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Tuesday 20 December 2022
Ohio Felon Charged with Violating Federal Drug and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Columbus, Ohio, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on charges of violating federal narcotics trafficking and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Lester Rondale Moore as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about Oct. 10, 2022, Moore traveled from his primary residence in Columbus, Ohio, to an apartment complex in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, where he was found in possession of, and with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine base (in the form commonly known as crack) and cocaine. Moore was further charged with possession of a loaded Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol. As a convicted felon, Moore is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
As to the drug charge, the law provides for a total sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life in prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000,000, or both. As to the firearms charge, the law provides for a total sentence of not more than 15 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Moore is currently being held at Allegheny County Jail on an Ohio state parole violation detainer, pending his arraignment on the federal charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Agency and Monroeville Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New York Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
A New York man was sentenced today to 12 years and nine months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support or resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization.
Parveg Ahmed, 27, of Queens, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization in June 2018. According to court documents, Ahmed is a U.S. citizen who traveled to Saudi Arabia in June 2017, purportedly to celebrate an Islamic religious holiday. Upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Ahmed was apprehended in a country bordering Syria during his attempted travel to ISIS-controlled territory.
Previously, Ahmed had repeatedly expressed support on social media for ISIS and for individuals who provided support to the foreign terrorist organization’s mission of violent extremism. On July 17, 2017, law enforcement agents obtained a search warrant for his personal computer, and learned that he had viewed or listened to recordings of radical Islamic clerics Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric and prominent leader of the foreign terrorist organization al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who was killed on or about Sept. 30, 2011, and Abdullah el-Faisal, a Jamaican-born cleric, who was found guilty in the United Kingdom of solicitation to commit murder for preaching to followers to kill individuals, including Americans, because he deemed them to be enemies of Islam. Ahmed was deported to the United States on Aug. 28, 2017, where he was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Subsequent review of electronic devices found in Ahmed’s possession when he was detained attempting to travel to Syria also revealed:
- Messages explaining that the defendant planned to join ISIS in Syria to wage violent jihad and expressing farewell to the defendant’s family members. Specifically, review of his devices revealed a message he composed, but had not yet sent, stating, “[W]e have made it to Dawlatul Islam [ISIS] in Syria. In sha Allah [God willing] we will join the Jihad very soon and in Sha Allah [God willing] we will then join the ranks of the Shuhuda [martyrs]. The West has invaded the land of the Muslims and is constantly attacking it.”
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig R. Heeren and Meredith A. Arfa for the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
New York Man Sentenced to 16 Months’ Imprisonment for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on December 19, 2022, Algernon Donte Martin, age 26, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner following his conviction for bank fraud. Judge Conner also ordered Martin to pay victims restitution in the amount of $82,969.06, and to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Martin was a member of a conspiracy in which he and others stole mail from postal boxes, rifled that mail to find checks that had been made payable to third parties, and then altered the checks and deposited them in other bank accounts. The conspiracy was formed in the New York City area, and its reach extended into central Pennsylvania. The investigation identified at least 40 stolen checks, of which 19 had been cashed, resulting in financial losses to victims. The conspiracy involved the participation of Kazaria Blair, age 32, a U.S. Postal Service employee working in the Harrisburg area. Blair provided the conspirators access to a postal key that enabled them to open blue postal collection boxes to steal the mail. She has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in relation to the scheme.
Judge Conner previously sentenced two co-defendants:
- Edward Hart, age 32, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 18 months in prison; and,
- Travis Terrell Price, age 27, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to serve four months in prison.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service – Harrisburg Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
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New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Fentanyl Intended for DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Manchester, N.H., man pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
Michael Warner, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2023.
In August 2020, Warner was observed leaving a known drug source location in Lawrence. Once on the highway, agents stopped Warner, who admitted to buying 70 grams of fentanyl, an amount consistent with narcotics distribution.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Minnesota Man Indicted for Romance Scam Targeting Colorado WomanRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, age 37, of Minnesota, has been indicted on 10 counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, beginning in January 2018, and continuing until October 2018, Akindele posed as a wealthy Italian-American businessman, “Frank Labato,” on a dating website, where he met a widowed Colorado woman. In February 2018, “Frank” began emailing the victim, and in March 2018, the two began exchanging telephone calls. During these communications, “Frank” provided the victim with additional false details about his personal and work background, images, and photos, to substantiate his fictitious persona. In March 2018, “Frank” represented to the victim that he had encountered a financial crisis related to his purported work abroad for which he claimed to need money, funds, and assistance from the victim. At “Frank’s” direction, the victim opened a cryptocurrency exchange account, where she eventually wired over $1.6 million dollars. From there, Akindele converted the money into various cryptocurrencies, laundered it across multiple crypto exchanges and then converted it back into U.S. dollars and deposited it into his own bank accounts. “Frank” fraudulently represented to the victim that he would repay her for the requested “loans” to his business. Over the course of the scheme, “Frank” executed three fraudulent “promissory notes” to reassure the victim that she would be repaid.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Denver Division conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Weiss is handling the prosecution of the case.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case number: 22-cr-00326
Michigan Man Sentenced to 105 Years for Armed Drug Trafficking and Attempted RobberyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky.— A Flint, Michigan man, Charles Ray Edwards, 39, was sentenced to 105 years in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, after being convicted of armed drug trafficking and attempted robbery.
In July 2022, Edwards was convicted of heroin trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy to distribute both substances, felon in possession of a firearm, use of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking, and for his role in an attempted Hobbs Act robbery at a convenience store. His trafficking and robbery offenses involved three shooting victims, including the death of a bystander in the convenience store.
According to testimony at trial, Edwards was dealing heroin and fentanyl in Southeastern Kentucky region. As part of his drug trafficking crimes, Edwards wounded two individuals in a shooting incident in Knox County. Then, during the attempted robbery, a bystander in the store was shot and killed. Edwards has a prior felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
“Charles Edwards was trafficking in dangerous drugs, attempted to hold up a store, was involved in multiple shootings – one resulting in the death of a bystander – and did all this with firearms he was prohibited from possessing,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “There is little question his conduct warrants the sentence imposed, and that our communities will now be safer for his incarceration. We will prioritize the prosecution of those who engage in such reckless and destructive violence and continue to do our part to protect our communities. We hope this will provide some sense of justice to the victims and are grateful for the critical efforts of our law enforcement partners.”
“ATF’s core mission is to protect the public from violent criminals like Charles Edwards,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “Armed drug trafficking and violence go hand in hand. Today, Edwards was held accountable for his actions because of the hard work of our ATF London Office, Kentucky State Police, Williamsburg Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This investigation demonstrates our continued commitment to stopping violent criminals and the drug traffickers that plague our Eastern Kentucky communities.”
United States Attorney Shier; ATF SAC Morrow; Colonel Phillip Burnett Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Chief Jason Caddell, Williamsburg Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and Williamsburg Police Department. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenna Reed and Jason Parman.
This case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Miami Man Sentenced for his Role in a Nationwide Gas Station Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Arley Gonzalez, age 35, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for his role in an access device fraud conspiracy. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Ketty Larco-Ward, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
As part of his guilty plea on May 20, 2021, Gonzalez admitted that between December 2015 and July 2019, he conspired with others to commit access device fraud by building skimming devices designed to steal gas station customer information, installing those devices inside gas pumps in Albany, Broome, and Montgomery Counties, and elsewhere, and then using the information collected by those devices to create fraudulent credit and debit cards. The fraudulent cards were used to obtain money orders, gift cards, cash, and other things of value. As part of his plea agreement, Gonzalez agreed to be subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $247,000.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a three-year term of supervised release to follow Gonzalez’s term of incarceration.
This case was investigated by the FBI Albany Field Office and USPIS Boston Division, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in Miami and Pittsburgh, the USPIS Miami Division, and the United States Secret Service Miami Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Powers.
Member of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 235 Months in Federal Prison for Drug OffenseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced the sentencing of Victor Welton, age 49, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as part of Operation Going Bacc to Cali, an extensive federal, state, and local investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) aimed at a drug trafficking network spanning from Compton, California, through Baton Rouge, and to Miami, Florida.
Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Welton to 235 months in federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 2.6 pounds of fentanyl. Welton must also serve 3 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, in or about June 2020, Welton agreed with co-conspirators in Baton Rouge, Compton, and Miami to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in the Middle District of Louisiana and elsewhere. Welton used other individuals to travel between California, Louisiana, and Florida, to transport fentanyl to a drug dealer in Miami.
On June 21, 2020, Welton arranged for two of several individuals, whom he used to transport fentanyl between Compton, Baton Rouge, and Miami, to travel to Compton and pick up fentanyl. The two individuals traveled by air to California and, on June 22, 2020, began their return trip to Baton Rouge on June 24, 2020, using Greyhound Bus services. During the early morning hours of June 24, 2020, both couriers arrived at the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At that time, they were greeted by law enforcement with a search warrant for their persons and baggage. Law enforcement discovered and seized three zip lock bags with a white powdery substance. The contents of each of the bags were analyzed by the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory, with the contents of each identified as fentanyl, and with a total weight of slightly over 2.6 pounds. The two couriers were then arrested by law enforcement.
When explaining the reasons to support the 235 month term of imprisonment, Chief Judge Dick commented on the significant danger associated with fentanyl, along with Welton’s role as the leader of a drug-trafficking conspiracy that involved at least four other co-conspirators.
This operation 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.
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul L. Pugliese.
Massachusetts Man Convicted of Trafficking Four Tons of Cocaine Hidden Inside FurnitureRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday in Manhattan federal court of ABEL MONTILLA for his participation in a cocaine trafficking scheme between 2018 and 2021. The jury convicted MONTILLA following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel. Sentencing of MONTILLA is scheduled for March 22, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The unanimous jury verdict holds Abel Montilla accountable for his role in a widespread cocaine trafficking organization that flooded the streets with four tons of cocaine. Montilla was a coordinator of the drug trafficking organization who traveled around the country to manage the delivery of the organization’s cocaine-filled furniture. He now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment and the evidence presented in court during the trial:
Between 2018 and 2021, MONTILLA was a member of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) that engaged in a drug-trafficking scheme involving the concealment of cocaine inside custom-built furniture. Between in or about September 2018 and June 2019, the DTO sent approximately 27 shipments of cargo from Puerto Rico to the continental United States. The cocaine was concealed in more than approximately 70 custom cube-shaped coffee tables or other furniture. The organization falsely represented that the cargo contained furniture, but that furniture in fact concealed hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine. In total, the trafficking organization shipped approximately 4,000 kilograms of cocaine, worth at least $120,000,000 on the street. Eight of the organization’s shipments were sent to addresses in the Southern District of New York, including in Yonkers and the Bronx. Those eight shipments contained a total of approximately 775 kilograms (1,704 pounds) of cocaine.
Photographs introduced into evidence during trial of furniture containing cocaine and seized cocaine are below:
MONTILLA was a Massachusetts-based coordinator of cocaine shipments who managed the recipients of the organization’s deliveries of cocaine shipments and the distribution of the cocaine concealed inside the furniture. At times, MONTILLA drove straight through the night from Massachusetts to Florida to be present for a cocaine delivery, then flew or drove back to Massachusetts to handle additional cocaine deliveries there. In total, MONTILLA coordinated at least a dozen drug shipments in Massachusetts and Florida, and at least twelve of the 27 shipments were sent to addresses affiliated with MONTILLA.
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MONTILLA, 49, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
This prosecution 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.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juliana N. Murray and Ryan B. Finkel are in charge of the prosecution.
Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison for KidnappingRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced Thursday to 190 months in prison for conspiring to kidnap and transport an undocumented noncitizen.
According to court documents, Rosalio Cano Jr., 22, transported an undocumented noncitizen to multiple locations in or around San Antonio over a five-day period. During this time, co-conspirators were in contact with the now-kidnapping victim’s family and repeatedly raised demands for payment. During the investigation, Cano fled from federal agents. He was located and arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Service on Oct. 14, 2021.
“This is just one example of what dangerous turns illegal border crossing can take—from illegal entry to kidnapping and extortion,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the dedication to this investigation by our agency partners, and this nearly 16-year federal sentence serves as a reminder of how seriously we take these cases.”
“The actions of this defendant highlight the dangers of human smuggling and the risks law enforcement face while carrying out their duties. Cano schemed to kidnap and extort migrants for personal profit and when confronted by law enforcement, he displayed callous disregard for human life by firing shots at pursuing agents in his attempt to elude capture,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio Division. “This sentence sends a clear message to those who exploit people for profit, HSI and our law enforcement partners will remain relentless in bringing justice to criminals who endanger the lives of migrants, our brave law enforcement officers, and the people in our communities.”
“The tactical apprehension and arrest without incident of Rosalio Cano Jr. clearly showed the importance and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies working together,” said U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau. “The diligent and collaborative efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the San Antonio Division of Homeland Security Investigations made certain to take another human trafficker off the streets and for justice to be served.”
HSI and the USMS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Hail prosecuted the case.
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Machias Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Unlawfully Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Machias man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Eric Legare, 37, to two years in prison and two years of supervised release. Legare pleaded guilty on July 21, 2022.
According to court records, Legare was a passenger in a vehicle stopped in East Machias by Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies when a firearm was found inside the vehicle. Legare admitted that he had handled the firearm and that his DNA would likely be on it. Legare is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2017 conviction for manslaughter.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Washington County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: 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. To learn more information about PSN, visit www.justice.gov/psn.
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Leader of nationwide moving company scam conspiracy sentenced to 72 months in prisonRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Miami, Florida, man was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiring in a racketeering enterprise to defraud individuals through moving companies located throughout the United States. Identified victims of the fraud lost more than $2.4 million total.
Serghei Verlan, 39, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati today.
The criminal enterprise used a series of moving companies to exploit thousands of people across the country by demanding ransom for the personal possessions those people had entrusted the enterprise to transport.
Verlan was one of 12 defendants indicted in July 2018 and was one of two leaders of the conspiracy. According to court documents, the defendants operated and worked through at least 12 affiliated moving companies to enrich themselves by defrauding customers who hired them to move their household goods.
The enterprise executed their scheme through various moving companies in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, Connecticut, Colorado and Missouri. More than 1,000 customers have been identified as victims.
One of the enterprise’s warehouses was in West Chester, Ohio, and some of the identified victims reside in the Southern District of Ohio.
As part of the conspiracy, the defendants would provide customers with low binding estimates to do their move, promising to beat their competitor’s prices. After the customers agreed to hire the moving companies, employees of the moving companies would load the customers’ goods onto the truck and then the price of the move would be bumped. Co-conspirators would use an inflated cubic footage for the price of moving the customers’ goods.
Verlan was one of the few defendants who knew the “actual” or “real” cubic footage for customers’ goods and instructed workers to charge customers based on the fraudulently inflated price. He told employees to cap the overcharge at 20 percent to keep customer complaints down.
Verlan also paid employees to write fake positive reviews of their various companies to manage their online image. He was also directly responsible for furthering the conspiracy by “reincarnating” affiliated companies into “new” companies controlled by the enterprise through false statements to federal regulators.
Verlan pleaded guilty in August 2022 to participating in the racketeering conspiracy.
The other leader of the conspiracy, Andrey Shuklin, 34, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in May to 78 months in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Andrea M. Knopf, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT); and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Matthew C. Singer are representing the United States in this case.
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Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Six Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to 18 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for committing six armed robberies of gas station convenience stores.
Jonathan Nagel (25) pleaded guilty in September 2022 to six counts of interference of commerce by robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of failure to appear.
According to court documents, from January 21, 2021 to August 18, 2021, Nagel committed six armed robberies of businesses located in North Las Vegas and Las Vegas. At each robbery, Nagel pretended to make a purchase at the checkout counter. He then pointed a 9mm handgun at the store clerk and demanded money from the cash register. Nagel was arrested in August of 2021 and admitted he was planning to rob a seventh store that night. After Nagel was arrested for the armed robberies, he was initially released on pretrial supervision and ordered to self-surrender on March 7, 2022. However, on March 4, 2022, he cut off his GPS monitor, and absconded from pretrial supervision. Nagel was arrested in Arizona later that month.
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, North Las Vegas Police Department, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bianca Pucci prosecuted the case.
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Lame Deer pastor arraigned on sexual abuse chargesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Lame Deer pastor appeared on a summons for arraignment today on sexual abuse charges alleged to have occurred on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Dean Alan Smith, 66, a pastor, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of abusive sexual contact and three counts of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child. If convicted of the most serious crime, Smith faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and not less than five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Judge Cavan continued Smith’s release with conditions pending further proceedings.
An indictment, filed on Dec. 9, alleges that between 2017 and 2019 near Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Smith knowingly caused a person, identified as Jane Doe 1, to engage in a sexual act by using force and that Smith knowing caused Jane Doe 1 to engage in sexual contact by using force. The indictment further alleges that between 2017 and 2019, Smith knowingly caused a person, identified as Jane Doe 2, who had not attained the age of 12, to engage in sexual contact by force. In addition, the indictment alleges that between 2019 and 2020, Smith knowingly caused persons, identified as Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4, both who had not attained the age of 12, to engage in sexual contact by force.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If people have additional information or know of persons who may have encountered similar conduct alleged against the defendant, please contact the FBI Billings Office at 406-248-8487.
PACER case reference. 22-140.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Kansas National Guard Soldier Sentenced to 16 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Chanute, Kansas, man serving with the Army National Guard was sentenced in federal court today for sexually exploiting an 11-year-old southwest Missouri victim to produce child pornography.
Christian Sinclair, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 16 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Sinclair to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration.
On March 2, 2022, Sinclair pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child. Sinclair admitted that he used a minor to produce child pornography from Aug. 1, 2020, through June 15, 2021.
According to Sinclair’s plea agreement, a captain in the Kansas National Guard contacted the Sierra Vista, Arizona, police department on June 15, 2021, while his unit was deployed to Arizona. The captain reported that Sinclair, one of the soldiers in his command, was sexting an 11-year-old child in Missouri. Sinclair’s fiancée had reported to the captain earlier the same day that she had screenshots between herself and Sinclair in which Sinclair admitted to “cheating” on her with an 11-year-old child.
The child victim told investigators that she had sent Sinclair multiple pornographic videos and images of herself via Snapchat at Sinclair’s request. Sinclair admitted that he also sent pornographic images of himself to the child victim via Snapchat.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Lamar, Mo., Police Department, the Sierra Vista, Arizona, Police Department, and the Chanute, Kan., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Justice Department Secures Settlement with Southern California School District to Protect the Civil Rights of English Learner StudentsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Colton Joint Unified School District in California to resolve an investigation into the district’s program for students learning English. The department’s investigation, conducted jointly by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, revealed that the district denied some English learner students the instruction they needed to become fluent in English and the necessary supports to fully participate and thrive in school.
“Students learning English have a right to receive an education equal to that of their classmates,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “School districts have an obligation to overcome language barriers and support English learners in participating fully in their schools’ academic programs. The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that school districts across the nation comply with federal law and provide all students equal access to a quality education.”
“We are committed to giving English learners meaningful access to the education provided by their school districts,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “These students can learn English, develop critical skills, graduate and attend college, and then contribute to our shared society. But first they must have real access to the educational programs offered in their district. This settlement ensures that English-learner students have that access.”
The department's investigation identified failures to ensure that all teachers were qualified to provide instruction in how to learn English, meaning that some students did not have access to the language services they needed to become fluent. Similarly, math, science and social studies teachers were often not qualified to support English learner students in their classrooms, depriving those students of an education on these essential subjects. In addition, the department found lapses in services to English learners with disabilities, as well as barriers to participation in the district’s gifted and talented program, among other issues.
Under the agreement, the district will work to ensure that all English learners receive instruction on the English language from a trained and qualified teacher. Similarly, the district will ensure that teachers instructing these learners on core subjects, like math, science and social studies, can provide the type of support necessary for those students to understand and learn the material. The department will monitor the district’s progress over the next three years.
The Spanish version of the press release is available here. The enforcement of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Justice Department Secures Settlement with Colton Joint Unified School District to Protect the Civil Rights of English Learner StudentsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Colton Joint Unified School District to resolve an investigation into the district’s program for students learning English.
The department’s investigation, conducted jointly by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, revealed that the district denied some English learner students the instruction they needed to become fluent in English, and the necessary supports to fully participate and thrive in school.
“We are committed to giving English learners meaningful access to the education provided by their school districts,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “These students can learn English, develop critical skills, graduate and attend college, and then contribute to our shared society. But first they must have real access to the educational programs offered in their district. This settlement ensures that English learner students have that access.”
“Students learning English have a right to receive an education equal to that of their classmates,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “School districts have an obligation to overcome language barriers and support English learners in participating fully in their schools’ academic programs. The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that school districts across the nation comply with federal law and provide all students equal access to a quality education.”
The department’s investigation identified failures to ensure that all teachers were qualified to provide instruction in how to learn English, meaning that some students did not have access to the language services they needed to become fluent. Similarly, math, science and social studies teachers were often not qualified to support English learner students in their classrooms, depriving those students of an education on these essential subjects. In addition, the department found lapses in services to English learners with disabilities, as well as barriers to participation in the district’s gifted and talented program, among other issues.
Under the agreement, the district will work to ensure that all English learners receive instruction on the English language from a trained and qualified teacher. Similarly, the district will ensure that teachers instructing these learners on core subjects, like math, science and social studies, can provide the type of support necessary for those students to understand and learn the material. The department will monitor the district’s progress over the next three years.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Hikida of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section and attorneys from the Educational Opportunities Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division handled this matter.
Information about the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/civil-division/civil-rights-section. Individuals in the seven counties of the Central District of California may report possible civil rights violations to the United States Attorney’s Office by calling (213) 894-2879 or emailing [email protected].
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Massachusetts Department of Correction Investigation Involving Individuals in Mental Health CrisisRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MDOC) to resolve the department’s investigation into MDOC’s treatment of incarcerated individuals in mental health crisis.
Under the agreement, MDOC will improve policies and training related to mental health care for incarcerated individuals. These improvements will ensure that individuals in mental health crisis receive three daily mental health contacts; that support staff interact with them while they are on a mental health watch; and that MDOC develop a new unit to provide more intensive mental health treatment for individuals in mental health crisis who are not improving while on mental health watch. In addition, MDOC will provide better documentation of mental health treatment for incarcerated individuals experiencing prolonged mental health crisis. MDOC’s Mental Health Director will now have a role in determining the cell conditions and privileges for anyone on a mental health watch.
The agreement also provides for an independent monitor to assess MDOC’s implementation of the agreement’s requirements and review clinical determinations to ensure MDOC is providing adequate mental health treatment for individuals in mental health crisis. The monitor will prepare periodic public reports on MDOC’s progress.
“Our investigation found that Massachusetts’ prisons subjected incarcerated people in mental health crisis to prolonged periods of restrictive housing conditions, instead of providing them constitutionally adequate mental health care and supervision,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement ensures heightened supervision, increased out-of-cell contact with mental health staff, and intensive mental health care in a new treatment-focused housing unit when needed. These reforms will help ensure people receive the services they need when they are in crisis.”
“As prosecutors, we have a duty to enforce criminal laws which can result in sending people to carceral facilities,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins for the District of Massachusetts. “We also have a duty to ensure that once someone is incarcerated and in the custody and control of a state, local or federal government, that they receive constitutional treatment and adequate mental and physical health care. In the instant case, our investigation found unconstitutional conditions and circumstances where incarcerated people in mental health crisis harmed themselves up to and including suicide. We must provide better mental health treatment in our carceral facilities. Statistics show that far too many of the incarcerated population with significant mental health and substance use disorders, among other severe things. Moving forward, we will be working closely with DOC to address and correct the serious issues and violations identified in our November 2020 Notice. This agreement is the product of hard work and collaboration and offers many innovative solutions. Specifically, the creation of a Stabilization Unit, a newly established civilian Support Person position, as well as mandatory out-of-cell mental health contacts. With these innovations, we intend for Massachusetts to become the gold standard in mental health supervision and treatment for incarcerated individuals. DOC could become an example for the nation.”
The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts initiated the investigation of MDOC in October 2018 under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. This law authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit to address the rights of individuals in institutionalized settings. In November 2020, the department announced findings that MDOC violated the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals in mental health crisis. The department found that MDOC did not adequately supervise individuals in mental health crisis, did not provide them adequate mental health care, and used prolonged mental health watches under restrictive housing conditions.
For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit https://www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ Civil Rights Unit is available at: www.justice.gov/usao-ma/civil-rights. You can also report civil rights violations to the Section by completing the complaint form available at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Individuals with relevant information about compliance with the agreement are encouraged to contact the department by phone at (833) 223-1550 (voicemail only), or by email at [email protected].
Jury Convicts Two KC Men of Kidnapping, MurderRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Mexican nationals have been convicted in federal court of kidnapping and murder.
Jonathan M. Bravo-Lopez (also known as “Jonathan Vravo,” and “Shadow”), 27, and Juan D. Osorio (also known as “Spexx”), 28, both of whom are citizens of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Mo., were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 16, of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. Osorio was also found guilty of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Bravo-Lopez was also found guilty of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported in 2016.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Bravo-Lopez and Osorio conspired to kidnap Cristian Escutia in an attempt to rob him of money. They transported Escutia across state lines from Missouri to Kansas before fatally shooting him on April 3, 2017.
Bravo-Lopez and Osorio arranged to purchase $300 of marijuana from Escutia as a ruse to lure him into their kidnapping plan. On April 3, 2017, they met Escutia outside his residence, shot him in the arm, and forced him into their vehicle, a Chrysler Pacifica, at gunpoint. The kidnapping was captured by the video surveillance system outside a nearby residence. When they drove to the 200 block of Donovan Road in Kansas City, Kan., they forced Escutia out of the vehicle. Escutia was shot three times in the head and left to die on the side of the road.
Osorio, who is in the United States unlawfully, was in possession of an Action Arms Uzi .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol when he was arrested on April 7, 2017.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about three hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Dec. 5, 2022.
Under federal statutes, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio each are subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Matthew A. Moeder. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.
Jessamine County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Nicholasville, Ky., man, Noah James Grimes, 30, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Karen C. Caldwell, after pleading guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct outside the United States, with the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.
According to Grime’s guilty plea, a minor victim from Ontario, Canada, told their parent that someone had taken sexually explicit pictures of them at daycare. That person had been talking on a video chat with Grimes around the time the pictures were taken. Law enforcement discovered that the person who had taken the sexually explicit photos of the minor had been asked to do so by Grimes and had previously sent pictures of herself to Grimes, when she was a minor. A search warrant of Grimes phones revealed more than a hundred images of minor males, under the age of 12. Grimes admitted to knowingly persuading someone to produce sexually explicit images outside the United States and having those images sent to him.
Grimes pleaded guilty to the charge in January 2022.
Under federal law, Grimes must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Chief Frank Bergen, Hamilton Police Department, Ontario, Canada; and Chief Bryan MacCulloch, Niagara Regional Police Service, Ontario, Canada, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Hamilton Police Department and Niagara Regional Police Service. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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.
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Inmate Sentenced for Conspiring to Steal Government PropertyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Irvis Jorge, age 44, was sentenced today to 364 days in jail for fraudulently applying for unemployment benefits while a state prisoner.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Anthony J. Annucci, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS); and New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) Commissioner Roberta Reardon.
Jorge worked with his girlfriend, Pamela Febo, to submit a fraudulent unemployment insurance claim to NYSDOL using Jorge’s personal identifying information, at time when Jorge was an inmate in NYSDOCCS custody. Febo submitted the application at Jorge’s direction in October 2020 and continued to re-certify Jorge’s benefits eligibility each week for approximately four months. Febo certified each week that Jorge was “able and available to start work immediately” even though Febo knew Jorge remained incarcerated and could not work. NYSDOL paid the defendants $27,348 based on the repeated false certifications.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe ordered the 364-day term of imprisonment to run consecutive to Jorge’s state term of imprisonment for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. He also imposed 3 years of supervised release, and ordered restitution in the amount of $27,348 and forfeiture in the amount of $12,444. Febo pled guilty on October 26, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the NYSDOCCS Office of Special Investigations, and the NYSDOL Office of Special Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner.
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.
Indiana Man Ordered to Pay Restitution and Serve Probation for Defacing the Washington MonumentRead the Press Release
Defendant Was Arrested With Paint Brush In-Hand
WASHINGTON – Shaun Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, Indiana, was sentenced today to one year of probation and was ordered to pay $3034.99 in restitution to the National Park Service for vandalizing the Washington Monument. On September 20, 2022, Deaton traveled to Washington, DC, and defaced the Washington Monument by painting it using red paint. He was arrested with the paint brush still in his hand and red paint on his clothes and body.
On September 22, 2022, Deaton was charged with destruction of federal property. On October 17, 2022, Deaton pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves commended the work of the United States Park Police and the National Park Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold.
Immigration Attorney and CEO of Immigration Services Company Convicted at Trial of Conspiring to Commit Immigration FraudRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ULADZIMIR DANSKOI, the CEO of an immigration services firm, and JULIA GREENBERG, an immigration attorney, were found guilty yesterday in Manhattan federal court of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit immigration fraud following a two-week trial before United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Asylum is an incredibly important benefit designed to protect the world’s most vulnerable people. The defendants, a CEO of an immigration services firm with offices in both Manhattan and Brooklyn and a licensed attorney, exploited that system for financial gain by knowingly peddling false claims and coaching clients to lie under oath. Yesterday, a unanimous jury convicted them both for these crimes.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and evidence presented at trial:
A New York City immigration services firm, “Russian America,” worked with clients – primarily aliens from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States – seeking visas, asylum, citizenship, and other forms of legal status in the United States. Among other things, Russian America advised certain of their clients in the manner in which they were most likely to obtain asylum in this country, fully understanding that those clients did not legitimately qualify for asylum. The firm also prepared and submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) clients’ fraudulent asylum application documents and affidavits, often including fraudulent allegations of past persecution. Members and associates of the firm also coached certain clients to lie under oath during interviews conducted by USCIS Asylum Officers and provided legal representation to their clients during various immigration proceedings.
ULADZIMIR DANSKOI and previously convicted codefendant Yury Mosha operated and maintained Russian America’s Brooklyn and Manhattan offices, respectively. Each advised and aided their clients to seek asylum under fraudulent pretenses. Among other things, DANSKOI advised a client, a confidential FBI source (the “Source”), to seek asylum on the fraudulent basis that the client was persecuted in Ukraine for being a gay male, when in fact DANSKOI fully understood that the Source was a heterosexual male who suffered no such persecution. DANSKOI submitted the Source’s fraudulent asylum application and Affidavit, filed under penalty of perjury, to USCIS.
Meanwhile, Mosha encouraged a second client, a Government cooperator (the “Cooperator”), to establish and maintain online blogs that were critical of the client’s home country as a way to generate a false claim that, based on the client’s invented political opinion, it was unsafe for him to return to his native country. Mosha also personally prepared and submitted the Cooperator’s asylum application, Affidavit, and related paperwork under penalty of perjury, knowing that these documents contained material falsehoods.
When the Source and Cooperator needed to prepare for an interview, conducted under oath by a USCIS asylum officer, DANSKOI and Mosha connected each to JULIA GREENBERG, a New York immigration attorney, who coached both clients to lie to Asylum Officers and provided legal representation to these clients during immigration proceedings. For example, GREENBERG, understanding that the Source was a heterosexual male who did not suffer persecution in his home country, prepared the Source for questioning by an Asylum Officer, advised the Source how to falsely answer certain anticipated questions from the Asylum Officer, and instructed the Source to dress and change the Source’s appearance in a manner that comported with GREENBERG’s vision of a gay male.
DANSKOI and Mosha also agreed to help certain Russian America clients obtain employment visas by creating fake leases and staging offices to create the impression to USCIS that these clients had legitimate jobs waiting for them in the United States.
* * *
DANSKOI, 55, and GREENBERG, 42, each originally from Belarus and currently residing in Staten Island, New York, were convicted of one count of conspiring to defraud the United States and conspiring to commit immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and USCIS’s New York Asylum Office and Fraud Detection and National Security Unit. Mr. Williams also thanked United States Customs and Border Protection for its assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and Jonathan E. Rebold are in charge of the prosecution.
Honduran Man Pleads Not Guilty to Unlawfully Transporting Foreign Nationals in VermontRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney stated that Guillermo Paredes-Bobadilla, 31, of Honduras and Brunswick, New Jersey, was arraigned yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington on an indictment charging him with unlawfully transporting three individuals from Guatemala who entered the United States illegally. Paredes-Bobadilla pleaded not guilty and remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service in accordance with a prior order of the Court.
According to public documents in the case, during the early morning hours of December 1, 2022, based on information suggesting a nearby illegal border crossing, the United States Border Patrol initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Paredes-Bobadilla in Highgate, Vermont. Border Patrol identified Paredes-Bobadilla as a Honduran national living in New Jersey who had filed an asylum claim, which had not been adjudicated. The three passengers acknowledged they were from Guatemala and did not have legal status to be in the United States. The passengers stated that each paid $1,000 to be smuggled into the United States and that a foot guide led them to the pick up location.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. As currently charged Paredes-Bobadilla, faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted. Any sentence in the case will be advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest credited the agents of the United State Border Patrol for their investigation and apprehension of Paredes-Bobadilla and their continued efforts to prevent the exploitation of foreign nationals by human-smuggling organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella represents the United States in this case. Paredes-Bobadilla is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.
High-ranking Member of the Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drugs and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Seburn John Henry IV, age 37 of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to the plea agreement, on June 22, 2021, the Colorado Springs Police Department was conducting surveillance on a residence in Colorado Springs that was believed to be involved in narcotics distribution. During surveillance, two detectives observed the defendant working in and around a black Cadillac Escalade parked near the residence they were surveilling. Detectives saw the defendant near the back passenger compartment of the vehicle with a handgun in his right hand. It appeared to the detectives that the defendant was manipulating the slide of the handgun with his left hand. One of the detectives observed the defendant appear to load a firearm magazine. The defendant eventually left in the vehicle with a female passenger. Law enforcement knew the defendant was a high-ranking member of the Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club and also knew the defendant was a previously convicted felon who could not lawfully possess firearms. As such, both detectives believed the defendant was unlawfully in possession of a firearm and notified the CSPD Armed Violent Offenders Unit (AVOU) to respond and attempt to contact the defendant. That same day, law enforcement contacted the defendant as he pulled into a 7-Eleven in the same black Cadillac Escalade he was observed in earlier that day. The defendant was instructed to exit the vehicle, and he complied. One detective walked toward the driver’s door, which was left open, and observed two firearms in the driver’s door pocket. One of the handguns was a Taurus 9mm handgun loaded with a magazine containing 9mm ammunition. The other was a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun loaded with a magazine containing 9mm ammunition. Law enforcement than began searching the vehicle. During that search, detectives located another handgun in the front passenger floorboard area. This handgun was also found to be loaded with a magazine containing .45 caliber ammunition. At the time the defendant possessed the firearms and ammunition, he knew that he had been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing firearms. Detectives also located a total of 228.88 grams of suspected methamphetamine and two digital scales inside a black bag found on the floor of the front passenger seat in the vehicle.
Judge Raymond P. Moore sentenced the defendant on December 16, 2022.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Colorado Springs Police Department handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Churnet handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 21-cr-00236
Great Falls man sentenced to 51 months in prison for fraudulent check, stolen identity schemeRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls man who admitted using stolen personal identifying information to make fraudulent checks in a scheme to spend almost $40,000 at area businesses was sentenced on Dec. 19 to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
John Brendan Dailey, 52, pleaded guilty in August to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $28,359 restitution.
The government alleged that in 2019 and 2020, Dailey participated in a fraudulent check scheme where he used fake identification cards, stolen checks and check printing software and materials to create new checks with valid account numbers. Dailey then used the fake identification cards and altered checks to spend almost $40,000 at businesses in the Great Falls and surrounding area. Dailey’s conduct affected dozens of victims and impersonated numerous real individuals, who suffered financial loss and now face a lifetime of monitoring whether someone is using their personal information.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Great Falls Police Department.
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Georgia Man Sentenced to 244 Months in Prison for His Role in Ponzi and COVID-19 Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Christopher A. Parris, 42, formerly of Rochester, New York, and currently of Lawrenceville, Georgia, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to a Ponzi scheme, as well as to wire fraud involving the fraudulent sale of purported N95 masks during the pandemic, was sentenced to serve 244 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr.
“The schemes for which this defendant was sentenced, including the purported sale of non-existent medical supplies during the pandemic, were outrageous,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to prosecute those responsible for these types of fraud.”
“Christopher Parris, and his co-defendant Perry Santillo, engaged in an elaborate scheme to defraud hundreds of victims out of approximately $115 million dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Trini Ross for the Western District of New York. “These defendants went to great lengths to perpetuate their fraud and did so over a substantial period of time. This office, along with our law enforcement partners, committed significant resources to investigate this scheme, resulting in the prosecution of both Christopher Parris and Perry Santillo, who have now been sentenced to substantial periods of incarceration for victimizing their innocent clients in this Ponzi scheme. In addition, defendant Parris was also convicted for his part in a COVID-19 fraud scheme, during which he obtained approximately $7.4 million dollars by falsely purporting to have N95 masks, made in the United States, that he could sale to various medical companies, including the VA hospital, during the height of the pandemic.”
“This defendant exploited the unprecedented situation presented by the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves. “Fraud like this, playing off fears during a pandemic, merits a significant sentence, as the court imposed today. This sentence should be a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with defrauding the government or others during a crisis.”
“Mr. Parris’ conduct was deceptive and manipulative, ultimately defrauding consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Stansbury of the FBI Buffalo Office. “This example of blatant greed is an affront to every hard-working taxpayer. Scammers are trying everything they can to defraud people of their hard-earned money, but the FBI is doing everything we can to make sure they don’t succeed. Today’s sentencing is further commitment that we will continue to work with our partners to protect the financial well-being of honest, hard-working Americans.”
“Today’s sentencing should give clear warning that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will aggressively investigate and seek prosecution of individuals like Christopher Parris, who swindled investors out of their retirement savings and created financial devastation for so many victims,” said Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “We will continue to support and collaborate with our federal law enforcement partners to stop those who are engaged in these types of schemes.”
“It seems Parris’ multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme to defraud investors out of their hard-earned cash was not enough, so he turned his attention to a multi-million-dollar COVID fraud scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Fattorusso of IRS Criminal Investigations New York. “There were no boundaries in Parris’ cons, and no one person was safe as long as he was lining his pockets with their money. Now, with today’s sentencing, Parris will face justice; putting his scamming days behind him as he spends his time behind bars.”
“The pandemic and subsequent distribution of billions of dollars in relief funds created novel opportunities for bad actors and left VA vulnerable to various fraud schemes” said Inspector General Michael J. Missal of the Department of Veterans Affairs. “The vigilance and agility of our agents helped our office prevent the government and taxpayers from being defrauded of hundreds of millions of dollars. We will remain proactive in looking at high-risk areas and work with our law enforcement partners to stop these schemes before it is too late.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents have sworn an oath to protect the American public, which they continued to uphold during the global health crisis,” said Special Agent in Charge David Denton of HSI New Orleans. “Our agents quickly reacted to protect Americans from opportunistic individuals who exploited a public health crisis to harm and deceive others for their own profit. This sentencing is a gratifying outcome for HSI and our law enforcement partners who were at the forefront of the government’s investigation response to COVID-19-related crime.”
The Ponzi Scheme
Between January 2011 and June 2018, Parris conspired with co-defendant Perry Santillo and others to obtain money through an investment fraud, commonly known as a Ponzi scheme. Specifically, in 2007, Parris and Santillo, as equal partners, formed a business known as Lucian Development in Rochester. Prior to approximately July 2007, Lucian Development raised millions of dollars from investors in Rochester, and elsewhere, by soliciting investments for City Capital Corporation, a business operated by Ephren Taylor. In July 2007, Parris and Santillo were advised by Ephren Taylor that their investors’ money had been lost. In response, in August 2007, Parris and Santillo agreed to acquire the assets and debts of City Capital Corporation. The acquisition proved financially ruinous, with the amount of the acquired debt far exceeding the value of the acquired assets. Taylor was later prosecuted and convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme.
Subsequently, Parris and Santillo chose not to disclose the truth to investors that their money, entrusted to Lucian Development for investment in City Capital Corporation, was gone. Instead, Parris and Santillo continued to solicit ever-increasing amounts of money from new investors in an unsuccessful attempt to recoup the losses. In order to find potential investors to solicit and defraud, Parris and Santillo purchased businesses from established investment advisors or brokers who were looking to exit their businesses. Between approximately 2008 and September 2017, Parris and Santillo, using money obtained from prior investors, purchased the businesses of at least 15 investment advisors or brokers, located in Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Nevada, California (five businesses), Florida, South Carolina (two businesses), Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Indiana.
The investment offerings pitched by Parris and Santillo consisted principally of unsecured promissory notes and preferred stock issued by various entities controlled by Parris and Santillo. Potential investors were offered an apparent array of investment options to create the illusion of a diversified investment portfolio. Those investment options included products issued by purported issuers such as First Nationle Solutions (FNS), Percipience Global Corporation, United RL Capital Services, Boyles America, Middlebury Development Corporation and NexMedical Solutions, among others. None of these issuers had substantial bona fide business operations or used investor money in the manner and for the purposes represented to investors. To the extent that an issuer may have had some minor legitimate business activities, it was not profitable, and insufficient revenues were generated to pay investors any returns (let alone return the principal amounts of their investments).
Over the years, to keep the Ponzi scheme from being detected, a substantial portion of incoming new investor monies were depleted by making promised interest and other payments to earlier investors. Most of the rest of incoming investor money was used by Parris, Santillo, and other co-conspirators to finance lavish lifestyles of the conspirators, their families and associates; to expand the scheme by purchasing investment advisor/brokerage businesses to obtain access to fresh investors; and to pay operating expenses – salaries for a sales force and administrative staff, office rents and related expenses, housing for employees, and interest on loans – all of which were used to keep the scheme going and maintain a façade of legitimate business operations.
Very little investor money was deployed in productive investments, and when so deployed, the investments yielded meager income and were not profitable, or failed altogether. The Ponzi scheme was headquartered and based out of locations in Rochester, with a number of satellite offices around the country. Administrative and banking functions were largely performed out of Rochester. The conspiracy employed a variety of salespeople, including Parris and Santillo, who traveled around the country to meet with and solicit new investors.
Between January 2012 and June 19, 2018, Parris and Santillo obtained at least $115.5 million from approximately 1,000 investors. By the time the scheme collapsed in late-2017 and early 2018, Parris and Santillo, doing business through an array of corporate entities, had returned approximately $44.8 million to investors as part of their scheme, but continued to owe investors approximately $70.7 million.
Among the Rochester-area victims of the Ponzi scheme were the following:
- A resident of Webster, New York, who held a total asset value of $94,341.89 with a fictitious company known as First Nationle Solutions (FNS), which, as of Dec. 31, 2017, was in fact worthless or close to worthless; and
- A resident of Victor, New York, and his wife, who invested approximately $221,758.67 with FNS and Middlebury Development. The couple received three payments of $2,500 but lost approximately $214,258.67.
Parris and Santillo controlled hundreds of different business bank accounts opened under numerous different business names at various financial institutions, including but not limited to Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Genesee Regional Bank, and ESL Federal Credit Union. Santillo and Parris directed and authorized the transactions that occurred in the accounts, including deposits, withdrawals, check writing and funds transfers. The various bank accounts were used to transfer money from one account to another. Incoming investor money was routinely transferred through several accounts before the funds were finally spent on whatever purpose Parris and/or Santillo authorized. By moving investors’ funds through various accounts in various entity names, Parris and Santillo were able to conceal and obscure the fact that new investor money was being used to repay earlier investors, finance the operations of the Ponzi scheme, and fund their lifestyles.
Santillo was previously convicted and sentenced to serve 210 months in prison.
The COVID-19 Fraud Scheme
Parris also pleaded guilty in a case originally charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), as well as at least eight other victim companies, in a scheme involving personal protection equipment (PPE). Between February and April 10, 2020, the defendant, as the owner and operator of Encore Health Group, a company based in Atlanta, that purported to broker medical equipment, offered to sell scarce PPE, including 3M-brand N95 respirator masks, to various medical supply companies and governmental entities. In these proposals, Parris knowingly misrepresented his access to, and ability to obtain and deliver on time, vast quantities of 3M N95 masks and other PPE. The defendant falsely represented that he was able to obtain 3M N95 masks directly from authorized sources in the United States, when in fact, he had no ready access to 3M factories or 3M N95 masks or other PPE, no proven source of supply, and no track record of procuring and delivering such items.
For example, in March 2021, Parris offered to sell the VA 125 million 3M N95 masks at a cost of $6.45 per mask. In this process, the defendant attempted to obtain an upfront payment of $3.075 million from the VA, even though he knew at the time that he had no access to the promised masks or present ability to deliver the promised masks.
As part of his guilty plea, Parris admitted that, in addition to attempting to defraud the VA, he actually obtained upfront payments totaling approximately $7.4 million from at least eight clients for 3M N95 masks that he knew he had no access to or present ability to obtain or deliver on time. Parris also admitted that the proceeds of the scheme totaled approximately $6,218,525. In total, Parris sought orders in excess of $65 million for the non-existent PPE equipment.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division; Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury of the FBI Buffalo Division , Special Agent in Charge Thomas Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud New York Region; Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris of the New York State Department of Financial Services; the Securities and Exchange Commission; Inspector General Michael J. Missal of the VA OIG; and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the HSI New Orleans Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick for the Western District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Patrick Runkle of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 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 fraud related to COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Submitting More Than $2.9 Billion in False Tax Claims to the IRSRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced David O. Isagba to 14 years in federal prison for mail fraud and conspiring to defraud the United States with respect to tax claims. This sentence was imposed consecutively to Isagba’s 2022 conviction for possession of child pornography from the Eastern District of New York.
David Isagba and his wife, Joyce Isagba, were indicted on the tax charges on May 27, 2020. David Isagba pleaded guilty on March 29, 2022. Joyce Isagba was convicted after a jury trial on June 16, 2022. She is scheduled for sentencing on March 16, 2023.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, David Isagba submitted 227 fraudulent claims to the IRS from 2009 through 2019, falsely claiming to be entitled to more than $2.9 billion in tax refunds on behalf of nonexistent trusts. He subsequently received a total of $5,815,723.65 from the IRS as a result of this fraudulent scheme. Among other things, Isagba used the funds to purchase a home and multiple luxury vehicles.
“The defendant attempted to steal nearly $3 billion from the U.S. Treasury and used the millions he was able to swindle to lavish himself with exorbitant personal luxuries. Today’s sentencing now holds Isagba accountable for his egregious financial crimes and brazen scams,” said Ronald A. Loecker, IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “This significant prison term is all the more satisfying given David Isagba’s conviction for possessing child
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Hannah J. Nowalk.
Former St. Louis County High School Counselor Sentenced to 15 Years for Sex, Inappropriate Conduct with StudentsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a former St. Louis County, Missouri high school counselor who had sexual contact with one student and inappropriate contact with nine others to 15 years in prison.
After James Q. Jenkins, 38, is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for life and will have to register as a sex offender.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said Jenkins executed a “carefully orchestrated web of manipulation” that lasted months, and used students’ religious beliefs or past sexual abuse to prey on them.
She pointed out that Jenkins had been placed on administrative leave and counseled by a prior school for inappropriate behavior with students and sought a job at a third school even after his offenses in St. Louis County came to light in the summer of 2021.
In a letter about Jenkins to Judge White, the mother of one victim wrote, “He was supposed to be helping our seniors map out colleges to help them into the next step of their educational path. Instead, he was manipulating and grooming our girls for his pleasure while traumatizing them for life at the same time.” The mother added that her daughter wanted to attend the sentencing hearing but “couldn't handle the emotional turmoil from it.”
Jenkins pleaded guilty in September to two felonies, coercion and enticement of a minor and transfer of obscene material to minors, and admitted engaging in a pattern of inappropriate activity with multiple students between Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 1, 2021.
Jenkins contacted a 15-year-old student on her personal cell phone and via social media, his plea agreement says. Jenkins told her that he was very sexual, requested nude pictures and sent her nude pictures. He claimed he loved her and told her he wanted to have sex with her.
Jenkins complimented the body of a second teen and told her that he wanted to engage in phone sex with her.
Jenkins communicated with a third teen in a sexual manner, sent her nude pictures of himself and requested pictures in return. He also engaged in sexual conduct with the teen while she was a student, on occasion leaving school early to do so. The girl originally began meeting with Jenkins for counseling because of challenges at home.
Jenkins brought up inappropriate topics with a fourth student, arranged to smoke marijuana with her and asked her to teach him a “sensual” dance.
About six more students told authorities that Jenkins made comments about their bodies, communicated with them on their personal cellular telephones and social media accounts, tried to make plans with them outside of school, showed them sexual videos, called them by pet names and touched them in a manner that was inappropriate and uncomfortable.
One teen told other counselors that Jenkins took off his shirt on a Zoom call and touched himself after telling her to share details about when she was molested.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Rochester Man Going to Prison for More Than 20 Years for His Role in Ponzi and COVID-19 Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, NY--Christopher A. Parris, 42, formerly of Rochester, NY, and currently of Lawrenceville, Georgia, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to a Ponzi scheme, as well as to wire fraud involving the fraudulent sale of purported N95 masks during the pandemic, was sentenced to serve 244 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. Parris was also ordered to pay approximately $106-million dollars in restitution.
“The schemes for which this defendant was sentenced, including the purported sale of non-existent medical supplies during the pandemic were outrageous,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to prosecute those responsible for these types of fraud.”
“Christopher Parris, and his co-defendant Perry Santillo, engaged in an elaborate scheme to defraud hundreds of victims out of approximately $115 million dollars,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “These defendants went to great lengths to perpetuate their fraud and did so over a substantial period of time. This office, along with our law enforcement partners, committed significant resources to investigate this scheme, resulting in the prosecution of both Christopher Parris and Perry Santillo, who have now been sentenced to substantial periods of incarceration for victimizing their innocent clients in this Ponzi scheme. In addition, defendant Parris was also convicted for his part in a COVID-19 fraud scheme, during which he obtained approximately $7.4 million dollars by falsely purporting to have N95 masks, made in the United States, that he could sale to various medical companies, including the VA hospital, during the height of the pandemic.”
“Defrauding the citizens and companies of this great country will not be tolerated in our society. Individuals who participate in this type of fraudulent activity will be investigate and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” “This defendant exploited a situation like none other in our recent history,” said U. S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves. “Fraud like this, playing off fears during a pandemic, merits a significant sentence, as the court imposed today. This sentence should be a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with ripping off the government or others during a crisis.”
“Mr. Parris’ conduct was deceptive and manipulative, ultimately defrauding consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” stated Michael Stansbury, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo FBI Office. “This example of blatant greed is an affront to every hard-working taxpayer. Scammers are trying everything they can to defraud people of their hard-earned money, but the FBI is doing everything we can to make sure they don’t succeed. Today’s sentencing is further commitment that we will continue to work with our partners to protect the financial well-being of honest, hard-working Americans.”
“Today’s sentencing should give clear warning that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will aggressively investigate and seek prosecution of individuals like Christopher Parris, who swindled investors out of their retirement savings and created financial devastation for so many victims,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “We will continue to support and collaborate with our federal law enforcement partners to stop those who are engaged in these types of schemes.”
“It seems Paris’ multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme to defraud investors out of their hard-earned cash was not enough, so he turned his attention to a multi-million-dollar COVID fraud scheme. There were no boundaries in Paris’ cons, and no one person was safe as long as he was lining his pockets with their money. Now, with today’s sentencing, Paris will face justice; putting his scamming days behind him as he spends his time behind bars,” said Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI New York.
“The pandemic and subsequent distribution of billions of dollars in relief funds created novel opportunities for bad actors and left VA vulnerable to various fraud schemes. The vigilance and agility of our agents helped our office prevent the government and taxpayers from being defrauded of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said VA Inspector General Michael J. Missal. “We will remain proactive in looking at high-risk areas and work with our law enforcement partners to stop these schemes before it is too late.”
“Homeland Security Investigations special agents have sworn an oath to protect the American public, which they continued to uphold during the global health crisis. Our agents quickly reacted to protect Americans from opportunistic individuals who exploited a public health crisis to harm and deceive others for their own profit,” said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge David Denton. “This sentencing is a gratifying outcome for HSI and our law enforcement partners who were at the forefront of the government’s investigation response to COVID-19-related crime.”
The Ponzi Scheme
Between January 2011 and June 2018, Parris conspired with co-defendant Perry Santillo and others to obtain money through an investment fraud, commonly known as a Ponzi scheme. Specifically, in 2007, Parris and Santillo, as equal partners, formed a business known as Lucian Development in Rochester. Prior to approximately July 2007, Lucian Development raised millions of dollars from investors in Rochester, and elsewhere, by soliciting investments for City Capital Corporation, a business operated by Ephren Taylor. In July 2007, Parris and Santillo were advised by Ephren Taylor that their investors’ money had been lost. In response, in August 2007, Parris and Santillo agreed to acquire the assets and debts of City Capital Corporation. The acquisition proved financially ruinous, with the amount of the acquired debt far exceeding the value of the acquired assets. Taylor was later prosecuted and convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme.
Subsequently, Parris and Santillo chose not to disclose the truth to investors that their money, entrusted to Lucian Development for investment in City Capital Corporation, was gone. Instead, Parris and Santillo continued to solicit ever-increasing amounts of money from new investors in an unsuccessful attempt to recoup the losses. In order to find potential investors to solicit and defraud, Parris and Santillo purchased businesses from established investment advisors or brokers who were looking to exit their businesses. Between approximately 2008 and September 2017, Parris and Santillo, using money obtained from prior investors, purchased the businesses of at least 15 investment advisors or brokers, located in Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Nevada, California (five businesses), Florida, South Carolina (two businesses), Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Indiana.
The investment offerings pitched by Parris and Santillo consisted principally of unsecured promissory notes and preferred stock issued by various entities controlled by Parris and Santillo. Potential investors were offered an apparent array of investment options to create the illusion of a diversified investment portfolio. Those investment options included products issued by purported issuers such as First Nationle Solutions (FNS), Percipience Global Corporation, United RL Capital Services, Boyles America, Middlebury Development Corporation and NexMedical Solutions, among others. None of these issuers had substantial bona fide business operations or used investor money in the manner and for the purposes represented to investors. To the extent that an issuer may have had some minor legitimate business activities, it was not profitable, and insufficient revenues were generated to pay investors any returns (let alone return the principal amounts of their investments).
Over the years, to keep the Ponzi scheme from being detected, a substantial portion of incoming new investor monies were depleted by making promised interest and other payments to earlier investors. Most of the rest of incoming investor money was used by Parris, Santillo and other co-conspirators to finance lavish lifestyles of the conspirators, their families and associates; to expand the scheme by purchasing investment advisor/brokerage businesses to obtain access to fresh investors; and to pay operating expenses – salaries for a sales force and administrative staff, office rents and related expenses, housing for employees, and interest on loans – all of which were used to keep the scheme going and maintain a façade of legitimate business operations.
Very little investor money was deployed in productive investments, and when so deployed, the investments yielded meager income and were not profitable, or failed altogether. The Ponzi scheme was headquartered and based out of locations in Rochester, with a number of satellite offices around the country. Administrative and banking functions were largely performed out of Rochester. The conspiracy employed a variety of salespeople, including Parris and Santillo, who traveled around the country to meet with and solicit new investors.
Between January 2012 and June 19, 2018, Parris and Santillo obtained at least $115.5 million from approximately 1,000 investors. By the time the scheme collapsed in late-2017/early 2018, Parris and Santillo, doing business through an array of corporate entities, had returned approximately $44.8 million to investors as part of their scheme, but continued to owe investors approximately $70.7 million in principal.
Among the Rochester area victims of the Ponzi scheme were the following:
• A resident of Webster, New York, who held a total asset value of $94,341.89 with a fictitious company known as First Nationle Solutions (FNS), which, as of Dec. 31, 2017, was in fact worthless or close to worthless; and
• A resident of Victor, New York, and his wife, who invested approximately $221,758.67 with FNS and Middlebury Development. The couple received three payments of $2,500 but lost approximately $214,258.67.Parris and Santillo controlled hundreds of different business bank accounts opened under numerous different business names at various financial institutions, including but not limited to Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Genesee Regional Bank and ESL Federal Credit Union. Santillo and Parris directed and authorized the transactions that occurred in the accounts, including deposits, withdrawals, check writing and funds transfers. The various bank accounts were used to transfer money from one account to another. Incoming investor money was routinely transferred through several accounts before the funds were finally spent on whatever purpose Parris and/or Santillo authorized. By moving investors’ funds through various accounts in various entity names, Parris and Santillo were able to conceal and obscure the fact that new investor money was being used to repay earlier investors, finance the operations of the Ponzi scheme, and fund their lifestyles.
Santillo was previously convicted and sentenced to serve 210 months in prison.
The COVID-19 Fraud Scheme
Parris also pleaded guilty in a case originally charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), as well as at least eight other victim companies, in a scheme involving personal protection equipment (PPE). Between February and April 10, 2020, the defendant, as the owner and operator of Encore Health Group, a company based in Atlanta, that purported to broker medical equipment, offered to sell scarce PPE, including 3M-brand N95 respirator masks, to various medical supply companies and governmental entities. In these proposals, Parris knowingly misrepresented his access to, and ability to obtain and deliver on time, vast quantities of 3M N95 masks and other PPE. The defendant falsely represented that he was able to obtain 3M N95 masks directly from authorized sources in the United States, when in fact, he had no ready access to 3M factories or 3M N95 masks or other PPE, no proven source of supply, and no track record of procuring and delivering such items.
For example, in March 2021, Parris offered to sell the VA 125 million 3M N95 masks at a cost of $6.45 per mask. In this process, the defendant attempted to obtain an upfront payment of $3.075 million from the VA, even though he knew at the time that he had no access to the promised masks or present ability to deliver the promised masks.
As part of his guilty plea, Parris admitted that, in addition to attempting to defraud the VA, he actually obtained upfront payments totaling approximately $7.4 million from at least eight clients for 3M N95 masks that he knew he had no access to or present ability to obtain or deliver on time. Parris also admitted that the proceeds of the scheme totaled approximately $6,218,525. In total, Parris sought orders in excess of $65 million for the non-existent PPE equipment.
* * *
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the Boston Division; the FBI, Buffalo Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury, the IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, under the direction of Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Region, the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris; the Securities and Exchange Commission; the VA OIG, under the direction of Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, and HSI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Denton of the New Orleans Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick is handling the prosecution in the Western District of New York, and Trial Attorney Patrick Runkle of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas are handling the prosecution in the District of Columbia.
On May 17, 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 fraud related to COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Former Federal Agent Sentenced to 126 Months for Enticing a Minor and Engaging in Sex Tourism in the PhilippinesRead the Press Release
East St. Louis, Ill. – A Cahokia, Illinois man was sentenced to 126 months by the Honorable Judge Stephen P. McGlynn for Enticement of a Minor, Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct and Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct in a Foreign Place.
According to evidence presented during trial and sentencing, Joseph Albert Fuchs, III, a 55-year-old American citizen, met a 14-year-old girl while visiting the Philippines. Fuchs engaged in sexual conversations with the minor using Facebook and discussed ways to evade detection of her age when he would return to the Philippines to engage in sexual acts with her at a hotel.
Fuchs returned to the Philippines in March 2019 and engaged in sexual acts with the 14-year-old minor. During this time, Fuchs was a special agent for the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
USPSOIG provided their full cooperation into the investigation, and it was later revealed that Fuchs sent nearly $1,000 to the minor over a year long period.
“Knowing the consequences in the U.S., Joseph Fuchs, III traveled thousands of miles to take advantage of a young, impressionable foreign girl, enticed her with financial payments and tried to conceal his involvement with her,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Federal agents must be held to a higher ethical standard, and this sentence reflects the severity of the committed crimes.”
“This sentence sends an important message to all predators. We will not allow any crime against children to go unpunished,” said R. Sean Fitzgerald, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago. “We, alongside our law enforcement partners, are committed to holding these kind of criminals accountable for their heinous crimes. Our communities can help by being on the lookout for, and report, suspicious behavior to the proper authorities, regardless of whether the individual is in a position of public trust, like Fuchs.”
Fuchs is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for release. He will be on supervised release for 7 years after he is released from the Bureau of Prisons and will be required to register as a sex offender. Additionally, Fuchs was ordered to pay a total of $18,000 in fines.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the HSI Attaché Manila, the Philippine National Police and the Cahokia Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Laura Reppert.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood and internet safety for children, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Five Additional Defendants Indicted in Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy Involving 500+ Firearms Shipped from Georgia to California and Sold on the Black Market in CaliforniaRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 12-count superseding indictment on Thursday, adding Andre Warren Jr., 24, of Sacramento; Jjuan Brown, 32, of San Francisco; Kenyatta Alexander, 37, of Sacramento; Jarren Meek, 24, of Stockton; and Keino Brue, 28, of Georgia, as defendants, and charging them with conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearms without a license, and unlawfully dealing in firearms without a license, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Alexander is also charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on March 24, 2022, Jerrell Lawson, 32, of Sacramento; Aisha Hoggatt, 30, of Sacramento; Terrence Phillips, 40, of Union City; James Gordley, 33, of Modesto; and Malek Williams, 29, of Georgia, were indicted for a firearms trafficking scheme where firearms were acquired in Georgia and shipped to California to sell on the black market.
Between November 2019 and October 2021, the Lawson and his co-conspirators brought more than 500 firearms from Georgia into California and sent more than $300,000 in money transfers to purchase those firearms. Lawson would broker firearms transactions in Georgia over the internet, and Williams, a Georgia resident with a license to carry a concealed firearm, would pick up firearms in person and mail the firearms to various locations in California at Lawson’s direction. Some of the firearms went to individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions. Hoggatt worked with Lawson to coordinate the purchase, mailing, and distribution of the firearms. Phillips and Gordley also distributed the firearms in California.
Additional investigation has revealed that Warren Jr., Alexander, Brown, and Meek are members of the Lawson’s firearms trafficking organization and sub-distributors of firearms. Bruce also conducted hand-to-hand firearms transactions and received over $23,000 in money transfers to purchase firearms for Lawson’s firearms trafficking organization. Warren Jr., Alexander, Brown, and Meek discussed acquiring and selling firearms and machine gun conversion devices with Lawson. On one occasion, Brown indicated to Lawson the individuals in Oakland who Brown was supplying firearms to were “scar[]y.” Lawson, Phillips, Gordley, Warren Jr., and Alexander are all prohibited from possessing firearms because they each have one or more prior felony convictions.
The investigation began when a firearm used in a shooting in Sacramento was traced to the last known sale by a federally licensed dealer in Georgia. A subsequent sale of the firearm led to Lawson’s firearms trafficking organization. Lawson and his co-conspirators used coded language to traffic firearms and moved money using a variety of financial institutions. During the investigation, interdicted packages destined for Lawson and other co-conspirators were found to contain firearms, ammunition, knives, and brass knuckles, among other things.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Sacramento Region/San Francisco Bay Area Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force Initiative. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Klein is prosecuting the case.
The Sacramento Region/San Francisco Bay Area Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force is one of five cross-jurisdictional strike forces launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in July 2021 to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Each strike force is led by designated United States Attorneys, who collaborate with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and with state and local law enforcement partners within their own jurisdiction as well as law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. The strike forces use the latest data, evidence, and intelligence from crime scenes to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes, and are an important part of the Department’s Comprehensive Violent Crime Reduction Strategy.
Williams pled guilty to unlawfully dealing in firearms without a license and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Jan. 31, 2023. Williams faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison for unlawful dealing in firearms. Charges are pending against the remaining defendants. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort 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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Final Defendant Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Leading Nationwide Wire Fraud Conspiracy Targeting WalmartRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced today that the last of seven defendants was sentenced for a retail theft and wire fraud scheme they executed at hundreds of Walmart stores in 38 states. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker sentenced the leader of the conspiracy, Adarius Ferguson, of Benton Harbor, to 144 months in prison. “This sentence marks the end of rampant crime sprees by six men who stole from and conducted fraudulent returns at over 300 Walmart stores across the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten.
The seven men sentenced as part of this scheme are:
Name
Residence
Age
Sentence
Adarius Ferguson
Benton Harbor
31
144 months
Christopher Campbell
Benton Harbor
23
30 months
Joshawn Wilson
Benton Harbor
23
24 months
Jaylen Sulton
Benton Harbor
21
27 months
Tipton Lamar Walker
Benton Harbor
22
18 months
Marquis Davis
Benton Harbor
24
30 months
Elisha Vary
Jackson, MI
22
41 months
As part of the conspiracy, the codefendants stole high-priced electronics, such as internet routers, Apple products, and iRobot vacuums, from Walmart stores. They also purchased high-priced electronic goods matching those that were stolen. Using a variety of means, they altered the Walmart receipts from purchased goods and used them to conduct returns of both the stolen goods and the purchased goods, effectively getting double the return value for each item they purchased as part of the scheme. The group stole over $275,000 in Walmart electronics and conducted fraudulent returns in excess of $400,000.
“Brazen is exactly the way to describe what happened. People just piling up electronic equipment and walking out the front door, with the goal of going back in to ‘return’ the product,” said Judge Jonker. In discussing the broader implications of the fraud scheme, Judge Jonker explained, “It isn’t just Walmart. It’s the whole community. It’s all of the people that go to Walmart to buy things that now have to pay more for things because Walmart has to pay for the theft, somehow. . . . Stealing money without violence is still theft, it’s still serious, and it’s still something that people need to be accountable for.”
“This crime not only affected a major retailer, it affected the lives of hundreds of Walmart employees. Some store associates had Walmart keys stolen from their hands as they opened electronic cases for the defendants. Others had their vests, name tags, and store radios stolen. One associate required emergency medical treatment after being assaulted during a theft. And countless Walmart employees were pressured by Adarius Ferguson while he made fraudulent returns.” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten explained. “My office is committed to intercepting and incapacitating fraudsters who threaten the integrity and safety of our communities and effectively raise the cost of goods for all consumers.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Michigan State Police partnered in the investigation, with support from dozens of law enforcement agencies across the country that investigated thefts and fraudulent returns at Walmart stores in their respective jurisdictions. “The crimes committed by Ferguson and his codefendants were not “victimless” thefts from a retail store. In addition to the financial loss to the store, these defendants created trauma to the victim salesclerks,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Today’s conclusion of this investigation serves as a reminder to those who engage in a criminal enterprise that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will work together with the private sector to find you and bring you to justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Zell and Adam Townshend prosecuted the case.
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Federal jury finds Rio Rancho man guilty of theft and making false statements in Social Security schemeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that a federal jury on Dec. 16 returned a guilty verdict on James Anthony Sandoval, 57, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The jury convicted Sandoval on 33 counts of theft of government property and one count each of making false statements and false statements on a Social Security form.
Sandoval became entitled to receive disability benefits in 2008. In 2016 and 2019, he reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that he had not worked since becoming ill in 2007. He also reported having difficulty performing simple daily tasks such as any physical activity and engaging in social interactions.
On Feb. 19, 2020, Sandoval was interviewed by the Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Unit at the SSA office in Rio Rancho. During the interview, Sandoval reported he had not worked since 2002 or 2003, and he used an oxygen tank at all times. Sandoval refused to answer any questions regarding his business and denied making a profit or working at a jewelry business.
On March 15, 2021, Sandoval signed and dated an SSA Work Activity Report form in which he stated he was not able to work and had not received any income other than his SSA Disability Insurance benefits. The CDI investigation, however, uncovered facts contrary to these statements. Records from the New Mexico Office of the Secretary of State show that Traditions Past and Present, Inc., is an active, for-profit corporation. The business was incorporated in 2016 with Sandoval as the registered agent, director, director of operations and incorporator. The official address for the business was listed as Sandoval’s current residential address. According to bank records, Sandoval’s jewelry business was also generating a profit.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence including observations of agents and videos of Sandoval at the business location where he was working and identified himself as the owner. Other evidence included reports and photographs of Sandoval working at a vendor booth for his jewelry business at a trade show in Texas. During these observations, some of which lasted approximately an hour, Sandoval did not utilize an oxygen tank and indicated he had attended multiple shows across the United States promoting his business and selling his jewelry.
The prosecution also presented bank records of Traditions Past and Present and Sandoval’s personal bank records from 2014 to 2019. Those records included several transactions from the jewelry business to Sandoval’s personal accounts, all of which were controlled by Sandoval. According to bank records, Sandoval was the only known withdrawer from the accounts.
Sandoval will remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
The SSA Office of the Inspector General Albuquerque CDI Unit investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico Disability Determination Services, the New Mexico Office of Attorney General and SSA. Assistant United States Attorneys Raquel Ruiz-Velez and Kristopher N. Houghton are prosecuting the case.
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Federal Indictment Charges Rush City Woman with Mail Fraud, Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Rush City woman has been indicted for mail fraud and money laundering after participating in multiple schemes that defrauded individuals throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, from 2016 through April 2022, Gayle Joyce Ferngren, 69, and others participated in a scheme to launder proceeds that were fraudulently obtained from victims throughout the United States, including the proceeds of romance fraud scams and schemes to defraud Federal Pandemic Assistance Programs. After receiving the fraudulent proceeds, Ferngren kept a portion for herself and transmitted most of the funds to other scheme participants, including to individuals located overseas. In total, Ferngren laundered at least $1.8 million in fraud proceeds.
Ferngren is charged with four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. She will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor–Office of Inspector General, and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Allison K. Ethen are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky returned an indictment on November 16, 2022, charging a local man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Richard Sanders of the Jeffersontown Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, between June 13, 2020, and January 1, 2021, Ayub Hussein, 23, possessed a handgun after having previously been convicted in 2019 of unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, a felony.
Hussein made his initial court appearance yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The ATF and the Jeffersontown Police Department are investigating the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Lantz is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – William Lawrence Bryant, 32, of Fayetteville, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 1, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bryant’s Fayetteville residence and seized multiple digital media devices including computers, cell phones, and external hard drives. Bryant told the officers that he downloaded and distributed child pornography on various internet platforms and websites from approximately 2017 until March 1, 2021. Bryant admitted that the digital media devices were his and contained images and videos showing prepubescent minor male children subjected to sexually explicit conduct. Bryant further admitted that the child pornography he possessed included a video of a male toddler being sexually assaulted by an adult male.
Officers found a photograph on one of the cell phones depicting Bryant naked with a minor male child who was asleep and in underwear. Bryant admitted to taking the photograph and further admitted that the minor male child was younger than 12 years old.
Bryant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 50 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, and the FBI Baltimore field office.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-112.
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Fort Washakie Man Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily HarmRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced today that CALEB ENGAVO, 20, of Fort Washakie, Wyoming, was sentenced on December 9, 2022, by Chief United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl for assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm. Engavo received 33 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
This case involved a violent assault with steel-toed boots that resulted in serious injuries to the victim. This crime was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Wind River Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case.
Case No. 22-CR-00040-SWS
FBI and Partners Issue National Public Safety Alert on Financial Sextortion SchemesRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – The FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is issuing a national public safety alert regarding an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money—a crime known as financial sextortion.
Over the past year, law enforcement has received over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides. A large percentage of these sextortion schemes originate outside of the United States, and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast. As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and our partners implore parents and caregivers to engage with their kids about financial sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place.
“What is your child doing on-line during the holidays,” asked U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “Unbeknownst to many parents, kids get caught on-line, tricked by adult predators into revealing something private or personal, even exposing themselves. Then the predator threatens to go public or send the information to the child’s parents unless the child sends money or provides other improper photos to the predator. This is electronic extortion and it’s a crime that happens frequently, so know what your child is doing on-line this holiday season.”
“The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is here for victims, but we also need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does. Victims may feel like there is no way out—it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone.”
“The protection of children is a society’s most sacred duty,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It calls on each of us to do everything we can to keep kids from harm, including ensuring the threats they face are brought into the light and confronted. Armed with the information in this alert message, parents, caregivers, ad children themselves should feel empowered to detect fake identities, take steps to reject any attempt to obtain private material, and if targeted, have a plan to seek help from a trusted adult.”
Financial sextortion schemes occur in online environments where young people feel most comfortable—using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe. On these platforms, online predators often use fake female accounts and target minor males, between 14 to 17 years old but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10 years old.
“The sexual exploitation of children is a deplorable crime. HSI special agents will continue to exhaust every resource to identify, locate, and apprehend predators to ensure they face justice,” said Steve K. Francis, HSI Acting Executive Associate Director. “Criminals who lurk in platforms on the internet are not as anonymous as they think. HSI will continue to leverage cutting-edge technology to end these heinous acts.”
Through deception, predators convince the young person to produce an explicit video or photo. Once predators acquire the images, they threaten to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money or gift cards. Often the predators demand payment through a variety of peer-to-peer payment applications. In many cases, however, predators release the images even if payments are made. The shame, fear, and confusion that victims feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse.
“This is a growing crisis and we've seen sextortion completely devastate children and families,” said Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “As the leading nonprofit focused on child protection, we've seen first-hand the rise in these cases worldwide. The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they're targeted online. We want everyone to know help is out there and they're not alone.”
What if you or your child is a victim?
If young people are being exploited, they are victims of a crime and should report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has outlined steps parents and young people can take if they or their child are a victim of sextortion, including:
- Remember, the predator is to blame, not your child or you.
- Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the predator. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail and continued harassment.
- REPORT the predator’s account via the platform’s safety feature.
- BLOCK the predator and DO NOT DELETE the profile or messages because that can be helpful to law enforcement in identifying and stopping them.
- Let NCMEC help get explicit images of you off the internet.
- Visit org/IsYourExplicitContentOutThere to learn how to notify companies yourself or visit cybertipline.org to report to us for help with the process.
- Ask for help. This can be a very complex problem and may require help from adults or law enforcement.
- If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at [email protected] or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Take a moment to learn how sextortion works and how to talk to your children about it. Information, resources, and conversation guides are available at fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
FBI and Partners Issue National Public Safety Alert on Financial Sextortion SchemesRead the Press Release
FBI and Partners Issue National Public Safety Alert on Financial Sextortion SchemesOver 3,000 minor victims targeted in the past year across the United States
The FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is issuing a national public safety alert regarding an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money—a crime known as financial sextortion.
Over the past year, law enforcement has received over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides. A large percentage of these sextortion schemes originate outside of the United States, and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast. As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and our partners implore parents and caregivers to engage with their kids about financial sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place.
“The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is here for victims, but we also need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does. Victims may feel like there is no way out—it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone.”
“The protection of children is a society’s most sacred duty,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It calls on each of us to do everything we can to keep kids from harm, including ensuring the threats they face are brought into the light and confronted. Armed with the information in this alert message, parents, caregivers, and children themselves should feel empowered to detect fake identities, take steps to reject any attempt to obtain private material, and if targeted, have a plan to seek help from a trusted adult.”
Financial sextortion schemes occur in online environments where young people feel most comfortable—using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe. On these platforms, online predators often use fake female accounts and target minor males, between 14 to 17 years old but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10 years old.
“The sexual exploitation of children is a deplorable crime. HSI special agents will continue to exhaust every resource to identify, locate, and apprehend predators to ensure they face justice,” said Steve K. Francis, HSI Acting Executive Associate Director. “Criminals who lurk in platforms on the internet are not as anonymous as they think. HSI will continue to leverage cutting-edge technology to end these heinous acts.”
Through deception, predators convince the young person to produce an explicit video or photo. Once predators acquire the images, they threaten to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money or gift cards. Often the predators demand payment through a variety of peer-to-peer payment applications. In many cases, however, predators release the images even if payments are made. The shame, fear, and confusion that victims feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse.
“This is a growing crisis and we've seen sextortion completely devastate children and families,” said Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “As the leading nonprofit focused on child protection, we've seen first-hand the rise in these cases worldwide. The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they're targeted online. We want everyone to know help is out there and they're not alone.”
What if you or your child is a victim?
If young people are being exploited, they are victims of a crime and should report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has outlined steps parents and young people can take if they or their child are a victim of sextortion, including:
- Remember, the predator is to blame, not your child or you.
- Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the predator. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail and continued harassment.
- REPORT the predator’s account via the platform’s safety feature.
- BLOCK the predator and DO NOT DELETE the profile or messages because that can be helpful to law enforcement in identifying and stopping them.
- Let NCMEC help get explicit images of you off the internet.
- Visit org/IsYourExplicitContentOutThere to learn how to notify companies yourself or visit cybertipline.org to report to us for help with the process.
- Ask for help. This can be a very complex problem and may require help from adults or law enforcement.
- If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at [email protected] or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Take a moment to learn how sextortion works and how to talk to your children about it. Information, resources, and conversation guides are available at fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
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El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un distrito escolar del sur de California para proteger los derechos civiles de estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglésRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con el Distrito Escolar Unificado Conjunto Colton para resolver una investigación del programa del distrito para estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés. La investigación del Departamento, realizada como esfuerzo conjunto entre la División de Derechos Civiles y la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Centro de California, reveló que el distrito denegaba a ciertos estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés la enseñanza que necesitan para llegar a dominar el inglés y los apoyos necesarios para poder participar plenamente y progresar en la escuela.
«Los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés tienen el derecho a recibir una educación que sea igual a la de sus compañeros de clase», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Los distritos escolares tienen la obligación de superar las barreras lingüísticas y apoyar a los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés para que puedan participar plenamente en los programas académicos de sus escuelas. La División de Derechos Civiles está comprometido a garantizar que los distritos escolares por todo el país cumplan con las leyes federales y que brinden a todo estudiante la igualdad de acceso a una educación de calidad».
«Estamos comprometidos a proveer a los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés con un acceso significativo a la educación que se proporciona en sus distritos escolares», comentó el Fiscal General Auxiliar para el Distrito Centro de California, Martin Estrada. «Estos estudiantes pueden aprender inglés, desarrollar destrezas esenciales, graduarse e ir a la universidad y después contribuir a nuestra sociedad compartida. Pero primero necesitan tener acceso real a los programas educativos que se ofrecen en su distrito. Este acuerdo asegura que los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés dispongan de ese acceso».
La investigación del Departamento identificó que no se garantizó que todos los maestros estuvieran debidamente calificados para enseñar cómo se aprende el inglés, lo que significa que algunos estudiantes no tenían acceso a los servicios lingüísticos que necesitaban para dominar el idioma. Igualmente, en muchos casos los maestros de matemáticas, ciencias y estudios sociales no estaban debidamente calificados para apoyar a los estudiantes que estaban aprendiendo inglés en sus aulas, lo que privó a tales estudiantes de una educación en esas asignaturas esenciales. Asimismo, el departamento halló, entre otros problemas, lapsos en los servicios prestados a estudiantes con discapacidades que estaban aprendiendo inglés, así como barreras a la participación en el programa del distrito para alumnos dotados.
Conforme el acuerdo, el distrito trabajará para garantizar que todos los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés lo aprendan de un maestro capacitado y debidamente calificado. Asimismo, el distrito asegurará que los maestros que enseñan a estos estudiantes asignaturas básicas –como matemáticas, ciencias y estudios sociales– a estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés puedan ofrecerles el tipo de apoyo que esos estudiantes necesitan para poder entender y aprender la materia. El departamento supervisará el progreso del distrito a lo largo de los próximos tres años.
La versión en inglés del comunicado de prensa está disponible aquí: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-settlement-southern-california-school-district-protect-civil. La ejecución de la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974 es una de las prioridades principales de la División de Derechos Civiles. Para más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles, puede visitar su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt. Para más información sobre la labor de la Sección de Oportunidades Educativas, vaya a https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Miembros del público también pueden informar de posibles vulneraciones de derechos civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un distrito escolar del sur de California para proteger los derechos civiles de estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglésRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES –- El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con el Distrito Escolar Unificado Conjunto Colton para resolver una investigación del programa del distrito para estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés. La investigación del Departamento, realizada como esfuerzo conjunto entre la División de Derechos Civiles y la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Centro de California, reveló que el distrito denegaba a ciertos estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés la enseñanza que necesitan para llegar a dominar el inglés y los apoyos necesarios para poder participar plenamente y progresar en la escuela.
«Estamos comprometidos a proveer a los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés con un acceso significativo a la educación que se proporciona en sus distritos escolares», comentó el Fiscal General Auxiliar para el Distrito Centro de California, Martin Estrada. «Estos estudiantes pueden aprender inglés, desarrollar destrezas esenciales, graduarse e ir a la universidad y después contribuir a nuestra sociedad compartida. Pero primero necesitan tener acceso real a los programas educativos que se ofrecen en su distrito. Este acuerdo asegura que los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés dispongan de ese acceso».
«Los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés tienen el derecho a recibir una educación que sea igual a la de sus compañeros de clase», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Los distritos escolares tienen la obligación de superar las barreras lingüísticas y apoyar a los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés para que puedan participar plenamente en los programas académicos de sus escuelas. La División de Derechos Civiles está comprometido a garantizar que los distritos escolares por todo el país cumplan con las leyes federales y que brinden a todo estudiante la igualdad de acceso a una educación de calidad».
La investigación del Departamento identificó que no se garantizó que todos los maestros estuvieran debidamente calificados para enseñar cómo se aprende el inglés, lo que significa que algunos estudiantes no tenían acceso a los servicios lingüísticos que necesitaban para dominar el idioma. Igualmente, en muchos casos los maestros de matemáticas, ciencias y estudios sociales no estaban debidamente calificados para apoyar a los estudiantes que estaban aprendiendo inglés en sus aulas, lo que privó a tales estudiantes de una educación en esas asignaturas esenciales. Asimismo, el departamento halló, entre otros problemas, lapsos en los servicios prestados a estudiantes con discapacidades que estaban aprendiendo inglés, así como barreras a la participación en el programa del distrito para alumnos dotados.
Conforme el acuerdo, el distrito trabajará para garantizar que todos los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés lo aprendan de un maestro capacitado y debidamente calificado. Asimismo, el distrito asegurará que los maestros que enseñan a estos estudiantes asignaturas básicas –como matemáticas, ciencias y estudios sociales– a estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés puedan ofrecerles el tipo de apoyo que esos estudiantes necesitan para poder entender y aprender la materia. El departamento supervisará el progreso del distrito a lo largo de los próximos tres años.
East Glacier man admits murder charge in shooting death on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — An East Glacier man accused of shooting to death another man in a Bearpaw residence, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in 2020 admitted to a murder charge on Dec. 19, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Dillon James Wippert, 27, pleaded guilty to second degree murder. Wippert faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for May 11, 2023. Wippert was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that on May 19, 2020, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services notified the FBI that there was a death of an individual, identified as John Doe, in a residence in Bearpaw. John Doe lived in the residence at the time. On May 17, 2020, Wippert, John Doe, and three other individuals were at the residence celebrating Wippert’s birthday. At some point, John Doe and others became upset at Wippert and confronted him. After the confrontation, most of the individuals thought Wippert had left the residence. While there are discrepancies in descriptions of events leading to John Doe’s death, at some point only John Doe and Wippert were at the residence. John Doe was in his bedroom when Wippert shot him. An autopsy confirmed that Wippert first shot John Doe in the arm and then shot him in the back of the head. Family members found John Doe’s body on May 19, 2020 in his bedroom.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek, Wendy A. Johnson and Kalah Paisley are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, with assistance from the Cut Bank Police Department, Glacier County Sheriff's Office, Mineral County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service.
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District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Burglarizing Public School, Assaulting PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jason Stroman, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Friday, December 16, 2022, to two and a half years in prison for a burglary at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, D.C., and for assaulting the police officers who arrested him, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Stroman was convicted at a jury trial in August 2022 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on one count of Second Degree Burglary and two counts of Assault on a Police Officer.
According to the government’s evidence, Stroman entered C.W. Harris Elementary school early in the morning on Sunday, July 26, 2020, and disguised himself as a construction worker while walking through the school and compiling items - including various school supplies - into a large trash bin near an exit door. When he was discovered by DCPS and MPD officers, he fled on foot before being apprehended hiding nearby. After being placed under arrest, he spat directly onto MPD officers throughout the course of a 20 minute transport ride, telling the officers he hoped they took the coronavirus home to their families.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the cases at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tonya Queen, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin DeRiso, Kristin Sourbeer, and Lisa Lindhorst who investigated and indicted the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Forgie and Teddy Dunn, who tried the case.
Coxsackie Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing AR-15Read the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shawn Ubrich, age 50, of Coxsackie, New York, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Steven A. Nigrelli, Acting Superintendent of the New York State Police.
Ubrich, a convicted felon, admitted that he possessed an AR-15 in Greene County, New York on October 5, 2021, and agreed to forfeiture of the firearm.
Ubrich faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes on April 27, 2023. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by ATF and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
Correctional Officer with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Convicted by Jury of Violating Inmate's Civil RightsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A federal jury in Boston has convicted a senior correctional officer at FMC Devens of injuring an inmate following a five-day trial.
Seth M. Bourget, 42, of Woodstock, Conn., a Senior Correctional Officer at U.S. Bureau Prisons Federal Medical Center in Devens (FMC Devens), was convicted of one count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 5, 2023. Bourget was arrested and charged in February 2020.
“When Mr. Bourget took an oath to become a law enforcement officer, he swore to serve and protect. He violated that oath when he violently struck a mentally impaired and handcuffed inmate,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “When members of law enforcement demonstrate such poor judgment and gross misconduct, they undermine the exceptional work the vast majority of their colleagues do every day. Wearing a badge is an honor and comes with enormous responsibility. Mr. Bourget’s conduct fell so far below that standard he is now a convicted felon. We thank the jury for their verdict. The victim in this case sustained significant physical injuries and required 12 staples to close a gash Mr. Bourget caused to the back of his skull. Today’s conviction is for him.”
“We entrust Correctional Officers with great authority and responsibility. Bourget abused his power and assaulted an inmate using excessive force. Today, the jury held him accountable for his misconduct,” said Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General New York Field Office.
“Today’s verdict shows that corrections officers like Seth Bourget who break the law, violate their oath, deprive an inmate of their civil rights, and then try to cover it up will be held accountable for their disgraceful conduct,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Most corrections officers are good and honest public servants doing an enormously challenging and important job, but the FBI will not hesitate to pursue those who violate the civil rights of their prisoners because no one is above the law.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on or about June 18, 2019, Bourget struck a handcuffed inmate suffering from severe mental illness with a large protective shield with excessive force, causing serious head injuries.
The charge of willful deprivation of civil rights under color of law provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, DOJ-OIG SAC Geach and FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil J. Gallagher, Jr. of Rollins’ Public Corruption Unit and Torey B. Cummings of Rollins’ Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit are prosecuting the case.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Travis Lester, 42, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison as a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. A federal jury convicted Lester of this offense after a four-day trial earlier this year. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on May 19, 2021, the United States Marshals Service and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office apprehended a wanted fugitive, Travis Lester, at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Lester was found in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol with 16 live rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. The gun had been reported stolen on December 26, 2020, in a theft from a motor vehicle.
As a result of his prior felony convictions, Lester is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
On December 9, 2022, United States District Judge Samuel H. Mays sentenced Lester to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. At the time of his arrest, Lester was on federal supervised release and was sentenced to an additional 17-months incarceration to be served consecutive to his sentence of 120 months incarceration.
This case was investigated by Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the United States Marshals Service, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Memphis Police Department, and the ATF. PSN is 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 Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin, who prosecuted this case.
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For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901- 544-4231 or [email protected]. Follow@WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.
Chillicothe Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Chillicothe, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearms he stole from a local business.
Marcus R. Brown, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, Dec. 19, to nine years and four months in federal prison without parole.
On March 11, 2022, Brown pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brown admitted that he broke into Medicine Creek Trading Company, a firearm dealer in Chillicothe, and stole six firearms on April 22, 2020. Brown stole a Ruger 9mm pistol, a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Beretta 9mm pistol, a Ruger .45-caliber pistol, and a Block .40-caliber pistol.
Brown was arrested in an unrelated case on April 29, 2020. Investigators found evidence that linked Brown to the business burglary.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, and burglary. He was on probation at the time of this federal offense.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Chillicothe, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.
Chicago Woman Sentenced to Prison for Fraud and Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A Chicago tax preparer was sentenced to seven years in prison today after her trial conviction for embezzling her deceased grandmother’s pension checks and preparing false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in 2016 and 2017 Eunice Salley prepared and filed with the IRS approximately 22 false tax returns on behalf of clients. The returns reported fictitious wages and withholdings, as well as false medical, charitable, and employment related expenses. In addition to charging her clients a preparation fee, Salley also demanded that some clients pay her as much as 50% of the resulting refund. In total, the 22 false returns sought more than $1 million in fraudulent refunds.
Salley also was convicted of pension fraud. Salley’s grandmother died in 2009 after working for and earning a pension with American Can Co. After Salley’s grandmother died, the monthly pension checks continued to be delivered to the residence where Salley resided. From January 2013 to December 2017, American Can Co. sent 33 pension checks, totaling $14,131, to the grandmother. Salley deposited these checks into one of six bank accounts she controlled. On several occasions during this period, Salley notarized and submitted to the pension plan administrator affidavits under her grandmother’s name, fraudulently affirming the grandmother was still alive. In 2017, Salley did not report to the IRS approximately $5,000 in income she received from the embezzled pension checks.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow Jr. ordered Salley to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $558,369 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell of the Chicago Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Acting Special Agent in Charge John S. Morales of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Andrew Kameros of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas of the Northern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced for Armed Robbery and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Valentino Cabral Darosa, 30, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 17 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the armed robbery of a local business and related firearms offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, evidence introduced at trial and witness testimony, on October 23, 2020, CMPD officers responded to a robbery service call at Atlantic Metals Xchange, located at 11318 N. Community House Road, in Charlotte. The store owner told officers at the scene that prior to opening for business an individual later identified as Darosa approached the store and knocked on the door. When the store owner did not immediately answer, Darosa walked away. The store owner then went outside and approached Darosa. Following a brief exchange, Darosa produced a firearm and forced the store owner into the business and into a back room. As trial evidence established, Darosa ordered the store owner to unplug the surveillance system’s recorder, then handcuffed the store owner and opened the safes. Darosa began stealing items from the safes and proceeded to duct-tape the store owner’s hands and ankles together. Court records show that Darosa took approximately $133,980 in property and cash and the surveillance system’s hard drive. Darosa also took the store owner’s backpack, which contained a firearm, cash, and the victim’s wallet. After Darosa fled the scene, the store owner managed to free himself and call 911 for assistance. On November 5, 2020, CMPD officers arrested Darosa at his apartment in Charlotte. During a search of Darosa’s apartment and vehicle, law enforcement recovered several items Darosa had stolen from the business. According to court records, Darosa was on post-release supervision when he committed the armed robbery. He also has multiple felony convictions in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties and he is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.
A federal jury convicted Darosa of robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce, or Hobbs Act Robbery, using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He is currently in federal custody.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Hess and Dana Washington prosecuted the case.