Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
1 August 2022
D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Carrying Out Conspiracy to Impersonate Federal Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia man pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a scheme in which he pretended to be a federal law enforcement officer for a range of purposes, including to secure a series of apartments in which he then failed to pay rent. He also used the ruse to promote his security company and ingratiate himself with actual officers.
Arian Taherzadeh, 40, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a superseding information charging him with a federal conspiracy offense and two District of Columbia offenses: unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and voyeurism. A sentencing date has not yet been set. He is to appear Nov. 2, 2022, for a status hearing before the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. As part of his plea agreement, Taherzadeh has agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Tira A. Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge, Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
According to plea documents, Taherzadeh created a business entity called United States Special Police LLC (USSP), which was described as a private law enforcement, investigative, and protective service based in Washington. The company was not associated in any way with the United States government or the District of Columbia. As the scheme unfolded between December 2018 and April 2022, Taherzadeh falsely claimed to be, among other things, a Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security, a member of a multi-jurisdictional federal task force, a former United States Air Marshal, and a former Army Ranger. He used these false claims to recruit others to USSP, under the guise that it was part of a covert federal law enforcement task force, defraud owners of three apartment complexes into providing him with multiple apartments and parking spaces for his supposed law enforcement operations, and ingratiate himself with members of federal law enforcement and the defense community.
Taherzadeh and others used assumed law enforcement personas, false and fictious federal law enforcement supervisors, and the company to obtain leases for multiple apartments in three complexes in the District of Columbia. These apartment buildings sustained more than $800,000 in losses from unpaid rent, parking, and associated fees. In one such apartment, Taherzadeh maintained and possessed an unlicensed gun with five fully loaded large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, containing a total of 61 rounds of ammunition.
In furtherance of his scheme, Taherzadeh and others obtained law enforcement clothing, paraphernalia, equipment, and an identification-making device. This included, among other things, police patches and badges, tactical gear and equipment, police lights, a Sig Sauer P229 firearm, a Glock 19 9mm handgun, large quantities of ammunition, concealed carry holsters, surveillance equipment, and unlicensed long gun components including a firearm barrel, weapon stock attachments, foregrips, a magazine cartridge and scope.
According to the plea documents, beginning as early as the spring of 2020, Taherzadeh began falsely identifying himself as a Special Agent to employees of the U.S. Secret Service. For instance, he falsely claimed to two Secret Service employees that he was in a gang unit. He told another that he was part of a covert task force. Taherzadeh also provided these Secret Service employees with tangible and intangible gifts. For instance, Taherzadeh provided one employee and his wife with a generator and a doomsday/survival backpack. He provided another employee with a rent-free penthouse apartment for approximately one year, worth approximately $40,200. He provided a third employee with a rent-free apartment for approximately one year, worth an estimated $48,240, as well as a drone, a gun locker, and a Pelican case. According to the plea documents, he did so to ingratiate himself with Secret Service employees because it deepened their relationship and furthered his ability to impersonate himself as a federal law enforcement officer.
Finally, Taherzadeh installed surveillance cameras outside and inside his apartment in one of the complexes. Among other places, he installed, maintained, and utilized cameras in his bedroom. He used these cameras to record women engaged in sexual activity. Taherzadeh then showed these explicit videos to third parties.
Taherzadeh and a co-defendant, Haider Ali, 36, also of Washington, D.C., were arrested on April 6, 2022. Ali has pleaded not guilty to charges filed against him in an indictment. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Joshua S. Rothstein of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.
Valuable assistance has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice and Paralegal Specialists Chad Byron, Quiana Dunn-Gordon, and Lisa Abbe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Kathleen Campbell and Evan Turgeon of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
Cranston Man Admits to Role in Drug Trafficking Organization That Shipped More Than 50 Kilos of Cocaine into Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Cranston man today admitted to a federal judge that he played a long-running role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that U.S. Postal Service Inspectors determined shipped or attempted to ship a total of more than 50 kilograms of cocaine into Rhode Island, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Nelson Santos Carvalho, 47, admitted that he provided members of the DTO in Puerto Rico residential and business addresses in Rhode Island to use for shipping U.S. Priority mail parcels, each containing approximately one kilogram of cocaine; discussed arrival dates and retrieval of the parcels with co-conspirators; retrieved the packages from locations throughout Rhode Island, including his work address; transported the cocaine to co-conspirators in Rhode Island; and performed other functions as needed to facilitate the operations of the DTO.
Carvalho is the fourth defendant to admit his role in this DTO that operated in both Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.
According to charging documents, for more than 18 months, beginning in January 2018, Carvalho provided the DTO with various Rhode Island addresses at which he and other persons known to him lived and worked. At least eleven of the parcels were shipped to Women and Infants Hospital where Carvalho was employed as a mail clerk, addressed to names provided to the DTO by the defendant. Carvalho retrieved the packages from the post office and provided them to other co-conspirators.
Based on the packages seized, the known size and weights of many of the parcels not intercepted, and positive K9 alerts on packaging materials discarded by DTO members, the DTO is believed to have shipped and/or attempted to ship approximately 51 kilos of cocaine into Rhode Island.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy, Carvalho pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2022. The defendants’ sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-conspirators George Mojica, 42, Angel Delgado, 25, and Arcadio Torres, 30, of Central Falls, previously admitted to a federal judge that they participated in the conspiracy and performed various functions to assist the DTO. Mojica and Delgado were sentenced in May to serve seven years and five years in federal prison respectively; Torres is awaiting sentencing.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
###
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Tyrell Wade Nault, 22, of Havre, Montana was sentenced in federal court in Spokane for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Nault to a total of 120 months in federal prison and ordered Nault to serve a three-year term of supervised release. Nault plead guilty on December 2, 2021.
According to court documents, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office arrested Nault and his girlfriend on May 29, 2020, as they were about to get into their car in a hotel parking lot in Spokane Valley, Washington. At the time of their arrest, both Nault and his girlfriend had outstanding arrest warrants related to criminal proceedings in Montana. During the arrest, the Spokane County Sherriff’s Office found $1,355 in U.S. currency and, a baggie of approximately 32 Oxycodone pills, and a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol on Nault’s person. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 9mm firearm was stolen. During a search of Nault’s vehicle, law enforcement found, among other things, a digital scale, additional U.S. currency, and several baggies containing at total of 81 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine. At the time of Nault’s arrest, he had multiple prior felony convictions.
Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, commended the joint efforts of law enforcement for working together to keep the Spokane community safe: “These types of federal, state, and local partnerships, coupled with community engagement, are essential to prevent convicted felons from obtaining firearms and distributing poison in our communities.” U.S. Attorney Waldref continued, “Today’s sentence removes Mr. Nault from our community for 10 years, sending an important signal that the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to vigorously prosecute those who distribute deadly narcotics in Eastern Washington.”
“Hopefully this lengthy sentence will give Mr. Nault the opportunity to think about the harm he has done to the community, and when released change his life for the better,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “We will continue to investigate and arrest those who, like Mr. Nault, act in ways that are against the law and harmful to our communities and nation.”
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Dominique Juliet Park, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Deeon Flowers, 29, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to fifty-seven months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, on October 17, 2020, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) were dispatched to a gas station around 38th and Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis. When officers arrived, they were told that Flowers had taken his girlfriend’s 11-year-old child without the mother’s permission. Officers located Flowers in the driver’s seat of a vehicle stopped at the gas station. The child was in the front passenger seat. Officers observed a handgun magazine protruding from Flowers’ waistband and could also see marijuana in plain view in the center console area.
Police obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and recovered a loaded 9mm Taurus G2C, underneath the driver’s seat, as well as another loaded magazine from inside a lunchbox on the front passenger floorboard. Flowers is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. The firearm was swabbed for DNA, which was later determined to match Flowers’ DNA. At the time of the offense, Flowers was on pretrial supervision after being charged with felony intimidation and misdemeanor domestic battery in Marion County, Indiana, in November of 2019.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Chief Randal Taylor, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department; and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division made the announcement.
IMPD and the ATF investigated the case. U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon imposed the sentence following Flowers’ guilty plea. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Flowers be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Massa who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF). ICGTF is a partnership of law enforcement officers and analysts from several central Indiana law enforcement agencies in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. In cooperation with state, local, and federal partners, ICGTF collaborates to address violent crime through a comprehensive strategy including innovative approaches to locating suspects and evidence related to violent crimes and illegal possession of firearms.
This case was also brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
Additionally, this case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Connecticut Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 54 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Markus Saez, 28, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, was sentenced today to serve 54 months in prison after his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Saez to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his incarceration.
According to court records, in the fall of 2020, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from Saez with the help of a confidential informant. On December 7, 2020, DEA agents arrested Saez while he was in the middle of a drug sale in the parking lot of a hotel in Colchester. A search of Saez’s person resulted in the seizure of $1,106 and a hotel key card for Saez’s room. Agents obtained a search warrant from a federal magistrate judge for the room, resulting in the seizure of approximately 40 grams of fentanyl, 70 grams of cocaine and cocaine base, cutting agents, drug packaging materials, and over $11,000 in cash.
At the sentencing hearing, the government requested a 70-month sentence, citing defendant Saez’s multiple prior convictions for selling narcotics and his June 2021 arrest in East Hartford, Connecticut for unlawfully possessing and brandishing a loaded firearm, which occurred while he was on pretrial conditions of release in the Vermont federal case. Saez’s prosecution in Connecticut for firearm offenses remains pending.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Winooski Police Department and the Burlington Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt handled the prosecution. Saez was represented by Gregory Mertz, Esq.
Brook Andrews Named First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South CarolinaRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA —United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs announced that Brook Andrews has been named First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, the office’s second-ranking position.
Andrews is a career federal prosecutor with experience spanning criminal, civil, trial, and appellate matters across several duty stations within the U.S. Department of Justice. He most recently served the office as the Deputy Criminal Chief for the White Collar/General Crimes Section. In that role, Andrews oversaw the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes in South Carolina including all financial fraud, civil rights, human trafficking, and public corruption offenses. As a criminal prosecutor, Andrews handled a number of high-profile matters including the prosecution of former SCANA executives in the wake of the V.C. Summer Nuclear investigation. Before that, he spent several years litigating civil fraud and whistleblower cases, recovering millions of dollars for Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal programs. In addition to his primary duties as a prosecutor, Andrews has served for over five years as the Ethics Advisor for the district, and as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Before returning to his hometown of Columbia in 2016, Andrews practiced law in Washington, D.C. for five years, beginning with his selection into the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General's Honors Program and placement into the Environment and Natural Resources Division. As a DOJ Trial Attorney, Andrews spent several years representing the United States in cases around the country involving land use, water rights, and environmental regulations. Andrews then spent two years in private practice at a national law firm, representing states and cities around the country as outside counsel in complex civil fraud and consumer protection cases.
Before his litigation practice, Andrews served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Jean Toal of the South Carolina Supreme Court and U.S. District Judge Margaret Seymour for the District of South Carolina. While at the Supreme Court, Andrews also served as a Staff Attorney on the South Carolina Sentencing Reform Commission.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc.
###
Ashton Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jason Griess, 32, formerly of Ashton, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for distribution of child pornography. Griess was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison and15 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Griess was additionally ordered to pay $6,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.
From on or about August 10, 2019, until on or about August 16, 2019, an Online Covert Employee (“OCE”) working with the FBI’s child exploitation task force engaged in conversations with Griess. Griess tried to make arrangements with the OCE to travel to Utah where the OCE indicated he lived, to have intercourse with the OCE’s fictitious 9-year-old daughter. Through the course of their conversation, Griess sent an image of child pornography to the OCE.
The FBI received search warrants for Griess’s residence and devices. Griess consented to a voluntary interview where he confessed to distributing the image to the OCE and to saving and storing child pornography. Approximately 124 images of child pornography were found on his cellular phone. An additional 172 videos and 11 images were found on other accounts that belonged to Griess.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Andrew Haden Becomes Second-in-Command at U.S. Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 1, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Veteran federal prosecutor Andrew R. Haden today became second-in-command of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, one of the busiest federal districts in the nation.
Haden, who was selected by U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman, was promoted to fill the vacancy created by the departure of David Leshner. Leshner – a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Attorney’s Office – was recently selected to become a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California.
As First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Haden will oversee the day-to-day operations of the office and serve as a trusted advisor to the U.S. Attorney.
Haden is a career federal prosecutor. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2010, after being selected through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. During his almost-12 years in the San Diego office, Haden has worked in the General Crimes Section, as a Deputy Chief in both the Reactive and Major Crimes Sections, as the Chief of the Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section, and most recently as the Chief of the Criminal Division.
During those assignments, he established himself as a trial lawyer who is passionate about firearms offenses and crimes against children. In 2020, Haden received the nationwide Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory role from the Executive Office for United States Attorney’s for “extraordinary leadership contributions” to the Department of Justice from 2016-2019. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Haden served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan in the Southern District of California.
“We are thrilled that Andrew has agreed to accept this important role,” U.S. Attorney Grossman said. “Andrew’s strong leadership skills, deep and diverse experience as a prosecutor and his exceptional judgment and strength of character will serve him and our district well as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.”
A San Diego native, Haden is a graduate of University City High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Stanford University. After college, Haden was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Navy where he served for five years, which included two overseas deployments. For his last assignment, Haden was the Navigator on the USS MOBILE BAY (CG-53), a guided-missile cruiser homeported in San Diego. Haden received his law degree from the University of San Diego.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office enforces federal criminal laws in the Southern District of California, which includes San Diego and Imperial counties, and represents the federal government in civil litigation. The office is composed of approximately 140 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 145 staff members.
"Boiler Room" Operator Pleads Guilty to International Securities Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Lee Cohen, a citizen of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud for his role in a scheme to manipulate the price and trading volume of HD View, 360, Inc. (HDVW), a publicly traded company that purported to distribute and install security surveillance systems. In connection with his plea, Cohen also admitted that he agreed to launder money that was purported to be the proceeds of similar securities fraud schemes. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. When sentenced, Cohen faces up to five years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the guilty plea.
“Cohen ran his scam from a ‘boiler room’ more than 8,000 miles from the federal courtroom in Brooklyn where he pleaded guilty today to defrauding investors, proving that distance will never protect criminals from the reach of our Office’s outstanding attorneys and FBI Special Agents who brought the defendant to justice,” stated United States Attorney Peace.
Mr. Peace thanked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Regional Office and Washington, D.C. Office, for their assistance in the case.
As set forth in court filings, Cohen operated a self-described “boiler room” in the Philippines. Cohen and his co-conspirators used the boiler room to defraud investors and potential investors in HDVW by inducing investors to buy HDVW shares at particular prices. At the same time, Cohen coordinated with a co-conspirator who controlled the majority of HDVW’s shares, then sold the shares for a profit. During the scheme, over 1,000 investors purchased shares of HDVW and lost more than $1.2 million.
In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace will play a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, tax fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and identity theft.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David Gopstein and Nicholas J. Moscow are in charge on the prosecution.
The Defendant:
LEE COHEN
Age: 52
Manila, PhilippinesE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-209 (KAM)
29 July 2022
Woman Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Multiple RobberiesRead the Press Release
A woman who robbed four stores and attempted to steal a woman’s purse at another was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Valerie Bowman, 25, of Tulsa, to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Bowman pleaded guilty on Jan. 7, 2022, to four counts of robbery in Indian Country and one count of attempted robbery in Indian Country.
On Oct. 2, 2021, Bowman robbed a Dollar General cashier, stealing $372 from the store’s cash register. She assaulted the victim by spraying him in the eyes and face with bed bug spray and grabbed the cash.
She further pushed a second cashier and stole $262 from the cash register at a CVS Pharmacy on Oct. 8, 2021. She also pushed, fought, grabbed and pulled a third cashier away from the register and stole $36 at another CVS Pharmacy on Oct. 10, 2021, and about eight hours later, fought and struggled with a cashier and store manager to steal cigarettes and cash at a Walgreens Pharmacy.
Finally, on Oct. 18, 2021, Bowman unsuccessfully attempted to steal an elderly woman’s purse at a Tulsa Walgreens. Bowman fled the location when the woman refused to let go of the purse, but she was stopped shortly after the crime by a Tulsa Police Officer. Bowman told the officer that she believed she was “untouchable” because she was a tribal citizen on a reservation.
“Valerie Bowman thought she was ‘untouchable’ when she robbed four stores by assaulting cashiers and attempted to rob an elderly woman,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “She learned she wasn’t. Through federal, state and tribal cooperation, law enforcement officers have been cross commissioned so they can investigate cases involving Native Americans on reservations. Through those critical partnerships, defendants like Bowman are being held accountable for their crimes.”
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case.
Utica Woman Indicted for Theft and Misappropriation of Funds as a FiduciaryRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Trina Gigliotti, age 54, of Utica, New York, was indicted earlier this month for misappropriating the funds of the legally incompetent spouse of a deceased veteran, as well as stealing from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charges filed against Gigliotti carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $36,129.08, representing the amount allegedly stolen. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Gigliotti was arraigned yesterday in Syracuse, before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter, and released on conditions of supervision pending further proceedings.
This case is being investigated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle.
This case is part of the Elder Justice Initiative. The mission of the Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving elders can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.
United States Attorney and United States Marshal Announce Task Force ResultsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg and United States Marshal William Berger announce the results of recent operations conducted by the United States Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. In addition to finding and arresting fugitives charged with violent crimes, distribution of illicit narcotics, sex offenses, and other serious felonies, the United States Marshals Service Task Force provides direct support to law enforcement agencies in tracking down and recovering missing children. From January 1 through June 30, 2022, the United States Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force made over 1,500 felony arrests in Florida.
The United States Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in the Middle District of Florida and includes 88 federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies. Nationally, the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with federal, state, and local law enforcement in 94 district offices, eight regional task forces, 67 local fugitive task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries around the world.
“The U.S. Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force is a model of interagency cooperation, and the results announced today show how well we work together in the Middle District of Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “We bring together the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement to make our communities safer.”
“The U.S. Marshals Service and the United States Attorney’s Office are committed to our federal, state, and local law-enforcement partners,” said Marshal Berger. “Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force put themselves in harm’s way each and every day and night to locate and apprehend dangerous fugitives and to rescue children. We are committed to this mission.”
In addition to the hundreds of arrests in the first part of this year, the Task Force has recently made arrests of violent offenders around the district, including:
- July 5, 2022, in Jacksonville, Oba Carter (47) for first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and robbery;
- July 6, 2022, in Orange County, Eric Adkins (52) for sexual battery of a minor child; and
- July 7, 2022, in Tampa, Ronny Walker (44) for first degree murder of a minor.
Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
U.S. Postal Service Employee Indicted on Theft of Postal Money Orders and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee has been indicted in connection with allegedly embezzling over $96,000 and for fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits.
Jamesa Rankins, 26, of Brockton, was indicted on one count of theft of government money and three counts of wire fraud. Rankins will appear in federal court in Boston at 3 p.m. today.
According to the indictment, Rankins began working for USPS around 2016, most recently as a Sales & Service Distribution Associate at the Montello Post Office in Brockton. In this role, Rankins had the ability to generate postal money orders, including replacement money orders. During the relevant period, customers could obtain replacement money orders without paying any additional fees if the original money orders were lost, damaged or erroneous. It is alleged that Rankins issued over $96,000 worth of replacement money orders to another individual where the original money orders were not erroneous and had not been lost or stolen, which caused the USPS to incur losses of $96,000. On at least one occasion, it is alleged that Rankins personally negotiated one of the replacement money orders at a check cashing business.
It is also alleged that Rankins applied for and obtained unemployment assistance from the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance despite being employed by USPS and thus being ineligible to receive unemployment assistance.
The charge of theft of government money provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Office; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Criminal Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich of Rollins’ Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Eastern Washington COVID-19 Strike Force Announces Three More IndictmentsRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Today, Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a federal grand jury has indicted three additional individuals for COVID-19 Fraud as part of the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Strike Force. The Indictments announced today are the most recent charges brought by the Strike Force, which has brought criminal charges against numerous individuals and recovered millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained COVID relief funding.
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act provided a number of programs through which eligible small businesses could request and obtain relief funding intended to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic for small and local businesses. One such program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), provided government-backed loans to small businesses which could be forgiven so long as the proceeds were used for payroll and other eligible expenses. Another program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, provided low interest loans that could be deferred until the conclusion of the pandemic to provide “bridge” funding for small businesses to maintain their operations during shutdowns and other economic circumstances caused by the pandemic. The PPP and EIDL programs have provided billions of dollars in aid, the vast majority of which have not been paid back, including hundreds of millions of dollars disbursed within Eastern Washington.
One Indictment announced today charges Stephanie and Stephen Murphy, ages 36 and 42, of Davenport, Washington, with nine counts of fraud for fraudulently-obtaining three PPP loans for fictitious landscaping and wood products manufacturing businesses in 2021. The second Indictment announced today charges Dondre Jackson, age 29, of Moses Lake, Washington, with six counts of fraud in connection with two fraudulently-obtained PPP loans for a fictitious catering business. The Indictments allege that these businesses did not exist and that the Defendants falsified information and submitted fake documents to make it appear as though they were legitimate businesses that qualified for PPP loans, resulting in Defendants collectively obtaining over $100,000 in relief funding that was designated for legitimate small businesses struggling with the economic impact of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 relief programs were designed to lift up our community during crisis, and due to the number of people and businesses that requested funding, some deserving small businesses were not able to obtain funding to keep their businesses in operation,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We created the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force because combatting pandemic-related fraud and holding those accountable who abused these programs is critical to the strength and safety of our community in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force works to ensure that limited resources are used to protect our local small businesses and the critical jobs and services that they provide for the community.”
In February 2022, U.S. Attorney Waldref and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) began working with federal law enforcement agencies to create and launch a COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force that would leverage partnerships between different agencies to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud against COVID-19 relief programs in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force consists of agency representatives from the USAO, Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, General Services Administration OIG, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) OIG, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy OIG, and others.
“I commend the stellar investigative work on these cases performed by the Strike Force and especially in this case by SBA OIG, TIGTA, and the Secret Service,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those who abuse and misuse COVID-19 relief funding, and to strengthen our communities by protecting our small and local businesses.”
The fraud charges carry sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison as well as restitution for fraudulently-obtained funds. This case was investigated by the Eastern District of Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force and by SBA OIG, TIGTA, DHS OIG, and the U.S. Secret Service. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Florence Men Sentenced to Years in Prison on Federal Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA —Shakeam Marquise Backus, 27, Joey Qurrieven York, 23, and Jyqwon Antonio Woods, 34, all of Florence, were sentenced this week to multiple years in federal prison based on their convictions for federal firearms violations. These cases were jointly investigated by the Florence Police Department (FPD) and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of an ongoing state/federal partnership to address violent crime in the Pee Dee. These defendants were specifically selected for federal prosecution due to their connections with a local street gang.
Backus was sentenced to 147 months in prison followed by a four-year term of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing showed that during a traffic stop on March 28, 2017, he was caught with a stolen Glock, model 26, pistol loaded with 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition in an extended magazine. He also had various drugs in his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot before being apprehended by officers from the Florence Police Department. He was also found in possession of several firearms and other drugs during a July 10, 2020, search warrant executed by Florence County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Backus was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his prior felony convictions, which include burglary (2010), grand larceny (2010), strong arm robbery (2012), assault and battery, 1st Degree (2015), and distribution of crack cocaine (2016).
York was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by a five-year term of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Evidence presented at the hearing showed that on December 10, 2020, he was the subject of a traffic stop where he was found to be in possession of a stolen vehicle, a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 revolver, marijuana, a digital scale, and a black ski mask. He was apprehended by officers from the Florence Police Department after a short foot chase. York was also prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle and failure to stop for blue lights (2017), and he had several prior misdemeanor convictions for drug possession and driving offenses.
Woods was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by five-year term of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Evidence at the hearing showed that Woods drew the attention of Florence Police Department officers on March 19, 2019, when he was seen putting a pill bottle in his pocket and then attempting to flee on foot. He was apprehended and found to be in possession of an SCCY 9mm pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, oxycodone pills, crack and powder cocaine, cash, and a digital scale. Woods was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle (2004) and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine (2008), with the latter charge resulting in him being sent to federal prison for several years. He also has prior misdemeanor convictions for drug possession, DUI, and resisting arrest.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced the defendants, all of whom have been in custody since the time of their arrests. There is no parole in the federal system, and they will not be released until the service of their prison sentences is complete.
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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian, Lead Attorney for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, prosecuted the cases in close coordination with the Florence Police Department, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the 12th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
###
Suspended Augusta commissioner convicted of destroying records, lying to federal investigatorsRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A suspended Augusta commissioner was found guilty after a four-day trial of destroying records in a federal investigation, and then lying about it to federal investigators researching the case.
Sammie Lee Sias, 67, of Hephzibah, Ga., who was suspended from his District 4 seat on the Augusta Commission after his indictment, was found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury of Destruction, Alteration, or Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations; and False Statement or Representation Made to a Department or Agency of the United States, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, along with substantial financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release following completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Former Commissioner Sias knew his handling of sales tax funds was under investigation, and he deleted thousands of electronic files within hours of a federal order requiring him to provide those files,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “This verdict demonstrates that no one is above the law, and that there is a penalty for obstructing investigators working to find the truth.”
As described in court documents and testimony, the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were investigating Sias’ role in expenditures of Richmond County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds when an FBI special agent served Sandridge and Sias with federal subpoenas between July 30 and Aug. 5, 2019, for records regarding the Sandridge Community Association (SCA), Jamestown Community Center, Jamestown Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), SCA Board of Directors, and SCA Summer Camp. At the time, Sias was the long-time president of the SCA, which operated the Richmond County government-owned Jamestown Community Center.
FBI computer experts testified that within hours of the agent’s visit, Sias deleted approximately 7,000 relevant files from a laptop computer in his possession that belonged to the Jamestown Community Center.
Four days later, during a recorded interview with an FBI agent, Sias lied when he told the agent that he had provided all files in his possession related to the investigation. Digital forensics experts later found evidence of those missing files on the laptop, and in July 2021, a U.S. District Court grand jury named Sias in a two-count felony indictment.
After four days of testimony, the jury deliberated for just two hours before delivering guilty verdicts on both counts of the indictment.
Sias is free on bond pending sentencing. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall will set a sentencing date for Sias following an investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the GBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes, and Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Criminal Chief Tara M. Lyons.
101-22
Superseding Indictment Charges Two Additional Defendants for Their Roles in a Violent Carjacking Conspiracy Targeting Uber and Lyft DriversRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Two Minneapolis men have been arrested and charged in a 30-count superseding indictment for their roles in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies targeting Uber and Lyft drivers, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
“As outlined in the superseding indictment, these defendants targeted and terrorized Uber and Lyft drivers. These carjackings were not one offs or random opportunities for joyriding; they were organized, calculated, violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “I want to acknowledge the collaborative work of federal, state, and local law enforcement in investigating and charging this violent carjacking ring.”
According to court documents, between September and October 2021, Eric Harrell Knight, 19, and Javeyon Demario Tate, 21, along with their co-conspirators Shevirio Kavirion Childs-Young, 18, and William Charles Saffold, 20, engaged in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies, targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. As part of the scheme, members of the conspiracy lured victim-drivers to particular locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the victim-drivers arrived, members of the conspiracy brandished firearms and demanded the cell phones and wallets of the victim-drivers. Members of the conspiracy forced the victim-drivers at gunpoint to unlock their cell phones and provide passcodes. The conspiracy members then transferred money, via Cash App or other applications, from the accounts of the victim-drivers to the accounts of members of the conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy then carjacked the victim-drivers at gunpoint. To intimidate and force compliance, members of the conspiracy struck, pistol whipped, and threatened to kill the victim-drivers.
All four defendants are charged with conspiracy, brandishing firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence, aiding and abetting carjacking, and aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). The superseding indictment also charges Saffold with assault on a federal law enforcment officer with a Polymer 80 9 mm pistol. Additionally, Tate is charged with unlawful possession of a machinegun: a Glock model 21 .45 caliber pistol equipped with an auto sear.
Knight and Tate made their initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz. Both defendants were ordered to remain in custody pending detention hearings. Childs-Young and Saffold were indicted on April 26, 2022, and will remain in custody pending further proceedings.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sumter County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Destructive Devices, Firearms, and SilencersRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Clay Bexley (34, Center Hill) has pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with possessing unregistered destructive devices and firearm silencers and possessing firearms in violation of a domestic violence injunction. If convicted, Bexley faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, Bexley was arrested at his home after contacting his wife in violation of an injunction. Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputies located six firearms, two silencers, and two small explosive devices in Bexley’s vehicle. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad then responded and discovered two destructive devices (pipe bombs) on Bexley’s front porch. After obtaining a search warrant, federal agents recovered approximately 35 pounds of explosive materials and bomb-making equipment from within the residence, along with an additional 12 firearms and two silencers.
Firearm silencers and destructive devices, such as pipe bombs, are illegal to possess unless registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. None of Bexley’s silencers or destructive devices had been registered as required under federal law. Furthermore, it is also a federal crime to possess firearms while subject to a domestic violence injunction.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer.
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.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Laundering Proceeds from Telemarketing Scheme That Defrauded Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for laundering cash proceeds from a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims.
HIRENKUMAR P. CHAUDHARI used a phony Indian passport, false name, and false address to open multiple bank accounts in the United States to receive money from victims of the telemarketing scheme. The scheme involved phone calls from people falsely claiming to be associated with, among other agencies, the Social Security Administration and U.S. Department of Justice, stating that a victim’s identity had been stolen and that it was necessary to transfer money to various bank accounts, including the accounts opened by Chaudhari.
One of the victims was a retired nurse from Massachusetts who transferred a total of more than $900,000 from her bank and retirement accounts to accounts controlled by Chaudhari or others. On April 19, 2018 – one day after Chaudhari opened an account and received a $7,000 transfer from the Massachusetts victim – Chaudhari entered a bank branch in Chicago and withdrew $6,500. Chaudhari engaged in this financial transaction knowing that the money represented proceeds of unlawful activity.
Chaudhari, 29, of Des Plaines, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal money laundering charge. In addition to the three-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered Chaudhari to pay $6,500 in restitution to the Massachusetts victim.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Rick D. Young.
“The defendant played a pivotal role in a telemarketing scheme by laundering money received directly from elderly victims,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “We will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable anyone who attempts to scam elderly victims out of a peaceful retirement.”
“Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Inspector in Charge William Hedrick for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting customers from fraud schemes for many years and will continue to investigate and stop those who exploit older Americans for their own illegal gains.”
“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold those accountable who participate in unlawful schemes in an effort to use the good name of the Social Security Administration to prey on elderly Americans,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “This individual deliberately created bank accounts using various false identities to manage funds obtained by illegal means. We will continue to work with our investigative partners to combat Social Security-related phone scams and pursue those who swindle our citizens out of their life savings.”
If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov, or by calling 877-FTC-HELP. More information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage.
St. Louis man sentenced to 25 years for producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man who created child pornography and sold it online to 25 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Kailon Vontez Lewis made four pornographic videos involving an underage girl, and then sold the videos online for $40 each. He also admitted possessing thousands of images containing child porn.
Investigators were alerted by multiple tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about Lewis.
Lewis, 23, pleaded guilty in December to one count of production of child pornography.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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.
South Florida Drug Trafficker Who Traveled to California to Rob Supplier Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Yesterday, a federal district judge in West Palm Beach, Florida sentenced the 34-year-old leader of a South Florida drug trafficking ring to 210 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit a Hobbs Act robbery and conspiring to traffic 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
As part of his guilty plea earlier this year, Christopher Michael Frantantoni admitted that in June 2019, he and five members of the drug trafficking organization that he ran flew from South Florida to San Francisco, California, to commit a home invasion robbery of Frantantoni’s marijuana supplier. Frantantoni gained access to the home where the supplier kept the stash by setting up a meeting there to negotiate the purchase of 90 pounds of high-grade marijuana. Frantantoni and the seller met at the house on June 24, 2019. Frantantoni walked inside, leaving the entrance door ajar. Three men wearing black tactical uniforms and body armor burst through the door pretending to be DEA agents. In fact, they were Frantantoni’s associates. The men then pointed what appeared to be two pistols and a rifle at the residence’s three occupants, demanding that the victims get on the ground and not look at them. They grabbed cash and 90 pounds of high-grade marijuana and fled the scene. Frantantoni also admitted that, prior to the robbery, he and his crew had purchased large amounts of marijuana in California for resale in South Florida.
Co-defendants Kyle Edwin Firestone and Bradley Broder pled guilty and were sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment. Two other co-defendants pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing as follows: April Renee Frantantoni (October 11, 9:00 a.m.) and Jonathan Paul Bonanno (December 9, 9:00 a.m.).
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra.
ATF Miami investigated the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) Tactical Unit, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-80178.
###
Santa Clarita Valley Woman Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Embezzling $1.7 Million Through Diversity Recruitment ScamRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The former human resources manager at a Santa Clarita-based race car design and development company was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for scheming to defraud her then-employer out of more than $1.7 million earmarked for diversity recruitment by using two fake businesses that billed for services that were never performed.
Judith Fernandez-Adelugba, 45, of Stevenson Ranch, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered her to pay $1,745,964 in restitution. At today’s hearing, Judge Walter said Fernandez-Adelugba was “driven by pure greed” and that her criminal conduct had left her employer “shaken to the core.”
Fernandez-Adelugba pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of wire fraud. She worked as the chief human resources manager at a business identified in court documents as “Company-1,” a Santa Clarita-based company that provided a technical and operations center for high performance racing programs and specialized in the design and development of high-performance automotive parts.
Fernandez-Adelugba was responsible for the company’s diversity recruitment, which included implementing and managing programs to encourage persons from diverse gender, racial, ethnic, and other backgrounds to apply for jobs with her employer. She also had the authority to approve the payment of invoices of up to $25,000.
To assist her in the scheme, Fernandez-Adelugba recruited her father, George Fernandez, 75, of Stevenson Ranch, and Alex Lawrence Wilkison, 49, of Canyon Country, who was married to Fernandez-Adelugba’s work colleague at Company-1. George Fernandez was the president and CEO of the Stevenson Ranch-based company, Business Solutions Services (BSS). Wilkison was the registered owner of Engineering Talent Connect (ETC), a fictitious business name registered to an address in Mission Hills.
From March 2015 until her resignation from Company-1 in February 2018, Fernandez-Adelugba, her father, and Wilkison used BSS and ETC to embezzle Company-1 funds – money they used for their own personal enrichment. Participants in the scheme submitted to Company-1 fake invoices issued by BSS and ETC that requested payment for diversity recruitment-related services purportedly performed. These “services” included posting job openings, placing job-related advertisements, searching for candidates, and successfully recruiting candidates for Company-1.
Fernandez-Adelugba approved the fake invoices for payment, delivered them to Company-1’s accounting department, and followed up to request and facilitate payment of the fake invoices.
After Company-1 issued payments on the fake invoices, Fernandez-Adelugba and her co-schemers used their illicit gains for personal expenditures such as trips to Las Vegas, credit card bills and dining at restaurants.
From March 2015 to November 2017, Fernandez-Adelugba caused 150 fake invoices to be submitted to Company-1, which in turn caused it to transfer a total of $1,745,964 to the two scheme-related companies – $1,562,364 to BSS and $183,600 to ETC.
Fernandez-Adelugba paid kickbacks to her co-schemers and kept more than $1.1 million of the scheme’s ill-gotten gains, which she used for her personal benefit.
“Company-1 suffered more than just that feeling of betrayal,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Fernandez-Adelugba’s] embezzlement of funds earmarked for diversity recruitment caused Company-1 to fall behind its diversity recruiting goals. Because of [Fernandez-Adelugba’s] greed and selfishness, many worthy diverse engineers may have been denied potential careers at Company-1.”
Wilkison pleaded guilty in November 2020 to one count of wire fraud and is serving a six-month federal prison sentence. Judge Walter ordered Wilkison to pay $183,600 in restitution.
George Fernandez has agreed to pay $103,140 in restitution to Company-1 as part of a pretrial diversion agreement with federal prosecutors. A superseding information filed in September 2021 charged Fernandez with misprision of a felony for failing to report his daughter’s act of wire fraud in March 2018 despite knowing of her criminal conduct.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Scott Paetty of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
San Luis Obispo County Man Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging He Sold Fake Prescription Pills that Caused Fatal Fentanyl OverdoseRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Paso Robles man has been arrested on federal charges of selling counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl to a 19-year-old Atascadero resident who suffered a fatal overdose from the synthetic opioid, the Justice Department announced today.
Timothy Clark Wolfe, 24, was taken into custody Thursday by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and he was arraigned on the federal charges this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
A federal grand jury on July 19 charged Wolfe in a two-count indictment that accuses him of distributing fentanyl resulting in death and possession with the intent to distribute alprazolam (often sold under the brand name Xanax).
Wolfe pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment and a September 20 trial date was scheduled. A federal magistrate judge ordered Wolfe released on $150,000 bond.
The indictment alleges that, on March 8, 2020, Wolfe sold the victim the fentanyl-laced pills, “the use of which resulted in the death and serious bodily injury of E.V.”
During a search of Wolfe’s residence on March 9, 2020, Atascadero Police discovered the alprazolam, which the indictment alleges he intended to distribute.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged Wolfe in relation to the overdose death on May 20, 2020. The District Attorney’s Office will dismiss their state charges in light of the federal prosecution.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The charge of distributing fentanyl resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life. The charge of possession with the intent to distribute alprazolam carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison.
The DEA’s Los Angeles Field Office is investigating this matter. The Atascadero Police Department and the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Julia Hu of the Major Frauds Section and Jena MacCabe of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 108,642 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the United States during the one-year period ending February 2022. Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and its analogs, are the primary driver of the increase in drug overdose deaths. Synthetic opioids are involved in 67% of all drug overdose deaths and 89% of opioid-involved drug overdose deaths.
According to the DEA, criminal drug networks in Mexico are mass-producing illicit fentanyl and fake pills pressed with fentanyl in clandestine, unregulated labs. These fake pills are designed to look like real prescription pills, typically replicating prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (common brand names include Oxycontin and Percocet) and hydrocodone (Vicodin); sedatives such as alprazolam; and stimulants (Adderall). The DEA warns that pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous and potentially lethal. For more information, please visit www.dea.gov/onepill.
Russian National Charged with Conspiring to Have U.S. Citizens Act as Illegal Agents of the Russian GovernmentRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in Tampa, Florida, charging a Russian national, working on behalf of the Russian government and in conjunction with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), with allegedly orchestrating a years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various U.S. political groups to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States.
As alleged in the indictment, from at least December 2014 until March 2022, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a resident of Moscow, together with at least three Russian officials, engaged in a years-long foreign malign influence campaign targeting the United States. Ionov is the founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR), an organization headquartered in Moscow and funded by the Russian government. Ionov utilized AGMR to carry out Russia’s influence campaign.
“Ionov allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning U.S. political groups and U.S. citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will not allow Russia to unlawfully sow division and spread misinformation inside the United States.”
According to the indictment, Ionov — working under the supervision of the FSB and with the Russian government’s support — recruited political groups within the United States, including U.S. Political Group 1 in Florida, U.S. Political Group 2 in Georgia, and U.S. Political Group 3 in California, and exercised direction or control over them on behalf of the FSB. Specifically, Ionov provided financial support to these groups, directed them to publish pro-Russian propaganda, coordinated and funded direct action by these groups within the United States intended to further Russian interests, and coordinated coverage of this activity in Russian media outlets. Ionov also relayed detailed information about this influence campaign to three FSB officials.
“Secret foreign government efforts to influence American elections and political groups threaten our democracy by spreading misinformation and breeding distrust,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will vigorously protect the bedrock of our democracy – free and fair elections – to ensure that our democratic processes remain free of foreign interference.”
According to the indictment, Ionov allegedly targeted U.S. Political Group 1 based in St. Petersburg, Florida. In May 2015, Ionov funded an all-expense paid trip to Russia for the leader of U.S. Political Group 1 (Unindicted Co-Conspirator-1, UIC-1) in order to “communicate on future cooperation” between U.S. Political Group 1 and AGMR. Following that trip, and for at least the next seven years, Ionov exercised direction and control over senior members of U.S. Political Group 1.
“The prosecution of this criminal conduct is essential to protecting the American public when foreign governments seek to inject themselves into the American political process,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to investigate these events, and we will continue to follow the evidence to ensure justice is done.”
Early in the conspiracy, senior members of U.S. Political Group 1, UIC-1, UIC-2, and UIC-3 exchanged emails about the fact that Ionov was working on behalf of the Russian government. For example, in September 2015, Ionov paid for UIC-1 to attend an AGMR-sponsored “Dialogue of Nations” conference in Moscow. Upon his return to Florida, UIC-1 reported to the leadership of U.S. Political Group 1 that AGMR is “a solid institution of Russian politic,” and that it was “clear” that AGMR was “an instrument of [the] Russian government,” which, UIC-1 wrote, did not “disturb us.” The following week, in an email discussion, U.S. Political Group 1 leaders observed that it was “more than likely” that the Russian government was using AGMR “to utilize forces inside of the U.S. to sew [sic] division inside the United States.”
“The impact of Russian malign foreign influence cannot be overstated,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will aggressively pursue any foreign government that attempts to divide American citizens and poison our democratic process.”
Ionov used his control over U.S. Political Group 1 leaders to foster discord within the United States, to spread pro-Russian propaganda under the guise of a domestic political organization, and to interfere in local elections. For example, in January 2016, Ionov guaranteed financing for — and ultimately funded — a four-city protest tour undertaken by U.S. Political Group 1 in support of a “Petition on Crime of Genocide against African People in the United States,” which it had previously submitted to the United Nations at Ionov’s direction. Later, in 2017 and 2019, Ionov monitored and supported the St. Petersburg, Florida, political campaigns of UIC-3 and UIC-4. In 2019, before the primary election, Ionov wrote to a Russian official that he had been “consulting every week” on the campaign. After UIC-4 advanced to the general election, FSB Officer 1 wrote to Ionov that “our election campaign is kind of unique,” and asked, “are we the first in history?” Ionov later sent FSB Officer 1 additional details about the election, referring to UIC-4 as the candidate “whom we supervise.”
According to the indictment, Ionov’s relationship with U.S. Political Group 1 continued until at least March 2022. Specifically, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Political Group 1 repeatedly hosted Ionov via video conference to discuss the war, during which Ionov falsely stated that anyone who supported Ukraine also supported Nazism and white supremacy. In a report to the FSB, Ionov explained that he had enlisted U.S. Political Group 1 to support Russia in the “information war unleashed” by the West.
Alongside his malign foreign influence efforts with U.S. Political Group 1, Ionov also exercised direction and control over U.S. Political Group 3, an organization based in California whose primary goal was to promote California’s secession from the United States. In January and February of 2018, Ionov supported U.S. Political Group 3’s efforts — led by the organization’s founder (UIC-6)—to orchestrate a protest demonstration at the California Capitol building in Sacramento. Ionov partially funded the efforts and attempted to direct UIC-6 to physically enter the governor’s office. Later, Ionov sent various media reports covering the demonstration and U.S. Political Group 3’s broader efforts to FSB Officer 1, writing that FSB Officer 1 had asked for “turmoil” and stating, “there you go.”
According to the indictment, Ionov also directed the efforts of U.S. Political Group 2, based in Atlanta. For example, as recently as March 2022, Ionov paid for members of U.S. Political Group 2 — including its founder (UIC-5) — to travel from Atlanta to San Francisco to protest at the headquarters of a social media company that had placed content restrictions on posts supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ionov sent UIC-5 designs for signs used at the protest and funded cross-country travel for UIC-5 and other members of U.S. Political Group 2. After the protest, Ionov sent UIC-5 a picture of a Russian news website’s social media page, which displayed a Russian-language news story about the protest.
Ionov is charged with conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents of the Russian government. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Risha Asokan, Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the Justice Department’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Demetrius Sumner of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
The FBI Tampa Field Office is investigating the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Russian National Charged with Conspiring to Have U.S. Citizens Act as Illegal Agents of the Russian GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today in Tampa, Florida, charging a Russian national, working on behalf of the Russian government and in conjunction with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), with allegedly orchestrating a years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various U.S. political groups to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States.
As alleged in the indictment, from at least December 2014 until March 2022, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a resident of Moscow, together with at least three Russian officials, engaged in a years-long foreign malign influence campaign targeting the United States. Ionov is the founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR), an organization headquartered in Moscow and funded by the Russian government. Ionov utilized AGMR to carry out Russia’s influence campaign.
“As court documents show, Ionov allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning U.S. political groups and U.S. citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will not allow Russia to unlawfully sow division and spread misinformation inside the United States.”
According to the indictment, Ionov — working under the supervision of the FSB and with the Russian government’s support — recruited political groups within the United States, including U.S. Political Group 1 in Florida, U.S. Political Group 2 in Georgia, and U.S. Political Group 3 in California, and exercised direction or control over them on behalf of the FSB. Specifically, Ionov provided financial support to these groups, directed them to publish pro-Russian propaganda, coordinated and funded direct action by these groups within the United States intended to further Russian interests, and coordinated coverage of this activity in Russian media outlets. Ionov also relayed detailed information about this influence campaign to three FSB officials.
“Secret foreign government efforts to influence American elections and political groups threaten our democracy by spreading misinformation, distrust and mayhem,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department is committed to ensuring U.S. laws protecting transparency in the electoral process and the political system are not undermined through foreign malign influence.”
According to the indictment, Ionov allegedly targeted U.S. Political Group 1 based in St. Petersburg, Florida. In May 2015, Ionov funded an all-expense paid trip to Russia for the leader of U.S. Political Group 1 (Unindicted Co-Conspirator-1, UIC-1) in order to “communicate on future cooperation” between U.S. Political Group 1 and AGMR. Following that trip, and for at least the next seven years, Ionov exercised direction and control over senior members of U.S. Political Group 1.
“The prosecution of this criminal conduct is essential to protecting the American public when foreign governments seek to inject themselves into the American political process,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to investigate these events, and we will continue to follow the evidence to ensure justice is done.”
Early in the conspiracy, senior members of U.S. Political Group 1, UIC-1, UIC-2, and UIC-3 exchanged emails about the fact that Ionov was working on behalf of the Russian Government. For example, in September 2015, Ionov paid for UIC-1 to attend an AGMR-sponsored “Dialogue of Nations” conference in Moscow. Upon his return to Florida, UIC-1 reported to the leadership of U.S. Political Group 1 that AGMR is “a solid institution of Russian politic,” and that it was “clear” that AGMR was “an instrument of [the] Russian government,” which, UIC-1 wrote, did not “disturb us.” The following week, in an email discussion, U.S. Political Group 1 leaders observed that it was “more than likely” that the Russian government was using AGMR “to utilize forces inside of the U.S. to sew [sic] division inside the United States.”
“The impact of Russian malign foreign influence cannot be overstated,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will aggressively pursue any foreign government that attempts to divide American citizens and poison our democratic process.”
Ionov used his control over U.S. Political Group 1 leaders to foster discord within the United States, to spread pro-Russian propaganda under the guise of a domestic political organization, and to interfere in local elections. For example, in January 2016, Ionov guaranteed financing for — and ultimately funded — a four-city protest tour undertaken by U.S. Political Group 1 in support of a “Petition on Crime of Genocide against African People in the United States,” which it had previously submitted to the United Nations at Ionov’s direction. Later, in 2017 and 2019, Ionov monitored and supported the St. Petersburg, Florida, political campaigns of UIC-3 and UIC-4. In 2019, before the primary election, Ionov wrote to a Russian official that he had been “consulting every week” on the campaign. After UIC-4 advanced to the general election, FSB Officer 1 wrote to Ionov that “our election campaign is kind of unique,” and asked, “are we the first in history?” Ionov later sent FSB Officer 1 additional details about the election, referring to UIC-4 as the candidate “whom we supervise.”
According to the indictment, Ionov’s relationship with U.S. Political Group 1 continued until at least March 2022. Specifically, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Political Group 1 repeatedly hosted Ionov via video conference to discuss the war, during which Ionov falsely stated that anyone who supported Ukraine also supported Nazism and white supremacy. In a report to the FSB, Ionov explained that he had enlisted U.S. Political Group 1 to support Russia in the “information war unleashed” by the West.
Alongside his malign foreign influence efforts with U.S. Political Group 1, Ionov also exercised direction and control over U.S. Political Group 3, an organization based in California whose primary goal was to promote California’s secession from the United States. In January and February of 2018, Ionov supported U.S. Political Group 3’s efforts — led by the organization’s founder (UIC-6)—to orchestrate a protest demonstration at the California Capitol building in Sacramento. Ionov partially funded the efforts and attempted to direct UIC-6 to physically enter the governor’s office. Later, Ionov sent various media reports covering the demonstration and U.S. Political Group 3’s broader efforts to FSB Officer 1, writing that FSB Officer 1 had asked for “turmoil” and stating, “there you go.”
According to the indictment, Ionov also directed the efforts of U.S. Political Group 2, based in Atlanta. For example, as recently as March 2022, Ionov paid for members of U.S. Political Group 2 — including its founder (UIC-5) — to travel from Atlanta to San Francisco to protest at the headquarters of a social media company that had placed content restrictions on posts supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ionov sent UIC-5 designs for signs used at the protest and funded cross-country travel for UIC-5 and other members of U.S. Political Group 2. After the protest, Ionov sent UIC-5 a picture of a Russian news website’s social media page, which displayed a Russian-language news story about the protest.
Ionov is charged with conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents of the Russian government. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Risha Asokan, Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the Justice Department’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Demetrius Sumner of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
The FBI Tampa Field Office is investigating the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rocky Hill Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SEAN THOMAS, 32, of Rocky Hill, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2020, Hartford Police were investigating Thomas and others for distributing fentanyl and marijuana. As part of the investigation, an undercover officer purchased marijuana from an employee at Puff Paradise, a smoke shop on New Britain Avenue owned by Thomas. On June 2, 2020, in anticipation of executing multiple search warrants, investigators surveilled Thomas as he drove his car from his Rocky Hill residence to Kenneth Street in Hartford, where he entered a parked Dodge Durango. Believing that Thomas was conducting a narcotics transaction, detectives approached the Durango. Tafarie Green, the driver of the vehicle, accelerated and drove straight at the detectives who jumped out of the way. Green then drove at a high rate of speed onto a sidewalk and through two chain link fences before he crashed into a tree. Green fled the scene on foot, but Thomas was immediately apprehended. A subsequent search of Puff Paradise revealed approximately three pounds of marijuana, and a search of Thomas’s residence revealed more than 100 grams of unpackaged fentanyl, approximately 3,500 bags of packaged fentanyl, items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, and $16,511 in cash.
On January 20, 2022, Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Thomas was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service after sentencing.
Green, who was on federal supervised release, was arrested on July 13, 2020. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and, on August 31, 2021, was sentenced to 62 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Unit, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Rochester Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Obtain Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Jeannette Doyon, 49, of Rochester, pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Doyon was receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Because SSI benefits are tied to household income, Social Security requires that SSI recipients notify the agency of changes to their household. Doyon married her spouse in April 2014. Because her spouse’s income now counted towards her household income, Doyon’s monthly benefits were reduced.
In response, Doyon submitted a false statement to Social Security claiming that her spouse had moved out of her home and was no longer part of her household. This resulted in her benefits increasing. Doyon repeated this false statement to Social Security for several years to keep getting more benefits. Throughout this time, Doyon and her spouse continuously lived together. Because of her false statement, Doyon received $46,625.60 in SSI benefits she was not entitled to receive.
Doyon is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2, 2022.
This matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen.
###
Restaurant Owner Admits $2 Million Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that, WILLIAM CHEN, 49, of West Hartford waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to offenses stemming from an extensive tax fraud scheme involving Connecticut and Massachusetts restaurants that he owns and operates.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Chen is a part owner of several restaurants, including Ginza Japanese Restaurant in Bloomfield, Ginza Japanese Cuisine in Wethersfield, Kaliubon Ramen in Wethersfield and West Hartford, and Feng Asian Bistro in Hartford and Canton, and Millbury, Massachusetts. Chen was responsible for purchasing and using the Point-of-Sale (POS) system for restaurant orders, and for training staff on the use of the POS system. In connection with the POS system, Chen paid an additional fee to activate “zapper” software, which is a commercial computer program designed to deliberately delete transactions from the POS system to create fraudulent sales records. From approximately 2013 to 2020, Chen and others who worked at the restaurants deleted cash transactions with the intent to reduce the gross receipts and the amount of sales tax collected reported by the POS. As a result, Chen intentionally suppressed the restaurants’ taxable income that he disclosed to his accountant who prepared his and his restaurants’ income tax returns.
Chen was also responsible for the accounting and financial records at the restaurants, for the collection and withholding of employment taxes for the restaurants at which he worked, and for signing the restaurants’ tax returns. For the 2013 through 2020 tax years, Chen failed to withhold, account for, and pay to the IRS federal income taxes, Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes (“FICA”), and federal unemployment taxes for multiple employees that he paid, or that he knew were paid, in cash.
The tax loss attributable to Chen’s criminal conduct is $2,092,926.94.
Chen pleaded guilty to two counts of filing a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam on October 21, 2022.
Chen was released on his personal recognizance pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Joshua Radcliffe, 39, of Shady Spring, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Radcliffe admitted that he used a Cobray Model D, .45/.410-caliber Derringer pistol to rob a Shady Spring convenience store on December 1, 2021. Law enforcement officers found the firearm in Radcliffe’s residence on December 6, 2021, and he admitted to the crime.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Radcliffe was aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for conspiracy to use firearms in a drug trafficking crime in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 28, 2019.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-62.
###
Quebec Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Import and Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Jason Joey Berry, 39, of Montreal, Canada, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and import it into the United States, resulting in serious bodily injury and death. The criminal conspiracy involved distributing fentanyl and other similar substances from Canada and China into the United States, resulting in 15 overdoses, four of which were fatal.
According to court documents, Berry arranged the distribution of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues to the United States and elsewhere while incarcerated in a Canadian prison. Berry led the conspiracy in Canada with another inmate, Daniel Vivas Ceron, 41, who pleaded guilty in July 2019 to continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and money laundering. This investigation started in North Dakota on Jan. 3, 2015, with the overdose death in Grand Forks, North Dakota, of Bailey Henke.
“Jason Berry was part of a fentanyl trafficking ring that contributed to the opioid epidemic plaguing our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case sends a clear message that the Criminal Division is committed to protecting those communities, combating the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl, and holding accountable drug traffickers seeking to turn a profit on addiction.”
Berry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues into the United States resulting in serious bodily injury and death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Additional defendants charged in federal court in this investigation include:
District of North Dakota
- Jian Zhang, aka Hong Kong Zaron, 43, of China; Xuan Cahn Nguyen, aka Jackie and Jackie Chan, 42, of Quebec Canada; Marie Um, aka Angry Bird, 41, of Quebec, Canada; and Vannek Um, 44, of Quebec, Canada were charged by a superseding indictment returned on Jan. 18, 2018, with drug trafficking conspiracy. Also charged with international money launder conspiracy were Na Chu, 41; Yeyou Chu, 40; Cuiying Liu, 66; and Keping Zhang, 66, all Chinese nationals. On May 31, Nguyen pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and import fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and conspiring to launder money;
- On March 22, 2018, Steven Barros Pinto, aka Yeaboy, 41, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death, conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues into the United States resulting in serious bodily injury and death, and continuing criminal enterprise. On Nov. 28, 2018, a superseding indictment was filed adding the charges of obstruction of justice and money laundering conspiracy. On July 9, 2021, a federal jury convicted Pinto for conspiring to import and distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, continuing criminal enterprise, money laundering conspiracy, and multiple obstruction offenses. He was sentenced on Oct. 14, 2021, to serve 400 months in federal prison;
- Brandon Corde Hubbard, 47, of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in serious bodily injury and death, distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, and money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced on July 13, 2016, to serve life in federal prison;
- Ryan Jon Jensen, 27, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in serious bodily injury and death, one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury, and money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced on Feb. 1, 2016, to serve 240 months in federal prison;
- Joshua Tyler Fulp, 27, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty on June 23, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in serious bodily injury and death. He was sentenced to serve 144 months in federal prison;
- Kain Daniel Schwandt, 26, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced on Jan. 25, 2016, to serve 42 months in federal prison;
- David Todd Noye Jr., 121, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced on Jan. 25, 2016, to serve 39 months in federal prison;
- Jameson Robert Sele, 27, of Grand Forks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced on July 27, 2015, to serve 36 months in federal prison;
- Braden James Foley, 35, of Olympia, Washington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2016, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2016, to serve 30 months in federal prison;
- Anthony Santos Gomes, 37, originally of Rhode Island and Davie, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death and money laundering conspiracy. In addition to pleading guilty, Gomes agreed to forfeit a residence located in Davie, Florida; $162,836.00 in cash; a 2007 Maserati Quattroporte; a 2017 Polaris Sportsman XP ATV; and assorted jewelry valued at $64,725.00. He was sentenced on July 30, 2021, to serve 360 months in federal prison;
- Amanda Schneider, 32, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2018, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. She was sentenced on Jan. 17, 2019, to serve 15 months in federal prison;
- Keveen Nobre, 32, of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2018, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 17, 2019, to serve 30 months in federal prison;
- Robinson Gomez, 39, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10, 2019, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 17, 2019, to serve 180 months in federal prison;
- David Campbell, 61, of Plantation, Florida, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10, 2019, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 17, 2019, to serve 120 months in federal prison;
- Louis Bell, 34, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, pleaded guilty on Nov. 8, 2018, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 18, 2019, to serve 201 months in federal prison;
- Elizabeth Ton, 31, of Davie, Florida, pleaded guilty on June 18, 2018, to money laundering conspiracy. She was sentenced on March 8, 2019, to serve 41 months in federal prison; and
- Danny Gamboa, 25, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10, 2019, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 17, 2019, to serve 25 months in federal prison.
District of Oregon
- Channing Lacey, 35, of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty on March 28, 2017, to one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury to three individuals and one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. She was sentenced on Aug. 28, 2017, to serve 135 months in federal prison;
- Steven Fairbanks Locke, 46, of Portland, pleaded guilty on June 14, 2017, to use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug offense. He was sentenced on Sept. 4, 2019, to time served; and
- Carissa Marie Laprall, 27, of Portland, pleaded guilty on March 28, 2017, to three counts of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury. She was sentenced on Jan. 30, 202 to time served.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force, IRS Criminal Investigation, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Portland Police Bureau – Narcotics and Organized Crime Division, Oregon/Idaho HIDTA Interdiction Task Force, Oregon State Police, and the Grand Forks Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni and Imani Hutty of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Myers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon are prosecuting the case.
Previously convicted sex offender from Nevada sentenced to 14 years in prison after failing to update sex offender registrationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Anthony Thompson was sentenced on July 26 to 14 years in prison. Thompson, 33, pleaded guilty on April 30, 2021, to failure to register as a sex offender, escape from custody and possession of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, Thompson was convicted in 2009 and again in 2012 for possession of child pornography. Thompson was finishing his second prison term in a residential reentry center in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he escaped the facility on Feb. 6, 2020. He was later found and arrested in Roswell, New Mexico, by the U.S. Marshals Service on June 18, 2020. Thompson had not notified authorities in Nevada or New Mexico that he would be residing or working in New Mexico, in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. At the time of his arrest, Thompson was in possession of child pornography. In addition to the charge of escape from custody, Thompson also had a pending charge of possession of child pornography in the District of Nevada.
Upon his release from prison, Thompson will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must continue to register as a sex offender.
The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, and Roswell Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Joni Autrey Stahl and Matilda McCarthy Villalobos prosecuted the case.
# # #
Pontiac Man Sentenced to 15 years for Advertisement of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Judge Denise Page Hood sentenced Jovanni Ramirez, 28, of Pontiac, Michigan, to 15 years’ imprisonment for advertisement of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Angie Salazar, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his plea, Ramirez agreed that in June 2019, he collected, advertised, and sold images of child pornography online. Ramirez told one online user that he had over 500 videos, and that he typically sold each video for $50. Ramirez offered to sell an undercover agent child pornography in August 2019, using a PayPal account to receive payment. Subsequently, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ramirez’s residence and located over 350 images and over 100 videos of child pornography on his cell phone.
“Individuals who advertise and sell child pornography online are responsible for fueling the cycle of abuse that victims of sexual exploitation experience every time their images are distributed to others,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “Those who engage in this behavior should know that they will be prosecuted and held responsible to the fullest extent under the law.”
"This case shows the outcome of the tireless work of our dedicated law enforcement professionals," said Angie Salazar, special agent in charge of HSI Detroit. "HSI is committed to holding those who sexually exploit our children accountable and will continue to seek significant sentences for anyone who commit these horrendous crimes against children."
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Currie and Erin Ramamurthy and was investigated by agents of the office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty in Cross-Country Cocaine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A Pittsburgh resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a violation of the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Howard Johnson II, 32, pleaded guilty to an Indictment charging him, and 26 other codefendants, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Government advised the Court that the prosecution of Johnson arose out of a two-year investigation into a drug trafficking organization whose members distributed kilograms of cocaine, sourced from Mexico, throughout the United States (in California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere). The Court was advised that alleged co-conspirators obtained kilograms of cocaine in Los Angeles, California, and sent them to the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere through the United States Postal Service. In connection with his guilty plea, Johnson admitted that he received and transported cocaine-laden parcels that were sent by co-conspirators from Los Angeles, California, to the Western District of Pennsylvania. In connection with his plea, Johnson admitted that the total quantity of cocaine attributable to him, through his conduct and the foreseeable conduct of co-conspirators, was at least 15 kilograms but less than 50 kilograms. The Court was advised that agents seized in excess of 100 kilograms of cocaine during its two-year investigation into the drug trafficking organization, of which Johnson admitted to being a member.
Judge Hardy scheduled sentencing for Dec. 6, 2022. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (in Pittsburgh, PA) and the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General led the multi-agency investigation that included members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (in Los Angeles, CA; in Tucson, AZ; in New York, NY; in Nashville, TN; at the Special Operations Division; and in Mexico); the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Allegheny County Police Department; the New Castle Police Department; the Monessen Police Department; and the Pennsylvania State Police.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 92 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – Vincent Nichols Jr., 35, of the 2600 block of West Hedge Hill Lane, Peoria, Illinois has been sentenced to the Bureau of Prisons for 92 months for possession of a firearm by a felon. Imprisonment will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on September 23, 2020, Nichols was a passenger in a car being driven by an individual with an outstanding arrest warrant. Peoria Police Officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and arrested the driver. Police then searched the car and asked each of three additional occupants to step out. During the search, police located a 9mm handgun directly on top of the seat where Nichols had been sitting. The gun was loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
In pretrial filings, the government had established that Nichols had previously been convicted of a felony offense punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
Nichols was indicted in October, 2020 and convicted by a jury on March 30, 2022.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid stated that persons unlawfully possessing and carrying firearms contribute to the tragedy and heartbreak on our City streets, adding that sentences imposed must be lengthy to deter others and to reflect the seriousness of the offense.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a felon are up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Sarah Holst Schryer represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Nichols was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Ice MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Russell N. Clemens, 42, of the 4000 block of North Brandywine Drive, was sentenced on July 21, 2022, to 10 years in the Bureau of Prisons, followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid, the government presented evidence that, during an investigation, the Peoria Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained a search warrant for Clemens’ car and apartment. The search of the car revealed a total of 548.8 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine, more than $5,000 in cash, and a drug ledger. The master bedroom of the apartment contained drug ledgers and a digital scale. Clemens admitted to selling methamphetamine since May 2020 and that he was buying pound amounts of methamphetamine.
Clemens was indicted in May 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in December 2021. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are 10 years to life of imprisonment, followed by 5 years to life of supervised release, and up to $10 million in fines may also be imposed.
The Peoria Police Department and the DEA investigated the case with assistance of the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the DEA. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for PPP FraudRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Samuel M. Powell II, 28, of the 1000 block of West Butler Street, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for theft of government money.
Powell admitted to stealing government money through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was established through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). PPP provided small businesses with funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs and related expenses.
Powell applied for a PPP loan on February 22, 2021. Powell claimed he had operated a barber shop since June 2018 and had one employee with an annual payroll expense of $96,000. He was approved for a $20,000 PPP loan. The funds were direct deposited into Powell’s CEFCU account on March 2, 2021. That same day, Powell withdrew $9,500 in cash, followed by two withdrawals the very next day – one for $9,500 and one for the remaining balance of $1,500. On June 25, 2021, Powell filed a Loan Forgiveness Application, certifying that he used the funds per PPP rules, and the loan was forgiven. However, Powell was not a licensed barber and did not own a barber shop.
Powell was indicted on the current charge on December 21, 2021. He was originally released on bond, but an arrest warrant was issued after Powell removed his electronic monitoring equipment and failed to appear for a February 24, 2022 hearing. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Following his release from prison, Powell will serve two years on supervised release. Powell was ordered to pay restitution of $20,000 for the PPP loan and $350 for damaging the electronic monitoring equipment he was ordered to wear when he was released on bond.
The statutory penalties for theft of government money are up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and FBI investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.
Oregon Mother and Daughter Face Federal Charges for Role in International Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Oregon mother and daughter, both members of a large international drug distribution organization based in India, are facing federal charges for conspiring with each other and others to traffic hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills into the U.S. for distribution in Oregon and elsewhere.
Jennifer McConnon, 48, and Sydney Sleight, 22, residents of Keizer, Oregon, have been charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances.
John Doe aka “Bunny Jinn,” the unnamed leader of McConnon and Sleight’s drug distribution organization, has also been indicted for their role in the conspiracy.
According to the indictment, Bunny Jinn would, from India, export packages of real and counterfeit pills containing various controlled substances including Tapentadol, Lorazepam, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Diazepam, Carisoprodol, Ketamine, and Tramadol into the U.S. McConnon and Sleight, operating in Oregon, received the packages, prepared the drugs for distribution, and distributed them to customers throughout the U.S.
Bunny Jinn, McConnon and Sleight used various encrypted messaging applications and services to communicate with one another and further their conspiracy. McConnon and Sleight, who maintained premises in Keizer to store and distribute the drugs, received more than 275 drug parcels via a post office box, and received payment for their participation in the scheme via several online payment applications.
McConnon made her initial appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Armistead. She was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and released pending a 5-day jury trial scheduled to begin on September 13, 2022. The date of Sleight’s first appearance in federal court is to be determined.
If convicted, McConnon and Sleight face maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Salem Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin is prosecuting the case.
Operation False Haven: Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud and Judicially DenaturalizedRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – Vyacheslav Fyodorovich Rizhkov, age 44, born in Azerbaijan and residing in Union County, was sentenced on July 22, 2022, by Senior United States District Judge N. Carlton Tilley, Jr., to four months in prison followed by a one-year term of supervised release for one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization. Moreover, Rizhkov was judicially denaturalized as a United States citizen.
According to court records, on September 17, 2019, Rizhkov fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.” However, on March 6, 2020, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Cabarrus County, Rizhkov was convicted of sexual battery of a physically helpless person and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. Rizhkov was sentenced for those offenses to a suspended term of imprisonment of between 16 and 29 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to court records, all three victims were minors who he molested over a period of years, beginning at least as early as July 2017. Rizhkov was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crimes.
Sandra J. Hairston, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing ERO initiative purpose-built to aggressively target child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank J. Chut.
###
Omaha Man Sentenced for Firearm and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Marco A. Vallecillo, 26, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for possessing with intent to distribute marijuana and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Vallecillo to 75 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Vallecillo will begin a three-year term of supervised release on the drug and firearms charges.
On April 26, 2021, a confidential source (CS) arranged for a controlled purchase of marijuana and a gun from Vallecillo at his home in Bellevue, Nebraska. The CS paid $1,000 and received a Polymer 80 PF940C 9mm handgun and marijuana. The firearm was determined to be a “ghost” gun – a firearm without a manufacturer’s serial number and unregistered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, thus rendering it untraceable by law enforcement.
Following the controlled purchase of marijuana and the “ghost” gun, the Omaha Police Department and FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant on Vallecillo’s home and seized several items including more than 2.5 kilograms of marijuana, drug packaging materials, drug scales, and other narcotics related paraphernalia. An SCCY 9mm handgun was also found within the residence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Omaha Police Department. It is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, a federal judge sentenced BRIAN KENDALL SMITH, III, 23, of Oklahoma City, to 120 months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On February 1, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Smith charging him three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On April 13, 2022, Smith pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Indictment.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Smith to serve 120 months in federal prison. Judge Palk cited, among other things, the serious nature of the offense, Smith’s criminal history, gang affiliation, and the need to protect the public. The Court imposed three years of supervised release. Public records reflect Smith had felony convictions for conspiracy to commit armed robbery in Oklahoma County case CF-2020-1809, assault with a dangerous weapon in Oklahoma County case CF-2020-1809, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute in Oklahoma County case CF-2020-3317, and possession of stolen property in Oklahoma County case CF-2020-3317.
This case is the result of investigations by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Wilson D. McGarry prosecuted the case.
This case is part of "Operation 922," the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhood, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. "Operation 922" prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about "Operation 922", visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/project-safe-neighborhood-psn.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
Oglala Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Body Armor by a Violent FelonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Oglala, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon was sentenced on July 22, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Kane Youngman, age 27, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Kane Youngman was indicted for Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon by a federal grand jury in February of 2022. A federal trial jury in Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted him of the charge in April 2022.
The conviction stems from Youngman, who had been convicted of a crime of violence, possessing a ballistic vest worn to protect against gunfire in January 2022, at Oglala.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Youngman was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Normal, Illinois Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Normal, Illinois man, Jahquan Howard, 29, of the 1100 block of Wartburg Drive, was sentenced on July 21, 2022, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor. Howard must also register as a sex offender.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid, the government presented evidence that in April 2019, Howard trafficked a minor girl into prostitution. Howard rented hotel rooms in the Peoria area, transported the girl to the hotels, and gave her controlled substances. He used online advertisements to solicit men to the hotel rooms to have sex with the girl and then collected payment for the act.
“Sex trafficking is modern day slavery” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “Sex trafficking is particularly harmful when it involves minor children as in this case. There is zero tolerance for sex traffickers in the Central District of Illinois and we will work tirelessly to bring these predators to justice.”
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners work every day to shut down sex traffickers and deliver justice for victims,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. “While this sentence effectively ends Jahquan Howard’s ability to sexually exploit children, the damage caused by this crime can linger for a lifetime for the victim. The FBI remains constant in our commitment to provide resources for victims to assist in the healing process.”
Howard was indicted in February 2020 and entered a guilty plea in April 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The statutory penalties for sex trafficking a minor are 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by 5 years to life of supervised release. A fine of up to $250,000 may also be imposed.
The Bloomington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office investigated the case with assistance of the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Howard was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
New Jersey Man Federally Charged with Enticement of a Minor and Interstate Transportation of a Minor to Engage in Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Arnold Castillo, 22, of Paterson, New Jersey, has been arrested on charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to court documents, beginning sometime in February 2022, Castillo used a social media application to communicate with a minor child from central Indiana with the goal of luring her to New Jersey for illicit sexual purposes. Over several months, Castillo showered praise upon the minor, sent her gifts through an online retailer, and paid her money. These tactics, also known as “grooming,” are used by sex offenders to gain a minor’s trust and alienate them from family and other support systems.
On or about May 3, 2022, Castillo coerced and enticed the minor to travel from Indiana to New Jersey for illicit purposes. Castillo paid and arranged for an Uber driver to pick up the minor and transport her across state lines to him.
Using data from the social media application and the online retailer, investigators traced the minor to an address in Patterson, New Jersey. On May 11, 2022, investigators recovered the minor from Castillo’s residence and later reunited her with her mother. New Jersey authorities arrested Castillo on state charges, and he was charged under seal in federal court in Indianapolis the following morning.
On May 12, 2022, Castillo appeared before a federal Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey and was detained and ordered removed to the Southern District of Indiana to face charges. Today, the defendant made his initial appearance in Indianapolis and was ordered detained in the custody of the United States Marshal pending trial. If convicted, Castillo faces up to life in prison on each of the two charges. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.
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’s Indianapolis Violent Crimes Task Force and Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case. The Lawrence Police Department, the FBI’s Garrett Mountain Resident Agency Violent Crimes Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, the Passaic County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey provided valuable assistance and worked together to rescue the victim.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who is prosecuting 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
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Nashville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Nashville man was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for using social media platforms to threaten, harass, and stalk multiple victims, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Barry Zarculia, 55, was initially arrested in November 2020 and was later indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of cyberstalking. He pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2021. According to the charging documents, an investigation by the FBI determined that Zarculia used a cellular phone and an Instagram account to send death threats, threaten serious bodily harm, and/or harass, intimidate, and stalk multiple victims.
Zarculia was the user of the Instagram account @songs_in_the_key_of_z and posted hateful, racist, anti-black messages on its public message board, such as messages including the phrasing “black lives don’t matter.” In addition, an individual referenced having observed posts that applauded the sniper who conducted the 2017 Las Vegas massacre and alluded to the fact that the user wished the same attack would occur in Nashville. After posting these and other comments, Zarculia received negative feedback from other social media users. Zarculia then posted a photograph of one individual’s house, along with the address of the individual’s public page, and said in part, “Anyone that wants a piece of me, come on over,……..Off Nolensville Pike. I sleep in the front bedroom.” This alarmed the individual as this front bedroom was occupied by his child. Zarculia also sent other messages to this individual and called him on the phone and threatened to put a gun in his mouth.
The continuing investigation led agents to another victim who began receiving unsolicited messages from Zarculia in September 2019, via Instagram. Although this woman had never met Zarculia, his messages referenced her recent locations around Nashville, including a local coffee shop and a local park. Over the next several months, Zarculia continued to send this woman messages, which she described as “creepy” and “overly sexual” in nature, often sending her photos of his penis. On one occasion, Zarculia made reference to the woman’s minor son and specifically mentioned the elementary school which he attended, though the woman had never mentioned her son to Zarculia. She eventually stopped responding to Zarculia’s messages and, in early 2020, Zarculia approached her in a local grocery store. She did not engage in conversation with him and went about her business. Later, Zarculia sent her messages that were angry in nature. These messages continued to escalate to violent and threatening rants, some sent in audio format and also directed at a friend of the woman who had become involved out of fear for the woman’s safety.
Another woman began receiving unsolicited Instagram messages from Zarculia in July 2020. These messages also escalated to harassing and threatening text and audio messages. On many occasions, Zarculia made reference to her location, making it apparent that he had followed her and knew where she had been and where she lived. In October, out of fear for her safety, the woman obtained a temporary order of protection against Zarculia. The following day, while hiking at a local park, the woman saw Zarculia from a distance. She then hid in a large bush and sought the assistance of a park ranger to escort her to her vehicle, at which time Zarculia began yelling at her.
Each of these victims were forced to take additional security measures, including installing or updating their home alarm systems, or even moving from their home, in order to mitigate the threat posed by Zarculia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Risinger prosecuted the case.
# # # # #
Mother of Fresno County Jail Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle Heroin and Methamphetamine into the JailRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Eva Dolores Romero, 55, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Dec. 1, 2020, and Jan. 26, 2021, Romero’s son was an inmate at the Fresno County Jail. Romero conspired with her son and others outside of jail to smuggle methamphetamine and heroin into the jail for distribution among inmates. The plot was unfoiled when law enforcement agents reviewed recorded jail calls and learned about the attempted smuggling set to occur on January 26. On that date, law enforcement intercepted an individual attempting to deliver athletic shoes to the jail for an inmate. The shoes were searched, and hidden compartments were found inside the shoes containing the illicit narcotics.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
Romero is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Romero faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine up to $5 million. The actual sentence, however, will 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.
Morrisville Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison and 20 Years Supervised Release for Posting Child Pornography on Dark Web Chat RoomRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Eric Werner Johansson, 59, a Morrisville resident was sentenced today to 150 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release for sharing child pornography on dark web chat rooms. On March 8, 2022, the defendant pled guilty to transportation and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, agents with the Department of Homeland Security discovered a chat room on the dark web dedicated to child pornography. Using an explicit username, Johansson was observed in the chat room uploading links that connected to images of child pornography. In addition, Johansson was discussing his sexual arousal of such materials and fantasizing about sexually abusing children.
The investigation revealed that Homeland Security agents as well as Wake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the State Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Johansson’s residence on November 4, 2020. He admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material for a period of ten years. He admitted he had posted links to child pornography and had discussed his fantasies about sexually abusing children. Johansson further admitted being sexually aroused by child pornography.
A forensic examination of his digital devices revealed over 1,400 images and 30 videos of child sexual abuse material. These images and files included depictions of infants and toddlers being sexually abused and sadistic and masochistic conduct.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing hearing was concluded. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II presided over the case. The Department of Homeland Security, Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-00389-M-1.
###
Montgomery County Skilled Nursing Facility to Pay More than $819,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Arising from Billing of Rehabilitation TherapyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Old Man’s Home of Philadelphia d/b/a Saunders House will pay $819,640 to settle claims that the skilled nursing facility provided medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy to residents to maximize revenue, and without prioritizing clinical needs. Saunders House is located in Wynnewood, PA.
The settlement resolves allegations in a whistleblower complaint filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. These provisions allow private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The whistleblower, a physical therapist assistant who provided physical therapy services at Saunders House through his employment with a contracted therapy provider, generally alleged that Saunders House overbilled federal healthcare programs such as Medicare for therapy services. He alleged that Saunders House: (a) overbilled federal healthcare programs such as Medicare for therapy services provided; (b) billed for services not provided; (c) billed for unreasonable, unnecessary, and sometimes harmful therapy; and (d) allowed the therapy provider to manipulate clinical services to maximize billing.
During the relevant time period, Medicare Part A paid for services rendered to a beneficiary in a skilled nursing facility at a daily rate based, in part, on a Resource Utilization Group (RUG) to which the beneficiary is assigned. Each distinct RUG was intended to reflect the anticipated costs associated with providing nursing and rehabilitation services to beneficiaries with similar characteristics or resource needs. The highest reimbursement level was Ultra High or RU. The resolution is based on claims that Saunders House caused the submission of false claims for Ultra High RUG therapy levels despite evidence that the RU level of therapy was not reasonable or necessary for the respective patients.
“Focusing on profits over the needs of individual patients violates the public trust and creates a potential for harm of some of the most vulnerable among us,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “It also shifts taxpayers’ funds away from the vital services of law-abiding therapy providers. We thank the whistleblower for helping to make the government aware of these allegations. We also thank Saunders House for fully cooperating with the government’s investigation—that cooperation was taken into account when determining an appropriate resolution of these allegations.”
“Protecting the integrity of our Medicare program is of the utmost importance,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “Patients need to depend on the decisions made by their health care providers and know those decisions are made to improve their conditions and not to increase providers’ individual profits. HHS-OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate allegations of fraudulent actions.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Landon Y. Jones III and Elizabeth L. Coyne handled the case in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with assistance from auditor Dawn Wiggins, and worked with Albert Mayer, Trial Attorney, of the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
The Department of Justice, committed to protecting our nation’s seniors through its Elder Justice Initiative, works in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to support the efforts of state and local prosecutors, law enforcement, and other elder justice professionals to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, with the development of training, resources and information. Learn more about the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative at http://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
The case is docketed as United States et al. ex rel. Carson v. Select Rehabilitation, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 15-5708 (E.D. Pa.). The settled civil claims are allegations only. There has been no determination of civil liability.
Mexican National Sentenced to over 34 Years for Producing Child Pornography and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz.- On Tuesday, Ruben Oswaldo Yeverino Rosales, 27, of Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 413 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Rosales previously pleaded guilty to four counts of Production of Child Pornography and two counts of Cyberstalking.
Rosales, using an online account in Mexico, coerced a 14-year-old girl in Arizona to take over 600 pornographic images of herself. He then blackmailed the minor into producing additional images by threatening to send, and by actually sending, the images to her family and schoolmates.
Rosales also used the internet to coerce an 18-year-old high school senior in Arizona into taking nude pictures of herself and sending them to him. He later threatened to create a pornographic website to post the images if she did not continue to send him pictures.
The investigation into Rosales revealed that he used social media from 2015 until the time of his arrest to exploit more than 100 females, mostly minors – some as young as 12 years of age. Homeland Security Investigations was able to identify more than 80 of these victims throughout the United States and in multiple other countries.
Rosales was arrested in Mexico in 2019. In May 2020, Rosales was extradited to the District of Arizona.
Tuesday’s sentencing took into account similar indictments in five other districts, including the Central District of California, the District of South Carolina, the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Eastern District of Missouri, and Northern District of Oklahoma. As part of Rosales’ plea agreement, these indictments will be dismissed.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Goodyear Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gayle Helart and Sheila Phillips handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-18-01200-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-126_Rosales# # #
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.
Mexican National Sentenced for Attempting to Escape from Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national has been sentenced for an attempted prison escape in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Juan Fidencio Romo-De La Rosa, 39, of Muzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2021, to escape from federal custody and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield on July 27, 2022. The 27-month sentence was ordered to be served following an eight-year sentence De La Rosa was already serving at the time of the attempted escape. De La Rosa was previously convicted of transporting illegal aliens for financial gain and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2019 in the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, on Oct. 7, 2020, officers at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI)-Beaumont-Medium were alerted to an active fence alarm. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officers found an injured and bloodied inmate, identified as De La Rosa, in the process of climbing the outer perimeter razor wire fence. De La Rosa, bleeding from the razor wire, had already cleared an interior fence during his attempted escape. Upon being caught, De La Rosa surrendered to the guards at gun point without incident.
“Rest assured that those who threaten the safety and security of other inmates, staff, and the surrounding community, by escaping and attempting to escape from federal prison will be caught and will surely not escape justice either,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “Their reward instead, will be additional time in federal prison tacked on to their current sentence.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and Federal Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Stratso.
###
Mexican Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry by an Alien Who Was Previously Removed Due to a Felony ConvictionRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Mexican national was sentenced to 18 months in prison for unlawful reentry by an alien removed or deported after conviction of a felony.
Guillermo Ivan Ramirez-Saucedo, 41, of Mexico, pleaded guilty and was convicted of the federal felony offense on April 21, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Taylor B. McNeel in Gulfport.
According to court documents, Ramirez-Saucedo was arrested on November 22, 2021, on Interstate 10 eastbound in Hancock County. Following a “Be On the Lookout” Alert, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent conducted a vehicle stop and identified the driver as Guillermo Ivan Ramirez-Saucedo, who was illegally present in the United States. Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies assisted in arresting Ramirez-Saucedo, who also was charged in connection with resisting arrest. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided further investigation of the case in addition to the U.S. Border Patrol and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
At the Gulfport Border Patrol Station, Ramirez-Saucedo’s identity was positively confirmed. Records revealed that in 2008, Ramirez-Saucedo was lawfully removed from the U.S. to his home nation of Mexico. He was arrested again, convicted of unlawful return after removal, and removed again in 2010 and 2017. In 2018, he was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, for unlawful reentry by a removed alien, followed by his most recent removal from the U.S. in 2020.
Following completion of his prison sentence, Ramirez-Saucedo is subject to Homeland Security proceedings to remove him from the United States. If Ramirez-Saucedo were to unlawfully return after removal from the U.S. during his three-year term of supervised release, he would be subject to further imprisonment as well as additional prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca of the Southern District of Mississippi, Jason E. Schneider, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, and Special Agent-in-Charge, Jermicha L. Fomby, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for the case.