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Wednesday 3 August 2022
New Britain Man Charged with Fentanyl Distribution and Firearm Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging THOMAS RIVERA, 29, of New Britain, with fentanyl distribution and firearm possession offenses.
The indictment was returned on July 21, 2022, and Rivera was arrested yesterday. Following his arrest he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford who ordered Rivera detained.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on June 3, 2022, Hartford Police stopped a vehicle Rivera was operating and found him in possession of a bag containing approximately 140 grams of fentanyl, approximately 370 sleeves of fentanyl, a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and $1,323 in cash. Rivera was arrested on state charges at that time and subsequently posted a $1 million bond.
The indictment alleges that Rivera’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm possession and drug distribution offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges Rivera with one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries mandatory consecutive prison term of at least five years; and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Mobile, Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting K9 and Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Mobile, Alabama man pled guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of animal crushing, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Richard J. McGuire, 44, pled guilty on August 2, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
According to court records, on March 29, 2022, Moss Point Police officers responded to an alarm call at Tay’s BBQ/Shell Station located on Highway 63 in Moss Point. They began searching the area and located McGuire behind another business. McGuire fled when officers approached him.
Moss Point Police K9 “Buddy” was released to track McGuire. Buddy pursued McGuire into a wooded area when officers heard two gunshots. Buddy returned having been shot in the chest. Officers later apprehended McGuire who possessed a sawed-off shotgun and body armor, which he is prohibited from possessing as a previously convicted felon. Buddy survived and will return to work soon.
McGuire will be sentenced on November 15, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and 7 years for animal crushing. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
Missouri man sentenced to 16+ years in prison for tricking boy on Snapchat into sending child pornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a Missouri man to 16 years and eight months in prison for using Snapchat to trick a boy into sending him child pornography.
In 2019, Martin Dwayne Isaia Mitchell, of Macon County, set up a fake Snapchat account in which he pretended to be female and then reached out to a 15-year-old boy that he knew. Mitchell, who was 20 at the time, convinced the boy to record a video of him masturbating and send it to Mitchell. Using a different fake female profile, Mitchell contacted the boy again in 2020, and sent him explicit videos to entice the boy to send pictures in return. Once Mitchell received the teen’s explicit pictures, he threatened to send them to others unless the teen paid $500.
Mitchell created a third fake profile and contacted an adult male that he knew in an attempt to obtain more explicit photos, but the male figured out who he was and told Mitchell he was going to report him to police. Mitchell then said he’d pay $1,000 to the man to not report him.
Mitchell pleaded guilty March 25 to one felony count of production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. Mitchell will also be on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Macon County Sheriff's Office, the Macon Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Mission Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding was sentenced on August 1, 2022, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno.
Talon Bettelyoun, Sr., age 31, was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.
Bettelyoun was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 8, 2022. He pled guilty on May 12, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 22, 2021, in Todd County, wherein Bettelyoun assaulted his domestic partner.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Bettelyoun was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Miami Doctor Sentenced to Federal Prison for Committing $38 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme, Spending Proceeds on Beachfront Condos and Luxury VehiclesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Armando Valdes, 63, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams to 60 months in federal prison for directing a $38 million health care fraud scheme. Valdes was also ordered to forfeit four real estate properties, including a beachfront condominium unit in Pompano Beach, as well as numerous luxury vehicles, including a Cadillac Escalade and a Tesla Model S, all of which he had purchased using the ill-gotten proceeds of his fraud scheme.
From February 2015 through July 2021, Valdes owned and operated Gasiel Medical Services, Corp., a medical clinic in Miami, Florida. Through Gasiel Medical Services, Valdes submitted approximately $38 million in fraudulent claims to United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for infusions of the prescription drug Infliximab. Infliximab, known by the brand name Remicade, is an expensive prescription immunosuppressive approved for the treatment of adult and pediatric Crohn’s disease, adult and pediatric ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis. Infliximab is one of the most expensive prescription drugs on the market—a single dose can have a retail price of nearly $10,000. Despite claiming approximately $38 million in reimbursements for infusions of Infliximab purportedly provided to patients of Gasiel Medical Services, Valdes admitted as part of his guilty plea earlier this year, that he never provided even a single infusion of the drug, nor did patients of the clinic require the medication.
Valdes attempted to conceal his involvement in this fraud scheme by distancing himself on paper from the medical clinic. For example, Valdes employed a 91-year-old physician at Gasiel Medical Services who rarely treated patients and never prescribed Infliximab, but who Valdes listed as the rendering provider for all $38 million of the fraudulently billed Infliximab infusions. Similarly, even though Valdes effectively owned and operated Gasiel Medical Services, he paid another individual to act as its “nominee owner.” This other individual, and not Valdes, was listed as the president and registered agent of the clinic in corporate records and other official documents.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert M. DeWitt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office announced the sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael B. Homer prosecuted this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20590.
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Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Document FraudRead the Press Release
A man who used a false identification document and someone else’s social security number was sentenced today to eight months in federal prison.
Juan Perez-Astello, age 45, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Postville, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 21, 2022 guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document.
In a plea agreement, Perez-Astello admitted he used a fraudulent Social Security card bearing someone else’s name and Social Security number when he completed employment and tax forms in November 2020 at a business in Lime Springs, Iowa. On the employment application, Perez-Astello falsely claimed to be a United States citizen. However, Perez-Astello had been deported to Mexico in January 1999, November 2002, and August 2014 and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government after each removal. Perez-Astello was convicted in the Northern District of Iowa in May 2014 of illegal reentry into the United States after deportation and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Perez-Astello was also convicted in the Iowa District Court for Allamakee County in December 1998 of possession of a fraudulent Permanent Resident card, also known as a “green card,” and a fraudulent Social Security card immediately prior to his first deportation.
Perez-Astello was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Perez-Astello was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Perez-Astello is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-2030.
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Mescalero man charged with assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Julius Mendez was charged by criminal complaint with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault of a spouse, intimate partner or dating partner by strangling. Mendez, 30, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, made an initial appearance in federal court today and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to the complaint, on April 22, Mendez allegedly attacked the victim as she slept in her home on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The victim, who is also an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, awakened to Mendez allegedly kicking her. Mendez allegedly began damaging the victim’s home, then returned to kicking and punching her until she lost consciousness.
As a result of Mendez’s alleged assault, the victim suffered serious injuries to her head, face and neck and had severe bruising over most of her body.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Mendez faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Eliot Neal are prosecuting the case.
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Maryland man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Dominick Mickens, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Mickens, 39, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin, Fentanyl, Cocaine Base, and Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Mickens admitted to working with others to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine hydrochloride from August 2020 to June 2021 in Berkeley County and elsewhere.
Mickens faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 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. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Timothy D. Helman are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Man who escaped St. Ann jail sentenced to 15 years in prisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man who escaped the St. Ann, Mo. jail last year to 15 years in prison.
Walter J. Wilson Jr., 39, was convicted by a federal jury in March of an escape charge and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Wilson was one of three federal detainees who kicked out a window in the jail on July 9, 2021 and then climbed out. They were arrested by the U.S. Marshals the next day.
Wilson was in jail awaiting trial after a Jan. 6, 2021 indictment on the gun charge. On Oct. 22, 2020, officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department found a handgun during a traffic stop. Wilson has prior convictions for robbery, assault and failure to register as a sex offender, court records show.
Another escapee, Jason William Woolbright, 48, of Jefferson County, was sentenced in June to four years and nine months in prison on gun and escape charges. Drug, gun and escape charges against the third man, Joshua Brown, 32, are still pending.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Scharf prosecuted the case.
Man and Woman Convicted in Connection with False Statement to a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Two individuals were convicted in connection with making a false statement to a federal officer, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent-in-Charge Jermicha L. Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jackson Field Office.
Stevie Allen Stoudenmier, Jr., 37, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty to the federal felony of unauthorized possession of an identity document with intent to defraud the United States. Kimberly Ann Hinton, 31, also of Hattiesburg, was sentenced for the related offense of misprision of felony in connection with a material misrepresentation to a National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger.
According to court documents, on February 4, 2021, a National Park Service Ranger conducted a traffic stop of Stoudenmier in the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou location in Jackson County. Stoudenmier was driving a vehicle registered to Hinton with Hinton as the front seat passenger. When Stoudenmier identified himself to the Law Enforcement Ranger, Stoudenmier gave the Ranger the name, Social Security Number, date of birth and other stolen identity information of a man from Picayune, Mississippi. Hinton then produced the Identification Card of the victim.
Stoudenmier was issued misdemeanor citations in the name of the victim from Picayune. Later, the victim contacted the Government after receiving the summons for the citations and notice to appear in federal court in Gulfport. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service investigated the complaint and Defendant Stoudenmier was identified using official law enforcement “body-cam” video of the traffic stop and “body-cam” video regarding a separate incident with Stoudenmier and Hinton using the same ID card with the Biloxi Police Department.
Hinton, who previously pled guilty, was sentenced to “time served” (effectively five months and one day), as well as to pay a $1,500 fine and to serve one year of supervised release.
Stoudenmier is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15, 2022, and faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the National Park Service, and the Biloxi Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.
Man Sentenced to Two Years for Possession of Stolen GunsRead the Press Release
A Carrollton man who stole five guns from a storage unit was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Eden Navarrete-Ochoa, 22, was indicted along with coconspirator Daniel Tavira-Alocer, 23, in August 2021. Mr. Navarete-Ochoa pleaded guilty in March 2022 to possession of a stolen firearm and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. (His coconspirator’s case is still pending; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)
On Oct. 10, 2020, Mr. Navarete-Ochoa burglarized a storage building in Coppell, Texas, and stole five firearms: a Maadi AK-47 style rifle, a Colt .45-caliber pistol, a NA Arms .22 magnum revolver, a Winchester shotgun, and a Norinco sporting rifle.
He was arrested shortly after the burglary. At his sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced into evidence photographs of some the firearms, which law enforcement recovered from the vehicle that he and Tavira-Alcocer had been occupying:
In plea papers, Mr. Navarete-Ochoa admitted to possession of the stolen guns.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Coppell and Carrolton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal is prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced to 97 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Jaime Renteria-Lopez, 28 years old, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady on his plea of guilty to distributing a controlled substance and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Renteria-Lopez was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Renteria-Lopez was carrying a firearm on October 28, 2019, which he carried during and in relation to his drug dealing activities. Later, on January 7, 2020, Renteria-Lopez distributed about two ounces of heroin to law enforcement.
This case was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Wayne Police Department in coordination with the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Brent A. Ecenbarger.
This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Lynnwood, Washington, man indicted for hate crime and interstate threats of racially motivated violenceRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 37-year-old Lynnwood, Washington man indicted today by a federal grand jury for a hate crime and four counts of interstate threats, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joey David George will be arraigned on the indictment on August 11, 2022. George remains detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington.
“By law, the decision to charge a hate crime is appropriately deliberate – with consultation and approval from DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in Washington DC,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “In this case, the hate-filled threats to kill, based on race, are fittingly being prosecuted as a hate crime.”
According to records filed in the case, on July 19 and 20, 2022, George allegedly telephoned a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and threatened to shoot Black people in the store. In the second call George allegedly ranted about a “race war.” Law enforcement traced the phone number and identified George as the person who made the call.
In addition to the calls to Buffalo, George is charged in connection with a May 2022, call to a restaurant in San Bruno, California. In that call George allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic patrons in the restaurant. As the restaurant is a place of public accommodation, it is charged as a hate crime: Interference with a Federally Protected Activity.
Additionally, George is charged with making interstate threats to a business in Maryland, saying he intended to shoot Black people at the store. The fourth count of the indictment charges him with making interstate threats to bomb a restaurant in Connecticut.
The charges contained in the indictment 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.
Making interstate threats is punishable by up to five years in prison. Interfering with a federally protected activity is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of multiple local police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Woods and Rebecca Cohen in consultation with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
george_ind_cr22-109rsm.pdfLowell Man Indicted for Possessing Half a Kilogram of Methamphetamine Intended for DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Boston on methamphetamine charges and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Ravouth Chhoy, 33, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
“The highly addictive nature of methamphetamine, combined with the destruction it causes to the health of its users, makes it a lethal threat to the well-being of our communities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “We believe that Mr. Chhoy possessed and intended to distribute more than half a kilo of this dangerous narcotic. Those who seek to dispense harmful drugs throughout this Commonwealth have no regard to the lives that they are damaging. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office do. These prosecutions will continue if this behavior persists.”
"As methamphetamine seizures are on the rise, DEA stands committed to keeping this highly addictive drug out of Massachusetts," said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. "This arrest not only holds Mr. Chhoy accountable for these crimes but it also serves as a warning to those traffickers who are contributing to the drug crisis in America. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in Massachusetts."
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substances containing a detectible amount of methamphetamine provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. The charge of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins and DEA SAC Boyle made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department provided critical assistance in the investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Long Island Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Mailing Threatening Letters to LGBTQ+ Affiliated IndividualsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, United States District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Robert Fehring to 30 months in prison for mailing more than 60 letters to LGBTQ+ affiliated individuals, organizations and businesses, many of which contained threats to kill, shoot, and bomb the recipients. Fehring pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2022.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) announced the sentence.
“There is no room for hate in the Eastern District of New York. Today’s sentence makes clear that threats to kill and commit acts of violence against the LGBTQ+ community will be met with significant punishment,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will use the full power of our office to bring to justice those who threaten to kill or hurt people because of who they are, and to ensure everyone in our district is able to live authentically, safely and in peace.”
United States Attorney Peace also expressed his gratitude to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
“Robert Fehring made heinous threats against members of the LGBTQ+ community in locations throughout New York, including Suffolk County, for nearly eight years,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Harrison said. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our department’s Hate Crimes Unit detectives and the diligent work of our law enforcement partners, Fehring is being held accountable for his crimes. This sentence reiterates that hate and intolerance have no place in Suffolk County.”
As set forth in the court filings and today’s proceeding, from at least 2013 to 2021, Fehring sent letters threatening violence to individuals associated with the LGBTQ+ community. In those letters, Fehring threatened to, among other things, use firearms and explosives against the recipients. Two such letters threatened that there would be an attack on an LGBTQ+ event in Huntington, New York that would be like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Another letter threatened that radio-controlled explosives would be planted at a beach club in Long Beach, New York that had hosted a LGBTQ+ event. In another letter sent in June 2018, Fehring threatened the operators of a water ferry service from Sayville to Fire Island, New York that they should “screen everyone coming on board with a metal detector” and that “a thorough search of your boats would be in order.”
Fehring also sent a threatening letter to the owners of the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan and an African American-owned barbershop affiliated with the LGTBQ+ community in Brooklyn. The letter to the Stonewall Inn stated, “we will blow up/burn your establishments down. We will shoot those who frequent your dens of [expletives].” The letter to the barbershop purported to be from “People Who Hate Gays ... and In Particular [n-word] Gays and stated, “your shop is the perfect place for a bombing ... or beating the scum that frequents your den of [expletive] into a bloody pool of steaming flesh.”
On November 18, 2021, the FBI Civil Rights Squad and the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Fehring’s home in Bayport, New York, and recovered copies of letters containing threats, supplies used to mail threatening letters, 20 LGBTQ+ Pride flags that were stolen from flagpoles in Sayville, New York in July 2021, and reconnaissance-style photographs from the Eisenhower Park Pride event. The FBI also recovered electronic devices owned by Fehring that contained internet searches for Fehring’s victims and related LGBTQ+ affiliated events and businesses. Law enforcement officers also recovered from Fehring’s residence two loaded shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two stun guns, and a stamped envelope addressed to an LGBTQ+ affiliated attorney containing the remains of a dead bird.
At Fehring’s sentencing hearing, six victims addressed the Court and described the fear that Fehring’s threats instilled in them.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section, Civil Rights Section, and Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Rachel A. Bennek, and Andrew P. Wenzel are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ROBERT FEHRING
Age: 74
Bayport, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-059
Logan County Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Logan County woman pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, admitting to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of over $42,250.00 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, Alexis Ransom, 24, of Logan, applied for three PPP loans beginning on March 27, 2021, and continuing to August 16, 2021, for her purported business, Alexis Renae Ransom, which she claimed did business under the tradenames of Renae’s Fashion Consulting LLC and Momma & Me Boutique. Ransom admitted that she falsely stated that Renae’s Fashion Consulting LLC was established in 2019, and had earned $66,900.00 in gross income in 2019 and 2020, and that Momma & Me Boutique earned $69,000.00 in gross income in 2019. The investigation revealed that Ransom’s purported business and its tradenames had not engaged in substantial business activity before February 15, 2020. Ransom further admitted that she submitted a false Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business in connection with the first loan application she submitted for Renae’s Fashion Consulting LLC.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses, through the PPP. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.
Ransom obtained two PPP loans of $13,937.50 each for Renae’s Fashion Consulting LLC, and one loan of $14,375.00 for Momma & Me Boutique. Ransom admitted that she later applied to have all three PPP loans forgiven even though she had not spent the loan proceeds on permissible business expenses. The SBA forgave her loans on August 16, 2021.
Ransom is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Ransom also agreed to pay $42,250.00 in restitution.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the West Virginia State Police and the United States Secret Service for conducting the investigation.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson is prosecuting the case.
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.
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-122.
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Lincoln Man Sentenced to 20 1/2 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steve Russell announced that Gregory Dightman, 53, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for four counts of production of child pornography. Dightman was sentenced to 20 1/2 years in prison and10 years of supervised release on each count with the sentences to be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. Dightman was additionally ordered to pay $12,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.
On November 19, 2019, the Lincoln Police Department received a child abuse/neglect intake from the Department of Health and Human Services. A mother reported that her daughter had been taking inappropriate photographs with a professional photographer (Gregory Dightman) that included nude images. LPD received search warrants for Dightman’s home and studio area where photos were taken. Dightman consented to talk to law enforcement and admitted that he knew how old the girl was and that he had taken nude photographs of her.
Through the examination of Dightman’s devices and interviews with other young women, it was determined that Dightman had created pornographic images of at least four young ladies who were minors at the time the photos were created/taken. The conduct spanned from 2009 until 2019. The victims were between the ages of 16 and 17 when Dightman took the sexually explicit photographs. The investigation revealed that Dightman would pay the victims for the photo shoots. Between the four young women, approximately 590 child pornographic images were recovered.
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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Licensed Real Estate Agent and Her Husband Charged with Conspiracy and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Maria Del Carmen Montes (46, Kissimmee) with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Montes faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, up to 30 years for each fraud count, and a mandatory penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft count. The indictment also charges Montes’ husband Carlos Ferrer (45, Kissimmee) with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud. If convicted, Ferrer faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the conspiracy count, and up to, 30 years’ imprisonment for each fraud count.
According to the Indictment, Montes and Ferrer conspired to create and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting financial institutions. To ensure that otherwise unqualified borrowers she was representing as a licensed realtor were approved for mortgage loans, Montes created fictitious and fraudulent paystubs and IRS Form W-2s in the names of companies for whom her clients had never worked. The bogus income documents falsely indicated that her clients had worked at these companies, including companies formed and controlled by Ferrer, for a certain period of time and earned income that they did not. Montes submitted the fictitious paystubs and W-2s she created to the financial institutions who relied on them when making underwriting decisions. Additionally, Montes used her clients’ personally identifying information on these documents without their knowledge or authorization.
In order to further deceive the mortgage lenders, Montes and Ferrer recruited a co-conspirator working at a company listed on certain false paystubs and W-2s to falsely certify Verifications of Employment (VOEs”) sent by the financial institutions and instructed the co-conspirator to lie to the final institutions when they called to further verify the borrower’s employment. Ferrer and Montes sent the false and fictitious paystubs and W-2s to the co-conspirator so the co-conspirator could put the false information on the VOEs before certifying, signing, and returning them to the financial institutions. Ferrer also falsely certified and emailed VOEs sent by the financial institution in the names of borrowers that he knew did not work for his companies and lied to the banks during verbal VOE checks. Based on Montes’ and Ferrer’s misrepresentations, the financial institutions approved and funded the mortgage loans.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Kyle Man Charged with Multiple Counts of Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Abusive Sexual Contact, Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography.
Joshua Sharp, age 37, was indicted in July of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on July 29, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, lifetime supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges stem from Sharp sexually abusing two children less than 12 years old between August 2019 and December 2021 in Kyle. Sharp also received and possessed child pornography during this time. The charges are merely accusations and Sharp is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Sharp was detained pending trial. A trial date has been set for October 4, 2022.
Joint Statement by Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Hoff on Third Anniversary of Walmart ShootingRead the Press Release
Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and Ashley C. Hoff, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, release this statement on the third anniversary of the mass shooting in an El Paso Walmart that resulted in the deaths of 23 individuals and injured numerous others.
“Today, with heavy hearts, we mark the third anniversary of the tragedy that occurred in El Paso. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives and those who were injured, as well as their loved ones, the El Paso community, and the countless others who were impacted by this senseless, reprehensible crime. Our commitment to pursue justice for all those affected by this violent act of hate remains unwavering.”
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Indianapolis Felon Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms, Including a Stolen HandgunRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Tremain Prevot, 39, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on June 4, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of a person with a firearm in the area of 25th Street and Post Road on the far east side of Indianapolis. Officers arrived on the scene and saw Prevot carrying an AR15-style rifle and a black handgun, both loaded with extended magazines. The handgun was stolen. Prevot has four prior felony convictions, including a conviction for carrying a handgun without a license. Prevot admitted to the responding officers that he knew he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Columbus Field Division (ATF), and Chief Randal Taylor of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) made the announcement.
ATF and IMPD investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Prevot be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for one year following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Houma Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JARRETT SCURTO, age 35, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 3, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on April 28, 2021, SCURTO, a known methamphetamine distributor in Terrebonne Parish, was stopped by law enforcement while traveling on Louisiana Highway 182. A subsequent search of SCURTO’s vehicle revealed that he had 58 grams of pure methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in his trunk.
SCURTO faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Terrebonne Parish Sherriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.
Herkimer County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Failing to Update his RegistrationRead the Press Release
UTICA, NEW YORK – Eric L. Henderson, age 38, formerly of Ilion, New York, pled guilty today to failing to update his registration as a sex offender after he fled New York State parole supervision and moved to South Carolina, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and United States Marshal David L. McNulty.
Henderson must register as a sex offender because he was convicted of rape-third degree in 2020, in Herkimer County. In pleading guilty today, Henderson admitted that following his release from state prison in May 2021, he cut off contact with his state parole officer and fled to Kingstree, South Carolina, without updating his sex offender registration in New York or registering as a sex offender in South Carolina. Henderson was arrested on October 27, 2021, in South Carolina, by the United States Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Henderson faces up to 10 years in prison, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, when he is sentenced by United States District Judge David N. Hurd. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, with assistance from the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Hartley Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Joe Ripka, 34, from Hartley, Iowa, pled guilty on August 1, 2022, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Ripka was previously convicted of Failure to Affix Drug Stamp, in the Iowa District Court for Emmet County, on October 23, 2017. This conviction prohibits a person from possessing a firearm.
Evidence at the plea hearing showed that on December 22, 2021, law enforcement observed the vehicle Ripka was driving without any license plates. During the stop, Ripka displayed signs of impairment. A K9 was deployed on the exterior of the car and indicated the presence of controlled substances from within, at which time Ripka stated there was a firearm in the car and acknowledged he was a felon. Law enforcement uncovered a .380 handgun in the driver’s door. Later, upon inspection of the officer’s vehicle near where Ripka had been seated on December 22, 2021, the arresting officer located a pack of cigarettes wedged between the seats which contained 1 gram of methamphetamine.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ripka remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Ripka faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4041. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Harrisonburg Bank Robber Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Harrisonburg, Virginia man, who used a BB gun to rob First Citizen Bank in Harrisonburg on January 4, 2022, pled guilty yesterday to federal armed bank robbery charges.
Charles Joseph Hood, 62, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to one count of armed bank robbery. Hood faces up to 25 years in prison.
According to court documents, on January 4, 2022 Hood walked into First Citizen Bank on University Boulevard in Harrisonburg wearing a dark mask, sunglasses, a dark hat, a wig, and brown work boots. He approached a manager of the bank and inquired about opening an account. Hood provided the manager with a red makeshift bag and a gray glove. He then instructed the manager to put on the glove and to put cash in the bag. At this time, Hood brandished what appeared to be a firearm but was later found to be a Daisy Powerline 426 .177 caliber BB gun.
Hood then directed the manager from his office to the area behind the teller station, all while carrying the BB gun. There were two tellers behind the counter. Hood told the manager to retrieve large bills only, no dye packs, and not to trigger the bank’s alarm system. The manager and two tellers separately collected cash and placed it in the bag provided by hood. In all, $15,908 was placed inside the red bag. During the encounter, one of the tellers pressed the bank’s silent alarm system alerting law enforcement.
Hood retrieved the bag and exited the bank, walked around the corner, got onto a bicycle, and rode away. Approximately a half-mile away, Hood discarded the bike, wig, and his outer jacket, walked into a restaurant, entered the bathroom, and lifted an oil painting on the wall. He placed the BB gun behind the painting where it was out of view and undetectable. He then walked to the nearby Walmart Supercenter where he discarded his work boots and put on a pair of gray shoes he purchased.
Outside, Hood attempted to call a taxi.
Meanwhile, the Harrisonburg Police Department had responded to the silent alarm and were in the area searching for individuals who matched Hood’s description. An officer, seeing Hood outside the Walmart, approached him. Hood began to walk away from the officer, telling the officer his wife was in labor before eventually running away from the officer.
When officers detained Hood they found a red bag stuffed into his pants that contained $15,606 in cash and a gray glove that matched the one left with the bank manager.
Hood is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2022 and faces up to 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Harrisonburg Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Welsh and Jordan E. McKay are prosecuting the case.
Gunfire reports lead to hefty prison sentenceRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 26-year-old Corpus Christi man has been sent to prison following his convictions of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately two hours following a three-day trial before returning a guilty verdict April 6 on both counts against Jonathan Rodriguez, Corpus Christi.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Morales sentenced him to a total of 300 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed the long-term drug conspiracy Rodriguez operated.
At trial, the jury heard that Rodriguez was a co-conspirator in a multi-person crack cocaine trafficking scheme. From 2016 to 2019, Rodriguez managed a Corpus Christi residence from where drugs were distributed.
In May 2019, law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire between rival drug dealers at the property. A search of the residence revealed various amounts of crack cocaine and meth.
The jury also heard that Rodriguez had maintained a commercial storage unit in Corpus Christi. A search of the unit revealed $1.26 million in U.S. currency, more than 600 grams of cocaine, 52 rifles, shotguns and pistols.
At trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury Rodriguez was merely a narcotics user, not a distributor and the evidence was insufficient. However, they saw video evidence of Rodriguez distributing narcotics within the house and surveillance footage at the commercial storage unit.
The jury did not believe defense claims and found him guilty as charged.
Rodriguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis E. Robinson and John Marck prosecuted the case.
Guatemalan Woman Who Used a Fraudulent Social Security Card Sentenced to Jail Time and Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
A woman who had been deported, illegally returned to the United States, and then used someone else’s social security number to obtain employment was sentenced today to almost four months in federal prison.
Maria Julia Diaz-Ventura, age 34, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Falls, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 26, 2022 guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document and one count of illegal reentry into the United States.
In a plea agreement, Diaz-Ventura admitted she had previously been deported from the United States and that she illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Diaz-Ventura was deported in December 2017. Diaz-Ventura also admitted she used a fraudulent Social Security card bearing someone else’s name and Social Security number when she completed employment and tax forms in May 2018 at a business in Waterloo, Iowa. She also completed employment and tax forms businesses using the fraudulent Social Security card in New Hampton in February 2021, in Lime Springs in April 2021, and in Cedar Falls in August 2021. On each employment application, Diaz-Ventura falsely claimed to be a citizen of the United States. On April 13, 2022, Diaz-Ventura was found and arrested by immigration agents at the business in Cedar Falls where Diaz-Ventura was employed.
Diaz-Ventura was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Diaz-Ventura was sentenced to 113 days’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Diaz-Ventura is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-2016.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Greenleaf Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Firearms Violation and Assaulting A Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
BOISE – A Greenleaf man was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm and assaulting a federal officer.
According to court records, Erik Konrad Ehrlin, 33, of Greenleaf, Idaho was investigated for vandalism on U.S. Government Property in the Mann Creak Area starting in March of 2021 by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The vandalism included markings of “SAI,” which refers to the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho. The vandalism also included threats to federal employees. The USFS identified Erik Ehrlin as a possible suspect. It was reported that Ehrlin was potentially carrying a firearm. Ehrlin was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in Oregon and cannot lawfully possess firearms.
On April 30, 2021, a USFS Special Agent and a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted Ehrlin at a campsite in the Mann Creek Area. The deputy observed Ehrlin with a firearm in his possession. During the encounter, Ehrlin entered his truck, attempted to flee, and struck the USFS agent with a part of the truck. He was taken into custody shortly after. In Ehrlin’s campsite, law enforcement located a semi-automatic rifle. In Ehrlin’s truck, law enforcement located body armor, eight loaded high-capacity magazines, a 9mm handgun with four additional loaded magazines, handcuffs, a red and blue siren, and a “POLICE” patch. On Ehrlin’s person, law enforcement located a Boise Police badge. Ehrlin is not a police officer. Ehlrin also possessed ammunition with that contained writing on it, stating “DIE McLean,” “FUCK FEDS,” and “FUK BLM.”
A search of Ehrlin’s cell phone revealed text messages where Ehrlin described ways to commit mass violence against those with differing political views than him. Specifically, he described wearing body armor while using an assault rifle to shoot hundreds of protesters. These text messages occurred in the context of discussing Black Lives Matter protests in October of 2020.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a search warrant for Ehrlin’s residence in Greenleaf. At Ehrlin’s residence, agents located a journal with references to SAI and the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho. The journal also contained a “Sovereign Citizen’s Oath.” Agents also located two additional firearms, a .22 caliber rifle and a .22 caliber revolver.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Forest Service, and Washington County Sheriff's Office, which led to charges.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Two Dane County Residents Charged With False Statements During Purchase of Firearms
Taylor A. Kratochwill-Loomis, 21, DeForest, Wisconsin, is charged with 2 counts of making false statements on Firearms Transaction Record forms required by federal law during the purchase of a firearm, when attempting to purchase a 9mm pistol from two federally licensed firearms dealers in November 2021. The indictment alleges that she indicated she was the actual buyer of the firearms on the forms, but in fact she was attempting to purchase the firearms for Deontrae C. McIntosh. Making such false statements during the purchase of a firearm is commonly known as a “straw purchase.”
McIntosh, 18, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, is charged with 2 counts of causing Kratochwill-Loomis to falsely state on the Firearms Transaction Record forms that she was the actual buyer of the firearms.
If convicted, Kratochwill-Loomis and McIntosh face a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on each count. The charges against them are the result of an investigation by the Sun Prairie Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea is handling the prosecution.
Man Charged with Escape
William L. Paul, 41, is charged with escape. The indictment alleges that on April 29, 2022, Paul failed to report to the Rock Valley Community Programs Center in Janesville, Wisconsin, as designated by virtue of a conviction for a felony offense in the Northern District of Illinois. Paul was arrested in Orlando, Florida yesterday.
If convicted, Paul faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Orlando, Florida Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick Elgersma is handling the prosecution.
General Contractor and Real Estate Developer Arraigned in Connection with Worker Death on Construction Site in PoughkeepsieRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jonathan Mellone, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Region of the Office of the Inspector General, Department of Labor (“DOL-OIG”) announced today that ONEKEY, LLC, a New Jersey construction company, and its principal, FINBAR O’NEILL, were charged by Information with willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) regulations, resulting in the death of a construction worker (“Victim-1”) in Poughkeepsie, New York, on or about August 3, 2017. The Information charges that ONEKEY and O’NEILL built and placed construction loads on a concrete wall without consulting with a qualified person to determine whether the wall could withstand the weight. The Information also charges that ONEKEY and O’NEILL failed to warn workers about the dangers of the wall. The wall collapsed, killing Victim-1. ONEKEY and O’NEILL were arraigned on the charges this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, OneKey, a construction company, and its principal, Finbar O’Neill, endangered the safety of their workers by disregarding regulations and taking shortcuts to sidestep their safety obligations. This conduct led to the death of a worker on a construction site. Today’s charges should serve as a reminder to small business that failure to comply with safety regulations can lead to unnecessary and preventable tragedy.”
DOL-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone said: “An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of criminal misconduct related to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) programs. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to hold accountable those who jeopardize workers’ safety.”
As alleged in the Information[1]:
In 2017, ONEKEY and O’NEILL implemented a soil compaction plan at a construction site at 1 Dutchess Avenue in Poughkeepsie. The soil compaction plan involved piling large quantities of dirt, called “surcharges,” on top of the sites of three future buildings. An engineering firm designed a plan for the use of the surcharges. ONEKEY and O’NEILL did not follow this plan. Instead, they built a wall to hold back one of the surcharges, so workers could get started on the buildings next to it. ONEKEY and O’NEILL did not consult with any qualified person to see if the wall could withstand the weight to be placed on it by the surcharge.
While people were working next to the wall, ONEKEY kept using construction machinery to add dirt to the surcharge pressing up against the wall. The people working near the wall were not warned about the dangers it created. ONEKEY and O’NEILL heard from people working at the site that the wall was not safe. They did not fix the wall.
On August 3, 2017, workers complained that construction machines were driving on top of the surcharge, adding dirt to it. Later that day, the wall collapsed. As it fell, Victim-1 ran away from the wall, but he could not get away in time and was killed.
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ONEKEY, LLC, a New Jersey corporation, is charged with one count of willful violation of OSHA regulations resulting in death. The foregoing count carries a maximum fine of $500,000.
FINBAR O’NEILL, 57, of Paramus, New Jersey, is charged with one of count of willful violation of OSHA regulations resulting in death. The foregoing count carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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 a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of OSHA and DOL-OIG.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven J. Kochevar is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Information 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 Information, and the description of the Information set forth herein, constitutes only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.
Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A suburban Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced in federal court to 120 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release on his conviction of violating federal firearms and narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Horan imposed the sentence on Maurice Miller, age 35, formerly of Churchill, PA.
According to information presented to the court, Miller participated in a conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl and valeryl fentanyl, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Miller also possessed with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl and possessed firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The possession of firearms and/or ammunition as a convicted felon is prohibited under federal law. Miller was prosecuted following an investigation into a drug trafficking organization referred to as Hustlas Don’t Sleep that involved the distribution of a variety of types of illegal narcotics.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroeville Police Department, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Miller.
Former School Principal Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Embezzling $175,000 Meant for Student Activities and ServicesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former school principal was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for stealing at least $175,000 from an association that raises funds from parent contributions and fundraisers to provide school-related services and activities to students. She used the money for personal purposes, including to qualify for a home mortgage loan.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Matthew R. Stohler, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Bridget Coates, 49, of Falls Church, Va., was the principal of St. Thomas More Catholic School in Southeast Washington at the time her criminal activity began, in 2012, until she resigned in 2018. She pleaded guilty on April 4, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of wire fraud. She was sentenced by the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich. Following her prison term, Coates must complete three years of supervised release. She also must pay $175,000 in restitution to the Archdiocese of Washington and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to court documents, from June 2012 through December 2017, Coates devised a scheme to steal from the school’s Home School Association, an organization affiliated with the school that supported student services and activities. As the school principal, Coates had access to the Home School Association’s checks and could use her discretion to pay expenditures for only school-related purposes. Coates, however, betrayed the trust and authority placed in her and engaged in a pattern of purchasing personal goods and services with the funds. Over the time period, she wrote approximately 66 unauthorized checks and deposited at least $175,000 into her personal bank account. Among other things, she used the funds to purchase designer fashion from luxury brands and to help her qualify for a home-mortgage loan.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Stohler, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Marco Crocetti, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Items from the Mail He Was Entrusted to Deliver as a Letter CarrierRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PATRICK EZELL, age 51, of Bogalusa, Louisiana pleaded guilty on August 2, 2022 before the Honorable Wendy B. Vitter, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana, to stealing items from the mail he was entrusted to deliver as a postal employee. Sentencing is set for November 1, 2022.
According to documents filed in federal court, PATRICK EZELL was employed by the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier in Bogalusa when he was apprehended stealing items from the mail he was entrusted to deliver for the U.S. Postal Service.
The maximum penalty for the offense is up to five years imprisonment and/or up to a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the victim followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of one hundred dollars.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II is in charge of the prosecution.
Former DCF Employee and Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Consultant Plead Guilty in Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Today, a State of Florida employee who agreed to accept bribe money in exchange for expediting the license application process of certain substance abuse treatment facilities, as well as a facilities consultant involved in the bribery scheme, pled guilty in South Florida federal court to extortion conspiracy.
According to court documents and the information to which 31-year-old Alexandra Alia Cadet of West Palm Beach, Florida and 34-year-old Shannel Simone Escoffery of Coral Springs, Florida pled guilty, Cadet was a licensing specialist for the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families (DCF), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Office. As a licensing specialist, Cadet had responsibility and authority to review and recommend the approval of applications submitted by substance abuse treatment facilities for licenses authorizing the provision of substance abuse treatment services in Florida. Once Cadet recommended approval of an application, a supervisor had authority to issue a final approval and the corresponding license.
Escoffery was a consultant for substance abuse treatment facilities. Escoffery assisted facilities with preparing their licensing applications, submitting them to DCF, and obtaining licenses.
The bribery scheme would operate as follows: Escoffery would solicit and obtain payments from the substance abuse treatment facilities. Then, Escoffery would deliver all or some of the money, usually cash, to Cadet in exchange for official action; that is, Cadet’s expedited review and recommendation of approval of licenses authorizing the facilities to provide substance abuse treatment services in Florida. The quicker the issuance of a license, the quicker the facility could open and start generating revenue.
As part of the bribery scheme, in October 2017, Cadet and Escoffery accepted a bribe payment from a substance abuse treatment facility in Broward County, Florida. In exchange for the bribe payment, Cadet reviewed and recommended approval of the facility’s application, expediting the issuance of a license to the facility.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert M. DeWitt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Sentencing is set for October 18 before U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal.
FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Daya Nathan is prosecuting it. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Laserna is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-60158.
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Former Athens City Schools Administrator Sentenced in North Alabama Virtual Education SchemeRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, former Athens City Schools administrator, William Richard (“Rick”) Carter, Jr., 46, was sentenced to 66 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), announced the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. Carter was convicted by a jury in March of this year on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Carter, along with his co-conspirators, William L. (“Trey”) Holladay, III, Gregory (“Greg”) Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt, and Thomas Michael Sisk, participated in a scheme to fraudulently enroll students in public virtual schools and then falsely report those students to ALSDE. As a result of the scheme, districts received payments from Alabama’s Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. The various defendants then received, for their own personal use, portions of the state money. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. Carter’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced last month.
Following his prison sentence, Carter will be on supervised release for three years. There is no parole in the federal system. The judge also ordered Carter to pay restitution in the amount of $1,303,514.28.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the United States Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross, Alice S. LaCour, and Brett J. Talley prosecuted the case.
Federal fentanyl, cocaine indictments returnedRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal grand jury returned indictments on Tuesday against alleged large-scale dealers of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine operating in Ohio County, according to United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld.
Yesterday, Solomon Watters, age 26 of Cleveland, Ohio was indicted for conspiring to distribute over 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl in Ohio County and elsewhere. Investigators seized $212,000 in cash from Watters and his co-conspirator, Chelsea Banks, 26, of Wheeling, along with three guns.
Christopher Park, age 50 of Wheeling, was indicted for possession with the intent to deliver after agents seized over two kilograms of powder cocaine and several ounces of crack cocaine from him. A large portion of the cocaine recovered was shipped from Phoenix, Arizona to Mr. Park in Wheeling. Agents also recovered $4,800 in cash and a loaded handgun.
David Lee McCracken, age 38 of Moundsville, has been indicted for possessing a large quantity of methamphetamine in his hotel room at The Highlands earlier this year. Investigators also recovered $3,200 in cash.
Michael Shawndale Davis, age 38, was indicted for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person after he allegedly fired shots outside of the Formosa Apartments on Eoff Street in Wheeling. Davis has several prior felony convictions, including one for drug trafficking. On June 25, 2022, surveillance footage captured Davis shooting a gun at an acquaintance.
“Our state and federal agents are to be commended for intercepting such significant amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and cash,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “These drug seizures saved lives and disrupted the flow of drugs from the Southwest border to the streets of Wheeling, West Virginia.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn M. Adkins, Clayton J. Reid, and David J. Perri are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Wheeling Police Department; the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department; the Belmont County (OH) Sheriff’s Department; and the Pennsylvania State Police assisted with one or more of the investigations.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
View the filed indictments below:
Watters et al Indictment
Park Indictment
McCracken Indictment
Davis Indictment
Federal Jury Finds Logan County Man Guilty of Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A federal jury convicted a Logan County man yesterday of accessing with the intent to view prepubescent child pornography.
According to testimony at trial, Raymond Dugan, 55, was found guilty by a jury of his peers of accessing with the intent to view prepubescent child pornography using the TOR browser and the dark web. A forensic analysis of Dugan’s computer revealed 1,237 images of child pornography.
Dugan is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Dugan must also register as a sex offender.
“Bringing child predators to justice is one of the highest priorities of my office,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend our law enforcement partners and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie White and Nowles Heinrich for their outstanding work to secure this guilty verdict.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the West Virginia State Police Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted the investigation.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the jury trial.
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 www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-127.
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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two Louisville Men and Two Elizabethtown Men in Separate Louisville CarjackingsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned indictments on July 20, 2022, charging two Louisville men with carjackings and two Elizabethtown, Kentucky, men with carjacking and a business robbery.
According to court documents, on May 27, 2022, Mauricio Diaz, 19, and Fahad Alisawi, 18, both of Louisville, carjacked a vehicle in Louisville while brandishing a firearm; on May 28, 2022, they carjacked a vehicle in Louisville while brandishing a firearm; on May 30, 2022, Diaz attempted to carjack a vehicle in Louisville; on May 30, 2022, they carjacked a vehicle in Louisville while brandishing a firearm; and on June 2, 2022, they carjacked a vehicle in Louisville while brandishing a firearm.
A separate indictment charges Jalyn Redd, 23, and Dayveon Willock, 18, both of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, for carjacking and robbing a Domino’s delivery driver on December 22, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The charges were announced by Michael A. Bennett, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Erika Shields, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr.
Diaz and Alisawi are currently detained on state charges and will be arraigned in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky once they are transferred to federal custody. Diaz and Alisawi were indicted on four counts of carjacking and four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Diaz was also indicted on one count of attempted carjacking. If convicted of carjacking or attempted carjacking, they face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison per count. If convicted of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, they face a mandatory minimum penalty of 7 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, per count, to run consecutive to all other penalties.
Redd is currently detained on state charges and will be arraigned in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky once he is transferred to federal custody. Willock’s arraignment and detention hearing will be held before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on August 5, 2022. Redd and Willock were both charged with one count of carjacking and one count of interference with commerce by robbery. If convicted of carjacking, they face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. If convicted of interference with commerce by robbery, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Greater Hardin County Drug Task Force, and the Elizabethtown Police Department assisted in the investigations.
The charges resulted from an ongoing joint federal and local law enforcement initiative targeting carjackings which includes the United States Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Emily Lantz is prosecuting the Diaz and Alisawi case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Blaylock is prosecuting the Redd and Willock case. SAUSA Lantz is an Assistant Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney sworn in as a SAUSA to prosecute firearms cases in federal court. She works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime. Funding for SAUSA Lantz’s position comes from a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs, to the office of Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine.
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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Employee admits stealing $854,000 from St. Louis companyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Festus on Wednesday admitted embezzling $854,544 from his employer via a series of schemes since 2017.
Ryan S. Kent, 44, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to a felony wire fraud charge. He admitted that while a maintenance supervisor at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in St. Louis, he falsely sought and received reimbursement for fictitious purchases and travel in a variety of ways.
Kent was responsible for repairing broken equipment or buying new equipment. Beginning in July 2017, Kent bought supplies and equipment with his personal debit or credit card, and then doctored the receipts to inflate the amount of purchase before submitting them to his company, he admitted in his plea. He would also submit completely fictitious invoices and sought reimbursement for costs that he never incurred to travel to pick up parts or equipment.
He also bought supplies at Home Depot, returned them and then sought reimbursement from the company, his plea says.
Kent used the money for personal bills, to redo his backyard and to buy a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2021 Cadillac Escalade and travel to Las Vegas to gamble, the plea says.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Kent will also be ordered to repay the money at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Nov. 9.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
El Salvador Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for 30 Years for Sexually Assaulting a ChildRead the Press Release
An El Salvador man residing in Sioux City who sexually assaulted a child was sentenced July 28, 2022, to 30 years in federal prison.
Juan Pablo Hernandez, age 44, originally from El Salvador but living in Sioux City, received the prison term after a March 10, 2022, guilty plea to aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
At the plea hearing, Hernandez admitted to driving from South Sioux City, Nebraska to Sioux City with a minor under the age of 12 to sexually assault the minor. Hernandez took sexually explicit photographs of the minor.
Hernandez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hernandez was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Hernandez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4093.
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EOIR Warns of Scammers Spoofing Agency Phone NumberRead the Press Release
FALLS CHURCH, VA – The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) today announced it has recently been notified of phone calls that spoof the Arlington Immigration Court as part of a misinformation campaign. The callers will often “spoof,” or fake, the immigration court’s main line, 703-305-1300, so the calls appear to be coming from EOIR on the recipient’s caller ID.
In this scam, fraudulent callers posing as EOIR employees or officers advise individuals that their social security number has been compromised and request money from the victims. These calls are fraudulent; EOIR personnel do not call individuals regarding social security numbers or to request money. To protect yourself, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Never give out your personal information over the phone to individuals you do not know.
If you have a question about your immigration court case, please call the Automated Case Information Hotline at 1-800-898-7180, or visit the Automated Case Information System or the Immigration Court Online Resource.
Doña Ana man sentenced to 21 years in prison for producing of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Juan Miguel Alvarez was sentenced on July 2 to 21 years and 10 months in prison. Alvarez, 47, of Doña Ana, New Mexico, pleaded guilty on Oct. 21, 2020, to production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
In his plea agreement, Alvarez admitted to using the application “Talkatone” to communicate and begin a relationship with a 13-year-old victim. On Feb. 26, 2020, Alvarez persuaded the victim to send nude photos of herself to him.
Upon his release from prison, Alvarez will be subject to five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Cruces Police Department as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and Aaron O. Jordan prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. The ICAC Task Force Program is a nation-wide network of task forces including over 90 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in New Mexico dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to Internet crimes against children.
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Covington Resident Pleads Guilty to Supplying Methamphetamine to Monroe County DealerRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Covington, Georgia, resident was sentenced to federal prison today after he admitted to supplying a large quantity of methamphetamine to a Monroe County, Georgia, drug dealer.
Frank Settambrino, 63, of Covington, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 90 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Frank Settambrino was supplying methamphetamine to those who were pushing this deadly substance into the Monroe County community, fueling addiction and crime,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement agencies are working to identify and shut down these networks trafficking the deadliest controlled substances in the region.”
“The by-products of ‘meth’ after its manufacture leave behind a dangerous and toxic trail of waste,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting citizens from these dangers by disrupting, dismantling and destroying those who traffic these toxic chemicals. Now that this defendant has been removed from the streets, the Middle Georgia community is a safer place.”
“Working together with other local, state and federal agencies not only levels the playing field, it gives us the upper hand in dealing with these drug traffickers that operate both inside and outside of Monroe County,” said Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman.
According to court documents and other evidence, an ongoing investigation into methamphetamine distribution activities by Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigators revealed that Settambrino was supplying methamphetamine to a dealer in the region. Between Sept. 2020 and Jan. 2021, DEA and MCSO coordinated a series of five audio and video recorded controlled purchases of methamphetamine involving Settambrino. A federal search warrant was executed at Settambrino’s residence on Jan. 14, 2021, where agents located more than one kilo of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia scattered throughout his home.
The case was investigated by DEA with assistance from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Contractor Enters Guilty Plea to Bribing Former Mayor of CatañoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Mario Villegas-Vargas, 42, pleaded guilty today in Puerto Rico to engaging in a bribery scheme for paying kickbacks and bribes in exchange for being awarded municipal contracts that benefited his asphalt and paving company.
Beginning in or around June 2017, Villegas-Vargas and Individual B, co-owners of an asphalt and paving company, conspired to pay bribes and kickbacks to Félix Delgado-Montalvo, the former mayor of Cataño. The purpose of these payments was to help ensure that their company would be awarded and continue to be awarded municipal contracts as opportunities arose in Cataño.
Together, Villegas-Vargas and Individual B paid more than $95,000.00 in kickback payments to Delgado when he was the mayor of Cataño in exchange for asphalt removal and concrete paving contracts in the municipality.
Villegas-Vargas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a bribery scheme. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s San Juan Field Office.
Trial Attorneys Nicholas W. Cannon and Ryan H. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant United States Attorney Seth A. Erbe of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat public corruption by municipal officials in Puerto Rico. In addition to the above matters, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the District of Puerto Rico for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts. See United States v. Félix Delgado-Montalvo, 21-463 (RAM); United States v. Oscar Santamaria-Torres, 21-464 (RAM); United States v. United States v. Raymond Rodríguez, 21-465 (RAM); United States v. Luis Arroyo-Chiques, 21-485 (SCC); United States v. Eduardo Cintron-Saurez, 22-151 (SCC); United States v. Ramon Conde-Melendez, 22-221 (PAD); Pedro Marrero-Miranda, 22-251 (RAM); and Jose Luis Cruz-Cruz, 22-276 (SCC).
Additionally, the department recently obtained indictments charging several former officials and contractors with bribery related to municipal contracts, and those cases are still pending. See United States v. Ángel Pérez-Otero, 21-474 (ADC); United States v. Radamés Benítez-Cardona, 21-475 (PAD); United States v. Javier García-Pérez, 22-185 (ADC); and United States v. Reinaldo Vargas-Rodríguez, 22-186 (PAD).
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Colorado Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Aurora, Colorado, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 1, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Ricardo Barragan, age 31, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Barragan was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in January of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 4, 2022. While involved in the conspiracy, Barragan distributed methamphetamine to others in the Rapid City, South Dakota, area for use and distribution.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Barragan was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Clearfield Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Clearfield, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Logan Mactavish, 39, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, from July 2019 to June 2020, Mactavish conspired to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for December 14, 2022. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mactavish. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Cincinnati man who was arrested as part of human trafficking operation sentenced to more than 8 years in prisonRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 100 months in prison and 84 months of supervised release for conspiring to sex traffic minors.
Doyenn J. Clayborne, 35, was arrested in October 2020 as part of an FBI and Blue Ash Police Department operation targeting human trafficking.
Blue Ash police officers, assisted by agents with the FBI, encountered Clayborne and two co-defendants as part of the operation at a Blue Ash hotel. The three men conspired to sell 16-year-old minor females for sex.
In addition to audio recordings of the defendants discussing logistics for providing underage females for sex, law enforcement officials discovered condoms, sexual devices, bottles of lubricant and a firearm in the defendants’ hotel room.
Officers and agents also encountered a 16-year-old female victim who had been brought to the hotel to perform sex acts for money, a portion of which would be given to the defendants. Clayborne and others picked the minor up from her residence and transported her to the hotel with the intention of having the minor engage in sex acts for $300.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Blue Ash Police Chief Scott Noel announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.
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Cicero Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brian White, age 67, of Cicero, New York, pleaded guilty today to receipt of child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
As part of his guilty plea, White admitted that between June 2021 and January 2022, he knowingly downloaded approximately 264 images and 170 videos of child pornography using an internet peer-to-peer network. He further admitted that in January 2022 he possessed numerous images and video files depicting child pornography on several digital storage devices.
At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for December 7, 2022, White faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Caribbean Corridor Strike Force Arrests Two International Drug TraffickersRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On April 8, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a superseding indictment charging Jonmeny Barros-Casadiego and Álvaro León Barros-Ramírez with Conspiracy to Import Cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952(a), 960, and 963; International Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 959(a), 960, and 963; and International Cocaine Distribution Attempt, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 959(a) and 963. Barros-Casadiego and Barros-Ramírez are leaders of a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) responsible for transportation and distribution of multi-ton kilograms from La Guajira and Venezuela into the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Between July 28-29, 2022, Jonmeny Barros-Casadiego and Álvaro León Barros-Ramírez, Colombian nationals, surrendered to local authorities in the Dominican Republic. Thereafter, Barros-Casadiego and Barros-Ramírez were transported to Puerto Rico and their initial appearances in federal court were held on August 1, 2022. If convicted of the crimes charged, they face a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Jonmeny Barros-Casadiego was designated as an OCDETF Regional Priority Organizational Target (RPOT) in 2020. The RPOT List includes leaders of significant drug trafficking and money laundering organizations that are primarily responsible for a region’s drug threat.
Since 2020, federal law enforcement authorities identified Barros-Casadiego and Barros-Ramírez as leaders of a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) responsible for the transportation of multi-ton shipments of cocaine from South America into the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Specifically, this TCO prepared and organized drug shipments that were dispatched and transported by go-fast vessels from the northwest coast of La Guajira and Venezuela to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Cartagena Resident Office (RO), Santo Domingo Country Office (CO), and OCDETF’s Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. As a result of the investigation, agents from CCSF, Cartagena RO, and Santo Domingo CO conducted various interventions leading to the seizure of over 18,000 kilograms of cocaine and the arrest and prosecution of 52 defendants – 48 defendants were prosecuted federally in Puerto Rico and four defendants were prosecuted by authorities in the Dominican Republic.
Transnational Organized Crime Section Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan H. Martin from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico is leading the prosecution for this case. The announcement was made by United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow and DEA Special Agent in Charge Denise Foster.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle large scale international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations importing and further transshipping cocaine, as well as money laundering activities.
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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Camden Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Trafficking in High-Dose Oxycodone PillsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and selling oxycodone pills, including high 60 and 80 mg. dose pills, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Erick Bell, 49, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and distributing and possessing with intent to distribute quantities of oxycodone. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Bell admitted that on multiple occasions from January 2020 to March 2020, he worked as a middleman, connecting sellers who were diverting their own prescriptions and others with pill dealers, including Rocco DePoder of Gloucester City, New Jersey and others, to put oxycodone on the streets in and around Camden and Gloucester City. Bell admitted that on Feb. 3, 2020, he obtained 160 80 mg. oxycodone pills from a conspirator and sold DePoder 60 of the pills for $25 each and 100 of the pills to another conspirator for $24 each. Oxycodone is a Schedule II controlled substance – meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions, and abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
DePoder was sentenced by Judge Bumb on Oct. 8, 2021, to 70 months in prison for his role in the scheme.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Bell to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of FBI Philadelphia Division, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; the Camden County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gilbert L. Wilson; the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under the direction of Director Laurie R. Doran; the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
He also thanked the FBI Newark Division, New Jersey State Police, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.