon and was prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm or ammunition, was arrested at that time. The investigation revealed that the firearm was registered to a family member of Leah Boucher, of Bristol, and that Boucher had purchased 10 other firearms at four different gun stores in Connecticut between March and July 2021.
When investigators interviewed Boucher on August 26, 2021, Boucher admitted that she had purchased firearms for other individuals, and that she was no longer in possession of any of the 10 firearms that were registered to her. A search of Boucher’s iPhone revealed photos, taken in July 2021, of Patterson and Brown. In some of the photos, Patterson is seen handling the handgun that was recovered from Brown’s residence on August 9, 2021, and another handgun that investigators determined was registered to Boucher’s family member.
Patterson’s criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut and Georgia for firearm, narcotics, home invasion and assault offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Patterson was on Georgia probation and Connecticut parole when he committed the firearm offense in this case.
Patterson has been detained since his arrest on January 12, 2022. On May 24, 2022, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possessions of firearms by a felon.
Brown and Boucher pleaded guilty to related charges. On August 3, 2022, Brown was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment, and, on August 10, 2022, Boucher was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment.
In September 2021, law enforcement recovered one of the 10 firearms that Boucher purchased from another felon. The other nine firearms have not been found.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.
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.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6 Attack on the CapitolRead the Press Release
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, will mark 24 months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results.
Under the continued leadership of the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the following statement:
“Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election. Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.
“Since then, countless agents, investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and others across the Justice Department have participated in one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history. I am extremely grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and integrity with which they have done this work. This investigation has resulted in the arrest of more than 950 defendants for their alleged roles in the attack. We have secured convictions for a wide range of criminal conduct on January 6 as well as in the days and weeks leading up to the attack. Our work is far from over.
“We will never forget the sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who defended the members of Congress and others inside the Capitol that day. And we will never forget the five officers who responded selflessly on January 6 and who have since lost their lives: Officer Brian Sicknick, Officer Howard Liebengood, Officer Jeffrey Smith, Officer Gunther Hashida, and Officer Kyle DeFreytag.
“The Justice Department remains committed to honoring them. We remain committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for the January 6 assault on our democracy. And we remain committed to doing everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.”
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Based on the public court documents, below is a snapshot of the investigation as of Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. Complete versions of most of the public court documents used to compile these statistics are available on the Capitol Breach Investigation Resource Page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases.
Arrests made: More than 950 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (This includes those charged in both District and Superior Court).
Criminal charges:
- More than 284 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including approximately 99 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
- Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
- Approximately 11 individuals have been arrested on a series of charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media, or destroying their equipment, on January 6.
- Approximately 860 defendants have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds. Of those, 91 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
- Approximately 59 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and approximately 36 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.
- More than 295 defendants have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding, or attempting to do so.
- Approximately 50 defendants have been charged with conspiracy, either: (a) conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, (b) conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, (c) conspiracy to injure an officer, (d) seditious conspiracy, or (e) some combination of the four.
Pleas:
- Approximately 484 individuals have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, many of whom faced or will face incarceration at sentencing.
- Approximately 119 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Another 364 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
- A total of 52 of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to federal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers. An additional 22 individuals have pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Of these 74 defendants, 41 have now been sentenced to prison terms of up to 90 months.
- Four of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded guilty to the federal charge of seditious conspiracy.
Trials:
- 40 individuals have been found guilty at contested trials, including three who were found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Another 10 individuals have been convicted following an agreed-upon set of facts. 16 of these 50 defendants were found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, a felony, including one who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sentencings:
- Approximately 351 federal defendants have had their cases adjudicated and received sentences for their criminal activity on January 6. Approximately 192 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration. Approximately 87 defendants have been sentenced to a period of home detention, including approximately 14 who also were sentenced to a period of incarceration.
Public Assistance:
- Citizens from around the country have provided invaluable assistance in identifying individuals in connection with the January 6 attack. The FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying approximately 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.
- Additionally, the FBI currently has 14 videos of suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers and one video of two suspects wanted for assaults on members of the media on Jan. 6 and is seeking the public’s help to identify them.
- Some of the violent offenders about whom the FBI is seeking public tips to identify and locate Evan Neumann, Jonathan Daniel Pollock, AFOs #91, #292, #371, and #383. AFO #91 uses what appears to be a stick to strike multiple officers numerous times while in the doorway of the Lower West Terrace, commonly referred to as the tunnel. AFOs #292, #371, and #383 are all shown on video charging at and assaulting officers, and they appear to grab and attempt to take possession of the officers’ batons.
- For images and video of the attackers, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
- More than 284 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including approximately 99 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
Attorney Derek Acree Sentenced to Prison for $1.6 Million COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Derek James Acree, 47, of Palm Beach County, Fla., was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.6 million in forgivable Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. These loans are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Acree obtained approximately $1.6 million by submitting fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications for companies he owned either in whole or in part. These companies included National Financial Holdings Inc., NFH Florida LLC, DBA Finova Financial LLC, and National Financial Holding Technology LLC. The loans misrepresented the number of employees, payroll expenses, and gross revenues.
After obtaining the fraudulent loan proceeds, Acree transferred some of it to others and a portion was used as a down payment for the purchase of his home, as well as used to purchase jewelry, travel, and make repairs on his boat/home.
Acree had entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October 2022. In addition to prison, he was ordered to pay $1.26 million in restitution and $1.6 million in asset forfeiture.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Dewitt, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin W. Waugh prosecuted it and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Pastor handled asset forfeiture.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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.
Armed Domestic Abuser and Five-Time Felon Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- James Hoskins, 41, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 3 years and ten months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on June 20, 2022, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers responded to a domestic disturbance call involving a married couple with two children present. When officers arrived, Hoskins identified himself as a felon and stated that there was a firearm in the home that belonged to his wife. Hoskins also told IMPD that the dispute began because his wife would not let him leave the home.
Officers subsequently spoke with Hoskins’ wife. During the conversation, the wife informed officers that Hoskins turned violent after she told him she wanted to end their relationship. She stated that Hoskins smashed her glasses, held her against a mirror, strangled her, struck her multiple times, and took his gun out and cocked it in front of her.
In a follow-up interview, Hoskins admitted to officers that the firearm in the home belonged to him but claimed he did not hurt his wife, she fell and hurt herself. Officers interviewed Hoskins’ wife again and she stated that Hoskins threatened to kill her, confirmed that he possessed the firearm, and told officers where to find Hoskins’ gun. Officers found Hoskins’ 9mm pistol and arrested him. After the he was arrested, Hoskins admitted that he “tussled” with his wife in the bathroom and that he placed his forearm against her collarbone. At Hoskins’ sentencing hearing, the judge found that he illegally possessed the handgun in connection with a domestic violence felony against his wife.
Before his arrest, Hoskins had been convicted of five separate felony offenses, each of which prohibits him from ever owning a firearm under federal law.
“When a domestic abuser has a gun, the cycle of abuse can quickly turn deadly,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our U.S. Attorney’s Office is prioritizing prosecutions of these criminals because of the extreme danger they pose, especially to those closest to them. Working together with IMPD and ATF, the LEATH initiative will continue to use our law enforcement resources to save the lives of those impacted by domestic violence.”
“Our homes should be the place where we feel most safe in the world. Unfortunately, domestic abusers use violence, and all too often firearms, to threaten and harm those closest to them and the first responders coming to render aid,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute domestic abusers who possess firearms to ensure our communities are safe from these offenders.”
ATF investigated the case. The sentenced was imposed by U.S. District Judge, Magnus Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Hoskins be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy Fugate, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Arizona man arraigned in the District of New Mexico on mail and wire fraud indictmentRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that John Lopez was arraigned on a 27-count indictment charging him with 16 counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of mail fraud. Lopez, 71, of Flagstaff, Arizona, will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Lopez on Dec. 20, 2022. According to the indictment and other court records, Lopez was the founder and president of Personal Money Management Company (PMMCO), which ostensibly provided financial management services to clients, many of whom were retired or near retirement. Beginning in 2014, Lopez held himself out as an investment advisor with considerable expertise who could consistently and substantially beat the market average return on investment.
Lopez allegedly communicated to clients and prospective clients various false promises and misrepresentations related to his investment ability and strategy. As alleged in the indictment, Lopez falsely told clients and prospective clients that he could guarantee annual returns of 10 percent on their principal investment no matter how volatile the stock market might be, and that he could make an annualized 19.2-percent return on a retirement investment, in which clients would keep their initial principal investment as well. Lopez allegedly claimed that he had developed a computer program or algorithm that resulted in consistent and substantial above-average market returns on investments. He allegedly told clients and prospective clients that he would invest their money primarily in stocks and bonds, moving their money between those two investment instruments when market indicators or his computer algorithm told him to move them between the two.
From February 2014 through November 2021, Lopez received approximately $19.4 million from clients. During that same period, rather than invest primarily in stocks and bonds, Lopez allegedly purchased $13.3 million in precious metals, such as gold and silver. Lopez disbursed approximately $6.1 million to clients, which he allegedly represented as investment gains.
After securing client money, Lopez allegedly generated periodic account statements, purportedly showing substantial investment gains. For example, in November 2021, a client received a purported account statement reflecting that an investment of $200,000 with Lopez and PMMCO in 2016 had grown to $3,289,273, a 1,544-percent increase over an approximate five-year period. This growth calculation excluded a $565,000 withdrawal during 2021. In October 2021, those statements represented that PMMCO client account values were collectively worth approximately $39 million.
On Nov. 9 and 10, 2021, government agents seized PMMCO assets, mostly comprising precious metals, which were valued at less than $15 million.
Lopez allegedly continued to generate deceptive PMMCO account statements after the government seized PMMCO’s assets. On May 31, 2022, those statements represented PMMCO client account values worth approximately $49 million.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Lopez faces up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office brought a separate civil forfeiture action on April 15, 2022, seeking to forfeit assets seized in November 2021. Litigation in the civil proceeding is ongoing.
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Architect of Nationwide College Admissions Scheme Sentenced to More Than Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The orchestrator of a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students as fake athletic recruits to elite universities – including Georgetown, Stanford, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Texas, Wake Forest and Yale – was sentenced today in federal court in Boston.
William “Rick” Singer, 62, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Newport Beach, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Singer was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,668,841 to the Internal Revenue Service and to forfeit specific assets with a value in excess of $5.3 million and approximately $3.4 million in the form of a forfeiture money judgment. In March 2019, Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice.
“Rick Singer was the architect of a sprawling criminal enterprise that corrupted the admissions process at several of the nation’s most elite universities. His decade-long scheme resembled something out of a Hollywood movie. He courted the entitled, rich and famous, who were so desperate for their children to secure college admission, that they lied, cheated and bribed to get them in,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “While this historic case generated headlines around the globe with privilege, celebrity and entitlement at its core, it also exposed the profound failings in the college admissions process. There should not be a separate college admissions process for the rich, powerful and entitled. This case exposed that there is. But it also resulted in meaningful changes in the college admissions process and I am incredibly proud of that.”
“Rick Singer was the mastermind of a massive criminal enterprise that undermined the college admissions process at universities all across the country. Fueled by pure and simple greed, Mr. Singer raked in millions of dollars in his corrupt scheme in which he rigged the system, making it much easier for far less qualified students and their families to buy their way into some of this country’s most elite universities. With every bribe he paid, he sold out hardworking students a little more. There is no question the damage he has done is profound and today’s sentence shows that there are significant consequences for his criminal conduct,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Operation Varsity Blues uncovered a bold and shameless decade-long scheme that undercut hard-working students trying to get into these prestigious universities the right way. Everyone we’ve arrested, charged, and convicted to date were integral to the scheme’s success, but without Rick Singer, they never would have succeeded.”
“Access to a quality education is a key pillar of our society and the American institutions that are educating our future leaders are second to none. But maintaining fairness in the access to these great institutions is also a vital part of this system,” said Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston. “Today’s sentence should send a clear message and serve as a deterrent to those who might contemplate similar fraudulent schemes.”
“Today’s action shows that Mr. Singer abused his position to help scores of parents cheat their way through the college admissions process. In doing so, he damaged the reputation of the schools and hurt legitimate students who sought admission to those schools. That is unacceptable,” said Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office.
Singer owned and operated the Edge College & Career Network LLC (The Key) – a for-profit college counseling and preparation business – and served as the CEO of the Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF) – a non-profit corporation that he established as a purported charity to provide educational and self-enrichment programs for disadvantaged youth.
Between approximately 2011 and February 2019, Singer conspired with dozens of parents, athletic coaches, a university athletics administrator, and others, to use bribery and other forms of fraud to secure the admission of students to colleges and universities including Georgetown, Stanford, UCLA, USC, the University of Texas, Wake Forest and Yale. The conspiracy involved paying off test proctors and administrators to permit cheating on college entrance exams and bribing university athletic coaches and administrators to designate applicants as purported athletic recruits based on fabricated credentials.
Singer facilitated cheating on the SAT and ACT exams for his clients by instructing them to seek extended time for their children on college entrance exams, which often involved having the children purport to have learning disabilities in order to obtain the required medical documentation. Once the extended time was granted, Singer instructed the clients to change the location of the exams to a test center where corrupt test proctors took the exams in place of the students, gave the students the correct answers during the exams, or corrected the students’ answers after they completed the exams, and corrupt test administrators permitted the cheating to occur. In many instances, the students taking the exams were unaware that their parents had arranged for the cheating.
Singer also accepted payments from parents to bribe coaches and university athletics administrators to designate their children as purported athletic recruits, regardless of their athletic experience or abilities. As part of the scheme, Singer directed his associates to create falsified athletic “profiles” for the students, which were then submitted to the university admissions offices in support of the students’ applications. The profiles included fake athletic honors and, in some instances, staged or photoshopped photos purporting to show the students engaged in athletic activity.
To conceal the scheme, Singer used the Key Worldwide Foundation to disguise bribe payments as purported charitable contributions, thereby enabling clients to deduct the bribes from their federal income taxes. In total, Singer accepted more than $25 million from his clients as part of the scheme – of which he paid bribes totaling more than $7 million and transferred, spent, or otherwise used more than $15 million for his own benefit.
In total, 55 defendants [i] were charged for their involvement in Singer’s exam cheating and athletic recruitment conspiracy. Of those, 53 were convicted – either by guilty plea or jury conviction following trial. One defendant received a Presidential Pardon and one defendant entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government. To date, the government has collected $8,880,802 in forfeiture from seized bank accounts, real estate and voluntary payments, $5,682,954 in fines and $96,960 in restitution. For more information on defendants charged in the conspiracy, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta, IRS SAC Simpson and DOE-OIG SAC Harris made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Frank, Leslie A. Wright, Kristen A. Kearney, Ian J. Stearns and Kriss Basil of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Forfeiture Unit, prosecuted the case.
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[i] The Singer-led scheme involved 55 defendants (this number includes Singer). This number does not include two defendants, Amin Khoury and Robert Repella, who conspired separately with former Georgetown tennis coach Gordon Ernst, a defendant in the Singer scheme, but were not themselves involved in the Singer scheme.
Alleged Glock Switch Dealer ChargedRead the Press Release
A Dallas man who allegedly dealt Glock switches via Instagram has been charged with firearm crimes, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Jeremiah Dwyen Ashley, 22, was indicted on two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm on December 28.
“Switches transform regular pistols into weapons of war, only suitable for use by soldiers on the battlefield,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “We cannot and will not allow switches to proliferate on the streets of north Texas.”
“Nothing keeps me up at night more than the thought of a machinegun in the wrong hands. If not promptly investigated and arrested, Mr. Ashley would have continued to put these tools of violence on our streets. Citizens of North Texas need to know that ATF and all our law enforcement partners are doing everything we can to prevent machinegun conversion devices from being used and sold unlawfully. These are not toys or souvenirs; these are terrifying,” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.
According to court documents, after spotting an advertisement for Glock switches – devices that convert ordinary semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic machineguns – on Instagram, law enforcement reached out to the owner of the account to arrange an undercover purchase.
On May 24, an undercover officer met an unidentified male, later identified as Mr. Ashley, at a gas station in Garland and purchased three Glock switches for $1,200. When the officer asked how the devices worked, Mr. Ashley allegedly showed him how to install a switch on a pistol.
After confirming Mr. Ashley’s identity, the officer reached out to the Instagram account to arrange a second undercover purchase. In response, the officer received a screenshot of UPS tracking information. UPS security personnel told law enforcement that the package, which was addressed to another individual, was a part of a three-parcel shipment that originated from a company in Taiwan.
Law enforcement seized all three packages from a UPS distribution center on June 10. Inside the packages, they found 30 Glock switches, all surrounded by metal screws, likely included to obscure the packages’ contents. An undercover agent, posing as a package delivery person, delivered the packages to Mr. Ashley on June 14. After giving him a few moments to open the packages, law enforcement executed a search warrant on his apartment.
During the search, Mr. Ashley allegedly admitted that he knew the packages contained Glock switches and confirmed that he understood the purpose of a switch. He claimed that someone else ordered the packages but said they were intended for him. He allegedly admitted that he was known around the neighborhood for selling switches on Instagram.
Glock switches are classified as machineguns under federal law. Unlike semiautomatic firearms, machineguns – weapons that can fire more than one round, without manual reloading, by single function of the trigger – are generally unlawful for non-licensed civilians under the National Firearms Act.
An indictment is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Ashley is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison, 10 years per count.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Office and the Garland Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Ellison is prosecuting the case.
Tuesday 3 January 2023
Wallingford Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER LISCIO, 40, of Wallingford, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to child sexual exploitation and drug trafficking offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between January 2016 and February 2020, Liscio used Snapchat to entice two minor girls to take sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the social media application. The communication with one of the minor victims started when she was approximately 13 years old and continued until she was approximately 16 years old, and the communication with the second minor victim occurred when she was 15 and 16 years old. Liscio also engaged in sexual acts with the second minor victim on multiple occasions when she was 15 and 16 years old.
In February 2020. Liscio was arrested on state charges related to the sexual assault of a minor. Between February and April 2020, while he was released on bond in his state case, Liscio sold 2,000 30mg oxycodone pills.
Liscio has been detained since his federal arrest on May 26, 2021. On that date, a search of his Wallingford residence revealed approximately 500 grams of cocaine, items used to process and package narcotics, and $22,440 in cash.
Liscio pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. At sentencing, Liscio faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, with the assistance of the Wallingford Police Department, Middletown Police Department and Fremont (N.H.) Police Department. The Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury and Watertown Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda S. Oakes.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Offices for the Judicial Districts of New Haven and Middlesex for their close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Warns Residents About Scam Calls Demanding MoneyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is cautioning northern Ohio residents about a telephone spoofing campaign where the caller is portraying themselves as an attorney, representative, or law enforcement officer, and the phone number is showing as the Department of Justice or the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During these calls, scammers may attempt to collect money from victims or threaten arrest or legal action. These calls are bogus and an attempt to use a legitimate law enforcement number to obtain money from victims.
Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information like actual names of federal prosecutors and federal office addresses. They also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds the public to be vigilant and never share personal identifying information with a caller that you have not initiated contact with or have not verified as a legitimate business or organization.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will never ask you to purchase a gift card or give out a credit card number to avoid arrest.
To report a call or message from someone portraying to be a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office or Department of Justice, please contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects Nearly $3.8 Million in Civil and Criminal ActionsRead the Press Release
(PROVIDENCE) - U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced today that the District of Rhode Island collected $3,769,390.83 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2021, an approximately thirty-six percent increase over fiscal year 2020. Of this amount, $2,715,990.83 was collected in criminal cases and $1,053,400 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the District of Rhode Island worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect a further $6,998,789 in cases pursued jointly with these offices. Of this amount, $4,957.79 was collected in criminal cases and $6,993,831.56 was collected in civil actions.
These figures primarily represent criminal restitution collections, criminal fines, and civil judgments. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Finally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Rhode Island, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,668,469 via asset forfeiture actions in FY 2021. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
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Two charged with attacks on four Pierce County power substationsRead the Press Release
Tacoma – Two Puyallup, Washington, men will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday, December 31, 2022, following a fast-moving investigation by the FBI. Prosecutors will ask that both men remain detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac pending future hearings.
“I commend the work by the FBI to quickly identify these suspects and disrupt any future attacks on the east Pierce County power grid,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously. The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”
“I am so thankful for how quickly and diligently our investigators and partners worked to bring this to a resolution,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. “This case took many of them away from their families during the holidays but through their efforts, we have two men in custody we believe to be responsible for all four power station attacks. This demonstrates the commitment by all levels of law enforcement to protect our infrastructure and hold those accountable who put our community in danger.”
According to the criminal complaint filed with the court late Saturday, December 31, 2022, and unsealed today, the two men were identified as possible suspects through the analysis of cell phone records. At one of the substations, Tacoma Power captured images of one suspect and the image of a pick-up truck that appeared to be connected with the attack. A similar pick-up truck was connected to the defendants. When law enforcement served a search warrant on the home of the suspects, they recovered distinctive clothing pictured in the surveillance photos. Agents also seized two short-barreled firearms that had not been registered as required by law. One of the firearms was equipped with a make-shift silencer.
The four substations that were targeted were the Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. The damage to the Tacoma Power substations alone is estimated to be at least $3 million.
Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Tacoma Police Department, the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Federal Protective Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Will Dreher, Stephen Hobbs, and Todd Greenberg all worked around the clock over the last week to obtain search warrants and arrest warrants to assist the FBI investigation.
Two Northern Kentucky Men Sentenced for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky.— A Covington man, Anthony Michaelis, 34, and an Alexandria, Ky., man, Blake Barnes, 23, were sentenced to 258 months and 60 months in federal prison, respectively, on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for possession of controlled substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, with intent to distribute them, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking.
According to Michaelis’ plea agreement, on January 16, 2022, individuals at a Circle K store in Dayton, Ky., approached police and told officers that two men, later identified as Michaelis and Barnes, had approached them at a gas pump and offered to sell them controlled substances. During this encounter, Michaelis pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the group. Law enforcement subsequently located Michaelis and Barnes and recovered the handgun. Barnes was wearing a backpack that contained over 12 grams of fentanyl and over 3 grams of actual methamphetamine. Officers located a bag of white powder containing over 23 grams of cocaine in the Michaelis’s pants pocket. In 2021, Michaelis had previously been found with over 70 grams of cocaine and 346 grams of marijuana that he intended to distribute, as well as $5,320.00 in currency.
Michaelis pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2022. Barnes pleaded guilty in September 2022. Michaelis has previous felony convictions for robbery, assaulting a police officer, and assaulting a prison inmate.
Under federal law, both must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon their release from prison, Michaelis will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for six years, and Barnes will be under supervision for five years.
Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Chief David Halfhill, Dayton Police Department; and Chief Brian Valeni, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Dayton Police Department; and the Covington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.
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Sunset Mesa Funeral Home Operators Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Body Part SchemeRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced today that the operators of Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado, were sentenced to federal prison for illegally selling body parts or entire bodies without the consent of the family of the deceased.
Megan Hess, age 46, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. According to the plea agreement, from 2010 through 2018, the defendant and others stole the bodies or body parts of hundreds of victims, and then sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for body broker services. Under the auspices of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, the defendant would frequently meet with victims seeking cremation services for themselves or their loved ones who had died. During those meetings, the defendant and others would represent to the victims that Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors would cremate decedents and provide their cremated remains back to the families. Instead, the defendant and others would harvest body parts from, or prepare the entire bodies of, the decedents for sale in body broker services.
Shirley Koch, age 69, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting. According to the plea agreement, from 2010 through 2018, Koch was involved in meeting with families seeking cremation services for their loved ones who had died. In many instances, Koch and Hess neither discussed nor obtained authorization for donation of decedents’ bodies or body parts for body broker services. In other instances, the topic of donation was raised by Hess or Koch, and specifically rejected by the families. In such circumstances, despite lacking any authorization, Koch and Hess recovered body parts from, or otherwise prepared entire bodies of hundreds of decedents for body broker services. In the few instances where families agreed to donation, Hess and Koch sold the remains of those decedents beyond what was authorized by the family, which was often limited to small tissue samples, tumors, or portions of skin. Hess and Koch also delivered cremains to families with the representation that the cremains were that of the deceased when, frequently, that was not the case.
According to the plea agreements, Hess and Koch would also ship bodies and body parts that tested positive for, or belonging to people who had died from, infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, after certifying to buyers that the remains were disease free. These shipments would be through the mail or on commercial air flights in violation of Department of Transportation regulations regarding the transportation of hazardous materials.
Judge Christine M. Arguello sentenced Hess and Koch on January 3, 2023.
“The defendants’ conduct was horrific and morbid and driven by greed. They took advantage of numerous victims who were at their lowest point given the recent loss of a loved one. We hope these prison sentences will bring the victim’s family members some amount of peace as they move forward in the grieving process,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We sincerely hope this punishment deters like-minded fraudsters in the future.”
“These two women preyed on vulnerable victims who turned to them in a time of grief and sadness. But instead of offering guidance, these greedy women betrayed the trust of hundreds of victims and mutilated their loved ones,” said FBI Denver Acting Special Agent in Charge Leonard Carollo. “Without knowledge or consent, the women disrespected the wishes of the grieving victims and degraded the bodies of their family members to sell them for profit. These two criminals continued in their atrocities for years, showing no remorse or contrition even after they were exposed. Nothing can guarantee solace for the victims or repair the damage done, but perhaps this sentence can mark the end of a horrible chapter in their lives.”
“Together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we are committed to pursuing those who put the safety of the public at grave risk for personal gain,” said Cissy Tubbs, Special Agent-in-Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. “We hope today’s sentencing provides a sense of justice served for the families and loved ones of the victims of this callous scheme.”
This case was complex and involved a detailed forensic review of evidence. The investigation was led by the FBI Denver Division and the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff, Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Weber, Assistant United States Attorney Laura Hurd, with invaluable assistance from former Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy Chaffin and Victim Witness Coordinator Donna Summers.
CASE NUMBER: 20-cr-00098
Statement from United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha on the Passing of Former United States Attorney Lincoln C. AlmondRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – The men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island mourn the passing of Lincoln Carter Almond, who led this Office with distinction for twenty-one years, over two terms.
“As United States Attorney, Lincoln C. Almond led by example: whether trying cases, or fearlessly pursuing investigations into organized crime and corruption, he set a standard for this Office that continues to resonate to this day,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “More than any other figure in recent memory, Lincoln Almond’s tenure set the bar for what it means to excel as a servant of justice. This Office mourns the passing of a legendary figure, and extends our heartfelt condolences to his family.”
First nominated as U.S. Attorney by President Richard M. Nixon, Almond was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 19, 1969, and served until 1978; he took up the post for the second time in November of 1981, following his nomination by President Ronald Reagan, and served with distinction until 1993. During his more than two decades as United States Attorney, believed to be the longest tenure in the State’s history, Mr. Almond was an exemplar of professionalism, the scourge of organized crime, and a prosecutor’s prosecutor. He served on the first committee of United States Attorneys formed to advise the Attorney General of the United States; led investigations and prosecutions of leading figures of the New England La Cosa Nostra and was a staunch and unremitting foe of corruption at every level of government.
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Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison for the Sexual Exploitation of Two Minor Girls to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Dennis James Harrison, age 40, of Rocky Ridge, Maryland, to 45 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for the sexual exploitation of children to produce child pornography, related to the sexual exploitation of two minors who were between the ages of 10 and 12 at the time of the abuse. Chief Judge Bredar also ordered that, upon his release from prison, defendant Harrison must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).
Harrison also had a conviction from August 12, 2009, in the Court of Common Pleas of Adams County, Pennsylvania, for possession of child pornography and was a registered sex offender at the time of his arrest in this federal case.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith III.
According to his guilty plea, between 2018 and 2021, Harrison sexually exploited two minor girls beginning when the one victim was twelve years old and when the other victim was 10 to 11 years old, to produce child pornography. Specifically, from at least September 2020 through August 2021, Harrison engaged in sexual activity with Jane Doe 1, a 12-year-old girl who resided in Pennsylvania. Harrison picked-up Jane Doe 1 from her residence and drove her to various locations in Maryland, including Harrison’s residence, where he engaged in illegal sexual activity with Jane Doe 1. The defendant produced images and videos of his sexual abuse of Jane Doe 1 and enticed Jane Doe 1 to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Harrison also used a hidden camera and a mobile phone in 2018 to produce a series of images depicting Jane Doe 2, a 10-to-11-year-old girl, nude and partially nude in a bedroom and bathroom in Pennsylvania and in a bathroom in Maryland. The images were taken without the knowledge of Jane Doe 2.
On August 12, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Harrison’s residence and recovered a cellphone used by Harrison to film his sexual abuse of Jane Doe 1, as well as several digital devices. A forensic examination of all the devices located files depicting the sexual abuse of children on each one, including depictions of infants and toddlers. In total, over 14,000 files of child pornography were found on Harrison’s devices.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Podiatrist pays $90,000 to settle false billing allegationsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 39-year-old Cypress man has agreed to pay to resolve allegations he submitted false claims for the placement of electro-acupuncture devices, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Dr. Amr El-Khashab is a podiatrist who practices in Cypress and whom podiatrist Dr. Judith Rubin previously employed. From March 1, 2018, to Nov. 30, 2019, El-Khashab and Rubin billed Medicare for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes. These are invasive procedures usually requiring use of an operating room. Medicare pays thousands of dollars per procedure.
However, neither Rubin nor El-Khashab performed these surgical procedures. Instead, patients received devices used for electro-acupuncture, which only involves inserting needles into patients’ ears and taping the neurostimulator behind them with an adhesive.
Rubin previously entered into an $865,000 settlement to address these allegations.
To date, this is the ninth case the Southern District of Texas has resolved for similar conduct. The other matters included settlements with a Katy anesthesiologist, Houston pain doctor, Rockport chiropractor, Houston chiropractor, Laredo pain doctor, The Woodlands pain doctor and Cypress marketing representative.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation with the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and Qlarant, the Unified Program Integrity Contractor for Medicare. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
New York Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Transporting Child Pornography into New JerseyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A New York man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for transporting multiple items of child sexual abuse into New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Jesus Modesto Sanchez, 31, of New York, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to an information charging him with one count of transporting of child pornography. Judge Quraishi imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In October 2020, Modesto Sanchez began communicating with an undercover officer who he believed was a minor on a web-based application. On Oct. 17, 2020, Modesto Sanchez was arrested after traveling from New York to New Jersey to meet the undercover officer. Law enforcement officers subsequently discovered a significant collection of child pornography on Modesto Sanchez’s cellular telephone, including 72 videos and one image depicting the sexual abuse of minors.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Quraishi sentenced Modesto Sanchez to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy in Newark, and members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor John P. McDonald, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
New Haven Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years for Possessing Stolen Gun, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAVON MOORNING, 43, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 105 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a stolen firearm, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2011, Moorning was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 100 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. In December 2014, Moorning’s sentence was reduced to 84 months of imprisonment.
Moorning was released from federal prison in June 2018. Shortly after his release, and while on supervised release, he sold heroin and crack cocaine to an individual working with law enforcement. When Moorning was arrested on July 24, 2018, he possessed additional amounts of heroin and crack cocaine. Moorning pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin and cocaine base (“crack”), and he admitted that he had violated his supervised release. On January 9, 2019, he was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
Moorning was released from prison in April 2020. On May 17, 2022, he was a passenger in a car that crashed into a tree behind a residence on Whitney Avenue in Hamden after he and an associate attempted to flee from state probation and Hamden Police officers who were serving probation violation warrants. Moorning ran from the vehicle, removed a 9mm handgun from his waistband and tossed it to the ground. State probation officers apprehended Moorning and found him in possession of approximately 20 individual-dose bags of suspected heroin, and quantities of crack cocaine and MDMA pills. A Hamden Police officer recovered the firearm that Moorning had discarded. The handgun, which was loaded, and had been reported stolen in South Carolina in 2020.
Moorning has been detained since June 3, 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 14, 2022.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hamden Police Department, the Connecticut Office of Adult Probation, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.