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Tuesday 26 July 2022
Waterloo Man Sentenced for Possessing Marijuana He Intended to DistributeRead the Press Release
A man who possessed marijuana he planned to distribute and possessed multiple firearms was sentenced today in federal court.
Jeremy Jay Smith, age 33, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the sentence after a March 15, 2022, jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Evidence at trial showed that law enforcement officers searched Smith’s home on September 12, 2020, after Smith had posted videos of himself with marijuana and guns on social media. During the search, officers found over 600 grams of marijuana that Smith planned to distribute to others. In close proximity to the marijuana, officers also found two handguns, as well as numerous other long guns that were also in the same room as the marijuana.
Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Smith was sentenced to serve a 5 year term of probation and fined $1000.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Devra Hake and Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-2041.
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Waterbury Drug Distributor Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHERMAN PETERS, also known as “Red,” 37, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 41 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a narcotics distribution conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2020, the DEA New Haven Task Force and Waterbury Police Department began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large amounts of heroin, cocaine and crack in the Waterbury area, and was believed to be headed by Zachary Lee Foster, who worked closely with Jason Metz and James Grant. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones used by members of the organization, physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, and motor vehicle stops that resulted in the seizure of drugs. Between December 2020 and January 2021, Peters was intercepted multiple times on a wiretap ordering heroin, cocaine and crack from Foster. Peters then sold the drugs to his own customers.
On March 1, 2021, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Peters, Foster, Metz, Grant and 13 others.
On March 3, 2021, in association with the arrests of several members of this conspiracy, law enforcement executed seven search warrants and seized approximately 40,000 bags of suspected heroin, 350 grams of cocaine and 50 grams of crack cocaine, and nine firearms
Peters has been detained since his arrest on March 9, 2021. On March 31, 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Foster, Metz and Grant also pleaded guilty. Metz, of Naugatuck, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment, and Grant, of Waterbury, was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment. Foster awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department. The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick F. Caruso and Brendan Keefe 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.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Waterbury for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
Violent Felon Sentenced for Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on Oct. 6, 2017, Demetrius Antwon McGregor, 37, was arrested on a warrant in front of his apartment by members of the Norfolk Police Department Fugitive Unit and a Deputy U.S. Marshal. They recovered a loaded Sig Sauer handgun from his waistband. McGregor is a 9-time convicted violent felon, with prior convictions for both malicious and unlawful wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, attempted robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery as well as four convictions for maliciously shooting into an occupied vehicle.
As part of an investigation into his involvement in a suspected murder, investigators obtained a search warrant for McGregor’s apartment, where he was staying with his mother, and found in the bedroom closet 18 bags of cocaine; two assault rifles, one of which was loaded and had been reported stolen; four additional large-capacity magazines; dozens of rounds of .45 and 9mm caliber ammunition; and two digital scales. The investigators also recovered from under the bedroom mattress a Sig Sauer .45 caliber magazine designed for the gun taken from his waistband, two additional digital scales sitting out in the open on top of a cabinet, and shoes that McGregor had previously photographed himself wearing and had posted on his Facebook page along with multiple photos of himself standing in front of his residence months before the arrest and search. The .45 caliber ammunition from the closet and in the magazine under the mattress matched the brand of the ammunition in the handgun recovered from McGregor.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; and Mike Goldsmith, Interim Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. Chief District Judge Davis.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William B. Jackson and Joseph E. DePadilla prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-34.
Vermilion County Resident Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for CounterfeitingRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – Jacob R. Kirkley, 45, of the 100 block of North Vermilion Street in Potomac, Illinois, has been sentenced to twenty-seven months in the federal Bureau of Prisons for counterfeiting U.S. Currency and passing counterfeit U.S. Currency.
Kirkley pleaded guilty on January 26, 2022, to one count of manufacturing U.S. currency and two counts of passing U.S. currency. At the plea hearing, held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Kirkley admitted that, on May 17, 2020, a Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy found over $20,000 of counterfeit U.S. currency in his truck. In June of 2020, Kirkley passed counterfeit currency at Carnaghi’s Towing and McDonald’s in Danville, Illinois and, in July of 2020, he passed counterfeit currency at Dollar General in Tilton, Illinois. A Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Kirkley on an outstanding warrant on July 23, 2020. At the time of the arrest, deputies found over $20,000 counterfeit U.S. currency, four printers, a paper cutter, and numerous counterfeit-making implements in Kirkley’s truck and in a hotel room at the Budget Inn in Danville, Illinois.
The statutory penalties for both manufacturing and passing counterfeit currency are up to 20 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
At the sentencing hearing on July 25, 2022, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller, who represented the government in the prosecution, requested a sentence of imprisonment to reflect “the public policy interest in protecting the integrity of government obligations.” In addition to imposing a sentence of twenty-seven months of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce ordered Kirkley to serve a three-year term of federal supervised release following imprisonment and to pay a mandatory $300 special assessment.
The case investigation was conducted by the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service, Springfield Office.
Three in Lebanon Charged in Schemes to Smuggle Weapons from Cleveland and Income Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Federal law enforcement officials announced today that three indictments were unsealed in federal court, detailing charges against three men, two formerly of Northeast Ohio, who are believed to be currently residing in Lebanon.
Named in the indictments are George Nakhle Ajaltouni, 47, formerly of North Olmsted; Jean Youssef Issa, 48, of Batroun, Lebanon; and Nakhle “Mike” Nader, 51, formerly of Cleveland. Ajaltouni and Issa are charged for their roles in a scheme to smuggle and illegally ship firearms from Cleveland to Lebanon. Nader is charged in a separate indictment with income tax evasion.
The FBI is seeking information that may lead to the arrests of George Ajaltouni and Nakhle “Mike” Nader. Jean Youssef Issa was recently arrested pursuant to a Red Notice issued by Interpol.
The three indictments describe separate schemes, one involving Ajaltouni and Issa; one involving Ajaltouni alone; and the other solely concerning Nader. While the schemes are separate, it is believed that Ajaltouni and Nader are acquaintances and that the two men are currently residing near Batroun, Lebanon. The indictments were originally filed between 2016 - 2019, and efforts to apprehend Ajaltouni and Nader remain ongoing.
Ajaltouni and Issa are officially charged with conspiracy to smuggle and illegally ship firearms, smuggling goods from the U.S., unlawful delivery of firearms to a common carrier, control of arms exports and imports and unlicensed dealing in firearms.
According to the indictment, it is alleged that from May 2011 to September 2014, Ajaltouni and Issa conspired together to smuggle hundreds of firearms from Cleveland to be resold in Lebanon. As part of the conspiracy, it is alleged that Ajaltouni purchased firearms from federal firearms dealers and private sellers throughout Northeast Ohio and elsewhere. In addition, the indictment states that Ajaltouni frequently attended gun shows and paid cash to purchase firearms from exhibitors.
It is further alleged that in order to ship the weapons, Ajaltouni purchased used automobiles from other individuals, which were then used to store and conceal firearms inside the doors and body panels of the vehicles. The indictment states that Issa then traveled from Lebanon to Cleveland to assist Ajaltouni with concealing the firearms in the vehicles for transportation via ship.
These vehicles were then shipped to Lebanon, where the firearms were retrieved and resold. Ajaltouni and Issa would then travel between Cleveland and Beirut to ensure the smuggled weapons arrived.
Ajaltouni is also charged in a separate indictment with naturalization fraud after obtaining naturalization and citizenship in 2009 that he was not entitled to nor eligible to receive.
Named in the third indictment unsealed today is Nakhle “Mike” Nader. Nader is charged with four counts of income tax evasion related to various businesses he owned and operated in Cuyahoga County.
According to the Nader indictment, it is alleged that from 2012 to 2015, Nader owned and managed the daily operations of three liquor stores in Cuyahoga County. During this time, Nader is accused of withholding information from his tax preparer regarding sources of additional income, debt forgiveness and using business monies to pay personal expenses.
It is alleged that Nader regularly used cash or funds from business bank accounts to pay for personal expenses, including rent, car payments, mortgage payments, parking, travel, dining, alimony, clothing, jewelry and more.
The FBI is asking that if anyone has information on the current whereabouts of Ajaltouni and/or Nader, to please contact the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-225-5324. Your identity can remain anonymous.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offenses and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum; in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); IRS Criminal Investigation; Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG); Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG); the Cleveland Division of Police and the North Olmsted Police conducted the investigation. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd, Matthew B. Kall and Robert J. Patton of the Northern District of Ohio.
Click here to view the FBI Wanted poster for George Nakhle Ajaltouni.
Click here to view the FBI Wanted poster for Nakhle "Mike" Nader.
Texas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the InternetRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a San Saba, Texas, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet was sentenced on July 8, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Cody Allen Green, age 39, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Green was ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100 and will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Green, formerly a member of the U.S. Air Force, was arrested and federally indicted following a Cybertip from Facebook in which he was seeking and obtaining images of child pornography from an unidentified 14-year-old girl. The Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce executed a search warrant on Green’s home and located multiple devices containing child pornography involving infants and/or toddlers.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Green was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Two Men Involved in Methamphetamine Ring SentencedRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced today that RICHARD CALVERT BROWN, age 37, of Casper, Wyoming, and JONATHAN FRANK KRANTZ, age 51, of Orland, California, were sentenced for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before Chief United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
Brown was sentenced on February 18, 2022, to 75 months’ imprisonment with four years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1600 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. Kranz was sentenced on July 18, 2022, to 75 months’ imprisonment with four years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an investigation into a methamphetamine distribution organization operating out of Casper, Wyoming in early 2021. Agents identified Brown as an individual in the organization that transported multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine and pounds of marijuana into Casper on a weekly basis for redistribution. The source of the drugs was identified as Krantz, who lived in California. Searches conducted in California and Wyoming yielded a seizure of methamphetamine and several firearms.
This crime was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the Glenn County Sheriff’s office in Glenn County, California. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie I. Sprecher prosecuted the case.
Case No. 21-cr-00100-SWS
Summerville, WVA Man Indicted for Attempted Coercion of a Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Summersville, West Virginia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activityplain language statement of offense described in indictment or generic description such as violating various federal laws or violating various federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Christopher Mills, 38, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, Mills attempted to coerce and entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Specifically, from May 2022 until July 2022, Mills did use a facility and means of interstate commerce, specifically the Internet and a cellular telephone network, to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity.
After chatting with an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old child for weeks on his cell phone and over the internet in an effort to entice the purported child to have sex, Mills traveled from his home in West Virginia to the Pittsburgh area to meet the purported child to engage in sexual activity. Mills went so far as to bring contraception and lingerie for the anticipated sexual encounter with a child.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Indicate relevant bond/detention information if known
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Statement of US Attorney Damian Williams on the Conviction of “Lottery Lawyer” Jason KurlandRead the Press Release
“Jason Kurland marketed himself to the public as the leading lottery lawyer in the country and was successful in recruiting as clients some of the biggest lottery winners in U.S. history. But then he used his position as a lawyer—a profession founded on duties of honesty and loyalty—to steer his clients to invest millions of dollars in companies that he secretly owned and took illegal kickbacks based on his clients’ investments without their knowledge. Ultimately, the defendant and his co-conspirators lined their own pockets while his clients suffered massive losses from their crimes. I want to thank the FBI and the career prosecutors of the Southern District of New York who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for his crimes.”
South Carolina Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Sending Firearms to New York FelonRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joshua Meighen, age 30, of Seneca, South Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to serve 72-months (six years) in federal prison for providing a firearm and ammunition to a convicted felon, and illegally transferring a firearm to an out of state resident, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
In addition to his six-year prison sentence, Meighen was also ordered to a serve a three-year term of supervised release after he is released from custody.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Joshua Meighen admitted that while he was living in South Carolina he contacted a Central New York resident who was known to Meighen as a convicted felon and arranged for a sale through the U.S mails of a Taurus 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition for $980.00. Meighen mailed the pistol and ammunition from South Carolina to Central New York, where it was recovered at a post office facility in Syracuse on October 14, 2021. After further investigation, ATF Special Agents executed a federal court search warrant at Meighen’s home in Seneca, South Carolina. He was arrested and returned to the Northern District of New York (Syracuse) for prosecution.
In pleading guilty, Meighen also admitted that he mailed a Phoenix Arms .22 caliber pistol and a Stoeger 9mm caliber pistol from South Carolina to a second New York felon in Binghamton, New York. Both firearms were seized on November 10, 2021, by the United States Postal Inspection Service through the execution of a federal search warrant.
Meighen, a former resident of New York State, has five previous felony convictions.
This case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force, and the Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard R. Southwick.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Spencer Peter Goth, age 24, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Goth was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 7, 2021. He pled guilty on May 5, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between April 12, 2018, and December 29, 2020, when Goth knowingly received child pornography over the internet. After searching the internet for child pornography, Goth saved the files containing child pornography onto his computer then transferred the files onto a thumb drive that was connected to his computer through a USB port. Goth knew the files contained child pornography before he chose to download and save them.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Goth was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for His Role in Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Larry James Zamora, age 40, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Zamora was indicted for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance by a federal grand jury on July 7, 2021. He pled guilty on April 20, 2022.
Beginning on or about December of 2020, and continuing until July 2021, Zamora reached an agreement to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine in the District of South Dakota. During his involvement in the conspiracy, he obtained methamphetamine and money from co-conspirators and distributed and transferred it to other co-conspirators. Zamora’s involvement in the conspiracy ended with his arrest on March 31, 2021, when law enforcement executed a search warrant on his home.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Zamora was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Felon in Possession of a Firearm was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Omot Musa Karlo, age 20, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Karlo was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 9, 2021. He pled guilty on May 5, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on August 31, 2021, as Karlo, who had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed a firearm, a Glock GmbH, Model 19X, 9x19mm Luger caliber, semi-automatic pistol. The firearm had previously been shipped and transported in interstate commerce before Karlo possessed it.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Karlo was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Escape from Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
A man who failed to report to a residential reentry center in Sioux City was sentenced on July 22, 2022, to more than 2 years in federal prison.
Charles Lee Cook, age 39, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a February 23, 2022, guilty plea to one count of escape from federal custody.
At the guilty plea, Cook admitted that on December 30, 2021, he signed and dated his Federal Bureau of Prison's furlough paperwork acknowledging the conditions of his furlough. On January 12, 2022, he departed the Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Florence located in Florence, Colorado on furlough. According to the conditions of furlough, he was required to arrive at Dismas Charities, a residential reentry center, halfway house in Sioux City, no later than 10:30 p.m. that evening. He failed to report.
On January 13, 2022, Dismas Charities notified FCI Florence that Cook did not arrive at Dismas Charities and his whereabouts were unknown. Cook was arrested by law enforcement at 2800 West 4th Street in Sioux City on January 19, 2022.
After a federal conviction for failure to register as a sex offender, defendant was sentenced to 41 months in prison with 5 years of supervised released on August 29, 2019, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa Case Number CR19-4006.
Cook was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Cook was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Cook 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 Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by the United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-4007.
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Second Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Paycheck Protection Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Virginia man who laundered over $900,000 in fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loan proceeds was sentenced on July 20, 2022, to more than three years in federal prison. Benjamin Sakyi, age 31, from Dumfries, Virginia, originally from Accra, Ghana, received the prison term after a February 8, 2022 guilty plea to one count of money laundering conspiracy.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted in late March 2020 that provided emergency financial assistance, including Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) funds, to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence at Sakyi’s sentencing and other hearings showed that Sakyi received over $900,000 in fraudulently obtained CARES Act funds at three different financial institutions in the names of two Virginia corporations, Blue Flight Logistics LLC and NKB Enterprise LLC. Sakyi then transferred the funds elsewhere. Before laundering the CARES Act funds, multiple financial institutions had closed Sakyi’s accounts over the years due to his banking activity, which included over $3.5 million in incoming and outgoing financial transactions.
Sakyi received the CARES Act funds from a Northwest Iowa man, Donald Franklin Trosin. Over 20 fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications were submitted to the Small Business Administration in the name of Trosin and another individual at Minnesota and Iowa financial institutions. One of the applications falsely represented that Trosin had 120 employees on his payroll and over $5 million in payroll expenses when, in truth, Trosin did not operate a business at all. Trosin then transferred much of the proceeds of the fraudulently obtained loans to Sakyi, who, as indicated, transferred the funds elsewhere.
Sakyi was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Sakyi was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $1,093,400.00 in restitution. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Trosin received a 40-month prison sentence in July 2021 for his role in the money laundering conspiracy.
“One of our utmost priorities is to ensure that CARES Act funds get to American Citizens in need. IRS:CI is committed to investigating fraud related to CARES Act programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation. “This defendant laundered over $900,000 in CARES Act funds. IRS:CI, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to combat and prevent this type of pandemic-related fraud.” “Attempting to defraud any SBA program undermines the spirit and true intent of uplifting the nation’s small business community,” said SBA OIG’s Central Region Special Agent in Charge Sharon Johnson. “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.” After the sentencing, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “Benjamin Sakyi used the COVID pandemic to defraud the U.S. government of more than $900,000 dollars in CARES Act funds that were intended for legitimate businesses struggling to remain operational. The FBI and our federal partners will continue to protect the integrity of federal assistance funds by identifying, investigating, and bringing to justice those who use a pandemic to fill their own pockets.” Acting United States Attorney Timothy T. Duax stated, “Sakyi and Trosin callously took advantage of emergency financial assistance that Congress intended to provide to businesses struggling to stay afloat during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The district court’s sentences serve as a stark warning and deterrent to those who would be tempted to engage in similar activity.”
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department's response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Sakyi 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 Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-4013. The case file number for Donald Trosin’s case is 20-CR-4066.
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San Xavier Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Voluntary Manslaughter and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –Gilbert Martinez Jose, 22, of San Xavier, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 19 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Jose was previously found guilty by a federal jury on one count of Voluntary Manslaughter, one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and one count of Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence.
On September 29, 2018, Jose, an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, shot and killed a Tohono O’odham man. He also shot at a Tohono O’odham woman, who was uninjured. The offenses occurred on the Tohono O’odham Nation in San Xavier, Arizona.
The Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances M. Kreamer Hope and Matthew C. Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-2313-TUC-CKJ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-124_Jose# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
San Diego Man Pleads Guilty After Fatally Stabbing BoyfriendRead the Press Release
A San Diego man who stabbed his boyfriend 93 times pleaded guilty today to a federal crime, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Alexander Yoichi Duberek, 25, was indicted in September 2021. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of interstate domestic violence resulting in death.
“This defendant plotted the murder of an innocent young man, methodically purchasing equipment, locating a stretch of desolate road, and stabbing the victim nearly eight dozen times,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “Not every brutal domestic homicide falls within federal jurisdiction, but when it does, we are determined to use whatever tools we have to bring the perpetrator to justice. Mr. Duberek now faces the possibility of a life behind bars pondering his evil act.”
According to plea papers, Mr. Duberek admitted that on Oct. 31, 2020, he traveled from his home in San Diego to his boyfriend’s home in Plainview, Texas, where he committed the fatal stabbing on the side of a rural farm road.
Mr. Duberek admitted that after arriving at the Lubbock airport that evening, he took a cab to a Sam’s Club parking lot where he purchased a Toyota Camry for $3,000 cash. He then drove to a Walmart, where he purchased a knife, a hatchet, a gas can, a collapsible shovel, a head lamp, a change of clothing, boots, personal hygiene items, and a first aid kit.
He then murdered his 30-year-old boyfriend and dumped his body.
Following the murder, Mr. Duberek fled to Houston, where he sold the vehicle used in the murder to an individual outside an auto auction. Investigators later searched the vehicle and found blood in the back seat that matched the victim.
The defendant remained at large for roughly five months before turning himself in to San Diego law enforcement on March 18, 2021. While being booked into jail, he was asked about a tattoo of his boyfriend’s first name on his ring finger; he answered that it was the name of the person he had killed.
Mr. Duberek now faces up to life in federal prison.
The Hale County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Rangers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas and San Diego Field Offices conducted the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dallas Field Office and the Texas Highway Patrol’s Houston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Woolam and Sean Long are prosecuting the case.
Rome Man Sentenced to 200 Months for Receiving and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Mayhew, age 56, of Rome, New York, was sentenced today to serve 200 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
As part of his guilty plea, Mayhew admitted that in December of 2018 he took photographs of a six-year-old child naked in a bathroom using a cellular telephone, including images that captured the child’s genitals. Mayhew also admitted that in 1993 and 1994 he secretly video recorded three children under the age of 12 in his home, again capturing videos of them naked and in two instances with their genitals visible. He further admitted that from 2010 to 2015 he downloaded from the internet numerous graphic video files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Finally, Mayhew admitted that in March of 2019 he possessed 184 images of child pornography on an electronic storage device in his home, and he also possessed on two separate VHS tapes the sexually explicit videos he took in 1993 and 1994.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 30 year term of supervised release, which will start after Mayhew is released from prison, and ordered Mayhew to pay a $400 special assessment, a $30,000 fine, an additional special assessment of $5,000 and a Child Pornography assessment of $17,000. Mayhew will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Oneida County Sherriff’s Office, Rome Police Department, Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, New York State Police, and the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Repeat smuggler fleeing with law enforcement on car door heads to prisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 49-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of smuggling undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Alex Chamie pleaded guilty April 21.
Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ordered Chamie to serve 51 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional details that described Chamie’s extensive criminal history including 11 burglaries, nine thefts and two drug convictions among other criminal misconduct. In handing down the sentence, the court noted he was also previously convicted of conspiring to transport undocumented aliens in 2018.
On Feb. 23, law enforcement observed multiple individuals moving in brush on the side of U.S. Highway 281 north of a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located near Falfurrias. At that time, Chamie pulled over near the group. They ran out of the brush and loaded into the car.
Authorities attempted to stop the vehicle. However, the car failed to yield and increased speed. Eventually, the car pulled over to the shoulder of the road and the individuals fled into the brush.
Chamie ignored commands to place his car in park and attempted to flee, but law enforcement was holding on to the driver’s side door. They subdued him and turned off the vehicle. A search revealed a black pepper spray gun resembling a firearm tucked into his waistband.
Later, authorities found four individuals all determined to be illegally present in the country.
Chamie will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour prosecuted the case.
Readout of Justice Department Leadership Meeting with Reproductive and Civil Rights OrganizationsRead the Press Release
Yesterday afternoon, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta met with representatives from reproductive rights, health, and justice groups and other civil rights organizations. During the meeting, Department leadership heard from the organizations about the impact of Dobbs across the country, including on communities of color and other vulnerable communities attempting to access reproductive healthcare. Associate Attorney General Gupta, who chairs the Department’s Reproductive Rights Task Force, updated participants on the Task Force’s work and discussed the Department’s ongoing efforts to protect reproductive freedom.
The Justice Department also launched a webpage today, www.justice.gov/reproductive-rights, to provide a centralized online resource of the Department’s work to protect access to comprehensive health services.
Reading Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Travelling to his Native Dominican Republic to Engage in Illicit Sex with a Child for YearsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Valentin Ortiz, 73, of Reading, PA, was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $10,000 restitution by United States District Court Judge John M. Gallagher for repeatedly traveling to the Dominican Republic to engage in a sexual relationship with a 12 year old child, with whom he eventually fathered two children.
In November 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of travel in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and two counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. The charges arose from an investigation which began when the defendant, a naturalized United States citizen, applied to bring his spouse to the U.S. by filing paperwork with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in June 2018. The defendant listed August 2013 as the date of their marriage, when his spouse and victim was 18 and he was 65 years old. Investigators discovered that beginning in 2007, when the defendant was 59 and the victim was just 12 years old, he pursued and maintained a sexual relationship with her when he traveled to the Dominican Republic. This ongoing illicit sexual relationship led to the victim becoming pregnant with their two children, when she was 13 and 15 years old, respectively.
“Valentin Ortiz is a sexual predator who targeted a very young and vulnerable victim, travelling internationally so he could prey on this child without the same legal consequences as he might face in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “But as a U.S. citizen, he is prohibited from engaging in such abhorrent conduct abroad, and accordingly, he has now been held accountable for his crimes.”
“Catching international predators requires international reach. When it comes to these types of cases, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is a premier U.S. government agency working to track, arrest, and convict these appalling criminals,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for the HSI Philadelphia Field Office. “This case shows how HSI Philadelphia, along with our colleagues in the Dominican Republic, collaborated closely and stopped at nothing in pursuit of a dangerous sexual predator of children.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man was sentenced on July 18, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken. Lebeau was previously convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, following a two-day jury trial in federal court in March 2022.
Montgomery LeBeau, age 41, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lebeau was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2022. The conviction stems from Lebeau, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, knowingly possessing a Hi-Point, model JCP, .40 Smith & Wesson caliber, semi-automatic pistol, which was found after Lebeau came into contact with law enforcement in October 2021 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Lebeau was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Charged with Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Caleb Waukechon, age 26, was indicted on June 23, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on July 18, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge stems from Waukechon, an unlawful user of a controlled substance, knowingly possessing a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in November 2021 in Rapid City. The charge is merely an accusation and Waukechon is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Waukechon was detained pending trial. A trial date has been scheduled for September 20, 2022.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Firearm by a Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman convicted of Possession of Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on July 7, 2022, by Judge Karen E. Schreier, U.S. District Court.
Wallace Cody Daugherty, age 29, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Daugherty was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2021. He pleaded guilty on December 8, 2021.
The conviction stems from Daugherty, who was an unlawful user of a controlled substance and prohibited from possessing firearms, approaching his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot of the Pine Ridge IHS Hospital on September 24, 2020, while in possession of a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol. As she attempted to drive away, Daugherty fired multiple rounds at her vehicle, striking it multiple times.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.
Daugherty was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Piedmont Infusion Services of Danville and Its Owner, Jacob Patterson, to Pay False Claims Act SettlementRead the Press Release
DANVILLE, Va. – Piedmont Infusion Services and its owner, Jacob Patterson, have agreed to pay $310,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act by submitting false bills to Medicare and Medicaid.
Jacob Patterson, 66 of Danville, Virginia, was a pharmacist who owned and operated Piedmont Infusion Services, a pharmacy-based infusion center located at 111 Mall Drive Danville, Va. 24540, that employed nurses and nursing assistants to provide patients with not only compounded prescriptions but also needle and catheter method medications ordered by their physician. Piedmont Infusion Services did not employ a physician or “physician extender” such as a physician’s assistant to provide patient care.
From 2013 through the beginning of 2018, Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services falsely and knowingly billed Medicare and Medicaid for high-level office visits that simply did not occur. They consistently and improperly billed for CPT code 99215, which is only appropriate when a physician or other qualified medical professional provides evaluation and management of an established patient who presents problems of moderate to high severity. To be appropriate, the appointment must include at least two of these three key components: a comprehensive history, a comprehensive examination, and/or medical decision-making of high complexity. Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services did not provide this care to patients, nor could they have appropriately done so because they did not employ a physician or other qualified medical professional to provide this care.
In addition to falsely billing for non-existent high-level office visits, Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services also knowingly and fraudulently double-billed Medicare Part B for medications already billed to Medicare Part D.
“Providers who fraudulently bill Medicare defy basic requirements for their participation in the program and wrongfully attempt to collect taxpayer funds,” said United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh. “Here, because a former employee came forward, we learned that patients were not receiving the care that Jacob Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services claimed to provide. They also did not receive some of the medications for which the government paid. Providers must honestly represent the drugs and services provided and follow the rules in place to protect patient safety. To do otherwise is fraud. My Office will hold accountable anyone who seeks to cut corners by defrauding American taxpayers and risking harm to patients.”
“I am proud of my office’s great working relationship with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Department of Medical Assistance Services to combat abuse committed against the Virginia Medicaid program. Medicaid fraud can happen anywhere, to anyone. Together, we are committed to holding the bad actors that abuse Virginians accountable,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.
A former employee of Piedmont Infusion Services came forward as a whistleblower and assisted the government in investigating this matter. The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against Piedmont Infusion Services and Patterson. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Knowles v. Piedmont Infusion Services, Inc. and Jacob Patterson, Civil Action No. 4:17-CV-00082 (W.D. Va.).
Assistant United States Attorney Sara Bugbee, and Ray Bowman and Caitlyn Huffstutter, Assistant Attorneys General in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, handled this case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
North Platte Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Merrill Johnston, 38, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Johnston to 168 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On September 13, 2019, officers from the North Platte Police Department were called to Johnston’s apartment for a domestic disturbance. Officers secured the residence for a search warrant. The search revealed 400 grams of actual methamphetamine in the apartment and a firearm was located under the couch. In addition, $7,100.00 in U.S. currency was seized and forfeited to the United States.
This case was investigated by the North Platte Police Department.
New Haven Jury Finds Two Drug Traffickers GuiltyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in New Haven has found TAJH WILEY, also known as “Yung,” 26, of Norwalk, and JEVAUGHN WATSON, also known as “Russ,” 28, of Ansonia, guilty of drug trafficking offenses.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton began on July 13 and the jury returned the guilty verdicts yesterday afternoon.
This matter stems from an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force into a drug trafficking organization headed by Wiley. The investigation, which included a court-authorized wiretap of Wiley’s phone, revealed that Wiley conspired to distribute quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana and distributed drugs throughout Connecticut and elsewhere with the assistance of other associates.
Wiley, Watson, and six others were arrested in June 2021. In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized approximately a kilogram of fentanyl, a kilogram of cocaine, approximately 83 grams of crack cocaine, more than 12 pounds of marijuana, two press machines and other items and materials used by Wiley and his co-conspirators to process and package illegal drugs. Investigators also seized from Wiley jewelry valued at more than $100,000, and a 2021 Mercedes-Benz valued at approximately $146,000.
The jury found Wiley guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and marijuana, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack cocaine”). At sentencing he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. Watson was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for October 12, 2022.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bridgeport Police Department, Fairfield Police Department, Norwalk Police Department, Stamford Police Department, Stratford Police Department, Yonkers (New York) Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. The HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford and Danbury Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elena L. Coronado, Robert S. Dearington, Patrick J. Doherty, and Margaret M. Donovan 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.
Mission Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Travis Peneaux, age 46, was sentenced to time served since November 14, 2021, through August 11, 2022, equal to approximately 9 months in custody, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Peneaux was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 14, 2021. He pled guilty on April 28, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on November 14, 2021, while Peneaux was in custody at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Adult Correctional Facility in Todd County, South Dakota. Peneaux was in a day room when he began yelling. When he was told by a corrections officer to return to his cell and calm down, Peneaux kicked the corrections officer in the face.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Peneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Michigan Man Convicted of Armed Drug Trafficking and Attempted RobberyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. - A Flint, Michigan, man was found guilty Monday, by a federal jury sitting in London, of armed drug trafficking and attempted robbery.
After two hours of deliberation, following a five-day trial, the jury convicted 39-year-old Charles Ray Edwards of heroin trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy to distribute both substances, felon in possession of a firearm, use of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking, and for his role in an attempted Hobbs Act robbery at a convenience store. His trafficking and robbery offenses involved three shooting victims, including the death of a bystander in the convenience store.
According to testimony at trial, Edwards was dealing heroin and fentanyl in Southeastern Kentucky region. As part of his drug trafficking crimes, Edwards wounded two individuals in a shooting incident in Knox County. Then, during the attempted robbery, a bystander in the store was shot and killed. Edwards has a prior felony conviction, and was prohibited from possessing firearms
Edwards was indicted in February 2021.
“After hearing the evidence, the jury was convinced that the defendant was an armed and violent offender, who was involved in three shootings – and the death of a bystander in a store,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “We are hopeful that this verdict will provide some sense of justice to the victims; we are grateful for the critical support of our law enforcement partners, without whom this verdict would not have been possible; and we are pleased that the defendant will now face the consequences of his conduct.”
“The combined efforts of Kentucky State Police and ATF have helped bring a very dangerous individual to justice,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division. “ATF will continue to seek justice for the victims of these violent acts and work to make our communities safer.”
United States Attorney Shier; ATF SAC Morrow; and Colonel Phillip Burnett Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the guilty verdict.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and KSP. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman.
Edwards will appear for sentencing on November 17, 2022. He faces a maximum of Life in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.
This case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Methuen Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Methuen man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to armed bank robbery.
Caio Costa, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Oct. 31, 2022. Costa was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2021.
“Mr. Costa terrorized the employees and patrons of a local community bank, all in pursuit of greed. His dangerous actions put lives at serious risk, from brandishing a firearm during the robbery to his reckless efforts to evade police,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Thanks to the brave and dogged work of dedicated law enforcement officers, Mr. Costa is now in custody and facing significant prison time.”
“Caio Costa terrorized innocent bank tellers and bystanders just trying to go about their daily lives. In committing this armed robbery, and in leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase afterwards, this serial bank robber has repeatedly demonstrated why he is a significant threat to public safety,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “FBI Boston’s Violent Crimes Task Force is committed to taking violent criminals like him off the street, to keep them from victimizing anyone else.”
On Sept. 25, 2020, Costa, armed with a loaded revolver and donning a black motorcycle helmet, entered a branch of the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury. Inside the bank, Costa brandished a black revolver and stole over $7,000. Costa then fled on a motorcycle leading to a high-speed chase with law enforcement, reaching speeds up to 100 m.p.h. Costa eventually crashed the motorcycle in Lawrence and escaped on foot. Law enforcement later located the motorcycle helmet and clothing consistent with that worn by Costa during the robbery. The next day, Costa was arrested at a Salem, N.H. motel at which time he was in possession of a large sum of cash.
During an interview with law enforcement, Costa admitted to robbing the Salem Five Bank three days earlier and committing other armed bank robberies between August and September 2020. He also directed law enforcement to a dumpster where a loaded black revolver, black gloves, a black backpack and other items of clothing used during the robbery were recovered.
The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence provides for a mandatory sentence of seven years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the armed robbery charges. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins; FBI SAC Bonavolonta; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan M. Columbus; Barry Golner, Interim Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department; Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Desmond; and Chelmsford Police Chief James M. Spinney made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Mason City Man Sentence to Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
A Mason City man who was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin with his father, and a separate conspiracy to rob two victims at gunpoint, was sentenced July 25, 2022, to 30 years in federal prison.
Antione Deandre Maxwell, age 34, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 9, 2021 jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and one count of distribution of heroin; and a November 18, 2021 jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence at his drug trial showed that Antione Maxwell and his father Charleton Maxwell (who was sentenced on February 11, 2022, to more than 17 years in prison) conspired with each other and others to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin in and around Mason City between January 2018 and October 2020. Both Charleton and Antione were caught distributing methamphetamine and heroin.
Evidence at his robbery trial showed that, on November 4, 2020, Antione Maxwell, Chavee Harden (who was sentenced on July 25, 2022, to more than 12 years in prison), and another individual conspired to rob local marijuana dealers at gun point of marijuana products and drug-related proceeds. During the armed robbery, Maxwell held a gun to one of the victim’s head and threatened to kill him.
Antione Maxwell was previously convicted in federal court on August 17, 2007, of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base, and he was sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment followed by a five-year term of supervised release. He discharged that sentence on June 7, 2019.
Antione Maxwell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Antione Maxwell was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Antione Maxwell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jack Lammers, Patrick Reinert, and Dillan Edwards, and investigated by the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, the Mason City Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Clear Lake Police Department, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file numbers are 20-CR-3044 and 21-CR-2013.
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Macon Reentry Coalition Partners Call on Citizens to Serve in Community Reentry EffortRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Members of the Macon Reentry Coalition, a collaborative effort among community and law enforcement organizations focused on addressing the needs of people who were once incarcerated by helping them find jobs and successfully return to society, are calling for interested persons to join the group.
The Macon Reentry Coalition’s (MRC) mission is to enhance public safety by reducing recidivism of returning citizens. Through its partnerships, the coalition assists with housing, employment, transportation, substance abuse counseling and other individualized needs. The MRC is seeking additional members from every segment of the community, including healthcare, business, faith-based and other non-profit groups. MRC meets monthly via Zoom; in-person meetings will begin in September.
“Removing barriers to successful reentry for returning individuals is an important part of the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe and pursue equal justice under the law,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our communities will be safer when we offer the necessary support which previously incarcerated people need to secure housing, find employment, access health care and address other basic needs that are difficult to locate after prison, contributing to recidivism. The Macon Reentry Coalition is doing the important work of offering an access point for returning citizens in Middle Georgia.”
“Over the years the MRC and its partners have worked to develop a dynamic and diverse network of partners to help meet the very challenging needs of our returning citizens. However, there is still much work ahead,” said Todd Robinson, CEO of MRC and the Executive Director of The Next Step Recovery Ministries in Macon. “The vast majority of our returning citizens are hardworking, skilled and willing to learn. They want to succeed. We are looking for partners who want to work in the same direction. Returning citizens who find purpose and productivity tend to not reoffend.”
Currently, a mix of federal, state and local agencies, houses of worship, philanthropic organizations, community resource partners, businesses and advocates are members of the MRC. For a complete list of partners, and more information on how you can engage with MRC, please contact Pam Lightsey, Law Enforcement Coordinator, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, at [email protected].
Founded by the Macon U.S. Probation Office, the Macon Reentry Coalition is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s 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.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving MurderRead the Press Release
An MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for his murder of a 19-year-old in 2015.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial of three co-defendants, Juan Garcia-Gomez, aka Scooby, 26, of El Salvador, conspired to participate in the affairs of Mara Salvatrucha, a violent criminal gang also known as MS-13, founded in Los Angeles and active in numerous states across the United States, as well as in El Salvador, Central America, and Mexico. MS-13 is governed by a core set of rules, including a standing order to kill rival gang members and a strict rule against cooperating with law enforcement. MS-13 is organized into a series of sub-units, or “cliques,” that operate in specific geographic locations, and each clique is typically controlled by a single leader, sometimes known as the “First Word.” Two cliques that were active in and around Hudson County, New Jersey, were the Pinos Locos Salvatrucha clique, of which Garcia-Gomez was a member/associate, and the Hudson Locos Salvatrucha clique.
Based on court documents, Garcia-Gomez’s plea agreement, and evidence presented at the trial of three co-defendants, in July 2015, Jose Urias-Hernandez, then 19 years old, was shot and killed execution-style by Garcia-Gomez with a single shot to the back of his head as he entered his home. Garcia-Gomez participated in the murder because he was ordered by MS-13 leadership to commit the murder to achieve membership in the gang.
“Due to the dedicated efforts of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners, Garcia-Gomez and his fellow gang members will no longer be able to victimize this community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue MS-13 gang members who take the lives of others and prey on the communities through violence and intimidation and will not stop in our pursuit of justice for the victims of this violent gang.”
“Garcia-Gomez committed a brutal and violent crime to gain membership in a criminal organization known for its brutality and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “He wasn’t even out of his teens when he complied with MS-13’s orders and snuffed out another young man’s life, ruining the lives of his victim’s family and friends and ending any chance at a decent life for himself. This sentence will keep this violent criminal off of our streets.”
“Garcia-Gomez and his fellow gang members plagued their community with violence,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI, in hand with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue those offenders carrying out brutal violence in our communities. This action shows the FBI’s commitment to dismantling these organized criminal enterprises and keeping the communities we serve safe.”
“Today’s sentencing puts not only a violent murderer behind bars, but a confirmed gang member, narcotics trafficker, and extortioner: a serious threat to public safety,” said Acting Deputy Director Patrick J. Lechleitner of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We will use every tool available to investigate transnational criminals, like this defendant, whose lack of humanity is profound. Our officers and special agents will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice, while focusing on getting victims the assistance they need.”
In addition to Garcia-Gomez, nine defendants were charged in this investigation against MS-13 in New Jersey, including Jose Gimenez-Lobos, aka Infernal, aka Terrible, 31, of El Salvador, and Jose Rivera-Robles, aka Layo, 36, of El Salvador. One defendant, Christian Linares-Rodriguez, aka Donkey, 42, is a high-ranking MS-13 member who is currently incarcerated in El Salvador and is awaiting extradition to the United States. Three other defendants have been convicted at trial in November 2021, including Juan Pablo Escalante-Melgar, aka Humilde, Elmer Cruz-Diaz, aka Locote, and Oscar Sanchez-Aguilar, aka Snappy, and are awaiting sentencing. At sentencing, Esclante-Melgar, Cruz-Diaz, and Sanchez-Aguilar each face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, and the West New York Police Department investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew K. Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy Involving MurderRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to 420 months in prison for his execution-style killing of a man in 2015, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced.
Juan Garcia-Gomez, aka “Scooby,” 26, of El Salvador, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to one count of an indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
“Garcia-Gomez committed a brutal and violent crime to gain membership in a criminal organization known for its brutality and violence,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “He wasn’t even out of his teens when he complied with MS-13’s orders and snuffed out another young man’s life, ruining the lives of his victim’s family and friends and ending any chance at a decent life for himself. This sentence will keep this violent criminal off of our streets.”
“Due to the dedicated efforts of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners, Garcia-Gomez and his fellow gang members will no longer be able to victimize this community,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue MS-13 gang members who take the lives of others and prey on the communities through violence and intimidation and will not stop in our pursuit of justice for the victims of this violent gang.”
“Cases like this are a reminder of the deadly brutality involved with drug activity,”Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly said. "We aggressively pursue MS-13 activity because of the high threat they pose to the citizens of our area. Long prison terms are the one sure method for getting these dangerous criminals off our streets."
According to court documents in this and other cases, and the evidence at the trial of Garcia-Gomez’s co-defendants:
Garcia-Gomez conspired to participate in the illegal activities of Mara Salvatrucha, a violent criminal gang also known as MS-13, founded in Los Angeles and active in numerous states, including New Jersey, as well as in El Salvador, Central America, and Mexico. MS-13 is governed by a core set of rules, including a standing order to kill rival gang members and a strict rule against cooperating with law enforcement. MS-13 is organized into a series of sub-units, or “cliques,” that operate in specific geographic locations, and each clique is typically controlled by a single leader, sometimes known as the “First Word.” Two cliques active in and around Hudson County, New Jersey, were the Pinos Locos Salvatrucha clique, of which Garcia-Gomez was a member/associate, and the Hudson Locos Salvatrucha clique.
In July 2015, Jose Urias-Hernandez, then 19, was shot and killed execution-style by Garcia-Gomez with a single shot to the back of his head as he entered his apartment building. Garcia-Gomez participated in the murder because he was ordered by MS-13 leadership to commit the murder to achieve membership in the gang. The victim was not a rival gang member.
In addition to murder, MS-13 members, including Garcia-Gomez, trafficked drugs and threatened witnesses to prevent cooperation with law enforcement, and others extorted a restaurant operating in the gang’s turf.
In addition to Garcia-Gomez, nine defendants were charged in New Jersey. Christian Linares-Rodriguez, aka “Donkey,” 42, is a high-ranking MS-13 member who is currently incarcerated in El Salvador and is awaiting extradition to the United States; the allegations against him are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All other defendants have been convicted, including Juan Pablo Escalante-Melgar, aka “Humilde,” Elmer Cruz-Diaz, aka “Locote,” and Oscar Sanchez-Aguilar, aka “Snappy,” who were convicted at trial in November 2021 and are awaiting sentencing. At sentencing, Esclante-Melgar, Cruz-Diaz, and Sanchez-Aguilar each face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
“Garcia-Gomez chose to take a young, innocent life to gain entrance to MS-13, a gang notorious for its senseless violence,” Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina for Homeland Security Investigations in Newark said. “With his callous action, he ended a life full of potential. With today’s sentence, he has discovered the consequences of his actions.”
“This senseless murder that took the life of a young man with no ties to gang life is typical of the brutality that we have come to expect from MS-13,” ICE-ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris said. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement, justice has been served here as well as the interests of community safety.”
“Mr. Garcia-Gomez deliberately executed a young man with the purpose of terrorizing the North Hudson community, hoping to earn the respect of some of the most dangerous criminals,” Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. “Our office appreciates the commitment shared between local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to see that those responsible for violent attacks, such as this, are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Garcia-Gomez to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Polite credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; officers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark Field Office, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris; special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez:, and investigators of the West New York Police Department under the direction of Deputy Chiefs Santiago Cabrera and Alejandro De Rojas, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace of the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Matthew J. Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Defense counsel: Anthony Iacullo Esq., Nutley, New Jersey
Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Domestic AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner, and Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
William Eagle Thunder, Jr., age 30, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $300.
Eagle Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 14, 2021. He pled guilty on April 28, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from incidents that occurred on multiple occasions between August and October 2021, in Lower Brule, wherein Eagle Thunder repeatedly assaulted his girlfriend with a metal object and shod feet, causing serious bodily injury. Additionally, on September 11, 2021, a law enforcement officer was called to a residence following a report that Eagle Thunder was present. While attempting to arrest Eagle Thunder, he pushed the officer to the ground and took off from the scene on foot.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Eagle Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lawrence Woman Sentenced to Prison for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence woman was sentenced on July 20, 2022 in connection with identity theft charges.
Alicia Isabel Matias De Jesus, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to six months in prison and two years of supervised release. Marias De Jesus was also ordered to pay forfeiture and restitution of $22,904. On March 22, 2022, Matias De Jesus pleaded guilty to false representation of a Social Security number and theft of government money.
Matias De Jesus, who was born in the Dominican Republic and is not a United States Citizen, purchased identity documents of a United States citizen who resides in Puerto Rico. Matias De Jesus used the identity documents to obtain a motor vehicle license and benefits totaling over $22,000.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Tobin of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.
The DBFTF is currently investigating suspected aliens who are believed to have obtained stolen identities of U.S. citizens born in Puerto Rico. The DBFTF has investigated individuals who have used stolen identities to obtain public benefits that they otherwise would not be eligible to receive, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identity documents, Social Security numbers, MassHealth benefits, public housing benefits, and/or unemployment benefits.
Latin Count Gang Member Convicted of Gang Related Activity Resulting in the Murders of a 16-Year Old and 33 Year-OldRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Eduardo Luciano, 34, of Hammond, Indiana, a member of the Hammond faction of the Latin Counts, a criminal street gang which originated in Chicago, was found guilty following a 7-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
The jury found Luciano guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and marijuana, and two counts of using a firearm to commit the murders of Lauren Calvillo (age 16) and Christopher White (age 33). The jury found that, as part of the racketeering conspiracy, Luciano was responsible for the murders of Lauren Calvillo and Christopher White and as part of the drug conspiracy, Luciano conspired to distribute or possess with intent distribute cocaine and marijuana.
The evidence at trial revealed that on June 29, 2015, Luciano and other gang members formulated a plan to shoot and kill members of the Latin Kings, a rival criminal street gang, who were attending a vigil on the 5500 block of Beal Street in Hammond, Indiana. After planning the shooting, gang members drove to the vicinity of the vigil where multiple shots were fired into the crowd. At the time of shooting, Christopher White (33), who was visiting family on Beal Street, was shot in front of the family member’s home, and later died. Lauren Calvillo (16) was shot and killed while on the front porch of her family’s Beal Street home.
Previously, co-defendant Latin Count member Ivan Reyes pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering. Co-defendant Jeron Williams pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted his involvement in and responsibility for the Calvillo and White murders. Co-defendant Latin Count member Robert Loya pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy. All three are awaiting sentencing.
Luciano’s sentencing will be scheduled by separate order of the Court. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives/High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Hammond, Indiana Police Department, and this investigation has received substantial assistance from numerous law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Gang Response Investigative Team Task Force, the Gary Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the East Chicago Police Department, and the Chicago Police Department. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Caitlin M. Padula, and Kimberly L. Schultz.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Las Vegas Real Estate Professional Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to evading payment of taxes he owed to the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2009 through 2019 Scott Lawrence owned and operated Turn Two Inc., a Nevada real estate company. In March 2010, the IRS levied Lawrence’s personal bank account to satisfy an existing tax debt he owed to the IRS. After learning of the IRS levy, Lawrence started taking steps to thwart the IRS’s collection efforts. He began depositing a small portion of his wife’s paycheck into the levied bank account and withdrew the remaining portion in cash. Beginning in 2011, Lawrence began depositing his wife’s entire paycheck and other earnings into a corporate bank account held by Turn Two, and used that account to pay most of his family’s personal living expenses. Lawrence also directed his attorney to pay taxes owed to the IRS on an intentionally overdrawn bank account and to send a materially misleading letter to the agency. In all, as a result of his evasive conduct, Lawrence owes more than $1.9 million in restitution to the IRS for his delinquent tax debt from 2005 through 2019.
Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick Burns and Boris Bourget of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Lancaster County Man Sentenced to 87 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Jose Antonio Ramos a/k/a “One,” age 40, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 14, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to 87 months’ imprisonment for drug trafficking.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Ramos previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine hydrochloride and 5 grams and more of methamphetamine. Ramos was the Sergeant at Arms of the Infamous Ryders Outlaw Motorcycle Gang that was responsible for an extensive drug operation in Lancaster County.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Kyle Man Sentenced for Assault on a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault on a Federal Officer was sentenced on July 7, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Tex Janis, age 22, was sentenced to time already served, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Janis was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2021 and pleaded guilty on March 11, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from Janis assaulting an on-duty Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety officer who sustained injuries that required medical attention.
The case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Justice Department and National Labor Relations Board Announce Partnership to Protect WorkersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today to strengthen the partnership between the two agencies to better protect competitive labor markets and ensure that workers are able to freely exercise their rights under the labor laws. By strengthening their partnership, the agencies also achieve the objectives of the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy just days after the Order’s one-year anniversary.
“Protecting competition in labor markets is fundamental to the ability of workers to earn just rewards for their work, to live out the American dream, and to provide for their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “By cooperating more closely with our colleagues in the NLRB, we can share information on potential violations of the antitrust and labor laws, collaborate on new policies and ensure that workers are protected from collusion and unlawful employer behavior. As the department noted in the amicus brief we submitted in the NLRB’s recent Atlanta Opera matter, we support the Board’s ongoing efforts to update its guidance to ensure that workers are properly classified under the labor laws. Protecting the right of workers to earn a fair wage is core to the work of both our agencies, and it will continue to receive extraordinary vigilance from the Antitrust Division.”
“Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), workers have the right to organize to improve their pay and working conditions,” said NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. “When businesses interfere with worker organizing, either through creating structures designed to evade labor law or through anticompetitive practices, it hinders our economy and our democracy. This MOU will strengthen the federal government’s ability to effectively stop this kind of unlawful activity and, therefore, to better protect workers’ right to freely associate with one another to improve their wages and working conditions and to collectively bargain through freely chosen representatives.”
The Department of Justice and the NLRB share an interest in promoting open and competitive labor markets, including through protecting American workers from collusive or anticompetitive employer practices and unlawful interference with employees’ right to organize. Through greater coordination in information sharing, enforcement activity and training, the two agencies will maximize the enforcement of federal laws, including the labor laws under the NLRB’s jurisdiction and the antitrust laws enforced by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. In particular, this MOU will allow the two agencies to refer to each other, as appropriate, and to coordinate on policy, strategy and training.
Information about possible antitrust violations or potential anticompetitive activity should be reported to the Antitrust Division Citizen Complaint Center. To learn more about how to seek whistleblower protection under the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act, please go to https://www.whistleblowers.gov/complaint_page.
Workers who believe that their labor rights have been violated can call 1-844-762-6572 for assistance filing an unfair labor practice charge. Or they can contact their closest NLRB Field Office or submit a charge on the NLRB’s website.
Justice Department Commemorates the 32nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice commemorates the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the preeminent civil rights law requiring equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Recently, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic have exacted a steep toll on many people with disabilities and shed light on the continued urgency of ADA enforcement.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act embodies a national promise to eliminate discriminatory barriers and support full participation, community integration, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue using this bedrock civil rights law to eliminate barriers and safeguard the rights of people with disabilities across the country.”
Promoting Web Accessibility
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown, for example, the vital importance of equal access to the web. This year, the department published guidance on the ADA requirements for website accessibility and announced it is also undertaking a rulemaking concerning standards for web accessibility for state and local government entities. The department’s enforcement efforts have removed barriers that prevented people with disabilities from booking vaccine appointments on the web and finding critical vaccine information. Since November 2021, the department has reached settlement agreements with CVS Pharmacy Inc., Hy-Vee Inc., The Kroger Co., Meijer Inc. and Rite Aid Corporation to ensure that people with disabilities can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments and obtain vaccine information online.
Warning About the Risks of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring
The department has also prioritized ensuring that state and local government employers do not use new technologies to discriminate against job applicants or employees with disabilities. In May, the department, partnering closely with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, issued guidance about disability discrimination when employers use artificial intelligence and other software tools, including algorithmic decision-making tools, to make employment decisions.
Ensuring Fair Treatment of People with Opioid Use Disorder
The department has also enforced the ADA to safeguard the rights of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are in treatment or recovery. In April, the department published guidance explaining how the ADA protects individuals with OUD from discrimination. The department is working to ensure that people in treatment and recovery have an equal opportunity to receive services and to participate in their communities and the workforce. For example:
- In February, the department filed a lawsuit against the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, alleging that it prohibits or otherwise limits participants in its court supervision programs from using medication for OUD. And in March, the department entered into a settlement agreement to resolve similar allegations concerning Massachusetts’ drug courts.
- The department also issued a letter finding that the Indiana State Board of Nursing violated the ADA by denying a nurse the opportunity to participate in a rehabilitation program, required to reinstate her nursing license, because she takes medication for OUD.
- The department secured a settlement agreement with a Colorado-based employment, residential and social services program resolving allegations that the program denied admission to an individual because she takes medication for OUD.
Promoting Access to Transportation including Ridesharing Services
After filing a lawsuit in November, the department entered into a multi million-dollar settlement agreement with Uber Technologies Inc. Under the agreement, Uber committed to policy changes and will offer several million dollars in compensation to more than 65,000 Uber users who were charged discriminatory fees due to disability.
Fighting Segregation and Criminalization of People with Disabilities
Finally, the department continues to prioritize enforcement of the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., a landmark case ruling that the ADA prohibits unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities. The department’s enforcement of Olmstead has enabled thousands of people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities instead of in institutions. For example:
- In June, the department issued a letter finding that Maine unnecessarily institutionalizes children with mental health or intellectual and developmental disabilities in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities and a juvenile justice facility. In March, the department issued a letter finding that Colorado unnecessarily segregates adults with physical disabilities in nursing homes.
- The department also launched statewide Olmstead investigations in response to complaints. In May, the department opened an investigation into whether Kentucky unnecessarily segregates people with serious mental illness in the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro area in psychiatric hospitals and places them at risk of law enforcement encounters. The department is also investigating the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department concerning their systems for responding to people experiencing behavioral health crises.
For more information about the ADA, please visit ada.gov or call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383). For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit justice.gov/crt.
Idaho Man Sentenced for Misusing National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment FundsRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Steven L. Young, an Idaho man already incarcerated in Utah on unrelated charges, was ordered to repay $63,192.96 and sentenced to 15 months (which he has already served), and three years of supervised release for theft of government funds. Young also settled a parallel civil matter after admitting to violating the False Claims Act.
According to court records, Young was licensed as a physician assistant in Utah. He applied for and received a $50,000 payment as part of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSCLR), a program intended to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in eligible communities of need. As part of the program, healthcare professionals can receive award money to help them repay qualifying student loans.
Young received a NHSCLR payment on September 30, 2016. Prior to receiving the payment, he agreed to certain terms as part of his participation in the program. Young knowingly violated the terms of his agreement when he surrendered his medical license on June 28, 2016 and was fired from his job. Although he agreed to use the loan money to repay his eligible student loans, Young spent the money on ineligible expenses.
Young pleaded guilty to theft of government funds on March 30, 2022. At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye ordered Young to repay the $50,000 loan and $13,192.96 in accrued interest. The loan accrues interest if the obligations and requirements of the NHSCLR program are not met and the loan is not repaid.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the efforts of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Health Resources and Services Administration, which led to charges.
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Husband and Wife Sentenced to Federal Prison for Their Involvement in Tax Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Christel Joseph to 30 months in federal prison for preparing false and fraudulent tax returns. Joseph had pleaded guilty on February 16, 2022.
According to court documents, Christel Joseph and her husband, Naeem Joseph, were involved in a conspiracy to prepare false tax returns by claiming fraudulent refunds and credits to which their taxpayer-clients were not entitled, including education tax credits, fuel tax credits, and dependent care credits. Between 2015 and 2016, the Josephs helped prepare and file fraudulent tax returns from Haines City, Florida and Roanoke, Virginia. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service issued more than $230,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
On July 8, 2022, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell sentenced Naeem Joseph to 21 months’ imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.
“Christel Joseph and her husband Naeem Joseph fraudulently charged their clients and loaded up their returns with tax credits, getting them bigger refunds than they deserved,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “Taxpayers who elect to pay a preparer should always do their due diligence beforehand to ensure they’re not victims of tax fraudsters like the Josephs. More information on selecting a reputable tax professional is available on IRS.gov.”
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, Roanoke, Virginia. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
GirlsDoPorn Operator Pleads Guilty in Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Joseph Green (619) 546-6955 and Alexandra F. Foster (619) 546-6735
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 26, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Adult website operator Matthew Isaac Wolfe pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to fraudulently coerce young women to appear in sex videos on the GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys websites.
Wolfe pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1594. Wolfe, the fourth defendant to plead guilty in connection with the case, admitted that he moved to the United States in 2011 to work for his friend and co-defendant Michael Pratt, the owner of the GirlsDoPorn website. Wolfe had a wide range of responsibilities. Wolfe filmed approximately one hundred videos, he uploaded finished videos onto the internet, he oversaw the company’s financial books, and he operated various business entities that were used to promote the business. Wolfe worked at GirlsDoPorn from 2011 until his arrest in October 2019.
To persuade women to appear in the videos, Wolfe admitted to telling women that the videos would never be posted on-line, that the videos would never be released in the United States, and that no one who knew the women would ever find out about the videos, representations that he knew false, because the videos were exclusively marketed and distributed on the internet. Wolfe trained co-defendant Theodore Gyi, a cameraman, on how to run video shoots and told Gyi that, if asked, to tell the women that the videos would not be posted on the internet.
Wolfe also admitted that he was aware that personal identifying information and social media accounts for some women were being posted on pornwikileaks.com, a site controlled by Pratt and dedicated to “exposing” the true identities of individuals appearing in sex videos, causing the victims to be subjected to severe harassment. Even after Wolfe became aware of this, he and others continued to assure prospective models that no one would ever find out about their video shoot or learn their identity.
“This crime had a devastating impact on the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We will seek justice for human trafficking victims in hopes that it will help them reclaim their lives and leave the pain of this experience in the past.” Grossman commended the prosecution team as well as FBI agents and members of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force for their continuing effort to investigate and prosecute this important case.
“Wolfe lied to and preyed on vulnerable young women, subjecting them to years of relentless harassment, fear and mental anguish,” said Stacey Moy, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Identifying, investigating, and apprehending sex trafficking offenders is a critical part of our mission. We will continue to work with our partners every day to hold these perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”
Wolfe is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino on October 10, 2022, at 9 a.m.
Any additional victims of the alleged crime are encouraged to call the San Diego FBI at 858-320-1800.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Michael James Pratt. Individuals with information about Pratt should contact their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
For further information, please see:
- Wanted Poster: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/michael-james-pratt
- Press Release: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/press-releases/fbi-seeks-public-assistance-in-locating-sex-trafficking-suspect
DEFENDANT Case Number 19cr4488-JLS
Matthew Isaac Wolfe Age 40 San Diego, CA*
Pleaded guilty to count 1
CO-DEFENDANTS
Michael James Pratt Age: 39 Fugitive
Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 33 San Diego, CA**
**Pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 7
Valorie Moser Age: 39 San Diego, CA***
Theodore Wilfred Gyi Age: 44 Aliso Viejo, CA***
***Pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1 (charging all defendants)
Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c)
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
Count 2 (Pratt)
Production of Child Pornography, 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: 30 years in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014.
Count 3 (Pratt)
Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1) and (2)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014
Counts 4 (Pratt, Wolfe, Garcia), 5 (Pratt, Garcia), 6 (Pratt, Wolfe, Garcia), 7 (Pratt, Garcia, Gyi), 8 (Pratt, Garcia, Gyi)
Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion, 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a) and (b)(1)
Minimum penalty: Fifteen years in prison; Maximum penalty: life in custody, $250,000 fine, and a special assessment of $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 3014
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
FBI
San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty
Former law enforcement officer heads to prison for allowing contraband into countryRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 41-year-old Laredo resident has been sent to prison for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Simon Medina III pleaded guilty March 8.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Medina to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Medina was in a position of power and was law enforcement and, as such, more aware of his actions. She highlighted the facts surrounding the severity of the actions and the danger in which he put the community.
Medina was a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. He admitted that between May 25 and Aug. 6, 2020, he allowed several individuals to enter the United States with contraband in their vehicles on approximately 20 occasions. Although not assigned to the entry lanes at the Laredo Port of Entry, Medina would open a lane and allow his co-conspirators to pass through without inspecting their cargo. Medina also accepted gratuities from his partners.
Medina was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
CBP - Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno prosecuted the case.
Former UAW Official Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Embezzling over $2 Million in Union FundsRead the Press Release
DETROIT- Timothy Edmunds, the former Financial Secretary Treasurer of Local 412 of the United Auto Workers union, was sentenced to 57 months in prison today based on his convictions for embezzling $2.1 million in union funds and for money laundering announced U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Joining in the announcement were Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sarah Kull, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, and Thomas Murray, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Timothy Edmunds, 54, of South Lyon, Michigan, had been convicted after pleading guilty in March 2022 to embezzling union funds and money laundering, before United States District Judge Sean Cox. Besides imposing a sentence of 57 months in prison, Judge Cox also ordered Edmunds to pay $1,963,740.29 in restitution to UAW Local 412 and a fine of $1 million.
Between 2011 and 2021, Edmunds served as the Financial Secretary Treasurer of union Local 412 of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Workers of America (“UAW”). UAW Local 412 is headquartered in Warren, Michigan, and it represents approximately 2,600 members employed by the automaker FCA US LLC, which is owned by Stellantis N.V. The local union’s members include many of those employed at the following Stellantis facilities located within in the Detroit area: Sterling Stamping Plant, Mack Engine Plant, Warren Truck Assembly Plant, Warren Stamping Plant, and Jefferson Assembly Plant.
As an elected officer of UAW Local 412, Edmunds was responsible to hold its money and property solely for the benefit of the organization and its members and to manage, invest, and expend the funds in accordance with the UAW constitution and Local 412 bylaws. Instead, Edmunds systematically drained the Local 412 accounts of $2.1 million by (1) using Local 412 debit cards for over $142,000 in personal purchases, (2) cashing Local 412 checks worth $170,000 into accounts he personally controlled, and (3) transferring $1.5 million from bona fide Local 412 accounts into accounts that he personally controlled. To conceal his theft from other UAW officers and the Local 412 members, Edmunds created false bank statements and caused false Labor Management reports to be filed with the U.S. DOL. Edmunds supplied the fake bank statements to international UAW auditors in an effort to conceal his embezzlement.
Evidence indicates that Edmunds used portions of the proceeds of his embezzlement to gamble extensively, to purchase firearms, various high-end vehicles, and to purchase cocaine. For example, between 2018 and 2020, Edmunds used the UAW Local 412 debit card to make over $30,000 in unauthorized withdrawals at the Greektown Casino.
“Mr. Edmunds betrayed his union brothers and sisters by stealing their dues money to satisfy his own greed,” said United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “Today’s sentence demonstrates our continuing dedication to cleaning out corruption in the UAW.”
“Former UAW 412 Financial Secretary-Treasurer Timothy Edmunds embezzled approximately $2 million at the expense of the dues-paying members he had a duty to serve. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards to protect the integrity of labor organizations,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
"The role of IRS Criminal Investigation becomes even more important in embezzlement and fraud cases due to the complex financial transactions that can take time to unravel," said Special Agent in Charge Sarah Kull, Detroit Field Office. “We’re committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold all corrupt UAW officials accountable for their actions."
“While the vast majority of union officials do their work diligently and without incident, unfortunately criminal violations do occur. When they do, it is the union and its members that are the victims. Timothy Edmunds embezzled over $2 million dollars from UAW Local 412 that should have been used for its members’ benefit. Not only did his theft take hard-earned money away from the workers who earned it and who paid it to their union to help it advance their working conditions, his criminal conduct unfairly undercut union members’ and the public’s confidence in this union and in the important work it and other unions perform,” said Thomas Murray, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards. “OLMS will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who unlawfully exploits their position for financial gain at the expense of hard-working union members.”
Edmunds is the seventeenth defendant convicted in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into corruption within the UAW or relating to illegal payoffs to UAW officials by FCA executives. The following other individuals have already pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme and have been sentenced: former UAW President Gary Jones (28 months in prison); former FCA Vice President for Employee Relations Alphons Iacobelli (66 months in prison), former FCA Financial Analyst Jerome Durden (15 months in prison), former Director of FCA’s Employee Relations Department Michael Brown (12 months in prison), former senior UAW officials Virdell King (60 days in prison), Keith Mickens (12 months in prison), Nancy A. Johnson (12 months in prison), Monica Morgan, the widow of UAW Vice President General Holiefield (18 months in prison), former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell (15 months in prison), former senior UAW official Michael Grimes (28 moths), former UAW Midwest CAP President Edward “Nick” Robinson (12 months in prison), former UAW Vice President Joseph Ashton (30 months), former UAW President Dennis Williams (21 months) and former UAW Region 5 Director UAW Board member Vance Pearson (12 months in prison). The company, FCA US LLC, now known as Stellantis, pleaded guilty in January 2021 to conspiring to violate the Taft-Hartley Act, and was ordered to pay a fine of $30 million and be subject to an outside Monitor for three years. Former senior UAW official Jeffrey Pietrzyk passed away before being sentenced.
In December 2020, the United States filed a civil lawsuit against the International UAW under the Anti-Fraud Injunction Act based on the criminal investigation of the UAW, FCA US LLC, and FCA’s executives. Subsequently, the United States and the International UAW entered into a Consent Decree to settle the lawsuit that was approved by the U.S. District Court. The Court has appointed attorney Neil Barofsky to serve as the Independent Monitor of the UAW for six years. The Monitor is tasked with providing federal oversight of the UAW concerning fraud, corruption, and misconduct within the UAW.
U.S. Attorney Ison commended the outstanding work of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conducting a comprehensive criminal investigation into labor corruption activities involving a vital sector of the local and national economy.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Gardey.
Former Private School Employee Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Jay Gordon, age 55, of Crofton, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of child pornography. Gordon was identified as a suspect in the trafficking of child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), also called child pornography, during a nationwide investigation involving the receipt and distribution of CSAM via Dark Web sites and forum.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to his guilty plea, during the investigation, Gordon’s Internet Protocol (IP) address was found to access Dark Web sites. A search warrant was executed at Gordon’s residence and law enforcement seized numerous computer devices that Gordon admitted belonged to him. Preliminary forensic analysis showed multiple images of CSAM. Initially, Gordon declined to specify where he worked in Washington, DC, but the investigators determined that he worked in the IT department of a private school.
As detailed in his plea agreement, a subsequent forensic examination of some of the seized devices showed thousands of videos and still images of child pornography. Some of Gordon’s devices were secured in a manner that precluded forensic analysis. The CSAM found on the devices was arranged in well- organized folders and reflected years of activity. Gordon also used an application that facilitated anonymous web browsing. Some of the images in Gordon’s collection were of prepubescent minors. Forensic examination of computers that Gordon used at his work location indicated that he also accessed Dark Web sites relating to CSAM on those devices, which were also connected to digital media that showed connection to computer devices seized from Gordon’s home.
Gordon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison followed by up to lifetime supervised release for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. Upon his release from prison, Gordon will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).
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 Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI in Baltimore and in Boston, Massachusetts for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.# # #
Former Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to $2M Unemployment Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Pleasant Hill, California, woman pleaded guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to defraud multiple state workforce agencies of COVID-19 pandemic-related benefits intended for unemployed workers.
According to court documents, from April 2020 through at least March 2021, Heather Huffman, 52, worked with co-conspirators to defraud the Virginia Employment Commission, the Washington State Employment Security Department, and the California Employment Development Department of unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits by submitting materially false and misleading applications in the names of identity theft victims, witting co-conspirators, and inmates of various correctional facilities. Huffman and her co-conspirators included materially false information on the applications, including false employment and wage history and false contact information, such as physical and mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers, that did not, in fact, belong to the purported applicants.
The conspirators took several actions in furtherance of the conspiracy. For instance, they obtained and shared among themselves the personal identifying information of identity theft victims and inmates, created and maintained email accounts purportedly belonging to the ostensible applicants, and falsified and forged various documents – including state and federal wage and tax forms – to substantiate the false information in the UI applications they submitted. Once their fraudulent UI applications were approved, the conspirators would, on a weekly basis, file false certifications of unemployment status, resulting in the dispersal of additional UI benefits by state workforce agencies.
During the course of the conspiracy, Huffman was employed as a registered nurse at the Veteran Affairs Hunter Holmes McGuire Medical Center in Richmond. Huffman used VA assets to further the conspirators’ scheme and artifice to defraud by utilizing her work computer to submit false and misleading UI applications to state workforce agencies, among other things. In total, Huffman and her co-conspirators obtained over $2,000,000 in UI benefits intended for unemployed workers. Huffman is the fourth and final member of the conspiracy to plead guilty.
Huffman is scheduled to be sentenced on November 29. She faces a maximum sentence of 32 years and a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-conspirators Sheldon L. Huffman, Anthowan Daniels, and Dorothea Rosado have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and will be sentenced in November 2022.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Troy Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, DC Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin Cooke, Kashan Pathan and Michael Moore are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-8.
Former Appleton Restaurant Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison for Violations of Federal Tax LawsRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 20, 2022, Paul R. Vanderlinden (age: 42) of Appleton, Wisconsin, was sentenced to a six-month term of federal imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.
Vanderlinden had previously entered a guilty plea in federal court in Green Bay to charges that he willfully filed a false tax return and failed to truthfully account for and pay over payroll taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. Vanderlinden was additionally ordered to pay, and has paid, restitution to the Internal Revenue Service totaling more than $168,000.
Federal law requires employers to collect payroll taxes. According to court filings, Vanderlinden willfully failed to withhold and pay over approximately $88,000 in payroll taxes between 2012 and 2016. He filed employer tax returns containing false statements regarding the wages paid to his employees. Vanderlinden also diverted business receipts into a personal bank account. He failed to include this revenue in his tax filings, and as a result underpaid his individual taxes by at least $30,000 during the relevant years.
This investigation was undertaken by Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farris Martini.
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