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Friday 10 June 2022
Waterloo Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
A felon who possessed a firearm was sentenced on June 9, 2022, to 87 months in federal prison.
Dewon Campbell, age 23, of Waterloo received the sentence after a November 3, 2021 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. At the plea hearing, Campbell admitted that, on March 29, 2021, he knowingly possessed a pistol after having been convicted of a felony offense.
Campbell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Campbell was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Williams and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 21-2056.
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Union County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man who was previously convicted of several felonies was sentenced to 144 months in prison for possessing and intending to distribute cocaine and oxycodone and for illegally possessing a handgun in furtherance of his drug distribution, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Arthur Forman, 39, of Plainfield, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to a superseding information charging him with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone, possession of a firearm in the course of committing that narcotics offense, and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence on June 9, 2022, in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
During an encounter with the Plainfield Police Department on Oct. 13, 2017, Forman resisted arrest by choking a Plainfield detective. While trying to evade capture, Forman transferred a bag containing the cocaine and firearm to a family member, who attempted to dispose of the bag and its contents by throwing it out a window. During a subsequent search of Forman’s bedroom, Plainfield police officers found numerous oxycodone pills and paraphernalia used to grind pills and package drugs for sale. Forman was previously convicted of multiple felonies under New Jersey state law, including a 2016 conviction in Union County, New Jersey for resisting arrest and eluding the police.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; the Plainfield Police Department, under the leadership of Police Director Lisa Burgess; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber and Deputy Chief Desiree Grace of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Two Men Charged with Illegally Trafficking Almost 60 Guns into Philadelphia from South CarolinaRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Terrance Darby, 41, of Philadelphia, PA, and Ontavious Plumer, 32, of Due West, South Carolina, were charged by Superseding Indictment with gun trafficking offenses in connection with their scheme to straw purchase and transport across state lines almost 60 firearms.
Specifically, the defendants were charged with unlicensed dealing and transport of firearms, and conspiracy to engage in unlicensed dealing of firearms and to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer. Darby was also charged with drug trafficking and gun possession stemming from his possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and unlawful possession of two firearms in his home in November 2021.
According to the Superseding Indictment, between November 2020 and February 2021, the defendants conspired with at least four other individuals to illegally straw-purchase almost 60 firearms from federally licensed gun shops in South Carolina, then transport these firearms via car into Philadelphia. Darby would allegedly place orders for firearms with Plumer, who would then direct co-conspirators to straw purchase firearms and transport them to Darby and his co-conspirator in Philadelphia.
This Superseding Indictment is the third set of charges brought by this Office in the last two months targeting the illegal trafficking of firearms from southern states into Philadelphia, a large northeastern city, a fact pattern which is known as the ‘iron pipeline.’ In April 2022, multiple defendants were Indicted in two federal cases involving the unlawful trafficking of approximately 400 firearms up the ‘iron pipeline’ into the city.
“Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced strategies to fight violent crime, including cracking down on firearms trafficking and the ‘iron pipeline,’ and our Office announced the indictment of fourteen people engaged in that that black-market business. With today’s charges, we have shut off yet another valve to stem the flow of guns into Philadelphia,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Our Office is working with urgency and determination to get guns off the streets of our city.”
“At a time when our communities have seen a spike in violent gun crime, it is more important now than ever that we hold those accountable for criminal actions,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “The diligence of our local, state, and federal partners prevented more guns from circulation into the community, as the indictment alleges.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Flint Men Charged with Fraudulently Purchasing Firearms from Licensed Gun Dealers in Two States to Resell to Others for ProfitRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – United States Attorney Mark A. Totten announced today that a federal grand jury charged two men with fraudulently acquiring 62 pistols and rifles from federally licensed firearms dealers in Michigan and Ohio by lying about who was purchasing and paying for the weapons they effectively stole from the dealers to resell to others for profit.
According to the indictment, Jonathan-Michael Brown, age 23, and Jalen Kenyatta-Malik Jackson, age 24, both of Flint, Michigan, illegally purchased 62 firearms (and attempted to purchase 19 additional firearms) from federally licensed firearms dealers using multiple fraudulent methods. Brown had previously been convicted of a felony offense and could not lawfully possess any firearms. It is alleged that Brown acquired firearms by posing as another person and using the driver’s license of that person and credit card account numbers of other victims to purchase the weapons for resale. The Indictment further alleges that Brown recruited Jackson to make false statements to gun dealers when he acquired multiple firearms using credit card numbers assigned to other victims to purchase those weapons to resell to others. As a result, the cost of the guns was passed on to others and Brown and Jackson transferred the firearms to others for profit.
Brown was charged with two counts of making false statements to firearms dealers, two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, two counts of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. Jackson was charged with two counts of making false statements to firearms dealers, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Brown and Jackson face a maximum of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charges and a maximum of 10 years in prison for making false statements to firearms dealers. Brown also faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of the firearms and a mandatory consecutive 2 years in prison for aggravated identity theft. Both defendants also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and other monetary penalties. Upon conviction, a federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until the government proves them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating this case.
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Two Federal Inmates Charged with Possession of A WeaponRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Matthew Coke, age 23, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood (FCI Allenwood), and Devonte Andrews, age 29, an inmate at FCI Allenwood, were charged separately yesterday by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, two federal inmates were charged with possessing contraband in prison:
- Coke was found in possession of a sharpened plastic shank on April 14, 2022; and
- Andrews was found in possession of a sharpened plastic shank on April 16, 2022.
The charges stem from an investigation by officers at FCI Allenwood and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the cases.
If convicted, Coke faces a maximum of five years of incarceration and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Criminal indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Three Defendants Sent to Federal Prison as a Result of Project Safe Neighborhoods CasesRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of three cases in Shreveport today involving the illegal possession of firearms. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote sentenced the following defendants:
Cedarrick Arenzo Brooks, 22, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, and Kymmton Solomon, 24, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for being convicted felons in possession of firearms. Both will serve 3 years of supervised release following their release from prison. Brooks and Solomon were both charged in October 2021 as the result of an investigation by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Shreveport/Caddo Violent Crime Abatement Team (VCAT). Agents began conducting surveillance of Solomon after he had been identified as a person of interest in multiple violent crimes by Shreveport Police Department detectives. During their investigation, agents observed Solomon as he drove to a house on Bibb Street in Shreveport and met with an unknown male, later identified as Brooks. Agents were able to see Brooks carrying what appeared to be an AR-style rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine as he got into the vehicle with Solomon.
Shortly thereafter, deputies with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle while driving on Mansfield Road but Solomon fled through traffic. After a pursuit, Solomon’s vehicle left the roadway and crashed on the side of the road. Solomon and the passenger, Brooks, exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Solomon fled into the woods and was taken into custody in the backyard of a residence on St. Helens Drive in Shreveport. Brooks was apprehended in the parking lot of a store on Walker Road. He was bitten by a K-9, escaped briefly, jumped on top of a car with a female and children inside, and then was tased and fell off the car.
Deputies cleared the vehicle Solomon was driving after both he and Brooks had fled and located a Zastava AK-47 rifle lying in the driver’s seat and a Carbon-15 .556 caliber pistol lying on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat. Solomon and Brooks were both arrested and interviewed. Solomon told officers that the Zastava AK-47 rifle belonged to his girlfriend but that he used it to protect himself. Brooks admitted that he knew there were two firearms in the vehicle. Solomon has a prior felony conviction for simple burglary in Caddo Parish in 2016. Brooks has a prior felony conviction for second degree battery in Ouachita Parish in 2019.
Haston Smith, Jr., 30, of Bossier City, Louisiana, was sentenced to 32 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On or about October 5, 2021, agents with the ATF and the Shreveport/Caddo VCAT were conducting surveillance on Smith’s residence after he had been identified as a person of interest in an ongoing investigation by Shreveport Police Department’s Violent Crime detectives. Agents were aware that Smith was a convicted felon and could not possess firearms. Smith was observed leaving his residence with what appeared to be a handgun in his hand and get into a vehicle along with an adult female and two children. Agents maintained surveillance on Smith as he drove the vehicle from Bossier City to the Cooper Road area in Shreveport. After violating a traffic law, Smith was stopped by law enforcement agents. As they went to escort the female and children out of the vehicle, agents observed a firearm laying on the front passenger seat floorboard in plain view. The firearm was seized and identified as a Glock 23 pistol. Smith was arrested and admitted the firearm was his even though he knew as a convicted felon he was prohibited from doing so. Smith’s prior felony conviction was for illegal use of weapons in Caddo Parish in 2014.
These cases were investigated by the ATF, Shreveport Police Department, and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.
These cases are 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. PSN is 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. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Stock Trader Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Investors in Medical Technology CompanyRead the Press Release
A California man pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with a scheme to defraud investors in a publicly traded company’s securities and manipulate the company’s stock price.
According to court documents, Jason Nielsen, 55, of Scotts Valley, was a large shareholder of Arrayit, a publicly traded medical device company based in California. From approximately 2019 through April 2020, Nielsen engaged in an unlawful “scalping” and “spoofing” scheme to manipulate the price of Arrayit securities. Nielsen used online message boards to publicly post false and misleading information about the nature of his trading in Arrayit securities, in order to induce others to purchase Arrayit securities and thereby drive up the stock’s price, a practice known as “scalping.”
Nielsen admitted that he placed orders to buy Arrayit stock that he intended to cancel before execution. The purpose of these orders was to deceive the public and Arrayit shareholders by signaling demand for Arrayit securities which did not exist. This allowed Nielsen to sell his shares at artificially inflated prices, a practice known as “spoofing.” While engaged in these practices, Nielsen was secretly selling his own previously acquired shares at an artificially inflated price.
Nielsen pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24 and 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 Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds for the Northern District of California; Special Agent in Charge Steven Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office; Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group; Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Bryan Denny of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s (DoD OIG) Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG’s San Francisco Regional Office and Detroit Regional Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, VA-OIG and DCIS investigated the case.
Acting Principal Assistant Chief Justin Weitz, Assistant Chief Jacob Foster, and Trial Attorney Laura Connelly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Farnham of the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section is using the Victim Notification System (VNS) to provide victims with case information and updates related to this case. Victims with questions may contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Assistance Unit by calling the Victim Assistance phone line at 1-888-549-3945 or by emailing [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas. If you believe you are a victim, please visit https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/Nielsen.
Steward Health Care System Agrees to Pay $4.7 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Steward Health Care System LLC (Steward) and several related corporate entities have agreed to pay approximately $4.735 million to resolve allegations that its relationships with several physicians and physician practice groups violated federal law, including the False Claims Act. Despite its public denials, in the signed settlement agreement, Steward “admits, acknowledges, and accepts responsibility” for the facts underlying the government’s allegations.
Steward is one of the largest, private for-profit health care networks in the nation and the owner of multiple hospitals in Massachusetts. Steward owns and operates Steward Good Samaritan Medical Center, Inc. (GSMC), a for-profit hospital in Brockton.
According to the settlement agreement, in 2011, GSMC entered into an agreement with Brockton Urology Clinic (Brockton Urology) which obligated Brockton Urology to administer a Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence at GSMC. Steward admits that, since at least January 2012, GSMC had no Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence and Brockton Urology did not provide the services specified in the agreement with GSMC. However, from April 2011 through December 2017, GSMC purportedly paid Brockton Urology pursuant to the agreement and Brockton Urology referred patients to GSMC.
The United States reached a separate settlement agreement with Brockton Urology in February 2022 regarding this conduct.
GSMC entered into a similar agreement with a separate physician practice. Steward paid that physician practice from April 2011 through December 2015, purportedly for cancer center services. During a portion of that time, GSMC had an agreement that obligated the practice to provide a physician to serve as the director of GSMC’s Prostate Cancer Program. Steward admits, however, that the physician practice never provided a physician to serve as the director of GSMC’s Prostate Cancer Program and, in fact, did not perform any of the services specified in the agreement. That practice also referred patients to GSMC.
Over the course of the government’s investigation, Steward disclosed facts concerning two other sets of physician relationships that the United States contends violated federal law. First, in October 2010, Steward entered into a compensation arrangement with a physician pursuant to which the physician agreed to serve as GSMC’s Medical Director of Post-Acute Care Services. Steward admits that it has been unable to confirm that the physician performed the services but that it still paid the physician from November 2010 through June 2016 and that the physician referred patients to GSMC during that period. Second, Steward admits that it failed to charge the proper rent on some of its leases with physicians, physician organizations and non-physician organizations, resulting in some of those entities paying rent below fair market value. Steward admits that between January 2010 and October 2015, it leased real property to these physicians and physician organizations and that those entities were referral sources for Steward’s Massachusetts hospitals.
In connection with the settlement, GSMC has entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), which provides for an annual review of its financial arrangements for compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law by an Independent Review Organization.
“This case is about fraud, waste, and abuse by Steward at the expense of the American taxpayers,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “When hospitals like Steward violate the law, we will work tirelessly to recover from them taxpayer money in order to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid funds are going to treat patients instead of supporting fraud.”
“Financial and referral arrangements between hospitals and physician practices that violate federal health care laws undermine the integrity of crucial medical decision-making,” said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of HHS-OIG. “This settlement is an example of the government’s combined efforts to protect Federal health care programs and their beneficiaries from those who are alleged to have violated these laws.”
“This settlement should serve as a warning to hospitals that they should not pay referring doctors for services that they did not provide,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Here a hospital paid referring physicians under the guise of a bogus cancer center. The FBI is proud to work alongside our partners to make sure hospitals follow the law and to root out fraud anywhere in the system.”
The False Claims Act settlement resolves Steward’s self-disclosures and allegations originally brought by a lawsuit filed by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private parties, known as relators, to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. In connection with today’s announced settlement, the relators will receive 17 percent of the recovery.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, HHS-OIG SAC Coyne and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. The Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles B. Weinograd and Jessica J. Weber of Rollins’ Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.
St. Petersburg Child Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Julius Arline (31, St. Petersburg) to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for engaging in the sex trafficking of minor children. Arline was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to pay restitution to the victims. Arline had pleaded guilty on March 11, 2022.
According to court documents, Julius Arline and his co-defendant, Leslie Reio, obtained, enticed and housed two child victims in a St. Petersburg hotel room, forcing them to commit commercial sex acts between March 6, 2021, and March 14, 2021. The child victims (14 and 15 years old) were rescued after being forced to take sexually explicit photographs of themselves that were used as online advertisements for commercial sex with strangers. The two children were kept in the hotel room where they were provided illegal drugs and forced to participate in a number of sex dates over an 8-day period. After being forced to engage in the sex acts and receiving payment, the child victims were required to give money to Arline and Reio.
A sentencing hearing for Reio is scheduled for July 8, 2022.
“Child sex trafficking is happening every day, and this significant sentence exemplifies HSI’s commitment to protecting children from sex trafficking crimes and victimization,” said HSI Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Silliman. “HSI, alongside St. Petersburg Police Department, are committed to locating, and recovering child victims, as well as ensuring predators are held responsible for their heinous crimes.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force, with substantial assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
This case was brought as part of the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force of the Middle District of Florida, which is one of 13 task forces in the country to receive grant funding from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Task Force is a collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents working together with organizations to detect, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking in the Tampa Bay area. This includes trafficking of minors, forced labor, transnational sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion. More information about the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/humantrafficking. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
St. Louis rappers, others indicted on fentanyl conspiracy, other chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –St. Louis rappers and others are among 14 people indicted on federal charges accusing them of running a fentanyl distribution ring in the St. Louis area.
Davante “Jizzlebuckz” Lindsey, 25, of St. Louis, Andre “Luh Half” Pearson, 25, of St. Louis County, and five others were originally indicted in April. Seven other defendants were added in a superseding indictment on Wednesday, including Edward “Edot” Hopkins, 20.
All defendants face a felony charge of conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Some are also charged with fentanyl possession, fentanyl distribution, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, conspiracy to tamper with a witness or other crimes.
The forfeiture of nine pistols, two vehicles and more than $84,000 in cash seized during the investigation is also being sought in the indictment.
According to a detention motion filed by prosecutors, Lindsey and Pearson are leaders of the “55 Boyz,” an organization responsible for drug trafficking and gun violence throughout St. Louis, but particularly along the Interstate 55 corridor.
The others indicted are Tony Evans, 32, Araven Johnson, 27, Douglas Simpson, 33, of Normandy, Jeffrey Moore, 24, of Riverview, Shawn Liggins, 20, of Wellston, Omar Lewis, 21, Willie Lindsey, 42, Jamond “Huncho” Dismukes, 21, Travon Weatherspoon, 31, Birtha Lindsey, 41, and Erik Simmons, 28.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Spammers Plead Guilty, Company Forfeits $4.9 MillionRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Sabrina L. Fève (619) 546-6786 and Melanie Pierson 546-7976
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – June 10, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Three employees of the affiliate marketing platform Amobee pleaded guilty in federal court today to hijacking Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to send unsolicited commercial email messages, commonly known as “spam.”
The three employees, Jacob Bychak, Mark Manoogian, and Abdul Mohammed Qayyum, joined Daniel Dye and Vincent Tarney in pleading guilty to violating the federal CAN-SPAM statute for their involvement in misusing the stolen IP addresses to send spam.
The defendants’ employer, formerly known as both Adconion Direct Inc. and Frontline Direct (hereafter, “Adconion”), previously agreed to forfeit $4,939,526 as the fraudulent proceeds of a wire fraud conspiracy in which its employees hijacked more than 500,000 IP addresses to send over 10 billion commercial emails to people in the United States and elsewhere.
IP addresses are the beginning and ending points for sending data via the internet. A discrete bundle of IP addresses in numeric order is known as a range or block. In this case, the defendants pleaded guilty to using fraudulent Letters of Authorization (“LOAs”) to take control of large blocks of IP addresses registered to eleven different entities without the registrants’ knowledge or consent. As part of the fraudulent scheme, the defendants used email accounts set up to impersonate the IP blocks’ true registrants. In particular, the defendants used and created email addresses with the true registrants’ domain name (e.g., ect.net) to impersonate real and fictitious employees. They then emailed the fraudulent LOAs, which were written on fake letterheads and included forged signatures, from these imposter email accounts to various Internet hosting companies to falsely represent to the hosting companies that the true registrants authorized them to use the IP addresses.
All the IP blocks hijacked by the defendants were IPv4 addresses. Demand for a finite number of IPv4 addresses available has driven up their value over time. Between December 2010 and September 2014, when the defendants’ conduct occurred, a block of 65,534 IP addresses, referred to as a Class B block, was worth approximately $650,000. Today, it is worth as much as $3.3 million. Internet Service Providers like Yahoo and Google routinely employ filters to block spam from reaching a recipient’s inbox. Once an IP address is associated with spam, the filters typically block messages sent from that IP address. Spammers need a constant supply of fresh unblocked IP addresses to deliver the unwanted commercial email.
The defendants’ jobs with Adconion were to acquire fresh IP addresses and employ other measures to circumvent the spam filters. To conceal Adconion’s ties to the stolen IP addresses and the spam sent from these IP addresses, the defendants used a host of DBAs, virtual addresses, and fake names provided by the company. While defendants touted ties to well-known name brands, the email marketing campaigns associated with the hijacked IP addresses included advertisements such as “BigBeautifulWomen,” “iPhone4S Promos,” and “LatinLove[Cost-per-Click].”
Today’s guilty pleas arise from an October 2018 indictment for which trial began on May 23, 2022. Following opening statements, the trial was interrupted by the recent COVID surge and had yet to resume. In exchange for misdemeanor pleas, the defendants have each agreed to admit their involvement in the scheme, to undertake 100 hours of community service, and to pay a maximum $100,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance provided by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
“The defendants generated millions of dollars for their company by high-jacking hundreds of thousands of IP addresses, enabling them to illegally inundate consumers with over 10 billion email ads,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. ““This case was the first in the nation to charge violations of the CAN-SPAM Act’s provision against using hijacked IP addresses to send spam. We are committed to using all the tools at our disposal to protect the internet and everyone who depends on it.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team as well as the investigating agencies, the American Registry of Internet Numbers, Yahoo, The Spamhaus Project, and The National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance.
“These defendants spent years illegally sending billions of spam emails nationwide which made millions of dollars,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The FBI remains committed to pursuing these criminal conspiracies, no matter how long it takes, and holding them accountable in a court of law. I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their ongoing support and partnership in bringing this case to an end.”
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 18cr4683-GPC
Jacob Bychak Age: 36 Carlsbad, CA
Mark Manoogian Age: 39 Carlsbad, CA
Abdul Mohammed Qayyum Age: 40 Oceanside, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
CAN-SPAM – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1037(a)(5) and (b)(3)
Maximum penalty: One year in custody and $100,000 fine
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Internal Revenue Service
South Georgia man convicted of distribution, possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: A Coffee County man was found guilty on all counts after a two-day trial in federal court for possessing and distributing child pornography.
Ashley Marshall Carter, 41, of Douglas, Ga., was found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury on one count of Distribution of Child Pornography, and one count of Possession of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, up to 20, along with five years to life of supervised release and substantial financial penalties and restitution and registration upon release as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our office and our partner law enforcement agencies make it a priority to identify and bring to justice those who would victimize children,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “This guilty verdict by a jury of his peers ensures Ashley Carter will be held accountable for his crimes.”
As described in court, a task force officer working with Homeland Security Investigations identified electronic transfers of images of child exploitation originating from Carter’s Douglas address. During a subsequent search in February 2021, Carter was arrested after investigators removed multiple electronic devices from the home and identified thousands of images of child pornography.
Sentencing will be scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood after completion of a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“Finding, arresting and prosecuting those who are involved in the creation, collecting and or distribution of these disturbing images of child exploitation is one of our highest priorities, because of the devastating effects it has on our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure these predators face justice and that our children are protected.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Candler County Sheriff’s Office, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Jeremiah L. Johnson.
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood. Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
South Euclid Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A South Euclid man was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Thursday, June 9, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, on June 12, 2020, law enforcement officers from the United States Postal Inspection Service arrested Mark Holt Williams, 29, of South Euclid, Ohio, during a controlled delivery of a package containing a large quantity of methamphetamine. The parcel had been mailed from California to an apartment in University Heights, Ohio, but was intercepted in transit by Postal Inspectors. Williams was arrested and charged after accepting delivery of the methamphetamine parcel from an undercover Postal Inspector.
Also charged in the conspiracy is Donathan Woodson, age 30, of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. During the investigation into Williams, authorities learned that Woodson had traveled to California with Holt Williams to assist in mailing drug parcels back to Ohio. Woodson previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, 2022.
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Lewis and Elizabeth M. Crook.
Senior FARC Commander Extradited from Colombia to Face Charges of Operating a Violent Narcotics Distribution OrganizationRead the Press Release
Martin Leonel Perez Castro, also known as “Richard,” was extradited this morning to the United States from Colombia to face charges in the Eastern District of New York of leading a continuing criminal enterprise and participating in an international cocaine manufacture and distribution conspiracy. According to the indictment, court filings, and statements made in Court, the defendant was the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 30th Front, a group that operated in southwestern Colombia. The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Anne Milgram, Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the extradition and arraignment.
“As alleged, the defendant was a senior leader within FARC and used armed violence to protect a sophisticated operation that produced and distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine on a global scale, all to help finance the paramilitary group’s mission to overthrow the Government of Colombia,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our international partners to dismantle destructive drug trafficking organizations, especially where their drug trafficking is used to finance violence and terrorism.”
Mr. Peace extended his appreciation to the DEA’s office in Bogota, Colombia, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Department of State, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attachés in Bogotá, the Colombian National Police, the Government of Colombia, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the New York State Police (NYSP).
DEA Administrator Milgram said, “The charges today demonstrate that this violent narco-trafficking group imported tons of cocaine from Colombia into New York City. Through dedicated and tireless efforts, DEA and our global law enforcement partners have brought this senior FARC member to justice in the United States.”
“As an alleged senior FARC commander in Colombia, it’s charged that Martin Leonel Perez Castro used violence and terroristic tactics to expand the FARC’s narcotics empire while distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine across the United States and Europe. Today’s extradition is the beginning of a long road where Perez Castro will face American justice, and just as the FARC dissolved, so will his freedom,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso.
The FARC was founded in 1964 as a left-wing paramilitary group dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Government of Colombia. Over decades of conflict, the FARC attacked Colombian government forces and used targeted killings, kidnapping, and other terrorist tactics to achieve its ends. In October 1997, the U.S. Secretary of State designated the FARC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). After the Government of Colombia and the FARC entered into a peace accord in 2016, the FARC formally dissolved. On November 30, 2021, the U.S. Secretary of State revoked the designation of the FARC as an FTO. The defendant’s conduct occurred prior to the 2016 peace accord.
The 30th Front, allegedly led by Perez Castro, supplied many thousands of kilograms of cocaine to other drug trafficking organizations for distribution to locations in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, sometimes attacking rival drug trafficking groups or Colombian government forces to protect or expand FARC territory. As part of the investigation, law enforcement authorities seized over 2,500 kilograms of cocaine attributable to Perez Castro’s drug trafficking enterprise. The seizures included more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine recovered at and near a large-scale laboratory that was co-owned by the defendant.
The extradition of Perez Castro is the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the DEA. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. 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.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces up to life in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Saritha Komatireddy and Andrew D. Wang are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
MARTIN LEONEL PEREZ CASTRO, also known as “Richard”
Age: 51
ColombiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-465 (S-2) (RJD)
Scotts Valley Resident Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Investors in Medical Technology CompanyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - A California man pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with a scheme to defraud investors in a publicly traded company’s securities and manipulate the company’s stock price.
According to court documents, Jason Nielsen, 48, of Scotts Valley, was a large shareholder of Arrayit, a publicly traded medical device company based in California. From approximately 2019 through April 2020, Nielsen engaged in an unlawful “scalping” and “spoofing” scheme to manipulate the price of Arrayit securities. Nielsen used online message boards to publicly post false and misleading information about the nature of his trading in Arrayit securities, in order to induce others to purchase Arrayit securities and thereby drive up the stock’s price, a practice known as “scalping.”
Nielsen admitted that he placed orders to buy Arrayit stock that he intended to cancel before execution. The purpose of these orders was to deceive the public and Arrayit shareholders by signaling demand for Arrayit securities which did not exist. This allowed Nielsen to sell his shares at artificially inflated prices, a practice known as “spoofing.” While engaged in these practices, Nielsen was secretly selling his own previously acquired shares at an artificially inflated price.
Nielsen pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24 and 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 Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds for the Northern District of California; Special Agent in Charge Steven Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office; Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group; Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Bryan Denny of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s (DoD OIG) Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG’s San Francisco Regional Office and Detroit Regional Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, VA-OIG and DCIS investigated the case.
Acting Principal Assistant Chief Justin Weitz, Assistant Chief Jacob Foster, and Trial Attorney Laura Connelly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Farnham of the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section is using the Victim Notification System (VNS) to provide victims with case information and updates related to this case. Victims with questions may contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Assistance Unit by calling the Victim Assistance phone line at 1-888-549-3945 or by emailing [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas. If you believe you are a victim, please visit https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/Nielsen.
Riverside Woman Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Possessing and Intending to Sell More Than 1½ Pounds of MethRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Riverside woman with a lengthy criminal history, including a prior drug trafficking conviction for selling methamphetamine, was sentenced today to 132 months in federal prison for several incidents in which she possessed or sold a total of more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine, twice in the presence of two minor girls.
Charlene Nicole Simmons, 41, was sentenced by United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, who remarked at today’s court hearing that the seriousness of her offense was “affected by the presence of minors.”
Simmons pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
In May 2018 in Riverside County, Simmons was driving a car and was pulled over by law enforcement. During a search of her car – in which a minor was present – law enforcement seized 113 grams (0.25 pounds) of methamphetamine. In March 2019 in Riverside County, Simmons sold 6.14 grams of methamphetamine to a buyer for $650. Later that same day, Simmons sold the buyer 450.42 grams (nearly one pound) of methamphetamine for $1,460.
In May 2019, Simmons possessed with intent to distribute 132.87 grams (0.3 pounds) of methamphetamine in a backpack when she – along with two minor girls in her car – was pulled over by law enforcement.
Simmons possessed a total of 702.53 grams (1.6 pounds) of methamphetamine.
“During the times that [Simmons] possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine, she brought minor girls with her and at least once directed one of the minors to conceal [Simmons’] crime,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum, which describes her as “a recidivist now 10-time-felon with over two decades of criminal history.”
Prior to this case, Simmons had nine felony convictions and five misdemeanor convictions between 1999 and 2011, including a felony drug trafficking conviction for selling methamphetamine, according to court documents.
“Further, she did not just sell methamphetamine, she also sold a firearm…during a drug deal,” prosecutors said in court documents.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Riverside Police Department, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Eli A. Alcaraz of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted this case.
Parker Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for RobberyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Leroy Bedell, Sr., 44, of Parker, Ariz., was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 100 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Bedell previously pleaded guilty to robbery.
On November 7, 2020, Bedell threatened the victim with a shotgun at a gas station in Parker, Arizona. Bedell then drove off in the victim’s vehicle but was stopped shortly after. While arresting Bedell, law enforcement seized a shotgun from inside the victim’s vehicle, and it matched the victim’s description of the shotgun used by Bedell during the robbery. Bedell is a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (“CRIT”) and the robbery occurred on the CRIT Indian Reservation.
The FBI and the CRIT PD conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00548-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022- 090_Bedell# # #
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.More charges filed in nationwide fraud scam targeting elderly victimsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 24-year-old Indian citizen has been taken into custody on charges related to a large nationwide conspiracy to commit mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Anirudha Kalkote is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m. He was incarcerated in Virginia and brought to Texas June 9 to face the charges.
The 12-count superseding indictment charges Kalkote with conspiracy and mail fraud. Also named in the indictment is MD Azad, 25, an illegal resident of Houston, who was originally charged in August 2020. He will appear again in court on the new charges in the near future.
The superseding indictment, returned June 9, accuses Azad and Kalkote of participating in a fraud ring from 2019-2020 which operated out of various cities including Houston. The scheme allegedly targeted elderly victims throughout the United States and elsewhere.
According to the charges, the ring tricked and deceived victims using various ruses and instructed them to send money via wire through a money transmitter business such as Western Union or MoneyGram, by buying gift cards and providing to the fraudsters or by mailing cash to alias names via FedEx or UPS.
One such scheme allegedly involved the claim of providing computer technical support services. The indictment alleges that the scheme generally worked because fraudsters contacted victims by phone or via internet sites directing them to a particular phone number. Once victims contacted them, they were told various stories such as they were communicating with an expert that needed remote access to their computer in order to provide technical support services. The fraudsters then allegedly gained further access to their personal data and bank and credit card information.
Victims typically paid a fee to conspirators for the alleged technical support but were later told they were due a refund, according to the charges. Through paying for “technical support” or through the “refund” process, the ring gained access to the victim’s bank account(s) and credit cards and manipulated the accounts to make it appear the victim was paid too large a refund due to a typographical error. Victims were then instructed to reimburse the ring by various means.
The indictment alleges victims were sometimes re-victimized multiple times and threatened with bodily harm if they did not pay.
Upon conviction, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Three others have already pleaded guilty in relation to the scheme and are awaiting sentencing - Sumit Kumar Singh, 24, Himanshu Kumar, 24, and MD Hasib, 26 are Indian nationals who illegally resided in Houston.
All five individuals remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings.
The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States including the Sheriff’s Office and Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office of Augusta County, Virginia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Quincy Ollison are prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as a part of the Elder Justice Initiative. Its goal is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults.
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice launched National Elder Fraud Hotline to help combat fraud against older Americans and provide services to victims. If you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, we encourage you to call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 (833–372–8311).
The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. eastern time. Services are available for speakers of English, Spanish and other languages.
Moorhead, MN, Man Sentenced to 17 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FARGO – Interim United States Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced that on June 9, 2022, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter D. Welte sentenced James Duane Vanraden, age 48, Moorhead, MN, to 17 ½ years in federal prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child and Distribution of Materials Containing Child Pornography. Chief Judge Welte also sentenced Vanraden to a lifetime period of supervised release.
Investigation revealed that on or about December 4, 2019, and continuing until on or about July 16, 2020, Vanraden attempted to solicit a perceived 10-year-old girl for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Specifically, on December 4, 2019, an Undercover Officer (UC) with law enforcement began a proactive Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation and posted an advertisement on Craigslist searching for a "tutor" for his 10-year-old daughter. Vanraden responded to the Craigslist post and thereafter Vanraden and the UC began communicating via an encrypted platform. Over the ensuing seven months, Vanraden sent the UC child pornography and further arranged to engage in commercial sex with his perceived 10-year-old daughter. Eventually, Vanraden arranged for the UC to receive a $200 payment from a third party via Venmo, a mobile payment application, in exchange for the sexual activity.
On February 8, 2022, Vanraden pleaded guilty to knowingly Attempting Sex Trafficking of Children under the age of 14 and Distributing Materials Containing Child Pornography.
This case was investigated by the West Pargo Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, with Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Puhl assigned to the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the nation, Project Safe Childhood, in conjunction with Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders who use the Internet, online communications systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. Project Safe Childhood also helps to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 124 Months in Federal Prison for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 7, 2022, Christopher Crittendon (age:33) of Milwaukee Wisconsin, was sentenced to a 124-month term of imprisonment for armed bank robbery. That term of imprisonment will be followed by an additional 36 months of supervised release. Crittendon had been convicted by a jury of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The evidence presented at trial established that in 2016, Crittendon and a second man, Montrell Howard, committed a takeover-style armed robbery of a North Shore Bank in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Crittendon held a loaded gun to a bank teller’s head, and the men stole over $11,000 from the bank. Law enforcement was able to recover most of those funds.
“For his own gain, Mr. Crittendon entered a bank, jumped a counter, and brandished a firearm,” said U.S. Attorney Frohling. “His actions placed the well-being of bank employees and customers at risk and resulted in trauma to the victim tellers. I commend the outstanding collaboration between the FBI, the Wauwatosa Police Department, and all others involved in seeking to hold Mr. Crittendon accountable for his actions.”
“The FBI has been catching bank robbers for over a century, and we bring that extensive experience to every violation of federal law we investigate," stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. "If a bank in Wisconsin is robbed, the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney's Office will spare no resource to bring those responsible to justice."
Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis extends thanks to all our law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence in resolving this case; “This case highlights the importance of our partnerships with local, state and federal government and demonstrates how public safety is a shared responsibility for all community stakeholders.”
This case was investigated by the Wauwatosa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Taibleson and Christopher Ladwig.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer [email protected]
414-297-1700
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Mexican National Sentenced for Shooting at U.S. Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
DEL RIO – Today Sergio Trevino, 35, a Mexican national was sentenced to a total of 214 months in prison for shooting at two U.S. Border Patrol agents near Brackettville.
According to court documents, on January 3, 2021, U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop Trevino as he drove a Chevy Suburban northbound on Texas Ranch Road 334 just north of Brackettville. A high-speed chase ensued when Trevino attempted to abscond. During the pursuit, Trevino fired multiple shots at the agents.
Spike strips were used to bring the Suburban to a stop. Trevino fled from the vehicle and was later apprehended. Six Honduran nationals were found in the vehicle along with 28-year-old Jesseca Ann Whitmire, a U.S. citizen.
On March 31, 2021, Trevino pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a federal officer and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Trevino was sentenced to 94 months in prison on the assault charge and 120 months on the use of a firearm charge with both sentences to run consecutive.
“Sergio Trevino not only placed the lives of the U.S. Border Patrol agents who were attempting to apprehend him in peril, but also the lives of the undocumented noncitizens he was transporting and everyone traveling on the road that day,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “Thankfully no one was seriously injured by his senseless and dangerous actions. The collective efforts of agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, FBI, ATF, and Homeland Security Investigations, brought Mr. Trevino to justice so that he will no longer be a threat to the community for many years to come.”
“This sentence is yet another example of the vital work being conducted by HSI, and its law enforcement partners, to target individuals who are part of dangerous transnational criminal organizations spreading crime and violence in our communities,” said Craig Larrabee, Acting Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Antonio. “HSI will continue to aggressively pursue these criminal networks who put the lives of others in jeopardy for financial gain. We will not let up in our efforts to dismantle and disrupt their illicit pathways, leverage all available resources, and work together with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a strong message to those who would commit violent acts against federal officers,” said Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr. “The FBI will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to hold violent criminals accountable for their actions at the border as well as throughout the United States.”
On June 14, 2021, Whitmire pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324 and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Whitmire is scheduled to be sentenced on April 4, 2023.
Trevino and Whitmire have remained in federal custody since their arrests on January 3, 2021.
HSI and FBI are investigating this case. The Texas Department of Public Safety, Kinney County Sheriff’s Office and Real County Sheriff’s Office assisted Border Patrol agents in apprehending Trevino, Whitmire and the undocumented noncitizens.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry W. Fadler Jr., is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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Merced Man Indicted for $60,000 Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Ruben Chavez III, 36, of Merced, was arrested today, after a federal grand jury indicted him on Thursday for credit card fraud and related identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, from April 2021 through March 2022, Chavez obtained victims’ credit cards and used them to make over $60,000 in fraudulent purchases at retail stores. He also changed the victims’ mailing addresses to his own address and created fake identification cards in their names to help further his fraud.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Chavez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and fine of up to $250,000 for the credit card fraud, and a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for the identity theft. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Memphis Man Charged with Trafficking 17-Year-Old Female into the New Orleans Area to Perform Commercial Sex ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DOMINIQUE PEEPLES, age 25, from Memphis, Tennessee, was charged today by a federal grand jury in a one-count indictment for bringing a seventeen-year-old female from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans, Louisiana and elsewhere for the purpose of having her perform commercial sex acts from in or about August 2020 and continuing until in or about January 2021. For this conduct, the indictment charges PEEPLES with Sex Trafficking of a Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), 1591(b)(2), 1594(a), and 2.
If convicted, PEEPLES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment up to life imprisonment. The defendant also faces supervised release for a minimum term of five years up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, a requirement that the defendant participate in the sex offender registration and notification program, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Carboni and Jordan Ginsberg, Supervisor of the Public Corruption Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.
Member of Lummi Nation sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a minorRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 57-year-old member of the Lummi Nation was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones sentenced Lewis Dean Armstrong to 30 years in prison, the mandatory minimum sentence for the offense and imposed a lifetime term of supervised release following prison. Armstrong will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In March 2014, Armstrong was convicted at trial of aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child. The assault occurred in March 2013, at a home on the Lummi reservation where the child was visiting her father. DNA evidence linked Armstrong to the assault.
Following the conviction, in June 2014, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Armstrong to 20 years in prison, ruling the 30-year mandatory minimum sentence was unconstitutional as applied to Armstrong. On March 3, 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Armstrong’s conviction, reversed the 20-year sentence, and sent the case back for resentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Lummi Nation Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London. Mr. London serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Los Lunas man sentenced to 10 years for drug trafficking and firearms violationsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Esteban Renteria III was sentenced on May 31 to 10 years in prison. Renteria, 26, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, pleaded guilty on July 26, 2021, to possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on Dec. 31, 2020, a New Mexico State Police Officer observed Renteria driving 102 miles per hour on Interstate 40 in Cibola County, New Mexico, and initiated a traffic stop. Upon learning that Renteria had two active arrest warrants, the officer arrested Renteria and performed an inventory of items in Renteria’s vehicle. During the inventory, the officer found a backpack containing $12,012 in cash and a loaded handgun. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators found 184 grams of fentanyl.
In his plea agreement, Renteria admitted that he intended to sell the fentanyl, that the cash was obtained by selling drugs, and that he possessed the firearm to protect his drug business.
Upon his release from prison, Renteria will be subject to five years of supervised release.
Homeland Security Investigations and the New Mexico State Police investigated this case with assistance from the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Mark Pfizenmayer prosecuted the case.
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Los Angeles Doctor to Pay $9.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraud Against Medicare and Medi-CalRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that Minas Kochumian M.D., a physician previously practicing in the Los Angeles area, has paid $9,486,287 to resolve allegations that he submitted false claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal for procedures and tests that were never performed. These payments include nearly $5.5 million paid by Kochumian as criminal restitution following his guilty plea to one count of health care fraud, in a separate criminal case filed in the Central District of California.
The civil settlement resolves contentions by the United States and the State of California that Kochumian, over a period of more than six years ending in April 2018, submitted claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal for procedures, services, and tests that were never conducted or administered to patients, including injections of medication designed to treat osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, drainage of tailbone cysts, and the removal and destruction of various growths. As part of the settlement agreement announced today, Kochumian admitted that he intentionally submitted false claims for payment with the intent to deceive the United States and California. In doing so, Kochumian violated both the federal False Claims Act and the California False Claims Act. Those statutes allow the government to recover damages and penalties for the presentation of false claims for payment to the United States and the State of California, respectively.
The civil settlement with Kochumian resolves allegations originally brought in a lawsuit filed by relators Elize Oganesyan and Damon Davies, Kochumian’s former medical assistant and former informational technology consultant, under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. The Act permits private parties to sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery. The whistleblowers who filed the case against Kochumian will receive more than $1.75 million as their share of the recovery announced today. The whistleblowers’ claims for attorneys’ fees are not resolved by this settlement.
“Investigating allegations of health care fraud is an important priority for the United States Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “My office will continue to work closely with our federal and state partners to protect our publicly funded health care programs from the type of egregious fraud and abuse that occurred in this case.”
“When doctors misuse the state's Medi-Cal funds, they violate their Hippocratic Oath by harming a program which exists to help California’s Medi-Cal population, including the elderly, the sick and the vulnerable,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Dr. Kochumian’s alleged misconduct violated the trust of the patients in his care, and he selfishly pocketed funds that would otherwise have gone towards critical publicly funded healthcare services. My office is committed to ensuring honest care is provided to those that seek it through the Medi-Cal program. Today’s settlement sends a message: Deceitful actions that jeopardize state funds and prey on Medi-Cal recipients will not be tolerated. I applaud the important contribution of the two whistleblowers who alerted law enforcement to Dr. Kochumian’s unlawful actions.”
“Providers who exploit their status as medical professionals for financial gain undermine patient trust and waste valuable taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Ryan, of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG remains committed to working tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to protect federal health care programs from fraud.”
The civil settlement was the result of an investigation by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The civil lawsuit is captioned United States and State of California ex rel. Elize Oganesyan and Damon Davies v. Minas Kochumian, et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-2236 KJM JDP, and the parallel criminal case, which was filed in the Central District of California, is captioned United States v. Minas Kochumian, M.D., Case No. 2:20-CR-00423 (RGK).
Lebanon Man Sentenced for Threatening to Murder Members of the United States SenateRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a former attorney, Kenelm L. Shirk, age 72, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to time served of 16 months and 20 days’ imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, and one year of supervised release with conditions by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, for threatening to murder members of the United States Senate.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on March 7, 2022, Shirk pleaded guilty to making threats to murder Democratic members of the United States Senate. On January 21, 2021, Shirk made threats to murder Democratic members of the United States Senate in retaliation for the performance of their official duties on January 6, 2021. Later that day, on January 21, 2021, Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrested Shirk while he was en route to Washington D.C. A search of Shirk’s vehicle recovered two handguns and an AR-15 rifle and loaded magazines, as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Shirk has remained in custody since this incident when bail was denied. As part of his supervision, Shirk was ordered to comply with psychiatric counseling, forfeit the weapons and ammunition involved with the case and provide a DNA sample.
The Court expressed gratitude to the law enforcement responders and Chambersburg Hospital staff for their efforts in this matter.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, the Cornwall Police Department, and the Washington D.C. Capitol Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating prosecuted the case.
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Lander Man Charged with Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that IAN JOSIAH TIMBANA, age 34, of Lander, Wyoming, was charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Timbana appeared for an arraignment hearing on June 1, 2022, before Federal District Court Magistrate Teresa McKee and pleaded not guilty to the charge. A trial has been set for August 1, 2022 and the defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service.
Timbana faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This crime is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Elmore is prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case No. 22-cr-00064-NDF
Justice Department Obtains Relief in Lawsuit Alleging Discriminatory Targeting of Hispanic HomeownersRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has entered a consent order resolving the department’s Fair Housing Act claims against Advocate Law Groups of Florida P.A. (ALGF); Jon B. Lindeman Jr.; Ephigenia K. Lindeman; Summit Development Solutions USA LLC (SDS) and Haralampos “Bob” Kourouklis. The department’s lawsuit alleged that defendants discriminated on the basis of national origin when they targeted Hispanic homeowners for predatory mortgage loan modification services and interfered with those individuals’ ability to keep their homes.
The department alleged in its complaint that defendants targeted Hispanic homeowners with Spanish-language advertising that falsely promised to cut their mortgage payments in half. Defendants made the same representations to hundreds of Hispanic homeowners in person, promising lower payments in exchange for thousands of dollars of upfront fees and continuing monthly fees of as much as $550, which defendants claimed were “non-refundable.” Many of the targeted homeowners had limited English proficiency. The department’s complaint further alleged that defendants directed these homeowners not to communicate with their lenders and to stop making their monthly mortgage payments. According to the complaint, defendants did little or nothing to obtain the promised loan modifications for the homeowners, many of whom defaulted on their mortgage payments and ultimately lost their homes.
“Targeting homeowners with deceptive advertisements and predatory schemes because of their national origin and limited English proficiency is reprehensible and illegal,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division. “Homeowners of color and other protected groups must be safeguarded from discriminatory targeting that can lead to grave financial loss, including loss of one’s home. We will continue to use our federal civil rights laws to protect the rights of homeowners.”
“This settlement, reached in partnership with the Civil Rights Division’s Housing Section, is a major achievement for our Civil Division and its Civil Rights Unit,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We are committed to using every legal tool available, including the Fair Housing Act, to ensure that our residents enjoy their right to housing without discriminatory practices of this kind.”
The Justice Department brought this suit after Lucía Hurtado, Noemí Román, Argentina Roque and members of their families filed complaints of discrimination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaints, it issued charges of discrimination and referred the matter to the Justice Department for litigation. Hurtado, Román and Roque later intervened as plaintiffs in the department’s lawsuit.
“It is outrageous that these defendants engaged in business practices that were not only illegal and discriminatory, but also resulted in hard-working homeowners defaulting on their mortgages and losing their homes due to foreclosure,” said Demetria McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD commends the Justice Department for its commitment to enforcing the Fair Housing Act and for protecting the fair housing rights of all who call America home.”
The consent order enters a judgment against defendants for $4,595,000 to compensate people who were harmed by defendants’ conduct. Of that amount, defendants must pay a total of $95,000 to the three intervenors, plus a civil penalty to the United States. Most of the monetary judgment is suspended based on evidence of defendants’ limited net worth, including financial statements signed by defendants under penalty of perjury. The consent order requires defendants to submit updated financial statements each year during the five-year term of the settlement. If the court determines that defendants made any material misrepresentations or omissions in their original financial statements or in the annual updates, the entire judgment will be reinstated, and defendants will be immediately liable for the full amount.
In addition to monetary relief, the consent order permanently enjoins defendants from providing any mortgage relief assistance services, such as loan modifications or foreclosure defense services, and imposes reporting and recordkeeping requirements for defendants’ other real-estate activities.
This case was litigated by attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Justice Department Obtains Relief in Lawsuit Alleging Discriminatory Targeting of Hispanic HomeownersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has entered a consent order resolving the department’s Fair Housing Act claims against Advocate Law Groups of Florida P.A. (ALGF); Jon B. Lindeman Jr.; Ephigenia K. Lindeman; Summit Development Solutions USA LLC (SDS) and Haralampos “Bob” Kourouklis. The department’s lawsuit alleged that defendants discriminated on the basis of national origin when they targeted Hispanic homeowners for predatory mortgage loan modification services and interfered with those individuals’ ability to keep their homes.
The department alleged in its complaint that defendants targeted Hispanic homeowners with Spanish-language advertising that falsely promised to cut their mortgage payments in half. Defendants made the same representations to hundreds of Hispanic homeowners in person, promising lower payments in exchange for thousands of dollars of upfront fees and continuing monthly fees of as much as $550, which defendants claimed were “non-refundable.” Many of the targeted homeowners had limited English proficiency. The department’s complaint further alleged that defendants directed these homeowners not to communicate with their lenders and to stop making their monthly mortgage payments. According to the complaint, defendants did little or nothing to obtain the promised loan modifications for the homeowners, many of whom defaulted on their mortgage payments and ultimately lost their homes.
“Targeting homeowners with deceptive advertisements and predatory schemes because of their national origin and limited English proficiency is reprehensible and illegal,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division. “Homeowners of color and other protected groups must be safeguarded from discriminatory targeting that can lead to grave financial loss, including loss of one’s home. We will continue to use our federal civil rights laws to protect the rights of homeowners.”
“This settlement, reached in partnership with the Civil Rights Division’s Housing Section, is a major achievement for our Civil Division and its Civil Rights Unit,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We are committed to using every legal tool available, including the Fair Housing Act, to ensure that our residents enjoy their right to housing without discriminatory practices of this kind.”
The Justice Department brought this suit after Lucía Hurtado, Noemí Román, Argentina Roque and members of their families filed complaints of discrimination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaints, it issued charges of discrimination and referred the matter to the Justice Department for litigation. Hurtado, Román and Roque later intervened as plaintiffs in the department’s lawsuit.
“It is outrageous that these defendants engaged in business practices that were not only illegal and discriminatory, but also resulted in hard-working homeowners defaulting on their mortgages and losing their homes due to foreclosure,” said Demetria McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD commends the Justice Department for its commitment to enforcing the Fair Housing Act and for protecting the fair housing rights of all who call America home.”
The consent order enters a judgment against defendants for $4,595,000 to compensate people who were harmed by defendants’ conduct. Of that amount, defendants must pay a total of $95,000 to the three intervenors, plus a civil penalty to the United States. Most of the monetary judgment is suspended based on evidence of defendants’ limited net worth, including financial statements signed by defendants under penalty of perjury. The consent order requires defendants to submit updated financial statements each year during the five-year term of the settlement. If the court determines that defendants made any material misrepresentations or omissions in their original financial statements or in the annual updates, the entire judgment will be reinstated, and defendants will be immediately liable for the full amount.
In addition to monetary relief, the consent order permanently enjoins defendants from providing any mortgage relief assistance services, such as loan modifications or foreclosure defense services, and imposes reporting and recordkeeping requirements for defendants’ other real-estate activities.
This case was litigated by attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Justice Department Announces Investigation of the Louisiana State PoliceRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - The Justice Department has announced that it has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Louisiana State Police (LSP). This civil investigation will assess whether LSP uses excessive force and whether it engages in racially discriminatory policing. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of LSP policies, training, supervision, and force investigations, as well as LSP’s systems of accountability, including misconduct complaint intake, investigation, review, disposition, and discipline.
“In times of attempting to resolve controversy and conflict, the parties involved must get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “Today, the U.S. Department of Justice has pledged to be a conduit between the Louisiana State Police and community stakeholders, so that open lines of communication can start flowing and any concerns will not fall on deaf ears.”
“Protecting the civil rights of all Americans and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve are among the Justice Department’s most important responsibilities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This investigation, like all of our pattern or practice investigations, will seek to promote the transparency, accountability, and public trust that is essential to public safety.”
“Every American, regardless of race, has the right to constitutional policing,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information provided to us, we find significant justification to investigate whether Louisiana State Police engages in excessive force and engages in racially discriminatory policing against Black residents and other people of color. The Justice Department stands ready to use every tool in our arsenal to confront allegations of misconduct and to ensure legitimacy during encounters with law enforcement.”
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The statute allows the Department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation. The Department will be assessing law enforcement practices under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as under the Safe Streets Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The investigation is separate from any federal criminal investigation of LSP troopers.
Prior to the announcement, Department officials informed Governor John Bel Edwards, Colonel Lamar Davis, and Deputy General Counsel Gail Holland of the investigation. They pledged to cooperate with the investigation. As part of this investigation, the Department officials will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with LSP.
The Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana will jointly conduct this investigation. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice via email at [email protected] or by phone at (202) 353-0684. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
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Jury Finds Doctor Guilty in $10 Million TRICARE SchemeRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—An Alexander doctor has been convicted for his involvement in a multi-million-dollar kickback conspiracy at the conclusion of a week-long trial. A federal jury found Joe David “Jay” May, 41, guilty on all 22 counts for which he was indicted.
The jury returned their verdict Thursday evening after deliberating for about three hours. United States District Judge Kristine Baker presided over the trial, and Judge Baker will sentence May at a later date.
“Dr. May used his signature as a rubber stamp to help his friends rake in millions of dollars in kickbacks from fraudulent prescriptions,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “His crimes are a reprehensible abuse of his Hippocratic oath and his medical license. Our office and our federal law enforcement partners at the FBI and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) are resolved to continue to bring to justice all other health care professionals who defraud our nation’s healthcare systems.”
A grand jury returned an indictment against May in January 2020. The indictment alleged that May signed off on illegitimate prescriptions for pain cream in order to trigger a payout from TRICARE, the nation’s insurance for veterans. A pharmacy promoter paid recruiters to find TRICARE beneficiaries, regardless of whether they needed the drugs, and then paid others to get medical professionals, including Jay May, to rubber stamp prescriptions for TRICARE beneficiaries.
TRICARE paid over $12 million for compounded drugs prescribed through this scheme. Evidence at trial indicated that May wrote 226 prescriptions over the course of ten months, for which TRICARE paid $4.63 million. All but one of those prescriptions were supplied by drug sales representatives, Glenn Hudson and Derek Clifton, both of whom have pleaded guilty in the scheme, and directed to prescribers, May and a nurse practitioner named Donna Crowder, who has also pleaded guilty. May accepted cash bribes totaling nearly $15,000 and signed off on the prescriptions without consulting patients and without determining whether or not the prescription was needed.
One recruiter hosted a meeting at Fisher Armory in North Little Rock. At that meeting, he signed people up for the drugs and offered to pay them $1,000. Thirteen of those patients were routed to Dr. May, who signed each prescription, and this group alone cost TRICARE $370,000. The conspirators learned that reimbursements from TRICARE might fall in May 2015, so April was the last opportunity to profit from the program. In the last ten days of April 2015, May signed 59 prescriptions, for which TRICARE paid $1.4M. During a single 9-week period at the height of the scheme, May deposited $9,925 cash; an FBI forensic accountant testified this was more cash than he deposited in 2014 and 2016 combined.
“TRICARE is dedicated to serving our veterans, military members, and their families,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James Dawson. “Dr. May displayed a lack of integrity by defrauding millions from our nation’s military insurer and lying to our Agents in an effort to conceal his crimes. The FBI is committed to working alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protect our service members and their loved ones from corrupt medical professionals like Dr. May.”
“Dr. May engaged in a kickback scheme that undermined federal health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “This verdict is a testament to strong law enforcement partnerships committed to holding physicians accountable for providing quality care to beneficiaries of these programs,” said HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Miranda Bennett.
The statutory penalties for May’s convictions are: wire fraud, mail fraud, and falsifying records, not more than 20 years imprisonment; violation of the anti-kickback statute, not more than 10 years imprisonment; and conspiracy and making false statements, not more than five years imprisonment. In addition to any sentence imposed, May will also serve an added four years for convictions on two counts of aggravated identity theft. All offenses of conviction include a potential penalty of not more than a $250,000 fine and not more than three years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Morgan and Stephanie Mazzanti.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
Jury Convicts Excelsior Estates Man of Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Excelsior Estates, Mo., man has been convicted by a federal trial jury for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Mark A. Whitworth, 65, was found guilty on Thursday, June 9, of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
On Aug. 18, 2019, the Missouri State Highway Patrol executed a search warrant at Whitworth’s residence. They found a safe concealed behind a flag in the master bedroom closet that contained 60 $100 bills, totaling $6,000. They also found a cardboard box in a shed that contained approximately 256 grams of methamphetamine. Also in the shed, officers found two shotguns, shotgun shells, and various items that indicated the methamphetamine was being prepared for distribution (including a digital scale and plastic baggies).
Co-defendant Russell Lee Walker, 56, who shared a residence with Whitworth, pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2020, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Under federal statutes, Whitworth is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately five hours before returning guilty verdicts on both counts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a three-day trial that began Tuesday, June 7.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Joplin Man Indicted for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing fentanyl to distribute.
Cody Dalton Romines, 40, was charged in an indictment returned on Tuesday, June 7, with one count of possessing fentanyl to distribute. The federal indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Romines on May 19, 2022.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, a Missouri State Highway Patrol corporal saw Romines, driving a black Kia Optima, speeding on Interstate 44 in Jasper County on May 17, 2022. Officers attempted to stop Romines, who did not immediately stop but drove more than a mile before pulling over. Romines allegedly threw a Ziploc bag, which contained approximately 172 grams of fentanyl, out the passenger window of the vehicle before he pulled over. Officers found the bag when they searched the ditch and shoulder area where they’d seen Romines throw it out.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Joint Statement from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field OfficeRead the Press Release
"The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office are committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans to express their views peacefully during demonstrations that take place on a regular basis in the nation’s capital, including at the Supreme Court. We also have a responsibility to ensure public safety and the orderly conduct of government business. We will not tolerate violence, destruction, interference with government functions, or trespassing on government property. We are committed to working closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to stop any individuals who intend to commit violence or criminal activity under the guise of carrying out a demonstration.”
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on June 8 was:
Hugo Gutierrez Rodriguez, also known as Victor and as Juice, 41, of Yakima, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of fentanyl. If convicted of the most serious crime, Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and five years of supervised release. Rodriguez was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Tri-Agency Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Rocky Boy’s Police Department and Idaho State Police investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-31.
Appearing on June 7 was:
Joshua James Burshia, 41, of Brockton, on charges of aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse of a minor. If convicted of the most serious crime, Burshia faces life in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release. Burshia was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Fort Peck Law Enforcement Services investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-39.
Aaron Ramirez Espinoza, 36, of Yakima, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted of the most serious crime, Espinoza faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Espinoza was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Great Falls Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-40.
Laval John Bigleggins, 36, of Wolf Point, on charges of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious crime, Bigleggins faces a maximum of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Bigleggins was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Fort Peck Law Enforcement Services, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-30.
Trevor Birdsbill, 32, of Wolf Point, on charges of aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted of the most serious crime Birdsbill faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Birdsbill was released pending further proceedings. The FBI and Fort Peck Law Enforcement Services investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-38.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Goldsboro Woman Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Trafficking Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Goldsboro, North Carolina woman was sentenced to 80 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack).
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Victoria Christine Taylor, 35, was indicted on August 3, 2021, on the following charges:
- Count One (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute a quantity of Cocaine Base (crack)), in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846; and
- Counts Nine and Ten (Distribution of a Quantity of Cocaine Base (crack)), in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 841(a)(1)).
On March 8, 2022, Taylor entered a plea of guilty to the first charge.
In 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Wilmington, North Carolina received information that Taylor was part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization. The organization operated in Goldsboro, NC, and it distributed significant quantities of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine hydrochloride, and cocaine base (crack). The organization also maintained several “trap houses” or “stash houses” in Goldsboro and employed runners, often times drug users, to hand deliver drugs.
Based upon the investigation, law enforcement learned that Taylor was the girlfriend of the leader of the organization and personally managed a number of individuals distributing crack cocaine from her stash house. Over the course of the conspiracy, Taylor was responsible for assisting in the distribution of at least 131 grams of crack.
Five total defendants have been charged and convicted in this investigation:
- Johnathan Aquavius Heath, a/k/a “Booty” (5:21-CR-314-M-1): pled guilty on June 7, 2022, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute Fifty (50) Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Five (5) Kilograms or More of Cocaine, and Two Hundred Eighty (280) Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846; and Distribution of Fifty Grams or more of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 841(a)(1).
- Aratika Omhaya Anderson, a/k/a “Tika” (5:21-CR-314-M-2): pled guilty on October 19, 2021, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute Fifty (50) Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846; and Distribution of Five Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 841(a)(1) and Title 18, United States Code section 2.
- Richard Ronald Harris, III (5:21-CR-314-M-5): pled guilty on October 6, 2021, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute Fifty (50) Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846; and Distribution of Five Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 841(a)(1) and Title 18, United States Code section 2.
- Lelia Inez Harris (5:21-CR-314-M-5): pled guilty on November 16, 2021, to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute Five (5) Grams or More of Methamphetamine), in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846; and Distribution of Five Grams or more of Methamphetamine, Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 841(a)(1) and Title 18, United States Code section 2.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Wilmington, North Carolina and the Goldsboro Police Department, investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. 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 number 5:21-CR-00314-M-3.
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Fresno Business Owner Indicted for Additional Tax and Social Security Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment Thursday against Marcus Asay, 66, of Fresno, charging him with making false tax returns, and concealing a matter with an intent to fraudulently secure Social Security disability benefits, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, from 2016-2018, Asay reported very little taxable income although he knew that his taxable income was more than $50,000. As the chairman of American Labor Alliance (ALA), Asay caused the organization to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of personal expenses, including over $50,000 to dating and escort websites and $120,000 in rent for Asay’s personal residences.
Asay also received Social Security disability benefits beginning in 2010. The benefits are available for individuals who cannot perform full-time work due to a qualifying disability. In approximately 2015, Asay began working full time as the chairman of ALA. From 2016-2019, Asay worked full time and was not entitled to receive benefits, but he concealed this fact from the Social Security Administration. During this time, the Social Security Administration paid Asay and a dependent over $90,000.
This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Tierney, Stephanie M. Stokman, and Alexandre M. Dempsey are prosecuting the case.
If convicted of filing a false tax return, Asay faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for each count. If convicted of concealing and failing to disclose a matter related to Social Security Benefits, Asay faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Asay is also charged with fraud and money laundering offenses in a separate case, USA v. Agricultural Contracting Services Association et al., 1:19-cr-003-DAD. That case is set for trial in November 2022. According to court documents, between March 2016 and March 2017, ALA, Asay, and Antonio Gastelum, of Fresno, carried out a scheme to provide workers’ compensation coverage to clients and issued Certificates of Liability to clients that included names of insurers and false policy numbers. ALA allegedly collected at least $2.8 million in workers’ compensation premiums. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fort Defiance Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Carlton Sandoval, 43, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Sandoval previously pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
On January 4, 2020, Navajo Nation police pulled Sandoval over for a traffic violation near Chinle, Arizona and discovered Sandoval had a firearm. Sandoval, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-08027-PCT-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-091_Sandoval# # #
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.Fort Collins Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Selling Unapproved DrugsRead the Press Release
Denver – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Mark Godding and Linda Godding have each been sentenced to six months in federal prison for selling unapproved new and misbranded drugs to treat serious medical conditions through their online business.
According to the plea agreement, in December of 2016, the couple purchased the business Mighty Stacks, LLC. In January 2017, Mighty Stacks, LLC, did business through Blue Brain Boost and sold products through the website bluebrainboost.com. The business sold products identified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as misbranded and unapproved new drugs, including Tianeptine Sodium Powder, a dangerous unapproved drug that the FDA has warned is linked with risk of abuse, particularly in those with a history of opioid use disorder and overdose. Some people have turned to tianeptine as an opioid alternative, or to self-treat anxiety or depression. The Goddings also illegally sold multiple other unapproved and misbranded drugs, including adrafinil crystalline powder, aniracetam crystalline powder nicotine solution, IDRA-21, methylene blue solution, noopept crystalline powder, oxiracetam, phenibut hydrocholoride crystalline powder, coluracetam chrystalline powder, phenylpiracetam crystalline powder, pramiracetam, and sunifiram. The Blue Brain Boost website identified its products as “nootropics,” a term widely used to market unapproved products as “smart drugs” and “cognitive enhancers.” The defendants purchased these drugs from China and repackaged and distributed them for consumer use.
The defendants fraudulently misled customers by advertising that their products were tested by independent labs and asserted that they were “compulsive” about quality control. In fact, they rarely tested any of their products before selling them to consumers, even after receiving complaints of side effects. One customer wrote to the company: “The batch I just received I am getting multiple reports from my clients that it causes vomiting.” Another customer wrote in, “After administering a single dose, he noticed a rapid heart rate, a pressure in brain and rapid breathing. The customer vomited out the product. He noted the smell and flavor were not quite right.”
The FDA has identified many nootropics as unapproved new drugs and has issued numerous warning letters and online advisory letters emphasizing that such products have not been proven safe and/or effective and could potentially prevent a person from seeking medical help for a serious medical condition.
Mark Godding pleaded guilty on January 26, 2022, before United States District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer, who sentenced him to six months in federal prison on May 20, 2022. Linda Godding pleaded guilty on January 27, 2022, before Judge Brimmer. He sentenced her to six months in federal prison on June 10, 2022.
“The defendants knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly placed customers at risk, and they undermined and evaded the extensive regulations put in place to protect those consumers,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Their sentences should send a message to other businesses that we will hold you accountable if you disregard the law and threaten public health.”
“Prescription drugs that are smuggled from overseas and are outside the secure supply chain can present a serious health risk to those who use them. The drugs may contain unknown or dangerous ingredients and are manufactured under unknown or unregulated conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who traffic in illegal prescription drugs.”
This case was investigated by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.
Case Number: 21-cr-000345
Former physician's assistant indicted for health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegally prescribing controlled substancesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Theresa Pickering has been arraigned on federal charges of health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and distribution of controlled substances. Pickering was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 7, 2022.
“By posing as a licensed physician's assistant, Pickering placed her own interests above the safety of the patients that entrusted her with their most important asset – their health,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office will use every tool at its disposal to combat this type of unprofessional, unsafe, and unlawful behavior.”
“Pickering had a chance to turn her life around after serving time for previous fraud, but instead choose to commit further crimes, proving that she has not learned from her prior convictions,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners will not tolerate anyone that puts our citizen’s health care at risk, and we remain determined to expose and bring them to justice.”
“This provider took advantage of her access to patient information for financial gain, undermining both patient trust and the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Tamala Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute such egregious conduct.”
“When a provider seeks to practice medicine without a license, it puts patients at great risk,” said Amy K. Parker, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG). “The OPM OIG will always prioritize keeping patients safe and holding unscrupulous providers accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: On or about September 24, 2019, Pickering was hired as a licensed physician’s assistant a family practice in Norcross, Georgia. Pickering, however, was not a licensed physician’s assistant in Georgia and has not been a licensed physician’s assistant in any state since March 2014.
After serving a prison sentence for 2015 state and federal fraud and narcotics convictions related to Pickering’s illegal practice as a physician’s assistant in Mississippi, Pickering relocated to Georgia and obtained employment at the family practice in Norcross.
While employed there, Pickering treated patients, diagnoses illnesses, ordered diagnostic tests and lab work, handled sick visits and prescribed drugs to patients, none of which was authorized by law based on her lack of licensure and exclusion from federal health care programs.
Pickering also issued prescriptions, while posing as a physician’s assistant, including prescriptions for controlled substances, in the name of Doctor 1, a physician contracted by the practice, without Doctor 1’s permission. Pickering caused the practice to submit at least approximately $147,000 in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare and numerous private insurance companies.
Theresa Pickering, 53, of Norcross, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former local bakery owner arrested for stealing identity of deceased baby, $1.5M pandemic relief fraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus woman was arrested in Utah on federal charges related to stealing the identity of a baby who died as an infant. The woman allegedly used the infant’s identity to obtain a passport, a student pilot license, a job as a flight attendant, admission into The Ohio State University and pandemic relief loans.
Ava Misseldine, 49, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, was charged by a criminal complaint with passport fraud, Social Security number fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with an emergency.
According to court documents, Misseldine stole the identity of a baby who died in 1979 and is buried in a Columbus cemetery.
In 2003, Misseldine allegedly applied for an Ohio ID and later a Social Security card and driver’s license using the stolen identity.
In 2007, Misseldine allegedly posed as the stolen identity to obtain a student pilot certificate and U.S. Passport. Misseldine submitted paperwork claiming she needed the passport to travel internationally in her occupation as a flight attendant for JetSelect. She was employed under the false identity.
Over the next 13 years, Misseldine allegedly continued to obtain identity documents in both her real and fake names. An investigation was launched in 2021 when she tried to renew the fraudulent passport.
Court documents allege Misseldine obtained approximately $1.5 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020 using both her real and fake identities. Her loan applications list her businesses as various bakeries and catering companies, including her former bakeries Sugar Inc. Cupcakes & Tea Salon in Dublin and Koko Tea Salon & Bakery in New Albany and at Easton. She submitted forged documents to support her loan applications.
Misseldine used the pandemic relief loan money to purchase a home for $647,500 adjacent to Zion National Park in Utah and a home for $327,500 in Michigan.
In August and September 2021, Misseldine, after relocating to Utah, allegedly obtained driver’s licenses in both names.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 30 years in prison. She will be transported to the Southern District of Ohio to face her charges in federal court.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the charges and commended the investigation by the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, assisted by the U.S. Marshals, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Former Teacher and Coach Sentenced to 114 Months in Project Safe Childhood CaseRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 114 months in jail, 15 years of supervised release and $3,000 in restitution on his conviction of violating federal child sexual exploitation laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Gregory Mancini who is currently incarcerated at the Erie County Prison.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on November 2, 2018, Mancini traveled to Georgia from Erie, Pennsylvania for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a 13-year-old boy. Upon arriving in Georgia, Mancini traveled to meet with the boy and was subsequently taken into custody by the Hall County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office. When interviewed, Mancini admitted that he had engaged in sexual talk with the minor victim and that he had crossed the line. Mancini also admitted that he was a criminal.
The investigation uncovered that Mancini had groomed the victim for months, discussing his intention to engage in sex acts with the minor. He told the victim to keep quiet about their contact and that he loved the victim who was thirteen years of age at the time. After Mancini told the victim that he was coming to visit him on November 2, 2018, the victim became upset and ultimately the Hall County Sheriff’s Office was contacted. They then assumed the victim’s identity online and Mancini began communicating with an undercover detective whom he thought was the victim. During his communication with the undercover detective, Mancini, thinking he was communicating with the minor victim, stated “i want u, I love u.” Shortly before his arrest, Mancini again thinking he was communicating with the minor victim, texted “I want to hug u … kiss u … love u.”
After Mancini’s arrest, federal authorities in Georgia transferred the case to Erie for further investigation. That inquiry ultimately uncovered that Mancini was using the dark web to obtain child sexual abuse material. The execution of a federal search warrant at Mancini’s residence in Erie County on January 9, 2020, resulted in the seizure of two computers and a thumb drive belonging to Mancini. A forensic examination of those items revealed hundreds of items of child sexual abuse material depicting children as young as two being raped and abused by adults. Also uncovered was a journal Mancini had written wherein he admitted that he was attracted to younger boys.
In imposing sentence, Judge Baxter noted her grave concern that Mancini was a teacher while committing these offenses. Judge Baxter also noted the extreme nature of the child sexual abuse material Mancini had obtained.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Hall County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mancini.
Former TSA Officer Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charge for Attempting to Smuggle Methamphetamine Through LAXRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for smuggling what he believed was methamphetamine through Los Angeles International Airport in exchange for a total of $8,000 in cash.
Michael Williams, 39, of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted distribution of methamphetamine.
According to his plea agreement, authorities in 2020 conducted undercover operations involving Williams, whom they suspected of helping smuggle narcotics past security checkpoints at LAX. During the operations, Williams met several times with a drug source to receive what he thought was methamphetamine.
As a TSA employee with unscreened access to LAX, Williams agreed to deliver the “methamphetamine” in a backpack to the drug source’s accomplice in the men’s restroom past the airport terminal’s security checkpoint.
After taking possession of what he believed was real narcotics, Williams transported an unscreened package containing the fake methamphetamine beyond the TSA screening area and delivered the package to another individual. This individual, whom Williams did not know was a federal agent, on both occasions exchanged $4,000 in cash in the stalls of the men’s restroom in the airport’s secure area.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a November 4 sentencing hearing, at which time Williams will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this matter as part of the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky and Jeremiah Levine of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Former Spring Lake Finance Director Arrested on Charges of Embezzlement, Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville woman was arrested today on charges of Embezzlement, Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
The Indictment alleges that Gay Cameron Tucker, 63, of Fayetteville, embezzled more than $500,000 from the Town of Spring Lake during her tenure as finance director and accounting technician for the Town. The Indictment further alleges that Tucker carried out the embezzlement through fraudulent checks containing forged signatures of the mayor and town manager.
United States Attorney Michael Easley stated, “City government officials are entrusted to spend taxpayer funds on public needs – not their own. Our prosecutors and law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously investigating all allegations of public corruption.”
Tucker is charged with one count of Embezzlement from a Local Government Receiving Federal Funds, four counts of Bank Fraud, and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. The maximum punishment for Embezzlement is 10 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Bank Fraud is 30 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Aggravated Identity Theft is not less than, nor more than 2 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No 5:22-CR-00118.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Former Prison Inmate from Georgia Sentenced for Defrauding Victims Out of over $9,700Read the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Andre Deaveon Reese, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter to 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Reese was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims in this case in the amount of $9,797.95.
According to evidence presented to the court, while serving time in the Autry State Prison (Autry) in Georgia in 2015, and continuing through July 2020, Reese participated in a scheme to defraud victims by telling them they had failed to appear for jury duty and a warrant had been issued for their arrest. To carry out this scheme, inmates used contraband cellular telephones from inside Autry to access internet websites to identify the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of potential fraud victims. Using the cellular telephones, inmates called the victims who name, and number had been obtained and made certain false misrepresentations to the victims. The inmates told the victims that they were law enforcement officials and that the victim had unlawfully failed to appear for jury duty. In addition, the victims were told that because they had failed to appear for jury duty, warrants had been issued for their arrest and the victim had a choice of being arrested on the warrant or pay a fine to have the arrest warrant dismissed.
To make the calls seem real, Reese, along with other inmates, created fictitious voicemail greetings on their contraband cellular telephones used by the inmates, identifying themselves as members of legitimate law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshal Service. For those victims who wanted to pay a fine, the inmates instructed them to purchase pre-paid cash cards and provide the account number of the cash card or the victim could wire money directly into a pre-paid debit card account held by the inmates or one of the co-conspirators. Based on these false representations, the victims electronically transferred money to the inmates because they believe that the funds would be used to pay the fine.
After a victim provided an inmate with the account number of the pre-paid cash card, the inmates then used their contraband cellular telephones to contact co-conspirators, who were not incarcerated, to have those individuals transfer the money from the cash card purchased by the victims to a pre-paid debit card possessed by the co-conspirators. The co-conspirators would then withdraw the victim’s money via an automated teller machine or at a retail store.
In August of 2016, two individuals, ages 75 and 78, living in the Western District of Louisiana, became victims of Reese’s scheme. The victims believed the callers, who were inmates posing as legitimate law enforcement officers, and followed their instructions to pay them to have the alleged warrants for their arrest for failing to appear for jury duty dismissed. The two victims $9,797.95 to Reese and his co-conspirators.
The case was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Marshal Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary J. Mudrick.
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Former Inmate Admits Distributing Fentanyl at Santa Rita Jail That Killed Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Kameron Patricia Reid pleaded guilty today in federal court to two counts of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a Santa Rita Jail inmate, announced United States Attorney Stephane M. Hinds, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon.
In a written plea agreement entered today in federal court, Reid, 38, of San Leandro, described the events that led to the death of her fellow inmate on May 16, 2021. Reid was incarcerated at that time at Santa Rita Jail, located in Dublin, Alameda County, and she admitted that while incarcerated she distributed fentanyl to inmates. Reid hid fentanyl from correctional officers by holding it in a body cavity. Reid described that on May 16, 2021, she provided fentanyl to two fellow inmates who are identified in the plea agreement only as “Victim 1” and “Inmate 2.” She had provided the same two inmates with fentanyl on an earlier occasion. Reid admitted that on May 16 she provided fentanyl to the two inmates and watched as both inmates snorted it. They each shortly became visibly intoxicated. Reid observed that Victim 1 lapsed into unconscious and became motionless near her bunk. Reid suspected Victim 1 was overdosing on fentanyl. Reid admitted in her plea agreement that she did not call for assistance because she wanted to avoid getting into trouble. Reid instead went to a toilet and flushed down the rest of the fentanyl she had. After several hours, another inmate called for assistance for Victim 1. Paramedics responded to aid Victim 1, but Victim 1 was unresponsive and eventually pronounced dead. Reid thereafter lied to investigators about her involvement in Victim 1’s death. In her plea agreement today, Reid admitted that the fentanyl she distributed to Victim-1 caused Victim-1’s death.
Reid is next scheduled for a sentencing hearing before United States District Judge Jon S. Tigar in Oakland federal court on October 28, 2022. The parties have agreed that Reid will self-surrender into custody by 5:00 p.m. today.
Reid pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing fentanyl in violation 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). She faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a life term of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. However, any sentence following a conviction is imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly K. Priedeman is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Leeya Kekona. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Investigation, and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
One Pill Can Kill: Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, is a highly potent opioid that can be diluted with cutting agents to create counterfeit pills that purport to mimic the effects of Oxycodone and can typically be obtained at a lower cost than genuine Oxycodone. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills are commonly shaped and colored to resemble Oxycodone pills sold legitimately in the marketplace. Counterfeit pills known as M30s are round tablets that are often light blue, but can vary in color, and have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Small variations in the amount or quality of fentanyl can have significant effects on the potency of the counterfeit pills, drastically raising the danger of overdoses. Fentanyl recently became the leading cause of drug overdose deaths throughout the United States.
Former Bartow County EMT sentenced to prison for distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Bryan David Somers has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison for the receipt and distribution of child pornography. Prior to his arrest, Somers was an EMT and a substitute teacher at a local elementary school.
“By receiving and distributing these images, Somers participated in the continuing abuse and exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The pictures and videos document the abuse of real children at the hands of depraved individuals. Distributing those images over the internet means the most horrifying thing in a child’s life is shared around the world, in perpetuity.”
“Stopping predators like Somers, who collect and distribute these horrific images of children being abused, is one of our highest priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure everyone involved in this unconscionable crime faces justice and our children protected.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In June 2019, a Polk County Police Officer, who is a member of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children task force, discovered a computer in Cartersville, Georgia was sharing child pornography over the internet. The lead was sent to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
During their investigation, agents learned that the IP address sharing child pornography was assigned to Somers. Agents also learned that Somers was employed as an EMT and a substitute teacher at a local elementary school. HSI agents, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and Polk County Police Department, executed a federal search warrant at Somers’s townhouse in July 2019.
Law enforcement seized and searched the computers found in Somers’s bedroom. A forensic analysis resulted in the recovery of a file that contained child pornography and revealed that Somers had downloaded hundreds of files with titles indicating they contained child pornography. Investigators also determined that Somers had attempted to remove these images from his devices to prevent discovery of this evidence. After a trial in March of 2022, a jury of Somers’s peers found him guilty of distributing and receiving child pornography.
Bryan David Somers, 43, of Cartersville, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to 12 years, six months in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release for the receipt and distribution of child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Polk County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine I. Terry and Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Federal Officials Decline to Reopen Investigation into the Death of Bijan GhaisarRead the Press Release
In 2019, the Justice Department announced that it would not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against the two U.S. Park Police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar during a traffic stop on Nov. 17, 2017. Following an extensive independent investigation, the department determined in 2019 that there was insufficient evidence to establish a willful violation of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute. Yesterday, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division informed counsel for Ghaisar’s family that the department will not be reopening the federal investigation at this time.
To prevail under the federal civil rights statute, the Justice Department must prove that an officer, acting under color of law, willfully used unreasonable force. To establish willfulness, federal authorities must show that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. This is one of the highest standards of intent imposed by law. Mistake, misperception, negligence or poor judgment are not sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation. Federal officials determined that this legal standard could not be met and closed the investigation in 2019.
After the federal investigation was closed, the Commonwealth of Virginia initiated a criminal prosecution of the two officers involved in Ghaisar’s tragic death, charging them with involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm. The state prosecution was then transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. On Oct. 22, 2021, after consideration of evidentiary motions and briefs filed by the defendants and the Commonwealth, the U.S. District Court dismissed the Commonwealth’s criminal charges after finding the subject officers’ conduct was “necessary and proper” and “in accordance with federal law.”
Given the totality of the evidence reviewed, including the evidence amassed during the prior federal investigation, material submitted to the District Court, and the District Court’s findings and dismissal, the department does not have an adequate basis to reopen its prior investigation. The Justice Department remains committed to investigating allegations of unreasonable force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources required to ensure that all allegations of civil rights violations are thoroughly examined.
Federal Jury Convicts Pocatello Man for Trafficking Methamphetamine and HeroinRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – After a four-day trial, a federal jury sitting in Pocatello found Adam Lee Vallely 46, of Pocatello, Idaho, guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with the intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Senior U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson, from the Eastern District of Arkansas, sitting by designation, presided over the trial, which began on June 6th and concluded with guilty verdicts on June 10th.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Vallely engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy with others in southeast Idaho beginning in December of 2017, to August of 2018. Evidence established that Vallely participated in trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin from a Mexico source of supply. Evidence further established that Vallely had a source of supply in Salt Lake City that provided methamphetamine and heroin, and that Vallely and his co-conspirators attempted to get large quantities of cocaine from the Salt Lake City source of supply. In May of 2018, during the search a residence where Vallely was known to reside, law enforcement agents found methamphetamine, heroin, $15,000.00 in United States currency, and a money counting machine. At the time of the search Vallely was found hiding in an attic.
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is punishable by a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine is punishable by a minimum of 5 years up to forty years in prison, and possession with intent to distribute heroin is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. Due to Vallely’s criminal history record he is subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. The conspiracy charge is also punishable by a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least five years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sentencing will be set before Senior U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., commended the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms, and Explosives, the Idaho State Police, Pocatello Police Department, the Bannock County Sherriff’s Office, the Blackfoot Police Department, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Idaho Department of Corrections which led to charges.
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