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8 September 2022
Middle Georgia Man Sentenced to Statutory Maximum Sentence Resulting from ATF InvestigationRead the Press Release
MACON Ga. – A Warner Robins man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to serve ten years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm resulting from an ATF-led investigation.
Denota Lowe, 33, was sentenced to serve the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release (to be served consecutively to sentences imposed in pending state cases) after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. District Judge Tilman “Tripp” Self, III handed down the sentence on Sept. 6. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It was illegal for a multiple-time felon like Mr. Lowe to possess a gun, but he only compounded his problems by then trying to coerce people to alter and even falsify their testimony at his trial,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “This sentence reflects the serious consequence of his decisions to undermine both neighborhood safety as well as the integrity of the criminal justice system.”
“The law-abiding citizens of this community are safer because of this sentence which will ensure the incarceration of a dangerous criminal and contribute to the restoration of order and peace to this area,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
According to court documents, federal agents executed a search warrant at Lowe’s trap house and vehicle on June 17, 2021. Inside the home, agents found $20,000 in cash, counterfeit currency, digital scales and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Inside his car, agents found a semi-automatic firearm, which Lowe admitted he possessed. It is illegal for Lowe, who has prior felony convictions in Bibb County, Georgia, and Houston County, Georgia, Superior Courts, to possess a firearm. While in jail awaiting trial for this offense, Lowe placed multiple recorded calls in which he attempted to induce individuals to withhold, alter or falsify their potential trial testimony.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by ATF
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case.
Michael Chick Indicted for CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
CONCORD –Michael Chick, 39, of Eliot, ME, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of cyberstalking, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
Chick was arrested on a criminal complaint on August 5, 2022, following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. He is being detained pending trial.
Chick is accused of stalking and threatening a Greenland child who was on his bus route. The indictment alleges that Chick provided cell phones to the child and used the cell phones to communicate with the child after being warned to cease all contact. Chick is also alleged to have placed GPS tracking devices on the parents’ vehicles and to have walked around the outside of the child’s home at night on numerous occasions.
The charge in the indictment is only an allegation. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Greenland Police Department.
Anyone with information pertinent to this investigation is asked to call HSI’s tipline at 603-722-1751.
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Marysville Man Charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine and Heroin in Sacramento, Sutter, and Placer CountiesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today against Sanit Khamthong, 41, of Marysville, charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between May and August 2022, Khamthong conspired with others to acquire methamphetamine and heroin and distribute it in Sacramento, Sutter, and Placer Counties. On Aug. 29, 2022, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Khamthong was driving. The officer subsequently located a gallon-size bag of heroin in Khamthong’s pants.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, the Yuba City Police Department, the Marysville Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Khamthong faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Maryland Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fraud Schemes Resulting in Losses of More Than $1.4 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Linda Pylant, age 59, of Grasonville, Maryland, today to four years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, social security fraud, tax evasion, and aggravated identity theft in connection with schemes to defraud her employer, fraudulently obtain disability insurance payments, and evade more than $225,000 in taxes, including by concealing income in connection with a bankruptcy petition. As a result of these crimes, Pylant illegally obtained approximately $1.4 million. Judge Bennett ordered that Pylant must pay restitution in the full amount the actual losses caused by her fraud schemes and forfeit assets directly traceable to the fraud offenses, substitute assets, and/or a money judgement equal to the value of the property derived from the offense, which is $950,000.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.
Wire Fraud Scheme
According to her guilty plea, from 2012 to about July 2020, Pylant worked for a Washington, D.C. trade association as an office administrator. Her responsibilities included bookkeeping and other accounting duties, making check deposits, handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other administrative duties.
As detailed in her plea agreement, in October 2017, Pylant opened a bank account, purportedly for the trade association, for which she was the sole signatory and caused the bank statements to be mailed to her home. From October 2017 until July 2020, Pylant deposited more than $700,000 in checks, primarily from the trade association’s members and from insurance companies, which were intended for the benefit of the trade association. Pylant also transferred more than $70,000 of the trade association’s funds from a PayPal account to the account she opened in the name of the trade association. In addition, Pylant admitted that she issued trade association checks made payable to herself and a contractor for the trade association, which she signed, forging the names of two trade association executives. Pylant then deposited the forged checks into other accounts she controlled.
Pylant spent more than $175,000 of the stolen funds at a local bingo hall, used more than $100,000 for retail, restaurant, and grocery expenditures and withdrew more than $200,000 in cash. As a result of the fraud scheme, Pylant obtained more than $900,000.
Social Security and Disability Fraud
On August 18, 2015, Pylant applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments, failing to disclose that she was working and earning income from the trade association. SSDI payments are only made as long as the beneficiaries are unable to work and/or their income is under a certain amount. From 2018 to July 2020, Pylant illegally received and spent more than $75,000 in SSDI payments to which she was not entitled.
In addition, from 2014 to about 2017, Pylant provided false information to a private insurance company in order to fraudulently collect disability insurance payments. Pylant consistently failed to disclose her income from the trade association, as well as her SSDI payments. As a result, Pylant fraudulently received more than $140,000 in disability insurance payments from the private insurance company.
Tax Evasion and Bankruptcy Fraud
From 2014 until July 2020, Pylant caused her salary payments from the trade association to be paid through a non-existent entity, LPSR, Inc., which Pylant created but did not register with the State of Maryland nor the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Pylant also established LPSR as a vendor in the trade association’s computer system, with no federal tax identification number and no 1099 reporting status. During the six years of the tax evasion scheme Pylant caused the trade association to pay LPSR more than $100,000. During that time, Pylant also caused the trade association to not issue a 1099 IRS reporting form for LPSR. Because Pylant also made false statements to the Social Security Administration, including failing to disclose that she was employed by the trade association, she avoided paying taxes that would have been due on her SSDI payments.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Pylant submitted false information in the course of three Maryland bankruptcy proceedings filed on February 3, 2016, in December 2020, and in January 2021. Specifically, Pylant’s petitions failed to list her taxable income from the trade association that was paid through LPSR, falsely claimed that she had zero earned income and was not required to file any tax returns, failed to list any business names that she had used, including LPSR, and falsely stated that her employment status had not changed since February 2016.
Pylant admitted that her tax evasion offenses caused a tax loss to the United States of at least $233,547 and she will be required to pay restitution to the government in that amount.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, IRS-CI and SSA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Manhattan Woman Who Operated Fraudulent Investment Scheme Charged with Securities and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Patrick Freaney, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service (“USSS”), and Keechant L. Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the arrest of LAKENYA HOPKINS on charges of securities fraud and wire fraud for her role in a scheme to defraud over 110 investors in Money Magnet Platinum Membership Initiative LLC (“MMPMI”) of hundreds of thousands of dollars by promising unrealistically high rates of return on investments to induce them to invest and lying about how their money would be invested. Rather than invest the money as promised, HOPKINS used investors’ money for her own personal gain, including to rent a luxury apartment in Manhattan and to purchase high-end luxury goods. HOPKINS was arrested this morning in Manhattan and will be presented before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Lakenya Hopkins preyed on investors, promising them that investing with her would create generational wealth for their families. She lied to induce their investments and continued to lie when they questioned her about the status of their investments. Instead of investing the money as promised, she allegedly enriched herself with a luxury apartment and high-end purchases. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the public from investment frauds.”
Special Agent-in-Charge Freaney said: “Fraudsters will continue their attempts to manipulate and threaten the larger financial landscape in which the American public conducts their business and transactions, but the highly skilled investigators of the U.S. Secret Service and New York City Police Department will ensure they do not succeed in evading our judicial system. The allegations contained within this indictment describe predatory and fraudulent behavior that specifically exploited individuals seeking to invest for their future. I am immensely proud of the men and women of the Secret Service for their efforts in this investigation and would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their continued partnership.”
Police Commissioner Sewell said: “Ms. Hopkins turned her investors into victims, betraying their trust to carry out her own despicable embezzlement scheme. The NYPD and our many partners in law enforcement will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to defraud others, holding them fully accountable for their actions. I want to thank and commend the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District for their tireless dedication and focused commitment to seeing justice served in this case.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
From in or about August 2020 through in or about April 2021, HOPKINS operated MMPMI as a fraudulent “investment club.” HOPKINS specifically marketed MMPMI to people of color as a way for them to build generational wealth for their families. During her scheme, HOPKINS solicited money from investors by falsely promising them, among other things, that she would provide them with an $8,000 monthly return for every $1,000 investment they made in MMPMI. HOPKINS also falsely told investors that she could guarantee this return because she would pool investor money and invest it into a hedge fund that guaranteed a three to five percent daily return.
The investments were memorialized in documents known as “MMPMI Membership Promissory Notes.” The terms of those investment contracts generally provided that, for every $1,000 an investor invested in MMPMI, the investor would receive an $8,000 monthly return, $5,000 of which would be paid directly to each investor. These documents and HOPKINS’ false representations deceived investors into believing that their principal and return were guaranteed.
Despite her representations to investors, however, HOPKINS never invested any of the investors’ money in a hedge fund or made any other investments for the benefit of investors. Instead, HOPKINS stole the investors’ money and used it for her own personal gain. Between in or about November 2020 and in or about April 2021, Hopkins used most of the investors’ money to (i) make large cash withdrawals, (ii) purchase high-end luxury goods, (iii) rent a luxury apartment, (iv) pay for food, travel, and other goods, and (v) purchase cryptocurrency for her own benefit.
In or about January 2021, after she had failed to make the first guaranteed monthly payments to investors, HOPKINS told investors she was pausing MMPMI and giving out refunds. When investors questioned her about the status of their investments, HOPKINS continued to lie. For example, on a videoconference with investors in or about January 2021, HOPKINS told investors that their money was still in the hedge fund, that they would “not take a loss,” and that she was “not keeping any money.” Despite these representations, HOPKINS gave only approximately five investors a refund payment. To date, HOPKINS has not paid any investors the promised returns.
As a result of this investment scheme, HOPKINS fraudulently obtained over $290,000 from over 110 investors.
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HOPKINS, 44, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the USSS and NYPD and thanked the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has separately filed a civil action against HOPKINS and MMPMI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. King and Elizabeth Daniels are in charge of the prosecution.
The allegations contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Manatee County Bank Robber IndictedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Robert Frascella (55, Bradenton) with bank robbery. If convicted, Frascella faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Frascella that the United States intends to forfeit any property (real or personal), which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, on August 8, 2022, Frascella robbed a Fifth Third Bank located in Parrish, Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.
Man charged following takedown at notorious crime hotspot in Tacoma, WashingtonRead the Press Release
Tacoma – Prosecutors charged a resident of Tacoma, Washington with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. The arrest of Peter Darnell King, 23, and subsequent criminal charges resulted from a joint operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Tacoma Police Department (TPD).
According to the complaint, King was brought to the attention of law enforcement by a confidential informant. King, a reported gang member, was a frequent resident of the Econo Lodge located on South Hosmer Street in Tacoma, Washington. South Hosmer Street has become a center of gun violence, human trafficking, and drugs in recent years, with five homicides reported in the area since the beginning of the year.
The complaint alleges that agents observed King selling counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in May and July out of the Econo Lodge. King was later arrested three times between July and August, each time in possession of distribution quantities of fentanyl and an unregistered firearm.
ATF conducted a series of undercover operations at the Econo Lodge in mid-August, during which King was seen numerous times engaging in what appeared to be drug trafficking behavior.
King was arrested on September 7 in a joint operation by ATF and the Tacoma Police Department at the Econo Lodge. Officers executed a search warrant on his hotel room, during which they uncovered three firearms, body armor, ammunition, and substances believed to be fentanyl.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Possession with the intent to distribute this amount of fentanyl is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison.
The case was investigated by ATF and the Tacoma Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristine Foerster.
Man Who Possessed Firearm Two Days After Committing Manslaughter Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who fled from a traffic stop and possessed a firearm two days after shooting a female victim in the face was sentenced today to more than eight years in federal prison.
Larenzo Burnett, age 22, from Battle Creek, Michigan, received the prison term after a January 5, 2022 guilty plea to being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.
At the guilty plea, Burnett admitted that on December 24, 2020, he possessed a Taurus 9mm pistol. He was prohibited due to being an unlawful user of marijuana and because he was previously convicted of intimidation with a dangerous weapon in 2020. At sentencing, evidence showed that Burnett also attempted to obstruct justice by attempting to influence a witness.
Burnett was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Burnett was sentenced to 99 months’ imprisonment and fourteen days and fined $100. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Burnett is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-cr-57.
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Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Filming Rape of 7-Year-OldRead the Press Release
A Rowlett man was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison for filming himself molesting a 7-year-old child, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Mark Alan Miller, 35, was indicted in June 2020 and pleaded guilty in March 2022 to two counts of production of child pornography. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle, who handed down the statutory maximum sentence.
According to court documents, police were dispatched to the victim’s home on Jan. 12, 2020, after the victim’s father walked in on the defendant on the floor raping his then-9-year-old daughter.
The father told law enforcement that he and Mr. Miller had been friends for over a decade, and that Mr. Miller was staying overnight at their home. The father heard a noise and went to check on it. When he saw Mr. Miller was not in the living room where he’d been sleeping, the father rushed to the daughter’s room, where he found the defendant anally raping the child. The father held a gun on the defendant until the police arrived.
Mr. Miller immediately confessed to police that he had been sexually touching the child for years, describing their relationship as “a little too close.”
The child was immediately transported to the hospital and on to the Rockwall Children’s Advocacy Center, where she confirmed that Mr. Miller had raped her on multiple occasions and had photographed her genitals and showed her the photos.
When officers confronted Mr. Miller about the photos, he admitted to producing child pornography. A forensic analysis of his electronic devices revealed that he had produced at least five videos and 132 images of child pornography involving the victim dating back two years, to when the child was just seven years old.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, a Rockwall Police Department forensic analyst testified that Mr. Miller’s electronic devices contained more than 8,000 sexually explicit images of other children. Further testimony revealed that the defendant even used a revealing image of the victim in this case as his screen saver.
The Rockwall Police Department, the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted the case.
Man Charged in Federal Court for Destroying Property at U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Fort LauderdaleRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A federal criminal complaint filed this week in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale has charged Matthew Leon Chilcutt, 43, with destruction of federal property for allegedly causing extensive damage to the U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Fort Lauderdale on September 5, 2022.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Chilcutt broke into the courthouse’s main entrance and vandalized the interior and exterior spaces of the building, including smashing windows, breaking doors, causing water damage, and destroying other property. He was found inside the courthouse by officers from Fort Lauderdale Police Department who arrested Chilcutt and charged him with burglary. The courthouse was closed to the public during the incident in observance of the Labor Day holiday, and no one was injured.
Chilcutt is scheduled to appear in federal court on September 9, 2022, to answer the federal charges. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez of the Southern District of Florida and the Federal Protective Service (“FPS”), Miami Region, made the announcement.
FPS investigated this case with assistance from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Snider is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The below photos are part of the criminal complaint.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-mj-06428.
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Malden Man Sentenced to More than Six Years in Prison for Drug and Firearms Conspiracy Involving Machine GunsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden man was sentenced yesterday in connection with his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy in which he possessed over 150 grams of cocaine base and other controlled substances and conspired to possess firearms.
Phillips Charles, a/k/a “PHON C,” 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 78 months in prison and four years of supervised release. On April 26, 2022, Charles pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana and other controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“Mr. Charles repeatedly and flagrantly violated the conditions of his state pretrial release. Not only did he continue to traffic deadly narcotics on our streets, but he also recklessly wielded deadly firearms – seriously endangering the safety of our communities,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This case demonstrates this office’s commitment to utilize all resources necessary in our fight against drug trafficking and violent crime in the Commonwealth.”
“This first-time federal felon profited from the misery of others who were addicted to the poison he peddled,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Today’s sentence protects the public from Phillips Charles’ escalating criminal behavior, and his proclivity towards drug dealing, firearms, and violence.”
“This case is the product of a collaborative effort on the part of ATF and its local and federal partners to target, investigate, and eliminate the perpetrators of violent crime,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This sentence sends a clear and direct message that we take the illegal possession of firearms and narcotics very seriously and will not be tolerated in our communities.”
While on pretrial release from Malden District Court and Middlesex Superior Court for an October 2019 arrest involving cocaine base (crack cocaine), for which he later served a probation sentence, he continued to conspire with others involved in the conspiracy to distribute large quantities of controlled substances. Members of the conspiracy also possessed firearms, including multiple firearms with “selector switches” that convert firearms into machine guns, to protect the drug trafficking operation and target rival gang members. Specifically, while on pretrial release, Charles was involved in the filming of a publicly posted music video in which Charles was shown along with numerous firearms, including a firearm with an attached “selector switch,” one of which he was shown handling and pointing at the camera. Videos and text messages recovered during the investigation revealed that Charles historically possessed a number of firearms.
Additionally, while still on pretrial release in October 2020 and following a brief encounter with a rival gang member, his girlfriend and their one-year-old child at the Square One Mall in Saugus, Charles pursued the victim and his family and fired at least seven rounds into their vehicle. Charles remained on pretrial release until he was arrested and charged in state court with possessing a firearm in December 2020.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Bonavolonta, ATF SAC Ferguson, Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts States Police and Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk County District Attorneys’ Offices; Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Hancock (Maine) County Sheriffs’ Departments; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; and the Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Danvers, Everett, Lynn, Malden, Salem, Saugus, Somerville, Revere, Bolton (Maine), Bangor (Maine), Portland (Maine) and Westbrook (Maine) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted at trial of Assaulting a Federal Law Enforcement Officer was sentenced on September 6, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Jade LaRoche, age 42, was sentenced to three years and eight 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.
LaRoche was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 11, 2022. He was found guilty by a federal jury, following a two-day jury trial, on September 6, 2022.
The evidence at trial showed that on October 31, 2021, in Lower Brule, LaRoche forcibly opposed and resisted a federal law enforcement officer. The officer was called to a residence to remove LaRoche. Upon learning that he was going to be placed under arrest, LaRoche ran from the officer into a back bedroom of the home. As the officer approached the back bedroom, the defendant charged out from his hiding spot, striking the officer and knocking him backwards into a table. The victim suffered injuries to his neck, back, and shoulder.
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.
LaRoche was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lower Brule Man Charged with Assault with Intent to Commit Murder, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault with Intent to Commit Murder, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Rain LaRoche, age 31, was indicted in August of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 10, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 40 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on July 19, 2022, at Fort Thompson, South Dakota, LaRoche assaulted another person with a dangerous weapon, causing serious bodily injury. The Indictment further alleges that LaRoche committed the acts with the intent to murder the victim.
The charges are merely accusations and Ducheneaux is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
LaRoche was detained pending trial. A trial date has been set for October 11, 2022.
Louisville Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Senior VictimRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville man was sentenced today to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $285,336.93 for defrauding an elderly victim out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bank fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Roy “Wayne” Jenkins, 66, converted at least $285,336.93 of the victim’s property to his personal use through fraudulent bank transactions between August 2013 and January 2018. Jenkins gained access to the elderly victim’s property and bank accounts under the pretense of helping her son, who held Power of Attorney, manage her financial affairs when she was no longer able to do so. The fraudulent transactions Jenkins engaged in during the scheme included making an unauthorized withdrawal of life insurance proceeds to which he was not entitled, forging checks to steal funds from the victim’s accounts and from a trust established for her benefit and making unauthorized online payments from the victim’s accounts to his personal credit card account.
"I commend the work of LMPD and the United States Secret Service during the investigation and prosecution of this case,” stated United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett. “Fraudsters who concoct schemes to target the hard-earned savings of our seniors take note. Along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners we will work tirelessly in pursuit of identifying, apprehending, and fully prosecuting you.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department and the United States Secret Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Corinne E. Keel prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the National Elder Justice Task Force and the Kentucky Elder Justice Task Force. The Department of Justice’s mission of its Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults. In response to the growing need and targeting areas of greatest concern, the Department of Justice stood up 10 task forces made up of 11 federal districts to combat a variety of elder abuse, including elder financial exploitation. Kentucky’s federal districts make up two of the 11 districts under the Initiative. Kentucky’s task force is comprised of investigators, prosecutors, and others at the local, state, and federal level with a common objective of protecting seniors across Kentucky.
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Lorain Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - Dylan T. Flanigan, 49, of Lorain, Ohio, was sentenced on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, to more than 14 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after he previously pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, in February 2019, law enforcement investigators executed a search warrant at Flanigan’s Lorain residence after receiving information that he was in possession of child pornography.
During the search, investigators found multiple electronic devices that, upon examination, contained hundreds of images and more than 70 videos of child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Brunswick Police Department and the Cleveland FBI. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael A. Sullivan, Kathryn Gaughan Andrachik and Margaret A. Kane
Lawrence Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security MisuseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with fraudulently using someone else’s Social Security number.
Mariana Rosmely Aguasviva, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Jan. 9, 2023. Aguasviva was arrested and charged in February 2021.
Aguasviva fraudulently used a Social Security number that was assigned to someone else in an application at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in Boston in 2016. The application was to change information on Aguasviva’s driver’s license, which was in the name of the person whose Social Security number was misappropriated. Aguasviva began misusing the victim’s Social Security number to assume the victim’s identity in 2010, when she first obtained a Massachusetts driver’s license in the victim’s name from the RMV. Investigators discovered the driver’s license in the victim’s name in Aguasviva’s purse at the time of her arrest.
The charge of false representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Billerica Police Department and the Lawrence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of Rollins’ Criminal Division is prosecuting 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.
Kyle Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for MurderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Second-Degree Murder was sentenced on August 31, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Stetson Eagle Elk, age 29, was sentenced to 18 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.
Eagle Elk was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2022 and pleaded guilty on June 3, 2022. The conviction stems from Eagle Elk, along with Gary Little Bull, shooting and killing Todd Little Bull in August 2016 in Kyle.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Eagle Elk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kyle Man Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 31, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Severt Shon Young Bear, III, a/k/a Yamni Young Bear, age 40, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Young Bear was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury in February of 2021, and pleaded guilty in March of 2022. The conviction stems from Young Bear conspiring with at least five other persons to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in South Dakota between November 2015 and February 2021.
The case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which includes the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.
Young Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kenel Man Indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse and AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kenel, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force, Assault of an Intimate Partner by Strangulation and Suffocation, and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner.
Rodd Rankeen Rough Surface, age 45, was indicted in August of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 7, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $300 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on May 29, 2021, in Kenel, Rough Surface assaulted and strangled an intimate partner and then sexually abused her through the use of force. Rough Surface caused the victim to suffer substantial bodily harm.
The charges are merely accusations and Rough Surface is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Rough Surface was released pending trial. A trial date was set for November 1, 2022.
Jackson County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Social Security Income BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Monique Casto, 37, of Kenna, was sentenced today to 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for fraudulently obtaining Social Security Administration benefits. Casto was also ordered to pay $41,166 in restitution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Casto unlawfully collected $41,166 in Social Security Survivor’s Insurance Benefits payments on behalf of a child after losing custody of that child.
Social Security representative payee benefits are based on income and living arrangements. The benefits require that the SSA money received actually be used for the well-being of the child. They also create a duty on the recipient to report a change in living arrangements.
In March 2006, Casto began receiving benefits for the care of the child as the child’s representative payee. Casto failed to disclose that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources took custody of the child in June 2015. Casto also failed to disclose that her parental rights were terminated in May 2016. Casto unlawfully collected benefits while continuing to represent that the child lived with her and in her care from June 2015 through August 2019.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and SSA-Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for conducting the investigation.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-137.
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Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 37 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Anthony Crenshaw, 26 years old, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon on his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Crenshaw was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on February 4, 2021, Crenshaw was a driver of a vehicle that was stuck in a snowbank at 7:15 am outside a White Castle in Hammond, Indiana. When officers arrived, Crenshaw appeared dazed and lethargic. As he stepped out of the vehicle, officers noticed a bulge, and Crenshaw produced a semi-automatic firearm from his sweatshirt pocket along with 26 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. Crenshaw’s criminal history revealed that he had a prior felony conviction for burglary resulting in bodily injury which prohibits him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Hammond Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin M. Padula.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results
Illinois Man Sentenced to 55 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Martae Patton, 36, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon. on his plea of guilty to engaging in wire fraud announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Patton was sentenced to 55 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $936,208.34
According to documents filed in the case, Patton engaged in a scheme to defraud the federal government and several state governments of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) monies through false and fraudulent pretenses. PUA, a federal program overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor, is designed to assist individuals whose employment was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic by augmenting existing State unemployment benefits.
Patton was part of a scheme where the objective was to use personal information of unsuspecting persons to apply for unemployment benefits in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. The fraudulently obtained benefits were then sent on a debit card to addresses associated with Patton and others located in and around the Northern District of Indiana. Patton and others then retrieved the debit cards and drained the funds through the purchases of money orders, ATM withdrawals and other means.
United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson said, “This prosecution shows that my Office will aggressively prosecute persons who, by means of fraud, obtain federal funds that Congress appropriated to assist unemployed persons through the economic hardship created by the COVID pandemic. Such theft of federal funds tears the safety net that Congress implemented for American workers and their families.”
“This was a crime of greed and opportunity. The pandemic has created a great need for many who not only lost their livelihood, but in many cases their normalcy. This need unfortunately has been exploited by an individual who sought to steal and bilk the government for funds to which they were not entitled, interfering with the rightful distribution of pandemic relief. Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners will never tolerate this behavior and will tirelessly work to investigate and bring these individuals to justice for their illegal activity,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge, Detroit Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
“Martae Patton participated in a scheme that defrauded several states and the federal government by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims using PII of unsuspecting individuals, resulting in the payment of nearly $1 million in fraudulent UI benefits. Patton’s scheme diverted money away from American workers in need of relief from the financial effects of unemployment. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the UI system from those who exploit these benefit programs,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas McGrath.
Hustlas Don’t Sleep Gang Member Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Washington County resident has been sentenced in federal court to fifteen years of imprisonment on his conviction of federal narcotics and firearms charges, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Duane Eugene Cash, Jr., age 50, formerly of Meadowlands, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Cash participated in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of heroin, acetyl fentanyl, and fentanyl, possessed with the intent to distribute large quantities of heroin, acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, possessed a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessed a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense. He was part of a drug trafficking organization who used the moniker of Hustlas Don’t Sleep which distributed large quantities of illegal narcotics from 2017 to 2019, mostly in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, including Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, and Monroeville.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Monroeville Police Department, and the Penn Hills Police Department, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Cash.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks
Horse Doping Seller Sentenced to 42 Months in Manhattan Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant LISA GIANNELLI, received a sentence of 42 months in prison today for her role in an approximately 20-year scheme to sell and distribute to racehorse trainers and others in the racehorse industry “untestable” performance enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) for use in professional horseracing. GIANNELLI was one of over 30 defendants charged in four separate cases in March 2020, each arising from this Office’s multi-year investigation of the abuse of racehorses through the use of performance enhancing drugs.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Giannelli catered to corrupt racehorse trainers by selling illegal performance-enhancing drugs designed to deceive the very people who could put a stop to these crimes. Today’s sentence sends a message that those who engage in fraud and animal abuse will be held to account.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, prior charging instruments, other filings in this case, and as established by the evidence at trial:[1]
GIANNELLI was charged in United States v. Navarro, 20 Cr. 160 (MKV), a case arising from an investigation of widespread schemes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors, and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses competing at all levels of professional horseracing. By evading PED prohibitions and deceiving drug regulators and horse racing officials, participants in these schemes sought to improve race performance and obtain prize money from racetracks throughout the United States and other countries, including in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), all to the detriment and risk of the health and well-being of the racehorses. Trainers who participated in the schemes stood to profit from the success of racehorses under their control by earning a share of their horses’ winnings and by improving their horses’ racing records, thereby yielding higher trainer fees and increasing the number of racehorses under their control. Indicted veterinarians profited from the sale and administration of these medically unnecessary, misbranded, and adulterated substances. GIANNELLI, a seller of customized PEDs designed specifically to evade anti-doping controls, personally earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales commissions from her sale and distribution of PEDs to trainers around the United States.
GIANNELLI marketed these drugs as “untestable” under typical anti-doping drug screens and extolled the virtues of these illegal drugs by describing their potency and untestability. In the course of over fifteen years during which GIANNELLI operated under the auspices of the company, Equestology, GIANNELLI deliberately lied to state investigators to cover up her crimes and sold vials with no or incomplete labels, with no hint as to the provenance of those unsafe and prohibited drugs.
The drugs GIANNELLI sold included intravenous and intramuscular injectables that she sold to laypeople for injection into the horses under their purported “care,” many of which were seized at premises throughout the country at the time of the original indictments in this case, including barns located in New York. Those included “blood building” drugs (for example, “BB3” and other Epogen-mimetic substances), vasodilators (for example, “VO2Max”), and bags filled with scores of “bleeder pills,” each designed to covertly increase performance in affected horses.
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GIANNELLI, 55, of Felton, Delaware, was previously convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit misbranding and drug adulteration in connection with her work for Equestology. In addition to her prison sentence, GIANNELLI was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $900,000, reflecting the value of the adulterated and misbranded drugs GIANNELLI and her co-conspirators sold as part of his fraudulent doping schemes.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and its support of the Bureau’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative. Mr. Williams also thanked the Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection for their assistance and expertise. This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Mortazavi and Benjamin A. Gianforti are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As to GIANELLI’s co-defendants, these facts, including the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the descriptions of the Indictments set forth herein, constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Honduran Drug Trafficking Organization Member Pleads Guilty to Distributing CocaineRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran man pleaded guilty today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in the United States.
According to court documents, Rafael Antonio Pineda Santos, 43, was extradited from Guatemala in May 2022 after being indicted in June 2014 for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, knowing it would be imported into the United States. From 2005 until at least June 2014, members of an international drug trafficking organization based in Honduras known as the “Los Valles” Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) conspired to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Central America to the United States.
Pineda Santos was a member of the Valle DTO. He was paid by the leaders of the Valle DTO to provide information about the status of possible law enforcement cooperators and pending law enforcement actions against the Valle DTO. Pineda Santos maintained an extensive network through which he obtained information that he provided the Valle DTO to further the conspiracy. He contacted leaders of the organization to advise them of planned raids or surveillance being conducted against the Valle DTO. Over the course of the conspiracy, Pineda Santos and members of the Valle DTO distributed at least 50 kilograms of cocaine.
Pineda Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2023 by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten 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.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sean Ragan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachael Tucker and Katherine Rumbaugh are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Guatemala to secure the arrest and extradition of Pineda Santos to the United States.
The case was investigated by the FBI Sacramento Field Office and the Sacramento Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principle mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
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. 1:14-cr-135.
Harrison Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Harrison man was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in April of 2021, the Harrison Police Department received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which reported that an unknown person was utilizing an account on the Kik Messenger application to upload media files including child pornography. An investigation into the IP addresses and the Kik account information revealed the account owner to be Christopher Scott Hafar, age 46, of Harrison, Arkansas. Harrison officers arrested Hafar on July 21, 2021, and Hafar later admitted to receiving child pornography using his Kik account through his cellphone.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Harrison Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Goshen Man Convicted of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Junaid Gulzar, 32 years old, of Goshen, Indiana, was found guilty following a 3-day jury trial presided over by United States United States District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr., announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
The jury found Gulzar guilty on all three counts of wire fraud as charged in the Indictment. It was alleged that from January 2021 through July 2021, Gulzar devised a scheme to defraud investors and obtain money through false pretenses by use of wire communications in interstate commerce. Gulzar had offered an investment opportunity in gas stations in Goshen and Plymouth, Indiana, promising a high rate of return with monthly payments. Instead, Gulzar personally benefitted by at least $210,000.00 by defrauding the investors and not using the money as he had promised in the gas stations. No payments were made to the investors from the Goshen gas station investment and the Plymouth gas station was never purchased. Instead, some of the money wired to Gulzar by the investors for the purchase of the Plymouth gas station was used for his own benefit at a casino.
Gulzar’s sentencing is scheduled for December 14, 2022. 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 was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Joel Gabrielse.
Four Charged in Capital Region Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Four people have been indicted for conspiring to distribute cocaine that was mailed from Puerto Rico to the Capital Region, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The indictment alleges that between June 2021 and December 2021, in Albany and Rensselaer Counties, the following four men engaged in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine:
- Jan Lopez-Colon, age 28, of Troy, New York;
- Jesus Baez, age 32, of Loudonville, New York;
- Ilvin Batista-Figueroa, age 31, of Albany; and
- Sam Calderon, age 20, of Troy.
According to a complaint previously filed in the case, over the period of June to December 2021, the defendants obtained numerous packages shipped by U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to addresses in the Capital Region, and each package contained approximately one kilogram of cocaine. The packages were then retrieved by the defendants and transported to Troy, where the cocaine was processed for distribution. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The four defendants are also each charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and Baez is also charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition.
The charges filed against Lopez-Colon carry a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Baez, Batista-Figueroa, and Calderon each face a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life.
Lopez-Colon and Baez were arraigned this week before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel. Lopez-Colon is detained pending trial before Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe. Baez is detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for September 9. Batista-Figueroa and Calderon waived arraignment and are released pending trial.
This case is being investigated by the USPIS and its Capital Region Task Force, led by the USPIS and including the Albany Police Department, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Schenectady Police Department, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Selling Gun and Drugs to Undercover ATF AgentRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Ronald Dale Perkins (44, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and distribution of methamphetamine. Perkins faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment for the firearm offense and up to 20 years in federal prison for the drug offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on April 5, 2022, Perkins, a nine-time convicted felon, sold a sawed-off .410 caliber shotgun gun and methamphetamine to an undercover ATF special agent.
This case is being investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former PWSA Supervisor Sentenced for Clean Water Act ViolationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year probation on his conviction of conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV imposed the sentence on James Paprocki, age 52.
According to information presented to the court, Paprocki was a supervisor at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s Aspinwall Drinking Water Production Plant. At various times between 2010 and 2017, Paprocki and another plant supervisor, Glenn Lijewski, illegally discharged clarifier sludge, a byproduct that is produced when raw water is converted into potable water, into the Allegheny River. Under the terms of an environmental permit, the sludge had to pumped to ALCOSAN’s waste treatment plant. Lijewski and Paprocki also submitted reports containing false estimates about the amount sludge that was actually being sent to the waste treatment plant.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that while Paprocki’s conduct was serious, it was the only time Paprocki had been in trouble with the law.
“This sentencing completes the federal criminal investigation of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and two of its former managers for knowingly violating discharge permit limits and for false statements,” said Jennifer Lynch, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The prosecution has brought about much needed structural, funding, and cultural change at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, especially concerning the Aspinwall plant.”
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Leo Ivory prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the EPA, Criminal Investigation Division for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of James Paprocki.
Former Everett Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud, Social Security Misuse and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Everett man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to identity theft and fraud charges in connection with multiple schemes to fraudulently obtain an apartment as well as pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Tedje Menard, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, one count of false representation of a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Nov. 30, 2022. Menard was charged and arrested in November 2021 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 27, 2022.
In or around November 2020, Menard applied to rent an apartment in East Boston using the name and identity of another person. As part of the application and screening process, Menard falsely claimed to be the victim by providing the company overseeing the property with, among other things, the victim’s name, social security number, date of birth and a copy of a purported North Carolina driver’s license containing the victim’s information but depicting a photograph of Menard. Menard also submitted an EIDL application in the amount of $40,000 using the victim’s name and personal identifiable information in June 2021.
Additionally, in April 2021, Menard used his own name to apply for a PPP loan in the amount of approximately $20,833. In the loan application, Menard falsely represented his business’ total gross income in 2019 and his criminal history.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of false representation of a social security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Labor and the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Former Engineering Executive Sentenced for Rigging Bids and Defrauding North Carolina Department of TransportationRead the Press Release
A former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC (Contech) was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment yesterday in New Bern, North Carolina, for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud schemes targeting the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Following a week-long trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in January, a jury convicted Brent Brewbaker, a former Contech executive, for participating in conspiracies to rig bids and submit false certifications of non-collusion for more than 300 aluminum structure projects funded by the state of North Carolina between 2009 and 2018. Evidence showed that Brewbaker instructed a co-conspirator to submit non-competitive bids to NCDOT and to hide his bid rigging and fraud by varying the amount of inflated bids submitted. He also made clear to a co-conspirator that he would hide illegal conduct by deleting text messages he received about the conspiracy.
“Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of offenses that subvert the competitive process, target state and local governments, and ultimately cost taxpayers money,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) partners remain committed to holding executives accountable when they choose to cheat instead of compete.”
“The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, along with our other federal law enforcement partners, secured a victory today in our fight against bid-rigging and collusion,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “The USPS-OIG will vigorously investigate those who would engage in harmful anticompetitive practices, and we continue to ask for the public’s assistance in identifying and reporting those engaged in this type of activity.”
“Violations of the nation’s antitrust laws will be taken seriously and those who circumvent federal bidding and contract regulations will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Miles of the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (DOT-OIG) Mid-Atlantic Region. “The message is clear: we will pursue and investigate individuals who compromise the integrity of the procurement process for corporate greed and personal gain.”
Brewbaker was convicted of conspiracy to rig bids, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of wire fraud. Brewbaker was also ordered to pay a $111,000 criminal fine and a $600 special assessment. Contech previously pleaded guilty to one count of bid rigging under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Contech agreed to pay a criminal fine of $7 million and restitution to NCDOT in the amount of $1,533,988.
The Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section prosecuted this case, which was investigated with the assistance of the USPS-OIG and the DOT-OIG. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina also provided support throughout the investigation and trial.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact procurement and grant and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. To contact the Procurement Collusion Strike Force or to report information concerning market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging or other anticompetitive conduct related to federal, state or local transportation projects, visit https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Former City of Atlanta employee Mitzi Bickers sentenced to 14 years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Former City of Atlanta Director of Human Services, Mitzi L. Bickers, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for accepting approximately $3 million in bribe money to influence government contracts, money laundering, lying to the City of Atlanta to maintain her salary and cabinet-level position, and failing to disclose more than $600,000 in income on her federal tax return.
“For years, Mitzi Bickers masterminded a sophisticated scheme to steer City of Atlanta contracts worth millions of dollars to two businessmen,” said U.S. Ryan K. Buchanan. “By abusing her position, power, and connections, Bickers corrupted the City’s procurement practices, creating a pay-to-play environment where bribe money was rewarded over merit and quality of work. Bickers’ substantial prison sentence serves as a blistering message to anyone tempted to sell the public’s trust for a lake home or an SUV and serves as a reminder that law enforcement officers remain committed to the investigation of corrupt public officials.”
“The actions of Mitzi Bickers not only traded the public’s trust for personal gain, but this was also a shame to her oath of office and her duty to the City of Atlanta. This sentence demonstrates no one is above the law,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to investigate public officials and those who wish to wrongly influence public officials for personal gain.”
“High ranking City officials hold positions of power and trust not only in their official capacity but also in the eyes of the public. That trust is broken when such officials abuse their power and commit crimes,” said James E. Dorsey, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. “Mitzi Bickers failed to uphold the trust and duty bestowed to her by the taxpayers of the City of Atlanta, to serve the public’s interest and not her own. Bickers chose a lakefront home over the best interest of the people of Atlanta.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: While with the City of Atlanta as its Director of Human Services and after leaving the City as a claimed “business consultant,” Bickers accepted more than $2.9 million in bribe payments directly and on behalf of other public officials to steer valuable contracts to businessmen Elvin R. Mitchell, Jr. and Charles P. Richards, Jr.
From February 2010 to May 2013, Bickers served as the City of Atlanta’s Director of Human Services. Even though she held a high-level position with the City, Bickers sold sensitive, non-public information to Mitchell and Richards that was critical to their ability to obtain certain valuable contracts. In effecting the bribery scheme, Bickers accepted money in two distinct ways: (1) Mitchell and Richards paid Bickers “up-front” money, where Bickers arranged for Mitchell and Richards to pay her bribe money in advance of the work to secure the award of a contract; and (2) Mitchell and Richards paid Bickers “kick-backs,” where Bickers instructed Mitchell and Richards to inflate the cost of their work with the City so that Mitchell and Richards could then pay Bickers a percentage of what they earned. Between 2010 and 2013, Mitchell’s and Richards’s companies received City of Atlanta contracts worth millions of dollars for emergency snow removal, sidewalk repair and maintenance, and bridge reconstruction.
In an effort to conceal her relationship with Mitchell and Richards, Bickers filed numerous false City of Atlanta Financial Disclosure forms. For example, Bickers swore under penalty of perjury that in 2011, she engaged in no financial relationships with any outside businesses and did not receive more than $5,000 in income from any outside sources. In fact, Bickers had accepted more than $600,000 in bribe money from Mitchell and Richards during that period.
In 2011, Bickers used most of this bribe money to purchase a $775,000 lakefront home in Jonesboro, Georgia. In that same year, Bickers lied on her federal income tax return by claiming that she earned only $57,896 (resulting in a tax refund of $3,924). In fact, in 2011, Bickers had accepted over $600,000 in bribe payments and owed the IRS more than $200,000 in taxes.
In 2013, the media exposed Bickers’s financial ties to the political consulting firm Pirouette Companies (which was incorporated by Bickers’s girlfriend but operated by Bickers). Shortly thereafter, Bickers resigned her position with the City of Atlanta. After leaving the City of Atlanta, Bickers continued to receive millions of dollars in bribes from Mitchell and Richards to obtain additional City of Atlanta contracts. Bickers spent the proceeds of the bribery scheme on luxury merchandise and travel, four Yamaha jet skis, and a GMC Acadia Denali.
Ultimately, between 2010 and 2014, Bickers accepted more than $2.9 million in bribe money from Mitchell and Richards to secure several lucrative City of Atlanta contracts. In this same period, the City of Atlanta paid Mitchell’s and Richards’s businesses at least $15 million for these government contracts.
On October 22, 2018, a Federal grand jury returned a 12-count Superseding Indictment charging Mitzi Bickers with conspiratorial and substantive bribery, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and tax fraud offenses.
On March 23, 2022, after an approximately two-week trial, a jury convicted Bickers of nine of the 12 counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. The jury acquitted Bickers on two counts of bribery and one count of obstruction.
U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones sentenced Mitzi L. Bickers, 57, of Atlanta, Georgia, to 14 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered her to pay $2,955,106 in restitution to the City of Atlanta. Bickers also forfeited to the government her lake home, a GMC Acadia Denali, and four Yamaha jet skis because Bickers purchased these items with the proceeds from the bribery conspiracy.
- Elvin R. Mitchell Jr., 68, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiratorial bribery and money laundering and was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison.
- Charles P. Richards Jr., 70, Tucker, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiratorial bribery and was ultimately sentenced to one year, eight months in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis, Nathan P. Kitchens, Tiffany R. Dillingham, and Kelly Connors prosecuted the case. The case was previously prosecuted by former U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Florida Businessman Charged with Payroll Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A Florida businessman was arraigned yesterday in Miami, after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with willful failure to pay over employment taxes to the IRS.
According to the indictment, Ari Weingrad, of Miami, operated two car rental companies, Rent Max Miami, Inc. and Rent Max North, Inc., both of which had locations throughout Florida. In 2016, Weingrad allegedly was responsible for filing quarterly employment tax returns and collecting and paying over to the IRS employment taxes withheld from employees’ wages. Weingrad allegedly withheld these funds from his employees, but he did not fully pay the withholdings over to the IRS. According to the indictment, during the same time period, Weingrad used corporate funds from the businesses to pay for personal items, including payments to his wife and himself and expenses related to a yacht.
If convicted, Weingrad faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of three counts of willful failure to pay over employment taxes. 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 Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Finds Serial Burglar Guilty of Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal jury convicted a Louisville man yesterday of possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, on December 3, 2020, Nathaniel Durham, 31, was armed with a firearm as he approached a stolen vehicle. As Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers attempted to arrest the individuals in possession of the stolen vehicle, Durham fled and threw the firearm to the ground. After a short foot pursuit, Durham was apprehended. The jury found Durham guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. According to the indictment, Durham’s prior felony convictions included more than ten (10) burglaries in Jefferson County.
Durham was charged in an indictment that also charged Marquise Reyes, Jeremy Cosby, and Phillips Barnes with other offenses. Each of these defendants pled guilty prior to trial.
Marquise Reyes, 24, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On July 29, 2022, Reyes was sentenced by a United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky to 43 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On August 25, 2022, Jeremy Cosby, 28, pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His sentencing is scheduled for November 18, 2022.
On August 30, 2022, Phillip Barnes, 33, pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His sentencing is scheduled for November 18, 2022.
Durham’s sentencing is scheduled for December 13, 2022. Durham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Durham remains in federal custody.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and LMPD Chief Erika Shields made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia P. Gomez and Mac Shannon are prosecuting the case with the assistance of paralegal Adela Alic.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Fall River Man Sentenced on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with travelling to New Hampshire to attempt to have sex with a teenage girl.
Charles Eugene Schnitzlein III, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to four years in prison and five of supervised release. In October 2021, Schnitzlein pleaded guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person under 18 years of age.
“The sexualization and exploitation of our children is a real and present danger. Adults who prey on children are predators and pose a serious threat to our communities. As a result of his reprehensible behavior, Mr. Schnitzlein is now a convicted felon and a sex offender. As the guardian of my 13-year-old niece, this case hits close to home for me. Children deserve to be children. There are reasons we have ages of consent and adulthood,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This 35-year old man was attempting to have sex with an 8th grader. A juvenile. Child exploitation is a heinous crime and prosecuting perpetrators is one of my highest priorities as U.S. Attorney. We will be relentless in hunting down those who seek to exploit and sexualize our children. Child predators be warned.”
“Charles Schnitzlein clearly knew that preying on underage girls was wrong, but he did it anyway. He made extensive plans to travel to New Hampshire to have sex with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, and when we caught him, he confessed to a history of similar, failed attempts,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Boston Division. “Had we not put a stop to his atrocious behavior, his conduct likely would have continued. Today’s sentence ensures that he won’t be able to victimize any child for quite some time.”
Schnitzlein used a messaging application to communicate with an individual he thought was a 13-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover agent. During the conversations, Schnitzlein sent the purported 13-year-old a photo with his penis exposed and asked for sexually explicit photos of her and with a friend. Schnitzlein also asked the purported teenager where she lived and devised a plan to meet her to have sex. On April 9, 2021, Schnitzlein drove from Fall River to a mall in Nashua, N.H., to meet with the undercover officer posing as a teenage girl. On his way to the meetup location, Schnitzlein stopped to purchase condoms, flowers, soda and candy. Schnitzlein was arrested upon his arrival.
During an interview with law enforcement, Schnitzlein admitted that he traveled from Fall River to meet the purported 13-year-old girl and booked a hotel room in Nashua, N.H. to have sex with her. Schnitzlein further admitted to numerous past occasions in which he repeatedly went to certain retail stores to look for young girls, touch or grab them in passing and attempt to lure them to the bathroom for purposes of sex. A forensic review of Schnitzlein’s phone revealed two additional conversations between him and purported minors that were sexual in nature, including a discussion with one of the minors about meeting at a mall for sex.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and Nashua (N.H.) Police Commissioner Matthew E. Plante made the announcement. Assistance was provided by Massachusetts State Police and the Arlington, Revere and Boston Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
EmpiresX Head Trader Pleads Guilty to Global Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Scheme that Amassed Approximately $100 Million from InvestorsRead the Press Release
A Florida man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit securities fraud in connection with a global cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme that took in approximately $100 million from investors.
According to court documents, Joshua David Nicholas, 28, of Stuart, was the “Head Trader” for EmpiresX, a purported cryptocurrency platform. Nicholas admitted that he and others fraudulently promoted EmpiresX by making numerous misrepresentations regarding, among other things, a purported proprietary trading bot and fraudulent “guaranteed” returns to investors and prospective investors in the company. Nicholas and his co-conspirators claimed that EmpiresX operated a trading bot that used artificial and human intelligence to maximize profitability for investors. Instead, EmpiresX operated a Ponzi scheme by paying earlier investors with money obtained from later EmpiresX investors. In addition, despite representations to the contrary, EmpiresX never registered, nor took steps to register, EmpiresX’s investment program as an offering and sale of securities with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, nor did EmpiresX have a valid exemption from this registration requirement.
Nicholas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.
The FBI Miami Field Office and HSI’s Miami Field Office are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Kevin Lowell and Sara Hallmark of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Yisel Valdes for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
All investor victims of the EmpiresX scheme are encouraged to visit the webpage https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/crypto-enforcement to identify themselves as potential victims and obtain more information on their rights as victims, including the ability to submit a victim impact statement.
Duncan Information Technology Company and Its Owners Agree to Pay $54,000 to Settle Allegations of Submitting False Claims Involving Federal Communications Commission ProgramRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Omega Technology Center, Inc. ("Omega") and its owners Todd and Kristie Greenway (the "Greenways") agreed to pay $54,000 to settle civil claims stemming from allegations they submitted false claims involving a program of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
The Universal Service Administrative Company ("USAC") is a not-for-profit entity that administers an FCC program called E-Rate. The E-Rate program is designed to improve the telecommunication capabilities of schools and libraries, particularly those in indigent areas. It does so by subsidizing the cost of new telecommunication equipment and services, and internal connections, to bring connectivity within the school or library (such as cabling, routers, and servers), as well as maintenance services.
Omega is a for profit business located in Duncan, Oklahoma, that provides information technology support to schools in Oklahoma. The United States alleges that Omega and the Greenways submitted invoices for payment to USAC under the E-Rate program for goods and services that were never provided to the Fort Towson school district for the 2010 and 2012 E-Rate years. To resolve the claims, Omega and the Greenways agreed to pay $54,000 to the United States, and to not participate in any FCC program administered by the USAC for a period of at least three years.
In reaching this settlement, Omega and the Greenways did not admit liability, and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims. The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.
This case was investigated by Federal Communications Commission, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald R. Gallegos and Scott Maule prosecuted
Dominican National Sentenced to 38 Months in Prison for Selling Oxycodone from New Britain GroceryRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Jose Lugo, also known as “Domi,” 34, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 38 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing oxycodone from a New Britain grocery store.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the summer of 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the New Britain Police Department began investigating individuals who were selling oxycodone pills from Elzier Grocery, located at 1485 Corbin Avenue in New Britain. Between July and December 2019, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of oxycodone pills from Lugo, Eliezer Perez and Elzier Grocery’s owner, Raul Cabrera-Vasquez.
Lugo was arrested on February 26, 2020. On that date, court authorized searches of Elzier Grocery and a nearby residence revealed more than 1000 oxycodone pills, drug packaging materials, drug ledgers, and approximately $10,000 in cash. The search of Elzier Grocery also revealed a handgun that was wrapped in Lugo’s shirt.
Lugo has been detained since his arrest. On February 8, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, oxycodone.
Lugo faces immigration proceeding when he completes his prison term.
Perez and Cabrera-Vasquez pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the New Britain Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Cruelty to Animals for Attack on Cat That Caused Traumatic Brain InjuryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malik Thomas, 30, of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals for retaliating against his romantic partner by beating her pet cat to the point of inflicting traumatic brain injury and a broken pelvis, among other injuries.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Chris Schindler, Vice President of Field Operations, Humane Rescue Alliance.
Thomas pleaded guilty on Sept. 7, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Frederick H. Weisberg sentenced him to 150 days in jail.
According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 18, 2021, officers responded to an apartment in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street NW, based on reports of a domestic violence incident in progress. When officers arrived, they found Thomas hiding in a closet. He told police that he “killed” the cat to retaliate against his partner for locking him out of the apartment that his partner owned. Thomas admitted he picked the cat up by his neck and slammed him on a cement tile floor, before pouring old grease on the cat and throwing him in a trashcan.
Police found the cat alive, but severely injured and unable to walk or stand. A veterinarian who examined the cat explained that he suffered fractures to his pelvis. The cat also suffered bleeding from the nose, hemorrhaging of the eye, effusion in the abdomen, and traumatic brain injury. The doctor explained that injuries of this severity are only typically found in animals who have been struck by a motor vehicle or have fallen from a great height. The cat later died.
Thomas was arrested on the day of the incident.
The Humane Rescue Alliance submitted a victim impact statement highlighting the studied link between animal abuse and domestic violence. In homes where there is domestic abuse, it’s not just the people who are at risk; animals are often targeted as well. Domestic violence victims concerned about the safety of their animals can have their service provider call the Humane Rescue Alliance 24/7 for help at 202-723-5730.
In announcing the plea and sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Chief Contee, and Vice President Schindler commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Humane Rescue Alliance.
They acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Sabrina Hudgens and the Litigation Technology Unit. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuel Hampton, who prosecuted the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Dinan and Monisha Rao, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein, who investigated the case.
Danvers Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Transfer of Obscene Matter to a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Danvers, Illinois, man, Alexander B. Smith, 23, of Kimberly Court, has been sentenced to 78 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Smith is also required to register as a sex offender and pay $2,000 in restitution to the minor victim of his offense.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the United States presented evidence that in February and March of 2021, Smith communicated via Instagram with a girl whom he knew to be under sixteen years old. Smith sent the girl images of his penis and encouraged her to meet with him for sex. Smith met with the girl at a park and had sexual intercourse with her.
Soon after, law enforcement officers investigated and arrested Smith. A search of Smith’s phone revealed at least 21 videos and 462 images of child pornography, including children as young as about three years old.
Smith was federally indicted in September 2021, and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He pleaded guilty in April 2022.
The statutory penalties for transfer of obscene matter to a minor are up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a three-year term of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
The Illinois State Police and Bloomington Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Ford County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the United States in the prosecution.
The case against Smith was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Daniel Chase Sentenced for Making False Statements to Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Daniel Chase, 61, of Weathersfield, Vermont was sentenced today in United States District Court in Rutland to one year of probation following his guilty plea to a charge that he made false statements to the Social Security Administration. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Chase to pay $2602 in restitution.
In May 2021, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned an indictment charging Chase with three counts of making false statements to the Social Security Administration. In June 2020, Chase’s spouse, who had been receiving Social Security disability payments, died. Upon learning of the spouse’s death, SSA stopped the spouse’s monthly payment, which was about $867. According to the indictment, in an effort to get his spouse’s benefit payments reinstated, Chase repeatedly made false claims to SSA that he was the spouse, that he was alive and that the payments had been wrongly terminated. Chase also submitted forged documents to SSA purportedly as proof that the spouse was alive.
This case was investigated by SSA’s Office of Inspector General and Vermont’s Department of Children and Families.
Chase is represented by Ian Carleton, Esq. and Devin McKnight, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Cuban national sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, firearms offensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Ali Godoy, 51, a national of Cuba, was sentenced on Sept. 7 to 10 years in prison. Godoy pleaded guilty on May 24 to one count each of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On April 4, task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Albuquerque District Office and the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) executed a search warrant on Godoy’s apartment on Pennsylvania Street in Albuquerque. During the search, investigators located over 72 grams of fentanyl pills and over 99 grams of methamphetamine in a safe and bag in Godoy’s bedroom. Investigators also found a .45 caliber pistol that had been stolen and was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition, and a 7.62 caliber rifle that was fully loaded with a high-capacity magazine containing 17 rounds of ammunition.
Godoy was previously convicted in Texas in 1996 of possession of a controlled substance, in Florida in 2002 of delivery of cocaine and tampering with evidence and in 2005 of aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and in New Mexico in 2000 of tampering with evidence and failure to appear, in 2001 of possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence and in 2010 of possession of a controlled substance. As a previously convicted felon, Godoy cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition to his prison term, Godoy will be subject to four years of supervised release. In the judgment, however, the Court recommended that Immigration and Customs Enforcement begin removal proceedings during the service of Godoy’s sentence. Godoy entered the United States in 1995 under a two-year “public interest” parole from Cuba.
The DEA and APD investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Tavo Hall prosecuted the case.
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Colombian Man Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Prison for Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Colombian man, who was extradited from Colombia after indictment, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in three charges related to obstructing justice.
Orlando Lopez Parra, 48, was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On May 12, 2022, Lopez Parra pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice and two counts of obstruction of justice.
Since at least August 2017, Lopez Parra obtained information of an ongoing United States criminal investigation into the international drug trafficking activities Henry Carrillo-Ramirez, as well as the presence of United States Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Colombia for Carrillo-Ramirez’s arrest. Lopez Parra enlisted the aid of another individual to make contact with Carrillo-Ramirez for the purpose of arranging a meeting with him.
At a meeting on Aug. 4, 2017, Lopez Parra told Carrillo-Ramirez there were United States law enforcement officers in Colombia for his arrest and that Lopez Parra’s contacts could provide additional information to Carrillo-Ramirez to avoid arrest in exchange for payment of 500 million Colombian pesos.
Several days later, on Aug. 7, 2017, Lopez Parra met with Carrillo-Ramirez again to offer information in exchange for payment of 500 million Colombian pesos, advised him to leave his residence and reminded him how difficult it would be for his family if he were extradited to the United States.
“This case demonstrates the resources and dedication of the Department of Justice and DEA to eradicate drug trafficking and hold those accountable who obstruct investigations into these dangerous and illegal activities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Those who interfere or impede with our investigations run the risk of getting charged criminally. So don’t.”
“The misconduct in this case is brazen and these charges make it crystal clear that the DEA is deeply committed to investigating any attempt to hinder a criminal investigation” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division. “DEA and their local, state and federal partners are dedicated to bringing to justice those that commit these types of crimes.”
Carrillo-Ramirez was indicted in June 2018 and extradited from Colombia in April 2019. In November 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and four counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Rollins and DEA SAC Boyle made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Colombian National Police, the Spanish Guardia Civil, and the Portuguese Air Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Chickasaw Nation and United States Attorneys for the Western and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma Co-Host Public Safety SummitRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, law enforcement officials gathered in Sulphur, Oklahoma, for the 2022 Chickasaw Nation Public Safety Summit. The Chickasaw Nation and United States Attorney’s Offices for the Western and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma co-hosted the event. The Summit envisioned to embrace collaboration on jurisdictional changes in Indian Country, and to answer questions and discuss procedures following recent court rulings that have impacted Indian Country in Oklahoma.
"This Public Safety Summit served as an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved and engage in a dialogue on how we can work together to accomplish even more," said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. "While changing circumstances may affect the manner in which we carry out our criminal justice duties, our shared commitment to the pursuit of justice remains unchanged. Working relationships among Tribal, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies and the working relationships of those agencies with Tribal, State, and Federal courts are built on that shared commitment. Through collaboration and cooperation, we are stronger, more equipped, and better able to plan and respond to the needs of our citizens."
"We came together with the common resolve and commitment to protect public safety in the Chickasaw Nation, hold offenders accountable, and secure justice for victims of crime," said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. "This discussion of important jurisdictional issues and addressing questions and issues raised by one another greatly enhanced the coordination, cooperation, and communication that is critically necessary among federal, state, local, and tribal officials going forward."
"The changing landscape of criminal jurisdiction in Oklahoma has posed some challenges for law enforcement," said United States Attorney Christopher Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. "This summit provided an excellent opportunity for local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors working within the Chickasaw Nation to meet together and focus on ways to ensure we are accomplishing our common mission to protect and serve."
The Summit included nearly 90 participants from the Chickasaw Nation, federal prosecutors, federal law enforcement, state law enforcement, tribal law enforcement, District Attorney’s Offices, Sheriffs’ Offices, and Police Departments that operate within the Chickasaw Nation. The format included various panel discussions to address topics such as the following:
- Indian Country jurisdiction following the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals decision in Bosse v. Oklahoma on October 7, 2011, which applied the U.S. Supreme Court McGirt v. Oklahoma decision to the Chickasaw Nation.
- Concurrent Jurisdiction following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta decision on June 29, 2022.
- Law Enforcement Authority in Indian Country.
- Law enforcement and prosecutorial responses to crimes within the Chickasaw Nation.
- Updates in federal law and related programs.
- Public Safety services provided by the Chickasaw Nation.
Chickasaw Nation and United States Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma Co-Host Public Safety SummitRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - OKLAHOMA CITY – On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, law enforcement officials gathered in Sulphur, Oklahoma, for the 2022 Chickasaw Nation Public Safety Summit. The Chickasaw Nation and United States Attorney’s Offices for the Western and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma co-hosted the event. The Summit envisioned to embrace collaboration on jurisdictional changes in Indian Country, and to answer questions and discuss procedures following recent court rulings that have impacted Indian Country in Oklahoma.
“This Public Safety Summit served as an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved and engage in a dialogue on how we can work together to accomplish even more,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. “While changing circumstances may affect the manner in which we carry out our criminal justice duties, our shared commitment to the pursuit of justice remains unchanged. Working relationships among Tribal, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies and the working relationships of those agencies with Tribal, State, and Federal courts are built on that shared commitment. Through collaboration and cooperation, we are stronger, more equipped, and better able to plan and respond to the needs of our citizens.”
"The changing landscape of criminal jurisdiction in Oklahoma has posed some challenges for law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Christopher Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “This summit provided an excellent opportunity for local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors working within the Chickasaw Nation to meet together and focus on ways to ensure we are accomplishing our common mission to protect and serve.”
“We came together with the common resolve and commitment to protect public safety in the Chickasaw Nation, hold offenders accountable, and secure justice for victims of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “This discussion of important jurisdictional issues and addressing questions and issues raised by one another greatly enhanced the coordination, cooperation, and communication that is critically necessary between federal, state, local, and tribal officials going forward.”
The Summit included nearly 90 participants from the Chickasaw Nation, federal prosecutors, federal law enforcement, state law enforcement, tribal law enforcement, District Attorney’s Offices, Sheriffs’ Offices, and Police Departments operating within the Chickasaw Nation. The format included various panel discussions to address topics such as the following:
- Indian Country jurisdiction following the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals decision in Bosse v. Oklahoma on October 7, 2011, which applied the U.S. Supreme Court McGirt v. Oklahoma decision to the Chickasaw Nation.
- Concurrent Jurisdiction following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta decision on June 29, 2022.
- Law Enforcement Authority in Indian Country.
- Law enforcement and prosecutorial responses to crimes within the Chickasaw Nation.
- Updates in federal law and related programs.
- Public Safety services provided by the Chickasaw Nation.
Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chicago man has pleaded guilty to threatening and coercing a Massachusetts minor to engage in sexual conduct.
Ernesto Herrera, 33, of Chicago, Ill., pleaded guilty on Aug. 31, 2022 in federal court in Boston to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 21, 2022. Herrera was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2021 and subsequently charged by an Information on July 26, 2022. He has remained in custody since June 2021.
“My office remains determined to protect the safety, innocence and wellbeing of our children, especially from the threat of online predators. Mr. Herrera used social media to target, threaten and rob a child of their innocence and, following the acceptance of Mr. Herrera’s guilty plea by the Court, he will be a convicted felon and a registered sex offender,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, my office will continue our aggressive pursuit to hold predators like Mr. Herrera accountable. Those who seek to sexualize and harm our children will be identified and prosecuted – that is a promise.”
“Ernesto Herrera has admitted to using social media to target and manipulate a 16-year-old girl into providing him with sexually explicit images of herself. His deplorable conduct in this case underscores the urgent need for the FBI and our law enforcement partners to continue our efforts in protecting children from those who prey on them,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “In this case, a very brave child spoke up, and in doing so has prevented Mr. Herrera from victimizing others.”
In June 2020, Herrera threatened and coerced a Massachusetts minor via text message to make and send an image of the victim engaged in sexual conduct, among other things. Herrera threatened the minor that if she did not comply with his requests, videos of the minor would be leaked to her friends and the internet. Herrera also accessed the minor’s Snapchat account and, beginning in June 2020 and continuing through at least January 2021, over one thousand images and videos of the minor were sent from the minor’s Snapchat account to Herrera’s Snapchat account. Several of these files depicted child pornography. During a search of Herrera’s residence in Chicago he admitted to contacting the minor using a text messaging service and acknowledged that he knew the minor was being blackmailed by other people at the time that he communicated with her. Herrera confirmed that he received images of the minor engaged in sexual conduct, among other things.
The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Chicago Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Charlotte County Correctional Officer Sentenced for Attempting to Smuggle Drugs into PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Troy Alexander Cole (28, Fort Myers) to three years and five months in federal prison for attempted possession with the intent to distribute MDMA (commonly referred to as “Molly”) and methamphetamine. Cole had entered a guilty plea on April 20, 2022.
According to court documents, Cole worked as a correctional officer at the Charlotte Correctional Institution (CCI) in Punta Gorda. In June 2021, on three separate occasions, Cole agreed to smuggle methamphetamine or MDMA into the prison where he worked and provide the contraband to an inmate. He agreed to do so in exchange for payments of $400, $1,000, and $4,000, respectively.
On each occasion, Cole picked up a package containing what he believed were the controlled substances and then entered CCI. Cole would then conceal the packages containing the purported controlled substances and notify the inmate that they were available for retrieval.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine into Southern OregonRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore.—On September 7, 2022, a San Diego, California man was sentenced to federal prison for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine from Southern California to Southern Oregon for redistribution and sale.
Martin Jesus Velasco, 39, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in late 2019, law enforcement learned Velasco was transporting pound quantities of methamphetamine north from California in rental cars and then selling it to local drug dealers in Southern Oregon. On at least two occasions, including the trip precipitating his arrest, Velasco traveled in a rental vehicle containing drug shipments with an associate and the associate’s girlfriend and infant child.
On February 6, 2020, Velasco was stopped in Ashland, Oregon and his vehicle was searched pursuant to a state search warrant. Authorities located a duffle bag with five one-pound packages of methamphetamine. Velasco and an accomplice were arrested. A later search of his cell phone revealed evidence of Velasco’s extensive and ongoing drug trafficking, including trading methamphetamine he acquired in Southern California for marijuana grown in Southern Oregon.
On March 3, 2020, Velasco was charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Later, on November 5, 2020, a federal grand jury in Medford indicted him on the latter charge. On April 11, 2022, Velasco pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) team and Oregon State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Boccato of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
California Cocaine Supplier Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Michael Wright was sentenced to 12 months plus one day in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Wright, age 45, of San Diego, California, was sentenced by United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan. Judge Horan sentenced Wright to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. Between January 2020 and January 2021, Wright was an interstate source of supply for cocaine for dealers in Northwest Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Farrell Police Department, the Mercer Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office conducted the investigation.