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Monday 22 August 2022
Mexican Citizen Illegally Residing in West Liberty Sentenced to Federal Prison for Identity Theft and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Silvano Marez Rios, age 50, a Mexican citizen who resided in West Liberty, was sentenced on Thursday, August 18, 2022, to 33 months in prison for fraud in connection with immigration documents, aggravated identity theft, misuse of a social security number, and illegal reentry. Marez Rios was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term.
According to court documents, Marez Rios was found in West Liberty after having been deported or removed by immigration authorities. In Iowa, Marez Rios used the identity of a United States citizen to obtain employment. He also utilized the same identity when incurring medical expenses and for numerous driving offenses. After working under one false identity, Marez Rios used the identity and social security card of another United States citizen to obtain employment. On March 30, 2022, Marez Rios plead guilty to the four charges.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This matter was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Iowa Department of Transportation, West Liberty Police Department, and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Mercer County Jail Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Crack and to Launder the ProceedsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Eugene Phillips pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and to launder drug trafficking proceeds, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Phillips, age 30 of Farrell, Pennsylvania, pled guilty before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing to occur on Dec. 9, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
As part of the factual basis for the guilty plea, the Court was informed that between March and June 2021, while Phillips was detained at the Mercer County Jail with pending state drug trafficking charges, he conspired to distribute crack cocaine and to launder drug trafficking proceeds.
The law provides for a sentence of at least 5 years and up to 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is to be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the Mercer County Drug Task Force, the New Castle Police Department, the Sharon Police Department, the Hermitage Police Department, and the Farrell Police Department led the investigation resulting in the conviction in this case.
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.
Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Loaded Gun on Chicago StreetRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun during an altercation on a Chicago street.
JULIAN ALMANZA, 22, of Chicago, illegally possessed the gun on the afternoon of Jan. 14, 2021, in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. At one point during the altercation Almanza stood in the middle of a street and pointed the gun at multiple individuals. When Chicago Police officers began arriving on the scene, Almanza slid the firearm under a truck. The officers quickly discovered the gun, which was equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition.
Almanza had previously been convicted of two firearm felonies in state court and was not legally allowed to possess the gun. He was on parole for the more recent firearm offense at the time of the federal charge.
Almanza pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee imposed a 44-month prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick M. Mott represented the government.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Man Sentenced to 42 Months’ Imprisonment for Attempting to Rob the Vermont Federal Credit Union in BurlingtonRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Donald McCandless, 43, formerly of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 42 months’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge that he attempted to rob the Vermont Federal Credit Union in Burlington last June. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that McCandless serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. McCandless has been detained since he first appeared in federal court last June.
According to court records, McCandless entered VFCU with an object in his pocket, stated he had a bomb, and demanded money. McCandless then approached a teller window and began punching the plexiglass barrier, knocking items off the counter. A customer conducting business at the bank grabbed McCandless and began pulling McCandless toward the exit of the bank. McCandless was given $10 in cash by a patron, and McCandless left the bank. Burlington Police Officers who responded to a 911 call and alarm at VFCU encountered McCandless on College Street wearing clothing consistent with that described by witnesses of the attempted robbery. McCandless was found with two $5 bills in his hand, and McCandless reported having been “doing meth” earlier in the day. At the time of his arrest, McCandless had a nonextraditable arrest warrant issued in Norfolk, Virginia for violating a term of probation imposed as part of his sentence for a 2020 conviction for felony strangulation. In the week prior to the attempted robbery, McCandless had multiple encounters with Burlington and South Burlington Police and was cited by South Burlington Police earlier on the day of the robbery for trespassing onto the Vermont Air National Guard Base with a knife.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the quick response and investigation of the Burlington Police Department and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its assistance.
The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ang. McCandless is represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth.
Madison Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Robert Coney, 50, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced Friday, August 19, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 15 months in prison for possessing ammunition as a felon. Coney pleaded guilty to this charge on May 12, 2022.
On May 3, 2020, Madison police officers were dispatched to the chaotic scene of a shots fired call at Brittingham Park. According to witnesses, Coney was at the park arguing with other men, then left the park and returned a short time later. Detectives analyzed several videos of the incident and were able to identify Coney as firing a handgun during the incident. A spent shell casing was recovered in the area. And at the time of this offense Coney had prior felony convictions for armed robbery, aggravated battery, and drug trafficking. When Coney was arrested on May 12, 2020, officers found 36 baggies of crack cocaine in his pocket.
At sentencing, Judge Conley found that Coney fired a handgun in a public park and toward others involved in a dispute. Judge Conley also said that Coney’s possession of the cocaine when arrested was an aggravating factor, as was his decision to return to the park with the gun. Judge Conley ordered Coney to complete three years of supervision after release from prison. A charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine was dismissed as a part of the plea agreement.
The charge against Coney was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
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.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Cocaine and Fentanyl Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Adante Mower, 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 19, 2022, in federal court in Lincoln. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Mower to 240 months in prison for distributing cocaine and fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury. After serving his sentence, Mower will be placed on supervised release for 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
On August 4, 2021, Mower distributed a substance believed to be cocaine to two individuals in a store parking lot in Lincoln. Those two individuals then went to Nebraska City and used that substance. Shortly thereafter, those individuals became unresponsive. Emergency personnel arrived on scene and administered medical treatment, including Narcan, to reverse the effects of the overdose. The two individuals were hospitalized and survived. Law enforcement seized the remainder of the substance sold by Mower at the scene of the overdose. A lab determined that the substance contained cocaine and fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Lincoln County Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Lincoln County man pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 15, 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Randall Jim Hughes, 37, of Alkol, on an outstanding warrant. During the arrest, two baggies containing approximately 23 grams of fentanyl fell from Hughes’ person. Hughes admitted that he possessed the fentanyl and intended to distribute it. Hughes further admitted that officers seized two loaded firearms from him.
Hughes is scheduled to be sentenced on November 14, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the United States Marshals Service.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani and former United States Attorney Nick Miller have prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-205.
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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Multi-State Drug RingRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dillon Andrew Young, 29, of Sissonville was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for his role in a multi-state drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Huntington that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, oxycodone, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, Young admitted that he spoke to co-defendant Scott Lee Midkiff on April 9, 2021, using the cell phone of another individual. Midkiff asked Young to bring the phone to him because Midkiff believed that the owner of the phone had stolen a quantity of drugs and money from him. Young agreed to bring the phone to Midkiff in exchange for money and 10 grams of methamphetamine. When Young entered Midkiff’s Huntington residence, law enforcement seized the phone and arrested Midkiff.
Midkiff was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Young pleaded guilty to use of a communications facility in committing, causing, and facilitating a felony, controlled substance offense. The case is the result of a long-term investigation that disrupted the DTO. All 18 defendants have pleaded guilty.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force. The Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force consists of officers with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West. The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus, Ohio also assisted in the investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Cremeans prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-109.
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Judge Sends Philadelphia Man to Prison for Conspiring to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced on Thursday in federal court to 33 months’ imprisonment on his conviction for violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Damion Fray, 25.
According to information presented to the Court, from in and around January 2017 through in and around June 2020, Fray conspired to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.
Assistant United States Attorneys Craig W. Haller and Yvonne M. Saadi prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Pennsylvania State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Butler County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Fray.
Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Ricky Pulley, age 39, of Iowa City, was sentenced on Friday, August 18, 2022 to 87 months in prison for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. Following his imprisonment, Pulley was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
Iowa City police officers were dispatched to a residential neighborhood on a report of shots fired. Surveillance video showed Pulley in a Chevrolet Equinox firing shots toward a dark-colored SUV. Pulley then crashed the Equinox into a snowbank and fled but was located hiding nearby. Officers recovered spent shell casings inside the Equinox and the discarded firearm on a deck of a home. Pulley was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana at the time and has prior felony convictions, prohibiting him from possessing firearms. Pulley pleaded guilty on February 17, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa City Police Department investigated the case.
Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Samuel Lee Pelechek, age 25, of Iowa City, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography. Following his imprisonment, Pelechek was ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cybertip from Dropbox related to the upload of possible child pornography. Law enforcement traced the child pornography to Pelechek. Pelechek admitted to obtaining child pornography from various sites which was uploaded on his Dropbox account. Pelechek pleaded guilty on February 22, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Coralville Police Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Huntsville Man Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison for Multiple Robberies in North AlabamaRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Huntsville man with committing a string of armed robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
U.S. District Court Judge Abdul K. Kallon sentenced Christopher Maxwell Jacobie Owens, 28, of Huntsville, to 228 months in prison for Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm. Owens pleaded guilty to the charges in June.
According to the plea agreement, in a span of six days in November 2020, Owens committed six armed robberies at businesses in Huntsville. Owens robbed two Family Dollar locations, Dollar General, two MetroPCS locations, and Walgreens.
“The safety of our citizens and the businesses operating within our district is of utmost importance,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “This defendant put the lives of several victims at risk during the commission of these robberies. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, he will serve significant time in the federal prison system as a result of his actions. We continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime in the Northern District of Alabama. Let this be a deterrent to others who might consider similar conduct.”
“The FBI’s most fundamental duty is to safeguard people’s right to live without fear of violence,” SAC Sharp said. “Owens’s string of armed robberies put the lives of innocent citizens at risk while they were simply going about their daily business, and today’s sentence will give him plenty of time to reflect on his actions. The citizens of north Alabama should know that the FBI and our partners will not stop in our pursuit of violent offenders and our work to keep them safe.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Pillsbury is prosecuted the case.
Huntington Man Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison for Federal Drug, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Corey Michael Perkins, 33, of Huntington, was sentenced today to 11 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to have drugs smuggled into the Western Regional Jail. In a separate case, Perkins was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for aiding and abetting the illegal straw purchase of firearms. The two sentences will run concurrently.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from November to December 2020, Perkins coordinated with multiple individuals to get drugs into the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville. Perkins admitted to using jail phone calls, which were recorded, to arrange for a package containing 228 suboxone strips, 1.4 grams of fentanyl/methamphetamine mixture, and 1 gram of methamphetamine to be transported into the jail. Perkins utilized an inmate and a person who worked at the jail to carry out the scheme. Perkins was aware that the drugs were intended for redistribution in the jail, and that he would receive money in exchange for the drugs.
Perkins further admitted to arranging for another person to buy four firearms for him at a Huntington pawn shop. On June 30, 2020, Perkins picked out the four firearms: a Rock Island M1-1911 FS, .45-caliber pistol; a Taurus 1911, .45-caliber pistol; an Anderson AM-15, multi-caliber rifle; and a Spikes ST-15, .300-caliber rifle. Perkins told an employee he would send someone to purchase the firearms. Perkins admitted that he aided, abetted, counseled, and induced that straw purchaser to falsely state and represent on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee and buyer of the firearms. Perkins was the actual transferee and buyer of the firearms. Perkins further admitted to providing the straw purchaser with the necessary cash to buy the firearms.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Perkins knew he could not purchase the firearms himself because of his prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Cabell County Circuit Court on January 10, 2013.
Perkins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute suboxone, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, and to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the acquisition of firearms.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the ATF, the West Virginia State Police, the Huntington Police Department, and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Investigations Unit.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentences. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Courtney L. Cremeans prosecuted the cases.
The drug case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-215 and 3:22-cr-56.
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Hopkinsville Man Federally Indicted for Illegally Possessing Handguns and DrugsRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green returned an indictment on August 10, 2022, charging a Hopkinsville, KY, man with possessing handguns and drugs on two separate days.
According to court documents, on May 17, 2022, in Logan County, KY, Marquez Penman, 29, possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessed, in connection with his drug trafficking, a Taurus, model G2C, 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Additionally, on May 26, 2022, in Todd County, KY, Penman possessed with the intent to distribute marijuana and possessed, in connection with his drug trafficking, a Ruger, model SR-22, .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Prior to these offenses Penman had been convicted of first-degree robbery in Christian Circuit Court in case number 13-CR-00349 and second-degree robbery in Christian Circuit Court in case number 11-CR-00423, making him a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Penman is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The defendant is scheduled for an arraignment on August 23, 2022, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
The ATF, the Kentucky State Police, and the Todd County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that RAUL CABRERA-PERDOMO , age 47, pleaded guilty on August 18, 2022 after being charged in a one-count indictment with illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a) in 2021.
According to papers signed in open court, RAUL CABRERA-PERDOMO (“CABRERA”), admitted to reentering the United States after he was previously deported on May 15, 2009. CABRERA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee as well as being deported again. Sentencing is set for November 10, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
High school security guard who filmed his sexual abuse of a child sentenced to 25 years in prisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a former high school security guard who recorded his repeated sexual abuse of a child it to 25 years in prison.
Mark A. Bennett’s victim was less than 10 years old when he began abusing her and filming it, he admitted in a guilty plea in March. It went on for years, until his attempt to download child pornography triggered a Dec. 12, 2019 tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department.
After a search of Bennett’s home and electronic devices, investigators found 589 pictures of videos of the girl’s abuse, as well as 1,500 files containing child sexual abuse material, his plea says.
Bennett, 48, pleaded guilty to a charge of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Bennett worked at McCluer North High School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, but did not meet the victim through his job.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Guatemalan National Living in Maryland Charged with Unlawful Transportation of Individual in VermontRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Alex Alejandro-Cordero (also known as Alejandro Guerro-Soto and Enio Alejandro Cordero), 36, of Adelphi, Maryland, appeared on Friday, August 19, 2022, in federal court on a charge alleging that, on or about August 18, 2022, he unlawfully transported an individual he knew to have entered the United States illegally. Upon the motion of the United States, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered Alejandro-Cordero detained pending further proceedings in the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office notes that a criminal complaint is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. As currently charged, Alejandro-Cordero would face up to 5 years of imprisonment if convicted. Any sentence in the case will be advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest credited the agents of the United States Border Patrol for their quick response and investigation of Alejandro-Cordero and their continued efforts to prevent the exploitation of foreign nationals by human-smuggling organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher represents the United States in this case. Alejandro-Cordero is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels, Esq.
Former Ft. Bragg Substance Abuse Counselor Sentenced for Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A former Ft. Bragg substance abuse counselor was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison and 5 years of supervised release, for sexual contact without consent. Harrell Lenear Jamison will also have to register as a sex offender. On April 8, 2022, Jamison pled guilty to the charge pursuant to a plea agreement.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Jamison, 48, was a substance abuse counselor for the Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care (SUDCC) program at Ft. Bragg. During a session with a patient, Jamison undid the pants of his 20-year-old victim, put his hands inside her underwear, and rubbed her groin area. When the victim asked him to stop, he said, “be quiet, you’re fine.” After attempting to drive away from the appointment, the victim pulled over and was found crying on the side of the road.
Michael F. Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. US Army CID investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-404.
Former Executive Director of Drug Prevention Coalition Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Patrick Martin, 51, of Gainesboro, Tennessee, was sentenced Friday to 15 months in prison for embezzling approximately $211,000 from the Community Prevention Coalition of Jackson County while serving as the Coalition’s Executive Director, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Martin was initially charged in May 2019 and pleaded guilty in August 2021 to wire fraud, failure to pay over employment taxes, and filing a false income tax return.
According to Court documents, beginning in 2014, Martin submitted applications to an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services for Drug Free Communities program grants and received awards for the Coalition totaling $375,000 over three years. Martin was supposed to use the grant funds on behalf of the Coalition, but instead used the money for his own personal benefit, including to make an automobile purchase, pay personal bills, make home renovations, and financially support someone outside of his family.
As the Executive Director of the Coalition, Martin also was responsible for paying over certain employment taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks to the IRS. Martin failed to do so and used this money for his own personal benefit as well. Martin also filed false income tax returns with the IRS for tax years 2014 and 2015, failing to report the income from his embezzlement scheme.
Martin was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $507,373.76, with $375,000 to be paid to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the agency that awarded the grant; and $132,373.76 to be paid to the IRS. Martin was also ordered to forfeit $211,795.84.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the IRS - Criminal Investigation; and the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Levine prosecuted the case.
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Former Colorado Sheriff's Deputy Is Sentenced to 21+ Years for Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that a former Colorado sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to 262 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for coercion and enticement of a minor. Vincent Ryan Potter, 38, formerly of Colorado, was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
“Potter is an online predator who contacted vulnerable children via social media and used deception, pressure, and threats to coerce his young victims into sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Potter was a sworn officer of the law which makes this case particularly disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney King. “I commend the law enforcement agencies that investigated this case for working closely across state lines to locate Potter and put a stop to his predatory behavior.”
“As a former law enforcement officer, this defendant betrayed the public trust placed in him by preying on children rather than protecting them, as he was sworn to do. HSI is committed to holding those who seek to exploit children fully accountable, regardless of the position they may hold,” said Special Agent in Charge Martinez.
“A child predator has been arrested and held accountable for his actions due to the joint investigative and prosecution efforts of UCSO detectives, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Union County Sheriff’s Office is proud to partner with our federal law enforcement partners in order to safeguard the children in our community from anyone who would try and cause them harm,” said Sheriff Cathey.
According to filed documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between January and April 2021, Potter used Snapchat to entice and coerce two minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. At the time of the offense, Potter was a Deputy with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Court documents show that, in early 2021, Potter began communicating via Snapchat with a 14-year-old female located in
Union County. At the time Potter was communicating with the minor he knew the victim was a teenager. Over the course of their communications, Potter, who created multiple Snapchat accounts and pretended to be both a 15-year-old and a 23-year-old male, enticed and pressured the minor victim to send him images and videos of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Potter continued to ask the minor to produce child pornography and threatened the minor that he would release her explicit images to her friends and the internet if she did not comply.
According to court documents and court proceedings, during the same time period, Potter initiated communications via Snapchat with a second teenage female also located in Union County. During those communications, Potter enticed and coerced the minor to send him sexually explicit images and videos of herself.
On March 4, 2022, Potter pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Potter remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended HSI in Charlotte and in Colorado and the Union County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Five Burlington Men Sentenced to Federal Prison on Charges Related to a Drug Conspiracy Involving the Seizure of 362 Pounds of Ice Methamphetamine During an Arizona Traffic StopRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Five Burlington, Iowa men were sentenced to decades in prison for conspiring to distribute drugs in the Burlington area. The conspiracy started by at least December 1, 2019 and continued until November 2, 2021. Those sentenced as part of this drug conspiracy include:
• Rudolph Sinclair Allen, age 37, was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Clyde Macks Stewart, Jr., age 51, was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Demetrius Antre Goudy, age 42, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Gregory Jermain Johnson, age 36, was sentenced to approximately 14 years (169 months) of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Brian Keith Davis, Jr., age 42, was sentenced to 10 1/2 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
According to court documents, Gregory Johnson, Allen, and Marcus Johnson, age 46 of Burlington, were the “middlemen” who received large quantities of ice methamphetamine in Burlington from Kendric Centrall Childs, age 35 of Burlington, who served as the main drug source, along with another individual. Gregory Johnson, Allen, and Marcus Johnson either sold quantities of ice methamphetamine themselves or provided it to lower-level dealers such as Goudy, Stewart, and Davis for distribution. Court documents further show that Julie Mason, age 54 of Burlington, was one of the drug couriers for the group.
On January 24, 2020, Mason was stopped in Arizona while transporting approximately 362 pounds of ice methamphetamine. Mason admitted the ice methamphetamine was bound for Burlington. This traffic stop was the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s largest single seizure of ice methamphetamine at the time.1
Mason, Childs, and Marcus Johnson have all pled guilty to drug conspiracy charges and are scheduled to be sentenced on a later date. Mason was previously found guilty of Possession of Drugs for Sale and Transport Drugs for Sale following a jury trial in Arizona and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force investigated the case.
1 Trooper’s Traffic Stop Leads to 362 lb. Meth Seizure, Largest in AZDPS History, Arizona Dep’t Public Safety, https://www.azdps.gov/news/releases/933 (Jan. 27, 2020).
Felon Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Prison for Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Romeo Lenell Battle (25, Lehigh Acres) to four years and nine months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Battle to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Battle had pleaded guilty on April 13, 2022.
According to court documents, on April 22, 2021, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Lehigh Acres in response to a 911 call for service relating to a domestic dispute involving a firearm. Battle, a previously convicted felon and state probationer, was in the residence when deputies arrived. When deputies searched the residence, they found a loaded Glock handgun hidden under a bed. DNA analysis later revealed that Battle’s DNA profile matched DNA extracted from the firearm. As a convicted felon, Battle is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
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.
Federal Grand Jury B Indictments Announced- August 2022Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the August 2022 Federal Grand Jury B.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Mark Allan Barnes. Bank Robbery. Barnes, 39, of Bartlesville, is charged with robbing Armstrong Bank of Bartlesville on July 19, 2022, by threatening the teller with a knife. The FBI and Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-265
Florentino Bautista-Sanchez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Bautista-Sanchez, 40, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Feb. 8, 2007, at or near El Paso, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-278
Daniel Lewis Brandon. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country (Counts 1,2). On Oct. 15, 2020, Brandon, 52, of Quapaw, allegedly broke into and entered a residence through a floor vent with the intent to commit a crime while the home was occupied. He is further alleged to have forcibly broken the same victim’s outer door and entered the victim’s residence with intent to commit a crime on May 1, 2021. The FBI and Quapaw Nation Marshals Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema M. Onias is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-285
Ricardo Esparza Lopez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Esparza, 33, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 24, 2017. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-268
Jeremy Mikal Glazier. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Counts 1-3); Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute (Count 4); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 5). Glazier, 34, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Walther .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol on Nov. 29, 2020; being a felon in possession of a Taurus 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and two rounds of ammunition on Jan. 16, 2021; and being a felon in possession of a Smith and Wesson 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition on July 26, 2022. He is further charged with possessing with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of marijuana on July 26, 2022. Finally, Glazier is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime on July 26, 2022. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-266
Shanon Eugene Graham. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. On June 22, 2022, Graham, 48, of Chouteau, allegedly possessed an Aero Precision LLC 5.56 caliber semi-automatic rifle and 25 rounds of ammunition after being convicted of four felonies. The FBI and Mayes County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan H. Heatherman is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-286
Oscar Efrain Hernandez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Hernandez, 27, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on July 15, 2020, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-267
Cody Wayne Horn. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor in Indian Country. Horn, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity from Nov. 26, 2021, to Nov. 28, 2021. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Childress is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-287
Genesia Nan McKinney. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. On Aug. 28, 2020, McKinney, 28, of Tulsa, allegedly assaulted an individual by stabbing the individual repeatedly with a knife. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Bish is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-269
Aleydy Navarrete-Gutierrez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Navarrete-Gutierrez, 24, of Tulsa, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been deported and removed on or about July 16, 2016, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-270
Glenn David Nickols. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country; Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Nickols, 39, of Afton, is charged with engaging in a sexual act with a child younger than 12 years of age from March 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020. He is further charged with sexually exploiting the same child by coercing the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-271
Justin Leon Pritchett. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Counts 1,2). Pritchett, 55, of Oaks, is charged with assaulting two victims with a vehicle on July 2, 2022. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema M. Onias is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-272
Juan Carlos Rincon-Castro. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rincon-Castro, 34, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after being removed on June 22, 2013, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-273
Jesus Sanchez-Reyes. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Sanchez-Reyes, 32, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on July 13, 2015, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-279
Michael Wayne Tiffany; James Allen Quapaw. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition (Counts 1,4); Sale and Disposal of a Firearm to a Prohibited Person (Count 2); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Counts 3,8); Possessing and Selling Stolen Firearms (Count 5); Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 6); Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 7). Quapaw, 41, of Miami, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Ruger .270 caliber rifle and four rounds of ammunition from Dec. 30, 2021, to Jan. 4, 2022. Quapaw is also charged with selling the firearm and ammunition to Tiffany, 37, of Miami, who is a prohibited person. From Dec. 30, 2021, to Jan. 4, 2022, Tiffany allegedly possessed firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, namely possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Tiffany is further charged with being a felon in possession of a Ruger .270 caliber rifle, a Remington .243 caliber rifle and eight rounds of ammunition on Jan. 5, 2022. Tiffany and Quapaw are both charged with aiding and abetting each other to possess and sell the Ruger .270 caliber rifle, Remington .243 caliber rifle and eight rounds of ammunition on Jan. 5, 2022. Additionally, Tiffany is charged with knowingly possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on July 16, 2022, and with carrying a firearm during the crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle M. McWaters is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-222
Atanael Vasquez-Ixlaj. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Vasquez-Ixlaj, 29, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on July 18, 2012, at or near Harlingen, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operation is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-280
Tony Darnelle Warledo. Robbery in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence within Indian Country. On May 30, 2022, at a Tulsa QuikTrip, Warledo, 22, of Tulsa, allegedly robbed the victim of a firearm, wallet and cell phone by force, violence, and intimidation. He is further charged with carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during the crime. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-281
Charlotte Deann Wasson; Joshua Halfmoon Wasson. Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud (Count 1); Bank Fraud (Counts 2-8; Counts 16-26; Counts 38,39); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 9-13; Counts 27-37). Charlotte Wasson, 53, and her son, Joshua Wasson, 31, of Talala, conspired with at least one other person to commit bank fraud. The conspirators worked as labor contractors for an environmental remediation company in Collinsville, which had an account with Blue Sky Bank in Tulsa. Together, the conspirators stole then altered and forged at least 22 of the company’s checks, making the checks payable to themselves in amounts that they specified. The conspirators then presented the checks for payment to a bank and a check cashing business in Tulsa. Charlotte Wasson is charged with bank fraud after she presented seven fraudulent company checks for payment, totaling $8,853.85. She is further charged with aggravated identity theft after forging another individual’s signature on those checks. Joshua Wasson is also charged with bank fraud after he presented eleven of the fraudulent checks for payment, totaling $12,260.85. He is further charged with aggravated identity theft after forging another individual’s signature on those checks. Finally, Charlotte Wasson is further charged with bank fraud for presenting two altered and forged checks as payment for a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu and a 2013 Honda Civic. Those checks were illegally drawn from a Bank of Oklahoma account in the amounts of $6,000 and $7,000. The U.S. Secret Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-282
Heath Raymond Wells. Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country. Wells, 31, of Tulsa, is charged with assaulting an intimate partner by strangling and attempting to strangle her on June 13, 2022. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Childress is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-288
Audie Wayne Woolman. Child Abuse in Indian Country; Child Neglect in Indian Country; Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding. Woolman, 51, of Jay, allegedly assaulted an intimate partner on March 27, 2022, exposing two children to the abuse. He further physically abused one of the children during the incident. The FBI and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Childress is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-289
Farmington Man Sentenced to Prison for Florida to Connecticut Gun Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DOMINIC COLON-BROWN, 28, of Farmington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 12 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking firearms that were stolen in Florida to Connecticut. Judge Meyer also ordered Colon-Brown to pay a $2,200 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2021, Colon-Brown sold a firearm to a convicted felon. He then conspired with Julian Judge and another individual to obtain firearms in Florida and sell them in Connecticut. In late February 2021, Colon-Brown and Judge drove to Florida, obtained three handguns and transported them back to Connecticut. Colon Brown and Judge knew the firearms were stolen or otherwise illegally obtained.
On March 8, 2021, law enforcement recovered the three firearms, as well as more than 100 rounds of ammunition and approximately 60 grams of cocaine, during a search of a New Britain apartment.
During the investigation, Colon-Brown and his associates were captured in recorded conversations discussing the illegal acquisition and sale of firearms. Colon-Brown and Judge also posted photos of themselves on social media in possession of firearms.
Colon-Brown was arrested on May 27, 2021. On January 20, 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen firearms across state lines.
Judge, of New Britain, pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on May 27, 2022, he was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, New Britain Police Department, Farmington Police Department, West Hartford Police Department and Pasco County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.
This prosecution 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 Justice 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.
Euclid Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Receipt, Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
John P. Comer, 52, of Euclid, Ohio, was sentenced on August 19, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan to more than 12 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release after Comer pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, on September 30, 2021, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at an address in Euclid associated with Comer after authorities became aware of his involvement in the receipt and distribution of child pornography, including a digital folder labeled “CP video Brutal.”
During the execution of the warrant, authorities seized multiple electronic devices belonging to Comer, including two computers and a cell phone containing child pornography. An onsite forensic preview of Comer’s cell phone revealed that it contained images of minors engaged in sexual conduct.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Gaughan ordered Comer to pay $3,000 in restitution and a $10,000 Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) assessment.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Sullivan.
East Bay Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Sale of Fentanyl That Killed A Young WomanRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Gage Pascoe was sentenced to 68 months in federal prison for distributing pills laced with fentanyl that caused a Walnut Creek woman’s overdose death, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge William Alsup.
Pascoe, 23, of Pittsburg, California, pleaded guilty on February 14, 2022, to the charge of distributing fentanyl. In his plea agreement, Pascoe admitted that on the night of June 16, 2020, a former high school classmate came to his house to buy oxycodone pills. He sold her thirteen M30 pills, which lab tests later showed were laced with deadly fentanyl. The next morning the victim was found dead in her bed, and the baggie containing the M30s that Pascoe sold to the victim was found in her bedroom. Pascoe agreed in his plea agreement that the victim ingested the M30s he sold her and as a result suffered an overdose of fentanyl.
The government filed a sentencing memorandum asserting that while Pascoe did not intentionally cause his high school classmate’s death, her death was the product of Pascoe’s reckless disregard for her safety. Pascoe told the victim he would buy the oxycodone pills from a street source he referred to as his “other connect.” The government pointed out that dealing in M30 oxycodone pills bought on the street is extremely dangerous. According to DEA, counterfeit M30 pills routinely contain fentanyl, and four out of every ten such pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. A lethal dose can be miniscule, as little as two milligrams. Pascoe essentially “played Russian roulette,” the government asserted, but it was the victim who suffered the fatal consequences of Pascoe’s reckless, grossly negligent conduct.
In addition to the 68 month prison term, U.S. District Judge Alsup ordered Pascoe to serve five years of supervision following release from federal prison and to pay restitution to the family of the victim for funeral costs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Shepard and Ross Weingarten prosecuted the case with the assistance of Andy Ding and Jasmine Sanders. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DEA and the Walnut Creek Police Department.
One Pill Can Kill: Beware of pills bought on the street. Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, is a highly potent opiate that can be diluted with cutting agents to create counterfeit pills that purport to mimic the effects of Oxycodone, Percocet, and other drugs and can typically be obtained at a lower cost than the genuine drugs. However, very small variations in the amount or quality of fentanyl creates huge effects on the potency of the counterfeit pills and can easily have lethal consequences. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills are commonly shaped and colored to resemble pills that are sold legitimately at pharmacies. For example, counterfeit pills known as M30s mimic Oxycodone and routinely contain fentanyl. These tablets are round and often light blue in color, though they come in many other colors, and have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill.
Dearborn Bank Robber Nabbed in Porta Potty Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
DETROIT, MI – An Inkster resident pleaded guilty to bank robbery in federal court this morning in Detroit on charges stemming from his robbery of the Dearborn Federal Savings Bank, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining United States Attorney Dawn Ison in the announcement is Acting Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division and Issa Shahin, Chief, Dearborn Police Department.
Charles William Woolery, age 52, admitted guilt to robbing the savings bank in Dearborn , Michigan before U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith. According to court records, on the afternoon of March 2, 2022, Woolery entered the Dearborn Federal Savings Bank wearing a black facemask. He approached a victim teller, handed her a note, and gestured to his hip as if he had a weapon. The note demanded the teller to “smile” and put money in a bag or Woolery would “kill everyone.” The teller, fearing for her safety, placed $1,690 in cash in a black bag and handed it to Woolery. Woolery then fled the bank on foot. He was later arrested by Dearborn police officers hiding out in a Port-a-John located in the parking lot of the Hampton Inn on Michigan Avenue near the bank. Officers found the $1,690 cash in the front of a Lions’ hoodie that Woolery was wearing. Officers also recovered Woolery’s facemask, full tan Carhartt style suit, and tan gloves like those used in the bank robbery in the Port-a-John where Woolery was hiding.
“This case shows that violent criminals can run, but they can’t hide no matter where they may go,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “The federal authorities appreciate the assistance and partnership of the Dearborn Police Department.”
Woolery faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery. Judge Goldsmith will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing has been set for December 19, 2022.
This case is being investigated by special agents of the FBI along with the assistance of the Dearborn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosemary Gardey is prosecuting the case.
Davenport Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Robert Stanley Nelson, III, age 42, and Taylor Christopher Graeber, age 24, both of Davenport, were sentenced to federal prison yesterday. Nelson was sentenced to 168 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Following his imprisonment, Nelson was ordered to serve five years of supervised release. Graeber was sentenced to 120 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Following his imprisonment, Graeber was ordered to serve four years of supervised release.
In fall 2020, law enforcement identified Nelson and Graeber as part of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization in Davenport. Nelson trafficked methamphetamine between July 2020 and March 2021. In March 2021, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Nelson’s residence in Davenport and seized approximately 11.37 grams of ice methamphetamine and more than $4,000, which was drug proceeds. On March 29, 2021, Nelson was arrested transporting methamphetamine from Colorado to the Quad Cities. Nelson pleaded guilty on March 31, 2022.
Graeber trafficked methamphetamine between August and November 2020. When he was arrested in November 2020, Graeber possessed a firearm and methamphetamine, as well as other evidence of drug trafficking. Graeber pleaded on March 30, 2022.
In June 2022, Nelson and Graber’s co-defendant, Chelsey Lira was sentenced to 180 months in prison. Additional co-defendants are scheduled be sentenced at later dates.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Davenport Police Department, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group investigated the case.
Davenport Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – Arnordo Corderrel Turner, age 34 of Davenport, was sentenced on Thursday, August 18, 2022 to 65 months in prison for Bank Robbery. Following his imprisonment, Turner was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
On June 16, 2021, Davenport police officers were dispatched to the Ascentra Credit Union for a reported bank robbery. Officers identified Turner as the robber. Turner passed a note to a teller requesting that they “put all the money on the counter.” The teller provided Turner with $1,155. Officers located Turner nearby and he admitted robbing the credit union. Turner pleaded guilty to the charge on February 22, 2022.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Commerce City Man Indicted for Tampering with a Consumer ProductRead the Press Release
Denver – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Christopher Robert Pattinson, age 40, of Commerce City, has been indicted on charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit.
According to the indictment, between November 8, 2021, and January 13, 2022, the defendant, with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, tampered with fentanyl, by removing fentanyl from 20 vials and replacing it with another substance. The indictment also states between November 5, 2018 and January 12, 2022, the defendant obtained fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge, by misrepresenting that a vial or vials of fentanyl were used for a patient, when in fact the defendant acquired and obtained the fentanyl for himself.
The defendant made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty on August 22, 2022.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI).
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case number: 22-cr-0263
Columbia Gang Member Sentenced on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Raekwon Cortez Ford, 25, of Columbia, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that, in late November 2019, several automobiles were broken into and various items stolen, including an iPhone. One of the victims of the break-ins was able to track their iPhone to a residence in Columbia and notified the Columbia Police Department. Officers responded to the residence and found a number of individuals in the yard, including Ford. Ford, a gang member, was placed under arrest on outstanding warrants and was found to be in possession of the stolen iPhone.
Officers then obtained a search warrant for Ford’s residence, which they executed a month later. Within the residence, officers located Ford, who had been released on state bond from the earlier arrest, and found a loaded Ruger .45 caliber handgun concealed in an air vent in Ford’s bedroom. An analysis showed Ford’s DNA on the firearm and that the firearm had been reported stolen from an earlier auto break-in in Columbia in December 2018. A ballistics analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) revealed that the firearm had been used in four separate shooting incidents in Richland and Lexington Counties from June through August 2019. It should be noted that there was no evidence linking Ford himself to the actual shootings as he was in jail on state charges at the time of the shootings.
During the sentencing hearing, the Court heard evidence of Ford’s possession of four other firearms, some with extended magazines, and some of which had been reported stolen from automobiles. The Court also heard evidence of threats made by Ford toward a Deputy United States Marshal and a correctional officer while incarcerated. That post-plea conduct increased his sentencing range and resulted in Ford losing his acceptance of responsibility reduction despite pleading guilty.
Ford is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior felony convictions. Ford has prior state convictions for unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a pistol by a person under 18 years of age, obtaining property under false pretenses, and breach of peace of an aggravated nature (which involved a shooting).
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Ford to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of Court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted, “Guns in the hands of folks who aren’t supposed to have them is very serious business.”
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case.
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Chesapeake Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Firearms and Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced to 90 months in prison for possessing firearms as a prohibited person and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Kim Joseph Habit, 49, as a person who had been committed to a mental institution, violated federal law by subsequently possessing an AM-15 rifle and other firearms. During the course of the investigation, the FBI determined that Habit had been purchasing significant quantities of chemicals and other laboratory equipment that could be used to create a destructive device. Agents also obtained evidence that a computer user at the Habit residence was participating in a peer-to-peer file-sharing network through which images of child pornography were downloaded.
On December 14, 2021, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Habit’s residence and found numerous firearms, a box containing components that could be used in combination to create an improvised explosive device, and electronic devices containing images of child pornography.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division; and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
This outcome was made possible by significant contributions by our state and local law enforcement partners; the Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, the Virginia Beach Police Department, Suffolk Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, the Chesapeake Police Department, the Newport News Police Department and support from the Hampton Road’s regional bomb squads.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Montoya prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-009.
Charlotte Mail Thief Is Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. ordered Daron Quashawn Wright, 29, of Charlotte, to serve 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for mail theft, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
According to filed documents and information presented in court, between November 2019 and February 2021, Wright and two co-conspirators, Shermar Isaiah Walker and Haleem Gilliland, targeted apartment complexes in Charlotte and in other states in the Southeast and stole the mail of more than 540 victims. Court records show that the defendants generally used a crowbar to break into clusters of mailboxes located at apartment complexes, and stole hundreds of pieces of mail, including individual and business checks, credit cards, and packages. The estimated loss the victims incurred as a result of the mail theft scheme is over $172,400.
According to court records, on March 3, 2020, CMPD received a 911 call regarding a break-in in progress of the mailboxes at an apartment complex in Charlotte. Officers responding to the call identified Walker as the mail thief and Walker was arrested in connection with the incident. At the time of the arrest, law enforcement also located a crowbar and multiple bags of mail sitting by the mailboxes that had been broken into. Law enforcement also found at the same location a cargo van and another vehicle, both filled with mail from at least two other mail thefts. Court records show that the investigation led to Wright and Gilliland, who were staying at an area hotel. When law enforcement entered the hotel room, they observed it was filled with stolen mail. Law enforcement retrieved from the hotel room hundreds of additional pieces of stolen mail, including credit and debit cards, business and vendor payments, and other mail.
Wright and Walker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, and Gilliland pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Walker and Gilliland were sentenced to time-served.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked USPIS and CMPD for their investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Cape Coral Woman Sentenced to More Than Two and A Half Years in Prison for Committing Fraud Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Nicole Sprague (38, Cape Coral), to two years and nine months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. As part of her sentence, the court also ordered restitution to the identified victims in the amount of $297,900, and entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $250,000, representing the proceeds of the fraud. Sprague had pleaded guilty on May 24, 2022.
According to court documents, Sprague participated in a tech support scam that operated from approximately January 2018 through April 2019, which defrauded numerous elderly victims. The conspirators, some of whom were located overseas, falsely represented themselves to be online computer tech support personnel to obtain money from elderly victims who believed that they were paying for necessary computer repairs or installing computer security software. After the victim agreed to make payment to the telemarketer for purported tech support, access to the victim’s computer occurred while the victim believed that a legitimate service had been received. While conspirators were remotely connected to each victim’s computer, the conspirators were able to access each victim’s personal information, including access to the victim’s financial accounts.
Subsequently, the conspirators contacted each victim to offer purported refunds to the victims for the purchase of the original service. The telemarketers instructed each victim to allow remote access to the computer and then instructed the victim to log into their online banking platform to allow for a direct deposit of the refund. Upon having access to the victim’s computer, the telemarketer falsely represented that a deposit had been made into the victim’s account and would purport to accidentally deposit large amounts of money into the victim’s account. Conspirators then instructed the victims to return the false overpayment in the form of cash or cashier’s checks via U.S. mail and other parcel delivery services to Sprague.
During her participation in the scheme, Sprague opened various bank accounts in which she was the sole signor on each account. She also opened several post office boxes at authorized depositories in Cape Coral. Sprague routinely deposited the victims’ funds into her bank accounts before she disbursed and transferred the proceeds to other members of the conspiracy. Sprague often initiated international wire transfers, that had been funded with victims’ funds, to her co-conspirators. She retained a portion of the fraud proceeds to use for her own personal benefit. Sprague received at least $250,000 in proceeds from the fraud.
After the victims conducted cash withdrawals or purchased cashier’s checks as form of repayment to the purported technology support company and mailed the money to Sprague, the victims discovered that the refund and purported overpayment were false. During the remote access, the telemarketer often transferred monies from the victim’s savings account or line of credit to the victim’s checking account to give the fraudulent appearance that the victim’s checking account was credited for the refund and purported overpayment.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud target at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness.
California Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme Involving over $300,000 in Fraudulent Purchases from the Home DepotRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JONATHAN ORPILLA SINLAO, age 37, a resident of San Jose, California, pled guilty on August 18, 2022 to Count One of his indictment, charging him with Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(b)(2). In exchange, the government has agreed to dismiss seven (7) counts of Access Device Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(5).
In pleading guilty to Count One, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of seven-and-a-half (7.5) years imprisonment, a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court documents, SINLAO conspired with others to conduct approximately $340,164.49 in unauthorized purchases of gift cards and products at The Home Depot stores using customers’ Citibank credit card numbers. These transactions occurred between February of 2019 and July of 2019 at Home Depot stores in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, New York, and Oklahoma. The Honorable Barry W. Ashe set sentencing in this matter for November 10, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni.
California Executive Compensation Consultant Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud for Committing Insider TradingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FRANK GLASSNER, a principal of an executive compensation consulting firm based in Novato, California (the “Consulting Firm”), pled guilty to one count of securities fraud in connection with his scheme to commit insider trading based on material, nonpublic information regarding the upcoming public announcement that Kadmon Holdings, Inc. (“Kadmon”) – which GLASSNER and the Consulting Firm were advising – would be acquired by Sanofi, S.A. (“Sanofi”). GLASSNER was arrested in May of this year and pled guilty on Friday, August 19, 2022, in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted in court, Frank Glassner misappropriated his client’s material, non-public information about an upcoming acquisition to make personal trades and line his own pockets. Glassner now awaits sentencing for his crime, and must also forfeit his illicit profits”
According to the Information to which GLASSNER pled guilty, the complaint that was filed in this case, and statements made during court proceedings:
Between July 2021 and September 2021, Kadmon, which, prior to its acquisition by Sanofi, was a publicly-traded biopharmaceutical company traded under the ticker symbol “KDMN” on the NASDAQ, engaged GLASSNER and the Consulting Firm to provide executive compensation consulting services related to a potential acquisition. In connection with this engagement, GLASSNER had access to material, non-public information, which he misappropriated and, in violation of the duties that he owed to Kadmon, used to trade Kadmon stock and call options between on or about August 3, 2021, and on or about August 23, 2021. On September 8, 2021, Kadmon publicly announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Sanofi for a per-share price significantly above the share price at which Kadmon was trading. That day, Kadmon’s share price increased by approximately 71% and GLASSNER ultimately profited $368,000 on the Kadmon stock and call options he had previously purchased.
As part of his plea agreement, GLASSNER has agreed to forfeit $368,000.
GLASSNER is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Liman on December 6, 2022.
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GLASSNER, 68, of Novato, California, pled guilty to one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which brought a related civil action against GLASSNER.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Castellano is in charge of the prosecution.
Athens Resident Who Shot at Repo Employees and Fled Arrest Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – An Athens resident with a violent criminal history who shot at two people attempting to repossess a vehicle and then led police on a high-speed chase through a residential area pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession in federal court recently.
Ceddrick Demon Mercery aka Stunt, 30, of Athens, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on Aug. 19. Mercery faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has not been scheduled. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Federal and local law enforcement worked seamlessly to safely capture Ceddrick Mercery and bring him to justice for his reckless actions which endangered two innocent employees and a residential neighborhood,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office is using every law enforcement and prosecutorial tool available to hold armed habitual offenders accountable and reduce violent crime in communities across the Middle District of Georgia.”
“Career criminals who carry guns are a threat to the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is another example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners in the Project Safe Neighborhoods program are dedicated to keeping the sanctity and security of our communities a priority.”
According to court documents, two individuals attempting to lawfully repossess a Honda Accord located on Loblolly Road in Athens on Sept. 23, 2020, were nearly struck by the same vehicle as Mercery sped away from them driving the car. Mercery then drove toward Freeman Drive, made a wide right turn, stopped, rolled down the window and fired three shots at the individuals, who took cover from the gunshots and were not struck. An Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) officer spotted the Honda Accord being driven by Mercery on Commerce Road and attempted to pull him over. Mercery fled at a high rate of speed through a residential complex and then abandoned the car, running away. Officers found heroin and methamphetamine in the vehicle. The following day, the .40 caliber pistol confirmed by ballistics tests as having been used in the shooting was found along the route Mercery drove while fleeing apprehension, discarded in front of an apartment building on College Avenue with a round in the chamber and three bullets in the magazine.
FBI and ACCPD tracked Mercery to an apartment complex on Berlin Street and took him into custody on Oct. 26. Prior to his arrest, Mercery was armed with a pistol and was pacing inside the apartment, voicing displeasure that the police were outside the apartment. Mercery was taken into custody without incident. Agents found a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine and a laser sight inside the apartment. Mercery’s cell phone was also located inside the apartment; it had been broken and placed in a toilet.
Mercery has a lengthy criminal history which prohibits him from possessing a firearm, including prior felony convictions for hit and run, possession of cocaine and aggravated stalking. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the FBI Athens Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Gang Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case.
Armed Robber and Carjacker Facing Federal Charges After Opening Fire on A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s DeputyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Ma’at Malik Darius Lee (20, Tampa) with armed carjacking, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition. If convicted on all counts, Lee faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, including a minimum mandatory term of nine years in prison. Lee will make his initial appearance at 10:00 a.m. on September 6, 2022, before United States Magistrate Judge Christopher Tuite.
According to court documents, on July 9, 2021, Lee robbed two individuals at gunpoint in the parking lot of the victims’ apartment complex. In the weeks that followed, Lee attempted to use the victims’ identities and credit cards. On October 27, 2021, Lee robbed a third victim at gunpoint as the victim was returning home. An hour later, while brandishing a firearm in each hand, Lee carjacked a fourth victim of a 2007 Jeep Cherokee outside of a Dave and Buster’s in Tampa. A few days later, a deputy from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office located Lee in the stolen Jeep and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Lee responded by opening fire at the deputy at least eight times prior to the deputy exiting his cruiser, striking the deputy’s vehicle repeatedly. The deputy was not hit and returned fire from inside his vehicle. Lee fled the scene and was later arrested.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
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.
Arizona Man Charged in Alleged Armed Robbery Spree that Ended in High-Speed Chase in Which He Fired Upon Federal Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Arizona man was charged today in a federal criminal complaint alleging he robbed 10 stores in Southern California and Arizona during a three-week crime spree that ended in a high-speed chase in which he fired upon federal agents and, after police rammed his car, he accidentally shot himself under his chin.
Samuel Sven Smith, 26, of Phoenix, was arrested on August 20 at the conclusion of a high-speed chase after he allegedly robbed a PetSmart store in Rancho Cucamonga. In a criminal complaint filed today, Smith was charged with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer.
Smith is in a hospital, recovering from his injuries. He is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in the coming weeks.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Smith, armed with a gun, robbed 10 businesses – nine of them PetSmart stores – beginning on July 31 and ending August 20. The targeted stores were a Big Lots store in Riverside and PetSmart stores in Signal Hill, Orange, San Bernardino, Fontana, Pico Rivera, Redlands, Huntington Beach, Phoenix, and Rancho Cucamonga.
During the armed robbery spree, Smith allegedly used a distinct black handbag with pink trim during the robberies and pointed a black handgun at store employees at the cash register. The total loss to the stores was approximately $7,091, according to the affidavit.
On August 20, Smith allegedly robbed a PetSmart store in Rancho Cucamonga, but noticed law enforcement approaching him. Smith opened the driver’s side door of his car and fire at least two rounds at the unmarked vehicle for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which was struck by gunfire. An officer in another vehicle then returned fire.
Smith then entered his car and fled at a high rate of speed for approximately 20 minutes through several different cities. During this pursuit, Smith allegedly fired several rounds at the law enforcement officers pursuing him.
The pursuit ended when law enforcement rammed their vehicle into Smith’s car. When law enforcement approached Smith’s car, they determined he had suffered a gunshot wound underneath his chin. Smith told officers who were performing life saving measures, that when they rammed into his vehicle, he accidentally shot himself.
At the time of his arrest, Smith was still wearing the same clothing that he wore during the robbery, including the ski mask. In the passenger seat, law enforcement recovered the firearm. On the floorboard of the driver’s seat, law enforcement recovered several rounds of live ammunition.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Smith would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison on the Hobbs Act robbery count, seven years in federal prison for the firearm brandishing count and 20 years in federal prison for the assaulting a federal officer count.
The ATF Orange County Violent Crime Task Force is investigating this matter. The task force, which is responsible for investigating serial robberies around Southern California, is comprised of the ATF; the Brea Police Department; the Fullerton Police Department; the Santa Ana Police Department; and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Saturday 20 August 2022
Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced for Laundering Money as Part of a Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments was sentenced on August 15, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Rosa Elena Magana Madrigal, age 64, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Madrigal was indicted for Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments by a federal grand jury in July of 2021. She pled guilty on May 25, 2022.
Beginning on an unknown date and continuing to on or about May 11, 2021, in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere, Rosa Madrigal knowingly and intentionally combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together, with others known and unknown, to knowingly conduct and attempt to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate and foreign commerce, to wit: conducting wire/money transfers, which involved the proceeds of a specified unlawful activity. The unlawful activity is conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, with the intent to promote the carrying on of the unlawful activity, and that while conducting and attempting to conduct such financial transactions, knew that the property involved in the financial transactions represented the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity.
Madrigal voluntarily and intentionally joined in the agreement or understanding to conduct and attempt to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate and foreign commerce in 2019. During the time she was conducting financial transactions with her co-conspirators, she learned the money she was depositing was proceeds of a controlled substance conspiracy, and that these transactions were designed in whole, or in part, to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds of the controlled substance conspiracy.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Madrigal was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Possession of a Machine GunRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Don Young, Jr., 22, of the 2200 block of North Flora, was sentenced on August 18, 2022, to 37 months in federal prison for possession of a machine gun, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Young was indicted in December 2021 and filed his change of plea in April 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on December 15, 2021, Peoria police officers were attempting to arrest Young pursuant to an outstanding arrest warrant when Young fled on his bike and then on foot, leading police on a chase between houses in the 2400 block of Ellis Avenue in Peoria. After apprehending Young at gunpoint, police searched the area and found a Glock, Model 19, 9mm caliber pistol a short distance from where Young was taken into custody. The firearm was equipped with a high-capacity magazine loaded with 33 rounds of ammunition. An additional round of ammunition was loaded in the chamber of the gun, indicating it was ready to be fired. The gun also had an aftermarket conversion “switch” attached to it, a device designed to convert Glock pistols into automatic firearms capable of shooting more than one round of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. Glock conversion “switches” are defined as machine guns under federal law. Young admitted to possessing the firearm, claiming that he needed it for protection.
The statutory penalties for possession of a machine gun are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a three-year term of supervised release, and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
“Conversion devices that enable a store-bought handgun to be fired as a fully-automatic machine gun are extremely dangerous,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ronald L. Hanna. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals that use and possess these devices in our community.”
The Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Young 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.
Four Todd County Men Indicted for Assault and Firearm Charges, and Aiding and AbettingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that four Todd County, South Dakota, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer, Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, Aiding and Abetting, and Accessory After the Fact.
Kevin Bordeaux, age 23, Carston Eagle Deer, age 21, Gervis Fool Bull, age 28, and Julian Moran, a/k/a Jullian Moran, age 28, were indicted in August of 2022. Kevin Bordeaux appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 15, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment. Carston Eagle Deer, Gervis Fool Bull, and Julian Moran appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moreno on August 18, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on July 6, 2022, in Todd County, Bordeaux unlawfully assaulted the victim with a handgun, that said assault resulted in serious bodily injury, and that Eagle Deer did receive, relieve, comfort, and assist Bordeaux in order to hinder and prevent Bordeaux’s apprehension, trial, and punishment.
The Indictment further alleges that on July 8, 2022, in the District of South Dakota, Bordeaux, Eagle Deer, Fool Bull, and Moran forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered with two law enforcement officers who were employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and an assisting officer who was employed by the Tripp County Sheriff’s Office, and that such conduct involved the use of a firearm, and that they aided and abetted in the commission of the offenses.
The charges are merely accusations and Bordeaux, Eagle Deer, Fool Bull, and Moran are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Tripp County Sheriff’s Office, the Winner Police Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Bordeaux, Eagle Deer, Fool Bull, and Moran were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for October 25, 2022.
Friday 19 August 2022
Waukegan Man Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft and Mail FraudRead the Press Release
An Illinois man was sentenced to 29 months in prison today for using stolen identities to file false tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Wilmer Alexander Garcia Meza, of Waukegan, used others’ personal identifying information — including their names, dates of birth and identification documents such as foreign passports — to fraudulently obtain Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) from the IRS. An ITIN is a tax processing number issued by the IRS to individuals who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number. From 2013 through 2017, Garcia used the ITINs to file tax returns in the name of the stolen identities, claiming thousands of dollars in fraudulent refunds. Garcia then used identification documents in those same names to cash the refund checks issued by the IRS. In total, Garcia caused a tax loss of approximately $221,923.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo ordered Garcia Meza to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $221,923 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Thomas Flynn and Jacob Green of the Tax Division prosecuted the case. Former Trial Attorneys Michael Landman and Eric Schmale of the Tax Division provided valuable assistance on the case.
Utica Woman Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Melisa Muminovic, age 25, of Utica, New York, pled guilty yesterday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara, New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, John B. Devito, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New York Field Division, and Chief Mark Williams, Utica Police Department.
As part of her guilty plea yesterday, Muminovic admitted from at least January 2021 through July 2021, she agreed with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl to customers in the Utica, New York area. Muminovic further admitted that she accompanied co-conspirators to the New York City area to purchase fentanyl, which was then sold in the Utica area.
At her sentencing, currently scheduled for December 14, 2022, Muminovic faces a maximum potential sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of five years’ imprisonment a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $5,000,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by New York State Police-Special Investigations Unit (NYSP-SIU), investigators from the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, members of the City of Utica Police Department, DEA, ATF, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. McCrobie and Richard Southwick.
Umatilla County Man Faces Federal Charges for Armed Robbery at Wildhorse Resort and CasinoRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Umatilla County, Oregon, man is facing federal charges for robbing the Wildhorse Resort and Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation at gunpoint and brandishing a firearm.
Javier Francisco Vigil, 51, has been charged by criminal complaint with committing a Hobbs Act robbery and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents, in the early afternoon on August 17, 2022, Vigil is alleged to have entered the Wildhorse Casino, walked straight to the cashier cage in the gaming area, and handed the cashier a note demanding $1 million. Vigil then drew a holstered pistol, pointed it at the cashier, and threatened to “bathe everyone in blood.” After being given nearly $70,000 in cash, Vigil exited the casino, pointed his firearm at a responding tribal police officer, and discharged at least one round. Vigil sustained injuries in an ensuing exchange of gunfire and was transported by officers to a local hospital.
Vigil made his initial appearance in federal court today in Portland before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
This case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Umatilla Tribal Police Department and the Hermiston Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Cassady Adams, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Announces Sentences in Two Drug Distribution CasesRead the Press Release
BOISE – Two men were sentenced to federal prison in separate drug distribution cases this week, announced Josh Hurwit, the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho.
Danny Eugene Smith, 28, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 121 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl pills in the Magic Valley. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Smith to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court records, between 2020 and 2021, Smith distributed large quantities of fentanyl pills in the Magic Valley. On three occasions, Smith sold another person fentanyl pills at a store parking lot in Twin Falls. In October 2021, police officers obtained a search warrant for Smith’s residence. Inside they found 5,578 fentanyl pills along with a 9mm handgun and large quantities of cash. In total, investigators seized $123,505 of drug proceeds from Smith’s residence. Officers also seized two vehicles which Smith had purchased with drug proceeds.
In a separate case, Heriberto Xavior Valencia, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 120 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Valencia to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court records, Valencia drove to Boise, on October 20, 2021, to sell another person a half pound of methamphetamine in exchange for $1,650. Less than three weeks after that sale, on November 5, 2021, investigators obtained information that Valencia was on his way back to Boise to sell additional controlled substances. With an arrest warrant in hand, investigators approached Valencia’s vehicle at a hotel parking lot in Boise. Investigators executed the arrest warrant and searched the vehicle. In the vehicle they found approximately one and one quarter pounds of methamphetamine, one quarter pound of heroin, over 1,000 fentanyl pills, a jar of marijuana, and a loaded Glock pistol attached to a magnetic strip under the steering column of the vehicle, which Valencia was prohibited from possessing. In addition to the firearm and controlled substances, investigators found two children in the vehicle that had traveled with Valencia and two women from Phoenix to Boise.
“These significant prison sentences send a clear message to drug traffickers that they will be held responsible if they choose to distribute dangerous drugs to the people of Idaho,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit.
The Smith case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police, Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, and Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, which led to charges.
The Valencia case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force consisting of officers from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and Nampa Police Department, which led to the charges.
The Smith prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The Valencia case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. It provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. Idaho is part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA. The Idaho HIDTA is a collaboration of local, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement drug task forces, and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada, Canyon, Bannock, Kootenai, and Malheur Counties.
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U.S. Attorney Announces Recent Law Enforcement Actions as Part of Federal Violent Crime StrategyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, today announced recent enforcement actions in the Twin Cities and in Rochester resulting in the arrest of multiple violent offenders as part of the federal violent crime strategy launched earlier this year.
On May 3, 2022, U.S. Attorney Luger announced a new federal violent crime strategy that expanded capacity within the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute violent crime cases. Every criminal prosecutor in the office has assisted in the effort by taking on violent crime cases, including carjackings, illegal possession of firearms and/or ammunition, drug trafficking, straw purchasing, armed Hobbs Act robberies, well as cases involving the illegal possession of machineguns and ghost guns.
“Violent crime is at an all-time high and the statistics are alarming, but that is only part of the story. The nature of the violence has changed. By their actions, their weapons and their words, violent offenders are displaying an absolute disdain for the law, and a disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “Criminals are engaging in an appalling level of violence, using militaristic weapons and accessories that not only change the nature of the violence, but also the resulting harm. Several recent cases and the enforcement operations we’re announcing today illustrate our violent crime strategy in action. We are making progress in our efforts to break this violent crime trend, but there is still more work to be done. We will not let up; we owe it to our communities.”
Throughout the summer, law enforcement has been working in tandem with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to identify, investigate, and bring charges against the most violent offenders. Just yesterday, a joint law enforcement operation culminated in the arrest of 15 violent offenders and the seizure of 32 illegal firearms and machineguns. All 15 defendants have been charged in federal court. This operation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Violent Offender Task Force, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Paul Police Department. This operation involved more than 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, including out-of-state special response teams.
In addition, yesterday morning, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team led a separate coordinated enforcement action involving more than 60 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to dismantle a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy based in Rochester. The operation resulted in the arrest of 10 drug traffickers and the seizure of drugs and firearms. All 10 defendants have been charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
These cases are the result of joint investigations conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and other law enforcement partners.
As part of the strategy to reduce violent crime, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota produced and released two public service announcements (PSA) to further the violent crime deterrence message.
Auto-Sear PSA: https://youtu.be/7IOM4JdOIRA
Violent Crime PSA: https://youtu.be/VFeHe0Yn1D4The charges outlined are merely allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two indicted for exploiting adult day care patients in Medicare fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ A physician and employee have been charged for their roles in a health care fraud scheme involving the submission of more than $3.5 million in claims to Medicare, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Authorities took Dr. Osama Balhir Nahas, 67, McAllen, and Isabel Moreno Pruneda, 50, Edinburg, into custody today. They are expected to make their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis Aug. 22 at 9 a.m.
A federal grand jury returned the 15-count indictment Aug. 16. It alleges Nahas is a physician and owner, while Pruneda was an employee at Crosspoint Medical Clinic located in Edinburg. Nahas allegedly paid kickbacks to various adult day care companies to gain Medicare beneficiary information under the guise of providing medical services.
Nahas, Pruneda and other co-conspirators used their access to adult day care facilities to perform a variety of unnecessary medical tests and procedures and order prescriptions for expensive medications that were not needed, according to the charges.
The indictment further alleges many of the patients had their own primary care physicians who were not consulted prior to or after the examinations. Most of the patients were allegedly elderly or disabled and lacked the capacity to consent to the examinations, tests and other procedures that Nahas and Pruneda performed.
In addition, marketers paid Nahas and Pruneda illegal kickbacks in exchange for ordering laboratory tests and prescriptions that were unnecessary and that patients often did not want, according to the charges. In many instances, patients allegedly did not receive their test results or the prescribed medication.
Pruneda also forged patient signatures on consent forms connected to the fraudulent laboratory testing services and prescriptions, according to the charges.
The indictment further alleges more than $3.5 million was billed to Medicare in connection to the fraud scheme.
Nahas and Pruneda are charged with seven counts of health care fraud and conspiracy to do so, all of which carry a possible 10-year-term of imprisonment, as well as one count of conspiracy to receive illegal remunerations which could result in another five years in prison. Both are also charged with aggravated identity theft which carries a mandatory two years in federal prison which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. All convictions could also result in maximum possible fines of $250,000.
The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (OIG), Texas Health & Human Services Commission-OIG, Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Texas Department of Insurance - Fraud conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Swartz is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Two Men Charged in Federal Court with Violent Carjackings in Chicago SuburbsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted two men on carjacking charges in connection with the violent thefts of vehicles in the north suburbs of Chicago.
EDSON RESENDEZ and MAVERICK CELA forcibly took vehicles in Morton Grove, Ill., and Skokie, Ill., according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment charges Resendez, 21, and Cela, 21, both of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit carjackings and two counts of carjacking. Resendez also faces an additional count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Resendez was arrested Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court. A detention hearing is set for Aug. 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.
Cela is currently in the custody of the state of Illinois. His arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Morton Grove Police Department, and Skokie Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg.
According to the indictment, Resendez and Cela took a Chevrolet Sonic from a victim in Morton Grove on Sept. 11, 2020. Cela later disposed of the vehicle by lighting it on fire in the 6200 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, the indictment states.
On Sept. 13, 2020, Resendez and Cela took a Lexus GS350 from a victim in Skokie, the indictment states. The pair later disposed of the vehicle in the 4800 block of South Hermitage Avenue in Chicago, the charges allege.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison. The firearm count against Resendez carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense. The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Tucson-Based Cocaine Distributor Sentenced to Five YearsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Yesterday, Diego Armando Equihua-Sanchez, 31, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Equihua-Sanchez previously pleaded guilty to Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
Equihua-Sanchez actively worked with others to distribute bulk amounts of cocaine in and around Tucson and other parts of the United States. On November 2, 2020, Equihua-Sanchez delivered approximately one kilogram of cocaine to help complete a transaction involving an out-of-state customer.
The Drug Enforcement Administration in Sierra Vista, Arizona conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02281-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-143_Equihua-Sanchez# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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