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Monday 27 June 2022
Federal Inmate Sentenced to an Additional 29 Years for Orchestrating a Methamphetamine Trafficking Operation from PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal inmate was sentenced to an additional 349 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for continuing to facilitate a methamphetamine trafficking operation from federal prison, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, in early 2017, Marco Antonio Avila, 37, was charged and convicted in federal court for his leadership role in an ongoing and extensive drug trafficking organization operating in and around Rochester. While awaiting sentencing in 2017, Avila continued his methamphetamine trafficking operations through jail calls and in-person visits, was prosecuted again, and plead guilty to a second federal drug trafficking offense on May 30, 2017. On May 21, 2018, Avila was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 26 years in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody.
According to court documents, from December 2019 through at least February 2020, Avila continued his operations by recruiting and directing at least one co-conspirator to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine from a Mexico-based drug supplier to distribute to customers throughout southern Minnesota. Recorded BOP phone calls revealed Avila’s interactions with his co-conspirator, including inquiring about the status of distribution efforts and instructions to pay Avila commissions for his work as a middleman. On February 23, 2020, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at one of the co-conspirator’s storage lockers in Woodbury. Inside the storage locker, agents found thirty separate one-pound packages of methamphetamine stored inside a Corvette.
Avila was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank. On March 25, 2022, Avila pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Rochester Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.
El Paso Man Sentenced for Role in Two Deaths from a Cocaine OverdoseRead the Press Release
EL PASO – An El Paso man was sentenced today to 293 months in federal prison for his role in two deaths resulting from a cocaine overdose in November 2017.
On February 24, 2022, Paris Lamont Dennis, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance, causing serious bodily injury. According to court documents, on or about November 18, 2017, Dennis distributed cocaine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance, which resulted in the death of two individuals. Dennis, a known drug dealer, found the victims unresponsive after giving them a use amount of cocaine. The Medical Examiner reported that the victims died from accidental overdose with toxic levels of cocaine in their systems.
“Drug overdose deaths are at a record high,” said Ashley C. Hoff, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. “Our office will continue to pursue and hold accountable those responsible for distributing controlled substances resulting in injuries and deaths.”
“The drugs Mr. Dennis distributed killed two young El Pasoans, and today he learned his punishment,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Greg Millard, El Paso Division. “Others who insist on peddling drugs to members of the community should take notice. DEA will leverage all resources to investigate, and we will not rest until all those responsible are brought to justice, however long it takes.”
This case was investigated by DEA and the El Paso Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.
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El Departamento de Justicia celebra acuerdos con 16 empleadores por publicar anuncios de trabajo en plataformas de reclutamiento de estudiantes de universidad que discriminaron a no ciudadanos de los EE. UU.Read the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha firmado acuerdos conciliatorios que requieren que 16 empleadores privados paguen un total de $832,944 por concepto de sanciones civiles para resolver acusaciones de que cada compañía había discriminado a no ciudadanos en el proceso de contratación. Según el Departamento, cada compañía publicó al menos un anuncio de trabajo que excluía a no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. en una plataforma virtual de reclutamiento laboral operada por el Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Un empleador publicó hasta 74 anuncios discriminatorios en la plataforma de Georgia Tech, mientras que algunos empleadores publicaron anuncios discriminatorios en las plataformas de otras universidades también. El Departamento determinó que los anuncios desalentaban a estudiantes cualificados de solicitar un trabajo debido a su estatus de ciudadanía, y en muchos casos las restricciones relacionadas con el estatus de ciudadanía también impedían que los estudiantes solicitaran un puesto e incluso obstaculizaron la posibilidad de reunirse con reclutadores de la empresa.
«La discriminación ilícita en la contratación con base en el estatus migratorio o de ciudadanía es un problema generalizado en los Estados Unidos, lo que pone a muchos trabajos fuera del alcance de estudiantes universitarios y recién graduados», declaró Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles. «La División de Derechos Civiles está comprometido a hacer cumplir la ley para garantizar que estudiantes y solicitantes de trabajo, incluyendo a residentes permanentes legales, nacionales de los EE. UU., asilados y refugiados, queden protegidos de la discriminación ilícita. Nosotros haremos a estos empleadores rendir cuentas de su uso discriminatorio de plataformas universitarias de reclutamiento y trabajaremos para conseguir una compensación para las víctimas».
La participación del Departamento en estos asuntos comenzó después de que un residente permanente legal presentó una demanda ante la Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados de la División de Derechos Civiles, en la cual alegó que una compañía había publicado un puesto solamente para ciudadanos de los EE. UU. en una plataforma de reclutamiento laboral de Georgia Tech. La investigación del Departamento halló toda una serie de anuncios que eran visiblemente discriminatorios en la plataforma de reclutamiento laboral de Georgia Tech, así como en otras plataformas operadas por universidades por todo Estados Unidos. El Departamento procedió a iniciar investigaciones de los empleadores con los cuales está llegando a acuerdos y todavía está investigando a algunos empleadores adicionales.
Conforme la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés), los empleadores y reclutadores solo pueden restringir puestos con base en la ciudadanía o el estatus migratorio si así se lo requiere una ley, un reglamento, una orden ejecutiva o un contrato gubernamental. Los ciudadanos estadounidenses, nacionales de los EE. UU., refugiados, asilados y residentes permanentes legales están protegidos bajo la INA de discriminación por motivos de su ciudadanía en los procesos de contratación, despido y reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión. Independientemente de si las universidades vulneran la INA en su forma de operar sus plataformas de reclutamiento laboral, los empleadores mismos son responsables si los anuncios que publican en tales plataformas vulneran la INA.
Conforme los términos de sus acuerdos conciliatorios individuales con el Departamento, los siguientes 16 empleadores pagarán sanciones civiles de distintos montos, dependiendo, en parte, del número de anuncios discriminatorios que publicaron:
EMPLOYER
PENALTY AMOUNT
KPMG LLP
$306,656
Keyot LLC
$256,928
Area-I, Inc.
$103,600
CapTech
$33,152
Akuna Capital
$29,008
American Express Company
$29,008
Sealed Air Corporation
$24,864
Clarkston-Potomac Group
$12,432
Toast, Inc.
$8,288
Blackbaud
$4,144
Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc.
$4,144
CONMED
$4,144
Edward Jones Investments
$4,144
KNAPP Inc.
$4,144
SimpleNexus, LLC, f/k/a L Brewer and Associates, LLC, d/b/a LBA Ware
$4,144
The Royster Group, Inc.
$4,144
TOTAL
$832,944
Además de pagar las sanciones civiles, los 16 empleadores también deberán obligar a su personal de reclutamiento a participar en una capacitación sobre sus deberes en virtud de la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA y abstenerse de incluir designaciones específicas de estatus migratorio o de ciudadanía en sus anuncios de trabajos en las universidades al menos que tales restricciones sean requeridas por ley. También asegurarán que sus demás prácticas y políticas de reclutamiento cumplan con la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA.
La Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados de la División de Derechos Civiles es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. La ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión; prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación.
Para aprender más sobre la labor de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda, vea este vídeo corto. El sitio web de la IER tiene información sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía en la contratación y el reclutamiento. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su estatus migratorio, ciudadanía o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected]; inscribirse a un seminario en línea gratuito; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés o español. Para recibir las últimas noticias de la IER, inscríbase a GovDelivery.
EDVA Seizes Six Websites Providing Illegal Access to Copyrighted MusicRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today the seizure of six websites as part of ongoing efforts by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Justice to combat copyright infringement.
According to court records, the United States obtained court authorization to seize six domain names pending forfeiture. Four of those domains – Corourbanos.com, Corourbano.com, Pautamp3.com, and SIMP3.com – were registered with a U.S.-based registry, while two domains – flowactivo.co and Mp3Teca.ws – were registered through a U.S.-based domain registrar. According to court documents, law enforcement identified these six domains as being used to distribute copyrighted material without the authorization of the copyright holders. A law enforcement investigation confirmed that copyright-protected music content was present and available for streaming or downloading on each of these six websites from the Eastern District of Virginia.
The seizure of these six domains by the government will prevent third parties from streaming and downloading copyright-protected content from these sites. Individuals visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by the federal government, and visitors will be redirected to another site for additional information.
The seizure of the domain names was announced by Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers in these matters.
Operation 404.4 is the result of collaborative efforts between the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern for the District of Virginia; the Government of Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security Cyber Laboratory; numerous Brazilian State police forces; HSI Washington DC; HSI Attaché Brasilia, Brazil; the Department of Justice’s International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Advisor and Agent in São Paulo, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; the UK Intellectual Property Office; and the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit.
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 Nos. 1:22-SW-330 and 1:22-SW-331.
Defendant Convicted of Operating Large-Scale Opioid "Pill Mill" in QueensRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict today against Ezhil Sezhian Kamaldoss on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to distribute millions of opioid pills and other illegal controlled substances imported from India and money laundering conspiracy. The verdict followed a four-day trial before United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross. When sentenced, Kamaldoss faces up to 50 years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.
“The defendant is now a convicted drug dealer. He lined his pockets off the black-market sales of millions of illegal opioids and misbranded prescription pills without regard for the harm caused by the abuse of these highly addictive and dangerous drugs,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “With today’s verdict, the defendant is held accountable for having a hand in every aspect of his pill mill, from the importing of unapproved medications from India, to personally filling orders for these drugs for customers throughout the country.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, New York Field Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and HSI, Baltimore Field Office; for their outstanding investigative work on the case.
The evidence at trial proved that between May 2018 and August 2019, Kamaldoss participated with others in a transnational drug-trafficking conspiracy, which involved the importation of misbranded prescription drugs, including Tramadol, a synthetic opioid, into the United States from India, re-packaging the drugs at a pill mill operating out of a warehouse in Jamaica, Queens, and shipping the drugs via United States mail to customers throughout the United States. During the course of the charged conspiracy, Kamaldoss and the men who worked for him distributed millions of Tramadol pills sometimes purchasing hundreds of thousands of pills at a time. Additionally, Kamaldoss conspired to launder the proceeds of the drug-trafficking operation by using the illicit profits to reinvest in the business, including by paying shipping costs incurred by his co-conspirators—including nearly $200,000 in Federal Express costs paid off in exchange for additional pills.
The government’s evidence included testimony from a cooperating witness, who admitted to bribing workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport to evade detection by law enforcement authorities; members of law enforcement, one of whom testified that he witnessed the defendant shipping packages and seized some of the drugs mailed by the defendant; testimony from an expert in forensic chemistry that the drugs mailed by the defendant contained Tramadol and Alprazolam; documentary exhibits, including hundreds of emails, text messages, and spreadsheets recovered from email accounts and electronic devices of the defendant and his co-conspirators reflecting their daily receipt of dozens of drug orders, and their responses including tracking numbers of the shipments fulfilling the orders; and an audio recording made by a confidential informant of co-defendant Velaudapillai Navaratnarajah discussing the number and type of pills to package into envelopes. Navaratnarajah pleaded guilty in June 2022 to the drug conspiracy charges and is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert M. Pollack and Margaret Schierberl are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of paralegal Sophia Cronin.
The Defendant:
EZHIL SEZHIAN KAMALDOSS (also known as “Kamaldoss Sezhian,” “Kamal Doss,” and Ezhil Cezhian”)
Age: 43
Richmond Hill, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 19-CR-543 (ARR)
Corrections Officer and Inmate Charged in Bribery Scheme; Same Inmate Charged in Unrelated Covid-Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Orlando B. Gutierrez (619) 546-6958
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 27, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Benito Jamar Hugie, a corrections officer at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, was indicted by a federal grand jury for accepting thousands of dollars in cash bribes from an inmate to smuggle dental molds, jewelry and other contraband into the prison, including an expensive bejeweled “grill” for the inmate’s mouth.
The indictment said Hugie smuggled the grill into the facility in early October, 2020, and delivered it to inmate Shawn Brown, who had custom ordered it from a jeweler in Houston, Texas, using a smuggled cell phone. A grill, also known as “fronts” or “golds,” is a type of dental jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are generally made of metal, precious gems, and are generally removable.
Others charged include Brown and his brothers - Daejohne Hatcher and Demetrius Warsinger – who are accused of facilitating more than $5,000 in bribes to Hugie.
According to a second, unrelated indictment, during the investigation of Brown’s alleged bribery scheme, agents learned that while in custody at the prison, Brown used his contraband cellular telephone to coordinate the theft of unemployment benefits intended for Californians who were unable to pay for food and housing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment said Brown and his co-conspirators caused an estimated $1.4 million in fraudulent claims to be filed with the state Employment Development Department, resulting in actual cash payouts of more than $695,000 to Brown and his co-conspirators.
Also charged in that case are Devante Jefferson, Raven Solomon, Homer Pitts, Kimari Goodman, Keako Jones, and Daejohne Hatcher, who allegedly worked together to use stolen victim identities to file fraudulent EDD claims to receive cash benefits meant for those who were in need, the indictment said.
“Corrections officers are supposed to supervise inmates, not collaborate with them on crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We will hold officers accountable when they sacrifice their own integrity and that of the prison system for a payday.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and FBI agents for their excellent work on this case.
“The defendant is accused of using his position as a corrections officer to work for the inmates inside the facility rather than the public,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The FBI will not tolerate public corruption or theft of government funds on any level and we will continue to work with our state and federal partners to hold accountable those who use fraudulent schemes for personal gain. I specifically want to thank the California Department of Corrections - Office of Internal Affairs, the United States Attorney’s Office, FBI Sacramento – Fresno Resident Agency, and FBI Houston for their continued partnership in this case.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22CR1238
Shawn Brown Age: 26 CDCR Inmate
Daejohne Hatcher Age: 25 Fresno, CA
Benito Jamar Hugie Age: 47 San Diego, CA
Demetrius Vance Warsinger Age: 26 Fresno, CA
Case Number 22CR1239
Shawn Brown Age: 26 CDCR Inmate
Kimari Goodman Age: 33 Fresno, CA
Daejohne Hatcher Age: 25 Fresno, CA
Devante Jefferson Age: 29 CDCR Inmate
Keako Jones Age: 47 Fresno, CA
Homer Pitts Age: 48 Fresno, CA
Raven Solomon Age: 28 Fresno, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Indictment 1: Corruption Activities Stemming from the Grill
18 USC § 371 Conspiracy to Violate the Travel Act- Bribery (Count 1)
Defendants: Hugie, Brown, Warsinger, and Hatcher
18 USC § 1952(a)(3) Violation of the Travel Act- Bribery (Count 2)
Defendants: Hugie
18 USC § 1952(a)(3) Violation of the Travel Act- Bribery (Count 3-5)
Defendants: Brown, Warsinger, and Hatcher
28 USC § 2461(c) Criminal Forfeiture
Indictment 2: Fraud Activities Involving EDD
18 USC § 1349 – Conspiracy; Mail Fraud
Defendants: Brown, Jefferson, Solomon, Pitts, Goodman, Jones, and Hatcher
18 USC § 1028A – Aggravated Identity Theft
Defendants: Brown, Solomon, Pitts, and Goodman
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Ataire Carl Ray (27, Tampa) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ray that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition traceable to the offense.
According to the indictment, on April 1, 2022, Ray was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time of the incident, Ray had previous felony convictions for robbery with a gun or deadly weapon and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. As a previously convicted felon, Ray is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kenneth. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney James Muench.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Raequan M. Nelson (23, Tampa) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Nelson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Nelson that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition traceable to the offense.
According to the indictment, on February 13, 2022, Nelson was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time of the incident, Nelson had previous felony convictions for robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. As a previously convicted felon, Nelson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
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 Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kenneth. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Columbia Man Indicted for Firearms/Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 3-count indictment against Darius Antonio Pugh, 35, of West Columbia, for felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The indictment alleges that on April 9, 2022, after a traffic stop by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Pugh was found in possession of firearms and drugs.
Pugh faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment on the felon in possession of firearms charge, a maximum of 30 years on the drug charge, and a mandatory minimum of 5 years with maximum of life on the possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime charge. Pugh is currently detained pending trial.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Colebrook Man Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD - William Hill, 26, of Colebrook, New Hampshire pleaded guilty in federal court to bank fraud, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2018 and October 2021, Hill’s co-defendant Katie Ricker was employed in various positions by a company in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. In or about October 2021, Ricker stole blank checks belonging to the company. She wrote fraudulent checks addressed to herself, Hill and others to transfer funds from the company’s account to her joint bank account with Hill. Ricker forged the signature of the employee authorized to sign on the company’s account. The defendants were caught on camera cashing some of the fraudulent checks. In total, the defendants stole more than $51,000 from the company.
Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2022.
Ricker has pleaded not guilty. The charges in the indictment are only allegations. She is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sugar Hill Police Department and Lisbon Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen.
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Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of A MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dajuan Akeem Blair, 26, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 151 months in prison today for sex trafficking of a minor, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Blair was also ordered to serve a lifetime under court supervision and to register as a sex offender.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and statements made at today’s sentencing hearing, Blair was convicted of causing a minor female to engage in prostitution. The victim was a 16-year-old runaway, and she was introduced to Blair by a mutual friend, also a teenager, who had previously dated the defendant. Blair knew that both females were minors. According to court records, on December 26, 2018, Blair rented a motel room in Charlotte, where he took pictures of the minors and used the pictures to advertise the minors for sex online. Over the next two days, Blair arranged sexual encounters for the minors and set the prices for those encounters. Court records show that Blair took a portion of the minor victim’s earnings from the commercial sex.
“Blair trafficked two underage girls and used them like commodities to be traded for his gain,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Let it be known that severe consequences befall those who engage in this reprehensible conduct,” said U.S. Attorney King.
“Blair lied to his young victims from the very start, he robbed them of their civil rights to make a profit, but now he will pay the price. There is no way of knowing the long term psychological damage caused to these victims. The FBI devotes significant resources to help sex trafficking victims recover from the trauma they suffer,” said Special Agent in Charge Wells.
“The defendant’s heinous predatory behavior is deserving of a lengthy prison sentence to ensure he cannot inflict further harm on other victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Martinez. “HSI is appreciative of the collaborative efforts of CMPD, FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force for its work with HSI on this investigation.”
Blair is currently in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The investigation was handled by the FBI, HSI and CMPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
If you are the victim of a human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur. To submit a tip to the NHTRC online please visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking.
You can also contact Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or the Charlotte Office of the FBI at 704-672-6100.
California Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve NotesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Savannah Symone Duncan (24, Los Angeles, CA) to two years in federal prison for passing or uttering counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. Duncan had pleaded guilty on November 23, 2021.
According to court documents, on April 28, 2021, Duncan passed counterfeit $20 bills to cashiers at multiple CVS stores and a Michaels store in Fort Myers. In total, Duncan passed approximately $2,640 in counterfeit currency for the purchase gift cards, which was captured on store surveillance.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Drug, Gun and COVID-19 Fraud CrimesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joseph Bella, 49, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Rudroff and Nicholas T. Cooper, who are handling the case, stated that on April 23, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Bella’s residence and recovered drug paraphernalia and quantities of cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. Investigators also recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition. At that time, Bella was an unlawful user of controlled substances, including marijuana and cocaine.
In addition, Bella defrauded a Salt Lake City, Utah, corporation (Victim) that developed and manufactured COVID-19 test kits, by falsely representing that his company, Medcor Staffing, Inc., was laboratory certified to perform high-complexity molecular testing, that Medcor was an “end-user” of the tests, and that Medcor would not attempt to resell them. As a result, the Victim sold Bella 5,000 COVID-19 tests that he could not safely and accurately process, could not provide end-user support for, and, in fact, intended to re-sell at a substantial mark-up.
In March 2020, Bella advertised on his personal Facebook account that he was selling “FDA approved COVID-19 Test Kits.” In April 2020, Bella communicated with an undercover federal agent by telephone, text message, and email, falsely telling the agent that he had 50,000 COVID-19 tests for sale; that the COVID-19 tests were being stored in a warehouse in San Diego, California at -20 degrees Celsius; that Medcor was an “exclusive licensed reseller” of the tests; and that Medcor employed doctors and scientists to answer customers' questions. Bella attempted to sell the tests to the agent for $30 per test, or more, after fraudulently obtaining the tests for only $8 apiece.
Bella also fraudulently obtained a loan from the Small Business Association under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, which is designed to provide low-interest loans to qualifying small businesses to help them meet financial obligations and operating expenses in the event of a disaster. At Bella’s direction, a subordinate submitted a falsified application for a loan under the EIDL Program for another business Bella owns called BuyMyCard, a purchaser and re-seller of gift cards. The application grossly inflated BuyMyCard’s annual revenue, grossly underreported BuyMyCard’s annual expenses, and falsely stated that Bella was not subject to formal criminal charges at the time of the application. As a result of the falsified application, the SBA approved and funded a $149,900 loan to BuyMyCard under the EIDL Program.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, under the direction of Brian Manaher; U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Jeffrey T. Wilson; the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the Boston Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; and Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 7, 2022, before Judge Arcara.
# # # #Arkansas Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith husband and wife were sentenced today to federal prison for Theft of Government Funds and Aiding and Abetting. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
Stephen Wayne Schwartz, age 55, was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz, age 44, was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. They were ordered to pay restitution, jointly and severally, to the Social Security Administration in the amount of 167,756.60.
“The Social Security Administration is set up to make funds available to those who are truly in need because of a disability. However, through their criminal conduct, Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz lined their own pockets with this money that was intended to help those with legitimate disabilities,” said United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “Our office will continue to pursue fraud cases such as this one and will continue to seek to protect programs like this, which are designed to help some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Stephen and Rebekah Schwartz conspired to defraud the Social Security Administration (SSA). By misrepresenting Mr. Schwartz as having a disabling condition that prevented him from working -- although he had steady employment – their fraudulent scheme caused SSA to pay Mr. Schwartz more than $167,000 that he was not entitled to receive,” said Gail S. Ennis Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that my office will continue to hold people accountable when they defraud SSA’s programs for personal gain.” Inspector General Ennis thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its support of this investigation and its efforts to bring these individuals to justice and recover taxpayer funds.
According to court documents, Stephen Wayne Schwartz began receiving Social Security Administration Title II Disability Insurance benefits in 2000. In 2010, the Social Security Administration informed Stephen Wayne Schwartz he was no longer entitled to Social Security Administration disability insurance payments, due to his employment and income.
In November 2012, the Social Security Administration reinstated Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance payments based in part on his report that he was no longer working. He was instructed to tell the Social Security Administration if he returned to work, or his disabling medical condition improved.
In 2015, while receiving Social Security Administration disability insurance payments, Stephen Wayne Schwartz worked as a school bus driver. He did not report his job and earnings to the Social Security Administration. When the Social Security Administration learned about his school bus driver job and income, Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance payments were stopped.
On June 15, 2016, Stephen Wayne Schwartz, aided and abetted by his wife Rebekah Jolea Schwartz, submitted a document asking the Social Security Administration to reinstate his disability insurance payments. The couple claimed Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s current medical condition prevented him from working. At the time the couple made the reinstatement request, Stephen Wayne Schwartz was working as a driver for a roofing company. The money he earned from the roofing company was paid directly to Rebekah Jolea Schwartz to hide his income from the Social Security Administration.
On July 13, 2016, Stephen Wayne Schwartz signed a document filled out by Rebekah Jolea Schwartz that claimed Stephen Wayne Schwartz could not “drive a big truck, keep log books, follow map/directions . . . carry on a conversation, count, concentrate, [and] follow instructions . . . .” Stephen Wayne Schwartz claimed the information was true. At the time Stephen Wayne Schwartz signed the document, he was working as a driver for a roofing company, counting roofing materials for delivery and pick up, and following his employer’s delivery and pick-up instructions.
In 2017, the Social Security Administration reinstated Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance benefits from 2016 forward. The decision to reinstate benefits was based, in some part, upon information provided by the couple.
On April 8, 2020, Stephen Wayne Schwartz and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz completed a form entitled “Work Activity Report – Employee” to determine whether Stephen Wayne Schwartz should continue getting disability benefit payments. The couple reported that Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s job was Justice of the Peace. The pay was listed as $224 per week with “zero hours” worked per week “on average.”
On February 22, 2021, the Social Security Administration, having learned that Stephen Wayne Schwartz had worked for a roofing company in 2016 and a marble and granite company, determined Stephen Wayne Schwartz was not eligible for disability payments for the period of June 2016 through and including February 2021. In response, Rebekah Jolea Schwartz told the Fort Smith Social Security Administration Office that her husband had never worked for a roofing company. Rebekah Jolea Schwartz subsequently gave documentation to the Social Security Administration claiming she was the one who had earned income from the roofing company.
On July 6, 2021, Stephen Wayne Schwartz and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz appeared in person at the Fort Smith Social Security Administration Office to ask about the status of Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability benefits payments.
Investigators from the Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration were present when the couple arrived. Stephen Wayne Schwartz gave a voluntary statement to investigators and confessed he had committed fraud. Rebekah Jolea Schwartz gave a voluntary statement to investigators. She admitted to completing the June 2016 “Expedited Reinstatement Request” form the same month her husband began working for the roofing company.
The loss to the Social Security Administration resulting from the couple’s criminal conduct, for the period of June 2016 through and including July 2021, was $167,756.60.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case.
Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael P. Fish, age 26, of Albany, pled guilty today to obstruction of justice for submitting seven fraudulent character letters to the United States District Judge overseeing a now-concluded criminal case in which Fish was convicted of computer hacking, identity theft and child pornography crimes.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Fish admitted that he submitted seven fraudulent character letters to United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in December 2019, in an effort to deceive the court and obtain leniency during his sentencing in the case. Specifically, Fish admitted that he doctored four letters, including one from a priest, and outright faked another three letters, including ones purportedly from his mother and grandparents.
Fish faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced by Judge D’Agostino on October 26, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
In his underlying criminal case, Fish was sentenced to 111 months in prison for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with his hacking of online social media accounts and theft of nude images of dozens of female victims, as well as possession of child pornography.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.
Friday 24 June 2022
Westminster Man and Springfield Woman Charged with Conspiring and Attempting to Commit RobberyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Daniel King, 41, of Westminster, Vermont, and Jacquelyn Fougere, 29, of Springfield, Vermont, were indicted by the federal grand jury for conspiring and attempting to commit a robbery that interfered with interstate commerce on March 14, 2022. Defendant Fougere was arrested on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 and is scheduled to have her initial appearance today. Defendant King is currently in the custody of Vermont’s Department of Corrections, and his initial appearance has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, on March 14, 2022, King and Fougere attempted to rob a man of cash and THC cartridges by breaking into his residential trailer in Westminster, Vermont. The victim reported to law enforcement that King was carrying a firearm when he kicked down the door to the trailer. King also was carrying zip ties which were readied as make-shift handcuffs.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that both defendants are presumed innocent until and unless convicted of a crime. Both King and Fougere face a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory federal sentencing guidelines.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Fougere’s attorney is Robert Behrens, Esq. King has not yet retained or been appointed counsel.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Actions Following Attempted Revenge Killing in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Nelson McQuillen, 66, of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for helping his longtime partner to flee and avoid apprehension after she attempted to kill a woman in Northeast Washington.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
McQuillen pleaded guilty in April 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to accessory after the fact to assault with intent to kill. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release; during that time, he is ordered to stay out of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, McQuillen and his longtime partner, Tommie Lynn Dunmire, shared an adult son who was murdered in Cleveland, Ohio in March 2021. Over the ensuing months, McQuillen and Dunmire became frustrated with the investigation of their son’s death, and Dunmire began to conduct her own investigation. Dunmire’s mental state significantly deteriorated over this time.
On Nov. 5, 2021, McQuillen and Dunmire traveled by car from Norfolk to the victim’s home in Northeast Washington. Dunmire had mistakenly identified the victim as responsible for their son’s murder, and McQuillen knew that Dunmire intended to harm this person. In fact, the victim, a 30-year-old woman, was not involved in any way in the homicide.
Surveillance video shows Dunmire, wearing a brown vest and brown baseball cap and carrying a cardboard box, knocking on the front door of the victim’s home at approximately 9:25 p.m. Dunmire announced herself as a “UPS” delivery person, stating that she had a package for the victim. When the victim opened the door, Dunmire fired two shots from a silver revolver that she was holding inside of an opening cut in the back of the carboard box. One shot struck the victim in the abdomen. McQuillen then drove himself and Dunmire out of the area and changed the license plates on their vehicle. MPD officers stopped the vehicle soon thereafter in the 1400 block of Florida Avenue NE.
During the stop, Dunmire shot herself, using the revolver that she had used to shoot the victim. She later died. The victim was transported to a hospital and survived the injuries.
McQuillen was arrested in Virginia on March 11, 2022 and has been detained ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee expressed appreciation for the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and for the valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones, who prosecuted the matter.
U.S. Attorney Announces Guilty Plea by A Chiropractor for Defrauding the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit PlanRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that PATRICK KHAZIRAN, a/k/a “Dr. Pat,” pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. KHAZIRAN pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Khaziran abused his position as a medical services provider by creating fraudulent invoices and defrauding the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan of at least $1.3 million. I thank our law enforcement partners in the FBI for their hard work unraveling this pervasive scheme. My office will continue to investigate those who abuse their positions as medical service providers to commit fraud.”
According to the Information, public court filings, and statements made in court:
The NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan (the “Plan”) is a health care plan providing benefits to eligible active and former players of the NBA. KHAZIRAN is a chiropractor licensed in the State of California who owns and operates a chiropractic office (“Chiropractic Office-1”), which is a chiropractic and rehabilitation office in Los Angeles, California. Chiropractic Office-1 serves the general public and also provides rehabilitation services to professional athletes.
From at least in or about 2016, up to and including at least in or about 2019, KHAZIRAN participated in a scheme with other several former NBA players, including Terrence Williams and Keyon Dooling, to defraud the Plan.[1] KHAZIRAN’s role in the scheme was to document that former NBA players received certain medical services when, in truth and in fact, the medical services were never provided.
KHAZIRAN accomplished his role in the scheme in two ways. First, beginning in 2016, KHAZIRAN created, and caused others to create, fraudulent invoices for former NBA players. The former NBA players that received fraudulent invoices then, in turn, submitted the fraudulent invoices to the Plan to request reimbursements that they were not entitled to. Second, KHAZIRAN charged, and caused others to charge, the Plan-issued debit cards of former NBA players. The Plan-issued debit cards were intended to be used by Plan participants to pay for eligible medical services at the point of service. However, KHAZIRAN charged the Plan-issued debit cards of former NBA players for medical services that were never actually provided. In return for his participation in the scheme, KHAZIRAN received approximately 33% of the fraudulent proceeds he documented—i.e., 33% of the value of the fraudulent invoices and 33% of the fraudulent charges on Plan-issued debit cards, which totaled approximately $1.3 million. The remaining fraudulent proceeds were kept by the former NBA players KHAZIRAN conspired with.
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KHAZIRAN, 40, of Los Angeles, California, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum term of ten years in prison. As part of his guilty plea, KHAZIRAN agreed to pay restitution of $1,300,000 and to forfeit $429,000 to the United States. KHAZIRAN is scheduled to be sentenced on January 12, 2023.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan B. Finkel and Kristy J. Greenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] Charges against Williams and Dooling are pending.
U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Murder Fellow Service Members in Deadly AmbushRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ETHAN PHELAN MELZER, a/k/a “Etil Reggad,” pled guilty to attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information. MELZER planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit—including information about its location, movements, and security—to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles (“O9A”), an occult-based, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist group. MELZER pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted in court today, Ethan Melzer attempted to orchestrate a murderous ambush on his own unit by unlawfully disclosing its location, strength, and armaments to a neo-Nazi, anarchist, white supremacist group. The defendant believed he could force the U.S. into prolonged armed conflict while causing the deaths of as many soldiers as possible. MELZER’s traitorous conduct was a betrayal of his storied unit and nothing short of an attack against the most essential American values. Thanks to the incredible work of the FBI and the U.S. Army, MELZER’s duplicity was revealed and his murderous attack thwarted.”
According to the Indictment and other documents in the public record, as well as statements made in public court proceedings:
MELZER has been a member of O9A since at least 2017. O9A espouses neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and Satanic beliefs, and promotes extreme violence to accelerate and cause the demise of Western civilization. The group has expressed admiration both for Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic jihadists, such as Usama Bin Laden, the now-deceased former leader of al Qaeda. Members and associates of O9A have also participated in acts of violence, including murders. O9A members are instructed to fulfill “sinister” deeds, including “insight roles,” where they attempt to infiltrate various organizations, including the military, to gain training and experience, commit acts of violence, identify like-minded individuals, and ultimately subvert those groups from within.
MELZER joined the U.S. Army in approximately 2018 as part of an O9A insight role to infiltrate its ranks and further his goals as an O9A adherent. In approximately October 2019, MELZER deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. While stationed abroad, MELZER consumed propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as ISIS. For example, MELZER subscribed to encrypted online forums where he downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks on U.S. troops and facilities and jihadist executions of civilians and soldiers, in addition to far-right, neo-Nazi, and other white supremacist propaganda.
In approximately early May 2020, the Army informed MELZER that he would be reassigned to a unit scheduled for a further foreign deployment, where the unit would be guarding an isolated and sensitive military installation (the “Military Base”). After he was notified of the assignment, MELZER joined his new unit and attended weeks of training, including classified and unclassified briefings, to prepare for the deployment. As part of this intensive training, MELZER learned details about the purpose, layout, and security of the Military Base. MELZER and his unit also received in-depth training about and practiced for numerous threat scenarios at the Military Base, including how to respond to various potential terrorist attack scenarios.
Upon learning the importance and sensitivity of his upcoming deployment, MELZER immediately began passing that information to members of O9A. MELZER secretly used an encrypted messaging application to propose, advocate for, and plan a deadly attack on his fellow service members. MELZER sent messages to members and associates of O9A, and, in particular, a sub-group of O9A known as the “RapeWaffen Division,” providing details about his unit’s anticipated deployment including troop movements, relevant dates, locations, armaments, topography, and security, all in connection with the proposed attack on his unit and the Military Base. MELZER and his co-conspirators used this information to plan what they referred to as a “jihadi attack” with the objective of causing a “mass casualty” event victimizing his fellow service members. For example, after describing the unit’s weaponry during the deployment – and providing information consistent with the briefings he had received – MELZER described to his co-conspirators how an attack would “essentially cripple[]” the unit’s “fire-teams.”
To further the attack plan, MELZER and his co-conspirators passed these messages to a purported member of al Qaeda. MELZER’s proposed attack evolved as he gathered and distributed additional sensitive information about the deployment. For example, MELZER also promised to leak more information once he arrived at the Military Base – including real-time photographs of the facility and the frequency and channel of U.S. Army radio communications – in order to maximize the likelihood of a successful attack on his unit or on a replacement unit deployed to the Military Base.
MELZER told members of O9A in his encrypted electronic communications “[y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this” and that he was “expecting results.” MELZER further acknowledged that he could be killed during the attack, and described his willingness to die for O9A’s goals, writing “who gives a fuck [. . .] it would be another war . . . I would’ve died successfully . . . cause [] another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.” MELZER also acknowledged in his messages that he deleted some of the communications regarding the planning of the attack because the plot amounted to treason.
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MELZER, 24, of Louisville, Kentucky, pled guilty to (1) attempting to murder U.S. military service members, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1114, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (2) attempting to provide and providing material support to terrorists, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; and (3) illegally transmitting national defense information believing that it could be used to the injury of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 793(d), which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. MELZER is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Woods on January 6, 2023, at 10 a.m.
The statutory 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 outstanding efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (“FBI”) New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department, along with the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Rome, Italy, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Army Counterintelligence, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Attorneys from the U.S. Army Africa Office of the Staff Judge Advocate and 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service. Mr. Williams also thanked the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, as well as the Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their assistance.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Matthew J.C. Hellman, and Kimberly J. Ravener are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Alicia Cook of the Counterterrorism Section and Scott Claffee of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Two Separate Cases Involving Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Crimes Result in Sentences of 60+ Years in Federal Prison for Three DefendantsRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of two cases involving sex crimes. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the three defendants as follows:
Kevondric Fezia, 26, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 327 months (27 years, 3 months) in prison, and Calista Jenee Winfrey, 23, of Orange, Texas was sentenced to 36 months (3 years) in prison. Both defendants will serve 5 years of supervised release after their release from prison. In addition, Fezia and Winfrey were each ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,500. Fezia and Winfrey were charged with sex trafficking and attempting to entice a minor to engage in prostitution. Fezia was convicted by a jury in Lafayette following a two-day trial and Winfrey pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in February 2022.
Evidence presented in this case revealed that beginning in November 2020, Fezia was recruiting minor females to engage in prostitution and began communicating with a 14-year-old female in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Fezia was well aware when he began communicating with her that she was a minor, but still pursued her and tried to convince her that she would profit by engaging in prostitution through him. The minor victim made a decision to run away with Fezia to Texas. On February 13, 2021, he picked up the minor victim and took her to Texas. Winfrey and Fezia both were well aware that the victim was only 14 years old, but they continued to try and convince her to engage in prostitution.
Both defendants traveled with the minor victim to a hotel in Beaumont, Texas and introduced her to a 16-year-old prostitute that was also working for Fezia. Winfrey engaged in multiple acts of prostitution in the presence of the minor victim at the hotel, continually trying to convince the minor victim that she should also engage in prostitution. Fezia took photographs of both minor girls and the other prostitutes he was employing. He then posted them on his Instagram account as an advertisement, along with a visible geo tag showing those who saw the advertisement where to go to engage in sexual acts with the girls.
When the minor victim’s grandmother realized that she had run away from home, she began looking at the child’s social media accounts and found the communications between her granddaughter and Fezia. She then contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement officers were able to identify Fezia and found him at his apartment in Houston, Texas, along with other prostitutes and the minor victim. He attempted to hide her in the closet, but she and the other 16-year-old prostitute were found.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Lake Charles Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Luke Walker and John W. Nickel.
In the second case, Mickey Dewayne Williams, 43, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 327 months (27 years, 3 months) in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of children.
In March 2021, law enforcement officers in Texas were contacted by an individual alleging that their minor child had been videotaped while naked in the bathtub by Williams. Law enforcement agents questioned Williams about the incident, and he admitted that he had in fact taken the photographs of the child while they were in the Western District of Louisiana. Williams has a prior felony conviction for possession of child pornography which also occurred in the Western District of Louisiana in 2014. He served time in federal prison for that offense and was on supervised release at the time that this incident occurred.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Luke Walker.
“These defendants sought out those to victimize who were vulnerable, whether it was girls under the age of 17, or minor children, without any regard for the well being of those victims but instead to gratify their own selfish desires,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “Sex trafficking and sexual exploitation crimes are on the rise, and we are committed to continuing to work with our federal and local partners to stop those who choose to destroy teenage lives and scar those of child victims.”
“There is no place in our society for those who prey on the most vulnerable of our population. These sentence lengths reflect the heinous nature of the crimes committed, and for the HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, it’s a gratifying outcome. We are thankful to our special agents and our law enforcement partners who do the difficult but important work of investigating these crimes,” said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Dave Denton. “We also hope that the sentence serves as part of the victims’ healing process, and it reaffirms our commitment to safeguarding our nation’s children.”
These cases are part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.
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Two Oakland Men Charged with Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
OAKLAND - Moises De Jesus Gomez and Roy Montoya were charged in separate indictments in federal court in Oakland with firearms dealing without a license, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Patrick T. Gorman, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. Montoya is also charged with illegal possession of a machinegun.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Gomez, 29, of Oakland, on June 16, 2022, for dealing firearms without a license in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A). The illegal firearms dealing is alleged in the indictment to have occurred from July 2021 through April 2022. Gomez was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance today in Oakland federal magistrate court to face the indictment. He is next scheduled to appear on July 6 at 2 p.m. before United States District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr.
The federal grand jury also returned a separate indictment on June 16 against Montoya, 26, of Oakland, for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A). That indictment charges Montoya with manufacturing and dealing firearms without a license, also during the time period of July 2021 through April 2022. Montoya is further charged in the indictment with possessing a machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o). The indictment describes the machinegun as a 5.56 NATO caliber AR-15 type rifle that bears no serial numbers. Montoya was arrested on April 26, 2022, on the charge of unlicensed firearms dealing and will next appear on the two charges in his indictment in front of United States District Judge Jon S. Tigar on August 26, 2022.
Gomez and Montoya each face, if convicted, a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for unlicensed dealing in firearms in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(1)(A). Montoya also faces, if convicted, a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for possession of a machine gun in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o). However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alexis James is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of legal assistant Karina Ruiz. The prosecution is the result of an approximately year-long investigation by ATF, HSI, and the California Highway Patrol.
These cases follow the launch by the U.S. Department of Justice of five Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces in key regions nationwide that are focused on disrupting illegal firearms trafficking. One of the five Strike Forces was launched here, in the San Francisco Greater Bay Area and Sacramento Region. The Strike Force identifies sources of illegally trafficked firearms and disrupts straw purchasing and firearms trafficking schemes and networks by using collaborative cross-jurisdictional law enforcement efforts that include federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working together.
Two Men Who Kidnapped Philadelphia Teen to NJ Apartment Complex One Year Ago Convicted at TrialRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Eduardo Castelan-Prado, 39, of Leonia, NJ, and Jose Ochoa, 32, of Moreno Valley, CA, were convicted after trial of kidnapping charges arising from the abduction of a teenage victim from Northeast Philadelphia to New Jersey just over one year ago in June 2021.
In June 2021, the defendants were charged by Indictment with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping in connection with their actions, along with a third conspirator, to kidnap a 17-year-old in the parking lot of a restaurant in Philadelphia, which was the teen’s place of employment, after his shift ended. Evidence presented at trial showed that on June 14, 2021, Castelan-Prado, Ochoa, and a third co-conspirator then transported the victim to a residence in New Jersey, where they held him at gunpoint while making ransom demands of $500,000 to his parents. The FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department were able to determine the victim’s location by tracing the ransom calls, and in the early morning hours of June 16, 2021, an FBI SWAT team executed a search warrant at an apartment complex in Leonia, New Jersey, rescued the victim, and arrested the defendants.
“The events of this case are every parent’s worst nightmare: someone with ill intentions forcefully taking their child. These defendants kidnapped a teenager in an effort to extort money, a crime for which they will now be appropriately penalized,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “As was the case here, our investigators and prosecutors will work quickly and tirelessly to identify, locate and charge anyone who attempts this type of violent crime in our district.”
“These defendants abducted a child in order to extort his parents,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “This boy was made a pawn in a despicable and dangerous ploy for money. I’m so proud of all the folks who worked around the clock to locate and recover him, before his abductors inflicted any physical harm. These kidnapping convictions mean they’ll be off the street and behind bars for decades, unable to victimize anyone else’s child.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia and FBI Newark, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Oshana and Kate Shulman.
Two Men Charged with Plan to Commit Home Invasion Robbery for Tens of Millions of Dollars in BitcoinRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging DOMINIC PINEDA and SHON MORGAN with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery in May 2020 in Irvington, New York. PINEDA and MORGAN were arrested yesterday in Virginia and will be presented this afternoon in the Eastern District of Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged in the indictment, the defendants participated in a violent plan to break into a family’s home in the middle of the night and force its residents to provide the code to what the defendants believed was tens of millions of dollars in Bitcoin currency. Thanks to the work of the FBI, the defendants will now be held responsible for the alleged acts.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court[1]:
From May 18, 20200 to May 24, 2020, DOMINIC PINEDA and SHON MORGAN participated in a plan to break into a home in Irvington, New York and rob its residents of cash and cryptocurrency.
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PINEDA, 21, of Manassas, Virginia, and MORGAN, 21, of Centreville, Virginia, are each charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of special agents and task force officers from the FBI, U.S. Probation, New York State Police, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Westchester County DAs Office, Rockland County DAs Office, NYPD, Westchester County PD, and the Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Greenburgh, White Plains, Peekskill, Ramapo, and Clarkstown Police Departments and thanked the Irvington Police Department and the Greenburgh Drug and Alcohol Task Force for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of PINEDA and MORGAN.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Heavey is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two Attorneys Formerly with Philadelphia Law Firm Charged with Legal Fee Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Scott E. Diamond, 62, of Philadelphia, PA, and Jesse M. Cohen, 42, of Los Angeles, CA, were charged together by Information with one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. Diamond was an attorney who was a partner in a Philadelphia law firm, and Cohen was an associate in the same law firm. The firm specialized in complex commercial litigation, representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters, and representing insurance companies in insurance subrogation matters.
According to the Information, for approximately two years from 2018 through 2020, Diamond and Cohen engaged in a scheme to divert the fees from numerous personal injury and subrogation matters from the firm to themselves by secretly resolving the cases without the other firm partners knowing about the resolutions. Diamond and Cohen then caused insurance companies and other payors on those cases to send legal fees to themselves instead of to their employer, the law firm. When that was not possible, Diamond went through the firm’s mail and removed checks covering legal fees on the stolen cases made payable to the firm. Diamond then deposited checks from the cases they diverted into bank accounts that he controlled and shared the proceeds with Cohen. Diamond concealed the illegal conduct from his employer by closing the files for those matters and making it appear in the computer records of the firm that there were no settlements or resolutions and that the cases were not viable.
The personal injury and subrogation matters that Diamond and Cohen diverted from the law firm generated approximately $750,000 in initial payments to the defendants, from which they distributed funds to clients and covered other costs in the litigation, maintaining the balance of the fraud proceeds (approximately $320,000) for themselves.
If convicted, the defendants each face maximum possible sentences of 40 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tonawanda Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that David Rubel, 40, of Tonawanda, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to receipt of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that in August 2020, a parent filed a report with the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, alleging that Rubel had been texting his daughter, who recently turned 16 years-old (Victim), and that some of the texts he observed were sexual in nature. The parent observed inappropriate images on his daughter’s cell phone within a text thread between the Victim and Rubel. With the consent of the Victim’s father, an investigator searched the cell phone and observed the text messages, some of which included sexual images. Investigators also searched Rubel’s cell phone and recovered sexual images, including two videos, that were also found on the Victim’s cell phone, within the string of text messages between Ruble and the Victim.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Stauffiger and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 1, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Storm Lake Man Sentenced to 8 years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm and Ammunition PossessionRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed a stolen firearm and ammunition was sentenced on June 23, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Leonard Weimer, 46, from Storm Lake, Iowa, pled guilty on January 6, 2022, to illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Weimer was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses including Terrorism, where Weimer shot at two police vehicles occupied by deputies. Weimer’s prior felony convictions prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that defendant possessed a total of seven guns, four of which were stolen during a felony burglary. On April 2, 2021, Storm Lake law enforcement stopped a vehicle driven by Leonard Weimer for a traffic violation. Law enforcement ultimately found a small amount of methamphetamine in Weimer’s pocket, ammunition, and a .22 rifle that was stolen from Weimer’s ex-wife. Additionally, on May 19, 2021, as part of a theft investigation, law enforcement located a stolen 12-gauge shotgun in a separate vehicle owned by Weimer. Law enforcement then searched the residence belonging to Weimer’s ex-girlfriend, where Weimer would stay at times. There, a .380 handgun was recovered that was previously given by Weimer to his then nine-year-old son. Weimer’s ex-girlfriend later located four guns and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden behind a false wall in a room where Weimer kept his belongings. Those firearms and ammunition had been reported stolen from the home of another person associated with Weimer.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Weimer was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment and must serve a term of 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Weimer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office, Storm Lake Police Department, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4058. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Statement from United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez on Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health OrganizationRead the Press Release
I share the Attorney General’s sentiments set out in a press release issued today regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
“The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Court’s decision” which “deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States,” with “immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people . . . with the greatest burdens felt by people of color and those of limited financial means.”
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act “prohibits anyone from obstructing access to reproductive health services through violence, threats of violence, or property damage.” The United States Attorney’s Office will “continue to protect healthcare providers and individuals seeking reproductive health services,” in the District of New Mexico, where those services remain legal.
“The ability to decide one’s own future is a fundamental American value, and few decisions are more significant and personal than the choice of whether and when to have children.
“Few rights are more central to individual freedom than the right to control one’s own body.
“The Justice Department will use every tool at our disposal to protect reproductive freedom. And we will not waver from this Department’s founding responsibility to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”
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Springfield Woman Sentenced for Pandemic Unemployment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield woman was sentenced yesterday for her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.
Audri Ford-Victory, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years of probation, with six months to be served in home confinement. On Jan. 31, 2022, Ford-Victory pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
In March 2020, in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which in Massachusetts is administered by the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). This program provides unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits.
Ford-Victory submitted 25 PUA claims in Massachusetts on behalf of individuals living outside of Massachusetts. As a result, Massachusetts DUA issued $215,246 in payments to individuals not entitled to PUA benefits. Ford-Victory received kickback payments in exchange for submitting the fraudulent claims.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, New York Regional Office made the announcement. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit and Neil L. Desroches of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Spa Owner Pleads Guilty to Payroll Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A Brookville, New York, man pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to collect and pay over employment taxes to the IRS on behalf of the spa companies he owned and managed.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sung Soo Chon, 63, aka Steve Chon, was the CEO, president and majority owner of Spa Castle Queens in College Point, New York, and Spa Castle Texas, in Carrolton, Texas. Chon oversaw daily operations at the two spas and related businesses, and directed subordinates to pay cash wages to some employees, many of whom were not legally permitted to work in the United States.
From the first quarter of 2014 through the first quarter of 2017, Chon did not withhold all of the legally required federal payroll taxes from the wages of some of the spa employees and filed false employment tax returns with the IRS. During this period, Chon caused the businesses to conceal more than $1.3 million in cash wages. In total, the spa companies did not pay $199,238 in payroll taxes due to the IRS.
Chon is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6. He faces a maximum penalty of five years prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Ann M. Cherry of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
South Florida Resident Sentenced to 30 Months for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft After a String of USPS Collection Box BurglariesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A Palm Beach resident who altered and cashed personal checks, which victims reported as stolen from U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) drop boxes, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.
On December 30, 2021, Danny Seruto Perez pled guilty to the fraud and identity theft offenses. According to court documents, starting in or around July 2018, the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”) was alerted to a string of mail thefts from mail collection boxes after receiving complaints from multiple victims who stated that checks they had mailed out (including to pay their bills) never reached their intended recipients.
Through its investigation, USPIS learned that many of the victims’ stolen checks had been visibly altered (or “washed”) and re-written with Seruto Perez’s name as the payment recipient, and for larger payments than the original amounts written by the victims. Further investigation revealed that Seruto Perez fraudulently deposited these “washed” and stolen checks into his own bank account and into accounts held by his friends. Seruto Perez’s bank fraud scheme involved stolen checks from approximately 15 victims, totaling approximately $36,700 in stolen funds—all of which the court has now ordered him to pay back as restitution to the victims.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Joseph W. Cronin, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Inspector in Charge, Miami Division, made the announcement.
United States Postal Inspection Service, Orlando Domicile, investigated the case, in collaboration with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Vero Beach Police Department and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lacee Monk and Eduardo Gardea Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Stone is handling forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-60181.
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Somerville Attorney Indicted for Attempting to Bribe Medford Police ChiefRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Somerville attorney was arrested today on charges that he engaged in a scheme to bribe the Medford Chief of Police.
Sean O’Donovan, 54, was indicted on two counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. O’Donovan will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon.
“This case is about attempted corruption of government officials. I commend the Chief of Police in Medford for reporting this illegal behavior to the FBI immediately,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “We must ensure that greed and unethical conduct do not undermine the proper functioning of city governments across our Commonwealth. This prosecution does just that.”
“Today, the FBI arrested attorney Sean O’Donovan for allegedly engaging in a pay-to-play scheme in which he tried to capitalize on his insider access, in attempting to bribe the Medford Police Chief, for his own financial benefit,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “It is vitally important that host community agreements be awarded through a fair and transparent process, not through back-door deals funded by bribes to those in positions of power. We believe what we have uncovered in this case is not only an affront to all the hard-working businesses that play by the rules, but a betrayal of Mr. O’Donovan’s client and the community’s trust.”
According to the indictment, in late 2018, a company involved in the cultivation and retail sale of medical and recreational marijuana (the Client) retained O’Donovan as a consultant to assist in obtaining a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with the City of Medford. Under Massachusetts law, recreational marijuana retail establishments are required to sign an HCA with cities to obtain an operational license. In 2020, Medford established a local Cannabis Advisory Committee (CAC), composed of five Medford officials, including the Medford Chief of Police (Chief). The Medford CAC is tasked with reviewing, interviewing and ranking marijuana retail applicants on behalf of the Mayor of Medford, who has final authority to decide which applicants are selected.
It is alleged that in February 2021, O’Donovan approached Individual 1 and offered to pay Individual 1 $25,000 to speak with the Chief about the Client’s anticipated application for an HCA with Medford. Individual 1 is a close relative of the Chief and subsequently informed the Chief of O’Donovan’s offer. The Chief immediately alerted federal authorities of the alleged bribe.
Over the course of the investigation, O’Donovan, believing he had an agreement with Individual 1 and the Chief, offered to pay Individual 1 approximately $25,000 in exchange for the Chief’s favorable action on the Client’s application. Specifically, O’Donovan sought to have the Chief favorably rank the Client HCA application in his role on the Medford CAC and have the Chief advising and pressuring the Mayor to enter into an HCA with the Client.
According to the indictment, O’Donovan took steps to conceal the true purpose of the planned bribe payment. For example, O’Donovan allegedly proposed falsely characterizing a payment as a loan to Individual 1 and offered to pay the bribe money in cash, stating, “If I give you cash, there will be no trace.” It is further alleged that O’Donovan rejected the idea of a contract with Individual 1, explaining that he did not “think that’s a good paper trail.” On or about October 11, 2021, O’Donovan met with Individual 1 and allegedly provided Individual 1 with $2,000 in cash as a down payment on the bribe. It is further alleged that O’Donovan was slated to receive a stream of income of at least $100,000 annually from the Client’s marijuana business if its Medford application were successful.
According to the indictment, O’Donovan never informed the Client of his bribery scheme with Individual 1. In October 2021, when O’Donovan proposed that the Client hire Individual 1 as a consultant, the Client rejected the proposal and told O’Donovan that the Client was an “above board company.”
The charge of honest services 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 federal programs bribery provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years 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; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. The Department of Justice commends the Medford Chief of Police for immediately bringing this matter to the attention of federal law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit and Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Seven Defendants Charged in Animal Fighting Venture and Illegal Gambling OperationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — A joint team of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 7 individuals on June 22, 2022, who have all been charged in federal court for their roles in a gamecock fighting venture and illegal gambling operation that operated in and around Ridgeville.
These defendants have been charged by indictment with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture, and false statement to a federal law enforcement officer. The following defendants have been arrested:
- ROY MICHAEL LIMEHOUSE, 65, of Ridgeville, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture.
- ROOSEVELT CURRY, 67, of North Augusta, South Carolina, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture.
- JOEY LEVERANE BROWN, JR, a/k/a “Junior,” 41, of Warrenville, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture.
- SHANNON HUBERT BAXLEY, 49, of Barnwell, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and false statement to a federal law enforcement officer.
- JAMES FRANKLIN ROUNDTREE, 51, of Barnwell, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture.
- JEREMEY ALLEN BESSINGER, 40, of Fairfax, was charged with animal fighting venture, illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to violate animal fighting venture.
- BRANDON ISAIAH MCLAUGHLIN, 24, of Gloverville, was charged with animal fighting venture and illegal gambling operation.
If they are convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison for each count in the indictment.
Following the indictment, federal law enforcement officers placed a legal hold on the property where the illegal activity occurred. Federal law enforcement officers also seized cash and three vehicles used in relation to the animal fighting venture and illegal gambling operation.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Inspector General, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
USDA Office of Inspector General Special Agent Dustin McPhillips led the federal investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Serial Fraudster Previously Extradited from Mexico Pleads Guilty to Multiple Investment Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
A California man was extradited from Mexico on March 8 and pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering charges for two high-yield investment fraud schemes.
According to court documents, Daniel Thomas Broyles Sr., aka Dan Thomas, aka Daniel Cruz Torrez, 64, of Malibu, participated in a high-yield investment fraud scheme involving a sham company named Niyato Industries Inc. Broyles admitted to conspiring with Niyato’s CEO, Robert Leslie Stencil, 65, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and others to defraud Niyato investors. Broyles admitted that, together with Stencil and others, he falsely portrayed Niyato as a business engaged in electric vehicle manufacturing and converting vehicles to run on compressed natural gas. In reality, Broyles knew, or intentionally avoided learning, that Niyato was merely a sham company that lacked any operational facilities or proprietary technology, and virtually all investor funds were being disbursed among the co-conspirators and not used to promote Niyato’s business. In June 2016, after Broyles learned that federal law enforcement agents were investigating Niyato, he relocated to Mexico. Broyles admitted that, when he learned in August 2016 that he had been indicted, he moved to a new address in Mexico and began using the alias “Daniel Cruz Torrez” to hide from federal law enforcement agents and to obstruct the federal government’s prosecution.
In addition, according to court documents, Broyles separately pleaded guilty for his role in a second high-yield investment fraud involving EarthWater Limited. Broyles admitted to conspiring with EarthWater’s CEO, Cengiz Jan Comu, 61, of Dallas, Texas, and others to sell EarthWater stock. Broyles also admitted that he and others made numerous false and misleading representations, including that EarthWater used the money raised from victim investors to develop and operate the company’s business. In truth, Broyles, Comu, and their co-conspirators had agreed to use the invested victim funds largely for their personal benefit.
Broyles pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of money laundering in connection with the Niyato scam. Broyles also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with the EarthWater scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. Broyles faces up to 10 years in prison for the money laundering count, up to 20 years in prison for the mail fraud count, and up to 30 years in prison for each of the conspiracy counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Seven other defendants have previously been convicted in connection with the Niyato scam, including Stencil, who was convicted following a three-week jury trial and sentenced to 135 months in prison.
Eight other defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the EarthWater fraud, including Comu, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7. Three other defendants are awaiting trial in the EarthWater case on charges set forth in a superseding indictment filed on Nov. 6, 2019, in the Northern District of Texas. The trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina; U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham for the Northern District of Texas; Inspector in Charge Tommy Coke of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Atlanta Division; and Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group made the announcement.
The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalia General de la Republica (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Broyles to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Broyles.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating this case. The U.S. Marshals Service transported Broyles from Mexico to the United States.
Trial Attorney Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting both cases. Trial Attorney Theodore Kneller of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case involving EarthWater.
Schenectady Man Indicted for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael E. Robbins II, age 26, of Schenectady, New York, was indicted for attempting to coerce and entice a minor into sexual activity.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
On June 23, 2022, Robbins waived an appearance for arraignment on the indictment. On March 18, 2021, Robbins was charged by complaint with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He was detained on that charge and has remained in custody since that time.
The complaint and indictment allege that Robbins arranged over the internet and through text messages to meet with what he believed to be a 12-year-old girl in Latham, New York, in order to engage in sexual activity with her.
The charges in the complaint and indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Robbins faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. He also faces a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ .
Rosebud Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Floyd Black Spotted Horse, Jr., age 35, was indicted on June 14, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 21, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between February 16, 2022, and April 29, 2022, in the District of South Dakota, Black Spotted Horse, a person required to register as a sex offender by reason of conviction under federal law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Black Spotted Horse is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler is prosecuting the case.
Black Spotted Horse was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Robeson County Violent Drug Dealer Convicted in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Red Springs man yesterday on multiple charges of cocaine and crack distribution, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jamie Christopher Henderson, 47, was under investigation by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office after they received a report of a shooting at the Thunder Valley Racetrack in Robeson County. Henderson had shot two people at the racetrack. Henderson then traveled to a nearby gas station and asked for a ride from a local citizen. The citizen obliged but refused to turn down a dirt road. Henderson pulled out a handgun, shot the driver’s radio, and fled.
Detectives determined where Henderson was living at the time and obtained a search warrant for the house. As detectives arrived to execute the warrant, three detectives observed Henderson in the front yard as he threw a black handgun underneath a parked car. Baggies of cocaine and crack were also recovered next to the handgun. Detectives continued to execute the search warrant and recovered two more handguns (both stolen) in the house, an AR-15 style rifle, and more crack and cocaine along with drug distribution materials. All of the weapons seized were loaded.
Additional evidence revealed videos of Henderson at the house in the days leading up to execution of the search warrant. In these videos, Henderson conducted drug deals at the house on seven different occasions, most often while armed with a handgun. The videos also showed Henderson possessing multiple handguns, sometimes two at one time, and pointing a loaded AR-15 style rifle at vehicles in the roadway that were approaching the house at night.
In 2005, Henderson was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Henderson faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years up to life imprisonment. If he is determined to be an Armed Career Criminal, then he faces a mandatory sentence of 25 years up to life imprisonment.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Robeson County Sherriff’s Office are investigating the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.7:20-cr-00088-FL-1.
Registered Sex Offender from Chicago Suburb Charged with Possessing and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man who allegedly possessed and transported sexually explicit images of children has been indicted on federal child pornography charges.
BRANDON J. BERGTHOLD, 35, of Frankfort, Ill., is charged with possession and transportation of child pornography, according to an indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The federal charges carry enhanced sentencing penalties, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years, due to a prior qualifying conviction involving a minor, for which Bergthold has had to register as a sex offender.
From July to September of last year, using the screenname “freakybrando86,” Bergthold communicated with and sent images of child pornography to an individual on the Kik online messaging platform, according to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case. Unbeknownst to Bergthold, the individual with whom he was communicating was an undercover law enforcement officer, the complaint states. The indictment alleges that on Aug. 7, 2021, Bergthold possessed on his cell phone an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, and that on Oct. 17, 2021, he transported a file containing an image of child pornography.
Bergthold is currently detained without bond in federal custody. Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro G. Ortega.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Pawtucket Man Sentenced in Stolen ID, Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man has been sentenced to thirty months in federal prison for his participation in a conspiracy to use stolen identities to create fraudulent drivers’ licenses and credit cards he and others used to rent cars and hotel rooms and to make multiple purchases throughout New England, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Hugh A. Martin, 33, and two other men were arrested by Warwick Police in the early morning hours of July 3, 2020, when they were found sleeping in a vehicle with a stolen license plate. A bundle of eleven counterfeit credit cards were found tucked inside Martin’s sock.
According to court documents, among the items recovered from the vehicle were eighteen mobile phones, a notebook containing handwritten entries of numerous identities and related personal identifying information, computers, a printer, SD cards, a laminating machine, a magnetic strip reader capable of reading and transferring data to the back of credit cards, and approximately $13,000 in crisp, clean U.S. currency in large denominations.
Martin pleaded guilty on March 9, 2022, to conspiracy to possess fifteen or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices; possession of fifteen or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices; and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith on Thursday to 30 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
In November 2021, while on bail on state charges brought as a result of his initial arrest by Warwick Police in July 2021, Martin was found by a New York City Police Officer seated in a parked vehicle that displayed no registration plates. Martin was charged with criminal possession of a handgun, after the officer located a fully loaded semiautomatic handgun under the driver’s seat. A detainer has been lodged with the U.S. Marshals service, seeking Martin’s return to New York for prosecution on the firearm charge.
Courtney Hilaire, 29, of Providence, convicted for his role in the credit card fraud conspiracy and for fraudulently seeking more than $3.3 million dollars in small business loans earmarked for businesses impacted by the pandemic, was sentenced on May 5, 2022, to 60 months in federal prison.
A third defendant remains a fugitive.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William J. Ferland. Martin’s criminal conduct was investigated by the Warwick Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Pawtucket Police Department.
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Orleans Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERNEST DUNN, age 32 of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty as charged to violating the Federal Gun Control Act. The single count indictment charged DUNN with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, DUNN was previously convicted of armed robbery and purse snatching. The current conviction relates to a November 6, 2020 incident during which DUNN was found sitting in the driver’s seat of a car by federal agents. A search of the car revealed five firearms. Additionally, two Glock semi-automatic handguns were found on the floorboard at his feet. He faces a maximum term of ten (10) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
DUNN’s sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for September 29, 2022.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.
Ohio Man Indicted for Gambling and Tax OffensesRead the Press Release
In a second superseding indictment unsealed today, a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, charged Christos Karasarides Jr., of Canton, with tax evasion, filing false tax returns, witness tampering, falsifying records and five separate conspiracies to operate illegal gambling businesses, defraud the IRS and commit money laundering.
In May 2021, the government charged spouses Jason Kachner and Rebecca Kachner, CPA Ronald DiPietro and Thomas Helmick with conspiring to operate illegal gambling businesses and to defraud the IRS, among other criminal offenses. The superseding indictment unsealed today adds Karasarides to the indictment and includes new tax charges against DiPietro.
According to the second superseding indictment, from 2010 through 2018 Karasarides, Jason Kachner, Rebecca Kachner and DiPietro conspired to operate Skilled Shamrock, an illegal gambling business in Canton, and conspired to defraud the IRS by concealing income generated by Skilled Shamrock. From 2012 through 2017, patrons at Skilled Shamrock allegedly wagered a total of more than $34 million, which resulted in more than $4 million in net income for the owners of the gambling business.
The second superseding indictment also charges that from 2009 through 2013, Karasarides accrued a total of more than $1.4 million in taxes owed to the IRS. Karasarides and DiPietro sought to evade this tax debt by allegedly submitting false information to the IRS concealing Karasarides’ ownership of the illegal gambling businesses and the income derived from those businesses. Instead of paying his overdue tax debt, Karasarides allegedly spent millions of dollars in cash on personal items such as cars, country club dues, real estate and credit card payments for the benefit of family members.
With DiPietro’s help, Karasarides also allegedly filed false tax returns with the IRS for 2013 through 2016. The returns allegedly did not include all the income Karasarides earned from Skilled Shamrock and other gambling businesses. Additionally, DiPietro is charged with helping the Kachners file their own false tax returns for the years 2013 through 2017. The Kachners and Helmick were previously charged with conspiracy and filing false tax returns that allegedly underreported gross receipts received from Redemption Skill Games 777, one of the other gambling businesses.
During the investigation, Karasarides allegedly sought to tamper with a witness appearing before the grand jury. He also allegedly had false promissory notes created to authenticate purported loans, then directed business associates and his son to sign the false promissory notes. When Karasarides learned one of the business associates had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, he allegedly directed that witness to falsely testify that his loan was legitimate.
Karasarides is also charged with conspiring to launder money because he allegedly disguised the final payment on his personal residence, funded with cash proceeds from his illegal gambling businesses, by providing the cash to his associate who agreed to form a company to make the payment so that, on paper, Karasarides would never pay down the principal and purchase the residence outright.
Karasarides made his initial court appearance today. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to defraud the IRS, five years in prison for tax evasion, three years in prison for filing a false tax return, and 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to launder money, witness tampering and falsification of records. DiPietro faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for helping Karasarides evade taxes and three years in prison for helping Karasarides file a false tax return. 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 First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General, and the Ohio Casino Control Commission are investigating the case. Homeland Security Investigations provided substantial assistance.
Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing and Sam Bean of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Patton and David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio 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.
North Park Man Charged with Kidnapping 16-year-old Oklahoma GirlRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Amanda L. Griffith (619) 546-8970
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 24, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Ramsey Manuel Cervantes faces federal kidnapping charges in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a 16-year-old Oklahoma girl who had been reported as a missing runaway by her father on June 15.
The victim was rescued from her alleged captor’s North Park home by San Diego police after she was able to use his cell phone to call for help. Cervantes was subsequently arrested. He made his initial appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Butcher. A detention hearing is set for June 30 at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard Skomal.
According to the complaint, the victim met 22-year-old Cervantes on a social media application several months ago. The victim believed Cervantes was 17 years old, and they eventually met when Cervantes drove from San Diego to Oklahoma to meet her in person. Cervantes visited her approximately four times over the following six months. The victim eventually broke up with Cervantes after he became abusive. They were separated for two months. About a week ago, they reconnected and started talking again, including using social media apps to exchange messages.
According to the complaint, Cervantes drove to Oklahoma on June 15 to talk to the minor victim in person to discuss their relationship. They planned for him to pick her up at her residence in Oklahoma. When the girl got in Cervantes’ vehicle, he told her she was coming with him back to San Diego. When she tried to leave the vehicle, Cervantes put a knife to her side and told her he would kill her if she tried to leave.
Cervantes used duct tape to restrain the girl and transported her from Oklahoma to California. While traveling from Oklahoma to California, Cervantes assaulted the victim many times. The victim reported that Cervantes repeatedly forced her to consume vodka while en route to San Diego, keeping her in a constant state of heavy intoxication.
When they arrived in San Diego on June 19, Cervantes locked the victim in his bedroom for four days. The victim saw her captor place the black knife with a silver blade in a desk drawer.
On June 22, Cervantes left the residence to go to the store. Cervantes accidentally left his cell phone in the residence, which the victim used to call her father and law enforcement. Officers responded to Cervantes’ residence and rescued the victim and Cervantes was arrested.
The San Diego Police Department Domestic Violence detectives responded to the scene. FBI agents were called in to assist because Cervantes traveled to Oklahoma and kidnapped the victim, transporting her in interstate commerce from Oklahoma to California. During the commission of the crime, Cervantes also used his cellular phone which is an instrumentality of interstate commerce.
“The allegations against this defendant highlight the digital and physical vulnerability of our nation’s children,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We will do everything we can to prevent children from becoming victims, and to seek justice if they do. It is important that all of us remain vigilant regarding online activity. Not everyone is who they claim to be in cyberspace.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team, the San Diego Police Department, the FBI, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the Norman, Oklahoma Police Department for their efforts to save this victim and to bring her attacker to justice.
“The defendant is faced with allegations that he committed heinous crimes stemming from an online encounter,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “There is no higher priority than protecting children in both physical and virtual worlds. I want to thank the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California for their commitment, partnership, and swift action in rescuing the victim, taking the defendant into custody, and filing charges.”
“We are grateful that this case had a positive ending with the young victim back with her loved ones,” said Chief of Police David Nisleit. “This is a sad reminder to all of us to be careful who you trust online.”
For more information and resources for kids, teens and parents on internet crimes against children, pleas see https://www.sandiego.gov/sdicac.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22mj2288
Ramsey Manuel Cervantes Age: 22 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Kidnapping – Title 18, U.S.C. § 1201(a) and (g)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years to life in prison
AGENCY
FBI
San Diego Police Department
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
Norman, Oklahoma Police Department
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New York Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York Man was sentenced today on charges arising from a scheme to fraudulently obtain business loans and unemployment pandemic relief funds made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Ronald Buie, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Buie was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $304,237. On March 15, 2022, Buie pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Buie engaged in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent applications for loans offered in connection with the CARES Act. Specifically, Buie used stolen or fabricated identities – including counterfeit driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and W-2s, among other forged documents – to open fraudulent bank and credit accounts and to apply for various SBA loans and Massachusetts and Ohio Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. Buie also submitted fraudulent documentation to apply for and obtain a fraudulent SBA loan for $60,000 for his company, Platinum Car Service LLC. Specifically, in support of his loan application, Buie provided what he purported to be a monthly bank statement for his business checking account showing an ending balance of more than $198,000, whereas bank records for that particular month show that the actual balance was less than $3,000.
As a result of the scheme, Buie fraudulently obtained over $274,000 in SBA loans and over $70,000 in PUA benefits. Of this, one SBA loan of approximately $65,000 was successfully reversed and $5,000 in cash was seized from Buie’s residence.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office; Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance; and the New York City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of Rollins’ Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
New Mexico duo indicted for kidnapping and murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Gilbert John, Jr., 33, of Brimhall, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and Kendra K. Panteah, 34, of Zuni, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, have been arraigned in federal court. John was arraigned on March 30, charged with second degree murder in Indian Country. Panteah was arraigned on July 23, charged with kidnapping in Indian Country resulting in death. Pending trial, John will remain in custody and Panteah was conditionally released to a halfway house. A trial date has not been scheduled.
According to the indictment and other court records, in July 2019, the victim, identified in court records as John Doe, traveled with Panteah and two other people to Witch Wells, Arizona, and back to New Mexico. At some point, passengers in the car allegedly beat John Doe and put him in the trunk of the car. The group then travelled to Pinehill and then Gallup, New Mexico, when Panteah allegedly called John because she didn’t know what to do.
Panteah allegedly travelled to Gilbert John’s apartment and told him what happened. The two then allegedly drove from Gallup into the Navajo Nation and drove around for a day with John Doe still in the trunk. Eventually, they stopped the car near Bass Lake where John Doe regained consciousness. John Doe was able to open the trunk and got out, and Gilbert John then allegedly stabbed John Doe with a machete and knife. Gilbert John and Panteah then allegedly put John Doe back in the trunk and sat on it to prevent John Doe from getting out until John Doe stopped moving.
John drove the car to a residence in Standing Rock, New Mexico. While allegedly attempting to remove the car’s tracker, John disabled the car and could not repair it. The car was left at the residence for about 10 days before John allegedly returned and towed the car down Pipeline Road where he drove it into a canyon. He then allegedly went to Gallup for gasoline, returned to the car, doused it, and set it alight.
The alleged offenses took place on the Navajo Nation and John Doe is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, John and Panteah face life in prison.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case.
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New Haven Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHAVARIUS SMITH, 22, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven to firearm and drug offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 8, 2021, at approximately 11:15 p.m., New Haven Police recovered a 9-millimeter “ghost gun” equipped with a 31-round high-capacity magazine, and distribution quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, from a parked stolen vehicle that Smith had been driving. Smith, a known Bloods gang member, was released from prison on September 2, 2021, was serving a term of probation, and was wearing a GPS ankle monitor as a condition of his probation. Officers located and arrested Smith a short time later.
Smith’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for larceny and drug offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Smith pleaded guilty to one count of possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on October 3, 2022.
Smith has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity.
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.
New Bedford Man Arrested for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Bedford man was arrested on June 22, 2022 on drug distribution charges involving fentanyl.
Hector Diaz, 44, was indicted on two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Diaz was released on conditions following an initial appearance yesterday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein.
According to the indictment, on two occasions between December 2020 and January 2021, Diaz distributed and possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl in New Bedford.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. 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 James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hoefle of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
More Than Two Years Imposed on Modesto Woman Who Conspired with Incarcerated Son to Submit 121 Fraudulent Stimulus Check ApplicationsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Sheila Denise Dunlap was sentenced today to 27 months in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson, and U.S. Department of the Treasury, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Special Agent in Charge Rod Ammari. United States District Judge Susan Illston handed down the sentence.
Dunlap, 52, of Modesto, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2022, to engaging in a wire fraud conspiracy and in aggravated identity theft by filing scores of fraudulent applications for Economic Impact Payment (EIP) payments, commonly known as stimulus checks. The EIP program was part of the federal CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020, to relieve the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon individuals. Under the EIP provision of the CARES Act, individuals who made less than $99,000 on their 2019 tax returns and those whose income was sufficiently low that a tax return filing was not required (non-filers) were eligible to receive EIP funds. EIP payments amounted to as much as $1,200 per adult and $500 for a qualifying child.
In her plea agreement, Dunlap admitted that she conspired from March 2020 through July 2020 with her son to obtain the personal identifiable information (PII) of others and to use that PII to apply for EIP funds. In 2016, Dunlap’s son began serving a capital sentence on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison.
Dunlap described in her plea agreement how her son, identified only by his initials D.W., sent her the PII of his fellow prisoners along with the PII of other individuals whom they suspected might qualify as non-filers of 2018 or 2019 income tax returns and thus were eligible for EIP funds. Dunlap admitted she used the PII to file multiple fraudulent claims for EIP funds through the Internal Revenue Service’s online EIP Portal. In each of the applications, Dunlap listed her own Bank of America account to receive the EIP payments.
Dunlap specifically admitted that in or about April 2020, her son arranged the delivery to her of an email containing a spreadsheet with the PII of 9,043 individuals. She and her son agreed on a strategy to begin filing fraudulent EIP claims first by using the PII of the youngest adults listed on the spreadsheet. According to Dunlap, both she and her son believed that the younger, college-aged individuals on the list likely lacked income sufficient to trigger their filing of a 2018 or 2019 tax return. These individuals were thus more likely to be non-filers and thereby eligible for EIP payments.
Using the PII of these real individuals – including their names and social security numbers and other personal details – Dunlap admitted that in May and June 2020 she electronically filed 121 fraudulent EIP claims. Each EIP application, regardless of the applicant’s name, listed Dunlap’s bank account number for payment of the stimulus check. In total, Dunlap filed claims for $145,200 in EIP payments.
In addition to the 27 month prison sentence, United States District Judge Susan Illston imposed a three year term of supervision following release from prison and ordered Dunlap pay full restitution. Dunlap remains out of custody and will surrender to begin her sentence on September 30.
The case has been prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christa Hall and Annie Hsieh, with the assistance of Llessica Chan Fierro, Ralph Banchstubbs, and Maribel Gallegos. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI and TIGTA.
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 augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Mitchell Man Charged with Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mitchell, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography.
Justin Douglas Brende, age 42, was indicted on June 14, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on June 16, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 40 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between November 1, 2020, and October 3, 2021, Brende knowingly received and distributed, and attempted to receive and distribute, child pornography that has been mailed, shipped, and transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer.
The charge is merely an accusation and Brende is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Mitchell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.
Brende was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial which has been set for August 23, 2022.
Mission Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor was sentenced on June 21, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Jaret Wooden Knife, age 24, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Wooden Knife was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 8, 2022. He pled guilty on March 28, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on January 10, 2020, in Mission, when Wooden Knife knowingly engaged in a sexual act with a minor female.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Wooden Knife was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Miami Man Sentenced for Assaulting and Paralyzing a Vo-Tech ClassmateRead the Press Release
A man was sentenced Friday in federal court for a 2017 attack in which he picked up a fellow student and slammed the student’s head onto the ground, leaving him paralyzed, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jace Christian Williams, 23, of Miami, Oklahoma, to 51 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Frizzell will determine restitution at an Aug. 26 hearing.
Prosecutors had argued for a ten year federal prison sentence, which is an upward departure from the federal sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors stated that both the extreme nature of Williams’ criminal conduct and the victim’s resulting physical and mental suffering warranted the departure.
“Jace Williams’ intentional, violent attack has forever changed the life of the victim in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “His egregious actions are inexcusable. This type of criminal conduct cannot and will not be tolerated.”
"In a cowardly attack, Mr. Williams blindsided and paralyzed a fellow student, then remorselessly bragged about his crime," said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. "We hope that today's sentence serves as a warning for other individuals who think they can harm their fellow citizens without facing any repercussions."
In February, a federal jury found Williams guilty of maiming in Indian Country and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.
The victim and defendant attended the same technical school in Afton and knew one another prior to the incident. In the days leading up to the crime, Williams repeatedly expressed anger toward the victim because he felt the victim had interfered and ruined Williams’ chances of having a sexual encounter with two women. Williams went as far as to tell one student that he would to make sure the victim couldn’t “use his arms or legs for five months.”
On Nov. 3, 2017, a classmate drove Williams and two friends to E. 200 Rd in Afton, in order to watch an unrelated fight between two different men. After arriving, the driver remained in his truck, scrolling through his phone. Other students, including the victim, also drove to the location in order to watch the fight.
While the victim and other students assembled in a circle waiting for the fight to begin, multiple witnesses from different vantage points saw Williams suddenly attack the victim from behind.
In a maneuver similar to what is commonly referred to as a “suplex”, Williams wrapped his arms around the victim’s body, lifted him backward and slammed him head-first onto the ground. While the victim was on his stomach on the ground, Williams proceeded to spat on the victim and repeatedly punch him in the back.
Williams’ two friends then returned to the truck and told the driver Williams had jumped the victim and that it was bad. Soon after, Williams returned to the truck, breathing heavily, and demanded the driver take him home. The driver testified that Williams ripped off his own shirt and bragged that what he had done to the victim was “fun” and that he wanted to do it again. The driver said he feared the defendant at that point and complied.
A witness to the crime called 911 and waited for paramedics to arrive. The victim was transported to a hospital in Joplin, Missouri. The victim sustained a C6-7 fracture-subluxation with bilateral locked facets and paralysis. As a result of the injuries inflicted by Williams, the victim is a quadriplegic.
The crime occurred within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation reservation. The FBI and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Cella and Brandon A. Skates prosecuted the case.
Memphis Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Demario Davis, 35, of Memphis has been sentenced to 204 months in federal prison for
distribution of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., United States Attorney,
announced the sentence today.According to information presented in court, on February 12, 2018, members of the Memphis
Police Department’s - Organized Crime Unit responded to an overdose that occurred at a hotel room
on Madison Avenue. Davis was identified as the source of these narcotics.In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Davis, charging
violations including possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.The defendant pled guilty on February 24, 2022, to three counts of the six-count
indictment.On June 23, 2022, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. sentenced Davis to 204 months
imprisonment to be followed by three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal
system.This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department Heroin Opioid Response Team.
Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Kimbril-Parks prosecuted this case on behalf of the
government.
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