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27 October 2022
Two Former Directors of Public Works Sentenced for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
The former Director of Public Works of the Municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico, and the former Director of Public Works of Cataño, also in Puerto Rico, were sentenced this week to two years and two years and 6 months in prison, respectively, for their involvement in separate bribery schemes in which they received cash payments in exchange for approving invoice payments for an asphalt and paving company.
According to court documents, Ramon Conde-Melendez, 56, was the Director of Public Works in the municipality of Guayama from 2013 until 2022. In 2019 and 2021, Conde-Melendez agreed to receive and received cash payments from an individual (Individual A) in exchange for certifying that the asphalt and paving company (Company A) completed asphalt projects in the municipality. The certification was required for the approval of invoices for payments from the municipality of Guayama to Company A. In 2019 and 2021, Conde-Melendez received kickback payments, equaling $1 per each square meter of asphalt removed by Company A, which totaled more than $15,000. In addition to the term of imprisonment, he was sentenced to two years of supervised release. In May 2022, Conde-Melendez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.
According to court documents, Pedro Marrero-Miranda, 54, was the Director of Public Works in the municipality of Cataño from 2017 until 2021. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Marrero-Miranda agreed to receive and received cash payments from Individual A and another individual (Individual B) in exchange for the distribution of asphalt removal projects by the municipality of Cataño to Company A, and the certification of invoices for payments from the municipality of Cataño to Company A. Specifically, Marrero-Miranda received multiple kickback payments equaling approximately $1 for each square meter of asphalt removed by Company A in the municipality of Cataño, which totaled more than $40,000. In addition to the term of imprisonment, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release. In June 2022, Marrero-Miranda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI San Juan Field Office investigated the cases.
Trial Attorney Nicholas W. Cannon of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico prosecuted the cases.
These cases are part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat public corruption by municipal officials in Puerto Rico. In addition to the above matters, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the District of Puerto Rico for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts. See United States v. Félix Delgado-Montalvo, 21-463 (RAM); United States v. Oscar Santamaria-Torres, 21-464 (RAM); United States v. Raymond Rodríguez, 21-465 (RAM); United States v. Mario Villegas-Vargas, 21-468 (FAB); United States v. Luis Arroyo-Chiques, 21-485 (SCC); United States v. Eduardo Cintron-Suarez, 22-151 (SCC); Jose Luis Cruz-Cruz, 22-276 (SCC); United States Jose Bou-Santiago, 22-379 (ADC).
Additionally, federal grand juries recently indicted several former officials with bribery related to municipal contracts, and those cases are still pending. See United States v. Ángel Pérez-Otero, 21-474 (ADC); United States v. Radamés Benítez-Cardona, 21-475 (PAD); United States v. Javier García-Pérez, 22-185 (ADC); and United States v. Reinaldo Vargas-Rodríguez, 22-186 (PAD).
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Former Coast Guard Employees Sentenced in Test-Fixing CaseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that former United States Coast Guard employees DOROTHY SMITH and ELDRIDGE JOHNSON were sentenced today for engaging in a bribery scheme at a U.S. Coast Guard exam center.
United States District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe sentenced SMITH, age 67, to five years imprisonment for the crime of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Judge Ashe sentenced JOHNSON, age 70, to concurrent sentences of six years imprisonment for Bribery and five years for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee. After completing their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on supervised release for three years.
The defendants had been employed at a Mandeville, Louisiana Coast Guard exam center known as Regional Exam Center (REC) New Orleans, which administered examinations that merchant mariners were legally required to pass in order to obtain licenses to serve in various positions on vessels. The examinations tested mariners’ knowledge and training to safely operate under the authority of the licenses. SMITH was a credentialing specialist and JOHNSON was an examination administrator.
As admitted during her plea of guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, SMITH accepted bribes to fix exam scores in a scheme that began prior to April 2012. Mariners participating in SMITH’S scheme would usually not appear for the examinations. SMITH would create Coast Guard records and data entries to make it appear to the Coast Guard that the mariners had appeared and tested. SMITH would make up passing scores and enter them in a Coast Guard computer system. SMITH would then send emails to a Coast Guard office falsely stating that the mariners had passed the examinations and should receive the desired licenses. While SMITH would at times directly interact with credential applicants (for example, by soliciting bribes from them when they came to the exam center), she primarily relied on intermediaries. By using intermediaries, SMITH typically avoided having any contact with the mariners to whom she sold passing scores.
One of Smith’s intermediaries was former Coast Guard employee Beverly McCrary, who pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ashe on December 8, 2022. McCrary had her own network of intermediaries, which included mariners Alexis Bell, Micheal Wooten, and Sharron Robinson, who each pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and who collectively admitted to having obtained false scores for a total of 31 mariners, including themselves. Earlier this year, Bell was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment and Wooten and Robinson were each sentenced to 54 months imprisonment. In December 2021, another intermediary in the scheme, Alonzo Williams, received a 40-month sentence for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.
JOHNSON pleaded guilty to two crimes—one count of Bribery and one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. The Bribery conviction relates to JOHNSON’S conduct as an examination administrator at REC New Orleans. Beginning no later than 2011 and continuing until around the time of his January 2018 retirement, JOHNSON engaged in a scheme to receive bribes from mariners who had applied for licenses. JOHNSON offered and sold various forms of improper assistance including reporting false information to the Coast Guard and, more commonly, selling examination questions and answers to mariners before they took the tests. JOHNSON recruited mariners by approaching them when they appeared at REC New Orleans and by calling their telephone contact numbers listed in United States Coast Guard records.
JOHNSON’S conspiracy conviction relates to him having acted as an intermediary for SMITH after his Coast Guard retirement. JOHNSON recruited mariners to engage in SMITH’S scheme in various ways, including by soliciting mariners who had bribed him when he was a Coast Guard employee and by encouraging those mariners to refer others to JOHNSON.
In addition to the three former Coast Guard employees and the four intermediaries mentioned above, 32 mariners were charged with, and pleaded guilty to, the felony offense of unlawful receipt of a mariner license. Some of these defendants were charged in the case presided over by Judge Ashe while others were charged in a separate case assigned to United States District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who sentenced the last of these defendants, Derrick Ward, to probation and community service in August 2022.
The wide range of fraudulently obtained licenses included the Master Unlimited Oceans endorsement, which authorizes the holder to serve as the captain of vessels of any tonnage in any waters, as well as licenses for other high-level positions such as Chief Mate and Chief Engineer.
“These former Coast Guard exam center employees risked public safety for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Evans. “Today’s sentencings hold them accountable for their egregious breaches of trust.”
“Credentialed mariners are entrusted with the safety and security of commercial vessels, and the vast majority are dedicated, safety-conscious individuals who work hard to earn their professional credentials and endorsements. By enabling a group of mariners to circumvent the Coast Guard’s credentialing protocols through fraud, these individuals undermined our credentialing system and threatened our waterways,” said Rear Admiral Wayne R. Arguin, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy. “These sentences demonstrate the tireless efforts of the Coast Guard and Department of Justice, and ensures the United States’ Marine Transportation System remains one of the safest in the world. We are confident this ruling sends a strong message that the U.S. government will not tolerate these types of acts and will vigorously take action against such misconduct.”
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the work of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Gulf Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon is in charge of the prosecution.
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Two California Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that two California men have been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin from California to Oregon.
Jack Scott Lewis, 36, of Los Angeles, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. Previously, on June 6, 2022, Lewis’s accomplice, Michael Panoosi, 56, also of California, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in December 2019, detectives from the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) began investigating Panoosi, a California-based drug dealer, for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Oregon for distribution and sale in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane Counties. Investigators learned that Panoosi would transport several dozen pounds of methamphetamine on each trip from California and was known to use a driver to transport and deliver drugs. Panoosi had multiple prior drug convictions.
On October 11, 2020, Panoosi, Lewis, and another person were seen driving in Northern California toward Oregon. DINT detectives stopped and searched the group’s vehicle in Douglas County and found 46 pounds of methamphetamine and one pound of heroin. The detectives found more methamphetamine and three handguns in Lewis’s backpack. Two of the guns were loaded, two had obliterated serial numbers, and one had a high-capacity magazine. Another handgun and drug packaging material were found in Panoosi’s backpack.
On October 15, 2020, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned indictments charging Lewis and Panoosi with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On March 8, 2022, Panoosi pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Later, on June 6, 2022, Lewis pleaded guilty to the same charge.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and DINT. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Formed in October 1989, the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team is a special investigative unit formed to combat illegal narcotics activity in Douglas County. DINT member agencies include Douglas County, including the Douglas County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, the Oregon National Guard, Oregon State Police, and Roseburg Police Department.
Tuscaloosa Man Sentenced to Seven Years on COVID-19 Program Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Tuscaloosa man for defrauding the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Quincy T. Doss, age 41, to 60 months in prison for the underlying PPP loan fraud and an additional 24 months for having committed the offense while on supervised release for other unrelated federal crimes. Doss will serve his terms consecutively, resulting in a total custodial sentence of 84 months followed by three years of supervised release. Doss pleaded guilty to wire fraud in June 2022.
According to the plea agreement, between April 2021 and November 2021, Doss submitted false and fraudulent PPP loan applications and received two separate PPP loans totaling more than $220,000. In the loan applications, Doss falsely represented that his business was in operation and had employees for whom it paid salaries, that the funds would be used to retain workers, and that the information provided in the loan applications was true and accurate.
“The defendant defrauded a program intended to assist small business owners and their hard-working employees who suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “My office remains committed to investigating, prosecuting, and seeking stiff custodial sentences for those who took advantage of a national crisis to line their own pockets.”
“Greed drove Doss to enrich himself by defrauding a government program intended to provide relief and ease the pain of COVID-19 economic restraints on working Americans,” Acting SAC Rivera said. “The sentence handed down today should serve as a message that the FBI and our partners will not relent in holding accountable those who exploit the PPP and other federal programs for personal gain.”
FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Harrington prosecuted the case.
Throughout the country, federal, state, and local law enforcement are on high alert to investigate reports of individuals and businesses engaging in a wide range of fraudulent and criminal behavior related to coronavirus assistance programs. For more information about these scams visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
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.
Tulsa Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for a Shooting Outside a Tulsa NightclubRead the Press Release
A Tulsa man who committed a shooting outside of a Tulsa nightclub in August 2021 was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. sentenced Jaden Perez, 22, to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to an active State of Oklahoma sentence.
“A fundamental mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is to work in partnership with local, tribal, state, and federal law enforcement to deliver justice for victims harmed by violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson “Jaden Perez showed a blatant disregard for the safety of others when he fired his gun in the direction of a crowd, and as a result, will serve 10 years in federal prison. ”
Jaden Perez previously pleaded guilty to carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Perez admitted to firing a handgun at a security guard and injuring him on Aug. 21, 2021, at a nightclub in southeast Tulsa.
In his plea agreement, Perez admitted that he got into a fight with a security guard as the nightclub was closing. After the fight ended, he returned to his friend’s car to retrieve two firearms, a Kimber .45 caliber pistol and a Taurus 9mm caliber pistol. Perez then ran across the parking lot firing multiple times at security guards and other bystanders, ultimately hitting one security guard who returned fire and struck Perez multiple times.
During the shooting, the security guard felt a pain in his chest when he was struck. Upon examination, EMSA found that he suffered bruising to his chest from an apparent strike by a bullet fragment.
Perez fled the scene immediately afterwards. Tulsa police officers responding to the shooting conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Perez’s friend shortly after the incident and found Perez in the back seat bleeding from gunshot wounds. Perez was transported by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital for treatment.
Perez is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and the crime occurred on the Muscogee Nation Reservation..
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang prosecuted the case.
Tulsa Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for his Role in the Shooting of a Man on a BicycleRead the Press Release
A man who drove a vehicle while his codefendant leaned out the window and shot and killed a man was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Jacob Bruce Banks, 22, to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Banks previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first degree murder in Indian Country.
“Oklahomans should not have to fear being gunned down in their own communities,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “My office will bring to justice those individuals who commit violent acts in northeastern Oklahoma as well as those who help cover up their crimes. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will work to curb violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for all citizens.”
Banks admitted that on April 12, 2021, he was driving a car with codefendant Devon Blevins in the passenger seat when Blevins leaned out the car’s window with a pistol, sat on the door frame, aimed his pistol and shot a man riding a bicycle. Banks said he saw the victim, Maurice Burgess, fall to the ground when one of the rounds struck and killed him.
Banks then drove Blevins away from the murder scene and back to his residence He later helped dispose of the murder weapon to hinder the investigation into the murder. At Blevins’ trial, prosecutors argued that Blevins motive for killing the bicyclist was simply to impress members of the Savage Boys street gang in an effort to gain membership.
On Sept. 22, 2021, a federal jury found Blevins, 29, of Tulsa, guilty of first-degree murder in Indian Country and causing death by using and discharging a firearm during the commission of first degree murder. Blevins was sentenced to life in federal prison on Oct. 20, 2022. See the press release here.
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan H. Heatherman and Michael F. Harder prosecuted the case.
Torrington Man Charged with Assaulting 5 Federal Officers with His Car in BridgeportRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging DENNIS LEE WAITERS, 32, of Torrington, with assaulting five federal law enforcement officers.
The indictment was returned on October 5 and Waiters was arrested today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and is detained pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for October 31.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on June 15, 2021, members of the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department investigating gang-related violence and the potential for a retaliation shooting attempted to stop a car Waiters was driving in Bridgeport. The law enforcement vehicles had activated their lights and sirens, and officers exiting the vehicles wore vests bearing the letters “FBI” and “POLICE.” Instead of stopping, Waiters drove into the federal law enforcement officers and their vehicles, crashing into three different law enforcement officers’ vehicles and into a civilian motorist. One officer fired into Waiters’ car as it headed toward the officer, causing the car to veer into another law enforcement vehicle and, ultimately, to crash into a pole. When Waiters’ car stopped, a passenger in the car attempted to flee the scene, leaving behind a semiautomatic pistol in the car, but was apprehended.
The indictment charges Waiters with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
Tilton Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Jared Stottlar, 43, of Tilton, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 8, 2019, law enforcement obtained a search warrant to search Stottlar’s truck and found two firearms, $54,000, drug packaging materials, and over 500 grams of methamphetamine. A search of Stottlar’s bedroom also uncovered six additional firearms and more drug packaging materials.
Stottlar is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Tilton, Franklin, and Sanbornton Police Departments. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth R. Aframe.
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Tigard Woman Sentenced for Failing to Register as a Distributor of Foreign-Sourced Medical DevicesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Tigard, Oregon woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for failing to register with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a distributor of hyaluronic acid injectables she purchased online from Korea.
Yasemin Zafar, 42, was sentenced to 12 months’ probation and a $1,000 fine.
“U.S. consumers rely on the FDA to ensure that their medications and medical devices are safe and effective,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Los Angeles Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who threaten the health of consumers by evading FDA requirements.”
According to court documents, sometime in 2018, Zafar began selling hyaluronic acid, a medical product used as a filler for cheek augmentation, without registering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as required by federal law. Zafar knew the products she sold were regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, in September 2018, Zafar sent messages noting that eBay kept removing her products because they required a prescription and she did not know if the products, which came from Korea, were approved by the FDA. Zafar’s actions intentionally circumvented the FDA’s regulatory authority.
On July 12, 2022, Zafar was charged by criminal information with failing to register as a medical device distributor. Today, before her sentencing, Zafar waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the single charge.
This case was investigated by the FDA-OCI. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Three Fresno Residents Indicted as Part of a Counterfeit Check Cashing RingRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — An eight-count indictment, returned on Oct. 20, 2022, has been unsealed, charging Fresno residents Jeffrey Michalk, 43; Steve Gomez, 40; and Michael Dugan, 48, with conspiracy, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through at least January 2022, the defendants worked together to cash counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks throughout the Central Valley. These checks were cashed at various locations and were often written to appear to be in the names of other individuals. The defendants combined to cash or cause to be cashed at least 295 counterfeit Treasury Checks worth over $500,000 during this window.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandre Dempsey is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge, a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the theft of money charge, and a mandatory minimum consecutive two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charges. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Three Fentanyl Dealers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judges Thomas Barber and Virginia Covington have sentenced Marvin “MJ” Mitchell (36, St. Petersburg) to 15 years in federal prison, Christopher Hughes (44, Clearwater) to 8 years in federal prison, and Emma Leifer (26, Clearwater) to 6 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine.
According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, between April and June 2019, Mitchell rented and operated several rooms at the Express Inn motel in Clearwater. Mitchell then directed his conspirators, Hughes and Leifer, to sell fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine out of those rooms around the clock. The sale of these narcotics led to dozens of drug overdoses at the Express Inn and the surrounding area. On June 17, 2019, law enforcement executed search warrants at the Express Inn and discovered fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, used syringes, cash, and a drug ledger.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pinellas Park Police Department, with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasco and Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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.
Three Defendants Sentenced in Multi-State Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Forced Labor of Mexican Agricultural H-2A WorkersRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Three defendants were sentenced today for their roles in a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized over a dozen Mexican H-2A workers who had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products between 2015 and 2017.
U.S. District Court Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Christina Gamez, 43, to 37 months in prison; Efrain Cabrera Rodas, 32, a citizen of Mexico, to 41 months in prison; and Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, 45, to eight months home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months supervised release. Judge Honeywell also ordered Cabrera to pay nearly $25,000 and Gamez to pay over $9,000 in restitution to the victims.
“These defendants exploited their victims’ vulnerabilities and immigration status, promising them access to the American dream but then turning around and confiscating their passports and threatening arrest and deportation if they did not endlessly toil away for their profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting those who use deception, isolation, intimidation, coercion and control to exploit their victims for compelled labor, and to ensuring that they are stripped of any profits so that the victims can rightfully use restitution proceeds to rebuild their lives.”
“Using coercive, deceptive, and fraudulent practices to exploit individuals’ immigration status to engage in a pattern of forced labor for financial gain is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Thanks to the diligent work by our human trafficking task force partners, this criminal enterprise was stopped in its tracks.”
“For their own personal enrichment, Christina Gamez and her co-defendants illegally conspired to victimize Mexican H-2A workers who came to the United States to participate in the harvest of fruits and vegetables,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Their actions are unconscionable. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue those in the agricultural industry who exploit vulnerable workers.”
According to court documents, the defendants each conspired to operate and manage Los Villatoros Harvesting LLC (LVH) – a farm labor contracting company that brought large numbers of temporary, seasonal Mexican workers into the United States on H-2A agricultural visas – as a criminal enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity. The enterprise’s racketeering activity included subjecting LVH’s H-2A workers to forced labor, harboring many of LVH’s H-2A workers for financial gain, committing fraud in foreign labor contracting and submitting fraudulent visa related documents to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor.
Cabrera worked as a recruiter, manager and part-time supervisor for LVH. Cabrera successfully recruited approximately 40 workers to work for the criminal enterprise. He charged them fees of between $1,000 to $2,000 prior to coming to the United States to work for LVH, lied to them by telling them that LVH would reimburse them after their arrival in the United States, and misrepresented how much money LVH would pay them for their harvesting work. Cabrera understood that the workers had gone into heavy debt to pay the fees he had charged them, and that he and his coconspirators could use those debts to coerce the workers into continuing to work for LVH. Cabrera also understood that coconspirators in the enterprise confiscated workers’ passports for the purpose of discouraging the workers from fleeing so that they would continue laboring for LVH. Cabrera also threatened workers with arrest and deportation if they attempted to escape from the company.
Gamez worked as a bookkeeper, manager and supervisor for LVH. Gamez committed several overt acts in furtherance of the criminal enterprise. She confiscated the workers’ passports and knowingly submitted fraudulent payroll documents to LVH’s payroll company to make it possible for LVH to pay its workers only a very small fraction of the pay they were entitled to under their contracts for the many hours of physically demanding work they had done. She threatened workers with deportation if they did not continue to labor for LVH. Later, in an effort to mislead Department of Labor employees, she falsified payroll records and participated in preparing falsified reimbursement receipts and distributing them to H-2A workers.
Mendes worked as a supervisor and manager for LVH. In order to conceal aspects of the criminal enterprise from investigators, Mendes made false statements to federal investigators.
Earlier this year, the defendants pleaded guilty for their roles in the enterprise. Gamez and Cabrera each pleaded guilty to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and Mendes pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation.
The owner of LVH, co-defendant Bladimir Moreno, 55, also pleaded guilty last month to his role in the scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 28. Moreno faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The court will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As part of his plea agreement, Moreno has agreed to pay more than $173,000 in restitution to the victims.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Avner Shapiro, Maryam Zhuravitsky and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Three Defendants Sentenced in Multi-State Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Forced Labor of Mexican Agricultural H-2A WorkersRead the Press Release
Three defendants were sentenced today for their roles in a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized over a dozen Mexican H-2A workers who had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products between 2015 and 2017.
U.S. District Court Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Christina Gamez, 43, to 37 months in prison; Efrain Cabrera Rodas, 32, a citizen of Mexico, to 41 months in prison; and Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, 45, to eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release. Judge Honeywell also ordered Cabrera to pay nearly $25,000 and Gamez to pay over $9,000 in restitution to the victims.
“These defendants exploited their victims’ vulnerabilities and immigration status, promising them access to the American dream but then turning around and confiscating their passports and threatening arrest and deportation if they did not endlessly toil away for their profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting those who use deception, isolation, intimidation, coercion and control to exploit their victims for compelled labor, and to ensuring that they are stripped of any profits so that the victims can rightfully use restitution proceeds to rebuild their lives.”
“Using coercive, deceptive and fraudulent practices to exploit individuals’ immigration status to engage in a pattern of forced labor for financial gain is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Thanks to the diligent work by our human trafficking task force partners, this criminal enterprise was stopped in its tracks.”
“For their own personal enrichment, Christina Gamez and her co-defendants illegally conspired to victimize Mexican H-2A workers who came to the United States to participate in the harvest of fruits and vegetables,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Their actions are unconscionable. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue those in the agricultural industry who exploit vulnerable workers.”
According to court documents, the defendants each conspired to operate and manage Los Villatoros Harvesting LLC (LVH) – a farm labor contracting company that brought large numbers of temporary, seasonal Mexican workers into the United States on H-2A agricultural visas – as a criminal enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity. The enterprise’s racketeering activity included subjecting LVH’s H-2A workers to forced labor, harboring many of LVH’s H-2A workers for financial gain, committing fraud in foreign labor contracting and submitting fraudulent visa related documents to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor.
Cabrera worked as a recruiter, manager and part-time supervisor for LVH. Cabrera successfully recruited approximately 40 workers to work for the criminal enterprise. He charged them fees of between $1,000 to $2,000 prior to coming to the United States to work for LVH, lied to them by telling them that LVH would reimburse them after their arrival in the United States, and misrepresented how much money LVH would pay them for their harvesting work. Cabrera understood that the workers had gone into heavy debt to pay the fees he had charged them, and that he and his co-conspirators could use those debts to coerce the workers into continuing to work for LVH. Cabrera also understood that co-conspirators in the enterprise confiscated workers’ passports for the purpose of discouraging the workers from fleeing so that they would continue laboring for LVH. Cabrera also threatened workers with arrest and deportation if they attempted to escape from the company.
Gamez worked as a bookkeeper, manager and supervisor for LVH. Gamez committed several overt acts in furtherance of the criminal enterprise. She confiscated the workers’ passports and knowingly submitted fraudulent payroll documents to LVH’s payroll company to make it possible for LVH to pay its workers only a very small fraction of the pay they were entitled to under their contracts for the many hours of physically demanding work they had done. She threatened workers with deportation if they did not continue to labor for LVH. Later, in an effort to mislead Department of Labor employees, she falsified payroll records and participated in preparing falsified reimbursement receipts and distributing them to H-2A workers.
Mendes worked as a supervisor and manager for LVH. In order to conceal aspects of the criminal enterprise from investigators, Mendes made false statements to federal investigators.
Earlier this year, the defendants pleaded guilty for their roles in the enterprise. Gamez and Cabrera each pleaded guilty to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and Mendes pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation.
The owner of LVH, co-defendant Bladimir Moreno, 55, also pleaded guilty last month to his role in the scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 28. Moreno faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The court will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As part of his plea agreement, Moreno has agreed to pay more than $173,000 in restitution to the victims.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Avner Shapiro, Maryam Zhuravitsky and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Terrebonne Parish Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DERECK CELESTIN, JR., age 37, a resident of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, pled guilty on October 25, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to a two-count indictment which charged him with distribution of methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, a DEA investigation revealed that CELESTIN was a methamphetamine distributor in Terrebonne Parish. Drug Enforcement Administration agents arranged two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from CELESTIN. On July 13, 2021, agents coordinated the purchase of 48.73 grams of methamphetamine from CELESTIN. On August 9, 2021, agents arranged the purchase of 130.35 grams of methamphetamine from CELESTIN.
CELESTIN is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 2023.
For Count 1, CELESTIN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, up to forty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. For Count 2, CELESTIN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. For both counts of the indictment, CELESTIN faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Terrebonne Parish Sherriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.
St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Abdul Abubakar Ali, 40, admitted that from December 2020 through January 2022, he knowingly and willfully conspired with others to participate in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to underprivileged children.
According to his guilty plea, Ali used a non-profit entity called Youth Inventors Lab as a shell company to carry out his scheme. Ali and his co-conspirators enrolled Youth Inventors Lab in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. After enrolling in the program, Ali and his co-conspirators immediately began submitting claims for reimbursement for purportedly serving meals to hundreds or thousands of children a day. In support of these fraudulent claims, Ali and his co-conspirators prepared and submitted fake invoices purporting to document the purchase of food from a vendor, S & S Catering. But S & S Catering did not provide Youth Inventors Lab any meals and Youth Inventors Lab did not serve any meals.
According to his guilty plea, Ali submitted fake invoices from his company, Bilterms Solutions, to Youth Inventors Lab. The invoices were for purportedly providing technology services, which Ali and Bilterms Solutions did not actually perform. The purpose of the invoices was to hide the source of the funds Ali was receiving for participating in the fraud. Ali received approximately $82,000 from Youth Inventors Lab. Ali also received payments through Bilterms Solutions from co-conspirators made through another company, Franklyn Transportation. Those payments were made to Ali for his participation in the fraud scheme. Ali received $47,000 from Franklyn Transportation.
In total, Youth Inventors Lab claimed to have served over 1.3 million meals between December 2020 through June 2021 and fraudulently received $3,029,786 in reimbursements from Feeding Our Future.
Ali pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Chelsea A. Walcker, Matthew S. Ebert, and Joseph S. Teirab. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on Drug/Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man who was involved in a gun deal that turned into a police chase to five years in prison.
Treyvon Perry, 20, pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On August 21, 2019 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives watched as Perry’s co-defendant, Michael Joseph Monroe, 25, sold a 9mm pistol for $325 to someone near the Dellwood Market. Perry was in the passenger seat of the car, a black Audi A6 with heavily tinted windows and an Illinois temporary license tag.
Investigators then learned that shortly before the gun deal, the passenger of a black Audi A6 matching the description of Monroe’s car fired multiple shots at another car on westbound Highway I-270 near Old Halls Ferry Road. The shooting victim’s vehicle was hit six times, including three times directly underneath the left driver’s side door. The victim was not injured.
Police located the Audi, and Monroe fled, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph in a chase that lasted about 12 miles before he crashed.
Police found fentanyl in the possession of Perry and fentanyl, cocaine base, oxycodone and a mixture of other drugs in the car, as well as a single bullet.
Perry admitted conspiring with Monroe to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Monroe, 25, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced December 20.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Woman Admits Role in Romance, Work-At-Home ScamsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County has admitted participating in romance and work-at-home scams and agreed to repay $95,350 to seven victims.
As part of a civil consent decree approved by U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White Wednesday, Sharon Nickl, 83, admitted that between Sept. 21, 2020 and May 20, 2021, she received U.S. Postal Service and commercial package deliveries of more than $690,000 that had been sent from individuals she did not know. The money was sent from victims who believed they were assisting their online paramours or had been hired to work from home.
Nickl, a victim herself of a romance fraud scheme, began participating after she depleted her own financial accounts and the proceeds from the sale of her home. Nickl then began operating as a “money mule” by transferring the money she received to the person she thought was her own online paramour by using bitcoin machines and purchasing gift cards and prepaid debit cards.
Nickl was not criminally charged.
According to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming, “As in every case brought to the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s office, we consider a variety of factors when determining whether to employ civil, criminal, or administrative remedies in addressing romance fraud schemes. Because Nickl had minimal law enforcement contact prior to her receipt of money from others, did not benefit personally from the scheme and became engaged in the scheme through her online paramour, this office and Nickl requested entry of a civil consent decree that required Nickl to adhere to conditions that included making restitution to the identified victims, submitting to computer monitoring and supervision by the Federal Pretrial Services Office and participating in an online support group for romance fraud victims.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case.
South Georgia physician sentenced to prison after admitting conspiracy to illegally distribute drugsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Coffee County, Ga., physician has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after he admitted to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed massive amounts of addictive controlled substances from pain management and addiction clinics.
Dr. Wallace Steven Anderson, 68, of Douglas, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Unlawfully Distribute and Dispense Schedule IV Controlled Substances, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also fined Anderson $35,000 and ordered him to serve a period of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
As part of his plea agreement, Anderson forfeited more than $200,000 in cash and three vehicles, and agreed to pay a total of $46,378.61 in restitution that includes paying the funeral expense for one individual who fatally overdosed on drugs provided through the conspiracy.
“Dr. Anderson betrayed his oath and betrayed his medical credentials to illegally dole out significant amounts of addictive drugs, including opioids, fueling our communities’ addiction crisis while lining his pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their stellar efforts in shutting down this white-coated dope-dealer.”
Anderson was the owner of Steve Anderson, PC, and Steve Anderson Behavioral Health, both located in Douglas, Ga. In pleading guilty, Anderson admitted that from Feb. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2020, his nominal pain management and addiction facilities distributed alprazolam, temazepam, and clonazepam “not for legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice” by providing pre-signed refill prescriptions prior to patient examinations.
The investigation of the practice determined that the conspiracy issued nearly 160,000 prescriptions for controlled substances while ignoring numerous “red flags” indicating that the prescriptions were not issued for legitimate medical purposes.
Two employees at the clinics, Bridgett Stephanie Taylor, 55, of Broxton, Ga., a Nurse Practitioner who worked under Anderson, and Wandle Keith Butler, 57, of Douglas, a Physician Assistant who worked under Anderson, were sentenced in August 2022 after each pled guilty to Conspiracy to Unlawfully Distribute and Dispense Schedule IV Controlled Substances. Judge Baker sentenced Taylor to 48 months’ probation and fined her $20,000, while Butler was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,296.29 in restitution.
“Americans rely on physicians and other healthcare providers to help their patients and to ‘do no harm.’ This pill-peddling physician and his co-conspirators violated the law and betrayed the responsibilities of their profession by unlawfully dispensing highly-addictive controlled substances,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The law enforcement community is committed to stopping unscrupulous medical professionals from harming patients.”
“This case serves as an important reminder that health care professionals have a duty to prescribe medication responsibly to ensure the well-being of patients under their care. Failing to do so can endanger patients and undermines critical, ongoing public health measures to address the illegal distribution of opioids,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold bad actors accountable.”
“Our job as law enforcement is to seek out those responsible for supplying poison, from the street-level dealers to the professional dealers in lab coats. Years of negligence from three medical professionals causing destruction and pain has come to an end with the sentencing of Dr. Anderson.,” said Jeff Davis County Sheriff Preston Bohannon. “Jeff Davis County, Coffee County, Bacon County and other surrounding counties have witnessed the wave of destruction in our communities. I personally want to thank our county investigators that were involved in this case for an outstanding job, and the federal agencies for trusting our work and integrity. I’d like to congratulate the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and all other agencies involved for a successful case. I pray that the families impacted by this can finally have some closure and peace.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Savannah Resident Office; IRS Criminal Investigations; and Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and Bradford C. Patrick, with assistance from the office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
The case was investigated under the 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.
South Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office Committed to Combatting Election CrimesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez announced today that his Office will be working closely with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington and FBI Miami to investigate and prosecute violations of federal election laws in connection with the upcoming November 8th general election.
Federal election laws prohibit the following:
- threating violence against election officials or staff,
- intimidating or bribing voters,
- buying and selling votes,
- impersonating voters,
- altering vote tallies,
- stuffing ballot boxes, and
- marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District is committed to prosecuting such violations.
For example, following an investigation by FBI Miami, the Office recently charged a South Florida man with threatening election workers during the August primary election. According to the charges, while at the polling station, the defendant made a statement about killing them one by one or blowing the place up. Later, he pointed his finger and thumb in a gun-like fashion towards election workers. If convicted, the defendant in case number 22-60205-CR-Ruiz faces up to five years in federal prison.
The South Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office, working closely with the FBI Miami, will respond to voting rights and election fraud concerns while the polls are open for the upcoming election. To report allegations of election fraud and other election abuses in the Southern District of Florida, contact FBI Miami at 754-703-2000.
Please note, however, that anyone in imminent or potentially imminent danger, should immediately call 911 before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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South Florida Jilted Lover Who Sought Murderer Through Mail Sentenced to 84 MonthsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A 43-year-old Pembroke Pines, Florida man who used the United States postal service to solicit, plan, and pay for the murder of his former girlfriend’s new love interest was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 84 months in federal prison.
Earlier this year, Ryan Hadeed pled guilty to a charge of using the mail to commit murder-for-hire, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1958.
In September 2021, Hadeed mailed a letter to an intended hitman requesting murder services: “I need someone eliminated. I've been told you can arrange that. $10,000 All in cash and upfront. Person located in Tampa.” In that letter, and two later ones, Hadeed instructed the hitman to signal acceptance of the offer by posting marked sheets of paper on a store-front window, among other things.
On November 10, 2021, the intended hitman received a final mailing from Hadeed that included a description and pictures of the man that Hadeed wanted killed, the victim’s home address and likely travel schedule, as well as a deadline for the murder. Also inside the envelope was $10,000 cash.
Hadeed left the country on a one-way ticket the same day the hitman received the cash and pictures. During a secondary customs inspection of Hadeed when he returned to the U.S. from his international trip, additional evidence of the crime was uncovered. Law enforcement officers, who had learned of the crime, arrested Hadeed. Federal prosecutors filed a case against him in December 2021.
The intended victim, who remains alive, is romantically involved with Hadeed’s former girlfriend.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael E. Buckley, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), Miami Field Office; Juan A. Vargas, Acting Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Region; and Troy Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Miami Region, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.
HSI Miami, USPIS Miami, and FDLE investigated the case, with assistance from Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph A. Cooley and Deric Zacca are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-60009.
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South Bend Man Sentenced to 171 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Quadre Gavin, 20 years old, of South Bend, Indiana was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio on his plea of guilty to six counts of Hobbs Act robbery and a count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Gavin was sentenced to 171 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, throughout September and October 2021, Gavin committed seven armed robberies of convenience stores and a gas station in the South Bend and Mishawaka areas. During each robbery, he pointed a handgun at a person and demanded money. Gavin committed these armed robberies after having been released from probation on a separate offense less than 4 months earlier.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department, the Mishawaka Police Department, and the St. Joseph County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Six Detroiters Charged with Drug, Gun, and Money Laundering CrimesRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Six individuals were indicted for drug, gun, and money laundering crimes by a federal grand jury in Detroit, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Detroit Field Office.
Four defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine between 2020 and 2022. Three of those defendants (Andre Pharr, Clifford Jones, Jr., and Jeffrey Hester-Jackson) were also charged with being felons in possession of firearms. Those three and two others were also accused of a money laundering conspiracy, that is, agreeing to engage in monetary transactions to launder drug proceeds. Finally, Pharr and Hester-Jackson were each charged with several counts alleging specific instances of money laundering.
Charged were:
ANDRE PHARR, 35, of Detroit, Michigan (drug conspiracy, felon in possession of firearm and ammunition, money laundering conspiracy, substantive money laundering offenses).
CLIFFORD JONES JR., 32, of Detroit, Michigan (drug conspiracy, felon in possession of firearm, money laundering conspiracy).
JEFFREY HESTER-JACKSON, 28, of Detroit, Michigan (drug conspiracy, felon in possession of firearm, money laundering conspiracy, substantive money laundering offenses).
MARIO AYLER, 35, of Detroit, Michigan (drug conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute).
GABRIELLE THOMAS, 28, of Detroit, Michigan (money laundering conspiracy).
CRYSTAL HUGHES, 32, of Detroit, Michigan (money laundering conspiracy).
According to the indictment, unsealed yesterday, the drug conspiracy occurred between August 2020 and June 2022 and involved more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of methamphetamine. The charged money laundering offenses included the transportation of large amounts of cash, the purchase of casino chips and placement of sportsbook bets, buying expensive jewelry, and leasing a luxury apartment and vehicle, all using the proceeds of drug trafficking.
The indictment alleges, among other transactions, that $51,000 in cash was seized from a checked bag belonging to Thomas; that Hester-Jackson and Pharr purchased casino chips and placed sportsbook bets totaling over $540,000 and later cashed out more than $445,000; and that members of the group spent tens of thousands of dollars on Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches and a diamond and gold chain. The government is seeking the forfeiture of more than $420,000 in cash, 25 guns, and a long list of seized jewelry.
“Major drug traffickers who sell lethal substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine in our community should know that we will not only hold them accountable for their crimes that may result in lengthy prison sentences, but we will also work tirelessly to recover their ill-gotten gains.” said U.S. Attorney Ison.
“This indictment demonstrates that we will not allow anyone to profit from poisoning our neighborhoods with fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA. “DEA is determined to hold accountable those trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine in our communities.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation will aggressively pursue anyone who conducts financial transactions to promote the operation of a drug trafficking organization or conceal profits generated from the sale of narcotics,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Miller, IRS-CI. “IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working with our law enforcement partners and will follow the money of criminal activities.”
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The defendants charged in the drug conspiracy face up to life in prison., while the defendants charged with money laundering face up to twenty years in prison. The three individuals charged with being felons in possession of firearms face up to fifteen years in prison.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Berg. The case was investigated by agents from the DEA Detroit Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jihan Williams and Rajesh Prasad.
Six Defendants Charged in $1 Million Covid Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced today that six individuals from Benton Harbor, Michigan, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to pandemic fraud schemes they used to obtain over $1 million in COVID-19 relief, including fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits and small business loans. Charged in the indictment are: Roshell Beaty (aka Roshell Clinton, Angel Clinton, and Angel Beaty), age 45, of Benton Harbor; Beaty’s son Melvin Clinton, age 21, of Benton Harbor; Beaty’s daughter Danielle Branch (aka Danielle Beaty), age 28, of Benton Harbor; Christopher Bates, age 22, of Benton Harbor; Brianna Rimpson, age 24, a resident of the Grand Rapids area who previously lived in Benton Harbor; and Beaty’s son Christopher Branch, age 27, a resident of the Atlanta, Georgia area who is from Benton Harbor.
“While many individuals and families were suffering from the financial challenges caused by COVID-19, criminals used it as an opportunity to exploit pandemic relief programs for their own financial gain, knowing they were not entitled to the funds,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office will continue to collaborate with state and federal partners to rigorously investigate pandemic fraud throughout the district, pursue charges against those who have committed such fraud, and seek to recover ill-gotten gains.”
The indictment alleges that, between April 2020 and December 2021, Roshell Beaty and her codefendants conspired to commit wire fraud by submitting falsified and fraudulent claims and certifications for pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, in their own names and in the names of third parties, some of whom were victims of identity theft. According to the indictment, the six codefendants submitted at least 98 false and fraudulent unemployment insurance claims and related certifications in multiple states, in the names of at least 61 different individuals. In response to those claims, the states of Michigan, Indiana, California, Illinois, and Arizona paid out more than $764,000 in pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.
Each of the six defendants is also charged with respective counts of wire fraud related to pandemic unemployment insurance fraud. Two defendants—Roshell Beaty and her son Christopher Branch—are charged with various counts of aggravated identity theft, for using the means of identification of other people without lawful authority, in connection with the unemployment insurance wire fraud conspiracy. Defendants Roshell Beaty, Melvin Clinton, Danielle Branch, and Christopher Bates are each charged with fraud in connection with emergency benefits.
The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA), which administers the joint state and federal unemployment insurance program in Michigan, partnered in the investigation. “The Michigan UIA has zero tolerance for anyone accused of breaking the public trust by stealing from fellow taxpayers. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal levels to bring bad actors to justice and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” said Julia Dale, director of the Michigan UIA. “Our investigators have helped bring charges against 90 people accused of pandemic unemployment fraud and we’re not stopping there. Rooting out fraud is a cornerstone of our ongoing reform of the agency and our commitment to providing exemplary customer service.”
In addition to charges stemming from unemployment insurance fraud schemes, five of the six defendants are charged in the indictment with varying counts of wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with their alleged fraudulent receipt of loans intended to relieve small businesses of burdens and costs associated with the pandemic. Roshell Beaty and Melvin Clinton face charges for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan in the amount of $49,900, for a purported hair and nail salon belonging to Clinton, with 10 employees. The Indictment alleges that loan proceeds were used to purchase a 2017 Jaguar F-Pace SUV. Roshell Beaty, Melvin Clinton, Danielle Branch, Christopher Bates, and Brianna Rimpson are charged in connection with Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling $258,148, for purported small businesses.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. A conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, or wire fraud, in connection with a declared major disaster or national emergency is subject to a prison term of up to 30 years and a fine of up to $1,000,000, among other penalties. A conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory prison term of two years, to be served consecutively to any other sentence(s) imposed.
The case was investigated by the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the Office of Investigations of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Zell. The case is proceeding before U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff.
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Shiprock woman charged with murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Maylene John made an initial appearance in federal court on a criminal complaint charging her with murder in Indian Country. John, 32, of Shiprock, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for October 31.
As alleged in the complaint, in the early morning hours of Oct. 24, John stabbed her child in the chest. Another family member heard the child scream for help and rushed to John’s bedroom. The door was locked, so the family member kicked it open. They found the child, identified as Jane Doe, lying on the floor with a stab wound to the torso, and saw John allegedly sitting at the foot of her bed holding a knife. As the family member provided a blanket to Jane Doe to apply pressure to the wound, John allegedly put the knife to her neck, at which point the family member forced her to drop it, and the family member threw the knife out of the room.
The family member went to a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called for assistance while the family member returned to John’s house. John was in the bedroom with Jane Doe and would not allow the family member to enter.
When Navajo Police and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived, John was taken into custody while EMS attempted to revive Jane Doe. At 3:42am, Jane Doe was declared dead.
The alleged murder was committed on the Navajo Nation and Jane Doe was an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, John faces up to life in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
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Sewickley Woman Sentenced to 12 Years for Distributing Drugs to PrisonsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Michel Cercone was sentenced to 151 months in prison for conspiring to distribute Schedule I and II controlled substances, and to launder drug trafficking proceeds, between 2017 and 2019, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Cercone, age 48 of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Cercone was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release following her prison sentence.
Cercone was convicted at the conclusion of a jury trial in December 2021. She was responsible for the distribution of at least five kilograms of cocaine, 1,000 oxycodone pills, and synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances saturated into paper which was sent into prisons in 2017 and 2018.
Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Scranton Man Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Conspiring to Straw Purchase 29 FirearmsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Gregory Dehart, age 32, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 2 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Dehart previously entered a plea of guilty to conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of 29 firearms. From December 22, 2019, to January 11, 2021, Dehart conspired with two other individuals to lie to employees at three Lackawanna County federally licensed firearms dealers, J & G Sport Center in Throop, Roll Call, LLC, in Scranton, PA, and Dick’s Sporting Goods in Dickson City, PA, as well as Piestrak’s Gun Shop, located in Luzerne County, in order to purchase a total of 29 firearms. Dehart was not the actual buyer of any of the firearms and he and his co-defendant purchased the firearms on behalf of others. Following the purchase of the firearms, Dehart would then transport the firearms to the actual buyers, who paid Dehart for the price of the firearms and a fee to making the purchases on their behalf. Of the 29 purchased firearms, three have been recovered in connection to criminal offenses in Baltimore, Maryland, and New York City.
Dehart was indicted with the following codefendants:
- Samantha Piasecki, was sentenced on June 8, 2022, to time served (137 days) to be followed by one-year supervised release for making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, aid and abet; and,
- Mitchell Bethea, pleaded guilty on May 20, 2022, to making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, aid and abet and is awaiting sentencing.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the Pennsylvania State Police, Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, the Scranton Police Department, and the Newport Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney James Buchanan and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Gallagher prosecuted 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.
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Salt River Man Sentenced to Life for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Gabriel Milford Kavoka, 39, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced Tuesday, by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to two concurrent life sentences. Kavoka, an enrolled member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Carjacking Resulting in Death.
On August 21, 2019, Kavoka hailed a taxi to Casino Arizona. When he arrived, Kavoka shot and killed the taxi driver and carjacked the taxi. He then led police on a high-speed chase through the streets of Mesa, Arizona. The chase ended when Kavoka crashed the taxi into a police vehicle.
The Salt River Police Department conducted the investigation in this case with assistance from the Mesa Police Department. The taxi service, VIP Taxi, provided invaluable assistance in collecting and providing evidence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas C. Simon and Jennifer E. LaGrange, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-01338-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-194_Kavoka
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Sacramento Sex Offender Indicted for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Jason Michael Carlsen, 49, of Sacramento, charging him with possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in July 2022, Carlsen was found to be in possession of child pornography. At the time he possessed these images, Carlsen was on federal supervised release for a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.
If convicted, Carlsen faces a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Rock Island Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Donald Wayne Fulscher Jr., age 36, of Rock Island, was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison following his plea to a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to court documents, on October 30, 2021, officers attempted a traffic stop of Fulscher for minor traffic violations in Muscatine. Rather than stopping, Fulscher attempted to elude law enforcement by driving in excess of 100 mph in a marked 25 mph construction zone, running stop signs and lights, driving into oncoming traffic, and running over construction cones. Fulscher eventually drove into Illinois where he crashed in a cornfield. Officers located a loaded, nine-millimeter handgun in the vehicle and ammunition on Fulscher’s person.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office and the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office.
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. In May 2021, the 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.
Ringleader sentenced in immigration scam that offered fake marriages for $70,000Read the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 58-year-old woman has been sentenced to federal prison for her role in at least 40 sham marriages, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Ashley Yen Nguyen aka Duyen was the group’s ringleader and also often provided a fake wedding album to help people obtain legal permanent resident status. She pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2020.
Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ordered her to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $334,605 in fines.
The court ruled that Nguyen utilized mass-marketing to facilitate the scheme by advertising it through recruiters and Facebook. Nguyen had also claimed to be an attorney who had contacts within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) so as to make the scheme appear legitimate.
At the hearing, the court heard that Vietnamese nationals would give Nguyen’s group $50,000 to $70,000 to marry a wife or husband in the United States to fraudulently obtain lawful permanent resident status. Nguyen issued routine payments of approximately $200 to those U.S. citizens who acted as recruiters in the fake immigration proceedings. Nguyen also promised the U.S. citizens who participated as spouses between $15,000 and $20,000 in installments, although few ever came close to getting the full amount.
“For more than four years, this individual raked in millions by operating one of the largest marriage fraud conspiracies in U.S. history,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson, Homeland Security Investigations in Houston. “The sham marriages and improper immigration benefits that were fraudulently secured under this criminal conspiracy wasted countless federal resources, delayed an unknown number of legitimate marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, and threatened national security by enabling individuals to remain in the country through deceit.
“As experts in investigating all types of financial crimes, IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI) special agents worked with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to put a stop to this criminal network, not just from committing tax fraud and money laundering, but from also circumventing our nation’s immigration laws said IRS-CI’s Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the Houston Field Office. “We leverage our ability to follow the money trail in order to bring down criminal conspiracies like the one Nguyen led.”
Nguyen ran the marriage fraud organization out of the Southwest Houston area but had associates operating across Texas and in Vietnam. As part of her plea, she admitted to conspiring to engage in marriage fraud, mail fraud, immigration fraud, money laundering and making false statements in a tax return.
Nguyen’s criminal organization was responsible for organizing well over 500 sham marriages in exchange for substantial amounts of money solely for the alien beneficiary to obtain immigration benefits. The criminal organization has received over $15 million from this scheme.
Nguyen used well over a dozen recruiters of U.S. citizen spouses in the Houston vicinity and advertised via social media about the scheme in Vietnam. Many of the U.S. citizens had extensive criminal histories, gang associations and crippling drug additions.
During her plea, Nguyen acknowledged the fake spouses did not live together and did not intend to live together, contrary to documents and statements submitted to federal authorities. At her instruction, the spouses only met briefly, immediately before they obtained their marriage license or not at all. To prepare the fake spouses for their interviews with immigration officials, Nguyen and her criminal organization provided fabricated facts to the fake spouses to study and recite details to falsely establish the pair was living together and familiar with each other’s daily habits.
The criminal organization even prepared and provided fake wedding albums containing photographs to make it appear as if they had a wedding ceremony above and beyond a marriage at a courthouse.
Nguyen purchased multiple residences with the criminal proceeds. She used them as part of the scheme to either collect, distribute the proceeds and/or stage some of the rooms for the times when authorities indicated they would conduct a site inspection. The rooms were setup to appear as if they belonged to the fake spouses.
Nguyen herself also entered the United States through a sham marriage.
Nguyen will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI, USCIS and IRS-CI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman, Michael Day and Kate Suh are prosecuting the case.
Richland County Man Convicted at Trial of Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Richard Boggs, of Irmo, was convicted following a jury trial in federal court for five counts of tax evasion.
According to documents and evidence presented at trial, Boggs evaded $274,461 of his 2015 through 2019 individual income taxes by submitting to his employers an IRS Forms W-4 falsely stating he was exempt from federal income-tax withholding. He also did not file a 2015 through 2019 tax return, even though he was legally required to do so based on the amount of income he earned.
“The Defendant effectively stole more than a quarter million dollars from American taxpayers, and he has earned the punishment he will receive,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “I appreciate the hard work of our partners at the IRS to identify and investigate those who seek to illegally manipulate the tax system to enrich themselves.”
“The law is clear on the issue of who is required to file and pay taxes: there is no gray area on the subject,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Charlotte Field Office. “We should not forget that the ultimate victims in tax fraud cases are the people of the United States – those honest taxpayers who diligently file tax returns each year. This conviction sends a message that the IRS is working to make sure that all taxpayers file and pay their fair share of taxes.”
Senior United States District Judge Cameron M. Currie presided over the trial and will sentence Boggs on January 18, 2023, after receiving and reviewing pre-sentence reports prepared by the United States Probation Office. Boggs faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John C. Potterfield and Dean H. Secor are prosecuting the case.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced for Transporting Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for transporting child pornography that he produced of an 18-month-old infant and for being a person required to register as a sex offender who committed a felony offense involving a minor.
According to court documents, Matthew Alan McNair, 41, of Tulsa, was in Indiana in the summer of 2017 when he utilized an electronic device to take sexually explicit photographs of an 18-month-old infant. McNair took multiple sexually explicit photos of the infant on at least three different dates that summer. After taking those photographs, McNair transported the images in interstate commerce by physically taking his phone back to Oklahoma, where he was living at the time, and uploading them to his cloud account. At the time of this offense, McNair was required to register as a sex offender based upon his 1999 conviction in Illinois for Attempted Criminal Sexual Assault.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson of the Northern District of Indiana made the announcement.
“My Office is committed to holding child sexual predators and producers of child pornography like Mr. McNair accountable for their actions,” said United States Attorney Johnson. “A 40 year sentence shows that this type of criminal conduct brings severe consequences. I want to thank my dedicated prosecutors, the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Homeland Security Investigations and the other state and local law enforcement partners that brought this offender to justice.”
“The communities we serve can sleep easier knowing that predators like McNair are off our streets,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald. "HSI along with our partners will continue to aggressively investigate and root out child exploitation wherever it may be.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Tulsa Police Department Cyber Crimes Unit.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section along with Assistant United States Attorneys in the Northern District of Indiana, Emily A. Morgan and Jennifer Chang.
This case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Registered Sex Offender Sentenced for Transporting Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
An Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for transporting child pornography that he produced of an 18-month-old infant and for being a person required to register as a sex offender who committed a felony offense involving a minor.
According to court documents, Matthew Alan McNair, 41, of Tulsa, was in Indiana in the summer of 2017 when he utilized an electronic device to take sexually explicit photographs of an 18-month-old infant. McNair took multiple sexually explicit photos of the infant on at least three different dates that summer. After taking those photographs, McNair transported the images on his phone back to Oklahoma, where he was living at the time, and uploaded them to his cloud account. At the time of this offense, McNair was required to register as a sex offender based upon his 1999 conviction in Illinois for attempted criminal sexual assault.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Tulsa Police Department Cyber Crimes Unit, investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily A. Morgan and Jennifer Chang for the Northern District of Indiana prosecuted the case.
This case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Real Estate Schemer Indicted for $1.1 Million in Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A real estate investor, who was previously charged in a $600,000 wire fraud scheme, has now been indicted for multiple counts of bankruptcy fraud totaling over $1.1 million, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sean Phillip Tissue, 37, of Social Circle, Georgia, and formerly of Rochester, Michigan, is charged in an indictment with multiple counts of concealment of assets, false oaths, false declarations, withholding recorded information, and a bankruptcy fraud scheme. Tissue is the owner of numerous companies, including Greystone Home Builders, Sycamore Homes, Sycamore Construction, Lenovo Homes, and Metro Detroit Home Solutions, On August 4, 2022, Tissue was previously charged in a criminal complaint with a wire fraud scheme whereby Tissue defrauded Israeli investors of over $600,000 in fraudulent real estate investments.
“This defendant used a number of apparently legitimate companies, sophisticated methods, and lies to defraud potential real estate investors, many from outside the United States. He then declared a fraudulent bankruptcy in an effort to avoid re-paying his victims.” said United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “Today’s charges demonstrate our commitment to ensure the integrity of our bankruptcy system.”
“Investigating and prosecuting individuals who repeatedly make false statements to government agencies helps ensure the integrity of government processes,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “This investigation sends a message that those who commit fraud while applying for relief from the government will be held accountable by the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”
Tissue faces the following statutory maximum penalties: 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation of this case is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Both the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation wish to acknowledge and thank the United States Trustee’s Office for its assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Weier and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Roble are prosecuting the case.
Providence Meth Dealer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man found by law enforcement to be in possession of more than 50 grams of crystal methamphetamine and two guns was sentenced today to five years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Sean M. Francis, 34, pleaded guilty on February 16, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation in November 2019 by members of the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and the Warwick Police Department determined that Francis regularly received packages containing pound-quantities of crystal methamphetamine shipped from Arizona. Francis stored the meth in his residence and distributed the drug to others.
On November 7, 2019, the FBI Task Force and other members of law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Francis’ residence and found multiple packages of crystal meth, totaling 51 grams; items used in the distribution of methamphetamine; a handgun, a speed loader, and 14 rounds of .357 magnum ammunition; a revolver with no serial number; and dozens of crystal meth smoking pipes and needles.
At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced Francis to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by four years of federal supervised release. The court ordered that Francis serve the first six months of his term of supervised release at a reentry facility.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra R. Hebert and Christine D. Lowell.
United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Providence Police Department for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Pinellas County Man Indicted for Hiring A Hitman to Kill WitnessesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Alexander Leszczynski (24, North Redington Beach) with one count of murder-for-hire and one count of obstruction of justice. If convicted, Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Leszczynski that the United States intends to forfeit any facilitating property or assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, in approximately August and September 2022, Leszczynski, while using a facility of interstate or foreign commerce, promised to pay an individual to kill two people, identified as Victim 1 and Victim Two. The indictment also alleges that, during that same time period, Leszczynski corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct, and impede the due administration of justice in a judicial proceeding pending before United States District Court: namely, the trial of the criminal case of United States of America v. Alexander Leszczynski, Case Number 8:22-cr-155-MSS-SPF, in the Tampa Division of the Middle District of Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.
Phoenix Man Sentenced to 188 Months for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Robert Allen Yost, 61, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on October 21, 2022, by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps, to 188 months in prison for child exploitation offenses. Yost previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Sex Traffic Children and Production of Child Pornography, as well as Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit. Upon release from prison, Yost will be placed on lifetime supervised release with sex offender conditions and will be required to register as a sex offender.
In March 2020, United States Border Patrol agents initially encountered Yost smuggling undocumented noncitizens along State Route 80, when a search of his phone revealed child exploitation content. During his guilty plea on January 18, 2022, Yost admitted that he had exchanged pictures and videos depicting child sexual abuse with other people via text messages and the internet. He also admitted that he asked another individual to send sexually explicit images of a child in that individual’s custody and offered methamphetamine in exchange for sexual access to the child. The intended sexual activity with the child did not take place due to other intervening circumstances.
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 DOJ’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.
Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carin Duryee and Jared Kreamer Hope, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-02523-JGZ-JR
CR-20-02370-JGZ-JR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022- 192_Yost# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Pass Christian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Pass Christian, Mississippi man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court records, on March 29, 2022, Michael Dedeaux was stopped for a traffic violation near West North Street and Fitzpatrick Avenue in Pass Christian. The traffic stop led to the seizure of 442 grams of methamphetamine.
Dedeaux will be sentenced on January 27, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and $5M fine. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
Orlando Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Thomas Zayas (46, Orlando) to 35 years in federal prison for enticing a minor child to produce sexually explicit videos and for possessing that material. Zayas was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his smartphones. Zayas had pleaded guilty on July 26, 2022.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the sentencing hearing, in approximately July 2021, Zayas, posing as a teenage boy, used a messaging application to contact a 12-year-old child. After the child grew tired of Zayas’s romantic advances, she stopped communicating with Zayas. Zayas then contacted the child again, this time posing as the sister of the teenage boy. Zayas threatened to physically hurt the child for ending the “relationship” with the fictional brother, and as a result, the child agreed to continue a friendship with the original persona. In order to scare the child and prove that Zayas knew who the child was, where she lived, and where she went to school, Zayas sent the child a photo of the child’s apartment complex and a yearbook photo of the child from the child’s middle school. Zayas then requested several nude images and videos of the child performing sexual acts, and he instructed the child on what to do in the images and videos. Initially the child refused, afraid that Zayas would post the photos on the internet to harm the child. After promising not to use the images to harm the child, the child eventually sent Zayas sexually explicit videos and photos. The demands from Zayas continued, and when the child did not comply with Zayas’s requests, Zayas became hostile, and threatened to expose the child with the nude videos and images the child had previously sent.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) was made aware of Zayas when a school resource officer was contacted by a parent who received via text message a collage depicting sexually explicit photos of the child. OSCO investigators were able to trace the aliases to Zayas through phone records, and with the help of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, also discovered evidence of an order for flowers, which Zayas had delivered to the child’s middle school, from his work-issued laptop.
“It’s heartbreaking to learn about the repeated abuse and trauma these young victims endure at the hands of sexual predators like Mr. Zayas,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker. “The FBI Child Exploitation Task Forces are steadfastly committed to protecting the innocent and making sure child sexual abusers are brought to justice.”
“The sentence imposed today serves as a stark warning to all VA employees that you will be held accountable for using government resources to further crimes and that the full force of the VA OIG will be employed to bring to justice anyone who preys on children,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners with whom we will continue to work to safeguard our communities from such predators.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington.
This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Firearm and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Angel Rivas, 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for distribution of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Rivas to 27 months’ imprisonment on the drug charges and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment on the firearm charge, for a total sentence of 87 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
On April 11, 2020 during a controlled buy in Omaha, a confidential source, equipped with audio and visual recording devices, purchased a defaced TC-22 handgun from Rivas. On May 14, 2020, the confidential source bought a defaced Springfield XD ACP.45 handgun and methamphetamine from Rivas.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Aaron Andrew Dement, 43, of Munroe Falls, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to attempted enticement of a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 16, 2021, Dement used a dating-chat website to contact an individual he believed to be a minor female. Dement admitted to sending the minor female a photo of his genitals and a video of himself engaging in sexual activity. Dement also asked the minor female to send him a photo of her genitalia.
On October 2, 2021, Dement contacted the minor female again and asked her to send him a sexually explicit photo of herself and a sexually explicit voice message. Dement sent the minor female another sexually explicit video of himself. Dement further admitted that from October 7, 2021 until December 13, 2021, he continued to attempt to persuade, induce, entice or coerce the minor child to engage in sexual activity while sending her sexually explicit images of himself, through online chats and text messages.
Dement is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Dement must also register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crime Against Children (VCAC) Task Force.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin F. Scott 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 Nos. 2:22-cr-20 and 2:22-cr-199.
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Office Manager for Chicago Medical Practice Sentenced to a Year in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Writing Opioid PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An office manager for a Chicago medical practice has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for fraudulently writing opioid prescriptions.
ROSEMARY MAYS worked for a medical practice on the South Side of Chicago. From 2009 to 2016, Mays conspired with another individual to write more than 3,000 fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and other controlled substances. Mays used a prescription pad belonging to a doctor in the practice and wrote the prescriptions in her own name and the names of dozens of unsuspecting friends and family members who had not been treated by the doctor and had no legitimate medical need for the controlled substances. Mays and her co-conspirator then caused friends and family members to fill the fraudulent prescriptions at pharmacies in the Chicago area and provide the opioids to Mays and the co-conspirator. After the fraudulent prescriptions were filled, some of the controlled substances were sold throughout the Chicago area for a profit.
Mays attempted to conceal the scheme by creating fake patient profiles for the individuals whose names she put on the fraudulent prescriptions to make it seem as if the individuals had been treated by the doctor and prescribed the opioids. In reality, they were not patients of the doctor and had not been prescribed any medications by the doctor.
Mays, 47, of South Holland, Ill., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to dispense and distribute a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose or practitioner license. U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland imposed the year-and-a-day prison sentence Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division; John Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office.
“Defendant was the key player in a multi-year criminal conspiracy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Rothblatt argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant abused the trust of a doctor with whom she worked to write thousands of fraudulent prescriptions for dangerous and addictive opioids.”
Obion County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Silencers, and Machine GunsRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Bobby Joe Brown, 42, of Obion County, Tennessee has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for unlawfulpossession of firearms, silencers and machine guns. United States
Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.According to information presented in court, on August 7, 2018, officers with the Union City Police
Department and agents with the 27th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation received information that the defendant, Bobby Joe Brown, had previously sold three guns, one of which was stolen. Officers went to Brown's residence in South Fulton to speak with him regarding the stolen gun. Brown agreed to speak with the officers, and he also allowed them to search his home.During the search, officers found a small mill/drill combo machine that appeared to have been used on multiple occasions to mill and drill aluminum. Officers also observed an 80% lower receiver lying on top of a workshop table, multiple books on fully automatic firearm and suppressor manufacturing, and a plastic tote on the floor that contained several different lengths of black painted pipe that was threaded on either end, along with flashlight tubes and freeze plugs.
Officers also located several firearms, including handguns and rifles, along with many AR-15 parts, including assembled upper and lower parts kits used to fully assemble AR-15 lower receivers. One gun, a Dan Wesson .357 revolver, was found in a closet wrapped in a latex glove. That gun was reported stolen in 2008 from Obion County.Officers also located a total of four completed suppressors, and one partially completed suppressor, one lightning link, and one drop-in auto sear (the latter items are devices that are used to turn semi-automatic AR-15 rifles into fully automatic weapons). Officers seized all items related to Brown's manufacturing of firearms, along with a small amount of methamphetamine and other assorted drug paraphernalia found throughout the home.
Brown admitted to making homemade silencers and machine guns. He said he conducted on-line research and had books to assist him in making the machine guns and silencers and did not think it was illegal to do so. Brown further admitted that he bought and used methamphetamine regularly.
On April 15, 2022, Brown pled guilty to the 15-count indictment in this case charging him with various firearms-related violations.
On October 14, 2022, Chief United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Brown to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Although Brown was not a convicted felon at the time he possessedthe firearms and other related items in this case, and had very little documented criminal history, the Court determined that a 2
1/2-year prison sentence was warranted here, particularly because of the number of firearms and other related items possessed by Brown, the fact that Brown had manufactured silencers and had converted some of the firearms to fully automatic weapons, and because Brown was an active user of methamphetamine while he manufactured and possessed these items.This case was investigated by the Union City Police Department, the 27th Judicial Drug Task Force, the TBI and the ATF.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow, who prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
###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.
Nurse at St. Louis County Hospital Admits Fraudulently Obtaining FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A nurse at a St. Louis County, Missouri hospital pleaded guilty to a federal felony Thursday and admitted fraudulently obtaining fentanyl for her own use.
Lindsay J. Maupin, 31, of Cape Girardeau, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Maupin, a registered nurse, admitted that from Jan. 18, 2020 to Feb. 2, 2020, while working at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County, she fraudulently obtained fentanyl from a Pyxis machine for her own use on multiple occasions.
Maupin is scheduled to be sentenced February 2. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric prosecuted the case.
North Georgia businessman sentenced to prison for dumping hazardous wasteRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - Amin Ali has been sentenced for disposing of hazardous waste without a permit after dumping hundreds of drums in a chicken house in North Georgia.
“Ali abused the North Georgia environment by illegally dumping hundreds of drums of waste,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The environmental laws are designed to keep Georgia’s natural beauty available and safe for future generations and this office will work to enforce those laws.”
“This sentence serves as a reminder that if you choose to undermine environmental regulations by illegally dumping hazardous waste, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Chuck Carfagno, of EPA CID Southeast Area Branch. “EPA and its state partners worked together to address the environmental problems and bring the defendant to justice.”
“This case demonstrates how local, state, and federal agencies work together to uphold and enforce laws designed to protect human health and the environment. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division appreciates and would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the women and men who collectively held the responsible party accountable for his actions and developed plans to remediate this release. Such blatant violations of our environmental laws pose serious risk to the surrounding community and to the natural resources of the State of Georgia and must be redressed,” said Sara Lips, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) addresses the problem of hazardous waste transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal. The RCRA is designed to protect human health and the environment by requiring the proper and safe management of hazardous waste – from the creation through the disposal of the waste material. The RCRA prohibits the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste without a permit issued under the statute. The RCRA also prohibits the transportation of hazardous waste to a facility that lacks a permit to accept hazardous waste.
The defendant, Amin Ali, owned and controlled Goldstar Investment Group LLC, 7 Days Property Management Inc., and Rock Springs Farming LLC. Through these entities, he owned property in Dalton, Georgia (a warehouse formerly owned by a chemical company) and in Rock Springs, Georgia (a farming property containing several old chicken houses).
In August 2021, Ali possessed more than 100 drums and other containers of chemicals, including many containing hazardous waste, moved from the Goldstar property to the Rock Springs property. The drums were discarded in one of the old chicken houses, with some of the drums left in an open trench to be buried. Some of the contents of the drums spilled and leaked into the surrounding soil.
Subsequent testing of the drums and soil revealed the presence of benzene, lead, and chromium. In addition, the contents of the drums were reactive and ignitable.
After being alerted through a call to emergency services, Catoosa County, Georgia, Sheriff, Catoosa County Code Enforcement, Catoosa County Fire, Georgia Environmental Protection Division Emergency Response, Georgia Environmental Protection Division Hazardous Waste Management Section, and EPA Emergency Response responded to the scene. Ultimately, the cost of the clean-up exceeded $500,000.
Amin Ali, 56, of Dalton, Georgia, has been sentenced to two months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and restitution in the amount of $32,596.93. Ali was convicted on June 22, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Working with our U.S. Department of Justice partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia seeks to secure environmental justice for all communities, to ensure that everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to a healthy environment in which to live, learn, play and work. U.S. Attorney Buchanan encourages residents to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office via email at [email protected] when also contacting local, state, or federal agency hotlines or websites to report environmental, health and safety concerns. Notifying our Office helps us protect the community from harmful violations of federal health & safety laws. For more information, see https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/environmental-justice.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Law Enforcement Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
North Bay Village City Commissioner Who Pretended to be Law Firm’s Paralegal to See Lover at ICE Detention Center Convicted of Federal CrimeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Julianna Clare Strout, 36, has been convicted of lying to get into a federal immigration detention center in Miami to see her romantic partner. Strout has served as a North Bay Village City Commissioner since November 2018. Her term expires this November.
Strout pled guilty to a federal information charging her with attempting to enter, and entering, a federal facility using fraud and false pretenses.
In October 2021, Krome Service Processing Center (Krome) temporarily suspended social visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal visits, however, were permitted.
Three times in October 2021, Strout entered Krome by lying to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials about her reason for visiting. Strout told officials that she worked as a paralegal for a particular law firm and that she needed to visit a detainee to have legal documents signed. In addition, Strout presented officials with a letter on the law firm’s letterhead.
In fact, the law firm never authorized Strout to use its letterhead or visit Krome on its behalf. Strout had never worked for the law firm. Instead, she was romantically involved with the detainee.
On one occasion, after initially being denied entry, Strout presented to officers at Krome her North Bay Village Commissioner badge, explained that she was a public official, and asked to enter Krome on that basis.
Immediately following the guilty plea, Strout was sentenced to one-year probation and 50 hours of community service.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Garrett J. Ripa, Field Office Director, ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Miami Field Office, and Robert M. DeWitt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
ICE, ERO Miami and FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Daya Nathan is prosecuting it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20428-Williams.
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New York Man Sentenced to Five Years’ Imprisonment for Monroe County Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Muse, age 44, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced on October 26, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to five years’ imprisonment for armed bank robbery.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Muse previously entered a guilty plea before Judge Mannion and admitted to committing an armed robbery of the ESSA Bank, located in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, on September 16, 2021. During the robbery Muse pointed what appeared to be a firearm (later discovered to be an air pistol) at the bank tellers. Muse stole approximately $9,031 in the robbery.
The charge resulted from an investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara prosecuted 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.
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New Jersey Man Convicted of $40M Securities Claims FraudRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Joseph Cammarata, 48, of Monmouth Beach, NJ, was convicted after trial for his participation in a securities fraud claims scheme with two co-defendants from New York and New Jersey.
In November 2021, the defendant was charged by Superseding Indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud (Count One), wire fraud (Counts Two through Five), money laundering conspiracy (Count Six), and two counts of money laundering (Counts Eleven and Twelve), along with co-defendants David Punturieri, 42, of Staten Island, NY, and Erik Cohen, 41, of Manalapan, NJ. According to the Superseding Indictment, the defendants were the principals of Alpha Plus Recovery, a claims aggregator firm based in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Defendants Punturieri and Cohen previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.
As the evidence presented at trial showed, Cammarata and his co-defendants used Alpha Plus Recovery to make false and fraudulent claims, including claims made in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to the proceeds of securities fraud class action, and SEC enforcement action, settlements. They falsely claimed that corporate clients of Alpha Plus Recovery had purchased shares of securities that were the subject of the lawsuits and enforcement actions. In reality, the clients, which were entities actually controlled by the defendants, had not purchased the subject securities. To substantiate the false claims, the defendants created fraudulent brokerage and other financial documents to provide to claims administrators. Cammarata and his co-defendants then transferred the fraudulently obtained funds into accounts they controlled, stealing a total of over $43 million between 2014 and 2021.
“A jury has found that Cammarata and his partners at Alpha Plus manipulated complicated financial transactions for years in order to steal over $40 million,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “They committed fraud on top of fraud, filing claims on behalf of clients that didn’t exist and doctoring false financial documents to support those fraudulent claims, and their theft took money from the pockets of deserving claimants. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the investigators and prosecutors on this case, all three defendants have now been brought to justice.”
“Year after year, Joseph Cammarata and his partners stole millions from legitimate victim investors entitled to class action settlement funds,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Cammarata used the funds to support his lavish lifestyle, including the use of private jets, the purchase of expensive homes, luxury cars, and yachts, and even the maintenance of a private island in The Bahamas. As investigators closed in, Cammarata doubled down on his lies in order to perpetuate the fraud. What Cammarata didn’t know was that Special Agents from the FBI and Postal Inspectors were methodically building a case based on his emails and phone calls where he and his business partners conspired to lie to claims administrators. This conviction sends a message to all sophisticated white collar criminals that no one is beyond the reach of the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”
“A jury in Philadelphia found Joseph Cammarata guilty of defrauding thousands of investors of settlement monies those investors were owed,” said Raimundo Marerro, the Acting Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service. “Since 2014, Mr. Cammarata used the United States Mail system to submit fraudulent claims to settlement administrators and receive over $43 million in fraudulent payments from these settlement administrators. By doing so, he and his co-conspirators deprived legitimate claimants of monies they should have received. I want to thank the agents and prosecutors for their efforts following this case through trial and once again reminding people that stealing money through the U.S. Mail is a crime.”
“This conviction reflects IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents’ continued resolve to investigate and prosecute those who violate federal fraud and money laundering laws,” said Tammy Tomlins, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Newark Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover and disrupt criminals who conspire to perpetrate sophisticated schemes to steal millions.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Ignall and Paul G. Shapiro.
Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Carjacking Conspiracy Targeting Uber and Lyft Drivers, Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to pulling a gun on an FBI agent and to his role in a violent carjacking ring that targeted Uber and Lyft drivers, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between September and October 2021, William Charles Saffold, 20, and his co-conspirators engaged in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies, targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. As part of the scheme, members of the conspiracy lured victim-drivers to particular locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the victim-drivers arrived, members of the conspiracy brandished firearms and demanded the cell phones and wallets of the victim-drivers. Members of the conspiracy forced the victim-drivers at gunpoint to unlock their cell phones and provide passcodes. The conspiracy members then transferred money, via Cash App or other applications, from the accounts of the victim-drivers to the accounts of members of the conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy then carjacked the victim-drivers at gunpoint. To intimidate and force compliance, members of the conspiracy struck, pistol whipped, and threatened to kill the victim-drivers.
According to court documents, on May 11, 2022, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant, an FBI agent approached Saffold, who immediately drew a pistol and pointed it at the agent before fleeing on foot.
Saffold pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez to one count of conspiracy to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.
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Mexican National Arrested for Alleged Fraud Scheme in Which He Impersonated an IRS Employee and Filed False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican citizen—who entered the U.S. illegally—made his initial appearance yesterday for fraudulently soliciting thousands of dollars from victims in exchange for filing false tax returns. The defendant falsely claimed that he was an IRS officer who could obtain large amounts of money from the IRS, if the victims paid him to apply to a fictitious IRS program.
Francisco Ivan Velazquez (52) is charged by superseding indictment with three counts of wire fraud, two counts of impersonation of officer or employee of the United States, and five counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. The superseding indictment was filed on August 30, 2022 and unsealed when the defendant made his initial appearance.
According to allegations contained in the superseding indictment, from March 2016 through March 2018, Velazquez told the victims that he was an IRS employee and was able to secure large monetary refunds for them from the IRS. He falsely claimed that such funds were available from a purported IRS program which allowed people who had previously lost a home to foreclosure to recoup money by applying to the IRS and filing certain documents. Velazquez advised victims that in exchange for a fee he would submit an application for them to recover the funds. Velazquez would then prepare and file false tax returns and other documents with the IRS claiming that the victim had federal tax withholdings in excess of $100,000, and fraudulently claiming that the victim qualified for an income tax refund in excess of $100,000.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, and three years for each count of filing a false tax return and for each count of impersonating an officer or employee of the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress of the IRS Criminal Investigations; and J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration made the announcement.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Tax Division Trial Attorney Thomas W. Flynn and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric C. Schmale are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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