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13 September 2022
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Meets with National Farmers UnionRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter speaks with members of National Farmers Union in RFK Main Justice Building.The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division hosted 30 farmers affiliated with the National Farmers Union (NFU) on Sept. 12, 2022, to discuss the state of competition in agriculture markets and strengthening antitrust enforcement. The Department is committed to fighting for fairness in food systems and protecting American farmers, producers, workers, and consumers from the effects of consolidation throughout the food supply chain.
Yesterday’s meeting builds on the Division’s ramped up efforts to combat anticompetitive practices and advocate for competition in agricultural markets. The Division has brought all of its tools to bear. Over the last year, the Antitrust Division has put special focus on competition in agriculture, including by suing to block U.S. Sugar from acquiring its rival, Imperial Sugar Company.
“Competition in agriculture is critical. Too often, farmers and livestock producers have too few suppliers to buy from and too few buyers to sell to. Farmers and their families work incredibly hard and deserve to see the fruits of their labor and the American dream,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Yesterday, we heard from farmers about how monopolies, collusion, and other anticompetitive conduct threatens their livelihood and their communities. Protecting competition and the rule of law in agricultural markets is core to the work of the Antitrust Division, and we will vigorously enforce the antitrust laws in this area.”
In addition, this summer, the Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against a data consulting firm and its president, as well as three poultry processors, to end a long-running conspiracy to exchange information about wages and benefits for poultry processing plant workers. The proposed consent decree with defendant poultry processors Cargill, Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms would prohibit them from sharing competitively sensitive information about poultry.
This effort—in cooperation with the USDA—built on other interagency partnerships with the USDA, including the Farmer Fairness reporting portal, which allows farmers and ranchers to report anticompetitive practices online.
The Division protects competition, including through enforcement against monopolies, illegal mergers, collusion, and other anticompetitive abuses in agricultural markets. It also partners with state, federal, and international enforcers where appropriate to ensure vibrant food systems and free market competition in this critical economic sector.
Anyone with additional information about anticompetitive practices in livestock and poultry markets can go to farmerfairness.gov. Anyone with information about poultry industry collusion or competitors sharing non-public compensation information can contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258 or [email protected].
Ash Grove Woman Sentenced for $1.3 Million Theft, Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ash Grove, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for a wire fraud scheme in which she embezzled more than $362,000 from her Springfield, Mo., employer and failed to pay nearly $1 million in business payroll taxes and personal income taxes.
Carrie Leigh Long, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to three years and five months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Long to pay $1,329,440 in restitution -- $362,175 to her employer and $1,071,802 to the IRS. The court also ordered Long to forfeit to the government $362,175.
On April 25, 2022, Long pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of failure to pay over employment taxes.
Long was employed by Executive Coach Builders, Inc. to provide in-house accounting services to the company and to Executive Bus Builders, Inc. The companies are headquartered in Springfield but do business worldwide with factories and sales offices in Missouri and California. The companies build luxury buses, coaches, and limousines. Long was hired in April 2014.
Long admitted that she stole at least $362,175 from the companies from February 2016 to September 2020. Long also admitted that she failed to pay approximately $902,226 of employment taxes the companies owed to the IRS. By not making these payments, Long created a pool of funds in the companies’ bank accounts from which she continued her embezzlement scheme.
Long used her position as an in-house accountant for the companies, and her access to the companies’ check stock, to regularly write checks against the companies’ bank accounts for unauthorized payments to herself. Long stole money from the companies by filling in unauthorized amounts on some pre-signed checks and making such checks payable to herself. Long also stole money from the companies by forging signatures on the companies’ checks, filling in unauthorized amounts on the checks, and making such checks payable to herself.
According to court documents, Long stole from the companies at least 198 times. When the companies’ owner confronted her with evidence that she had stolen from the companies and that she had not paid over the companies’ employment taxes, she continued to lie to him, forcing him to hire an accounting firm to investigate.
As part of the scheme, Long did not claim the unauthorized payments as personal income on her individual income tax returns from 2016 through 2020. This resulted in a loss to the IRS of $65,039.
Beginning in April 2019, Long ceased to make regular payments to the IRS for the employment taxes the companies owed the IRS. Long concealed her actions from company officials by altering the companies’ bank account statements and misrepresenting on her financial reports that the payments had been made. Long caused the companies to fail to pay over to the IRS approximately $902,226 of taxes (including both the employer portion and the funds withheld from the companies’ employees’ paychecks) owed to the IRS for two quarters of 2019 and one quarter of 2020.
When an agent from the Internal Revenue Service attempted to collect those delinquent tax payments, Long falsely claimed they had been paid and provided forged bank account statements.
According to court documents, Long was convicted in state court of similar conduct with a previous employer and was still on probation for that crime at the time of this federal offense. On Oct. 21, 2013, she pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court of Laclede County, Mo., to stealing more than $88,000 from a client of her then-accounting firm employer. As in this federal case, she stole by forging checks made payable to herself and endorsed in her own name against the victim’s bank account. Long received a suspended five-year sentence, was ordered to serve 90 days shock time, placed on probation for five years, and ordered to pay restitution to her victim within 30 days of her sentencing.
Long’s mother actually paid her court-ordered restitution on her behalf in the state case. Long used the money she stole from the companies in this scheme to pay her mother back for the prior victims’ restitution payment.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Kempf. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
Albuquerque man sentenced to over 15 years in prison for carjacking, bank robbery and firearms violationsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Lante Porcha, 30, of Albuquerque, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison. On May 3, Porcha pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking, one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of attempted bank robbery with a dangerous weapon, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On Feb. 3, 2019, in the parking lot of Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, Porcha approached a victim who was seated in his vehicle and asked the victim for a cigarette or a lighter. Porcha then pointed a handgun at the victim and threatened to shoot him if he did anything. Porcha entered the passenger seat and ordered the victim to drive the vehicle to a nearby accomplice, Chaz Estrada. Porcha then ordered the victim to get out of the vehicle, after which Estrada entered the driver seat and the two fled in the victim’s vehicle.
Later that day, Porcha approached another victim as she was at a drive-up ATM. Porcha pointed the handgun at the victim and demanded that she empty her bank account. The victim refused and pushed the gun downward. The gun discharged and the bullet passed between the victim’s legs. Porcha ran back to the stolen vehicle and fled with Estrada driving.
A short time later, law enforcement stopped the stolen vehicle. Porcha and Estrada attempted to flee on foot but were arrested. The handgun and ammunition were found in the vehicle.
On May 26, 2020, Estrada, 34, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery with a dangerous weapon, being an accessory after the fact, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On Sept. 15, 2020, Estrada was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Upon his release from prison, Porcha will be subject to five years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Trembley prosecuted the case.
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12 September 2022
West Haven Man Admits Trafficking Cocaine Through the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JEAN MANGUAL-CASTRO, 35, of West Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to a cocaine trafficking offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation headed by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force revealed that Mangual-Castro was orchestrating shipments of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico. On December 20, 2021, after investigators identified a suspicious package that had been delivered to the West Haven residence of Mangual-Castro’s mother, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of the residence and seized approximately two kilograms of cocaine, a Rolex watch, jewelry, and approximately $2,900 in cash. During the investigation, law enforcement also found at another location approximately three kilograms of cocaine that had been mailed from Puerto Rico to Connecticut at Mangual-Castro’s direction. Investigators identified more than 30 suspicious parcels that had been shipped from Puerto Rico to addresses connected to Mangual-Castro in Connecticut.
Mangual-Castro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for December 5.
Mangual-Castro has been detained since his arrest on December 20, 2021.
The FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force includes participants from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, East Haven Police Department, West Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden and Town of Groton Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Nigerian Nationals Sentenced to Prison for $2 Million Internet Fraud ScamRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Two men have been sentenced to prison for stealing more than $2 million from victims of business email compromise and romance fraud schemes, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, beginning in 2016 through May 2021, Olumide Obidare, 29, and Stephen Oseghale, 29, conspired with each other to use fictitious and stolen identities to engage in business email compromise (BEC) fraud schemes and pursue fraudulent romantic relationships online. As part of the scheme, the defendants obtained false identification documents, including passports and driver’s licenses, and used them to open bank accounts at various banks throughout the United States. The defendants transferred the proceeds of their online romance fraud scams and BEC schemes to bank accounts under their control. In total, the defendants defrauded victims of approximately $2,114,893.91.
On March 14, 2022, Obidare pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Earlier today, U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Obidare to 132 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $1,955,507.53 in restitution. Oseghale, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was sentenced on August 16, 2022, to 80 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release and ordered to pay $453,889.27 in restitution.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi.
Two Nigerian Nationals Indicted for Fraud Scheme Targeting Dozens of Public and Private InstitutionsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—An indictment has been unsealed in federal court charging two Nigerian nationals for attempting to steal $25 million from nearly two dozen public and private entities around the United States, including at least one in Oregon.
Efeturi Ariawhorai aka Efeturi Simeon, 35, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Vanuatu who most recently resided in the United Arab Emirates, and Ikenna Nwajiaku, 41, a Nigerian national believed to be residing in or near Lagos, Nigeria, have been charged in an 11-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
“Federal law enforcement is determined to use every tool and capability it has to pursue cyber criminals and retrieve money mistakenly sent to unknown bank accounts. We applaud the local victim in this case for quickly reporting the crime and giving authorities the best possible chance at retrieving their money. Unfortunately, many of these situations go a different and very costly way. When in doubt, we encourage anyone who thinks they are the victim of a cyber crime to report immediately to the FBI. Time is of the essence,” said Assistant United States Attorney Quinn Harrington, Chief of the Cyber and National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
“The level of greed it takes to steal from schools and hospitals, especially during the height of a global pandemic, is beyond disturbing,” said Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey. “Through quick action from many of these victims the FBI, with our Recovery Asset Team, was able to freeze funds and return a majority of the stolen money. In fact, we were able to recover the total loss of nearly $3 million for a victim in Oregon and keep that money out of the hands of criminals. If you are the victim of a cyber intrusion or fraud scheme please reach out to the FBI as soon as possible, we are here to help.”
According to the indictment, beginning in June 2019 and continuing until January 2021, Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku conspired with one another and others known and unknown to defraud various public and private entities located throughout the U.S., including numerous school districts, universities, colleges, and hospitals. As part of their scheme, Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku would contact organizations by email; impersonate employees of the targeted organization or professionals from other entities doing business with the target organization, such as construction companies; and convince the organizations to send payments to bank accounts controlled by third parties acting on Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku’s behalf.
To conceal their fraudulent activity, Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku used false names and various identity-concealing technologies including virtual private networks, compromised servers, and leased infrastructure. Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku would also register email addresses and internet domain names with slight variations on the names of real companies to trick victim organizations.
In total, in just over a year and a half, Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku attempted to defraud 20 victim organizations out of approximately $25.2 million. 15 of the victim organizations lost a combined $6.2 million as a result of the scheme.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud are punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by up to two years in federal prison and one year of supervised release per count of conviction.
Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku are both fugitives. On November 25, 2021, Ariawhorai was arrested in Italy by Italian authorities and the United States made a formal request for his extradition. However, Ariawhorai fled house arrest prior to his transfer to the District of Oregon.
This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by AUSA Harrington.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI’s Recovery Asset Team (RAT), a component of the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), was established in 2018 to streamline communication with financial institutions and assist FBI field offices with freezing funds for victims who made transfers to domestic accounts under fraudulent pretenses. In 2021, RAT assisted with 1,726 incidents nationwide that together involved losses exceeding $443 million. RAT helped freeze more than $328 million of these potential losses, a 74-percent success rate.
If you are the victim of an online or internet-enabled crime, please file a report online with IC3 at www.ic3.gov or by calling your local FBI field office as soon as possible. For RAT to be effective, individuals and organizations must report crimes immediately and include all pertinent information, including account details.
Tippee Pleads Guilty in First Ever Cryptocurrency Insider Trading CaseRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that NIKHIL WAHI, the brother of a former product manager at Coinbase Global, Inc. (“Coinbase”), pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading in cryptocurrency assets by using confidential Coinbase information about which crypto assets were scheduled to be listed on Coinbase’s exchanges. WAHI was arrested in July of this year and pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Less than two months after he was charged, Nikhil Wahi admitted in court today that he traded in crypto assets based on Coinbase’s confidential business information to which he was not entitled. For the first time ever, a defendant has admitted his guilt in an insider trading case involving the cryptocurrency markets. Today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder to those who participate in the cryptocurrency markets that the Southern District of New York will continue to steadfastly police frauds of all stripes and will adapt as technology evolves. Nikhil Wahi now awaits sentencing for his crime and must also forfeit his illicit profits.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, and statements made in public court proceedings:
At all relevant times, Coinbase was one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Coinbase users could acquire, exchange, and sell various crypto assets through online user accounts with Coinbase. Periodically, Coinbase added new crypto assets to those that could be traded through its exchange, and the market value of crypto assets typically significantly increased after Coinbase announced that it would be listing a particular crypto asset. Accordingly, Coinbase kept such information strictly confidential and prohibited its employees from sharing that information with others, including by providing a “tip” to any person who might trade based on that information.
Beginning in approximately October 2020, ISHAN WAHI worked at Coinbase as a product manager assigned to a Coinbase asset listing team. In that role, ISHAN WAHI was involved in the highly confidential process of listing crypto assets on Coinbase’s exchanges and had detailed and advanced knowledge of which crypto assets Coinbase was planning to list and the timing of public announcements about those crypto asset listings.
On multiple occasions between July 2021 and May 2022, after getting tips from ISHAN WAHI as to which crypto assets Coinbase was planning to list on its exchanges, NIKHIL WAHI used anonymous Ethereum blockchain wallets to acquire those crypto assets shortly before Coinbase publicly announced that it was listing these crypto assets on its exchanges. Following Coinbase’s public listing announcements, on multiple occasions NIKHIL WAHI sold the crypto assets for a profit.
To conceal his purchases of crypto assets in advance of Coinbase listing announcements, NIKHIL WAHI used accounts at centralized exchanges held in the names of others, and transferred funds, crypto assets, and proceeds of their scheme through multiple anonymous Ethereum blockchain wallets. NIKHIL WAHI also regularly created and used new Ethereum blockchain wallets without any prior transaction history in order to further conceal his involvement in the scheme.
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NIKHIL WAHI, 26, of Seattle, Washington, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. NIKHIL WAHI is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Preska on December 13, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also acknowledged the assistance of the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, as well as that of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against WAHI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah Solowiejczyk and Nicolas Roos are in charge of the prosecution.
Texas Man and Woman Indicted for Human Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on September 9, 2022 GREGORY MASSEY, age 28, and PATRICIA HART, age 24, were charged in an 11-count indictment by a federal grand jury for violations of the Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, specifically, conspiracy to entice individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, transportation of an individual in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, and enticement of an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution.
In Count One, MASSEY and HART are charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1594(a) and (c). If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Count Two, MASSEY and HART are charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), 1591(a)(2), and 1591(b)(1). If convicted they each face a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Counts Three through Five, MASSEY and HART are charged with interstate transportation and use of an interstate facility with the intent to carry on unlawful activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1952(a)(3) and 2. If convicted, per count, they each face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Count Six, MASSEY and HART are charged with transportation to engage in prostitution, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2421. If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Count Seven, HART is charged with possession of documents in furtherance of trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1592. If convicted, she faces up to five years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Count Eight, MASSEY is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of the Armed Career Criminal Act, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(e). If convicted, he faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely charges and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Louisiana State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa E. Bücher of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 51 Months for Committing Wire Fraud and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Glen Zinszer, age 52, of Liverpool, New York was sentenced today to serve 51 months in federal prison for committing wire fraud and filing false tax returns, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his previous guilty plea, Zinszer admitted that he began operating the Brazzlebox company in 2012, which he represented to investors would be like Facebook for business. Beginning in April 2013 and continuing until approximately the summer of 2016, Zinszer made false representations to investors about how Brazzlebox was doing to cause them to invest more money and stay invested. For example, Zinszer inflated Brazzlebox’s user numbers and told employees to create fake user accounts to inflate those numbers, misrepresented purportedly revenue-generating strategic partnerships, forged documents to effectuate those falsehoods, and forged a letter of intent to purchase Brazzlebox for millions of dollars.
From 2012 through 2016, Zinszer used a substantial portion of the money invested in Brazzlebox to finance his lifestyle rather than to operate the business, including paying mortgages on his homes and purchasing concert tickets and jewelry. Although Zinszer used money from Brazzlebox to finance his lifestyle, he willfully filed false tax returns underreporting his income in tax years 2013-2016.
Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also imposed a 3 year term of supervised release, which will start after Zinszer is released from prison, and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $3,049,933 to his victims including the government, forfeiture in the amount of $2,763,811, and a $200 special assessment.
Zinszer’s case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Geoffrey J.L. Brown.
Syracuse Man Sentenced for Naturalization FraudRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Fadl Mohamad Alharbi, age 51, of Syracuse, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to a $10,000 fine and to two years of supervised release following his conviction for naturalizing contrary to law and submitting a false statement in a passport application. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent-in-Charge Keith J. Byrne, New York Field Office, U.S. Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
Alharbi was convicted following a jury trial in August 2021 in Binghamton, New York. The trial evidence revealed that Alharbi, a native of Yemen, used a false name and falsely posed as the son of his uncle, who was a U.S. citizen (and is now deceased), to obtain lawful permanent residency in the United States and, later, to naturalize as a U.S. citizen and to apply for a passport. The defendant later admitted in interviews with immigration and Department of State officials that he knew these facts about his identity were false and that he had submitted these false statements to naturalize and to obtain a passport.
Alharbi will also be denaturalized (lose his U.S. citizenship) as a result of his conviction.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service with assistance from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
South Carolina Woman Sentenced in Social Security Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina – Crystal Deveaux, 61, of Eastover, was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to theft of Government funds totaling of over $258,000.00.
Evidence presented to the Court showed Deveaux unlawfully obtained Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) on behalf of her deceased grandmother, which she used for her own personal benefit from June 2001 through December 2020. While acting as a representative for her deceased grandmother, Deveaux failed to notify the Social Security Administration of the death and continued to cash and deposit the RIB checks she received on her grandmother’s behalf. Additionally, Deveaux caused the Social Security Administration to pay an additional $22,840.10 in Medicare premiums on behalf of the deceased grandmother. Further, Deveaux was a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient herself and was wrongly paid $22,875.00 as she had unreported income; and she failed to report her husband’s Veteran’s Administration (VA) benefits, causing her to be paid another $23,751.42 by the Social Security Administration.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Deveaux to 15 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Deveaux was ordered to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson.
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Sioux City Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing Meth and FirearmsRead the Press Release
Alicia Loraine Robinson, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty September 6, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City. Robinson was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a prohibited person in possession of firearms.
Evidence at the plea hearing showed that on December 30, 2021, in Sioux City, Iowa, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Robinson was driving. Law enforcement smelled marijuana emanating from the car and noted Robinson was clutching her purse tightly on her lap. Robinson admitted she smoked marijuana in the car and that she was suspended from driving. A search of the car found drug paraphernalia and a .380 firearm in Robinson’s purse. Law enforcement then searched Robinson’s home and found a 12-gauge shotgun, over 50 grams methamphetamine, marijuana, and other distribution-related items. On July 6, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at another home associated with drug distribution. Amongst other illicit items, law enforcement found a Glock .40 handgun that had been owned by Robinson. Robinson admitted to possessing the firearms and being a user of marijuana and methamphetamine. A person that uses controlled substances is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Robinson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the drug conviction, Robinson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment. On the firearm conviction, Robinson faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4010. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sex offender convicted of sharing child pornography in two statesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 43-year-old registered sex offender has admitted to distributing and possessing child pornography in two separate federal cases, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Timothy Lee Tyler, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography in 2020 and to possessing child pornography in both 2019 and 2020.
As part of his plea, Tyler admitted he was staying with friends in Conroe in September 2020. During that time, he started distributing child pornography from his cellphone on the Kik messenger app. When Tyler was arrested, his cellphone contained hundreds of images and videos depicting bestiality, bondage and sexual abuse of children. Tyler also admitted to possessing hundreds of child pornography files on a flash drive while residing in Milwaukee in June 2019.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen will impose sentence Dec. 19. At that time, Tyler faces up to 40 years on the distribution of child pornography charge and up to 20 years for each conviction of possessing child pornography. Additionally, each charge is punishable by a $250,000 fine and mandatory restitution.
Tyler, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Conroe Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Sherri Zack are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Santa Ana Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Deliberately Aiming Laser Pointer Beam at In-Flight O.C. Sheriff’s Department HelicopterRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for intentionally aiming a laser pointer’s beam at an in-flight Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter, an act that blinded the crew for several seconds.
Eric Jayson Suarez, 48, of Santa Ana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson. Suarez pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
On the evening of April 13, 2020, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter was flying above the intersection of Bristol and First streets in Santa Ana. Suarez, sitting alone in his car that was parked approximately 20 blocks away, saw the helicopter in flight, intentionally pointed a high-intensity green laser beam at the aircraft and struck the cockpit at least four times with his laser pointer’s beam.
Suarez’s laser beam blinded the helicopter’s pilot and tactical flight officer for several seconds, impacting their ability to see the ground and to detect hazards and jeopardizing the safety of the flight crew, the helicopter, other nearby aircraft, and people on the ground.
Law enforcement determined Suarez’s location and followed him to a retail shopping center in Santa Ana. Shortly before officers stopped Suarez’s car in a parking lot, Suarez threw his laser pointer out the car’s window. Law enforcement later recovered the laser pointer, approximately 50 feet from where they stopped Suarez’s car.
In February 2015, Suarez was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of unlawful discharge of a laser at an occupied aircraft. In March 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of a green laser beam that shone from Suarez’s backyard and struck a helicopter approximately eight times. That night, an officer warned Suarez that it would be “disastrous” because it could blind the pilot and cause the aircraft to crash, according to court documents.
The FBI, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and the Santa Ana Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Varun Behl of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case.
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Robert Pierre Duncan, 26, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking of a child, and escape from custody, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On March 8, 2022, a federal jury found Duncan guilty on all counts of a three-count superseding indictment after a seven–day trial. According to evidence presented at trial, between September and October 2018, Duncan recruited a 17-year-old girl to engage in prostitution in Oakland and San Francisco. He frequently drove the victim to areas known for prostitution activity where he caused her to have sex with strangers for money, which he kept. Duncan also posted online prostitution ads depicting the victim and harbored the victim at an Oakland motel so she could have sex with sex buyers. Duncan was on parole for assault with a semiautomatic firearm at the time.
In late September 2018, law enforcement officers recovered the victim and sent the victim to a children’s group home in Woodland. However, a few weeks later, Duncan, working with his co-conspirator, Eva Christian, 25, extracted the victim from the children’s group home in the middle of the night. The next day, Duncan put the victim back to work engaging in prostitution on the streets of Oakland. Duncan kept his child victim at his Sacramento apartment thereafter. He also managed his trafficking of her from this location, using his cellphone and a GPS tracking application on that phone to monitor and direct the victim’s prostitution activity in Oakland.
On May 31, 2019, Duncan was arrested, but immediately broke free and fled through Midtown Sacramento until he was finally apprehended again several blocks away from the scene of his initial arrest. He fought the arresting officer so violently that the officer required surgery for an injury he sustained while arresting Duncan.
Evidence at trial also showed that Duncan sent a letter to Christian—his co-defendant—in which he urged her to lie about Duncan’s knowledge that his trafficking victim was 17 years old. Duncan’s letter encouraged his co‑defendant to claim that she could not remember various details about Duncan’s trafficking of the child victim.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Justice’s Special Operations Unit, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Woodland Police Department, and the Oakland Police Department with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.
On April 8, 2021, co-defendant Christian pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19, 2022.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
St. Croix Man Sentenced to 51 Months on Felon in Possession ConvictionRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Jahseen Simmonds, 30, of St. Croix, was sentenced to 51 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and $1,000 fine by District Judge Wilma Lewis on the charge of felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on September 3, 2020, Virgin Islands Police Officers were patrolling the John F. Kennedy housing community. As they approached Building 29, officers observed a group of male individuals sitting in the archway of the building. One of those individuals, later identified as Simmonds, immediately ran up the stairs of the building and into an apartment on the second floor. Officers knocked on the apartment door and Simmonds exited the apartment and admitted to the officers that he did not live at that address. Police again knocked on the door of the apartment and two residents came to the door and stated that they did not give Simmonds permission to enter their apartment. The residents later provided consent to search their apartment and officers found a firearm on the balcony of the apartment. The residents stated that the firearm was not on the balcony before Simmonds ran into their apartment, and that the firearm did not belong to either of the residents.
An inspection of the firearm revealed that one live 9mm round was chambered and 15 live 9mm rounds were in the magazine. Along with the firearm, officers seized an extended magazine that was loaded with 31 live 9mm rounds. Simmonds was previously convicted of a felony offense.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
Romanian National Sentenced to Prison for Role in International Online Auction Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
AKRON - Costel Alecu, 38, of Bucharest, Romania, was sentenced to more than five and a half years in prison on September 7, 2022, by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams for his role in an international criminal network engaged in a wide-ranging online auction fraud scheme that targeted victims in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere in the United States.
In addition to the prison sentence, Alecu was ordered to pay a special assessment of $12,000 with restitution to be determined at a later date.
According to court documents, from July 2008 through August 2020, Alecu and codefendant Madalin Ghinea, 35, of Alexandria, Romania, were part of a conspiracy that devised a scheme to entice victims in the United States and elsewhere to purchase items online, including vehicles and other high-value items, that did not exist and to obtain the personal identifying information of their victims.
As a result, victims suffered a combined loss of approximately $3 million USD.
As part of the scheme, Alecu and other conspiracy members created accounts on various auction websites to post advertisements for goods that did not exist. In certain cases, Alecu and others created and used fictitious websites, email addresses and other forms of communication that contained counterfeit trademark information designed to convince their victims that the advertisements were genuine.
In addition, court documents state that the conspirators used a number of fraudulent online communication templates and email addresses to deceive victims into believing that they were communicating with legitimate business representatives when, in fact, they were speaking with a member of the conspiracy.
Court documents state that Alecu and others in the conspiracy then used a network of money launderers and money mules to obtain payment from their victims and transfer the funds overseas. Alecu and the conspirators then used the stolen personal identifying information of their victims, credit cards and bank accounts to launder money overseas and fund the operation of their network by purchasing items such as virtual private networks and domain names.
Romanian authorities arrested Alecu and Ghinea in March 2021.
Madalin Ghinea was sentenced on June 1, 2022, to more than four years in prison and ordered to pay $450,000.00 in restitution for his role in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) with help from authorities in Romania. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Duncan T. Brown and Brian S. Deckert of the Northern District of Ohio with assistance provided by the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Repeat Immigration Offender and Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Gerardo Ruiz-Martinez (21, Zitácuaro, Mexico) has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after having been deported. Ruiz-Martinez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Ruiz-Martinez was removed from the United States to Mexico on March 25, 2014, through Brownsville, Texas, and again on September 2, 2020, through the Miami International Airport. On May 3, 2022, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ruiz-Martinez for a theft he committed in Tampa. Ruiz-Martinez stated that he was a citizen of Mexico and that he was in the United States illegally.
This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection – U.S. Border Patrol, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
Postal Service Employee Admits Stealing Cell Phones from MailRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman today admitted stealing numerous cell phones from mail that passed through the United States post office where she was employed, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, announced.
Nyasia Hutchinson, 26, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging her with one count of theft of mail by a postal employee.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Hutchinson was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a postal service clerk at the Elizabeth Post Office (EPO). From May 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2018, another EPO employee provided Hutchinson with 15 to 20 stolen cellphones that the employee had taken out of packages at the EPO that had been mailed to a Hillside, New Jersey, business. Hutchinson admitted that she taped up empty packages and placed them back in the mail stream after cellphones had been removed. Hutchinson later sold the stolen iPhones which had a total approximate value of $12,000, keeping the sales proceeds for herself.
The theft of mail by a postal employee charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Faye Schwartz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
Peoria Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal Prison for Making False Statements in Connection with Straw-Purchasing SchemeRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, woman, Keena Fauntleroy, 29, of the 3400 block of West Oakcrest Drive, was sentenced on September 9, 2022, to 24 months in federal prison for making false statements during the purchase of firearms. Upon release from imprisonment, Fauntleroy will serve a two-year term of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Fauntleroy made false statements related to her purchase of firearms for her partner, Jarmarco O. Moore, 32, of the 1300 block of North Machin Ave., in Peoria, Illinois, who was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status as a felon. Federal agents began investigating Fauntleroy’s gun purchase history when two of the guns she had purchased in 2019 were recovered during criminal investigations by the Peoria Police Department.
Per the government’s evidence, the investigation revealed that Fauntleroy had purchased ten guns between January 2019 and January 2021. On March 8, 2021, agents seized a 9mm handgun from Fauntleroy and approached Moore at his residence. While agents interviewed Moore at the front door of his home, police at the rear of the home saw a minor female exit the back door carrying a backpack. The minor female was stopped and questioned by police.
Agents then searched the backpack and located 20 grams of cocaine and two firearms: a Glock Model 20 10mm handgun loaded with 14 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, and a Ruger Model 57 handgun loaded with 21 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Fauntleroy was reported to have purchased these two handguns three months earlier, on January 7 and 8, 2021. The investigation revealed that Moore had directed the juvenile to remove the backpack with the guns and drugs from the house when he learned that law enforcement agents were headed to the residence. Agents also learned that after Fauntleroy purchased firearms for Moore, he would either sell or trade them to others.
Also at the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid stated that the sentence was intended to promote respect for the law and deter criminal conduct, stating it is unacceptable “for someone to wreak havoc on our streets” through such straw purchases. In discussing the serious and dangerous nature of the offense, Judge Shadid noted the term of imprisonment was appropriate for such a serious offense, even in light of Fauntleroy’s lack of criminal history.
Fauntleroy was indicted in June 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in May 2022.
The statutory penalties for a making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Moore was previously sentenced on April 14, 2022, to 110 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm as a felon in connection with this case.
The Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
ATF’s campaign “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” is a part of PSN aimed at reducing firearm “straw purchases”, the illegal purchase of a firearm by one person for another, and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties of knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. More information about the campaign can be found at: www.dontlie.org.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Participating in the Theft of 25 Firearms from a Gun StoreRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, DaJuan Edwards-Melton, 21, of the 2100 block of W. Antoinette Street, was sentenced on September 8, 2022, to an aggregate 37 months in federal prison for his role in the burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer and for possession of stolen firearms. Following the term of imprisonment, Edwards-Melton will serve a three-year term of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that in the early morning hours of December 12, 2021, a juvenile female with her infant child drove Edwards-Melton and two juvenile males to Midwest Exchange, a firearms dealer in Bloomington, Illinois, where the crew attempted but failed to enter the business by force. The crew then moved on to Smiley’s Sports Shop where they broke a window, entered the business, and stole 24 handguns and an AR-15 rifle. After the burglary, the crew returned to Peoria with the firearms.
The government explained in court that an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Bloomington Police Department; and the Peoria Police Department led to the arrest of Edwards-Melton on December 13, 2021. At the time of his arrest, Edwards-Melton was in possession of one of the handguns stolen during the burglary. Also on December 13, 2021, agents recovered two additional stolen handguns during the search of a residence on Warren Street in Peoria.
The government also presented evidence that, following the burglary, Edwards-Melton distributed firearms to three acquaintances prior to his arrest. To date, six of the 25 stolen firearms have been recovered. Of the six recovered, the government established that three of them had been used in other crimes in Peoria, including the shooting of a 13-year-old boy in December 2021. The government established that another stolen firearm had been recovered during the investigation of an armed vehicular carjacking and a third stolen gun was recovered during the foot pursuit of a subject wanted for domestic battery.
Edwards-Melton was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021 and entered a guilty plea to both counts in March 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The statutory penalties are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for each count.
The case investigation was conducted by the Bloomington and Peoria Police Departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Edwards-Melton is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Pennsylvania man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Solomon Williams, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 60 months of incarceration for a firearms trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Williams, 29, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy.” Williams admitted to working with others to purchase, possess, and transfer firearms to persons who couldn’t legally purchase or possess firearms. The crimes took place from April 2019 to December 2020 in Berkeley County and elsewhere.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Paterson Police Sergeant Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights and Filing False Police ReportRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Paterson Police Department sergeant was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for conspiring to violate civil rights and filing a false police report, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Michael Cheff, 51, of Oakland, New Jersey, was convicted May 26, 2022, following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden on one count of conspiracy to deprive persons of civil rights and one count of falsification of a police report. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
“It’s a sad day when we have to announce the sentencing of a law enforcement official who has violated his oath, as we do today,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “This defendant preyed on the public he had sworn to protect and violated the rights of citizens in the process, all to line his pockets and those of the officers he was supposed to be supervising. We work hand-in-hand with our local law enforcement partners, and those partnerships are critical to our work. We will not tolerate the few bad officers who tarnish the badge.”
“Whether local, state, or federal, those of us who carry a badge have to prove ourselves worthy every single day,” FBI Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy, Newark Division, said. “This defendant not only betrayed his badge and the public who entrusted him with it, he led his subordinates down a path of self-destruction and left his fellow officers to deal with the fallout. We value the strong partnerships we have with our local and state counterparts. Officers who betray their oath are few and far between and we are committed to protecting the integrity of the badge to benefit those who work hard to protect it, as well as protect the general public.”
According to documents filed in this case and evidence at trial:
Eudy Ramos, Daniel Pent, Jonathan Bustios, Matthew Torres, and Frank Toledo were police officers with the Paterson Police Department. Cheff, who was a sergeant, supervised their activities and approved their reports and other paperwork related to arrests and seizures of money, narcotics, and firearms. Ramos, Pent, Bustios, Torres, and Toledo, while on official duty, violated the civil rights of individuals in Paterson. They stopped and searched motor vehicles without any justification and stole cash and other items from the occupants. They also illegally stopped and searched individuals in buildings or on the streets of Paterson and seized cash from them. They concealed their activities by submitting to Cheff false reports that omitted, or falsified, their illegal activities. Cheff signed off on those false police reports and routinely received a portion of these stolen monies from some of these officers.
On Nov. 14, 2017, Cheff joined Bustios, Ramos, and Torres in stealing cash from an apartment in Paterson. Bustios, Ramos, and Torres stopped and arrested an individual in Paterson. The officers went to the individual’s apartment and were joined by Cheff. After the arrested individual was coerced to sign a consent to search form, and while the arrested individual was handcuffed in a police car, Cheff, Bustios, and Ramos went to search the individual’s apartment. After obtaining consent to search the apartment by lying to the individual’s mother, Cheff, Bustios, and Ramos then searched the individual’s room and located a safe inside the room. Cheff took money and narcotics from the safe and put the money in his pocket. Cheff handed a small portion of the money stolen from the safe to Bustios and told Bustios to log it into evidence. Cheff also approved a police report that falsely stated that the officers had recovered $319 from on top of a shelf in the individual’s room.
Later that day, Bustios and Toledo exchanged text messages discussing Cheff’s theft of money. Bustios said, among other things, that Cheff “got us for over a stack today,” that “there was a safe” and that Cheff “grabbed the cash.” According to the individual whose apartment was searched, the safe contained approximately $2,700, and all of it was missing after the search was completed.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Cheff to three years of supervised release. Ramos, Pent, Bustios, Torres, and Toledo previously pleaded guilty; Toledo and Pent were sentenced Sept. 9, 2022, and Bustios, Torres and Ramos were sentenced Sept. 8, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, and the Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jihee G. Suh, Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the Special Prosecutions Division.
Orlando Man (a/k/a “Satans Child”) Arrested for Producing Child Rape VideoRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Miguel Diaz Gonzalez (40, Orlando) on a criminal complaint charging him with production of child sex abuse material. If convicted, Gonzalez faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison. Gonzalez made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Celeste F. Bremer last week and has been ordered detained pending trial.
According to the complaint, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip concerning an online media storage account associated with username “Satans child,” and investigators found child sexual abuse material in that account. Usage of the “Satans child” account was traced to Gonzalez’s home in Orlando. Following the execution of a search warrant at Gonzalez’s home, law enforcement agents confirmed that Gonzalez uses the “Satans child” account and, thereafter, executed a warrant to search the account, which contained a video depicting Gonzalez raping an eight-year-old child who had previously been in Gonzalez’s care.
A complaint 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 68 Months for Possessing Dealer Quantities of FentanylRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Zakk L. Biggs, 32, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha by Chief United States Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more fentanyl. Biggs received a sentence of 68 months’ imprisonment with a four-year term of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.
On November 21, 2021, DEA agents intercepted a FedEx package that contained 2,000 fentanyl pills. On November 23, 2021, agents did a controlled delivery of the package to the listed address. Carlos Rios-Alonso accepted the package and was then arrested. Further investigation revealed that the ultimate recipient of the package was Biggs. Biggs was arrested after arriving to meet with Rios-Alonso.
Rios-Alonso is currently set for trial on October 17, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Ohio Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Sex Offense Against MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jeffrey Lee Ward Jr., 31, of Bellaire, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 4, 2022, Ward traveled from Ohio to Parkersburg, West Virginia, to meet an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl in order to engage in sexual activity, including sexual intercourse. Ward had been communicating with the individual via an instant messaging app. Ward used the app to send a photo of his genitalia to the individual. When Ward showed up at their arranged meeting location, he was arrested.
Ward is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, five years to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) West Virginia Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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. 2:22-cr-51.
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Ohio Doctor Pleads Guilty in St. Louis to Telemedicine Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A doctor from Ohio pleaded guilty Monday to three felony charges and admitted accepting $291,000 in kickbacks from telemedicine companies involved in a nationwide fraud scheme.
Despite knowing it was illegal to solicit or accept any payments in return for referrals, Dr. Amy E. Swegan, 47, of Aurora, Ohio, was paid $30 for each “consult” she performed on behalf of a series of companies from July 25, 2017 to February 28, 2019. She then approved prescriptions for pain cremes, genetic tests for cancer and orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment for thousands of patients, her plea agreement says.
Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers will reimburse for durable medical equipment only if a qualified health professional determines that the brace is medically necessary. Swegan simply accepted the statements of the telemedicine companies that the intake workers employed by them were qualified to assess patients. She made no further inquiry or investigation, and simply ordered orthotic braces that patients did not request or need, her plea agreement says.
Swegan admitted ignoring numerous red flags and deliberately chose not to inquire as to whether the agreements and practices were improper, unethical or illegal.
Medicare and Medicaid were billed over $18 million by the companies and paid out $7.2 million, Swegan’s plea says.
Swegan pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to one count of conspiracy and two counts of health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced December 14. The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine and the fraud counts are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be ordered to pay $7.2 million in restitution.
"Doctors engaging in kickback schemes corrupt the provider-patient relationship and impose hidden costs on the health care system," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Alongside our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG is committed to safeguarding the integrity of federal health care programs by, in part, holding individuals who unlawfully bill the programs accountable for their actions."
HHS-OIG, the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.
New York woman sentenced for role in drug trafficking ringRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Argelianka Garcia, of New York, New York, was sentenced today to five years probation for her involvement in a drug conspiracy that spanned several states, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Garcia, 46, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride and Cocaine Base.” Garcia admitted to working with others to distribute more than 98 grams of cocaine base, also known as “crack,” and more than 10 grams of cocaine hydrochloride from June to December 2019 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties.
This case is the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) under the Attorney General-led Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS)/Special Operations Division (SOD) Project Clean Sweep. This initiative seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in “hot spot” areas previously identified by the Attorney General of the United States, thereby reducing drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths, and identify wholesale distribution networks and sources of supply operating nationally and internationally. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Find the related press release here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/25-charged-six-state-drug-conspiracy-involving-heroin-fentanyl-cocaine
New York City Man and Alabama Woman Plead Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Today in the Southern District of New York, Arwa Muthana, 30, of Hoover, Alabama, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, aka ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. On Friday, her husband James Bradley, aka Abdullah, 21, of the Bronx, entered a guilty plea to the same charge.
According to court documents, Bradley and Muthana are ISIS supporters who attempted to travel to the Middle East to join and fight for ISIS. Bradley expressed violent extremist views since at least 2019, including his desire to support ISIS by traveling overseas to join the group or committing a terrorist attack in the United States. In May 2020, Bradley stated to an undercover law enforcement officer (UC-1) that he believed that ISIS may be good for Muslims because ISIS was establishing a caliphate. Bradley further expressed his desire to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States and discussed potentially attacking the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Bradley explained that if he could not leave the United States, he would do “something” in the United States instead, referring to carrying out an attack.
In June 2020, Bradley reaffirmed his interest to UC-1 in attacking a military base, and that doing so would be his contribution to the cause of jihad. In January 2021, Bradley mentioned to UC-1 another university in New York State where he frequently saw Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets training. Bradley stated that he could use his truck in an attack, and that he along with Muthana could take all of the ROTC cadets “out.”
In late January 2021, Bradley married Muthana in an Islamic marriage ceremony. Beginning before and continuing after their marriage, Bradley and Muthana discussed, planned and ultimately attempted to travel to the Middle East together to join and fight with ISIS. In or about early March 2021, Bradley traveled from New York to Alabama to visit Muthana, and Bradley and Muthana traveled back to New York together, to travel from New York to join ISIS in the Middle East. Thereafter, Bradley raised the possibility of UC-1 helping Bradley and Muthana get on a cargo ship to travel to Asia or Africa for the purpose of ultimately joining and fighting for ISIS. UC-1 subsequently put Bradley in contact with a purported associate who could assist Bradley in making arrangements for Bradley and Muthana to travel to the Middle East via cargo ship. In reality, the purported facilitator was a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (UC-2).
Later in March 2021, Bradley met with UC-2 and expressed his desire to travel via cargo ship and to “fight among the rank[s] of the Islamic State.” Bradley subsequently provided UC-2 $1,000 in cash as travel costs for Bradley and Muthana to take a cargo ship to Yemen. Bradley told UC-2 that he and Muthana both planned to be “fighting” after arriving in the Middle East. Bradley also told UC-2 that he had a dream that he had given “bay’ah,” an Arabic term meaning the oath of allegiance, to Abu Ibrahim al-hashimi al-Qurashi, the former leader of ISIS.
On March 25, 2021, UC-2 told Bradley that the cargo ship would be leaving on March 31, from a seaport in Newark, New Jersey. Bradley praised Allah and confirmed he and Muthana planned to travel on the ship. On March 31, 2021, Bradley and Muthana met with UC-2 on the way to the seaport. During this meeting, Muthana confirmed to UC-2 that she was traveling to the Middle East to fight for ISIS. Bradley and Muthana were arrested as they walked on a gangplank to board the cargo ship. After Muthana was arrested, she waived her Miranda rights and stated during an interview that she was willing to fight and kill Americans if it was for Allah. Also on March 31, 2021, in connection with a court-authorized search, the FBI seized from a bedroom previously used by Bradley what appears to be a hand-drawn image of a jihadi flag commonly used by ISIS and a hand-drawn map of the Pakistan region.
In the months and years prior to their arrests, Bradley and Muthana also accessed, posted and distributed extremist online content, including materials indicative of their support for ISIS. Such material included Bradley’s postings of images of ISIS fighters, Usama Bin Laden, and terrorist attacks, and his distribution to UC-1 of videos of ISIS fighters, a 2020 stabbing attack against a New York City Police Department officer, and extremists shooting a uniformed soldier. Content on Muthana’s cellphone, which was searched pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, included images of an ISIS flag with Arabic writing, firearms, ISIS propaganda, and quotations of the deceased extremist preacher and former al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula member Anwar al-Awlaki, including, for example, a copy of the cover of a book authored by al-Awlaki and titled “44 Ways to Support Jihad.”
Bradley and Muthana each pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence 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.
Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on Feb. 2, 2023, and Muthana is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on Feb. 3, 2023.
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Defilippis, Kaylan E. Lasky, and Jason A. Richman are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.
New York City Man and Alabama Woman Plead Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JAMES BRADLEY, a/k/a “Abdullah,” and ARWA MUTHANA pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”). BRADLEY pled guilty on September 9, 2022, and MUTHANA pled guilty earlier today, both before United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Husband and wife James Bradley and Arwa Muthana admitted today to their support of ISIS, a violent extremist terrorist organization. In planning their support, Bradley and Muthana collected and distributed jihadist propaganda, including videos of Usama Bin Laden, and even chillingly expressed their desire to ‘take out’ American military cadets. Just one day after the anniversary of 9/11, today’s prosecution of Bradley and Muthana exemplifies that the resolve of this Office and our law enforcement partners will never waiver, and we will never forget.”
According to the Complaint, Indictment, and other public documents in the case, as well as statements made during court proceedings:[1]
BRADLEY and MUTHANA are ISIS supporters who attempted to travel to the Middle East to join and fight for ISIS. BRADLEY expressed violent extremist views since at least 2019, including his desire to support ISIS by traveling overseas to join the group or committing a terrorist attack in the United States. In May 2020, BRADLEY stated to an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC-1”) that he believed that ISIS may be good for Muslims because ISIS was establishing a caliphate. BRADLEY further expressed his desire to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States and discussed potentially attacking the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. BRADLEY explained that if he could not leave the United States, he would do “something” in the United States instead, referring to carrying out an attack.
In June 2020, BRADLEY reaffirmed his interest to UC-1 in attacking a military base, and that doing so would be his contribution to the cause of jihad. In January 2021, BRADLEY mentioned to UC-1 another university in New York State where he frequently saw Reserve Officer Training Corps (“ROTC”) cadets training. BRADLEY stated that he could use his truck in an attack and that he along with MUTHANA could take all of the ROTC cadets “out.”
In late January 2021, BRADLEY married MUTHANA in an Islamic marriage ceremony. Beginning before and continuing after their marriage, BRADLEY and MUTHANA discussed, planned, and ultimately attempted to travel to the Middle East together in order to join and fight with ISIS. In or about early March 2021, BRADLEY traveled from New York to Alabama to visit MUTHANA, and BRADLEY and MUTHANA traveled back to New York together in order to travel from New York to join ISIS in the Middle East. Thereafter, BRADLEY raised the possibility of UC-1 helping BRADLEY and MUTHANA get on a cargo ship to travel to Asia or Africa for the purpose of ultimately joining and fighting for ISIS. UC-1 subsequently put BRADLEY in contact with a purported associate who could assist BRADLEY in making arrangements for BRADLEY and MUTHANA to travel to the Middle East via cargo ship. In reality, the purported facilitator was a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (“UC-2”).
Later in March 2021, BRADLEY met with UC-2 and expressed his desire to travel via cargo ship and to “fight among the rank[s] of the Islamic State.” BRADLEY subsequently provided UC-2 $1,000 in cash as travel costs for BRADLEY and MUTHANA to take a cargo ship to Yemen. BRADLEY told UC-2 that he and MUTHANA both planned to be “fighting” after arriving in the Middle East. BRADLEY also told UC-2 that he had a dream that he had given “bay’ah,” an Arabic term meaning the oath of allegiance, to Abu Ibrahim al-hashimi al-Qurashi, the former leader of ISIS.
On March 25, 2021, UC-2 told BRADLEY that the cargo ship would be leaving on March 31 from a seaport in Newark, New Jersey. BRADLEY praised Allah and confirmed he and MUTHANA planned to travel on the ship. On March 31, 2021, BRADLEY and MUTHANA met with UC-2 en route to the seaport. During this meeting, MUTHANA confirmed to UC-2 that she was traveling to the Middle East to fight for ISIS. BRADLEY and MUTHANA were arrested as they walked on a gangplank to board the cargo ship. After MUTHANA was arrested, she waived her Miranda rights and stated during an interview that she was willing to fight and kill Americans if it was for Allah. Also on March 31, 2021, in connection with a court-authorized search, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) seized from a bedroom previously used by BRADLEY what appears to be a hand-drawn image of a jihadi flag commonly used by ISIS and a hand-drawn map of the Pakistan region.
In the months and years prior to their arrests, BRADLEY and MUTHANA also accessed, posted, and distributed extremist online content, including materials indicative of their support for ISIS. Such material included BRADLEY’s postings of images of ISIS fighters, Usama Bin Laden, and terrorist attacks, and his distribution to UC-1 of videos of ISIS fighters, a 2020 stabbing attack against a New York City Police Department officer, and extremists shooting a uniformed soldier. Content on MUTHANA’s cellphone, which was searched pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, included images of an ISIS flag with Arabic writing, firearms, ISIS propaganda, and quotations of the deceased extremist preacher and former al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula member Anwar al-Awlaki, including, for example, a copy of the cover of a book authored by al-Awlaki, titled “44 Ways to Support Jihad.”
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BRADLEY, 21, of the Bronx, New York, and MUTHANA, 30, of Hoover, Alabama, each pled guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
BRADLEY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on February 2, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., and MUTHANA is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on February 3, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Mr. Williams also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. DeFilippis, Kaylan E. Lasky, and Jason A. Richman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section.
[1] Communications, conversations, and statements discussed and quoted herein are described in substance and in part.
Methamphetamine Conspirators Sentenced to Lengthy Prison TermsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of drug traffickers, who conspired with several others to sell methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia, were sentenced last week in the Western District of Virginia to lengthy federal prison terms.
Amanda Dawn Skeens, 35, of Princeton, West Virginia, and Josh Goodman, 46, of Richlands, Virginia, both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Last week, Skeens was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Goodman was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
In August 2022, another member of the conspiracy, Zachary Thomas Justice, 26, also of Richlands, Virginia, was sentenced to 14 years on similar charges.
According to court documents, between August 2019 and January 2022, Skeens, Justice, Goodman, and co-defendants Steven Cantrell and Ronda Rose conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Tazewell and Russell Counties in Virginia.
Cantrell and Rose have all pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
During 2019 and 2020, Justice and Cantrell sold methamphetamine out of an apartment they shared in Swords Creek, Virginia. In addition, Justice also traded firearms to Cantrell in return for methamphetamine for resale.
As part of the conspiracy, Skeens supplied methamphetamine several times a week from her home in West Virginia to other conspiracy members, who then brought the methamphetamine into Russell and Tazewell counties for further distribution, bringing anywhere from two ounces to a pound per trip.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County, West Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, the Southern West Virginia Drug Task Force, the Tazewell County Drug Task Force, the Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.
Mercer County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Torrey Hairston, 35, of Bluefield, West Virginia, was sentenced today to one year and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 19, 2021, law enforcement officers responded to a domestic violence complaint at Hairston’s apartment. Officers encountered Hairston and found one firearm in Hairston’s pocket and a second firearm on the apartment floor. Hairston admitted to possessing both firearms, a Baretta Nano 9mm pistol and a Glock 26 9mm pistol.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Hairston knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in Mercer County Circuit Court on March 27, 2017.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bluefield Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for conducting the investigation.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-233.
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Member of Roanoke-Area ATM Skimming Conspiracy Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A member of a Romanian criminal organization who traveled to the United States to conduct ATM skimming pleaded guilty last week in federal court.
Catalin Puscasu, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Puscasu is the third defendant to have pleaded guilty for his role in this scheme.
According to court documents, between December 2018 and March 2019, Puscasu and others worked together to obtain personal identifying information and then used that data to make unauthorized cash withdrawals from the accounts of these victims and/or use the victims’ credit for their personal gain.
Specifically, members of this criminal organization installed skimming devices and small hidden cameras onto ATM card readers at federally-insured banks throughout the Western District of Virginia in order to steal customers’ PINs and account numbers. The scammers encoded that stolen information onto blank debit cards and then used them to withdraw money.
In March 2019, Puscasu was arrested in Michigan for committing similar offenses. After serving 36 months in federal custody for those crimes, he was returned to the Western District of Virginia to face charges related to his conduct here. Pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement, Puscasu will serve an additional 18 to 37 months in prison and must pay restitution to the victims.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement today.
The United States Secret Service, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Campbell County Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Farmville Police Department, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Blacksburg Police Department, and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams is prosecuting the case.
McDowell County Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Mercer County ArsonRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A McDowell County man was sentenced to prison and two other men pleaded guilty today in connection with an arson fraud scheme.
Douglas Vineyard, 36, of Welch, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud. Scott Meadows, 52, of Welch, and Christopher Gross, 44, of Bluefield, Virginia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 1, 2019, Vineyard bought a house on Princeton Street in Bluefield, West Virginia, for $5,000 at the direction of Gross. On July 31, 2019, Vineyard bought an insurance policy on the house with assistance from Gross, stating that the house’s purchase price had been $50,000. The insurance coverage included $285,500 for the dwelling, $142,750 for the contents and $14,275 for other structures.
In early August 2019, Vineyard, Gross and Meadows devised a scheme with others to burn down the house and collect the insurance proceeds. On August 6, 2019, Meadows set fire to the house with the help of two other individuals who were each offered $500 for their assistance. The house was a total loss. On August 16, 2019, Vineyard faxed a Sworn Statement of Proof of Loss seeking $285,500 in insurance proceeds for the house. The insurance company spent over $13,000 investigating Vineyard’s false claim, ultimately denying it.
Gross and Meadows are scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2023. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney R. Gregory McVey is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-131.
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McDowell County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Terry Headen, 47, of Havaco, McDowell County, pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 10, 2021, Headen sold an amount of a controlled substance represented to be heroin to a confidential informant in Havaco. Headen admitted that he possessed an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle during the drug transaction.
Headen is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2023, and faces mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Unit.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-177.
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Maryland woman sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Briya Nychelle Harrington, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced today to three years probation for distributing fentanyl, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Harrington, 27, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.” Harrington admitted to working with another to distribute fentanyl in March 2021 in Hampshire County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Man Who Possessed Loaded Firearm While on Supervised Release Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who possessed a loaded firearm while on supervised release was sentenced today to more than one year in federal prison.
Jamie Valentine. age 56, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 1, 2022 guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At the guilty plea, Valentine admitted that on or about December 12, 2021, he possessed a High Standard Sport King .22 caliber pistol while prohibited due to being previously convicted of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity in 2009. At sentencing, the evidence showed that the United States Probation Office conducted an unannounced home visit and found a fully loaded .22 caliber pistol in Valentine’s nightstand.
Valentine was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Valentine was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment and fined $100. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Valentine 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 Liz Dupuich and investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the United States Probation Office, and the Dubuque Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-cr-1003.
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Man Sentenced to 41 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Armed Robberies in RockfordRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man was sentenced today to 41 years in federal prison in connection with a series of violent retail-store robberies in Rockford.
In the fall of 2015, RICKEY CLAYBRON and his co-conspirators carried out three violent robberies and one attempted robbery, using firearms to terrorize store clerks and patrons while stealing cigarettes and cash. Claybron or his co-conspirators physically assaulted, restrained, and shot at some of the store employees, wounding one of them.
A federal jury last year convicted Claybron, 36, of Rockford, on conspiracy, robbery, and firearm charges. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston in Rockford ordered Claybron to pay $10,280.75 in restitution.
Two co-conspirators – DEANDRE R. HAYWOOD and DARNELL LEAVY, both of Rockford – pleaded guilty prior to Claybron’s trial. Haywood was sentenced last year to 26 and a half years in federal prison, while Leavy was sentenced in 2019 to eleven and a half years.
Claybron’s sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Crime Task Force, which includes law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, Rockford Police Department, Loves Park Police Department, and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus and Kaitlin Klamann.
According to evidence presented at Claybron’s trial, the three robberies and one attempted robbery occurred within a three-week period:
- Oct. 28, 2015: H&A Tobacco, 1623 Broadway in Rockford. Claybron pointed a gun at a clerk and ordered the clerk and a customer to get on the ground. Cash and multiple cartons of cigarettes were stolen from the store, along with the clerk’s personal belongings.
- Nov. 2, 2015: Advance Auto, 3019 Auburn St. in Rockford. A store employee was ordered at gunpoint to lay on the ground while another employee was ordered to open the cash registers. One employee was struck in the side of the face with a gun and later shot at when he ran from the store. The robbers stole cash from the store and from one of the employees.
- Nov. 5, 2015: Zake Convenience, 824 7th St. in Rockford. In this attempted robbery, Claybron pointed a gun at store clerks and reached behind a partition. When Claybron was unable to gain access to the cash register, he and the other robbers fled the store.
- Nov. 13, 2015: Shell Express, 3003 11th St. in Rockford. Claybron pointed a sawed-off shotgun at customers while Haywood pointed a gun at store employees and grabbed cigarettes and cash from the registers. Haywood then shot one of the employees in the back while Claybron struck an employee in the head with the shotgun.
Man Sentenced to 135 months for Operating a “Ponzi” Scheme and Committing Securities and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Carlos Maldonado, owner of Business Planning Resources International Corporation (BPRIC), Glorimar Fashions and Tailoring, LLC, Global Business Insurance Agency Inc., and associated under the incorporation documents with Pet Card Systems, Inc., and Datavos Corporation, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months (135 months) in prison for securities fraud and bank fraud, and ordered to serve five years of supervised release. Maldonado was also ordered to pay $1,986,734.26 in restitution to 46 of his victims.
Maldonado was charged with 16 counts of securities fraud and bank fraud on October 27, 2016. In December 2019, he was found guilty on all counts after a jury trial. The jury found that, from on or about the year 2007 through the year 2012, Carlos Maldonado along with several associates fraudulently solicited and procured over $5,000,000 on behalf of BPRIC from over 100 individuals and other businesses. As part of the fraudulent scheme, Maldonado and his associates provided phony Investment Contracts to victims in Puerto Rico and the Continental US in exchange for their monetary investment in his bogus business enterprises.
During trial, the government presented checks, bank records, emails, other documentary evidence, and witness and victim testimonies that proved that the defendant made or caused materially false and misleading representations to be made to investors, including: (i) that the various companies were involved in legitimate business functions―which he knew not to be true; (ii) failing to disclose to investors that their funds would be used to buy and trade stocks and commodities on a ScottTrade account, Foreex Capital markets, LLC, and other personal trading accounts, and for Maldonado’s family expenses instead of funding the bogus business ventures; and (iii) failing to disclose that the investment funds fraudulently obtained were to be used by Maldonado to purchase goods and services at retail stores, restaurants, and spend money for travel, rent, entertainment, and personal auto loan payments.
After the imposition of this substantive sentence by US District Judge John A. Woodcock, District Judge from the District of Maine, United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico emphasized that “investment fraud can come in many forms, but its main feature is the promise of a fast and high return. Fraudsters, posing as salespeople or entrepreneurs, contact unsuspecting individuals and offer them seemingly exciting investment opportunities. The victims are lured in by the promise of a deal that is “too good to be true” because it isn’t true. We want to remind the citizens of Puerto Rico that no investment is risk-free and that an offer of a high rate of return always means greater risk. Before investing, get written information, such as a prospectus or annual report, and be wary if a salesperson pressures you to invest immediately, promises you quick profits, encourages you to borrow money or cash-in retirement funds to invest, tells you to write false information on your account forms, or uses words like “guarantee,” “high return,” or “limited offer”. As soon as you suspect that you have been the target of fraudulent scheme, contact law enforcement so we can prosecute those responsible and attempt to recover the stolen funds.”
“The victims in this case, as with most cases, were promised an incredible return on the investment of their hard-earned money. Sadly, the promises were based on lies and they were preyed on by someone who used their desire for a better future to gain their trust and steal their dreams,” said FBI SAC Joseph González. “At the FBI we are committed to pursuing these cases to the end of the line, but we need victims to come forward. If you believe you or anyone you know has been a victim of one of these schemes, call 787-987-6500 or leave a tip online through tips.FBI.gov. Help us bring these criminals to justice.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward Veronda and Jeanette Collazo, and investigated by the FBI.
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Man Sentenced for Misuse of Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Eric Jimenez Del Carmen, age 39, a Mexican citizen who resided in Denison, was sentenced on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, to 21 months in prison following his plea to a charge of misuse of social security number.
In November 2019, Del Carmen applied for employment with Monogram Foods, located in Harlan, by knowingly using a social security number that had not been assigned to him. Del Carmen was able to obtain employment at Monogram Foods as a result of misuse of social security number.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and the Social Security Administration investigated the case.
Louisville Man Federally Indicted on Fentanyl Distribution and FirearmsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned a nine-count indictment on September 7, 2022, charging a local man with distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, Trey Joshua Shoats, 29, of Louisville, conspired to distribute and distributed fentanyl in the Western District of Kentucky from at least July 5, 2022, to August 30, 2022. Specifically, he distributed fentanyl on July 5, July 27, August 2, and August 30, 2022. On each occasion, he possessed a firearm in furtherance of the drug transaction.
Shoats is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl; four counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl; and four counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendant made his initial court appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a combined mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kentucky State Police assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Blaylock is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Leader of Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Scheme Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ARIEL JIMENEZ, a/k/a “Melo,” was sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection with his leading role in a broad tax fraud and identity theft conspiracy and his actions to launder the proceeds of his crimes. United States District Judge Sidney H. Stein imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Ariel Jimenez was the leader of a long-running fraudulent tax business that cheated the Government of tax refunds by stealing the identities of vulnerable children and using those identities to falsely claim tax credits on behalf of his clients. Today’s sentence holds Jimenez accountable for brazenly selling the identities of children to his customers for his own profit.”
According to the Indictment, evidence presented during trial, court documents, and statements in open court:
Beginning in or about 2007, JIMENEZ founded a tax business (the “Business”) in the Bronx, New York. From the outset, JIMENEZ obtained stolen identities of hundreds of minors and, working with his co-conspirators, sold those identities to his customers for between $1,000 and $1,500 in cash so that customers could claim those minors as fraudulent dependents on their tax returns. JIMENEZ personally received $1,000 in cash for every identity sold. JIMENEZ and his co-conspirators callously referred to these stolen identities as “pollitos,” meaning “little chickens.” In some years, JIMENEZ sold more than a thousand identities, resulting in personal profits to him of more than $1 million per year. In addition, JIMENEZ made hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in the tax fees that the Business charged to prepare fraudulent tax returns. In return for their participation in this scheme, the customers received thousands of dollars in inflated tax refunds.
JIMENEZ’s use of stolen identities harmed the actual caretakers of the children who were fraudulently claimed as dependents. In some cases, the people actually taking care of these children had much-needed tax refunds delayed and were required to prove their actual connection to their own dependent children.
JIMENEZ used the profits from his tax preparation business to acquire millions of dollars of real estate in addition to funding his lavish lifestyle. By his own admission, JIMENEZ spent more than $5.5 million of the Business’s proceeds on properties in the United States and abroad, jewelry, cars, and gambling. In or about March 2016, JIMENEZ transferred several properties purchased with fraud proceeds to his parents for little to no value in order to conceal the criminal source of the funds used to purchase the properties.
JIMENEZ was first arrested in November 2018 along with eight of his co-conspirators, including his sisters Evelin Jimenez and Ana Yessenia Jimenez, as well as additional co-conspirators Ireline Nunez, Leyvi Castillo, Cinthia Federo, Guillermo Arias Moncion, Marcos De Jesus Pantaleon, and Jose Castillo. The remaining eight defendants pled guilty to fraud and other offenses.
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ARIEL JIMENEZ, 38, of the Bronx, New York was previously convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to tax returns, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. In addition to his prison sentence, JIMENEZ was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $14,580,000 and to forfeit three residential properties located in the Bronx. JIMENEZ was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $44,769,906.
Evelin Jimenez was sentenced on August 12, 2022, to 52 months in prison; Ana Yessenia Jimenez was sentenced on August 9, 2022, to 24 months in prison; Leyvi Castillo was sentenced on October 27, 2021, to 20 months in prison; Cinthia Federo was sentenced on December 20, 2021, to time served; Guillermo Arias Moncion was sentenced on December 18, 2019, to 24 months in prison; Marcos De Jesus Pantaleon was sentenced on January 15, 2020, to 20 months in prison; and Jose Castillo was sentenced on February 20, 2020, to 24 months in prison. Ireline Nunez has not yet been sentenced.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the IRS-Criminal Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel G. Nessim and Ni Qian are in charge of the prosecution.
La Crosse Man Sentenced to 81 Months for Illegal Firearm Possession & Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Curtis W. Ross, 34, La Crosse, Wisconsin was sentenced on Friday, September 9, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 81 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This prison term will be followed by 60 months of supervised release. Ross pleaded guilty to these charges on June 15, 2022.
On September 8, 2021, La Crosse Police Department (LCPD) officers pulled over a car driven by Ross because officers knew that probable cause existed to arrest the passenger and co-defendant, Lee Strawder, for violations of his state bond. Officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and searched the vehicle. Under the front passenger seat, officers found a loaded Canik 9mm handgun, a loaded Beretta 9mm handgun, and a bag containing over an ounce of marijuana. Ross’s DNA was found on the Beretta. Strawder’s DNA was found on the Canik. Both Ross and Strawder were prohibited from legally possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.
A backseat passenger told officers that he was in the car to purchase cocaine from Ross. After Ross was transported to jail, the transporting officer located three baggies of cocaine in his squad car that had been left there by Ross.
Officers searched Ross’s cell phone and found multiple photos of him with firearms, including what were believed to be the same Canik and Beretta handguns found in the car on September 8. Officers also located conversations on Ross’s phone where he discussed the buying and selling of narcotics as well as a firearm.
A few days after his arrest, Ross was released from custody on a signature bond. Less than a month later, on October 5, 2021, LCPD officers purchased heroin and fentanyl from Ross in La Crosse using a confidential informant.
On February 22, 2022, LCPD officers received a report that Ross had stolen his girlfriend’s truck. Officers responded and observed Ross running between houses. While an officer was following Ross in a squad car, Ross pointed a firearm and shot in the direction of the officer. Ross was located hiding under a vehicle. A loaded SCCY handgun and a spent casing were found in the area. Ross had baggies of cocaine and heroin, a loaded magazine, and a large quantity of cash on his person. He has been charged in state court in La Crosse for the shooting incident surrounding his arrest. At all relevant times, Ross was out on bond for a 2019 Milwaukee County case which involved possession of a firearm by a felon and felony drug possession.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson highlighted Ross’s firearm possession and that his involvement with multiple different firearms was particularly aggravating. Judge Peterson noted that the allegation that Ross discharged a firearm was especially concerning.
Co-defendant Lee Strawder pleaded guilty on June 22 to possessing a firearm as a felon. He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing before Judge Peterson on October 6, 2022. Strawder faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The charges against Ross were the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The La Crosse County District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson is prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Keene Woman Pleads Guilty to Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Aria DiMezzo, 35, of Keene, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between June 2020 and January 2021, DiMezzo operated a business in New Hampshire through which she exchanged fiat currency (mostly United States dollars) for virtual currency for a fee. DiMezzo recruited customers on websites, including localbitcoins.com, who sent money to her through bank accounts opened in her name and in the name of the Reformed Satanic Church, an organization she created. DiMezzo then sent customers bitcoin or other virtual currency in return. DiMezzo sold more than $1.5 million worth of virtual currency through the bank accounts that she operated as part of the business. DiMezzo did not register her business as a money transmitting business and she did not comply with any of the various regulations imposed on money transmitting businesses. For example, at no time did DiMezzo file currency transaction reports for transactions over $10,000, or suspicious activity reports for transactions over $2,000 that may involve funds derived from illegal activity, among other things.
DiMezzo is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, 2022.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team also assisted in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. MacDonald, John J. Kennedy, and Seth R. Aframe.
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Justice Department Secures Settlement with Iowa School District Concerning Discriminatory Seclusion and Restraint PracticesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced today a settlement agreement with the Cedar Rapids Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to address the discriminatory use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities.
The department’s investigation found that the school district inappropriately and repeatedly secluded and restrained students with disabilities as early as kindergarten in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department concluded that instead of meeting the needs of students with disabilities that affect their behavior, the school district subdued them through unnecessary restraints and improper confinement alone in small seclusion rooms, sometimes multiple times in one day and often for excessive periods of time. As a result of these practices, some students lost hundreds of hours of instructional time. The investigation also found that the school district did not end seclusion where students showed signs of crisis or trauma, or when there was no longer any threat of harm. Under the settlement agreement, the Cedar Rapids Community School District has voluntarily agreed to end the use of seclusion, reform its restraint practices, and improve its staff training on anticipating, appropriately addressing and de-escalating students’ disability-related behavior through appropriate behavioral interventions.
“Students with disabilities should not be subjected to discriminatory and abusive seclusion and restraint practices that deny them equal access to education,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When schools isolate and unlawfully restrain children with disabilities, rather than provide them with the supports needed for success in the classroom, they violate the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Our agreement puts the Cedar Rapids Community School District on a path to significant institutional change and reform. We will continue working to ensure that school districts across the country are taking all steps needed to provide every student access to a safe and supportive learning environment.”
“Each and every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy T. Duax for the Northern District of Iowa. “Our office, in partnership with the department’s Civil Rights Division, will vigorously investigate allegations of discrimination on the basis of disability in all settings, including in our public schools. I am heartened by the district’s commitment to this landmark agreement, which will undoubtedly improve the education and everyday lives of many students in our community.”
The school district fully cooperated throughout the investigation. Under the settlement agreement, the school district will implement reforms needed to ensure that its practices do not discriminate against students with disabilities. The district will, among other steps:
- End its use of seclusion;
- Limit its use of restraints, revise its restraint procedures and practices, and consistently implement those procedures and practices in all schools;
- Report all instances of restraint and evaluate if they were justified;
- Offer counseling and other services to students who are restrained;
- Adopt policies and procedures to assess suicide risk, prevent suicide and self-harm, and implement immediate crisis intervention for students who threaten or engage in self-harm;
- Designate trained staff to collect and analyze restraint data and oversee the creation of appropriate behavior intervention plans;
- Deliver appropriate training and resources to help schools implement the agreement; and
- Hire two new administrators to oversee schools’ use of restraint, if any, and ensure the district’s compliance with the agreement and Title II of the ADA.
Enforcement of Title II of the ADA is a priority of the Civil Rights Division. This agreement, obtained jointly by the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, is the most recent in a series of Civil Rights Division settlements to address and prevent unlawful seclusion and restraint of students with disabilities in public schools. In December 2021, for example, the division reached an agreement with the Frederick County Public School District in Maryland, in which the school district agreed to prohibit the use of seclusion in district schools and take proactive steps to ensure that its practices do not discriminate against students with disabilities. In December 2020, the division reached a similar agreement with the North Gibson School Corporation in Indiana. These and other matters build on the department’s steadfast commitment to ensuring educational equity and protection of students with disabilities.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. To learn more about the Section’s work under the ADA to combat improper seclusion in schools, visit this website: https://www.justice.gov/schoolseclusion.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
Justice Department Secures Settlement with Iowa School District Concerning Discriminatory Seclusion and Restraint PracticesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced today a settlement agreement with the Cedar Rapids Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to address the discriminatory use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities.
The department’s investigation found that the school district inappropriately and repeatedly secluded and restrained students with disabilities as early as kindergarten in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department concluded that instead of meeting the needs of students with disabilities that affect their behavior, the school district subdued them through unnecessary restraints and improper confinement alone in small seclusion rooms, sometimes multiple times in one day and often for excessive periods of time. As a result of these practices, some students lost hundreds of hours of instructional time. The investigation also found that the school district did not end seclusion where students showed signs of crisis or trauma, or when there was no longer any threat of harm. Under the settlement agreement, the Cedar Rapids Community School District has voluntarily agreed to end the use of seclusion, reform its restraint practices, and improve its staff training on anticipating, appropriately addressing and de-escalating students’ disability-related behavior through appropriate behavioral interventions.
“Students with disabilities should not be subjected to discriminatory and abusive seclusion and restraint practices that deny them equal access to education,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When schools isolate and unlawfully restrain children with disabilities, rather than provide them with the supports needed for success in the classroom, they violate the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Our agreement puts the Cedar Rapids Community School District on a path to significant institutional change and reform. We will continue working to ensure that school districts across the country are taking all steps needed to provide every student access to a safe and supportive learning environment.”
“Each and every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy T. Duax for the Northern District of Iowa. “Our office, in partnership with the department’s Civil Rights Division, will vigorously investigate allegations of discrimination on the basis of disability in all settings, including in our public schools. I am heartened by the district’s commitment to this landmark agreement, which will undoubtedly improve the education and everyday lives of many students in our community.”
The school district fully cooperated throughout the investigation. Under the settlement agreement, the school district will implement reforms needed to ensure that its practices do not discriminate against students with disabilities. The district will, among other steps:
• End its use of seclusion;
• Limit its use of restraints, revise its restraint procedures and practices, and consistently implement those procedures and practices in all schools;
• Report all instances of restraint and evaluate if they were justified;
• Offer counseling and other services to students who are restrained;
• Adopt policies and procedures to assess suicide risk, prevent suicide and self-harm, and implement immediate crisis intervention for students who threaten or engage in self-harm;
• Designate trained staff to collect and analyze restraint data and oversee the creation of appropriate behavior intervention plans;
• Deliver appropriate training and resources to help schools implement the agreement; and
• Hire two new administrators to oversee schools’ use of restraint, if any, and ensure the district’s compliance with the agreement and Title II of the ADA.
Enforcement of Title II of the ADA is a priority of the Civil Rights Division. This agreement, obtained jointly by the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, is the most recent in a series of Civil Rights Division settlements to address and prevent unlawful seclusion and restraint of students with disabilities in public schools. In December 2021, for example, the division reached an agreement with the Frederick County Public School District in Maryland, in which the school district agreed to prohibit the use of seclusion in district schools and take proactive steps to ensure that its practices do not discriminate against students with disabilities. In December 2020, the division reached a similar agreement with the North Gibson School Corporation in Indiana. These and other matters build on the department’s steadfast commitment to ensuring educational equity and protection of students with disabilities.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at https://www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. To learn more about the Section’s work under the ADA to combat improper seclusion in schools, visit this website: https://www.justice.gov/schoolseclusion.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
View the letter summarizing the investigation findings here. View the agreement here. View a plain language summary of the agreement here.
Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Disability Discrimination Suit Against San Juan, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today intervened in a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by individuals with mobility disabilities against the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The department’s complaint alleges that San Juan fails to provide people with mobility disabilities equal access to the city’s public sidewalk system.
The department’s complaint alleges that there are widespread accessibility issues with San Juan’s sidewalks, including curb ramps that are cracked, too steep or nonexistent, and walkways that are uneven, too narrow, or obstructed by bollards, utility poles or other obstacles. The department’s allegations are based on findings by the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Civil Rights as well as corroborating evidence developed in a subsequent investigation conducted by the department.
Both San Juan and the plaintiffs consented to the department’s intervention in the proceedings. The department has already participated in productive discussions with the parties and hopes for San Juan’s continued cooperation in reaching a resolution that brings the city into compliance with the ADA and Section 504.
“The ADA’s employment, transportation, and public accommodation protections provide little benefit to people with mobility disabilities if they cannot safely navigate a city’s streets and sidewalks,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit aims to ensure that San Juan meets its obligations under federal law to ensure that its public sidewalk system is accessible to people with disabilities.”
“The ADA and Section 504 require that individuals with disabilities have equal access to city sidewalks so that they can fully participate in community life,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We are committed to ensuring that San Juan takes the necessary steps to make its sidewalks, curb ramps and crosswalks accessible to all city residents and visitors, and confident that we can work with the city and the plaintiffs to secure a meaningful resolution of this civil action.”
The motion and complaint seeking intervention were jointly filed by the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. The department also previously filed a statement of interest in this matter.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800‑514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report.
Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Disability Discrimination Suit Against San Juan, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today intervened in a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by individuals with mobility disabilities against the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The department’s complaint alleges that San Juan fails to provide people with mobility disabilities equal access to the city’s public sidewalk system.
The department’s complaint alleges that there are widespread accessibility issues with San Juan’s sidewalks, including curb ramps that are cracked, too steep or nonexistent, and walkways that are uneven, too narrow, or obstructed by bollards, utility poles or other obstacles. The department’s allegations are based on findings by the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Civil Rights as well as corroborating evidence developed in a subsequent investigation conducted by the department.
Both San Juan and the plaintiffs consented to the department’s intervention in the proceedings. The department has already participated in productive discussions with the parties and hopes for San Juan’s continued cooperation in reaching a resolution that brings the city into compliance with the ADA and Section 504.
“The ADA’s employment, transportation, and public accommodation protections provide little benefit to people with mobility disabilities if they cannot safely navigate a city’s streets and sidewalks,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit aims to ensure that San Juan meets its obligations under federal law to ensure that its public sidewalk system is accessible to people with disabilities.”
“The ADA and Section 504 require that individuals with disabilities have equal access to city sidewalks so that they can fully participate in community life,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We are committed to ensuring that San Juan takes the necessary steps to make its sidewalks, curb ramps and crosswalks accessible to all city residents and visitors, and confident that we can work with the city and the plaintiffs to secure a meaningful resolution of this civil action.”
The motion and complaint seeking intervention were jointly filed by the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. The department also previously filed a statement of interest in this matter.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800‑514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
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Jefferson City Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Jefferson City man was sentenced in federal court today for drug trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm.
Mark Allan Moots, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On April 19, 2022, Moots pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Jefferson City police officers executed a search warrant at Moots’s residence on June 26, 2020. Moots, who was arrested, was found attempting to hide in a bathroom shower. Officers found a loaded .410 Mossberg shotgun and .8 grams of methamphetamine in the dining room. Officers also found a backpack in the living room that contained 177 grams of pure methamphetamine and a loaded Ruger .380-caliber handgun. Officers found 2.4 grams of methamphetamine in the pocket of a pair of shorts in the laundry room and approximately 576 grams of packaged marijuana in the bedroom.
According to court documents, Moots has an extensive criminal history that includes numerous felony drug convictions and a conviction for a firearm offense.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, Jacques Ramon Brown, 40, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Jackson Police Department on July 2, 2021. Brown has several prior felony convictions. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Brown to possess a firearm.
Brown pled guilty on May 31, 2022 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Jackson Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case.
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.