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Thursday 18 August 2022
Serial Bank Robber Is Sentenced to over Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney sentenced a serial bank robber to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release late Wednesday, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Chad Hawkins of the Belmont Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to information to which David Plyler, 62, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty, other documents filed in this case, and statements made in court, between December 2019 and February 2020, Plyler robbed four banks in Gaston and Union Counties. On December 18, 2019, Plyler robbed a BB&T bank located at 601 Hawley Avenue in Belmont, North Carolina. On that date, at approximately 2:17 p.m., Plyler walked in the bank and handed the teller a note demanding money. The teller told Plyler she was unable to read the note, at which point Plyler began to yell and demand money. The teller complied, handed Plyler $2,630 in cash, and Plyler fled the scene.
The second robbery occurred on January 7, 2020, when Plyler entered a SunTrust Bank located at 118 N. Main Street in Belmont. As with the previous robbery, Plyler entered the branch and handed a teller a note that said, “Give me your 20s, 50s, and 100s.” As the teller was gathering the money, Plyler told the teller to hurry up and that he had a bomb in his pocket. After taking the cash, Plyler approached another teller to demand money. Plyler repeated to the second teller that he had a bomb in his jacket. The second teller complied with Plyler’s demand for money and then Plyler left the bank.
On February 3, 2020, officers with the Belmont Police Department responded to a service call for a bank robbery at the aforementioned BB&T branch on Hawley Avenue in Belmont. Court records show that, upon entering the bank, once again Plyler approached a teller and demanded money. When the teller told Plyler she did not have a lot of cash, Plyler told her, “Open the drawer, I know you have money in there.” Plyler took approximately $1,600 in cash from the teller and he fled the scene.
The final robbery occurred on February 20, 2020, at a SunTrust Bank located at 307 Unionville Indian Trail Road, in Indian Trail, North Carolina. According to court records, Plyler entered the branch, approached a bank teller station and handed the teller a note that stated, “This is a robbery, give me all the money.” The teller gave Plyler approximately $10,000 in cash and Plyler left the bank in a gray Nissan vehicle. As described in court documents, a vehicle matching the bank robber’s Nissan was located and deputies with the Union County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Plyler did not comply and proceeded to attempt to flee the police. Plyler was eventually pulled over and arrested after he entered into South Carolina. Inside Plyler’s vehicle, law enforcement found $10,685 in cash, various items including fake moustaches and wigs Plyler wore during the bank robberies, and a handwritten demand note.
On December 29, 2021, Plyler pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the Belmont Police Department handled the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the sentencing hearing.
Second “Felony Lane Gang” Member Who Defrauded Illinois Bank by Impersonating Victims of Identity Theft Sentenced to 34 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
East St. Louis, Ill. – Mary M. Thornhill, 36, of Knoxville, TN, was sentenced on Wednesday, August
17th, to 34 months in prison for her involvement in a bank fraud scheme that targeted female
victims in Southern Illinois.
In July 2021, Thornhill conspired with others to cash stolen checks and fraudulently obtain funds
from financial institutions using stolen IDs—including driver’s licenses—belonging to real
individuals living in Southern Illinois. The group targeted banks located in the Metro East,
including those in Glen Carbon and Wood River.At the time of her guilty plea, Thornhill admitted that members of the conspiracy broke into
vehicles parked in public places throughout Southern Illinois to steal valuables left in those
vehicles, including purses and wallets containing IDs and checkbooks. After the thefts, members of
the organization wrote checks from the stolen checkbooks made payable to other persons from whom
the group had stolen identities.Thornhill and her co-defendant, Delvin Mills, attempted to cash checks at local banks using the
furthest lane of each bank’s drive-up window to avoid detection by the tellers. The “Felony Lane
Gang” is a term used by law enforcement to describe individuals who use this particular tactic to
defraud banks. Thornhill posed as the female victims and wore wigs or otherwise disguised herself
to look more like the photos on the stolen IDs.Thornhill admitted that on July 19, 2021, she and Mills went to Regions Bank in Glen Carbon,
Illinois, and successfully cashed a check made payable to a person whose identity had been stolen.
Thornhill and Mills were arrested by officers with the Glen Carbon Police Department within minutes
of leaving Regions.“This prosecution and well-deserved sentence is another example of this office’s commitment to
holding people who steal identities and commit related crimes accountable,” said United States
Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “We understand that identity theft has serious consequences for
victims and they deserve the full support of the criminal justice system. I thank all of the
federal and local law enforcement agencies involved for their time and effort investigating this
case.”In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Thornhill to pay restitution to her victims,
a $200 fine, and spend three years on supervised release.Thornhill’s co-conspirator, Delvin Mills, was sentenced on July 20, 2022, to 42 months in prison
for his role in the conspiracy. Prior to arriving in Southern Illinois, Mills pleaded guilty to
similar charges in the District of Oregon. On July 14, 2022, Mills was sentenced in that district
to 55 months in prison. According to the Judgment entered in the Southern District of Illinois,
Mills’ two federal sentences will run consecutively—for a total of 97 months in prison.
The investigation was conducted by local law enforcement agencies, including the Glen Carbon,
Clinton County, Germantown, Belleville, New Baden, Salem, O’Fallon (IL), Kirkwood, and St. Louis
County Police Departments, along with the United States Secret Service, Fairview Heights Domicile
Office of the Springfield Resident Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Zoe J. Gross prosecuted the case.Savannah man convicted on gun charge after two-day jury trialRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A Chatham County man faces significant prison time after his conviction at trial for illegal gun possession.
Raheem DaSheen Jackson, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after being found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Jackson has at least three prior felony convictions, and if adjudicated as an Armed Career Criminal could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our office and our law enforcement partners are committed to removing violent criminals from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Previously convicted felons like Raheem Jackson know they are prohibited from carrying guns, and our streets are safer with them behind bars.”
Jackson was arrested in January 2021 when he ran from a traffic stop conducted by Savannah Police officers. Jackson, a passenger in the vehicle, fled into a neighborhood with an officer in pursuit, dropping a loaded semiautomatic handgun as he ran. Jackson was charged with illegally possessing the gun after a criminal background check revealed prior felony convictions.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will schedule Jackson for sentencing after completion of a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“ATF will continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners in furtherance of reducing violent crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marcela C. Mateo and Noah J. Abrams.
San Rafael Man Visiting Yosemite Charged with Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Stefan Niels Weiste Kirkeby, 59, of San Rafael, charging him with domestic violence within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 4, 2022, Kirkeby and his wife got into a verbal confrontation that resulted in park visitors having to intervene due to the yelling as well as the threats of harm being made by Kirkeby. The victim reported she was forcibly grabbed by her wrist and both fell to the ground. Kirkeby was threatening to kill her then kill himself during the altercation. The victim sustained bruising, pain to her wrist, and scratches.
This case is the product of an investigation by the National Park Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.
If you have information related to this case, please submit a tip online, call 888-653-0009, or email [email protected].
If convicted, Kirkeby faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Rocklin Business Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Embezzling from His Employer and, While Awaiting Sentencing, Defrauding BanksRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kevin Lee Co, 51, of Rocklin, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for wire fraud, money laundering and submitting false statements to a financial institution, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Dec. 8, 2016, Co pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling approximately $4.8 million from his former employer, Holt of California. Co used the money he embezzled to purchase, among other things, luxury cars, home furniture, NFL football and NBA basketball season tickets, and approximately $1 million in purchases for the online video game “Game of War.”
While out of custody and awaiting sentencing on those charges, Co defrauded federally insured financial institutions by submitting false statements to qualify for loans that were part of the Paycheck Protection Program.
Co was the sole owner of Apollo HP Inc., a Rocklin-based company that sells generators, windows, and residential solar panels. Between April 2020 and January 2021, Co applied for and obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans for his company. The loan applications required him to disclose his pending criminal charges and guilty pleas. However, in his loan applications, Co concealed the fact that he had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges in order to cause two banks to approve loans for his company. As a result of Co’s false statements, financial institutions suffered a total loss of $530,552.
This case was the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg prosecuted the case.
Rapid City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 17, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Amber Atchley, age 32, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Atchley was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2021 and pleaded guilty in February 2022. The conviction stems from Atchley conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere between March and June 2021.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Atchley was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Indicted for EscapeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Escape from Custody.
Kyle Tobacco, age 28, was indicted in April of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 15, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge stems from Tobacco leaving the Community Education Center in Rapid City and not returning as required. The charge is merely an accusation and Tobacco is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Tobacco was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Puyallup, Washington, man charged with child sex abuse crimesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 21-year-old resident of Puyallup, Washington, was arrested at Sea-Tac International Airport last night on a criminal complaint charging multiple crimes related to the creation and transportation of child sexual abuse imagery, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Shawn Stone was arriving on a flight from Amsterdam when he was contacted by the FBI. Stone appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle today and remains detained pending further hearings.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators with the FBI became aware of someone with Stone’s username posting on an internet platform about child sex abuse. The platform has a reputation as a place offenders go to share child abuse imagery. Investigators linked the username to Stone and are investigating Stone’s involvement in creating and moderating discussion board devoted to child sexual abuse, and the sexual abuse of two minors. The abuse allegedly occurred while Stone was on a family trip to Germany in 2019. An initial review of his electronic devices revealed multiple images of child sexual abuse.
Stone is charged by criminal complaint with one count of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.
The charges carry mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment of 15 and 5 years respectively.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation is being led by the FBI. Other agencies involved include the Tacoma Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Federal Protective Service and the U.S. Army.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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.justice.gov/psc.
Owner & Operator of Former Nashville-Based Lowry Medical Supply, Inc. Charged in HealthCare Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A 14-count felony Information was filed today charging Tache “Gabe” Georgescu, 45, and Natalia Georgescu, 38, both of Laguna Niguel, California, owner and operator of now defunct Lowry Medical Supply, Inc. (Lowry Medical) in Nashville, Tennessee, with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and paying illegal kickbacks, announced US. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the charging document, in November 2017, the Georgescus purchased Lowry Medical, a durable medical equipment (DME). In 2018, the Georgescus purchased three other DME companies located in Florida, but which were operated interchangeably with Nashville-based Lowry Medical, including Medpros Associates LLC; Alliance DME LLC; and AYMS LLC., all of which are also now defunct. These Georgescu-controlled DME companies received nearly all their revenue from billing Medicare for orthotic braces.
The charging document alleges the Georgescus’ payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries by medical professionals, working with fraudulent telemedicine companies, for back, shoulder, wrist, and knee braces that are medically unnecessary. Some of the charges concern luring Medicare beneficiaries, who were elderly or suffering from dementia, into a criminal scheme where the Georgescus’ mailed orthotic braces that these beneficiaries never asked for, never wanted, and never needed. They then billed Medicare for the cost of the orthotic braces.
In the summer of 2018, a Medicare accrediting agency advised the Georgescus that Lowry Medical was violating Medicare rules in many ways, including using a lead generation entity to buy doctors’ orders, contacting beneficiaries without their consent, sending orthotic braces to beneficiaries which those beneficiaries did not want or need, and refusing to allow the beneficiaries to return the orthotic braces. Despite these warnings, the Georgescus did not change their practices.
In just 17 months, the Georgescus paid so-called marketing companies approximately $7.8 million in illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for those marketing companies providing the Georgescus with ready to bill doctors’ orders for orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries. In turn, the Georgescus billed Medicare approximately $30 million for orthotic brace orders during this same period.
The Information also contains a forfeiture allegation in which the United States seeks to recover a money judgment in the amount of $4,172,553, which represents the value of proceeds obtained from the illegal conduct between August 2018 through April 2019.
If convicted, the defendants face up to ten years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services-Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski and Christopher J. Suedekum are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Blackburn is handling the forfeiture.
The charges are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Oregon Man Sentenced on Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Wilsonville, Oregon, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 15, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Leonardo Vazquez, Jr., age 22, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Leonardo Vazquez, Jr. was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in March of 2021. He pleaded guilty on May 23, 2022.
Beginning on an unknown date and continuing until February 2021, Vazquez reached an agreement to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the District of South Dakota.
During his involvement in the conspiracy, Vazquez drove a vehicle that contained a large quantity of methamphetamine. He was assisting his co-conspirators who were selling methamphetamine to drug customers in Sioux Falls by driving them to their deals. On November 7, 2019, he was driving near Worthington, Minnesota, alone in a vehicle registered to him. There was approximately eleven pounds of methamphetamine and two guns in the car. He was stopped by the police, who then searched his car and found the guns and methamphetamine. His involvement in the conspiracy ended with the seizure of his vehicle on November 7, 2019.
This case was investigated by Worthington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Vazquez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 200 months on Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Steven Anthony Malechek, 48, Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Malechek to 140 months’ imprisonment on the drug charges and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment on the firearm charge, for a total sentence of 200 months. Additionally, more than $14,000 in cash was forfeited. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On May 19, 2021, Omaha Police Department gang unit and SWAT officers encountered Malechek near a residence in Omaha prior to the execution of a search warrant. Malechek disobeyed orders from officers to stop and fled from law enforcement in a vehicle, reversing up a hill at a high rate of speed. Malechek was eventually apprehended nearby. Malechek was subsequently arrested and during a search of Malechek and his vehicle, officers recovered approximately 70 grams of methamphetamine and two firearms—a Taurus .45 caliber pistol and a Luger LC9S 9mm handgun.
On May 28, 2021, law enforcement again had contact with Malecheck. Officers searched Malechek’s truck and found close to a pound of methamphetamine, a ballistic vest, a rifle, and cash.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Ohio County man admits to having child pornographyRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Conner David Patterson, of Valley Grove, West Virginia, has admitted to a child pornography charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Possession of Child Pornography.” Patterson admitted to having child pornography involving a minor under the age of 12 in July 2021 in Ohio County.
Patterson faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danae DeMasi-Lemon is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the West Virginia Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Oglala Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Oglala, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on August 15, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Aric Singing Goose, a/k/a Eric Sharpfish, age 34, was sentenced to seven months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Singing Goose was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. He pled guilty on May 26, 2022.
Singing Goose was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in July 2009. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. Between June 4, 2021, and August 17, 202, Singing Goose failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Singing Goose was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
North Fort Myers Man Indicted for Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Samuel Robert Bruner (46, North Fort Myers) with possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Bruner faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to the superseding indictment, Bruner had previously been convicted of 13 felony offenses when he possessed firearms and ammunition in Fort Myers on December 1, 2021. The indictment further states that Bruner is eligible for an enhanced penalty as an Armed Career Criminal because he has three previous convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense, committed on occasions different from one another.
An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
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.
Network of Atlanta-based cocaine traffickers, money launderers, and fraudsters sentenced to years in prison and forfeiture of over $3.9 millionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Tory Lenard Troup has been sentenced as the Atlanta-based leader of a ring of repeat offenders who moved large quantities of cocaine through Atlanta and laundered criminal proceeds using a network of bank accounts, business entities, and purchases of luxury and high-performance cars, homes, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery. Members of the group also obtained fraudulent loans from the Paycheck Protection Program and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.
“This network of drug traffickers victimized our community in many ways, including by distributing dangerous drugs and exploiting the banking system and pandemic disaster funds while buying homes in our neighborhoods as a way to conceal their illegal profits,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Through a successful multi-year, cross-agency investigation and resulting seizure of assets, the main culprits will serve prison sentences and lose the spoils of their crimes.”
“This sentencing deals a major blow to Troup’s drug trafficking organization, and is a major step in keeping drugs off the streets of metro Atlanta and elsewhere,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This criminal organization has reached its final chapter, as these defendants will now spend well-deserved time in prison.”
“Homeland Security Investigations will continue to utilize our expertise to combat the movement of illicit narcotics and proceeds in an effort to stop our communities from being poisoned by greedy criminals,” said HSI Miami Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury. “Through the collaborative efforts with our partners, this narcotics trafficking network has been dismantled and their flow of dangerous narcotics into the United States has been stopped.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: in 2008, Tory Troup, shortly after his release from prison in 2007 for his second federal drug trafficking conviction, organized other convicted drug traffickers, including Franklin Troup, Joseph Alexander, and Rodriquez Redding, to form a new criminal operation. They worked together to source cocaine from Colombia, the Bahamas, and Texas; transported the drugs by private plane, car, and UPS shipments to the Atlanta area; and distributed the drugs to customers in Atlanta and South Carolina. One customer, Lidurrius Bailey, converted the cocaine into large batches of crack (nearly 400 grams at a time) for further distribution. They also smuggled bulk quantities of marijuana, up to nine bales at a time, into the Miami area by boat.
The group transported some of its drug proceeds by having people drive the cash in cars or shipping bundles of cash through the mail, FedEx, or UPS. And to minimize the risk of detection by law enforcement they used a multi-faceted money laundering operation to covertly gather payments, and move those proceeds from customers in Atlanta and South Carolina to Texas, using a network of bank accounts held by multiple individuals, including Troup’s wife, LaShana Johnson, as well as a girlfriend in Houston. Troup also enlisted a business entity and its bank accounts to collect and launder illegal profits disguised as revenue from legitimate business operations. The conspirators then used their illegal profits to buy luxury cars, often in other people’s names, all in an effort to avoid drawing law enforcement attention.
For example, Redding convinced two of his relatives to purchase and register a $92,000 Mercedes CL 63 AMG and a $65,000 Mercedes CLS 550 in their names with his drug money, drawing them into his web of crimes and ultimately subjecting them to the arrival of federal agents at their door. The group also concealed drug profits by buying properties, many of them homes in residential neighborhoods. Elgin Jordan, who sourced some of the drugs for members of the operation, accumulated 14 properties. Many of the homes sat vacant or were rented, preventing lawful citizens from purchasing the properties and peacefully residing in those neighborhoods. Members of the group also used their profits to buy expensive jewelry and even cosmetic surgery, most often paying cash in the mistaken belief that they could avoid law enforcement detection by doing so.
For many years the group managed to operate their scheme without law enforcement intervention due to their extensive concealment efforts, tight code of loyalty, and threats to others. But ultimately a collaboration of multiple federal agencies conducting a comprehensive financial investigation, in combination with evidence from local agencies, a wiretap, drug and money seizures, information from cooperating sources who feared violent retribution, and undercover recordings, produced a series of federal charges that dismantled the organization.
Redding and Johnson, two of the conspirators granted bond while their charges were pending, continued their criminal efforts and fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program advance for businesses that did not exist. As a result, the court imposed additional sentences and/or restitution obligations.
Tory Lenard Troup, 52, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit two residential properties and $840,124. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 2, 2021.
The following individuals were previously sentenced:
- Franklin Benson Troup, 51, of Austell, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $690,000. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 2, 2021.
- Joseph Anthony Alexander, 52, of Coral Springs, Florida, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $111,860. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on March 11, 2019.
- Rodriquez Deonte Redding, a/k/a “Rodriguez Redding,” a/k/a “Dreek,” 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $46,666 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration and PPP lenders. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 2, 2021, and pleaded guilty to a charge of committing wire fraud while on pretrial release on January 21, 2022.
- LaShana Michele Johnson, a/k/a “LaShana Troup,” 50, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration. She pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 7, 2021.
- Lidurrius Bailey, 49, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and forfeited $709,985 and jewelry valued at $31,750. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base on October 23, 2015.
- Elgin Demarco Jordan, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by four years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit 14 properties with a total tax assessed value of over $1.5 million. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin and conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 2, 2016.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Atlanta Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters section, prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
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.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Native of El Salvador Charged with Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Balmoth Alberto Caceres-Henriquez, age 36, of Sonsonate, El Salvador, was indicted by a federal grand jury on illegal reentry charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Caceres-Henriquez was removed from the United States on October 24, 2006, through Harlingen Texas, and it is alleged that he reentered the United States without first obtaining legal permission to do so. The indictment also alleges that on June 1, 2022, Caceres-Henriquez was encountered in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Carlisle Borough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 2 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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McLaughlin Man Indicted for Assault and Threatening Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Threatening a Federal Law Enforcement Officer.
Richard Todd Steele, age 42, was indicted in September of 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 15, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $300 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 13, 2021, in McLaughlin, Steele assaulted a man with a knife and shod feet. After being arrested, he threatened physical harm to a federal law enforcement officer.
The charges are merely accusations and Steele is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Steele was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date was set for October 18, 2022.
Marrero Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Philip Evans, age 50, of Marrero, Louisiana, to 97 months in federal prison following his conviction for distribution of child pornography. The Court further sentenced Evans to serve 5 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and he must register as a convicted sex offender for life.
According to admissions made during his plea, between April 21, 2021 and June 3, 2021, Evans knowingly distributed numerous images and videos of child pornography using the electronic messaging application called WhatsApp.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Pugliese.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Man from Mescalero sentenced to prison for assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Romeo Martinez was sentenced on Aug. 16 to two years and nine months in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Martinez, 23, of Mescalero, New Mexico, pleaded guilty on Jan. 25.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on June 29, 2021, Martinez arrived at his grandmother’s residence on the Mescalero Apache Reservation and confronted his grandmother and her sister, identified in court records as “M.B.” Martinez, who is not an enrolled member of any federally-recognized Tribe, was not supposed to be on the Mescalero Apache Reservation because he had been banished by the Tribal Council for alleged violent assaults on Tribal members. Martinez accused his grandmother and M.B. of having his vehicle towed, and began to scream at them. Martinez attacked M.B., hitting her face multiple times, causing a laceration to her forehead, which required four sutures, and a broken nose and septum. As a result of Martinez’s assault, the victim’s nose is disfigured and her ability to breathe properly has been impacted.
M.B. is an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
Upon his release from prison, Martinez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Matilda McCarthy Villalobos prosecuted the case.
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Man Sentenced to over 10 Years for Role in International Romance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Onovughe Ighorhiohwunu, 47, a resident of Kennesaw, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 130 months in prison for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Ighorhiohwunu was previously found guilty by a federal jury of conspiring to launder more than $1.3 million in proceeds obtained from victims of an internet romance fraud. As part of his sentence, Ighorhiohwunu was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $1,342,150 in restitution.
Evidence at trial and sentencing established that, between July 2019 and May 2020, Ighorhiohwunu participated in a scheme where conspirators with connections to Nigeria used fictitious or assumed online identities to meet victims in the United States. Conspirators contacted victims through dating websites and games like Words With Friends and then pretended to strike up romantic relationships with them. After establishing relationships, conspirators asked the victims for money, often to help with a phony crisis such as an emergency medical procedure, and usually told the victims their money would be repaid. Conspirators directed at least 10 victims to send large sums of money by mail or wire to Ighorhiohwunu and others, which was then withdrawn in cash and hand-delivered to conspirators or wired to other bank accounts. Ighorhiohwunu received payment for his role in the scheme.
“Internet-based scams like this one starkly illustrate both the greed of the perpetrators and the generosity of the elderly victims,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “Thanks to our partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for unraveling the complex scheme and providing a strong message of deterrence.”
The United States Attorney’s Office encourages the public to be wary of similar scams and to verify with law enforcement and family members before sending money after any online, or phone, solicitations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Section of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-1119-TUC-SHR-1
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-140_Ighorhiohwunu# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
A man who possessed over 150 grams of methamphetamine in Eldora, Iowa pled guilty on August 17, 2022.
Shane Anthony Johnson, age 45, from St. Anthony, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Northern District of Iowa.
In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted to being involved in the transport of 165 grams of methamphetamine before being apprehended by Eldora Police officers. It was later discovered Johnson had obtained approximately four ounces of methamphetamine from the same supplier before the date of his arrest.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Johnson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Johnson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment and the following maximum penalties: (1) not more than life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole; (2) a fine of not more than $10 million; (3) a mandatory special assessment of $100; and (4) a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.
This case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-00031-CJW.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Madison Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Chaz E. Morris, 35, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 78 months in federal prison for possessing over 40 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Morris pleaded guilty to these charges on May 20, 2022.
On January 12, 21, February 3, 18, and 24, 2021, Dane County Narcotics Task Force (DCNTF) officers purchased crack cocaine from Morris’s co-defendant, Myron Macon, in Madison. The quantities ranged from 31 to 51 grams per buy and prices ranged from $2,000-3,000. During one of the buys, Chaz Morris personally distributed the crack cocaine.
On March 2, 2021, DCNTF officers executed search warrants at two drug houses operated by Morris and Macon in Madison, and leased by them using fake names. At the residence leased by Morris, officers found 718 grams of cocaine, 49 grams of fentanyl, 101 grams of heroin, 2,297 grams of marijuana, and $4,950 in cash which included buy money from a previous controlled purchase. At the residence leased by Macon, officers found 42 grams of fentanyl, 48 grams of crack cocaine, 206 grams of marijuana, a Taurus 9mm handgun with loaded magazines and over $27,000 in cash in a safe, an additional $6,000 in cash, four digital scales, and numerous cell phones. Macon was arrested at the residence and his DNA later came back on the Taurus firearm.
On August 9, 16, 25, and September 2, 2021, DCNTF officers purchased crack cocaine from Morris in Madison. On September 9, officers executed a search warrant at Morris’ new residence in Madison. When officers began knocking on the front door, Morris threw a firearm onto the street from the second-floor balcony. The firearm was identified as a loaded SCCY 9mm handgun which had been reported stolen out of Texas. Morris’ DNA was found on the firearm. In the residence, officers found 78 grams of fentanyl, 83 grams of cocaine, 27 grams of methamphetamine, 31 grams of marijuana, and $11,914 in cash, which included buy money from a prior controlled purchase. Morris was arrested at the residence.
Morris was prohibited from legally possessing a firearm and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions. During the time of the controlled buys and residence searches, Morris was out on bond for an open state drug trafficking case from 2019.
At sentencing, Judge Conley explained that Morris’s combination of dealing dangerous drugs and possessing a firearm to further that trafficking made the conduct more serious. He noted that Morris continued to deal drugs even after his partner, Macon, was arrested and search warrants were executed at their drug houses. Judge Conley also discussed Morris’s lengthy prior criminal record, which included multiple shorter prison sentences when he was in his early twenties.
Co-defendant Myron Macon pleaded guilty on June 1 to possessing crack cocaine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing before Judge Conley on September 27, 2022. Macon faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum term of life.
The charges against Morris and Macon were the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Madison Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this 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.
Los Angeles Street Gang Targeted in Federal Racketeering Indictment that Alleges Narcotics, Firearms and Extortion OffensesRead the Press Release
Twenty eight members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Eastside Playboys street gang were arrested today on federal racketeering, narcotics, and firearms charges.
The arrests stem from six indictments, one of which alleges a racketeering scheme and includes allegations of narcotics and weapons trafficking, as well as the extortion of local businesses.
“This case is the culmination of years of work by our agents and prosecutors, alongside our local law enforcement partners, to remove violent gang members from our streets and dismantle the criminal organizations that fuel violent crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland of the Justice Department. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for violent gangs that sow fear and terror in our communities, and we will continue to use every tool we have to stop them and bring them to justice.”
“One of our fundamental duties at the FBI is to protect the American people,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The law enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area today reflect only a portion of the work being done across the country and illustrate the FBI’s dedication to reducing violent crime in our nation, and combating the threats that gangs, violent actors, and criminal enterprises pose to our communities. I am proud of the work being done by the FBI, in concert with our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners, to keep our citizens and communities safe.”
One of the indictments alleges that the gang is a criminal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This indictment outlines the structure of the gang, its allegiance to the Mexican Mafia prison gang, and how it generates revenue through, among other things, the sale of narcotics and firearms.
“The indictments unsealed today charge a gang that stands accused of plaguing South Los Angeles for 50 years through repeated acts of violence, drug trafficking, extortion of local businesses, and weapons violations,” said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie S. Christensen for the Central District of California. “Today’s coordinated law enforcement action targeted the Playboys street gang because of its alleged widespread criminal conduct, as well as the fear and intimidation its members imposed on our community.”
As part of the overall racketeering enterprise, some defendants engaged in large-scale drug trafficking, including sending kilogram quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl through the United States Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service. Some defendants also allegedly distributed cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl powder and counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
“Members and associates of this gang have built a criminal enterprise by trafficking in guns and deadly drugs, by extorting business owners, and by terrorizing victims with violent assaults and robberies,” said Acting Assistant Director in Chage Amir Ehsaei of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with our local partners to identify the gangs wreaking havoc on our communities and to use federal tools to hold major offenders accountable for their crimes.”
During this investigation, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs seized from the Playboys and their associates approximately 47 firearms, 199 kilograms of methamphetamine, 13.6 kilograms of fentanyl, 27 kilograms of cocaine, 7.6 kilograms of heroin, 283 kilograms of marijuana, and $140,000 in cash. The RICO indictment further alleges that members of the racketeering enterprise operated two unlicensed marijuana dispensaries.
“I am proud of the hard work and dedication of our LAPD officers, the FBI and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs on such a demanding investigation,” said Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore. “Organized street gangs prey upon our communities with violence, intimidation and fear. Their tradecraft is furthered by the trafficking of dangerous firearms and narcotics. As in this case, and others, with strong federal partners and the support of our communities we are able to remove the distributors and root cause of such violence from of our neighborhoods.”
Those arrested today are among 41 members and associates of the gang named across the six indictments. Three of the defendants were already in custody, and law enforcement continues to search for 10 defendants.
The RICO conspiracy and Hobbs Act robbery charges each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The narcotics and firearms offenses carry a range of potential sentences, many of which include a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years in prison.
The defendants arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Today’s arrests are the result of an investigation that was opened approximately four years ago by the FBI and the multi-agency Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs. The investigation, dubbed Operation Down the Rabbit Hole, utilized an array of tactics, including wiretaps and surveillance, to uncover evidence of extortion of businesses, violent robberies, burglaries, narcotics and firearms trafficking, and violence against their own members as “discipline” for violating gang rules and norms.
Operation Down the Rabbit Hole was led by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs, which is comprised of the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; DEA; U.S. Marshals Service; the Joint Regional Intelligence Center; Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; U.S. Bureau of Prisons; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and the Los Angeles County Probation Department provided considerable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Damaris Diaz and Claire E. Kelly of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and Christopher C. Kendall and Maria Elena Stiteler of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are prosecuting these cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Long Island Woman Charged with Embezzling $4 Million from Manhattan Company and Its ClientsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced today that CARMEN MIRANDA, a/k/a “Millie Miranda,” was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, in connection with her scheme to embezzle over $4 million from her employer and its clients in Manhattan, New York. MIRANDA was arrested today and will be presented today before Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Carmen Miranda allegedly pilfered funds from her employer and clients for her own benefit. She used the stolen funds to live a lifestyle she could not afford, purchasing expensive trips, luxury items, and throwing lavish parties. Her dishonesty led to serious disruptions in her employer’s and its clients’ businesses. Miranda’s arrest and prosecution should send a message to anyone engaging in fraudulent conduct that they will be found and prosecuted.”
Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said: “Carmen Miranda was placed in a position of trust to help people manage their finances. She allegedly abused that trust by misappropriating approximately $4 million dollars and in stealing their money, sought only to enrich herself through personal gain. Miranda used the alleged stolen funds to pay for a lavish lifestyle full of vacations, parties, cosmetic procedures, high-end luxury goods, and even her own wedding. Her greed was her downfall, and in the end, the Postal Inspectors were there to put a stop to her ill-gotten spending spree.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint unsealed today:[1]
CARMEN MIRANDA, a/k/a “Millie Miranda,” the defendant, was an account manager at a small business management firm that primarily serviced clients in the entertainment industry (the “Company”). From at least in or about December 2014, up to and including at least January 2022, while serving as an account manager for the Company, MIRANDA embezzled funds from the Company and some of the Company’s clients (the “Clients” or individually “Client”). She added herself as an authorized user on two credit cards belonging to a Client, used two other credit cards issued to a Client’s employees, and wrote checks and sent electronic funds transfers out of the Clients’ accounts. MIRANDA used the credit cards, the checks, and electronic funds transfers to make payments to a cosmetic surgeon, her children, and others, and to pay for expenses such as tuition, travel, her wedding, an anniversary party, and luxury items from Jimmy Choo. To conceal the Client funds that she had stolen and spent, MIRANDA transferred funds between accounts belonging to different Clients.
As a part of this scheme, MIRANDA misappropriated approximately $4 million.
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MIRANDA, 50, of Massapequa, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison, and one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of thirty years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory penalty of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other term of imprisonment.
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 USPIS in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Camille L. Fletcher is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Lantry Woman Indicted for LarcenyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Lantry, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Larceny.
Trude Clown, age 46, was indicted in August of 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 12, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to five years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between the February 1, 2022, and June 1, 2022, Clown unlawfully took and carried away, with intent to steal and purloin, the personal property of another, with a value of more than $1,000.
The charge is merely an accusation and Clown is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.
Clown was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for October 18, 2022.
Kansas Man Sentenced in Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kansas City, Kansas, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 15, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Michael Luntere Grayson, age 22, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Grayson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. He pled guilty on May 24, 2022.
Beginning on or about August of 2021 and continuing until on or about December 2021, Grayson reached an agreement to distribute fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the District of South Dakota.
During his involvement, Grayson obtained pills containing fentanyl from a co-conspirator and distributed them to drug customers in South Dakota. On October 13, 2021, law enforcement conducted a targeted interdiction on a vehicle Grayson was driving. Grayson initially pulled the vehicle over, but when a trooper approached on foot he drove away and attempted to elude law enforcement. Law enforcement eventually got the vehicle stopped and searched it. They found approximately 278 grams of pills containing fentanyl, 228.6 grams of cocaine, 33 grams of crack cocaine, and 92 oxycodone pills. Grayson and his co-conspirators were planning to sell the drugs found in the vehicle. Grayson’s involvement in the conspiracy ended with his arrest on October 13, 2021.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Grayson was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kansas Man Indicted for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with child pornography crimes.
Walter Haskin, 27, of Cottonwood Falls of was indicted on one count of attempted distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. According to a criminal complaint, the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force launched an investigation after Dropbox submitted a tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children hotline indicating the file sharing service said it had detected child pornography uploaded to an account.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Wichita Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Gordon and Jason Hart are prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab "Resources."
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Christopher Cavanaugh, 56, of Wichita was indicted on one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi is prosecuting the case.
Edward Cavanaugh Jr., 57 of Wichita was indicted on two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi is prosecuting the case.
Tremayne Darkis, 44, of Parsons was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi is prosecuting the case.
Alexis Ibarra, 23, of Garden City was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting the case.
Kelly Peng, 45, of Wichita was indicted on two counts of distribution of controlled substances – methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances – methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Mark Jason Pearson, 32, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Pearson admitted to possessing approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine at his First Street residence in Dunbar on July 13, 2022. Pearson further admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to others, and that he previously obtained at least 3 pounds of methamphetamine and sold smaller quantities of methamphetamine to a confidential informant between June 6, 2022, and July 8, 2022.
Pearson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2022, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, as well as five years of supervised release and a $10 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting 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. 2:22-cr-156.
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KC Man Sentenced for Resisting Arrest After Deliberately Crashing Stolen Truck into Federal Deputy Marshals While Attempting to Flee in Stolen TruckRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who injured two United States deputy marshals by crashing into them while attempting to flee in a stolen truck was sentenced in federal court today for forcibly resisting federal law enforcement officers.
Ray E. Clevenger, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.
On Jan. 5, 2022, Clevenger pleaded guilty to two counts of forcibly resisting a federal law enforcement officer.
Law enforcement officers located Clevenger, who was being sought on a state felony arrest warrant, at a Quality Inn in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 30, 2020. Clevenger left his hotel room shortly after noon with a woman and got into a Ford Explorer, which was later identified as stolen. Officers activated their flashing multi-colored police emergency lights and sirens as they approached Clevenger.
Clevenger quickly accelerated the Explorer from the parking space it had been backed into, and struck the front of a police vehicle. Clevenger continued to attempt to escape while recklessly driving the Explorer at a high rate of speed. Clevenger drove across the hotel’s parking lot with his tires squealing and drove near the exit on the west side of the property. A federal deputy marshal attempted to prevent Clevenger from leaving the parking lot by positioning his police vehicle in front of the exit and striking the Ford Explorer, causing Clevenger to lose control of his vehicle. Clevenger regained control of the vehicle, then fled across the hotel’s lawn and sidewalk toward the east side of the property. Another deputy marshal struck Clevenger’s vehicle on the passenger rear wheel well to prevent his escape. Clevenger continued to flee and returned to the west side of the property, where he rammed one of the police vehicles for the second time with enough force to push the SUV into a fence that surrounded the parking lot. Clevenger pushed the police vehicle with enough force that it also struck another police vehicle, which in turn struck a deputy marshal who was on foot.
Clevenger’s vehicle then stopped, and he was arrested. Officers searched Clevenger’s stolen vehicle and found a Springfield .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun that had been reported stolen, loaded with an extended magazine, a makeup case that contained approximately 69 grams of methamphetamine and marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
The two deputy marshals suffered physical injuries because of Clevenger’s reckless driving while attempting to avoid arrest. Those injuries required one of the deputy marshals to be treated by emergency medical officials at the scene. The other deputy marshal was provided medical care and instructed to seek follow-up medical care.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.
KC Man Sentenced for Arson of Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for setting the arson fire of an apartment building in which several residents were injured.
Rodney Boyles, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Boyles to pay $12,500 in restitution to one of the apartment building residents who was intubated for approximately nine days in the hospital while being treated for smoke inhalation injuries she sustained from the fire.
On Feb. 10, 2022, Boyles pleaded guilty to one count of arson. Boyles admitted that he intentionally set fire to a four-story apartment building at 1102-1104 Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 13, 2021. The apartment building was occupied at the time of the fire. Three occupants of the apartment building sustained serious injuries because of the fire and were transported to the hospital for treatment. The building sustained significant fire damage on all four floors of the structure.
Fire investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set. One of the residents of the apartment building told investigators that Boyles had been staying in one of the apartments with his girlfriend and her son. Investigators interviewed Boyles on Thursday, May 27, and arrested him.
Boyles told investigators he was under the influence of a controlled substance when he used a cigarette lighter to start the fire in a storage room in the apartment. After starting the fire, Boyles said, he quickly left the building with his girlfriend, their 4-year-old son, and another female.
Investigators interviewed several victims of the arson. One resident, identified in court documents as “TN,” exited her third-floor apartment using the interior stairwell. She recalled the smoke being so thick in the interior stairwell that she could not see her hand in front of her face. She was transported to the hospital, where she was intubated for approximately nine days while being treated for smoke inhalation injuries she sustained from the fire.
Another resident, identified in court documents as “BF,” was asleep in the living room when he woke up and smelled smoke. He passed out in the apartment and was rescued by firefighters. He was treated at the hospital for partial thickness burns to his face, acute respiratory failure with hypoxia, carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning, pneumonia, and volume overload. He was placed in a medically induced coma during his hospitalization.
Two residents, identified in court documents as “RF” and “NF,” were forced by heavy smoke to exit their apartment through a front window that provided access onto a second-floor overhang so they could jump to safety. RF broke his wrist and ankle after jumping onto the ground below; he was hospitalized for 14 days as a result of his injuries.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Fire Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Issue Joint Comment to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to Preserve Competition for Regional TransmissionRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission yesterday submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a joint comment urging it not to restore a right of first refusal that would enable incumbent electricity transmission owners to block competitors from bidding to design, construct, and own certain new interstate transmission facilities.
The FERC is considering reinstating the right of first refusal, or ROFR – which was eliminated in certain instances in 2011 – as long as incumbent transmission owners agree to a joint ownership structure with one or more unaffiliated, non-incumbent partners. FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on April 21, 2022. This could mean that the design and construction of certain transmission facilities is less competitive, resulting in higher prices or lower quality.
“We commend FERC for undertaking this rulemaking, which is aimed at encouraging needed regional transmission planning and construction,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The rulemaking comes at a critical time, when the nation is undertaking major grid modernization efforts, and competition can make transmission design and construction less costly, more resilient, and more innovative for the American consumer. Thus, we urge FERC not to abandon competition, through the reinstatement of a federal right of first refusal, but to first evaluate the effects of its other proposals, which are consistent with competition, on achieving its goals.”
The joint comment addresses the benefits and importance of competition and new entry for the design and construction of interstate electric transmission facilities. These facilities are necessary to ensure robust wholesale electricity markets and interconnect renewable generation facilities. The comment notes that when FERC eliminated the ROFR under certain circumstances in 2011, it recognized the benefits to consumers of having competition for transmission design and construction. The comment urges FERC not to abandon competition, and it cites examples of where competition for transmission design and construction has resulted in lower costs and innovation.
The comment also supports proposals made in FERC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require that regional transmission planning be done on a sufficiently long-term basis, that planning involve state regulators to reduce disputes over cost allocation, that transmission planning for local projects be more transparent, and that neighboring utilities improve their interregional coordination. The comment also notes other procompetitive solutions offered by stakeholders in the ongoing proceeding, including creating an independent transmission monitor (or regional monitors) to limit the influence of incumbent utilities over the planning process.
Judge Sentences Alabama Fraudster to 17½ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former Alabama resident has been sentenced in federal court to 17½ years (212 months) in prison on his convictions for Conspiracy, Transfer of False Identification Documents, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft , United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Albert McCall, age 59, of Montgomery, Alabama.
According to information presented to the court, McCall went on a multi-state crime spree during 2016 and 2017 in which he engaged in at least five different fraud schemes.
The defendant is a long-time con artist who traveled around the country engaging in various fraud schemes, primarily involving identity theft. By his own admission, made on a recorded telephone call with a co-conspirator, McCall has been committing fraud for seventeen years. His frauds include the following:
1. Manufacturing Counterfeit Ohio Driver’s Licenses – McCall either manufactured or has manufactured counterfeit Ohio driver’s licenses that he and others used in various fraudulent schemes;
2. Instant Credit Schemes – in these schemes, McCall or a conspirator entered a retail establishment and, using a fake Ohio driver’s license and the personal identification information of a victim, applied for credit and, if approved, instantly made significant purchases using that credit;
3. Casino Fraud – in these schemes, McCall or a conspirator entered a casino and either passed counterfeit checks or applied for credit using a counterfeit Ohio driver’s license;
4. Counterfeit Credit Cards – McCall and his conspirators used counterfeit credit cards, often in conjunction with the counterfeit Ohio driver’s licenses, to rent cars, obtain hotel rooms, and to make purchases of merchandise. These counterfeit credit cards were obtained by purchasing, through dark websites, stolen credit card information, and then using equipment to place that information on the magnetic strips of credit cards; and
5. Car Loan Fraud – McCall and his conspirators obtained credit reports through dark websites and then used that information to apply for a loan to purchase a vehicle at a complicit dealership. After purchasing the vehicle, McCall arranged to sell the car to a “chop shop”, which in turn sold the parts.The investigation of McCall included conduct in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan and other states, and the total losses exceeded $1 million. The Court enhanced the defendant’s advisory Sentencing Guideline range based on the sophisticated nature of the defendant’s schemes, which included use of the dark web and amassing a network of operatives who helped him execute his scheme across multiple states. The Court also enhanced his sentence based on the leadership role he played amongst these operatives and because he obstructed justice.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Schwab stated that in his twenty years as a Judge, he has never seen an identity theft scheme more complex or that had as many victims.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the United States Secret Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of McCall, and Ms. Chung further recognized the many other law enforcement agencies and departments involved in this complex multi-state case, including the following: U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Wilkins Township Police Department, the Warren, Michigan Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Columbus, Ohio Police Department, the Canfield, Ohio Police Department, the Westfield Center, Ohio Police Department, the Beavercreek, Ohio Police Department, the Clearcreek Township, Ohio Police Department, the Reynoldsburg, Ohio Police Department, the Zainesville, Ohio Police Department, the Grove City, Ohio Police Department, the State of Ohio Gaming Commission, the State of Indiana Gaming Commission, and the State of Kentucky Gaming Commission.
Jicarilla man charged with domestic assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Patrick Maestas was arraigned on Aug. 17 on a two-count indictment charging him with assault by strangling and suffocating and domestic assault by a habitual offender. Maestas, 33, of Dulce, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Maestas on Aug. 9. According to the indictment and other court records, Maestas and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, had been in a relationship since 2017 and have a child together. Maestas and Jane Doe live separately with their respective parents.
On July 8, Maestas was staying with Jane Doe at her mother’s residence in Dulce. After going to bed, Maestas and Jane Doe began to argue. Maestas then allegedly used the collar of Jane Doe’s shirt to strangle her. This allegedly occurred in front of their child, who pleaded for his parents to stop fighting.
Jane Doe attempted to call her family for assistance, but was unable to reach anyone. Later, while Maestas was in the restroom, Jane Doe took her son, fled the residence and went to her uncle’s home nearby. She was later taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center for injuries related to strangulation.
The alleged assault occurred on the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Jane Doe is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
Maestas was previously convicted in Jicarilla Apache Nation Tribal Court in 2019 of assault and battery and in 2021 of domestic violence.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Maestas faces 10 years in prison for each count.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea Van Deventer is prosecuting the case.
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Illinois Man Sentenced to 175 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Keith Kelly, 50 years old, of South Holland, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty on his plea of guilty to bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Kelly was sentenced to 175 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in October 2021, Kelly walked into a bank in South Bend, Indiana, gave one of the bank tellers a note demanding cash, and indicated he had a gun. He showed the teller a black object under his shirt. Kelly left the bank with cash but was caught by police shortly thereafter with the cash, the demand note, and a plastic gun. Kelly has a lengthy criminal history including 5 prior felony robbery convictions, and he was determined to be a career offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joel Gabrielse and Kimberly Schultz.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Illinois Family Charged with Kidnapping, Forced Labor, and Conspiracy for Coercing Two Minors and a Third Victim in Years-Long Forced Labor SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois returned a nine-count indictment charging Domingo Francisco-Juan, Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, and Catarina Domingo-Juan, siblings and Guatemalan nationals, with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and kidnapping. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris of the Central District of Illinois and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
According to the allegations set forth in the indictment, between December 2015 and March 2021 the defendants conspired to bring two minor victims from Guatemala to the United States to work in Domingo-Castaneda’s and Domingo-Juan’s homes. The defendants compelled the victims to provide childcare, cooking, and cleaning within the homes and to work outside the homes in local hotels, factories, and a restaurant. As alleged, the defendants used false promises of a better life and an education to gain the permission of the victims’ mothers for their minor daughters to be brought to the United States to live with the defendants. Defendants Domingo-Castaneda and Domingo-Juan also allegedly forced a third victim to work in their homes and outside their homes at local businesses. The indictment further alleges that the defendants isolated the victims in their homes, restricted their communications with their family in Guatemala, and subjected them to physical, verbal and psychological abuse, among other coercive means.
If convicted on all charges, the defendants face sentences of up to life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of Champaign Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres for the Central District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Illinois Family Charged with Kidnapping, Forced Labor, and Conspiracy for Coercing Two Minors and a Third Victim in Years-Long Forced Labor SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois returned a nine-count indictment charging Domingo Francisco-Juan, Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, and Catarina Domingo-Juan, siblings and Guatemalan nationals, with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and kidnapping.
According to the allegations set forth in the indictment, between December 2015 and March 2021 the defendants conspired to bring two minor victims from Guatemala to the United States to work in Domingo-Castaneda’s and Domingo-Juan’s homes. The defendants compelled the victims to provide childcare, cooking, and cleaning within the homes and to work outside the homes in local hotels, factories, and a restaurant. As alleged, the defendants used false promises of a better life and an education to gain the permission of the victims’ mothers for their minor daughters to be brought to the United States to live with the defendants. Defendants Domingo-Castaneda and Domingo-Juan also allegedly forced a third victim to work in their homes and outside their homes at local businesses. The indictment further alleges that the defendants isolated the victims in their homes, restricted their communications with their family in Guatemala, and subjected them to physical, verbal and psychological abuse, among other coercive means.
If convicted on all charges, the defendants face sentences of up to life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris of the Central District of Illinois and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with the assistance of the Champaign Police Department, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres for the Central District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Illegal Possession of Firearm Leads to Time in Federal Prison for Carencro ManRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Kentrell Laday, 20, of Carencro, Louisiana was sentenced today for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced. United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Laday to 100 months (12 years, 4 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Laday was charged in an indictment in July 2021 with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and pleaded guilty to the charge on March 8, 2022. According to information presented to the court, law enforcement officers observed Laday and a known associate of his exit a vehicle parked at a residence in Lafayette, Louisiana. Officers detained Laday and advised him of his Miranda rights. Officers looked inside the vehicle that had been occupied by Laday to ensure no other occupants were in the vehicle and observed a firearm along with a small cellophane bag containing marijuana on the driver’s seat of the vehicle in plain view. A search warrant was obtained for the vehicle and officers seized a loaded Springfield XD-9 handgun with 17 rounds of ammunition. Laday admitted that the marijuana and firearm belonged to him.
On June 8, 2021, Laday pled guilty to domestic abuse battery in Lafayette, Louisiana and because of this conviction, was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Lafayette Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Heart Butte man sentenced to prison for meth trafficking on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Heart Butte man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 38 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Gary Allen Jimenez, 27, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that Jimenez, while on federal supervised released for a previous drug conviction, was involved with using and dealing meth on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Based on information from law enforcement, Jimenez’s federal probation officer called Jimenez into the office in Browning in January for a drug screen, which was positive for meth and amphetamine. In a search of Jimenez’s truck, the probation officer found 246 grams of meth, which is about a half pound, in his backpack.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Probation Office and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Harrisburg Man Indicted on Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jaykwan Mitchell, age 20, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on October 25, 2021, in Harrisburg, Mitchell possessed with the intent to distribute cocaine base (crack) and possessed a Glock model 21 Gen 4 .45 caliber pistol in furtherance of the above-alleged drug trafficking crime. The indictment also alleges that on January 11, 2022, Mitchell possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possessed a Glock style 9mm pistol in furtherance of the above-alleged drug trafficking crime.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms Bureau (ATF) and the Harrisburg Police Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating 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.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, respectively, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Harrisburg Man Indicted on Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG, The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kyle Jones, age 25, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on March 17, 2021, Jones possessed with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl in Dauphin County. The indictment also alleges that Jones possessed a loaded Ruger .40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, and a loaded Hi-Point .380 caliber pistol, in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. At the time of the offense, the indictment alleges that Jones had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, making him a person prohibited to possess a firearm.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. (ATF), the Susquehanna Township Police Department, and the Dauphin County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is a life term of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Hammond Man Sentenced to 27 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Ryan C. Turner, 29 years old, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody on his plea of guilty to possessing an unregistered machinegun, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Turner was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release
According to documents in the case, on May 27, 2021, Turner was found passed out in his car which was stopped in the middle of the street straddling the yellow center line in Porter, Indiana. At that time, Turner illegally possessed a pistol on his lap that had a machinegun conversion device attached to it, making it capable of firing multiple shots with a single pull of the trigger. This firearm was not registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer record, making his possession of it illegal.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Porter Police Department, the Burns Harbor Police Department, and the Chesterton Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin F. Wolff.
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.
Greenbrier County Man Sentenced for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Andrew Allen Arnold, 35, of White Sulphur Springs, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 7, 2019, a law enforcement officer responded to a reported domestic disturbance at a White Sulphur Springs convenience store. The officer encountered Arnold engaged in an altercation with a woman. Arnold denied possessing any weapons when questioned by the officer, who then searched Arnold and found a loaded Charter Arms Shelton, CT .38-caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number in Arnold’s right front pants pocket.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Arnold admitted that he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for eluding in the Circuit Court of Allegheny County, Virginia, on March 4, 2016.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the White Sulphur Springs Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andy Isabell and former Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Jeffrey 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. 5:21-cr-197.
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Glastonbury Woman Pleads Guilty to Gun Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that BRANDI WIGGINS, 35, of Glastonbury, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Wiggins came to the attention of the ATF after several firearms that she purchased in North Carolina were recovered in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The investigation revealed that, between April 2016 and November 2019, Wiggins purchased seven firearms in North Carolina. She later sold the firearms at pawn shops and also through a website that specializes in firearm sales.
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for December 12, at which time Wiggins faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Wiggins is released pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.
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.
Gary Man Sentenced to 57 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Keith Cloudy, 46 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody on his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Cloudy was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on February 18, 2020, during a traffic stop of Cloudy’s vehicle in Gary, Indiana, law enforcement recovered a semi-automatic pistol. Cloudy’s criminal history revealed that he had two prior federal felony convictions, one in 2000 and another in 2015 for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, and as such he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Gang Response Investigative Team and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Kevin F. Wolff and Michael J. Toth.
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.
Fort Smith Man Sentenced to over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith man was sentenced today to 110 months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release on one count of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court documents, on November 6, 2021, a Fort Smith, Arkansas, Police Department patrol officer on routine patrol observed a Chrysler 300 turn off Rogers Avenue and park behind a closed business. Dustin Elijah Wells, age 30, and two others got out of the vehicle and began walking past closed storefronts. The patrol officer approached Wells and the two other individuals. Wells provided identification to the officer who noted Wells was a State of Arkansas parolee with a valid parole search waiver on file. The officer searched Wells pursuant to the search waiver, found a small quantity of drugs and arrested Wells. Wells, under arrest and handcuffed, fled on foot. He fell and was apprehended. Wells was taken for medical treatment due to injuries he said he suffered when fleeing on foot from the police officer. A search of the vehicle resulted in officers locating a loaded handgun under the steering column of the vehicle.
On December 3, 2021, Fort Smith Police Department detectives received information that Wells was staying at a motel in Fort Smith. Detectives conducted surveillance on a specific room at the motel and approached Wells when they saw him leaving. Wells fled on foot but was apprehended. When Wells was arrested, a loaded handgun fell prom his possession on to the ground. A search of Wells vehicle at the motel, resulted in officers locating a 5.56 millimeter/.223 caliber rifle.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fort Smith Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Fort Myers Woman Sentenced for PPP FraudRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Edrica Leann Watson (40, Lehigh Acres) to 15 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for making a false statement to a financial institution. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $392,563.00, the proceeds of the offense of conviction. Watson was also ordered to pay $434,227.50 in restitution to the two financial institutions that she had defrauded. Watson had pleaded guilty on March 22, 2022.
According to court documents and information presented during her sentencing hearing, Watson was the owner and purported operator of Unity Home Care Services, LLC (UHC), an entity for which she made materially false representations on loan applications under the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) to financial institutions. While UHC was formed by Watson in September 2020, it was not an operating business prior to or at the time of her application in April 2021. Watson initially obtained two loans, each in the amount of $20,832.00, and then submitted an additional loan application in the amount of $392,563.00 on behalf of UHC, for a total of $434,227.50 in PPP loans. UHC’s number of employees, wages, and income were misrepresented on the loan application in order to receive the loan amount requested. Fraudulent tax documents and an income statement were also submitted to the financial institution with the loan application to further support the loan amount of $392,563.00.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. Run out of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international actors committing civil or criminal fraud and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesus M. Casas. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
Former municipal prosecuting attorney admits sexual contact with a court defendant and lying to the FBIRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former municipal prosecuting attorney for Jefferson County, Missouri pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges and admitted having sexual contact with a defendant and then lying about it to the FBI.
James Isaac “Ike” Crabtree, 40, pleaded guilty to two counts: deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the woman’s right to bodily integrity, and making false statements to the FBI.
Crabtree admitted in court that on March 8, 2021, he engaged in sexual contact with a woman who had multiple pending cases in front of the municipal court. Crabtree met with the woman in his office in the courthouse, after regular business hours, and said he could dismiss her cases before directing her to take her clothes off, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said during the hearing.
Crabtree also admitted lying to FBI agents in a March 3, 2022 interview when he denied kissing and touching the victim and directing her to undress in his office.
The civil rights charge carries a penalty of up to a year in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both. The charge of lying to the FBI carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Crabtree is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Former Western New Yorker Going to Prison for Bank Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ronald Rechan, 59, of Douglasville GA, who was convicted of making a false statement on a bank loan application and tax evasion, was sentenced to serve six months in prison and ordered to pay restitution totaling $628,144 by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who handled the case, stated that in November 2017, Rechan submitted a $150,000 home loan application to First National Bank of America. In order to influence the bank into issuing the loan, Rechan fraudulently overstated his income. In addition to providing false information to the bank, between April 2013 and January 2018, Rechan committed tax evasion. During that period, while serving as a chief financial officer, Rechan paid himself $1,962,167.21 which constituted income for federal tax purposes. In order to avoid paying tax on this income, Rechan paid personal expenses directly from a company account and deposited $332,746.19 into a nominee bank account. His actions resulted in a tax loss to the IRS of $628,144.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Thomas Fattorusso, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office.
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Former Police Officer Sentenced to 144 Months in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Huntsville man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, In March of 2021, the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) began investigating a drug trafficking organization operating within the Western District of Arkansas, Fayetteville Division. Through source reporting, investigators learned that the defendant, Skylar Houston, was a member of the organization.
In March of 2021, detectives with the DTF conducted two separate controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Houston. On April 1, 2021, detectives arrested Houston and located a firearm in his possession. That day, detectives executed a search warrant at Houston’s residence in Johnson. During execution of the search warrant, detectives seized over 7 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 4 pounds of marijuana, 1,485 Xanax pills, LSD, mushrooms and steroids. Two additional firearms were also seized during execution of the warrant. The drugs were locked in a safe for future distribution by the organization.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services Caseworker Charged with Possession and Transportation of Child Pornography, and Attempted Sex Trafficking of MinorRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, was indicted today on charges of possession and transportation of child pornography and attempted sex trafficking of a minor, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Trent Collier, 56, of Kearny, New Jersey, is charged in a three-count indictment with one count of possession of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 28, 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Law enforcement officials searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child pornography. The investigation also revealed that from June 19, 2021, through Sept. 29, 2021, Collier attempted to solicit a minor for a commercial sex act.
The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of transportation of child pornography carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of attempted sex trafficking of a minor carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Each count also carries a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard W. Reinhold in Newark; and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, under the direction of Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Camila A. Garces of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.