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Thursday 23 June 2022
Justice Department Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. BruenRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today released the following statement from spokeswoman Dena Iverson following the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc., et al. v. Bruen, Superintendent of New York State Police, et al.:
“We respectfully disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the Second Amendment forbids New York’s reasonable requirement that individuals seeking to carry a concealed handgun must show that they need to do so for self-defense. The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with state, local and tribal authorities and using all legally available tools to tackle the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our communities.”
Justice Department Settles with California-Based IT Recruiter to Resolve Hiring Discrimination ClaimRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced that it signed a settlement agreement with SpringShine Consulting, Inc., an IT staffing company based in California. The settlement resolves claims that SpringShine discriminated against U.S. workers based on their citizenship status when it solicited applications for employment opportunities only from those seeking sponsorship for temporary work visas.
“Employers that discourage applicants based on their citizenship or immigration status, or save certain employment opportunities only for applicants who require sponsorship to work in the United States, violate the law and must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will ensure that workers are protected from such unlawful discrimination.”
The department opened an investigation after an individual complained about an advertisement that SpringShine posted on a recruiting website inviting applications only from experienced IT consultants who required sponsorship for an employment-based temporary work visa. The advertisement was directed exclusively at workers seeking the company’s H-1B visa sponsorship, with no indication that workers with other citizenship statuses, such as U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, asylees or refugees, would also be considered for an employment opportunity. SpringShine claimed that the advertisement was not associated with an offer of employment, but was a recruiting tool to build a pool of qualified consultants to fill its clients’ anticipated future labor needs. Based on its investigation, however, the department concluded that (1) the company offered to sponsor one of the applicants who responded to the posting, (2) the advertisement reflected SpringShine’s preference for H-1B visa workers to fill its staffing needs, and (3) the posting harmed U.S. workers by unlawfully deterring many of them from applying for consideration. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), employers are not generally allowed to discriminate in recruitment or hiring based on citizenship status.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, SpringShine will pay $17,000 in civil penalties to the United States and ensure that its employment advertisements and hiring practices do not include or implement any unlawful preference for applicants with a particular citizenship or immigration status. Additionally, SpringShine will train employees involved in recruitment and hiring on the INA’s anti-discrimination provision.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Find more information on how employers can avoid citizenship status discrimination on IER’s website. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe to GovDelivery to receive updates from IER. View the Spanish translation of this press release here.
Jennings Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Drugs and FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - Morgan Lyons, 43, of Jennings, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. to 137 months (11 years, 5 months) in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of drugs and firearms, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.
Lyons was convicted by a jury in Lafayette on February 10, 2022 of one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. According to evidence presented at trial, law enforcement officers with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Combined Anti-Drug Task Force, the Louisiana State Police and the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, using a cooperating witness, did a controlled delivery of marijuana to a residence in which Morgan Lyons resided. Shortly after the controlled delivery, officers executed a search warrant of the residence and located approximately 43 ounces of cocaine, a ledger book, 4 digital scales, $36,020, an AR-15 assault rifle, a Ruger 9mm firearm, and a large box of assorted ammunition, as well as numerous documents in the name of Morgan Lyons.
Evidence introduced at trial revealed that Lyons has a prior felony conviction for possession of cocaine and a prior conviction for possession of over 400 grams of cocaine, as well as multiple violent felony arrests. As a result of his conviction, he will forfeit the $36,020 which was seized.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Luke Walker and Craig R. Bordelon.
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Jamestown Man Indicted for Selling Drugs That Caused Serious Bodily InjuryRead 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 a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Bradley D. Knapp, 43, of Jamestown, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, using and maintaining a drug-involved premises, and distribution of controlled substances causing serious bodily injury. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between January 2019, and June 2022, Knapp conspired with others to sell heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. On August 13, 2020, Knapp sold a controlled substance that caused serious bodily injury to an individual identified as M.H. During the conspiracy, Knapp used a 9th Street residence for his drug trafficking activities.
The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is detained.The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. 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 indictment is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Jamestown Man Going to Prison for Possession 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 Travis Sanders, 36, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in November 2017, Sanders possessed a laptop that contained 151 images of child pornography, including one image that depicted the sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler. During a search of the laptop and Sanders’ iPhone, investigators also discovered sexually explicit online contact between Sanders and various victims, who were or appeared to be minors. Sanders admitted that he sometimes told victims that he was a 15-year-old boy. On November 29, 2017, after Homeland Security Investigations informed Sanders that he was under investigation for sending child pornography via Skype, and after requesting to see Sander’s phone, Sanders deleted the Skype application from his iPhone.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
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Iowa Man Sentenced to 30 years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Aaron Allen Tripses, age 33, was sentenced on June 22, 2022, to 360 months in prison for Production of Child Pornography. Following his prison term, Tripses was ordered to serve seven years of supervised release. Tripses will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, law enforcement responded to Tripses’ residence in reference to a welfare check. It was discovered that Tripses had assaulted an adult female. Law enforcement later received information suggesting that Tripses’ phone contained evidence of his sexual abuse of a minor. Multiple search warrants were executed on Tripses’ devices and accounts. Officers located over 1,400 images and videos depicting Tripses engaging in sex acts with a minor, including depictions of acts of violence such as prolonged strangulation. Officers also located dozens of videos of women in public places being filmed without their knowledge. On January 18, 2022, Tripses pleaded guilty to Production of Child Pornography. Tripses had a prior adjudication for sexual assault against a minor as well as other convictions for assaulting a child and woman. As a part of sentencing, the Court found that Tripses had engaged in a pattern of activity involving prohibited sexual conduct.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This matter was investigated by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Inmate in Federal Prison Indicted for Murdering His CellmateRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a grand jury has returned an indictment charging Romeo Lopez-Hernandez (37, Coleman) with the first-degree premeditated murder of his cellmate while in the Coleman Federal Correctional Institution (FCI). If convicted, Lopez-Hernandez faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment.
According to court records, Lopez-Hernandez was housed in the Special Housing Unit of Coleman FCI in Sumter County when authorities found his cellmate strangled to death. The victim was lying face down and unconscious on his bed with a bedsheet wrapped around his neck and tied to the bedpost. Dark ligature marks were apparent around the victim’s neck, and a medical examiner confirmed that he had died by strangulation.
When interviewed by the FBI, Lopez-Hernandez gave a full confession. He detailed repeatedly strangling the victim in intervals and concealing the body behind a bedsheet so that correctional officers wouldn’t find him until he was sure the victim was dead. According to Lopez-Hernandez, one of his main reasons for killing the victim was to maintain respect from other inmates.
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 FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer.
Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Three Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Holmes robbery of the Bank of OdessaKANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence man was sentenced in federal court today for robbing three banks within a period of about a month in Lee’s Summit, Kansas City, and Odessa.
Hubert J. Holmes, 61, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Holmes was sentenced as a career offender.
On Dec. 20, 2021, Holmes pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and two counts of bank robbery. Holmes admitted that he robbed three banks in 2019.
Holmes used a firearm to rob Summit Ridge Credit Union, 3485 N.E. Ralph Powell Road in Lee’s Summit on May 21, 2019. Holmes entered the credit union and demanded money from the teller. When the teller hesitated, Holmes displayed a silver handgun and slammed it on the counter. Two bank tellers gave him $13,243 and he left the bank on foot. Surveillance video footage showed that he fled to a blue van, consistent in appearance to a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, which was located in a nearby parking lot. While fleeing the scene of the robbery, Holmes dropped over $7,000 that was later recovered and returned to the credit union. A
Holmes robbery of the Summit Ridge Credit Unionfew days later, investigators received a tip that identified Holmes as the bank robber and provided the license plate number of his minivan.
Holmes robbed Central Bank of the Midwest, 9740 Wornall in Kansas City on June 7, 2019. Holmes, wearing a ski mask, approached a teller and demanded she give him $50 and $100 bills. The teller told Holmes she didn’t have larger bills and he responded, “give me all of them.” She removed $1,094 from her drawer and gave it to Holmes, who fled from the bank of foot. Investigators later matched a fingerprint from the scene of the robbery to Holmes.
Holmes robbed the Bank of Odessa, 201 S. 2nd Street in Odessa on June 20, 2019. Holmes put on a ski mask when he approached a teller’s window and demanded she open her drawer. Holmes reached over the counter and seized $3,099 from the teller’s cash drawer. Holmes then fled from the bank on foot and met an accomplice who was driving his van, which was parked nearby. Holmes, attempting to hurry,
Holmes robbery of the Central Bank of the Midwestdropped money in the alley as he approached the van. Holmes picked up the money he dropped and got into the rear driver’s side of the van, which was being driven by another person.
Holmes was arrested on June 20, 2019, following the robbery of the Bank of Odessa. Shortly after the robbery, law enforcement officers began surveillance of Holmes’s residence. Officers saw Holmes driving a Chrysler Town and Country van, pulled him over, and arrested both Holmes and a passenger. Holmes had a large sum of money in his right front jeans pocket, including bait bills taken during the bank robbery. Bait bills are currency bills with known serial numbers that banks use to assist law enforcement officials in their efforts to trace currency to a bank robbery. The passenger, who matched the description of the get-away driver in the Bank of Odessa robbery, had $404 in his pockets. When officers searched the van, they found a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun under the front passenger seat.
Holmes’s plea agreement also refers to the robbery of Country Club Bank, 401 Armour Rd. in North Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 26, 2018. Two men wore facial coverings and hooded sweatshirts when they walked into the bank. One of them walked directly to the teller counter, went behind the counter, and removed $16,000 from the teller drawers. He attempted to carry the cash in his sweatshirt, however, he dropped some of the cash as he walked out of the bank. The other thief remained at the door of the bank and gave verbal commands to all of the occupants of the bank. When they left the bank, they got into Holmes’s Chrysler Town and Country van and drove away. Holmes, who did not plead guilty to the indictment’s charge for this bank robbery, denies being involved. However, the surveillance video of the Chrysler Town and Country van, which belongs to Holmes, became an investigative lead later in this case.
Holmes was on federal supervised release at the time of these offenses following a prior felony conviction for bank robbery. Holmes has multiple prior convictions for robbery, armed criminal action, bank robbery, possession of a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct, burglary, resisting an officer, providing false information to a police officer, and multiple convictions for possession and delivery of a controlled substance in a correctional center.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Illegal Possession of Firearms Leads to Time in Federal Prison for Two Men from Lake Charles AreaRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of two defendants for illegally possessing firearms in the Western District of Louisiana.
Brian Damar Paul, 35, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On December 31, 2020, investigators with the Lake Charles Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Lake Charles. Prior to their arrival, investigators learned that the Paul was in the residence with a firearm and was refusing to leave. Upon their arrival, Paul was asked to step outside the residence and when he emerged, they observed him place a handgun in the trashcan near the front door. The firearm was seized and after being advised of his Miranda rights, Paul consented to an interview. Paul stated that he had stolen the firearm from a female friend while at her house and then brought it to his residence. When he saw investigators arrive, he threw the firearm in the trashcan. Paul has a previous felony conviction for armed robbery in 2008 and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Lake Charles Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
Miguel Morales-Duran, 33, a citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. to 1 year and 1 day in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release. Morales-Duran was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. He pleaded guilty to the charge on March 30, 2022. Officers with the Broussard Police Department responded to a call of shots fired in Broussard, Louisiana on December 25, 2021. The complainant stated that shots were heard coming from a residence nearby. When officers made contact with one of the males at that residence, they stated that Morales-Duran had fired the shots in the backyard. A Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber handgun was found in the residence and Morales-Duran was arrested. He admitted to police officers that he had fired the handgun and knew that he was an alien illegally and unlawfully present in the United States.
This case was investigated by the ATF and Broussard Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo.
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Honduran National Sentenced to Eight Years for Conspiracy to Import MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Sergio Geovany Cruz-Sabillon, 32, of Rio Lindo, Honduras, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 96 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Cruz-Sabillon previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico.
On October 1, 2019, Cruz-Sabillon orchestrated the importation of 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) of pure methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted and arrested the driver transporting the drugs before she could travel further into the country.
The evidence showed that Cruz-Sabillon managed and directed this smuggling incident and had encouraged the driver of the narcotics to bring along her young children. Cruz-Sabillon himself had illegally entered the United States a few months before the offense and had set up residence in Tucson, Arizona.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-00286-RCC (EJM)
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-099_Cruz-Sabillon# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Home Health Care Provider Is Sentenced to Prison for Stealing More Than $1 Million from Two Elderly ClientsRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Lindsey Allison Kerns, 39, of Mars Hill, N.C., to 45 months in prison today, for stealing more than $1 million from two elderly clients in her care, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Judge Reidinger ordered Kerns to serve three years under court supervision and to pay $1,088,554.99 as restitution.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
“Most home health care providers are reputable and committed to providing quality services to older adults entrusted in their care. Kerns is not one of them,” said U.S. Attorney King. “This defendant took advantage of two vulnerable seniors, exploited their trust, and swindled them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a community, it is our responsibility to take care of our elders. And as law enforcement, it is our duty to put those who harm them behind bars.”
“Lindsey Kerns was hired to provide daily care to two elderly people. She overcharged them by a million dollars and bought trucks, ATVs, expensive clothing and went on lavish vacations. This is a case of greed and abuse of trust. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure anyone who commits crimes against the elderly will face the consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge Wells.
“Senior citizens and those who care about them need to be on alert for various scams targeting elder Americans. The IRS recognizes the pervasiveness of fraud targeting older Americans, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to combat these crimes and hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions,” said Brian Thomas, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI in Charlotte.
According to information contained in court documents and court proceedings, from December 2018 to April 2020, Kerns owned and operated Home Care Coordinators, LLC, a business that provided home health care in Buncombe and Madison Counties. Beginning in December 2018, Kerns arranged to provide home health care services to two elderly clients, identified in court documents as S.A. and P.R., who were 86 and 90 years old, respectively. The two elderly clients lived in Asheville and were close friends. P.R. also suffered from dementia and was not capable of handling his affairs. S.A. served as P.R.’s power of attorney and managed and controlled P.R.’s finances.
According to court documents, Kerns provided home health care services to S.A. and P.R. all of 2019 and into 2020. During that time, Kerns did not provide S.A. or P.R. with detailed invoices of her home health care services. Instead, Kerns orally informed S.A. on a weekly basis how much money Kerns claimed she was owed for services rendered, and S.A. wrote checks in those amounts from P.R.’s bank accounts. Over the course of the scheme, Kerns defrauded the elderly victims in a number of ways, including by overbilling them for services that were inflated or never provided; double-billing them for other services such as cleaning and moving that were either not provided or were provided by caregivers during hours already billed; and by billing at a higher rate than what Kerns and the victims had agreed upon.
According to court documents, from December 2018 through April 2020, Kerns directed S.A. to pay, and did receive, $1,465,546.99 for home health care and other services allegedly rendered by Kerns to the victims. The actual fair market value of the services provided to the victims by Kerns was $376,992. Kerns thereby overcharged S.A. and P.R. $1,088,554.99 for services that were never provided.
Kerns used the money she swindled from the victims to purchase vehicles and ATVs, to buy luxury retail items, and to pay for hotel stays and vacation rentals.
According to court records, when Kerns learned she was being investigated by the FBI and IRS, she made a number of false statements to federal agents related to her business activities. For example, Kerns lied about issuing IRS Form 1099s to her employees, lied about purchases she made using the victims’ money, and lied about additional income she received from another client. In addition, after Kerns was served with a grand jury subpoena requiring her to produce certain business records, Kerns fabricated such records and generated false invoices based on the amounts she believed she had received from S.A. and P.R. rather than providing invoices for actual services rendered.
On February 9, 2022, Kerns pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. She is currently released on bond and will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their investigation of this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10am-6pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
Hendersonville Man Is Sentenced to Prison for Violating the Clean Air Act by Selling Thousands of Illegal Devices That Defeat Required Vehicle Emissions Control SystemsRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Matthew Sidney Geouge, 35, of Hendersonville, N.C., to one year and one day in prison for conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act by selling more than 14,000 illegal devices that defeat required vehicle emissions control systems, also known as “defeat devices,” announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Geouge was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release, six months of which will be in home confinement, and to pay a civil penalty of $1.3 million to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and $1.2 million in restitution to the IRS. In addition to the Clean Air Act violation, Geouge was also sentenced for tax evasion.
Charles Carfagno, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID) and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
Geouge’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced for their roles in the scheme after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act:
- John A. Slagel, 52, of Fairbury, Illinois, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a $150,000 fine.
- Joshua L. Davis, 43, of Metamora, Illinois, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and to pay a $50,000 fine.
- Spade Kaosu Bailly, 50, of Hendersonville, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a $10,000 fine.
“Tuners” are devices capable of defeating vehicles’ computerized emissions controls, in violation of the Clean Air Act. In 2008, Geouge approached a company that manufactured tuners and he tailored software programs for the tuners known as “tunes,” designed to maximize the engine power of particular vehicles resulting in significant increases in harmful air emissions. Beginning in 2012, Slagel worked for and eventually owned the company that manufactured the tuners. Davis and Bailly conspired with Geouge and created other companies that sold tuners manufactured by Slagel’s company with Geouge’s tunes installed on them. In total, the co-conspirators sold far in excess of 14,000 illegal tuners, worth millions of dollars.
The EPA issued a notice of violation to Geouge in 2015. However, Geouge continued to sell and service illegal devices. Geouge also evaded paying a penalty owed to the EPA, and taxes owed to the IRS, by having another individual receive the income he earned from the sale of the illegal devices.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the EPA-CID and IRS-CI for their coordination and investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Grand Chute Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 22, 2022, Adan Corona-Fuentes (age: 45), formerly of Grand Chute, Wisconsin, was sentenced to a 180-month term of imprisonment for production of child pornography. That term of imprisonment will be followed by an additional 60 months of supervised release.
The information presented at sentencing showed that Corona-Fuentes, an undocumented noncitizen, impersonated a juvenile male on a social media platform and convinced underage females from Texas, Indiana, Illinois, and elsewhere to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos. When Corona-Fuentes’ phone was searched by law enforcement, they located hidden camera footage of naked, underage children that Corona-Fuentes produced in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. In pronouncing sentence, Judge Griesbach emphasized that Corona-Fuentes’ conduct robbed children of their innocence.
This case was investigated by the Grand Chute Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer [email protected]
414-297-1700
Georgia man charged with fraud in seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief fundingRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Georgia man has been indicted on multiple charges alleging his involvement as the leader in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding.
Bernard Okojie, 40, of McDonough, Ga., is charged in a newly unsealed indictment with Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering Conspiracy, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry statutory penalties of up to 30 years in prison, along with up to $1 million in financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release after completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Congress provided funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act as a vital safety net for small businesses financially struggling during the global pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Sadly, the significant amount of available funding also attracted those who sought to tap into those funds from greed rather than need.”
As alleged in the indictment, Okojie is alleged to have used information for non-existent companies to file fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for himself and others from May 2020 through January of 2021, seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds for himself and others. Okojie is alleged to have either received the funding directly, or was paid by other recipients of the fraudulently obtained funding for his work in submitting the EIDL applications. Okojie is further charged with conspiring to launder the fraudulent proceeds.
Okojie has appeared in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia for his initial appearance hearing, but will be prosecuted in the Southern District of Georgia.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Porter and Patrick J. Schwedler.
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.
Fugitive Leader of Drug Trafficking Operation Sentenced to Thirty Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine into Southern IllinoisRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The ringleader of a Houston-based cocaine trafficking operation has been
sentenced in the Southern District of Illinois to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute
cocaine, bringing to a successful close an investigation and prosecution that spanned several
states and more than five years. On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Samuel Ruben Caraway, 46, was sentenced
to 360 months in prison and five years of supervised release for his role in a drug
trafficking conspiracy that resulted in the seizure of $1.2 million dollars in cash, $72,000 in
jewelry, and several kilos of cocaine.Caraway was captured in Texas in July 2021, after being a fugitive for more than three and a half
years.An indictment filed on January 4, 2018, charged that Caraway was the leader of a Houston-based
group responsible for distributing more than $4 million dollars’ worth of cocaine
throughout Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. Caraway and eight co-defendants were
named in the indictment. The United States also seized $1,212,934 in U.S. currency, along with
jewelry appraised at $72,000.All the other defendants previously pleaded guilty, and Caraway was the last member of the group to
be sentenced. Each of his co-defendants also received significant prison sentences – Victor
Johnson (188 months), Sammy Monroe (168 months), Rodney Smith (147 months), Dana Bell (87 months), Nahum Shibeshi (48 months), Astin Allison (151 months), Terrance Miles (121 months) and Jamie Green (262 months) – after it was determined that they were responsible for trafficking approximately 120 kilos of cocaine into Southern Illinois.This investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
(OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative brings federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and
resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug
trafficking organizations. The investigation was conducted by agents from the
Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorneys Steven D. Weinhoeft and David D. Dean.Fresno County Man Indicted for Attempted Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Isidro Zuriel Cruz-Vizcarra, 23, of Sanger, charging him with attempting to illegally traffic fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Cruz-Vizcarra mailed a parcel from a post office in Parlier to a residence in Iowa. The parcel was seized from the mail stream and searched. Inside, postal inspectors found about 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone M30 tablets. Similar to authentic oxycodone M30 tablets, these pills are small, round, and light blue or green in color with “M” stamped on one side and “30” on the other. Instead of oxycodone, however, they contain fentanyl, a potent opioid that can be deadly in small doses.
The case was the result of an investigation by FORT, (a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Laurel J. Montoya are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Cruz-Vizcarra faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Four Subjects Arrested in Rocky Mount for Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced preliminary results from the Rocky Mount Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP), implemented last month, in collaboration with the Rocky Mount Police Department, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Prosecutors from the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are also engaged in the effort.
“We made a commitment to get illegal guns off the streets in Rocky Mount to stop the wave of gun violence terrorizing the community,” said Easley. “In just a few short weeks, we have identified and arrested four individuals with illegal guns in the Rocky Mount area, and our work will continue. I am proud of the collaborative work of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, in conjunction with the community to investigate and bring those perpetrating violence to swift justice.”
To date, federal charges have been brought against four individuals. If convicted, defendants each face up to ten years in federal prison.
According to court documents, the following individuals were arrested on federal charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon:
- Jaquan Raqueze Harris, 27
- Donnell Hikeen Ricks, 31
- Montriel Lee Wilder, 37
- Jaumarous Eugene Moore, 34
VCAP is a three-pronged approach drawing on close partnerships among federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as the community, to combat violence.
- Focused and strategic enforcement bringing state and federal prosecutors together to prioritize the review of gun crime cases and identify and prosecute the most significantly violent repeat offenders and criminal organizations as well as identifying and stopping the sources of guns.
- Inter-Agency coordination and intelligence-led policing to analyze crime data to deploy resources where they are most needed and leveraging federal Task Force officers to bring federal technology to address local gun violence.
- Community engagement including youth education, offender re-entry programs and sustained dialogue with the communities most affected by the violence.
"The Rocky Mount Police Department will continue our efforts to strategically target and arrest individuals committing violent crimes in our city. We value the relationship with our Federal, State, and Local partners as we place more resources on strengthening criminal investigations and prosecutions," stated Chief Robert Hassell.
“The threat of illegal guns on our streets is serious and real,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “But the commitment from our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to hold those responsible for the violent crime in the community is strong and our efforts are seeing results. ATF is proud to be a part of this multi-faceted strategy to protect public safety.”
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Rocky Mount Police Department are investigating the cases and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh is prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
A(n) indictment/criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Four People Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Health Care Fraud Scheme to Defraud AmtrakRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three men and one woman were arrested today for participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak by bribing Amtrak employees to allow people to submit fraudulent claims to the Amtrak health insurance plan, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Muhammad Mirza, 50, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey; Devon Burt, 49, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania; and Hallum Gelzer, 43, of East Orange, New Jersey, were charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in Newark federal court. Punson Figueroa, aka “Susie Figueroa,” 55, of Long Island City, New York, was charged in the same complaint with 15 counts of health care fraud. The defendants appeared by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III and were released on $200,000 unsecured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2019 to the present, Mirza, Figueroa, Gelzer, Burt, and others recruited Amtrak employees – primarily from New Jersey and New York – to participate in the scheme through the offer of cash payments, in exchange for the employees agreeing to allow Mirza, Figueroa, and others to use their patient and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims. Mirza, Figueroa, and others benefitted from this scheme by receiving payments from the Amtrak health care plan for services that were never provided or that were medically unnecessary. Gelzer, Burt, and others benefitted from this scheme by receiving cash payments from providers in return for allowing those providers to use their personal and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims and in return for recruiting others to participate in the scheme.
On June 17, 2021, an undercover law enforcement agent posing as an Amtrak employee met with Figueroa at Figueroa’s office in New York. Figueroa instructed the undercover agent to sign his name about 30 times for services received and instructed the undercover agent not to date the signatures. Figueroa stated to the undercover agent that the undercover agent had good insurance, and that Amtrak has very good benefits. Figueroa submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to Amtrak’s health care plan indicating that the undercover agent had visited providers at least seven times in May 2021, purportedly receiving acupuncture and physical therapy services.
The undercover agent visited Figueroa’s office on only one other occasion, on July 29, 2021. At this meeting, which was recorded on audio and video, Figueroa handed the undercover agent an envelope filled with $1,000. Figueroa continued to use the undercover agent’s personal and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims to the Amtrak health care plan, for a total of 73 claims. As a result of these fraudulent claims, the Amtrak health care plan paid $31,840.
In total, the Amtrak health care plan has paid at least approximately $9 million as a result of claims associated with providers connected to the health care fraud scheme.
The conspiracy and health care fraud charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Greenberg; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, Philadelphia Division; and the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Samuel Dotson, with the investigation, leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark and Daniel V. Shapiro, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background FormsRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Fred Sheppard (619) 546-8237 and John Parmley (619) 546-7957
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 23, 2022
SAN DIEGO – A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he acted illegally as an agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers. He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.
Shapour Moinian of San Diego served in the Army in the United States, Germany, and South Korea from approximately 1977 through 2000. After his service, Moinian worked for various cleared defense contractors in the United States – including in San Diego - as well as the Department of Defense. “Cleared” is a term that indicates a contractor is permitted to work on projects that involve classified information.
According to his plea agreement, while Moinian was working for a cleared defense contractor, or CDC, on various aviation projects used by the military and U.S. intelligence agencies, he was contacted by an individual in China who claimed to be working for a technical recruiting company. This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.
In March of 2017, Moinian travelled to Hong Kong where he met with this purported recruiter and agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States in exchange for money. Moinian accepted approximately $7,000-$10,000 in United States currency during that meeting. According to his plea agreement, at this meeting and at all subsequent meetings, Moinian knew that these individuals were employed or directed by the government of the People’s Republic of China.
Upon returning to the United States, Moinian began gathering aviation-related materials, which included transferring material from a CDC to a thumb drive. In September 2017, the defendant traveled overseas and, during a stopover at the Shanghai airport, met with Chinese government officials and provided aviation-related materials on a thumb drive, including proprietary information from a CDC. Thereafter, Moinian arranged to be paid for this information through the South Korean bank account of his stepdaughter. Moinian told his stepdaughter that these funds were payment for his consulting work overseas and instructed her to transfer the funds to him in multiple transactions.
Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and aid in the electronic transfer of materials and information.
At the end of March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met with these same individuals again. Later that year, he began working at another CDC. During this timeframe, the same individuals in China transferred thousands of dollars into the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who subsequently wired the funds to Moinian in multiple transactions.
In August 2019, Moinian traveled again to Hong Kong and met with these same individuals where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this cash back into the United States.
According to his plea agreement, Moinian also admitted that he lied on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that did not have any close or continuing contacts with foreign nationals and that no foreign national had offered him a job.
“This defendant took the aviation materials of his American employers and sold them to China,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This conduct was an outrageous breach of trust by a former member of the U.S. military. The United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who works at the direction of foreign governments to steal American technology and intellectual property.”
“Moinian was a paid agent of the Chinese government who sold American aviation-related technology,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice has no tolerance for those who help foreign governments break the law to undermine American competitiveness and innovation.”
“The People’s Republic of China remains determined to acquire our information and technology. In this case, we witnessed a former U.S. Government employee acting as an agent of the Government of China and Chinese intelligence officers’ extensive use of social media to identify willing targets,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s of the Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI is committed not only to leveraging risk and consequences upon the defendant, but also to confronting the behavior and policies of the Chinese government that threaten our national security and freedom.”
“The defendant admitted to being an unregistered agent of a foreign power, lying on his background check paperwork to obtain his security clearance, knowingly providing proprietary information to people controlled by the Chinese government, and willingly receiving payments from them. This is another example of how the Chinese government enhances its defense capabilities through the illicit exploitation of U.S. technology,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “When someone holds a security clearance, they know what information should be reported to security officials. In this case, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath, knew his actions were wrong, and subsequently lied about it. The FBI and our partners on the Counterintelligence Task Force will pursue anyone who abuses their placement and access to obtain proprietary information on behalf of a foreign government. I specifically want to thank the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their continued partnership on this case.”
“Mr. Moinian sold information to the Chinese government, and lied repeatedly to cover up his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Michelle Kramer of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. “Now he is being held to account for his actions. NCIS and our partners remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting the U.S. military and rooting out criminality that threatens the superiority of the U.S. warfighter.”
Sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2022, at 11 a.m.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21CR02927-JM
Shapour Moinian Age: 67 San Diego
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 951 (Acting as an Agent of a Foreign Government)
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 per count fine
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 (Materially False, Fictitious, or Fraudulent Statement or Representation)
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 per count fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background FormsRead the Press Release
A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he acted as an unregistered agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers. He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.
Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, served in the Army in the United States, Germany, and South Korea from approximately 1977 through 2000. After his service, Moinian worked for various cleared defense contractors in the United States – including in San Diego – as well as the Department of Defense. “Cleared” is a term that indicates a contractor is permitted to work on projects that involve classified information.
According to his plea agreement, while Moinian was working for a cleared defense contractor, or CDC, on various aviation projects used by the U.S. military and U.S. intelligence agencies, he was contacted by an individual in China who claimed to be working for a technical recruiting company. This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.
“Moinian was a paid agent of the Chinese government who sold American aviation-related technology,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice has no tolerance for those who help foreign governments break the law to undermine American competitiveness and innovation.”
“This defendant took the aviation materials of his American employers and sold them to China,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “This conduct was an outrageous breach of trust by a former member of the U.S. military. The United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who works at the direction of foreign governments to steal American technology and intellectual property.”
“The People’s Republic of China remains determined to acquire our information and technology. In this case, we witnessed a former U.S. Government employee acting as an agent of the government of China and Chinese intelligence officers’ extensive use of social media to identify willing targets,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s of the Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI is committed not only to leveraging risk and consequences upon the defendant, but also to confronting the behavior and policies of the Chinese government that threaten our national security and freedom.”
“The defendant admitted to being an unregistered agent of a foreign power, lying on his background check paperwork to obtain his security clearance, knowingly providing proprietary information to people controlled by the Chinese government, and willingly receiving payments from them. This is another example of how the Chinese government enhances its defense capabilities through the illicit exploitation of U.S. technology,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “When someone holds a security clearance, they know what information should be reported to security officials. In this case, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath, knew his actions were wrong, and subsequently lied about it. The FBI and our partners on the Counterintelligence Task Force will pursue anyone who abuses their placement and access to obtain proprietary information on behalf of a foreign government. I specifically want to thank the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for their continued partnership on this case.”
“Mr. Moinian sold information to the Chinese government, and lied repeatedly to cover up his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Michelle Kramer of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. “Now he is being held to account for his actions. NCIS and our partners remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting the U.S. military and rooting out criminality that threatens the superiority of the U.S. warfighter.”
In March of 2017, Moinian travelled to Hong Kong where he met with this purported recruiter and agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States in exchange for money. Moinian accepted approximately $7,000-$10,000 in United States currency during that meeting. According to his plea agreement, at this meeting and at all subsequent meetings, Moinian knew that these individuals were employed by or directed by the government of the People’s Republic of China.
Upon returning to the United States, Moinian began gathering aviation-related materials, which included transferring material from a CDC to a thumb drive. In September 2017, the defendant traveled overseas and, during a stopover at the Shanghai airport, met with Chinese government officials and provided aviation-related materials on a thumb drive, including proprietary information from a CDC. Thereafter, Moinian arranged for payment for this information through the South Korean bank account of his stepdaughter. Moinian told his stepdaughter that these funds were payment for his consulting work overseas and instructed her to transfer the funds to him in multiple transactions.
Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and aid in the electronic transfer of materials and information.
At the end of March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met with these same individuals again. Later that year, he began working at another CDC. During this timeframe, the same individuals in China transferred thousands of dollars into the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who subsequently wired the funds to Moinian in multiple transactions.
In August 2019, Moinian traveled again to Hong Kong and met with these same individuals where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this cash back into the United States.
According to his plea agreement, Moinian also admitted that he lied on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that did not have any close or continuing contacts with foreign nationals and that no foreign national had offered him a job.
At sentencing, Moinian faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fine up to $250,000 for acting as an agent of a foreign government, and up to five years and a $250,000 fine for the false statements count. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 29.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the NCIS and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
Former Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Teacher and NY Accomplice Plead Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Andrew Wolf, 42, of Philadelphia, PA, and Kray Strange, 20, of Carthage, NY, both pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney to multiple child exploitation offenses in connection with their scheme to manipulate and catfish children online, including Wolf’s own middle school students.
In February 2022, the defendants were indicted on charges of conspiracy to manufacture child pornography, along with several counts of manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography. These charges, to which they pleaded guilty today, stem from conduct which occurred over a period of one year. Between May 2020 and October 2021, Wolf and Strange developed and carried out an elaborate online child exploitation catfishing scheme, in which they impersonated minor girls to entice their child victims to self-produce and send them sexually explicit images. As part of their scheme, Wolf provided identifying information for his own middle school students to Strange so that Strange could target them online.
“Both of these defendants violated the privacy and innocence of children, but Andrew Wolf also violated the trust of the community in which he taught by victimizing his own students,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Our Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to doing the difficult work of investigating and prosecuting these crimes in order to hold child sexual predators accountable.”
“A teacher facilitating the sexual exploitation of his young students is the stuff of parents’ nightmares — and an instant priority for the FBI,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Andrew Wolf and Kray Strange now admit taking advantage of vulnerable boys for their own vile gratification. Our Crimes Against Children Task Force works around the clock to identify, investigate, and lock up predators like these two — and, sadly, there are many. We’d urge adults to remind the kids in their lives that not everyone is who they say they are online.”
Defendant Wolf faces a maximum possible sentence of 240 years in prison, and defendant Strange faces a maximum possible sentence of 210 years in prison. Both defendants face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Harrell.
Former Malden Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Possession and Distribution of Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Malden firefighter pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with conspiring to distribute controlled substances including oxycodone, suboxone, Klonopin and Adderall.
Joshua Eisnor, 43, of North Reading, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Oct. 11, 2022. Eisnor was charged on May 26, 2022.
While working as a firefighter at the Malden Fire Department, Eisnor distributed controlled substances to other members of the Malden Fire Department.
“As a firefighter, Mr. Eisnor was responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Malden’s residents. His conduct violated this duty by potentially compromising the security and operations of the fire department and putting residents at risk,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “My office has a zero-tolerance policy for public officials who abuse their positions of trust.”
“Former Malden firefighter Joshua Eisnor admitted today to dealing drugs—while on duty—to his fellow firefighters, putting them, and the community they serve in potential danger," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “His actions are an affront to the overwhelming majority of firefighters who go to work substance-free and alcohol-free every day and risk their lives to protect ours.”
“Prescription drugs offered illegally have no guarantees of safety or efficacy and hold the potential to harm those who use them,” Bradley E. Greenburg, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who put the health of the public at risk.”
“The VA Office of Inspector General is committed to investigating those who would abuse VA’s programs and services,” said Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their hard work leading to today’s guilty plea.”
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to a $500,000. Sentences in a criminal case are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta, FDA-CI Acting SAC Greenburg and VA-OIG SAC Algieri made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Merrimack Valley Transnational Organized Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugenia M. Carris, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit and Howard Locker, of Rollins’ Health Care Fraud Unit, are prosecuting the case.
Former Logan County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Wiretapping ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A former Logan County resident was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for prohibited interception of oral communications. Randall Dwight Holden II, 33, was also ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Holden admitted to secretly recording a video of a woman engaged in sexually explicit conduct in her Logan County home on November 25, 2017. The video was later uploaded to the internet without the victim’s knowledge. The video was one of several secretly recorded videos that Holden had created and posted online depicting the victim.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-6.
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Former Investment Adviser Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Investor Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MARTIN RUIZ, a former investment adviser, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick. RUIZ pled guilty on November 12, 2021, for his role in a scheme to defraud his investment advisery clients out of their retirement savings.
According to the allegations in the Complaint, the Information to which RUIZ pled guilty, and statements made during court proceedings:
From at least in or about March 2011 through in or about the present, RUIZ induced multiple individual investment advisery clients of Carter Bain Wealth Management (“CBWM”), many of whom are elderly, to retain RUIZ and CBWM to advise them on how they should invest their retirement savings. While ostensibly acting in his fiduciary capacity as their investment adviser, RUIZ instead induced more than a dozen such clients to invest more than $10 million in an investment fund called RAM Fund through the purchase of limited partnership interests. RUIZ did not disclose to those clients that RUIZ controlled RAM Fund and that he planned to misappropriate their funds.
In fact, rather than invest the funds in legitimate investment projects and real estate, as he falsely represented to clients, RUIZ misappropriated more than $8 million of client funds from the RAM Fund, transferred those funds through a series of entities RUIZ also controlled, and spent the vast majority of the funds on personal expenses, including the purchase of a home, rent payments on several apartments, and the payment of his personal credit card bills. In so doing, he violated his fiduciary duty to act in his clients’ best interest and avoid self-dealing. RUIZ also made multiple false statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about his companies and investments in order to hide his fraudulent scheme.
* * *
In addition to his prison sentence, RUIZ, 46, of New York, New York and Santa Fe, New Mexico, was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $10,925,770.09.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Williams further thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance and cooperation in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiersten A. Fletcher is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Fort Stewart Soldier Sentenced to Prison for Producing Child Sexual Assault MaterialRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A former soldier who admitted to producing child sexual assault material involving a 13-year-old victim was sentenced to prison for his crime.
Aaron D. Sutherland, 28, formerly of Fort Stewart, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release and $250,000 restitution by U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on June 22 after he previously pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. In addition, Sutherland will have to register as a sex offender for life upon his release from federal prison. There is no parole.
“Producing sexual assault material of children is an intolerable crime that will not go unpunished,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement at every level will pursue justice when adults sexually entice, abuse or harm a minor.”
“Cases like this underscore the need to be careful when our kids use the internet or social media; Sutherland used the internet to assist him in exploiting an innocent child. Thankfully, he was caught and will no longer be able to hurt children,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Protecting our most vulnerable populations from exploitation is one of HSI’s most important missions and we are fortunate to have great working relationships with our law enforcement partners that provide invaluable assistance.”
“This case is another example of the fruitful results that occur when we combine the resources of local, state and federal law enforcement partners to get predators off the street,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.
According to court documents, Sutherland admitted he began communicating with a 13-year-old female while he was on active duty for the U.S. Army at Fort Stewart in Feb. 2021. Sutherland enticed the victim to send multiple nude images and videos of a sexual nature and asked to meet the child to engage in sexual activity. The minor victim’s mother discovered her child messaging an adult male in April 2021 after she observed her child acting strangely and confiscated her phone. In the messages, Sutherland stated the victim’s age. The mother reported the crime to authorities, and Sutherland was arrested on May 3, 2021. Sutherland provided law enforcement with his secret image vault where he saved all of the pictures and videos of the child.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Semales prosecuted the case.
Former Financial Advisor Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Close to $6 Million Dollars from Clients and Spending it on Extramarital AffairsRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Yesterday, a federal district judge in Miami sentenced German Nino, a former UBS Financial Advisor, to 78 months in federal prison for stealing millions of dollars from client accounts that he managed.
According to court documents, Nino, a resident of Broward County, was a financial advisor working at a branch office of UBS Financial Services Inc. in Miami. Nino oversaw and managed UBS investment accounts for various customers. From about 2014 to 2020, Nino made 62 unauthorized transfers (totaling close to $6 million) from UBS accounts belonging to three clients. To accomplish the fraud, Nino concealed important facts from the victims, lied to them, and committed other fraudulent acts. For example, Nino misrepresenting the true performance, balance, and rate of return of the accounts he managed. He also forged the signature of his clients on documents purporting to authorize transfers out of the accounts, prepared a fraudulent land purchase contract on which he forged a victim’s signature, removed one of the victim’s e-mail addresses from the UBS client account profile so that the victim would not receive email notifications about unauthorized transfers, and prepared fraudulent UBS account statements that falsely inflated the balance and value of the victims’ accounts.
As set out in court records, Nino spent most of the money he stole from the accounts on funding his own extramarital affairs. Nino agreed to forfeit his interest in a home in Ave Marie, Florida as part of his sentence.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Miami Field Office announced the sentence that U.S. Senior District Judge Donald L. Graham imposed.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deric Zacca prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20020.
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Former El Paso Police Officer Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
EL PASO – A former El Paso police officer was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to maintain a drug-involved premise.
According to court documents, Monica Garcia, 24, conspired with Fred Saenz, her stepfather and co-defendant, to use Saenz’s residence to distribute cocaine. Agents determined that Saenz was using his residence and a separate stash location to store and distribute cocaine. Garcia used her position as an El Paso police officer to provide information that helped Saenz avoid detection by law enforcement while he distributed cocaine. Her activities included conducting counter-surveillance and running license plate registrations to identify undercover police vehicles near the residence and stash house.
On November 10, 2020, agents seized $14,405 from Saenz’s residence and 1.2 kilograms of cocaine from a stash house he used. During the investigation undercover agents bought quantities of cocaine from Saenz at his residence.
On July 26, 2021, Fred Saenz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine. On November 1, 2021, Saenz was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $14,405 derived from the drug conspiracy.
On August 9, 2021, Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to maintain a drug-involved premise.
“Thanks to the collaboration between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the El Paso Police Department we were able to see that justice was done in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “This sentence is a message that corruption, at any level, will not be tolerated.”
“Drug traffickers will stop at nothing, including trying to infiltrate law enforcement. But we can't let them,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Greg Millard, El Paso Division. “DEA and its local, state, and federal partners will remain diligent in finding and prosecuting anyone who supports, funds, or aids the cartels.”
“An officer that chooses to violate their oath has no place in law enforcement and this case serves as an example that the El Paso Police Department does not condone and will not tolerate such conduct by any officer of this department,” said El Paso Chief of Police Greg Allen. “I would like to thank the DEA and Special Agent in Charge at the time, Kyle Williamson, for taking the lead in investigating the case. I would also like to thank and commend the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas for the successful prosecution and subsequent sentencing.”
The DEA and the El Paso Police Department’s Narcotics Unit and Special Investigations Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Williams and Steven Spitzer prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Former Attica EMT Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting a 16-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Brett Cearing, 30, of Attica, Indiana, was sentenced late yesterday to fifteen years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a 16-year-old minor and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Cearing was living with his girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter in Attica. Beginning on May 4, 2020, and continuing until August 11, 2020, Cearing sexually exploited a 16-year-old child who was visiting his girlfriend’s daughter at Cearing’s residence. Cearing surreptitiously recorded the victim using a hidden camera disguised as a cell phone charger in a bathroom. The camera captured the child as she showered, used the restroom, and undressed. Cearing edited the videos and images to focus on the child’s genitalia and admitted in court that he recorded the child because he had a sexual interest in her. He hid the images and videos he produced of the minor child in a “Hyper Tornado Secret Calculator” application that featured a way to hide images and videos from view unless the user entered a certain key sequence on the calculator. Cearing also attempted to record his girlfriend’s 14-year-old daughter as she showered.
After Cearing was initially charged in August 2020 with child exploitation and voyeurism by the Fountain County Prosecutor’s Office, he posted bond and was released on pretrial supervision. On January 17, 2021, during his pretrial release, Cearing was arrested and charged with public indecency after he allegedly exposed himself and masturbated to a young woman in the Love’s parking lot in Knightstown, Indiana. Cearing was then charged with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography by federal complaint in the Southern District of Indiana and ordered detained by a federal magistrate judge.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Violent Crime Task Force investigated the case. The Fountain County Sheriff’s Department also provided valuable assistance. As part of Cearing’s sentence, Judge Barker ordered that he be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 7 years following his release from prison and pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim. Cearing must also register as sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school, as required by law.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston who prosecuted this case.
In fiscal year 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, the Southern District of Indiana was second out of the 94 federal districts in the country for the number of child sexual exploitation cases prosecuted.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc
Former Armed Forces of Liberia Commanding General Charged with Immigration Fraud and PerjuryRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging Moses Slanger Wright, 69, of Philadelphia, PA, with fraudulently attempting to obtain citizenship, fraud in immigration documents, false statements in relation to naturalization, and perjury in connection with his fraudulent attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship.
During Liberia’s First Civil War, the Armed Forces of Liberia was locked in a brutal campaign for control of the country with various rebel groups, most notably Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia. The Indictment alleges that the defendant, when applying for U.S. citizenship, was not truthful about his activities during Liberia’s First Civil War while he was a member, and ultimately the commanding general of, the Armed Forces of Liberia. According to the Indictment, Wright either personally committed, or ordered Armed Forces of Liberia troops under his command to commit numerous atrocities, including but not limited to, the following list of acts: 1) persecution of civilian noncombatant Gio and Mano tribesmen; 2) murder of civilian noncombatants; 3) assault of civilian noncombatants; 4) false arrest of civilian noncombatants; and 5) false imprisonment of civilian noncombatants.
In May 2013, Wright, who had been granted asylum in the U.S. in 2000 and lawful permanent residency in 2008, applied for U.S. citizenship. In applying for both asylum and lawful permanent residency, the defendant lied about his conduct during Liberia’s First Civil War. During his August 2016, in-person citizenship (naturalization) interview, Wright falsely swore and falsely certified under penalty of perjury that “[his citizenship] application, and the evidence submitted with it, [were] all true and correct.” His application included his false denials that he had: 1) “ever persecuted (either directly or indirectly) any person because of race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion;” 2) “ever committed a crime or offense for which [he was] not arrested;” and 3) “ever given false or misleading information to any U.S. Government official while applying for any immigration benefit or to prevent deportation, exclusion, or removal.” Additionally, while under oath, the defendant falsely answered similar queries posed by the examining USCIS officer.
“Wright sought to escape to the United States and start anew, where he lied about his appalling wartime conduct on federal immigration forms and to the faces of U.S. officials. The United States will not be a safe haven for human rights violators and war criminals,” said United States Attorney Romero.
“HSI is committed to upholding the law, both within the United States and abroad. Moses Wright, the former commanding general for the Armed Forces of Liberia, is alleged to have misrepresented his participation in the First Liberian Civil War when he came to the United States, hiding his leadership of forces that committed -- with his participation and under his command -- persecutory atrocities against innocent civilians,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia. “HSI continues steadfastly in our commitment to ensure the United States will never be a safe haven for those who seek to flee from atrocities they commit abroad.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 165 years in prison and a $7,000,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia Field Office with assistance from HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center in Washington D.C., the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and the United States Embassy in Liberia, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linwood C. Wright, Jr. and First Assistant United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Adelanto Mayor Pro Tem Found Guilty of Accepting $10,000 Cash Bribe and Attempted Arson of His Own RestaurantRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – The former mayor pro tem of Adelanto has been found guilty by a jury of federal criminal charges for accepting a $10,000 cash bribe and hiring a man to burn down his restaurant so he could fraudulently collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance proceeds, the Justice Department announced today.
Jermaine Wright, 46, of Riverside, was found guilty late Wednesday afternoon of one count of bribery of programs receiving federal funds and one count of attempted arson of a building affecting interstate commerce. Wright was remanded into federal custody following the verdict’s announcement.
United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal scheduled a September 12 sentencing hearing, at which time Wright will face a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison for the attempted arson offense and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for both crimes.
According to the evidence presented at his six-day trial, in early 2017, federal investigators began a probe into possible corruption in the Adelanto, a city located in San Bernardino County. During the investigation, law enforcement used an informant who introduced Wright to two undercover FBI agents and recorded a series of conversations in which Wright discussed both plots.
In the first scheme, Wright – then an Adelanto city councilman as well as the city’s mayor pro tem – accepted a $10,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent who told Wright he wanted his assistance in securing votes to expand the marijuana business zone, and for protection from code enforcement related to a supposed marijuana transportation business.
The man who purportedly wanted to relocate his marijuana business to Adelanto was an undercover FBI agent who told Wright that he was interested in using a property outside of the zone designated by the city for marijuana businesses. The agent specifically wanted Wright’s assistance in expanding the area where a marijuana transportation business would be permitted.
Ultimately, the informant told Wright that the undercover agent would rent a property from the informant which was outside of the approved marijuana business zone. Wright told the informant that the undercover agent would need an “exemption” that would allow the undercover operative to operate a marijuana transportation business, and that if the undercover agent wanted the exemption, then Wright wanted his “ten.”
At a meeting with the undercover agent and the informant, which took place in October 2017, Wright took a $10,000 bribe from the undercover agent. After taking the bribe, Wright confirmed that he would assist with code enforcement and votes. Wright also said he could curtail code enforcement activities against the marijuana transportation business, but it would require a “stack” – which Wright identified as $2,000 – each time Wright interceded.
In the second scheme, in August 2017, Wright sought the informant’s assistance in finding someone to burn down Fat Boyz Grill, his restaurant in Adelanto. In late September, Wright asked the informant to pass his cell phone number to the “electrician” – so named because Wright wanted the cause of the fire to appear to be an electrical problem.
Wright met the “electrician” – actually the second undercover FBI agent – on October 3, 2017 and said he wanted the fire on the following Saturday when the sprinkler system would be turned off. After Wright assured the undercover agent that his insurance policy covers everything, the “electrician” agreed to do the job for $1,500. At a meeting three days later, Wright paid the $1,500 after the undercover agent told Wright he needed more time to prepare for the job.
Wright also gave the agent a tour of the restaurant and assisted in the planning of the arson by providing a ladder for the undercover agent and discussing various tactics to ensure the planned arson would be a success.
In October 2017, the FBI executed a search warrant at Fat Boyz Grill and interviewed Wright, who confessed to hiring the undercover agent to burn down the restaurant. The next day, the informant reported to the FBI that Wright had told the informant that the FBI had approached Wright, and that Wright requested the informant’s assistance in making the undercover agent “go away.”
Wright also attempted to hatch a plot with the informant to stage an assault on Wright himself to make the FBI drop the case against him. In November 2017, Wright reported that he had been assaulted. The circumstances of the alleged assault were consistent with the staged assault that Wright discussed with the informant.
The FBI investigated the matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Sean D. Peterson of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
Fire/Rescue Call Leads to Sioux City Man Being Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Handgun as a FelonRead the Press Release
A man who was secretly armed with a loaded gun while arguing with another and falling into a window was sentenced June 22, 2022, to more than a year in federal prison.
James King, age 44, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence in this case revealed on August 1, 2020, King was secretly armed with a loaded handgun while arguing with another. When King fell into a window and injured himself, Sioux City, Iowa Fire/Rescue responded, found King to have a severe cut to his right arm, and to be in possession of the firearm. King had been disarmed by law enforcement in 2018 as well.
King has a lengthy, but dated, criminal history including misdemeanor conviction for aggravated assault and two serious drug offenses.
King was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. King was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
King is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the Sioux City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-4050.
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Fentanyl Dealer Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Eddie Wilson, 24, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. McGrath, who is handling the case, stated that during the summer of 2021, Homeland Security Investigations and the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team began investigating Wilson’s drug trafficking activities after learning that he sold fentanyl to an individual, who then overdosed on the drugs. In October 2021 investigators executed a search warrant at Wilson’s Wolfert Terrace residence in Rochester, which resulted in the seizure of fentanyl and cocaine packaged for street sale, a loaded firearm, drug packaging paraphernalia and U.S. currency.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Interim Chief David Smith, the Brighton Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Catholdi and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 12, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Larimer.
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Federal Prison Inmate Charged with Attempting to Obtain ContrabandRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – An inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (“FCI”) in Sandstone has been indicted for attempting to obtain contraband in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on two separate dates in February and March 2022, Nickolas William Mihelic, 39, an inmate at FCI Sandstone, unlawfully attempted to obtain methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Mihelic is charged with two counts of attempting to obtain contraband in prison. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Mihelic will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of Prisons and the FBI.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Inmate and Texas Woman Indicted for Attempt to Smuggle Drugs into Prison by Labeling Packages as “Legal Mail”Read the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Anthony Minor, 34, an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, and Tilisha Morrison, 33, of Irving, Texas, charging them with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to provide contraband in a prison, and conspiracy to commit identity fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Morrison is also charged with three counts of distribution of a controlled substance, three counts of providing contraband in a prison, and three counts of identity fraud.
According to court documents, Minor and Morrison worked together to smuggle narcotics into USP Atwater—the facility where Minor is currently serving a federal prison sentence. At Minor’s direction, Morrison mailed packages containing concealed narcotics to various USP Atwater inmates three times between October 2021 and January 2022. Morrison marked each of the packages as “legal mail” from actual criminal defense attorneys in Dallas. In each package, Morrison included a piece of forged letterhead purportedly from the attorney listed as the sender.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Massey is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Banco Popular Employee Sentenced to 12 Months for Fraudulent Use of ATM CardsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Natasha Seetaram, 39, of St. Thomas, was sentenced by Chief District Judge Robert Molloy to 12 months and one day of incarceration, followed by four years of supervised release for bank fraud.
According to court records, Seetaram formerly worked at a St. Thomas branch of Banco Popular where she used her position as a bank employee to issue debit cards in the names of two unknowing bank customers. After issuing the ATM debit cards, Seetaram used the cards for her own personal benefit by making fraudulent ATM withdrawals and purchases in the amount of approximately $43,000.00 in St. Thomas and Jacksonville, FL. The two victims were subsequently reimbursed by the bank and Seetaram was ordered by the court to pay restitution to the bank in the amount of $43,418.76.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
Erie County Man with 2008 Conviction for Receiving Child Sex Abuse Materials Indicted Again on Similar ChargesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Troy Eugene Anderson, 41, 10960 Backus Road, Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment presented to the court, in and around February 2021, Anderson received images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, from in and around June 2018 to in and around February 2021, Anderson possessed and accessed with intent to view visual images and videos in individual computer files depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Anderson has a prior federal conviction for receipt of child sexual abuse material for which he was sentenced to 71 months in jail and 5 years of supervised release in August 2008.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un reclutador de informática que resuelve unas acusaciones de discriminación relacionada con la inmigraciónRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado un acuerdo conciliatorio con Technology Hub Inc., una compañía de contratación y reclutamiento en el ámbito de la informática con sede en Virginia. El acuerdo resuelve las acusaciones de que Technology Hub había discriminado tanto a ciudadanos de los EE. UU. como a no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. que contaban con permiso para trabajar en los Estados Unidos, con base en su estatus migratorio o ciudadanía durante su proceso de reclutamiento.
«Ni empleadores ni agencias de contratación pueden excluir a solicitantes de trabajo al promocionar o implementar preferencias ilícitas basadas en la ciudadanía o el estatus migratorio de uno», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «La División de Derechos Civiles está comprometida a hacer cumplir la ley para garantizar que los que están buscando un trabajo queden protegidos de la discriminación ilícita».
Con base en su investigación, el Departamento concluyó que en al menos cuatro ocasiones, Technology Hub buscó e investigó a solicitantes con base en la preferencia de la compañía y sus clientes por trabajadores con cierto estatus migratorio o ciudadanía. Las prácticas de la compañía perjudicaron a trabajadores que no acataban esas preferencias al disuadirles de solicitar un trabajo. Por ejemplo, la investigación reveló que en al menos tres ocasiones, Technology Hub excluyó a asilados, refugiados y nacionales de los EE. UU. al promocionar vacantes solamente para ciudadanos y residentes permanentes legales de los EE. UU. Más aún, el Departamento concluyó que en al menos una ocasión, Technology Hub discriminó a trabajadores en este país al promocionar un puesto que buscaba solamente a trabajadores con visas H-1B.
La disposición antidiscriminatoria de la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés) protege a ciudadanos estadounidenses, nacionales no ciudadanos de los EE. UU., refugiados, asilados y residentes permanentes legales recientes de la discriminación en el empleo por motivos de su estatus migratorio o de ciudadanía. Por lo general, la INA prohíbe que los empleadores y reclutadores restrinjan puestos de trabajo con base en la ciudadanía o el estatus migratorio a menos que así lo requiera una ley, un reglamento, una orden ejecutiva o un contrato gubernamental. Conforme la INA, los empleadores y otras entes que reclutan o recomiendan por comisión a trabajadores solo pueden restringir puestos con base en la ciudadanía o el estatus migratorio si así lo requiera una ley, un reglamento, una orden ejecutiva o un contrato gubernamental. Los empleadores y sus reclutadores están vulnerando la INA si implementan las preferencias discriminatorias ilegales de un cliente.
Conforme los términos del acuerdo conciliatorio, Technology Hub pagará una sanción civil que asciende a $12,000 a los Estados Unidos; revisará sus políticas y procedimientos; capacitará a los empleados y agentes relevantes acerca de la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA y se someterá a la supervisión durante un período de tres años con el fin de garantizar su cumplimiento.
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. Entre otras cosas, la ley prohíbe la discriminación con base en el estatus migratorio o de ciudadanía o bien por la nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión; prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación. 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.
Para aprender más sobre la labor de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda, vea este vídeo corto. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su estatus de 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; 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 la página web de la IER en inglés o español. Para recibir las últimas noticias de la IER, inscríbase a GovDelivery.
Visualice este comunicado de prensa en inglés.
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un reclutador de informática radicado en California que resuelve una acusación de discriminación relacionada con la contrataciónRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha firmado un acuerdo conciliatorio con SpringShine Consulting, Inc., una compañía de contratación en el ámbito de la informática con sede en California. El acuerdo resuelve acusaciones de que SpringShine había discriminado a trabajadores en este país debido a su estatus de ciudadanía al pedir solicitudes para oportunidades de empleo únicamente a personas que buscaban patrocinio de una visa laboral temporal.
«Se debe hacer rendir cuentas a aquellos empleadores que, en contra de la ley, desalienten a solicitantes por motivos de su estatus migratorio o de ciudadanía o que reserven ciertas oportunidades laborales únicamente para solicitantes que requieren ser patrocinados para poder trabajar en los Estados Unidos», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «La División de Derechos Civiles garantizará que los trabajadores queden protegidos de tal discriminación ilegal».
El Departamento inició una investigación después de que un individuo se quejó de un anuncio que SpringShine había colgado en su sitio web de reclutamiento que pedía la entrega de solicitudes únicamente de consultores informáticos experimentados que requerían ser patrocinados para poder recibir una visa laboral temporal basada en el empleo. El anuncio estaba dirigido exclusivamente a trabajadores que buscaban el patrocinio de la compañía de visas H-1B, sin ninguna indicación que trabajadores de otro estatus de ciudadanía, tales como ciudadanos de los EE. UU, nacionales de los EE. UU., residentes permanentes legales, asilados o refugiados también serían considerados para oportunidades de empleo. SpringShine mantenía que el anuncio no estaba asociado con una oferta de empleo sino que era una herramienta de reclutamiento cuya meta era reunir un conjunto de consultores cualificados para satisfacer las necesidades laborales de sus clientes previstas para el futuro. No obstante, con base en su investigación, el Departamento concluyó que (1) la compañía se ofreció para patrocinar a uno de los solicitantes que había respondido al anuncio, (2) el anuncio reflejaba una preferencia por parte de SpringShine por satisfacer sus necesidades de contratación con trabajadores con visas H-1B y (3) el anuncio perjudicaba a trabajadores en este país al desalentar a muchos de ellos, de maner ilícita, de entregar una solicitud. En virtud de la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés), a los empleadores, por lo general, no se les permite discriminar en los procesos de reclutamiento o contratación con base en el estatus de ciudadanía.
Conforme los términos del acuerdo conciliatorio, SpringShine pagará una sanción civil a los Estados Unidos que asciende a $17,000 y asegurará que sus anuncios de empleo y prácticas de contratación no incluyan o implementen preferencias ilícitas por candidatos con cierto estatus migratorio o ciudadanía. Además, SpringShine capacitará a sus empleados que formen parte del proceso de reclutamiento y contratación en cuanto a 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 migratorio o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión; , prácticas documentales injustas o represalias e intimidación.
Para aprender más sobre la labor de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda, vea este vídeo corto. Aprenda más sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía en el sitio web de la IER. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su estatus de 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.
Dubuque Felon Sent Back to Federal Prison for Domestic AbuseRead the Press Release
A Dubuque man who displayed a baseball bat during an argument with his girlfriend was sentenced on June 21, 2022, to 18 months in federal prison. John Michael Gronen, age 24, received the prison term after he admitted that he repeatedly violated the terms of his supervised release from federal prison, including by committing new law violations of domestic abuse. At the time of the domestic abuse incident, Gronen was serving a three-year term of supervised release that followed his release from federal prison in 2020. Gronen had pled guilty in 2017 to making a false declaration before a grand jury and received a 27-month prison sentence. He started his three-year supervised release term in late 2020.
Evidence presented at the supervised release hearing showed that, on June 1, 2022, Dubuque Police Department officers responded to a phone call from Gronen’s girlfriend. During the call, Gronen’s girlfriend repeatedly pleaded with him to put down a baseball bat that he was holding.
After the officers arrested Gronen, he made a number of calls from local jails asking two other persons to relay messages to the victim and also to encourage the victim to change her story about the bat. During the supervised release hearing, however, Gronen admitted he displayed the bat during the argument.
Gronen was drinking hard liquor at the time of the domestic incident, which was a violation of the terms of his supervised release. He broke a window during the argument and knocked over a chair in which the victim was sitting. Previously, Gronen was also arrested for other alcohol-related offenses while on supervised release, including drunk driving and public intoxication.
Gronen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. During the revocation hearing, the judge referred to Gronen as an “extreme danger to the community.” Gronen was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tim Vavricek with the assistance of the Dubuque Police Department. At the revocation hearing, Judge Reade commended the Dubuque Police Department’s procedures for investigating domestic violence cases.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-31-LRR.
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Dover Man Sentenced for Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that Bruce M. Jarvela, III, 25, of Dover, was sentenced on June 21, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews pronounced the sentence.
Jarvela pled guilty to one count of Enticement of a Minor to Produce Child Pornography on October 18, 2021.
According to publicly filed documents and statements made in open court, Jarvela used social media to lie about his identity and offer money in exchange for pornography—though he never paid. Jarvela got pornography from dozens of adult women. He also got pornography from three known minor females—two of whom were younger than 15. He enticed these minors into creating videos of themselves performing humiliating sexual conduct. When one of these minors decided she had had enough, Jarvela contacted her via text message, threatened her, and tried to coerce her into making more pornography.
Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Use of technology and social media is ubiquitous among today’s young people. While much good can come from such interconnection, dangerous predators exploit this environment. We are committed to prosecuting unscrupulous adults who victimize children to obtain child pornography. I urge parents and children alike to be wary of sharing information with on-line strangers to avoid falling prey to individuals like the defendant.”
“Jarvela used social media to exploit and extort young people, even going so far as to threaten those who refused him. With this sentence, Jarvela is off the streets, no longer able to prey on others. HSI is committed to uncovering online predators and, with our partners, we’re working tirelessly to make the internet a safer place for children,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Delaware Child Predator Task Force, and the Caroline County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham L. Robinson of the District of Delaware.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Defendants Sentenced for Producing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that two defendants who were involved in the production and distribution of child pornography, have each been sentenced by United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays.
Dustin Patrick Wyble, 37, of Sunset, Louisiana, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison. Katie-Sue Fory Walz, 33, also of Sunset, was sentenced to 96 months (8 years) in prison. Both Wyble and Walz were each ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,000. Following their release from prison, they will serve 15 years of supervised release. In addition, mandatory sex offender registration was ordered for both defendants.
According to evidence presented to the court, Wyble began communicating through the internet chat application, KIK, with an undercover agent in February 2020. During these chats, Wyble provided images of a prepubescent child exposing their private parts in the image. Through their investigative efforts, law enforcement agents were able to determine where Wyble lived and went to his residence to speak with him. Wyble eventually admitted to using KIK in order to send images of child pornography to other users. A search warrant was obtained for Wyble’s residence and agents seized several electronic devices that Wyble admitted were used to send images through the KIK application. A forensic examination of the devices revealed that Wyble used the devices to store numerous child pornographic images and used his KIK account to administer group chats to share child pornographic images among the group’s users. The investigation also revealed that Wyble and Walz produced some of the images recovered.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and Louisiana State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and Robert C. Abendroth.
This case is 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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Convicted Felon Sentenced for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –A federal judge this week sentenced a convicted felon for three counts of illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
United States District Court Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala sentenced Demarcus Marshall, 27, to 120 months in prison. Marshall pleaded guilty to the charges in January. According to the plea agreement, Marshall illegally possessed a firearm on three occasions.
On September 9, 2020, Birmingham Police Officers responded to a domestic call where Marshall’s girlfriend was the victim. When officers arrived, they recovered a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol from Marshall.
On September 30, 2020, a Homewood Police Officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle where Marshall was the passenger and observed Marshall holding a pistol. Officers recovered a Taurus .40 caliber pistol loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. The officers also recovered a Springfield Armory 9mm pistol in the front passenger glove box loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. They also recovered loose rounds of ammunition throughout the vehicle.
On June 22, 2021, Marshall approached a woman and assaulted her by hitting her in the face with his fist and throwing her to the ground. The female got away from Marshall and got into her car. As she drove away, Marshall chased after the car and fired two rounds from a handgun at the vehicle. No one was hit by the rounds. A Birmingham Police Officer recovered a .40 caliber shell casing from the ground near where Marshall had fired. Later that day, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle with four occupants. Marshall was in the back seat and when officers approached, Marshall was attempting to conceal a firearm under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The officers instructed him to stop moving but he did not comply until he completely concealed the item. The officers recovered a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, digital scale, and miscellaneous controlled substances.
“To reduce the gun violence occurring in our communities, we partner with other law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute those who persistently violate federal gun laws and commit acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “We are grateful for the coordinated work of our federal, state, and local partners in bringing this offender to justice.”
“The ATF recognizes that we are most successful when we work with our state, local, and federal partners. Our ability to protect the American families, increases by having a comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy in place. We will continue to focus our efforts to decrease violent crime and hold individuals accountable who continuously cause harm in the community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
“While the FBI investigates a host of crimes, fighting violent crime and being effective partners to state and local law enforcement is at the core of who we are, and we will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with our partners in the fight against violent crime,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
This case is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Operation Safe Families Initiative, which was launched in October 2020. Operation Safe Families focuses on fighting domestic violence in the Northern District of Alabama. Annually, offenders with a history of domestic violence commit more than half of all homicides committed in Jefferson County. Through Operation Safe Families, the U.S. Attorney’s Office works with federal, state, and local law enforcement to use federal firearm laws to combat domestic violence.
“The United States Attorney’s Office and our partners prioritize protecting victims and the community from people who commit domestic violence with a firearm,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The presence of a firearm within a domestic violence situation increases the threat of death to the victim by 500%. Moreover, escalating community violence in Jefferson County is being driven by people who have a history of domestic violence, with 74% of solved homicides in 2021 being committed by someone with a history of domestic violence,” added U.S. Attorney Escalona.
FBI investigated the case along with ATF, the Birmingham Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristy Peoples and Darius Greene prosecuted the case
Convicted Felon Indicted for Forcibly Interfering with Deputy U.S. Marshals and Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Cleate Wilson (40, Tampa) with forcibly resisting, opposing, impeding, and interfering with two Deputy United States Marshals and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted on both counts, Wilson faces a maximum penalty of 11 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Wilson that the United States intends to forfeit an H&K 9mm firearm and 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
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 United States Marshals Service, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
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.
Clearfield Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison and a Life-time Term of Supervised Release for Producing and Possessing Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Clearfield, PA has been sentenced in federal court on his conviction of production and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Jackson Martin III, 46. On June 21, 2022, Martin was sentenced to 35 years in prison followed by a life-time term of supervised release.
In connection with the guilty pleas, the court was advised that from December 2018 to September 1, 2019, Martin produced images of a minor female engaged in sexually explicit conduct using materials that were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Further, from January 8, 2019, to November 24, 2019, Martin possessed images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which were produced using prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The computer graphic files were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Clearfield Borough Police Department, and the Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Martin and Downs.
This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Chicago Man Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Federal Prison for Setting Fire to Police Vehicle During Civil UnrestRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for setting fire to a Chicago Police Department vehicle during a period of civil unrest in downtown Chicago in 2020.
On May 30, 2020, TIMOTHY O’DONNELL ignited a piece of cloth with a lighter and placed the cloth into the fuel filler of the marked CPD vehicle while it was parked in the 200 block of North State Street in Chicago. The fire spread throughout the vehicle and destroyed it. O’Donnell set the fire while wearing a “Joker” mask that partially covered his face. The vehicle was unoccupied, and no injuries were sustained.
At the time of the fire, Chicago Police officers were in the downtown Loop neighborhood of Chicago investigating reports of disorder and unrest.
O’Donnell, 33, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of interfering with law enforcement during the commission of civil disorder. U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the 34-month prison sentence after a hearing Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence 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. CPD provided valuable assistance.
“The defendant’s crime was extremely serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “He added to the chaos of an already chaotic night for no reason other than to live out his own fantasies.”
Charlotte Doctor Is Indicted for $11 Million Durable Medical Equipment SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte doctor is facing federal charges for her role in a durable medical equipment (DME) scheme that defrauded federal benefits programs of more than $11 million, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Sudipta Mazumder, 46, of Charlotte, is charged with one count of health care fraud and six counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Tamala Miles, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General for the region including North Carolina, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations contained in the indictment, during 2019 and 2020, Mazumder was a doctor in Charlotte who worked as an independent contractor for a Delaware-based telemedicine company. During the relevant time frame, Mazumder allegedly signed fraudulent orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, specifically knee braces, resulting in the submission of thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare and TRICARE totaling approximately $11,436,873. The indictment alleges that Mazumder falsely stated in those orders that she performed medical examinations of Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries and falsely certified that the braces were medically necessary.
According to allegations in the indictment, contrary to her claims, Mazumder never examined the Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries. Instead, Mazumder allegedly had little or no interaction with the beneficiaries and made no medical determination whether the devices were medically necessary or the beneficiaries needed the DME. Mazumder received from the telemedicine company unsigned orders for orthopedic braces for the beneficiaries, which she signed and returned to the telemedicine company in exchange for $20 for each purported assessment that she performed.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The health care fraud charge carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements relating to health care matters carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, per count.
Mazumder’s initial appearance has been scheduled for July 12, 2022, in federal court in Charlotte.
The investigation was handled by the FBI and HHS-OIG with the assistance of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Billings of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Charleston Man Indicted for Firearm and Drug ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a three-count indictment against Perry JaQuan Jackson, 23, of Summerville, South Carolina for felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The indictment alleges that on March 3, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Perry Jackson for multiple outstanding arrest warrants. Officers searched Jackson’s vehicle and located a loaded Glock 19 9mm handgun, $7,740 in cash, over 300 grams of marijuana, and three digital scales. Jackson is federally prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a previous conviction of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
Jackson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted and is currently detained pending trial.
This case was 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 North Charleston Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.
United States 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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California Man Indicted for Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly surreptitiously filming an 11-year-old Massachusetts girl as she changed in her bedroom.
Jacob Guerrero, 24, of Woodland, Calif., was indicted on one count of sexually exploiting a child. Guerrero was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on April 14, 2022. He remains in federal custody.
“Mr. Guerrero is alleged to have targeted and followed young innocent children in our communities – one of whom being an 11-year-old girl he allegedly preyed upon and exploited for the purposes of producing child pornography,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Child exploitation is one of the most heinous crimes and perpetrators will be aggressively pursued by this office. We will not hesitate to exhaust every resource necessary to identify and prosecute those who seek to sexualize and harm our most vulnerable population, our children.”
“Jacob Guerrero is an accused child predator who went to great lengths to sexually exploit an innocent, 11-year-old girl. The conduct we allege in this case is horrific, and it’s also a prime example of how a child can be victimized in their very own home,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “While we are grateful to have put a stop to Mr. Guerrero’s behavior, the FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and arrest others like him who seek to commit crimes against children.”
On or about March 17, 2021, it is alleged that Guerrero recorded a video of an unclothed 11-year-old girl while she changed in her bedroom at her home in Norfolk, Mass. Guerrero allegedly climbed to the top of a garage attached to the victim’s home and stood just outside the victim’s second floor bedroom window as she changed. In the two weeks leading up to that recording, it is further alleged that Guerrero conducted surveillance of the victim’s home and made notes on his phone regarding the time of day that the victim and her siblings arrived home, showered and changed clothes each night. Guerrero allegedly recorded similar notes for the children residing in several other Massachusetts homes.
According to the charging documents, this case arose following an investigation into allegations that Guerrero, while dressed in a wig and women’s clothing, attempted to surreptitiously record minor females in bathrooms and changing rooms at the Wrentham Outlets using pen cameras affixed to his shoes.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns, or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of sexually exploiting a child provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and Wrentham Police Chief William McGrath made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bronx Gang Member Charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, and RacketeeringRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging BOSS TERRELL with murder and other crimes related to his membership in the “WashSide” gang based in the Bronx. TERRELL was charged with the June 26, 2020 murder of Tyrone Almodovar in the Morrisania neighborhood in the South Bronx. TERRELL was arrested today and presented this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Jesse M. Furman.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Today’s charges, as alleged, will hold Boss Terrell accountable not only for his murder of Tyrone Almodovar, but for the rash of crimes he committed with his fellow WashSide gang members. Our Office will continue to root out gang violence in our communities.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “The NYPD and our law-enforcement partners will never tolerate violent gangs and the havoc they wreak in our communities. We remain focused on the small number of people who are responsible for the crime and disorder in our city, and we are using every means available to get them off our streets. As demonstrated by this case, gun violence remains a deadly concern in our communities – and any person who threatens the safety of those communities will be held fully accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division, and everyone else who worked on this important investigation.”
DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III said: “Boss Terrell’s alleged crimes left a ripple effect by spreading fear and violence throughout the Bronx community. DEA and our law enforcement partners are focused on safeguarding our communities from gang violence and drug trafficking and this arrest is one step in that direction.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
BOSS TERRELL was a member of “WashSide” or “Wash,” a gang based in the Bronx whose members and associates, from 2015 to 2022, conspired to commit various crimes with the gang, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, interstate transportation and sale of stolen property, access device fraud, wire fraud, and narcotics trafficking. Among other things, the gang members sold crack, robbed and stole from commercial establishments in the New York City area and in other states, and profited from the use of stolen credit cards and debit cards. Gang members also used guns, and committed acts of violence, including murder, against rival gang members. Members of WashSide promoted and celebrated, including in music and on social media, WashSide’s crimes.
The crimes TERRELL committed with WashSide included the following:
- On June 26, 2020, TERRELL and other members of WashSide participated in the shooting that killed Tyrone Almodovar in the Bronx.
- On July 29, 2020, TERRELL shot at and attempted to murder rival gang members in the Bronx.
- Between June and August 2020, TERRELL conspired with other members of WashSide to rob multiple commercial establishments in the New York City area and in other states.
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TERRELL, 21, of the Bronx, New York, was charged with the offenses listed in the chart set forth below.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA and NYPD and thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Heavey and Thomas John Wright are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
COUNT
CHARGE
MAX. PENALTIES
1
Racketeering conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
Life in prison
2
Murder in aid of racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(1) and 2
Mandatory life in prison or death
3
Use of a firearm for murder
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(j) and 2
Life in prison or death
Mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 5 years in prison
4
Attempted murder and attempted assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(5), (a)(6), and 2
10 years in prison
5
Use of a firearm for a crime of violence
18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (ii), and (iii) and 2
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 10 years in prison
6
Robbery conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1951
20 years in prison
[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.
Boswell Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Possessing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Boswell, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Michael Knisely, age 31.
According to information presented to the court, from on or about April 16, 2021, Knisely possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Ms. Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Cambria County Drug Task Force, and Cambria County District Attorney’s Office for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Knisely.