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Tuesday 7 June 2022
Statement of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams on the Hung Jury in U.S. V. Timothy SheaRead the Press Release
“While the jury was unfortunately unable to reach a unanimous verdict in U.S. v. Timothy Shea, that in no way lessens our resolve or belief in the powerful and compelling evidence that we strongly believe proves his guilt. We look forward to retrying this case as soon as possible.”
St. Louis County employee hatched pandemic relief kickback scheme, indictment saysRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County employee who previously served as the administrative assistant to a former St. Louis County Council member hatched a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds for a local businessman in exchange for a share of the proceeds, an indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges.
Anthony “Tony” Weaver Sr., who is currently employed as the “change management coordinator” at the St. Louis County jail, was indicted May 25 on four felony counts of wire fraud. Weaver has turned himself in and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Tuesday at 1 p.m.
The indictment alleges that on May 6, 2020, Weaver approached a man who owned several small businesses located in St. Louis County with a scheme to fraudulently apply for grants from the county’s Small Business Relief (SBR) Program. The program used federal CARES Act money to help small businesses located in the county that were closed during the stay-at-home orders by paying some of the costs incurred by the closing.
According to the indictment, Weaver told the businessman, identified in the indictment as “John Smith,” that his former boss on the council, identified as “Jane Doe,” needed to know the names of Smith’s businesses as she made the final decision. Weaver also told Smith that Doe’s office is “going to do what I tell them to do.”
Over the next few weeks, Weaver filled out applications for four SBR loans on behalf of Smith’s businesses, falsely claiming that the businesses were closed during the pandemic, and concealing the fact that Smith had at least 25% ownership in them all because an owner could only apply for one grant, the indictment alleges.
The pair agreed on multiple occasions to split any resulting money, the indictment says. They also discussed ways to avoid getting caught, with Weaver warning Smith against using a check or political donations to pay kickbacks and telling Smith that he didn’t want to use his own cell phone to submit an application because county employees might find out, the indictment says. “They’re trying to get me on something, brother. I’m too powerful, brother…,” the indictment quotes Weaver telling Smith. Weaver also said, “I hope this place is not bugged…that’s how (former St. Louis County Executive Steve) Stenger got caught,” the indictment says.
Smith’s applications were not approved, but Weaver said he could try again with the next round of funding, the indictment alleges.
According to the indictment, Weaver said he helped 10 other companies apply for grants, but only two agreed to kick back any money and only one grant was approved. Weaver told Smith that he received $300 for his help in that case.
Weaver also served as the longtime committeeman of the Spanish Lake Township and on the board of Unity PAC, a north St. Louis County political organization, the indictment says.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
The wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and Weaver is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
South Florida Electronics Exporter Pleads Guilty to Laundering Narcotics Proceeds Through the Black Market Peso ExchangeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that earlier today, MARCELO IRIGOIN pled guilty to money laundering in connection with transactions involving his electronics export company. As part of the scheme, IRIGOIN moved over $1.4 million in narcotics proceeds through the Black Market Peso Exchange, a sophisticated market in which narcotics proceeds are bought and sold by money-launderers and then transferred overseas through shell companies and mirrored transactions. After IRIGION learned that he was the subject of a Government investigation, he provided falsified records to law enforcement in order to conceal his laundering activities from Government.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Marcelo Irigoin not only helped launder over one million dollars in drug proceeds through the Black Market Peso Exchange, he also tried to cover his tracks after he learned about the Government’s investigation. The Black Market Peso Exchange relies on so-called clean money from businesses like Irigoin’s to launder drug proceeds back to cartels overseas. Today’s guilty plea reflects this Office’s commitment to investigate and prosecute businesses and individuals who make their seemingly legitimate businesses available to facilitate these illegal transactions.”
According to the allegations in the Information and statements made during the plea and other proceedings in the case:
Beginning in June 2020, MARCELO IRIGOIN received narcotics proceeds into accounts held by his company (“Company-1”), an electronics exporter based in Doral, Florida, as payments for electronics on behalf of a particular Company-1 customer (“Customer-1”). These payments were all made by third parties with no connection Customer-1. Additionally, these payments contained significant red flags consistent with money-laundering activity, including payment amounts that did not correspond to the actual electronics Customer-1 had purchased, as well as payments broken up into multiple smaller wire transfers over the course of a single day or several days. IRIGOIN regularly communicated with the owner of Customer-1 (“CC-1”) and they discussed, among other things, the fact that CC-1 did not know in advance which third party would be sending money to Company-1 on behalf of Customer-1 for any given transaction.
These third parties were in fact shell companies that collected narcotics proceeds in the United States and sent them to Company-1 on behalf of Customer-1. Once the money was sent to Company-1, Customer-1 would release an equivalent amount of proceeds to the drug trafficking organizations, minus a commission for the money-laundering brokers. This system, known as the Black Market Peso Exchange (“BMPE”), allowed the drug traffickers to collect their narcotics proceeds in their home country without ever actually sending money in cross-border transactions from the United States.
In May 2020, the DEA served a subpoena on Company-1 for records relating to its transactions with these BMPE entities. In responding to this subpoena, IRIGOIN provided false information meant to give the impression that these BMPE entities were actually Company-1 customers, when they were in fact only making payments to Company-1 on behalf of Customer-1. Additionally, IRIGOIN secretly told CC-1 to stop sending payments to Company-1, which was under Government investigation, and instead set up a separate bank account that he used to receive payments from BMPE entities on behalf of Customer-1.
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As part of his guilty plea, IRIGOIN, 41, of Hialeah, Florida, agreed to forfeit $1,436,171.60 to the United States, including over $600,000 the Government had previously seized from various company bank accounts. IRIGOIN pled guilty today to one count of money laundering. This offense carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as IRIGOIN’s sentence will be determined by the judge.
IRIGOIN is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty on September 13, 2022.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Deininger and Sheb Swett are in charge of the prosecution.
SSNDOB Marketplace, A Series of Websites That Listed More Than 20 Million Social Security Numbers for Sale, Seized and Dismantled in International OperationRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, along with Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon for the IRS - Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge David Walker for the FBI - Tampa Division, today announced the seizure of the SSNDOB Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States. The SSNDOB Marketplace has listed the personal information for approximately 24 million individuals in the United States, generating more than $19 million USD in sales revenue.
The SSNDOB administrators created advertisements on darkweb criminal forums for the Marketplace’s services, provided customer support functions, and regularly monitored the activities of the sites, including monitoring when purchasers deposited money into their accounts. The administrators also employed various techniques to protect their anonymity and to thwart detection of their activities, including using online monikers that were distinct from their true identities, strategically maintaining servers in various countries, and requiring buyers to use digital payment methods, such as bitcoin.
The international operation to dismantle and seize this infrastructure is the result of close cooperation with law enforcement authorities in Cyprus and Latvia. On June 7, 2022, seizure orders were executed against the domain names of the SSNDOB Marketplace (ssndob[.]ws, ssndob[.]vip, ssndob[.]club, and blackjob[.]biz), effectively ceasing the website’s operation.
“I applaud the extensive work and cooperation by our domestic and international law enforcement partners in bringing a halt to this global scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “The theft and misuse of personal information is not only criminal but can have a catastrophic impact on individuals for years to come.”
“Identity theft can have a devastating impact on a victim’s long-term emotional and financial health. Taking down the SSNDOB website disrupted ID theft criminals and helped millions of Americans whose personal information was compromised,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, IRS-CI Washington, D.C. Field Office. “Special agents with IRS-CI’s DC Cyber Crimes Unit will continue to work with the U.S. and international law enforcement community to end these complex scams, regardless of where the money trail leads them.”
“These seizures demonstrate the FBI’s strong working relationship with our international partners in disrupting malicious cyber activity,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge David Walker. “Dismantling illicit marketplaces that threaten the privacy and security of the American public is a priority of the FBI.”
The U.S. investigation was led by the IRS - Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI – Tampa Division, with assistance from the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices responsible for Latvia and Cyprus, the Latvian Police, and the Cyprus Police.
The investigation is being overseen by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones and asset forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
Repeat Offender on Supervised Release Admits to Stealing Mail and Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man appeared in federal court today and admitted to stealing mail from residential mailboxes and using the stolen information to commit wire fraud, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Soheil Akhavan Rezaie, 37, entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed plea documents and statements made in court, beginning in 2021 through March 2022, Rezaie and others targeted neighborhoods in Charlotte and surrounding areas and stole large quantities of mail from residential mailboxes. The stolen mail included credit cards, tax forms, financial statements, personal identifying information (PII), and personal and business bank checks. As the defendant admitted in court today, Rezaie altered the amounts of the stolen checks or changed the names of the payees to his own and then deposited the altered checks into bank accounts he controlled. He then withdrew the funds before the victims and financial institutions could determine the checks were stolen. In other instances, Rezaie stole blank checks and wrote checks to himself, which he then cashed with various financial institutions. Rezaie caused more than $150,000 in loss through the fraudulent check cashing scheme. Court records also show that Rezaie used the stolen PII to create fake identification documents in the mail theft victims’ names.
Rezaie pleaded guilty to wire fraud which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. When Rezaie engaged in this scheme he was on supervised release for a 2017 mail theft conviction. In addition to the current court proceedings, a second revocation of Rezaie’s supervised release is pending, for violating the terms of his supervised release for the 2017 conviction.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and USPIS for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution.
Each year, the U.S. Postal Service® handles billions of letters and packages, the majority of which arrive safely at their intended destinations. According to USPIS, here are the extra steps the public can take to prevent mail theft and ensure that mail arrives safely at its destination:
- Promptly pick up mail – try not to leave letters and packages in the mailbox or at the door unattended for any length of time.
- Deposit mail close to pick up time – deposit outgoing mail into collection boxes before the last collection or inside the local postal office.
- Inquire about overdue mail – if you have not received valuable or important mail you’re expecting, contact the sender to inquire about it.
- Do not send cash – be careful about what you are sending in the mail. Avoid mailing cash and gift cards.
- Arrange for prompt pick up – if you will not be available to receive a package in person, contact the postal service to hold your package.
- Use the Hold for Pick Up option – when shipping packages, use the Hold for Pick Up option, so the recipients can pick up package at their local post office.
- Request signature confirmation – when mailing important mail, consider requesting a signature confirmation from the recipient.
- File a change of address – when moving, promptly file a change of address with the Postal Service.
To report suspected mail theft, please call USPIS at 1-877-876-2455.
Reno Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving over 3,000 Images and Videos of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RENO, Nev. – A Reno resident pleaded guilty yesterday to receiving thousands of images and videos of prepubescent minors — including children under 12 years old — engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Ryan Thomas Eley (25) pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Anne R. Traum presided over the hearing and scheduled sentencing for September 6, 2022.
According to court documents and admissions Eley made in court, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded at least 12 CyberTips — pertaining to an IP address originating from Eley’s residence — to law enforcement. On August 4, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Eley’s residence and seized USB flash drives, an external hard drive, and a cell phone belonging to Eley. Forensic analysis of the seized devices revealed that some of the images and videos found on his devices depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and intercourse with adults. In total, over 2,700 child pornography images and over 400 child pornography videos were recovered from Eley’s electronic devices.
At sentencing, Eley faces a statutory mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Eley also will be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph J. St. Clair is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Report child sexual exploitation to NCMEC by calling the hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
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Reality TV stars convicted of fraud and tax evasionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA, Ga. – Following a three-week trial, a federal jury found Todd and Julie Chrisley guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million of fraudulent loans. The jury also convicted Todd and Julie Chrisley and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, of a number of tax crimes, including conspiring to defraud the IRS. The Chrisleys were found guilty of tax evasion, and Peter Tarantino was found guilty of filing two false corporate tax returns on behalf of the Chrisleys’ company. The jury also found Julie Chrisley guilty of wire fraud and obstruction of justice.
“The jury found that Todd and Julie Chrisley committed multiple fraud schemes for several years and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, filed false corporate tax returns on their behalf,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office and our partner agencies will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute white collar criminals who flout the law.”
“As today’s outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay.”
“Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley and their Certified Public Accountant, Peter Tarantino, conspired to evade the assessment and payment of the Chrisley’s income taxes. The Chrisleys and Tarantino knew the law was clear on taxable income and who is required to file and pay taxes,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation. “These convictions should send a clear message regardless of your fame or notoriety, everyone will be held accountable for paying their fair share of taxes.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Before Todd and Julie Chrisley became reality television stars, they conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to obtain more than $30 million in personal loans. The Chrisleys, with the help of their former business partner, submitted false bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements to banks to obtain the millions of dollars in fraudulent loans. The Chrisleys then spent the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate, and travel—and used new fraudulent loans to pay back old ones. After spending all the money, Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy and walked away from more than $20 million of the fraudulently obtained loans.
The evidence further showed that in 2014, while Todd Chrisley was in bankruptcy proceedings, Julie Chrisley again manufactured financial documents and lied to real estate agents to obtain a luxury rental house in Los Angeles, California. As soon as the Chrisleys began renting the house, they failed to pay rent, and the homeowner filed an eviction lawsuit.
Around the time that Todd Chrisley filed for bankruptcy, the Chrisleys became the stars of their own reality show, which was recorded in Atlanta and later in Nashville. The evidence at trial showed that while they were earning millions from their TV show, Todd and Julie Chrisley, along with their accountant, Peter Tarantino, conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Throughout the conspiracy, the Chrisleys operated a loan-out company that received their income earned from their show and other entertainment ventures. To evade collection of half a million dollars in delinquent taxes owed by Todd Chrisley, the Chrisleys opened and kept the corporate bank accounts only in Julie Chrisley’s name. One day after the IRS requested information about bank accounts in Julie Chrisley’s name, the Chrisleys transferred ownership of the corporate bank account to Todd Chrisley’s mother in an effort to further hide his income from the IRS. All the while, Todd Chrisley operated the loan-out company behind the scenes and controlled the company’s purse strings.
While the Chrisleys were earning millions and evading paying Todd Chrisley’s delinquent back taxes, they also failed to file tax returns or pay any taxes for the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax years. At one point, Todd Chrisley falsely claimed on a radio program that he paid $750,000 to $1 million in federal income taxes every year, even though he had not filed or paid his personal income tax returns for years. Tarantino was also convicted of filing two false corporate tax returns for the loan-out company, which falsely claimed that the company earned no money and made no distributions in 2015 and 2016.
Finally, Julie Chrisley was convicted of obstruction of justice. After learning of the grand jury investigation, she submitted a fraudulent document in response to a grand jury subpoena to make it appear that the Chrisleys had not lied to the bank when they transferred ownership of the loan-out company’s bank account to Todd Chrisley’s mother. Julie Chrisley transmitted this document with the intent of impeding the grand jury’s investigation into her and her husband and avoiding prosecution.
Sentencing for Todd and Julie Chrisley, and Peter Tarantino, has been scheduled for Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas J. Krepp and Annalise K. Peters are 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.
Quincy Man Indicted for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Quincy man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with receiving child pornography.
Matthew Ormon, 50, was indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography. He will appear in federal court in Boston on June 8, 2022, before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler. Ormon was previously charged by criminal complaint on April 5, 2022.
According to the charging documents, during a search of Ormon’s residence on April 5, 2022, multiple electronic devices, including two custom built computers and a network drive device were seized. At least one device was found to contain a folder with numerous videos depicting child pornography. Forensic review of the devices remains ongoing.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Proposta dos Trustes Federais de Recursos Naturais para a Construção do Parque Ribeirinho em East NewarkRead the Press Release
Planos para transformar um antigo lote industrial em um parque ribeirinho público podem em breve se tornar realidade para os moradores do local. Em 7 de junho de 2022, o Departmento de Justiça anunciou a abertura de um período de 30 dias para comentários públicos em um acordo que disponibilizaria um crédito à empresa BASF pela sua contribuição no desenho, construção e administração por 30 anos de um parque de cinco acres (2,02 hectares) no cruzamento da Clay Street e Passaic Avenue.
O crédito seria aplicado à responsabilidade civil da empresa BASF, sendo esta uma das mais de 100 partes cuja as atividades passadas contribuíram potencialmente para a contaminação e danos aos recursos naturais relacionados ao Site Diamond Alkali Superfund e à área de estudos de Berry’s Creek. A BASF é a primeira dessas partes potencialmente responsáveis nos sites a propor uma restauração precoce e proativa para tratar dessa suposta responsabilidade civil por danos aos recursos naturais.
O Departmento de Justiça, em nome dos Trustes, está solicitando comentários públicos para determinar o nível de apoio da comunidade para a implementação de um contrato de crédito com a BASF.
“Este acordo inovador irá tratar de décadas de danos aos recursos naturais decorrentes da contaminação industrial e trará vida a um espaço público saudável a ser desfrutado por gerações, disse Todd Kim, Procurador de Justiça da Divisão de Recursos Naturais e Meio Ambiente do Departamento de Justiça, e acrescentou, o Departamento de Justiça está empenhado em buscar justiça para as comunidades que sofrem injustamente com a contaminação nos Estdos Unidos. Este acordo traz, em curto prazo, benefícios duradouros às comunidades que poderiam levar muitos anos de litígio para serem alcançados.”
O projeto do parque melhoraria a qualidade de vida das comunidades e beneficiaria os animais silvestres ao converter um terreno industrial endurecido em florestas, gramados, áreas de pântano, e jardins de polinizadores interligados por passeios públicos e uma passarela elevada junto ao Rio Passaic. Se o acordo for aprovado, antecipa-se que o projeto de construção irá prosseguir e a abertura do parque ao público estaria prevista para o final de 2023 ou a primavera de 2024.
“Este parque irá fornecer um espaço verde necessário para comunidades urbanas que atualment enfrentam uma carência desses espaços, e melhorar as oportunidades de recreação e acesso ao rio, ajudando a conectar as pessoas à natureza em suas vizinhanças. O parque irá também criar e preservar áreas naturais junto ao Rio Passaic, o qual fornece habitats de forrageio, ninho e descanso para uma variedade de aves migratórias e animais silvestres” disse Wendi Weber, Diretora da Regional Noroeste da Serviço Federal de Pesca e Animais Silvestres,
Apesar do contrato de crédito não tratar de todos os danos decorrentes da contaminação, esta restauração precoce apresenta benefícios importantes no avanço das negociações de acordos ou litígios que com frequência levam anos para se finalizarem. O projeto de restauração do parque ribeirinho e o crédito para a avaliação dos danos aos recursos naturais estão acontecendo separadamente, mas em coordenação com as atividades de limpeza dos Sites, as quais estão sendo supervisionadas pela Agência de Proteção Ambiental dos Estados Unidos.
Este seria o primeiro projeto de restauração associado com a avaliação de danos aos recursos naturais realizada pelo governo federal e com as atividades de restauração relacionadas aos extensos Sites Diamond Alkali Superfund e a área de estudos de Berry’s Creek. O Serviço Federal de Pesca e Animais Silvestres e a Administração Nacional Oceânica e Atmosférica (NOAA) estão autorizados a agir em nome do público, como Trustes, quando danos aos recursos naturais acontecem. Os Trustes são a favor do contrato de crédito e dos benefícios previstos no projeto de melhoria da qualidade da água, criando habitats para aves e polinizadores, e aumentando o acesso do público ao rio, inclusive com oportunidades passivas e ativas de recreação para comunidades carentes desproporcionalmente impactadas pela contaminação.
“As atividades industriais dessas hidrovias de trabalho têm um legado de contaminação que afeta desproporcionalmente as comunidades carentes. Este parque ribeirinho de cinco acres representa um primeiro passo importante na restauração da função do ecosistema e do uso recreativo nas comunidades ao seu redor. A NOAA tem o prazer de se juntar à indústria e aos nossos parceiros locais e federais neste esforço”, comentou Nicole LeBoeuf, Diretora do Serviço Oceânico Nacional da NOAA.
Um Projeto Precoce de Restauração e Avaliação Ambiental para o projeto de parque proposto foi emitido pelos Trustes em julho de 2021, após os comentários públicos e análise. Durante todo este processo, os Trustes solicitaram e responderam os comentários públicos relacionados ao projeto proposto. O Contrato de Crédito, ou seja, o próximo passo nesse processo, é o mecanismo de vinculação e financiamento que implementa o Projeto Precoce de Restauração e Avaliação Ambiental Final para o parque proposto. Quando o projeto for finalizado e de acordo com os termos do contrato de crédito, a BASF poderá receber um crédito de $73,5 milhões, que poderão ser usados para a compensação parcial da suposta responsabilidade civil por danos aos recursos naturais em conformidade com a Lei de Resposta Ambiental Abrangente, Indenização e Responsabilidade Civil do Site Diamond Alkali Superfund e do cercano área de estudos de Berry’s Creek. Os Trustes prevêm que o projeto servirá de modelo à medida que outras partes potencialmente responsáveis considerem abordar proativamente a responsabilidade civil por danos aos recursos naturais.
O contrato de crédito estará disponível para comentários públicos por um período de 30 dias até XX de agosto de 2022. O Departamento de Justiça, ao considerar os comentários públicos, determinará se irá implementar o contrato de crédito. O acordo proposto pode ser examinado e baixado neste website: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. Os comentários devem ser enviados ao Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, e devem constar como referência: In Re BASF and Trustees Interim Settlement Agreement, D.J. Ref. No. 90-11-3-07683/14. Os comentátios na proposta podem ser enviados até XX de Agosto de 2022 por e-mail ou via postal:
(1) Por e-mail: [email protected]
(2) Por via postal:
Assistant Attorney General
U.S. DOJ – ENRD
P.O. Box 7611
Washington, D.C. 20044-7611Uma reunião pública informativa virtual será realizada na noite do dia 15 de junho de 2022, e uma reunião presencial será realizada na noite do dia 28 de junho.
Mais informações sobre as próximas reuniões, o projeto do parque, o contrato de crédito, o processo de avaliação dos danos aos recursos naturais e o papel dos Trustes podem ser encontradas aqui: https://darrp.noaa.gov/EastNewarkRiverfrontPark.
O Departamento de Justiça avaliará todas as informações recebidas durante o período de comentários e anunciará uma decisão final no início de agosto.
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Pittsburgh Man Indicted on Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA. A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating various federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The three-count Indictment named Shaquan Moore, 30, formerly of Point View Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, Moore is alleged to have possessed with the intent to distribute 10 grams or more of a mixture of p-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl and a quantity of fentanyl on or about January 19, 2022. Moore is also alleged to have possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and alleged to have possessed a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon on or about January 19, 2022.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $5,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Agency, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pamlico County Man Sentenced to over Twelve Years for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Pamlico County man was sentenced to 151 months in prison for drug conspiracy and distribution offenses. On December 1, 2021, Lionel Dangelo Hatch Jr., pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Hatch, 37, was involved in a drug conspiracy spanning from 2005 to 2019. He pled guilty to involvement in a conspiracy that distributed and possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), and a quantity of marijuana. Hatch also personally distributed quantities of cocaine or cocaine base (crack) on at least ten occasions in the Pamlico County area.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The State Bureau of Investigation, Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office, Craven County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Brown prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-CR-44.
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Oakland County Attorney Sentenced to Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme of Clinton Township OfficialRead the Press Release
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that Jay A. Schwartz, 55, of Northville, Michigan, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine by U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland in Port Huron, Michigan. Judge Cleland pronounced the sentence after Schwartz was convicted at trial of conspiracy and bribery involving federal programs.
According to court records, from March 2014 to January 2016, Schwartz, an Oakland County, Michigan, attorney, was part of a conspiracy that provided Dean Reynolds, an elected Trustee of Clinton Township, Michigan, cash and free legal services in return for Reynolds’ assistance steering a waste collection contract with Clinton Township valued at approximately $36 million to Rizzo Environmental Service, Inc. (“RES”).
As part of the conspiracy, Schwartz, provided Reynolds with approximately $40,000 worth of free legal services in order to influence Reynolds’ decision to extend a waste collection contract with RES for 10 years. Schwartz also assisted his co-conspirators in paying and concealing a $3,000 cash bribe to Reynolds so he could pay for a psychological exam in his divorce proceedings.
Dean Reynolds was sentenced in 2019 to 17 years in prison for his role in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the Detroit FBI. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Crawford, Michael Freeman and Suzana Koch of the Northern District of Ohio.
Northside Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Brandon Washington, 35, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense before United States District Judge Robert Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in March 2021, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police narcotics agents working with the Drug Enforcement Administration utilized an undercover agent to purchase cocaine from Washington at a hotel in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood. Agents executed search warrants on multiple hotel rooms thereafter, which led to the seizure of additional quantities of cocaine base (in the form commonly known as “crack”), drug paraphernalia commonly used to process cocaine into cocaine base, and a loaded .45 caliber pistol. By pleading guilty, Washington admitted that he distributed cocaine, possessed cocaine base with the intent to distribute it, and unlawfully possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 4, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court remanded Washington to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Ball is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Washington.
North Side Man Charged with Attempting to Coerce a Minor to Visit his Apartment for SexRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Anthony Antosz, 45, formerly of Perrysville Avenue, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, from on or about January 19, 2022, and continuing thereafter until on or about May 16, 2022, Antosz did use a facility and means of interstate commerce, specifically the Internet and a cellular telephone network, to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual who had not attained the age of eighteen (18) years to engage in sexual activity.
According to an affidavit in support of a Criminal Complaint filed in this case, after chatting with an undercover agent posing as a 12-year-old child for months over his cell phone and the internet in an effort to entice the purported child to have sex, Anthony Antosz sent a Lyft ticket to the purported child so the child could ride to his apartment to engage in sexual activity. Antosz lined the staircase leading up to his apartment with lit candles in an effort to set the mood for his anticipated sexual encounter with a child.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of at least five years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Noncitizen in Yakima County Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – On June 3, 2022, United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., sentenced Lorenzo Jimenez Alanis, 47, of Mabton, Washington, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, along with downloading and possessing a large collection of child pornography. Judge Mendoza also ordered Alanis to serve five years of federal supervision after he is released from prison, although under current U.S. law, it is likely that Alanis will be removed from the United States after his release from custody. Alanis pleaded guilty earlier this year.
According to information disclosed in court documents and during proceedings, Alanis was a source of supply for pound level quantities of methamphetamine associated with a drug trafficking organization operating directly out of Mexico. Alanis was arrested in a DEA Tri-Cities operation while he was delivering four pounds of methamphetamine. A search warrant was executed at his home and additional quantities of methamphetamine, multiple firearms and indicia of drug trafficking were also seized. When Alanis was arrested, officers searched his cellular telephone and discovered thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused, tortured, and violated. Troublingly, Alanis’ collection included images and videos depicting prepubescent children who were the same age as his own children and younger. Alanis came to the United States unlawfully in 1992, when he was approximately 17-18 years of age, and has lived in the lower Yakima Valley since then.
“The wide scope of Mr. Alanis’ criminal conduct is staggering. This case involved both largescale methamphetamine dealing as well as downloading and collecting thousands of crime scene photos of minors being sexually abused,” said Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “I commend the seamless communication and collaboration in this case between DEA, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in Richland, and our state and local partners—what began as a drug case concluded with a child exploitation offender behind bars for 15 years. Whether it is illegal drugs or illicit images of children, law enforcement in the Eastern District will continue to seek out, investigate, and prosecute criminal conduct to keep the communities of Eastern Washington safe and strong.”
“Mr. Alanis used his direct connections with a Mexican drug trafficking organization to supply methamphetamine in Eastern Washington, and even more disturbing, possessed large amounts of child pornography,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jacob D. Galvan, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The DEA, with its federal, state, and local partners, will relentlessly pursue individuals who seek to harm and exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children.”
“Mr. Alanis represented a triple threat to our community through his trove of videos depicting violent sexual abuse of children, distribution of methamphetamine, and firearms possession,” said Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “I applaud the work of our federal and state law enforcement partners in Eastern Washington to address these critical threats and ensure that criminals like Mr. Alanis are brought to justice.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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 information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by DEA Seattle Field Division, Tri-Cities Resident Office, United States Customs and Border Protection, METRO Drug Task Force, the Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, and Pasco Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, Tri-Cities Resident Office, and the ICAC Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie A. Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Niagara Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Andrew Medina, 31, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that on August 31, 2020, law enforcement officers intercepted a package from California, which contained approximately 837 grams of pure methamphetamine. On September 4, 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration agents conducted a controlled delivery of the parcel, which had been replaced with sham and a transmitter installed, at Medina’s residence on South Avenue in Niagara Falls. Approximately an hour later, the transmitter alerted agents that the parcel had been opened. As agents approached the home, they observed Medina standing on the second-floor balcony throwing the sham and parcel into an adjacent yard. Medina was then taken into custody. During the execution of a search warrant at the residence, agents recovered the parcel, the sham placed inside the package, approximately $15,200 in U.S. currency, approximately 74 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a black iPhone. In addition, a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a .40 caliber magazine loaded with five rounds. Medina was previously convicted three times in 2011 and 2012, on drug charges in California and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.The plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the Boston Division, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2022, before Judge Vilardo.
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New York Man Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on June 6, 2022, Edward Hart, age 32, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner following his conviction for bank fraud. Judge Conner also ordered Hart to pay victims restitution in the amount of $82,969.06 and to serve two years of supervised release following his release from prison.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Hart was a member of a conspiracy in which he and others stole mail from postal boxes, rifled that mail to find checks that had been made payable to third parties, and then altered the checks and deposited them in other bank accounts. The conspiracy formed in the New York City area and extended into central Pennsylvania. The conspiracy also involved the participation of a former Harrisburg area U.S. Postal Service employee, Kazaria Blair, who provided the conspirators access to a postal key that enabled them to open blue postal collection boxes to steal the mail. The investigation identified at least 40 stolen checks, of which 19 had been cashed, resulting in financial losses to victims.
Blair pleaded guilty on May 23, 2022, to stealing keys adopted by the post office, and is awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service – Harrisburg Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
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New York and Florida Resident Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for $6.8 Million Paycheck Protection Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A dual New York and Florida resident was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling over $6.8 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Gregory J. Blotnick, 35, of Florida, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2020 through March 2021, Blotnick submitted 21 fraudulent PPP loan applications to 13 lenders on behalf of nine purported businesses that Blotnick controlled.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. PPP loan proceeds must be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.
On Blotnick’s fraudulent PPP applications, which sought a total of approximately $6.8 million in total loans, Blotnick falsified various information to the lenders including the number of employees, the federal tax returns for his purported businesses, and payroll documentation. Blotnick obtained approximately $4.6 million in PPP funds and then misused the loan proceeds, including by transferring the funds to brokerage accounts from which he placed more than approximately $3 million in losing stock trades.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Blotnick to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $4,577,631.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott; special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca in New York; and special agents of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stephen Donnelly, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark and Trial Attorney Cory E. Jacobs of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Defense counsel: Adam Kaufmann Esq and Jason Berland Esq, New York.
Moultrie, Georgia, Resident Guilty for Trafficking a Kilo of Crystal MethRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia resident admitted in federal court last week that he was attempting to distribute one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine in his hometown.
Anthony Giddens, 40, of Moultrie, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on June 2. Giddens faces a maximum 20 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. Sentencing has not been scheduled. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Methamphetamine has a devastating impact in our communities. Those who profit by trafficking large amounts of this highly addictive and deadly drug face the possibility of federal prosecution for their crime,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to thank the Moultrie Police Department and Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office for their continued efforts to prevent the distribution of methamphetamine and other harmful and illegal drugs in their community.”
According to court documents, Giddens was pulled over for a tag violation by a Moultrie Police Department patrol unit on Sept. 10, 2019, on Veterans Parkway South. Giddens acted evasive and nervous during his exchange with the officer. Giddens also admitted he had marijuana in the vehicle and dumped a cup of marijuana blunts. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found a large plastic bag filled with 1005.68 grams of crystal methamphetamine on the front passenger seat. A Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office drug investigator was dispatched to the scene and located a stolen pistol, a revolver, two digital scales, a large quantity of plastic baggies and $2,214 cash.
The Moultrie Police Department and Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim is prosecuting the case.
Mobridge Man Sentenced for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mobridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine was sentenced on June 6, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Spencer Jacob Rinehart, age 29, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison, five years of supervised release, a fine in the amount of $1,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Rinehart was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 13, 2021. He pled guilty on December 7, 2021.
Between January 1, 2017, and April 29, 2020, Rinehart knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Mobridge, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the Mobridge Police Department, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Rinehart was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals
Mobridge Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Mobridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on June 6, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Justin Jerome Howard, age 39, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Howard was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 13, 2021. He pled guilty on January 4, 2022.
Howard, a person required to register as a sex offender by reason of a conviction under federal law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration between August 17, 2021, and August 29, 2021, while living near Kenel, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Mobridge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Howard was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Milton, Vermont Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on June 7, 2022, Emanuel Dunn, 36, of Milton, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 60 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Dunn to serve a ten (10) year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, on July 11, 2019, a confidential informant (CI) working with the Northwest Vermont Drug Task Force (NW DTF) arranged to purchase a half-gram of cocaine base and a bundle of heroin from Dunn. Dunn instructed the CI to come to his residence in Winooski, Vermont, to pick up the drugs. The CI went to the residence, where he gave Dunn $160 and received cocaine base. Dunn and the CI drove to a location in Burlington, Vermont, to pick up the heroin, which Dunn then gave to the CI. The substances distributed by Dunn were determined to be cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Northwestern Vermont Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the South Burlington Police Department, and the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety, Forensic Laboratory, in the investigation and prosecution of Dunn.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Dunn. Robert W. Katims represented Dunn.
Michigan Man Sentenced for Traveling to New York Intending to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a ChildRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Robert Hardin, age 76, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced today to serve 10 years in federal prison for traveling to New York from Michigan for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a 10-year-old child. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Hardin admitted that from July of 2021 through August of 2021 he exchanged sexually explicit messages via an online social networking application and text message with an undercover officer posing as the mother of a 10-year-old girl. In these messages, Hardin expressed a desire to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the child. Hardin further admitted that on August 24, 2021, he traveled from Michigan to New York in order to meet with the child and engage in sexual conduct with her. Hardin was arrested after arriving in New York and has been in custody since that date.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, which will start after Hardin is released from prison, and ordered Hardin to pay a $100 special assessment. Hardin will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the FBI Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Memphis Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Leading Role in Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN - Percy Woodears, 40, has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) began an investigation into Percy Woodears a/k/a Boom in October 2019. Between October 2019 and February 2021, agents determined Woodears was obtaining kilogram amounts of cocaine and through a network of associates, distributed both powder and crack cocaine for profit.
On February 5, 2021, agents seized three individually wrapped kilograms of cocaine, a safe containing approximately $313,898 in cash, and four firearms, from locations connected to Woodears' drug trafficking activities. Woodears and 15 other individuals were indicted for their roles in the cocaine and crack cocaine distribution on February 25, 2021. During the arrest of the co-conspirators, agents seized 6 additional firearms.
On January 13, 2022, Woodears pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of powder cocaine, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 280 grams of crack cocaine; and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 3.4 kilograms of cocaine. Woodears had previously been convicted of a federal firearms offense in the Western District of Tennessee in 2010.
The 15 other defendants have also pled guilty.
"This case highlights the impact multiple agencies can have when they join forces. We will continue to work together and pursue those individuals who threaten our communities by distributing illegal and dangerous drugs as well as illegally possessing firearms," said Mickey French, Special Agent in Charge, ATF.
On June 2, 2022, United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Woodears to 135 months incarceration to be followed by five years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, Memphis Police Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory D. Allen and Jennifer Musselwhite prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
###Max sentenced imposed for distributing images involving children engaged in sadistic conductRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 58-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of distributing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Steven Furman pleaded guilty Feb. 1.
Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton handed Furman the statutory maximum of 240 months. He will also serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He was further ordered to register as a sex offender.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Furman was a hands-on offender and had sexually abused teenage girls over the course of several years, one of whom provided an in-person victim impact statement. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the horrible details of Furman’s crimes and her powerful statement.
The investigation began after authorities learned about the distribution of files containing child pornography. The images included prepubescent minors forced to engage in sadistic or masochistic conduct. Furman was associated with that IP address.
Law enforcement also discovered Furman was writing and sending fantasies stories about abusing children.
On April 6, 2021, they executed a search warrant at Furman’s residence, at which time they seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed 671 images and videos depicting child pornography. At the time of his arrest, Furman admitted to using the internet to view, download and distribute child pornography.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Smith and Dennis Robinson prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Lumberton Man Sentenced to More than Six Years for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Lumberton, North Carolina man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Following his release, he will face three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Edward Shaquille Alford, 29, was named in an Indictment filed on July 28, 2021, charging him with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On March 9, 2022, Alford entered a plea of guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On February 27, 2021, investigators with the Lumberton Police Department and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence in Lumberton. Investigators located a loaded Glock 21 .45 caliber firearm with an extended magazine in the room where Alford was staying.
Alford made bond on state charges but was arrested again on a firearm charge on May 8, 2021, when Lumberton Police Department investigators attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Alford. Alford fled from the traffic stop and was apprehended nearby. A Springfield AR-15 was recovered from the driver’s side door.
Alford previously sustained multiple state felony convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, as well as a prior conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Lumberton Police Department, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the cases and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 7:21-CR-00096-D-001.
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Los fideicomisarios federales de recursos naturales proponen la construcción del parque Riverside en East NewarkRead the Press Release
Los planes para convertir un antiguo sector industrial en un parque público frente al río pronto pueden convertirse en realidad para los residentes del área. El 7 de junio de 2022, el Departamento de Justicia anunció la apertura de un período de 30 días para recibir comentarios del público sobre un acuerdo que le acreditaría a la empresa BASF Corporation su contribución al diseño, la construcción y la administración durante 30 años de un parque de cinco acres (2,02 hectáreas) en la intersección de Clay Street y Passaic Avenue.
Ese crédito se calcularía hacia la responsabilidad de BASF como una de las más de 100 compañías cuyas actividades pasadas contribuyeron potencialmente a la contaminación y daños a los recursos naturales relacionados con el lugar de superfondo Diamond Alkali y el área de estudio de Berry's Creek. BASF es la primera de estas compañías potencialmente responsables en estos lugares que propone una restauración temprana y proactiva para abordar una porción de estas supuestas responsabilidades por daños a los recursos naturales.
El Departamento de Justicia, en nombre de los fideicomisarios, ahora solicita comentarios del público para establecer cuál es el apoyo de la comunidad para la implementación del acuerdo de acreditación con BASF.
“Este acuerdo innovador abordará los daños a los recursos naturales causados por décadas de contaminación industrial y dará vida a un espacio público saludable para el disfrute de generaciones”, dijo el fiscal general auxiliar Todd Kim de la división de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales del Departamento de Justicia. “El Departamento de Justicia se compromete a buscar justicia para las comunidades que han cargado una injusta proporción de la contaminación en los Estados Unidos. Este acuerdo brinda, a corto plazo, beneficios duraderos a las comunidades que podrían haber demorado muchos años de litigio para lograrlo”.
El proyecto del parque mejoraría la calidad de vida de las comunidades y beneficiaría a la vida silvestre al convertir endurecidos terrenos industriales en bosques, praderas, humedales y jardines de polinizadores unidos por senderos y una pasarela elevada a lo largo del río Passaic. Si se aprueba el acuerdo, se anticipa que la construcción del proyecto procederá y el parque se inauguraría al público a fines de 2023 o en la primavera de 2024.
“Este parque proporcionará los espacios verdes necesarios para las comunidades urbanas que actualmente enfrentan una escasez de tales espacios, y mejorará las oportunidades recreativas y el acceso al río, ayudando a conectar a las personas con la naturaleza en sus vecindarios”, comentó Wendi Weber, directora regional del noreste del Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre. “También creará y conservará áreas naturales a lo largo del río Passaic que brindan un hábitat de alimentación, anidación y descanso para una variedad de aves migratorias y vida silvestre”.
Si bien el acuerdo de acreditación no aborda todos los daños sufridos como resultado de la contaminación, esta restauración temprana brinda beneficios significativos antes de acuerdos negociados o litigios que a menudo demoran años de que terminen. El proyecto de restauración del parque ribereño y la acreditación de la evaluación de daños a los recursos naturales se realizan por separado, pero coordinando con las actividades de limpieza del lugar que supervisa la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos.
Este sería el primer proyecto de restauración asociado con la evaluación federal de daños a los recursos naturales y las actividades de restauración relacionadas con el extenso lugar de superfondo Diamond Alkali y el área de estudio de Berry's Creek. El Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre y la Oficina Nacional de Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA) están autorizados para actuar en nombre del público como fideicomisarios cuando se han producido daños a los recursos naturales. Los fideicomisarios respaldan el acuerdo de acreditación y los beneficios que se anticipan con el proyecto de mejorar la calidad del agua, crear un hábitat para las aves y los polinizadores y aumentar el acceso público al río, incluidas las oportunidades de recreación activas y pasivas para las comunidades de pocos recursos que se han visto afectadas de manera desproporcionada por la contaminación.
“Las actividades industriales de estas vías fluviales en funcionamiento tienen un legado de contaminación que afecta de manera desproporcionada a las comunidades de bajos recursos”, comentó Nicole LeBoeuf, directora del Servicio Nacional Oceánico de la NOAA. “Este parque ribereño de cinco acres representa un primer paso importante para restaurar tanto el funcionamiento perdido del ecosistema como el uso recreativo perdido para la comunidad a su alrededor. La NOAA se complace en unirse a la industria y a nuestros socios locales y federales en este esfuerzo”.
Los fideicomisarios emitieron un plan de restauración temprana y una evaluación ambiental para el proyecto del parque propuesto en julio de 2021 luego de los comentarios y la revisión del público. A lo largo de este proceso, los fideicomisarios han solicitado y respondido a los comentarios del público con respecto al proyecto propuesto. El acuerdo de acreditación, el próximo paso en el proceso, es el mecanismo vinculante y de financiamiento que implementa el plan final de restauración temprana y la evaluación ambiental para el parque propuesto.
Cuando termine el proyecto, según los términos del acuerdo de acreditación, BASF obtendrá un crédito de $73,5 millones que puede utilizar para compensar parcialmente la supuesta responsabilidad de la empresa por daños a los recursos naturales en virtud de la Ley integral de respuesta ambiental, compensación y responsabilidad respecto al lugar de superfondo Diamond Alkali y el área de estudio cercana de Berry's Creek. Los fideicomisarios anticipan que este proyecto servirá como modelo a medida que otras de las partes potencialmente responsables consideren abordar de manera proactiva las responsabilidades por daños a los recursos naturales.
El acuerdo de acreditación estará disponible para comentarios públicos durante 30 días hasta el día XX de agosto de 2022. Tras considerar los comentarios del público, el Departamento de Justicia determinará si implementará el acuerdo de acreditación. El acuerdo propuesto se puede examinar y descargar en este sitio web: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. Los comentarios deben dirigirse al Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, y deben referirse a In Re BASF and Trustees Interim Settlement Agreement, D.J. Ref. Nº 90-11-3- 07683/14. Los comentarios sobre la propuesta pueden enviarse hasta el día XX de agosto de 2022 por correo electrónico o por correo postal:
(1) Por correo electrónico: [email protected]
(2) Por correo postal:
Assistant Attorney General
U.S. DOJ – ENRD
P.O. Box 7611
Washington, D.C. 20044-7611Se celebrará una reunión virtual de información al público en horario vespertino el 15 de junio de 2022 con una reunión en persona que se llevará a cabo en horario vespertino el 28 de junio.
Puede encontrar más información sobre las próximas reuniones, el proyecto del parque, el acuerdo de acreditación, el proceso de evaluación de daños a los recursos naturales y el papel de los fideicomisarios en https://darrp.noaa.gov/EastNewarkRiverfrontPark.
El Departamento de Justicia evaluará toda la información recibida durante el período de comentarios y anunciará una decisión final a principios de agosto.
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Leader of Washington County Drug Distribution Network Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of Washington County, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Marcus Brown, 34, of Washington County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on June 1 to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine from April of 2020 and continuing to November 19, 2020, before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Mr. Brown also accepted responsibility for conspiring to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base as well quantities of heroin and fentanyl and for possessing firearms in conjunction with his drug trafficking. Mr. Brown is the lead Defendant of 20 defendants charged in the Superseding Indictment returned in this case
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that in 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating a drug trafficking organization lead by Mr. Brown that operated throughout the greater Washington County area. Beginning in April of 2020 and continuing through October of 2020, the FBI received authorization to conduct a Title III wiretap investigation into the organization. Mr. Brown, as the leader of this multi-member drug trafficking organization, was intercepted orchestrating and directing the movement of drugs from New Jersey to the Western District of Pennsylvania for distribution throughout Washington County by various members of the organization. In addition to the intercepted communications, agents seized cocaine, cocaine base, heroin, fentanyl, firearms, ammunition, body armor, and bulk United States Currency from members of the organization, including Mr. Brown.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for September 28, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than ten years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark V. Gurzo and Jerome A. Moschetta are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police Drug Law Enforcement Division conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mr. Brown. This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Johnston Man Sentenced for Making a Destructive DeviceRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – Chad Allen Williams, age 47, of Johnston, was sentenced Friday, June 3, 2022, to 60 months in federal prison for Making a Destructive Device and Unlawful Drug User in Possession of a Firearm. His term of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release. Williams pled guilty to the charges on January 20, 2022.
According to court documents, Williams admitted to detonating homemade explosive devices on a public street in Ankeny on May 12 and June 7, 2021. A third explosive device was found in the same location on the morning of June 9, 2021. The device, which did not detonate in spite of apparent attempts to do so, was found to contain a significant amount of metallic shrapnel. With the assistance of neighbors and other community members, law enforcement worked together to trace the devices to Williams, and executed a search warrant at his Johnston residence on June 18, 2021.
As a result of the search warrant, Agents located controlled substances and items consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices, including the specific explosive devices located in Ankeny. Agents also seized a loaded Ruger, Model P89, nine-millimeter pistol in Williams’ vehicle. Subsequent to execution of the search warrant, Williams admitted to manufacturing and placing the explosive devices on the Ankeny street. Williams also admitted to being a user of methamphetamine, which disqualified him from the right to possess a firearm.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Ankeny Police Department, the Iowa Department of Public Safety Intelligence Division, the Iowa State Fire Marshall, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa.
Johnston Man Admits to Trafficking Thousands of Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Johnston man who arranged for the sale and delivery of thousands of fentanyl pills plead guilty today in federal court in Providence to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and to distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Johnathan King, 31, admitted to the court that on May 25, 2021, he arranged to sell and have delivered 4,000 fentanyl pills to a person who arranged for the purchase while under surveillance by members of the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force. King sold the same individual an additional 1,000 fentanyl pills on two dates in June 2021.
King, detained in federal custody since his arrest on July 20, 2021, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 13, 2022. Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl are punishable by statutory penalties of a minimum of ten years of incarceration; a term of life with a mandatory minimum term of supervised release of five years; and a fine of $10,000,000. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Michael Seaman, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H Vilker.
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Jefferson County man sentenced to four years on child pornography, explosives chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a Jefferson County, Missouri man who was caught with child pornography and homemade explosive devices to four years in prison.
Nathan L. J. Baucom, 26, pleaded guilty in October to possession of child pornography and possession of an unregistered firearm or destructive device.
He admitted receiving two images containing child pornography on Nov. 1, 2019 via Snapchat, and being caught by law enforcement on May 18, 2020 with five videos and 34 images containing child pornography on his cell phone. Baucom also had three improvised explosive devices consisting of carbon dioxide cylinders containing a fuse, explosive powder and steel shot, his plea agreement said.
Baucom told law enforcement that he planned to use the devices for fishing.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Jefferson County man gets nearly 5 years for jail escape, gun chargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man who escaped from the St. Ann jail while awaiting trial on a gun charge to four years and nine months in prison.
Jason W. Woolbright, 48, of Jefferson County, arranged for the purchase of a 1996 red Ford Mustang in June of 2021, and then had Christina Louise Deal stash it near the jail. On the night of July 9, 2021, he and two other inmates escaped through a window.
The U.S. Marshals captured all three inmates within 24 hours.
The felon in possession of a firearm charge stems from an Oct. 1, 2020 traffic stop by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Woolbright, who was on supervised release after being sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison on a 2013 drug charge, told the officer he only had prison ID, not his driver’s license. The officer also spotted a Xanax pill in the van and found a loaded Colt handgun under the driver’s seat.
Woolbright pleaded guilty March 9 to the escape charge and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Deal, 47, pleaded guilty in April to a charge of assisting an escape and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman prosecuted the case.
Grand Jury Indicts Prior Federal Felon on New Drug Charges Along with Co-conspiratorRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Joseph S. Zaso a/k/a Joey Cracks, 38, of Buffalo, NY, and Denver J. Komenda, 47, of Jamestown, NY, with narcotics conspiracy. In addition, Zaso is charged with using and maintaining a drug-involved premises and distribution of fentanyl and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. Komenda is also charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated according to the indictment, between September 2018, and May 2022, Zaso and Komenda conspired to possess and sell heroin and fentanyl. Zaso is also accused of using a residence on Locust Street in Jamestown to conduct drug trafficking activities, including the distribution of large quantities of heroin and fentanyl. Zaso was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan and sentenced to serve 60 months in prison. Zaso was on federal supervised release, which was transferred from Michigan to the Western District of New York, until July 2021.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Kickback Scheme Involving Covid-19 and Cancer Genetic TestingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Georgia man pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and receive kickbacks in connection with fraudulent testing claims for COVID-19 and cancer genetic screenings, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Erik Santos, 52, of Braselton, Georgia pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging him with, in count one, conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute, and, in count two, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Santos owned and operated a company that conducted business with medical testing companies. From September 2019 through March 2020, Santos and others agreed to engage in a scheme to provide medical testing companies with qualified patient leads and tests for medically unnecessary cancer genetic screening tests for Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for kickbacks of approximately $1,000 to $1,500 for each test that resulted in a reimbursement from Medicare. Santos entered into a sham contract and utilized sham invoices to make it appear that he was being paid for legitimate services and to conceal his fraudulent kickback scheme. During the course of the scheme, Santos received kickbacks of approximately $33,250 for cancer genetic screening tests. Santos’s scheme aimed to submit more than $1.1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
In March 2020, at a time when many individuals reported difficulty obtaining Covid-19 tests, Santos and others agreed to extend their scheme to also incorporate those tests, along with significantly more expensive and medically unnecessary respiratory pathogen panel tests. Specifically, Santos and his co-conspirators agreed that Santos would be paid kickbacks for each Covid-19 test submitted to a laboratory, provided that those tests were bundled with significantly more expense respiratory pathogen panel tests, which did not treat or identify Covid-19, and regardless of the medical necessity of either test. Santos agreed to use sham contracts and sham invoices to conceal this portion of the scheme as well.
The count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a maximum potential punishment of 10 years in prison. The count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. Both offenses are also punishable by a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jesse Levine in Newark; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick Hegarty; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the ongoing investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Sherman of the Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: James Smith
Former Senior Maryland Health Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Isabel FitzGerald, age 52, of Annapolis, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to bribery involving an agent of a program receiving federal funds in relation to a scheme involving information technology contracts with the State of Maryland Department of Human Services. As part of her guilty plea, FitzGerald will be ordered to pay $38,310 in restitution.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to her guilty plea, from February 2007 to August 2013, FitzGerald held several offices in the Maryland State government, including serving as Chief Information Officer of the Department of Human Resources (DHR), as a consultant indirectly compensated by DHR, and as DHR Deputy Secretary of Operations.
While employed as a government agent, from December 2011 to January 2013, FitzGerald received financial benefits from two senior members of an IT Company (Company 2) in exchange for influence in connection with the performance of favorable official acts. In the process of influencing contracts, FitzGerald used her own company, Aeon Consulting and Technical Services, Inc., to facilitate contracts and favorable business dealings.
As stated in her plea agreement, in July 2011, FitzGerald entered into an agreement to work as a contractor for Company 3. Company 3 obtained a technology contract with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), an agency that received grant funding from DHR. In September 2011, FitzGerald agreed to work for Company 3 as a Project Manager on Company 3’s work in Montgomery County and submitted a letter of resignation to DHR indicating that her last official day would be October 14, 2011.
In October 2011, the CEO of Company 2 sought to gain favor with FitzGerald due to her previous role within DHR and her current role with Montgomery County DHHS. In the same month, the CEO and Company 2 agreed to pay FitzGerald through her company, Aeon, for purportedly providing the services of Person 2. Per the arrangement, FitzGerald and Aeon entered into contracts resulting in Aeon collecting a balance of $20 per hour worked by Person 2. This represented Company 2’s entire profit on its contract for the work of Person 2. Despite this arrangement, Person 2 continued to be supervised by Company 2 employees, not by FitzGerald.
After FitzGerald resigned from her position as DHR Chief Information Officer, an arrangement was made with senior officials of DHR and Montgomery County DHHS that permitted FitzGerald to continue to work for DHR within her new role at Montgomery County DHHS. FitzGerald acknowledges that she was aware that funding for her position would be paid by DHR and that she was an agent of the state. As a result of this agreement, FitzGerald agreed to work 20 hours per week for the benefit of DHR, with the ability to work up to 40 hours per week for the benefit of DHR. In return, DHR increased its grant funds to Montgomery County DHHS for the rate of $110 per hour worked by FitzGerald. As a result, FitzGerald continued to exercise influence over the business of DHR in a consultant compacity.
After the CEO of Company 2 contacted FitzGerald and requested her assistance in maintaining Company 2’s business in the state of Maryland, FitzGerald and the CEO negotiated an agreement in which FitzGerald would be compensated for her influence to obtain work for Company 2. FitzGerald did not divulge the existence of this arrangement to any employees of DHR, to include the Secretary of DHR or the Acting CIO, even after she took on the role of a consultant compensated indirectly by DHR.
Later, after FitzGerald learned that she had been named Deputy Secretary of Operations of DHR, FitzGerald directed the CEO of Company 2 to transfer the contract for Person 2 to Kenneth Coffland, with whom she shared a close personal relationship.
pThe total amount of the bribe FitzGerald received was $35,000. She also directed an additional $3,080 to Coffland. Co-defendant Coffland was indicted on charges related to the bribery conspiracy in 2017, and a separate charge of extortion under color of official right in 2018 and is scheduled for trial on June 21, 2022. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
FitzGerald faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for bribery involving an agent of a program receiving federal funds. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for October 13, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Jefferson M. Gray, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Legislator Found Guilty of Theft of Government Funds and Honest Services Wire FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – After a six-day jury trial, former legislator Nestor Alonso-Vega was found guilty of nine counts of Federal Funds Theft, Kickbacks; and Honest Services Wire Fraud, announced United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. United States District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach presided over the trial. The FBI was in charge of the investigation.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between April 2018 and September 2020, Nestor Alonso-Vega authorized several salary adjustments for his assistant. It was agreed that his assistant would kickback to Alonso-Vega half of the total amount of the pay raise, split between each pay day. The defendant received more than $40,000.
It was further alleged that the assistant, who testified during the trial, used a variety of means to transfer the kickbacks to Alonso-Vega. For example, he used ATH Móvil, made withdrawals around the time he received his paycheck and paid Alonso-Vega in cash, and, at times, made payments to Alonso-Vega’s Home Depot account.
“We continue to see the results of our efforts fighting public corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “My office will continue to diligently investigate and prosecute public corruption schemes to protect the public and hold those involved accountable for their actions.”
“Public Corruption is and will continue to be a top priority for the FBI and today’s verdict is a result of that commitment.” – said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, Joseph González. “I’d like to thank the US Attorney’s Office for being a strong partner in this commitment and urge those who might still need to come forward with information regarding these schemes, to do so. Our lines and doors are always open, and it’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Anderson prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by FBI Special Agent Juan Carlos López of the San Juan Field Office.
Former LADWP Executive Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for Lying to FBI About Secret Business Relationship with LawyerRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former top-level Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) executive was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for lying to the FBI about a lucrative job offer he secretly solicited and agreed to accept in exchange for providing “guarantees” of additional LADWP contract money to a lawyer who held a bribery-fueled contract with the department and also served as its special counsel.
David F. Alexander, 54, of Arcadia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also ordered Alexander to pay a fine of $50,000.
Alexander, who served as LADWP’s chief information security officer from May 2017 until February 2019, and then served as the department’s chief cyber risk officer for the next six months, pleaded guilty on February 8 to one count of making false statements to federal investigators investigating corruption at LADWP.
“At every turn, [Alexander] made clear through his actions and his words that his interests lay in his own financial future…at the cost of LADWP and its ratepayers,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
Beginning in 2017, Alexander developed a professional relationship with Paul O. Paradis, 58, a New York lawyer who – while secretly and simultaneously representing a ratepayer suing the department – represented LADWP in a lawsuit against PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the vendor it blamed for a major billing debacle.
In 2017, Paradis created a Los Angeles-based company known as Aventador Utility Solutions LLC, which obtained a three-year, $30 million no-bid contract with LADWP to perform remediation work on the faulty billing system. Aventador – later renamed Ardent Cyber Solutions LLC – also performed certain cybersecurity-related work for LADWP.
From February 2019 to April 2019, Alexander abused his position as LADWP’s chief cyber risk officer and the vice-chair of the Cyber Security Working Group for the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) – a collective of 11 municipal utilities, including LADWP. Alexander manipulated the bidding process to unlawfully steer a $17 million contract to Ardent by influencing the composition of the scoring committee to include individuals whom he could persuade to rank Ardent favorably and by sharing his confidential scores for the SCPPA proposals with other members of the committee to persuade them to score Ardent favorably.
Alexander later met with Paradis and boasted about securing the contract for Ardent.
In June and July of 2019, Alexander further manipulated in Ardent’s favor an RFP process from LADWP for the award of a three-year, $82.5 million cybersecurity consulting services contract. Alexander was one of the RFP drafters and he solicited Paradis’s edits for the request to enhance Ardent’s ability to gain the contract over the dozen-plus other vendors.
By mid-July, Alexander solicited and agreed to accept from Paradis a future job as the chief administrative officer of Ardent, a to-be-determined executive-level annual salary, a sign-on bonus, and recompense of $60,000 per year for 30 years for his early retirement penalty from LADWP. Alexander did so, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with his ongoing assistance in securing the award of the multimillion-dollar LADWP cybersecurity contract to Ardent and use of his position to guarantee more than $10 million in future task orders for Ardent under the anticipated LADWP contract.
Alexander also asked for a secret Ardent email address and agreed to accept a laptop computer to communicate with Paradis and to secretly perform work for Ardent while he was employed at LADWP.
On July 22, 2019, the FBI executed search warrants at LADWP as part of its ongoing investigation into the department and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Two days later during a voluntary interview, Alexander lied to the FBI about his conversations and corrupt agreements with Paradis. On July 26, 2019, Alexander met again with the FBI and again lied, falsely stating that he had declined any employment opportunity with Ardent and that he had never provided any guarantees to Ardent or to Paradis.
Paradis pleaded guilty on January 28 to one count of bribery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19.
David H. Wright, 62, of Riverside, LADWP’s former general manager, was sentenced to six years in federal prison and fined $75,000 for accepting bribes from Paradis in exchange for his official action to secure the three-year, $30 million no-bid LADWP contract for Aventador.
The FBI is investigating this matter. Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter in the City of Los Angeles is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s tip line at tips.fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
Assistant United States Attorneys Susan Har and Jamari Buxton of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.
Former Bank Vice President and Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud Conspiracy and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jennifer Woods, 46, of Panama City, Florida, and Jeffrey Cannon, 48, of Orlando, Florida, were sentenced on March 9, 2022, and today, respectively, after previously pleading guilty to charges relating to a bank fraud conspiracy. Woods was sentenced to a total of twenty-four months in prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. Cannon was sentenced to a total of forty-one months in prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. The sentences were announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“This investigation and the associated sentences should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would engage in fraudulent transactions, especially financial representatives who abuse their positions of trust,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “Our law enforcement partners are to be commended for their dedication, investigating and recovering the victim’s hard-earned funds.”
Court documents reflect that between October 2006 and August 2019, Woods was employed with Centennial Bank in Panama City, Florida, with her last position being the Vice President of Commercial Lending. Court documents further reflect that Woods met Cannon, a real estate developer in Orlando, Florida, several years before Woods left Centennial Bank. Cannon was looking for private lenders to “invest” with him, and Woods connected Cannon with other Centennial Bank customers (against Centennial Bank’s policies and procedures). Beginning in February 2018, Woods began embezzling funds from Centennial Bank customers and transferring the stolen funds to Cannon. At times, some of the embezzled funds were used to repay moneys owed by Cannon or to replace previously embezzled funds before the accountholders became aware that their funds were missing. In total, Cannon fraudulently obtained over $3 million from Woods as a result of their bank and wire fraud conspiracy.
“Fraud erodes the faith that citizens have in our financial institutions,” said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford. “We appreciate the teamwork with our partners at the United States Secret Service and the United States Attorney’s Office for helping to restore the public trust.”
“This successful investigation and prosecution is a testament to the high level of law enforcement proficiency and cooperation in the Northern District of Florida,” said Resident Special Agent in Charge Seth Reister, United States Secret Service, Tallahassee Resident Office. “The Bay County Sheriff’s Office was a dutiful and indispensable partner in this investigation and produced value added results through their tenacity and professionalism. In combination with the expertise provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, this prosecution grants closure to both the victims and the community at large.”
Woods’ imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release, and Cannon’s imprisonment will be followed by three years supervised release. The court ordered both defendants to pay over $3 million in restitution to Centennial Bank and its customers and entered a $3,069,114.39 forfeiture money judgment against Cannon.
This case was jointly investigated by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Florida Man Who Stole over $170,000 in Covid-19 Unemployment Insurance Benefits Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Christopher Guy, age 30, of Tampa, Florida to 65 months in federal prison, followed by a three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Judge Gallagher also ordered Guy to pay $176,970 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT) was enacted on March 27, 2020, to assist individuals experiencing financial distress as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, the CARES Act established the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC), which provided federal funds to state agencies responsible for the administration of unemployment benefits. The FPUC funds were provided to supplement regular unemployment compensation payments to qualified applicants.
According to his plea agreement, from May 26, 2020, to August 5, 2020, Guy and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent applications, using the personal information of identity theft victims, claiming unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled. The applications were submitted through the internet to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) and other state workforce agencies. Based on the fraudulent applications, OSEC and other workforce agencies disbursed benefits, including FPUC funds, through debit cards issued in the names of the identity theft victims. The debit cards were mailed to addresses in Maryland and elsewhere, that were accessible to Guy and other conspirators. Guy and his co-conspirators used the debit cards to withdraw money and to conduct retail transactions.
For example, between July 27 and August 5, 2020, Guy conducted fraudulent transactions using debit cards in the names of at least seven identity theft victims and funded with unemployment compensation, including FPUC funds. On August 5, 2020, Guy used a debit card issued in the name of an identity theft victim to purchase a laptop computer for $2,225.99, from a retail electronics store in Elkridge, Maryland. Howard County Police officers, who had been called for a possible fraudulent purchase, approached Guy in the parking lot. Upon questioning by the officers, Guy falsely stated that he had lost the receipt and that he made the purchase using a card he produced bearing no name. When officers advised that the number on the card did not match that listed on the receipt reprinted by the store, Guy falsely claimed that he must have lost the card he used to purchase the laptop. Guy was then arrested by officers, who located the card used to purchase the laptop in Guy’s pocket.
A search of Guy’s vehicle by Howard County Police Department officers recovered $1,500 in cash, four debit cards issued in names other than Guy’s, multiple electronic devices, and a room key from a hotel in Chevy Chase, Maryland. A search warrant was obtained for Guy’s hotel room and officers recovered 13 additional debit cards issued in various names, additional electronic devices, receipts from retail purchases, and $11,619 in cash. DOL-OIG agents obtained surveillance images that showed Guy using the debit cards funded with fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits at ATMs within a mile of the hotel where he was staying. Twelve of the debit cards that were used in these transactions were recovered from Guy or his hotel room on August 5, 2020.
A forensic examination of the electronic devices seized from Guy and his hotel room revealed internet searches and browsing history relating to unemployment benefits; notes containing the mailing addresses where the fraudulent debit cards were delivered by mail; and a listing of the last four digits of each of the 18 debit cards recovered on August 5, 2020, each with a monetary balance listed next to it.
Agents with DOL-OIG also learned that the 18 debit cards seized from Guy or his hotel room were issued as a result of 16 fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits submitted in the names of identity theft victims. The 16 fraudulent claims resulted in the disbursement of more than $176,970 in unemployment and FPUC funds, which losses were reasonably foreseeable to Guy.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Federal Natural Resource Trustees Propose Construction of Riverside Park in East NewarkRead the Press Release
BASF CorporationPlans to turn a former industrial site into a public riverfront park may soon become reality for area residents. The Department of Justice today announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period on an agreement that would credit BASF Corporation (BASF) for its contributions toward the design, construction, and 30-year stewardship of a five-acre park at the intersection of Clay Street and Passaic Avenue.
The credit would be applied to BASF’s liability as one of more than 100 parties whose past activities potentially contributed to contamination and natural resource injuries related to the Diamond Alkali Superfund site and Berry’s Creek Study Area. BASF is the first of these potentially responsible parties at the sites to propose early, proactive restoration to address a portion of these alleged natural resource damage liabilities.
The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Trustees, is now seeking public comment to determine community support for the implementation of the crediting agreement with BASF.
“This innovative agreement will address injuries to natural resources from decades of industrial contamination and it will bring to life a healthy public space for generations to enjoy,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department is committed to seeking justice for communities who have borne an unjust share of pollution in America. This agreement brings lasting benefits to communities in the near term that might have taken many years of litigation to achieve.”
The park project would improve quality of life for communities and benefit wildlife by converting hardened industrial land into forest, grasslands, wetlands, and pollinator gardens connected by pathways and an elevated walkway along the Passaic River. If the agreement is approved, it is anticipated that project construction will proceed and the park would open to the public in late 2023 or spring 2024.
“This park will provide needed green space to urban communities currently facing a shortage of such spaces, and enhance recreational opportunities and access to the river, helping to connect people to nature in their neighborhoods,” said Wendi Weber, Northeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “It will also create and conserve natural areas along the Passaic River that provide foraging, nesting and resting habitat for a variety of migratory birds and wildlife.”
While the crediting agreement does not address all the injuries incurred as a result of pollution, this early restoration provides significant benefits in advance of negotiated settlements or litigation that often take years to complete. The riverfront park restoration project and the natural resource damage assessment crediting is occurring separately from, but in coordination with site cleanup activities, which are overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This would be the first restoration project associated with federal natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities related to the extensive Diamond Alkali Superfund site and the Berry’s Creek Study Area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are authorized to act on behalf of the public as Trustees when natural resource injuries have occurred. The Trustees support the crediting agreement and the project’s anticipated benefits of improving water quality, creating habitat for birds and pollinators, and increasing public access to the river — including both active and passive recreational opportunities for underserved communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.
“The industrial activities of these working waterways have a legacy of pollution that disproportionately affects underserved communities,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA National Ocean Service director. “This five-acre riverside park represents an important first step in restoring both lost ecosystem function and lost recreational use for the surrounding community. NOAA is pleased to join with industry and our local and federal partners on this effort.”
An Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the proposed park project was issued by the Trustees in July 2021 following public comment and review. Throughout this process, the Trustees have solicited and responded to public comments with respect to the proposed project. The crediting agreement, the next step in the process, is the binding and funding mechanism that implements the Final Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the proposed park.
When the project is completed, under the terms of the crediting agreement, BASF would earn $73.5 million in credit that can be used to partially offset the company’s alleged liability for natural resource damages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act concerning the Diamond Alkali Superfund site and the nearby Berry’s Creek Study Area. The Trustees anticipate that this project will serve as a model as other potentially responsible parties consider proactively addressing natural resource damage liabilities.
The crediting agreement will be available for public comment for 30 days through July 7, 2022. Upon consideration of public input, the Justice Department will determine whether to implement the crediting agreement. The proposed agreement may be examined and downloaded at this website: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and should refer to In Re BASF and Trustees Interim Settlement Agreement, D.J. Ref. No. 90-11-3-07683/14. Comments on the proposal may be submitted through July 7, 2022 by e-mail or by mail:
(1) By e-mail: [email protected]
(2) By hard copy: Assistant Attorney General
U.S. DOJ – ENRD
P.O. Box 7611
Washington, D.C. 20044-7611
A virtual public information meeting will be held on the evening of June 15, 2022, with an in-person meeting to be held on evening of June 28.
More information on the upcoming meetings, the park project, the crediting agreement, natural resource damage assessment process, and the role of the Trustees can be found at: https://darrp.noaa.gov/EastNewarkRiverfrontPark.
The Justice Department will evaluate all information received during the comment period and will announce a final decision in early August.
Federal Jury Convicts Two Gang Members of Conspiracies to Commit Assault and Murder Inside Monterey County JailRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – A federal jury convicted Vincent Gerald Garcia and Jorge Jasso today of engaging in multiple conspiracies involving gang membership and gang violence, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan. The verdict follows a three-week jury trial before United States District Judge Beth L. Freeman.
Garcia, 55, of Salinas, and Jasso, 29, of Soledad, were charged along with thirteen co-defendants on September 26, 2018, and are the last defendants pending in the case. At trial, Garcia and Jasso each faced three charges: (1) engaging in a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy; (2) engaging of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; and (3) engaging in a conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. The jury convicted Garcia and Jasso of all counts.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from December 2012 through April 2014 the defendants Garcia and Jasso were active members of the Nuestra Familia (“NF”) prison gang and its affiliated Norteño street gang. Garcia was the Regiment Commander for the NF in charge of all Monterey County. Jasso was a Norteño member from Soledad. Norteño gang members pledged loyalty to the NF. Inside prisons and local jails, all members and associates of the NF worked together to maintain the structure and follow the gang’s rules. Any member in a Norteño housing unit who committed a serious violation of the rules was subject to “removal.” A removal was orchestrated by Norteño gang members and involved an organized attack upon the target, first by at least one “hitter” stabbing the target and followed immediately by a beating without weapons by at least two “bombers.” The beating inflicted maximum damage to the victim and caused a distraction that allowed time for the hitters to hide weapons and wash off.
Trial evidence showed that removals were approved in advance by the Norteño in charge of the facility upon learning of violations from members in the jail housing unit. The Norteño gang member in charge of the housing unit planned the removal. All members of the Norteño housing unit were aware of the removal process and were required to assist if requested.
Other evidence demonstrated that the sale of controlled substances both inside custodial facilities and on the street was a central income producer for the gang. Norteño members smuggled controlled substances into Monterey County Jail as well as other jails and sold the “hard” drugs to other inmates, but distributed marijuana solely to fellow Norteños in custody.
The evidence at trial focused on ten removals in the Monterey County Jail between December 2012 and April 2014. Most of the removals occurred in “K-Pod,” a cell block housing active Norteño members and associates exclusively. Three removals occurred in the jail’s main yard during the recreation period for inmates housed in the lockdown pods for Norteños.
The defendant Garcia was identified by trial evidence as the leader responsible for approving the removals. Garcia was a long time gang member who rose through the ranks to become a carnale of the NF prison gang in the 1990s. He later became the NF Regiment Commander in charge of Salinas and all of Monterey County from at least 2012 through 2014. From May 2013 through February 2015, Garcia was incarcerated in the Monterey County Jail. Evidence showed he was in charge of the entire jail for the NF and ordered assaults and murder attempts. He retained ultimate authority and could put fellow gang members on “freeze” status, clear them for rule violations, strip them of gang or leadership roles, and elevate others into leadership positions.
Jorge Jasso, according to the evidence, was a Norteño street gang member from Soledad who was housed in Monterey County Jail from May 2012 through September 2013. The evidence established that Jasso was a NF foot soldier that participated in murder attempts and assaults. He participated in the removal of a Norteño gang member on December 2, 2012, by performing the role of a bomber after others stabbed the victim. Jasso was also involved in the removal of a second victim on February 25, 2013, again acting as a bomber after the victim was stabbed.
United States District Judge Freeman scheduled sentencing hearings for Garcia and Jasso on August 30, 2022. Both defendants remain in custody pending sentencing.
For their conviction of a racketeering conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1962(d) in Count 1, Garcia and Jasso each face a maximum of life in prison. For their conviction of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5) in Count 2, Garcia and Jasso each face a maximum 10 years in prison. For their conviction of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(6) in Count 3, Garcia and Jasso face a maximum of 3 years in prison. For each count of conviction, they face a maximum fine of $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the 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. Attorneys Stephen J. Meyer and Neal Hong prosecuted the case at trial with the assistance of Christine Tian, Mimi Lam, Laurie Worthen, Susan Kreider, Lynette Dixon, and Elise Etter. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI with assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Salinas Police Department, the Soledad Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department.
Federal Inmate Charged with Murder at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, IndianaRead the Press Release
Terre Haute – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today, charging a federal inmate with first degree murder.
According to court documents, on January 12, 2019, Lawrence Taylor, 41, was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, when he killed another individual by stabbing him multiple times in the neck, face, chest and elsewhere with a metal weapon.
If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Taylor will make his initial court appearance in the Southern District of Indiana before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at a later date.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney James M. Warden, who is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fairmont man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kerm Leroy Jackson, of Fairmont, West Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 97 months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Jackson, also known as “Woo,” 28, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Jackson admitted to working with others to distribute methamphetamine from March 2018 to August 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Emsworth Man Charges with Attempting to Coerce a Minor to Have SexRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Emsworth, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Thomas Kastory, 31, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, from on or about April 12, 2022, and continuing thereafter until on or about May 29, 2022, Kastory used a facility and means of interstate commerce, specifically the Internet and a cellular telephone network, to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual who had not attained the age of eighteen (18) years to engage in sexual activity.
According to an affidavit in support of a Criminal Complaint filed in this case, after chatting with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old child for more than a month over his cell phone and the internet in an effort to entice the purported child to have sex, Thomas Kastory boarded a bus on May 29, 2022, to travel to meet the child where he expected to return to the child’s residence to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Kastory, believing that the child’s parent was out of town and that the child would be alone, brought condoms, lubricant, and a sex toy with him for his anticipated meeting with the child.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of at least five years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Elmira Man Going to Prison for 10 Years on Meth ConvictionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Lamar Thompkins, 35, of Elmira, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. McGrath, who handled the case, stated that Thompkins arranged for over four kilograms of methamphetamine to be shipped from California to a private residence in Elmira, the owner of which had recently died. A video camera at the residence captured Thompkins affixing a fake name to the mailbox. Members of the Elmira Police Department and New York State Police were alerted to the incoming drug parcel and were conducting surveillance on the residence when they observed Thompkins and another individual retrieve the package and attempt to drive away from the location in a vehicle. Law enforcement officers pulled the vehicle over and obtained a search warrant. Approximately 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine was recovered from the drug parcel.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Elmira Police Department, under the direction of Chief Anthony Alvernaz, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
# # # #Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on June 6, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Elliot Robert Blue Coat, age 45, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Blue Coat was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 9, 2021. He pled guilty on March 15, 2022.
Blue Coat, a person required to register as a sex offender by reason of a conviction under federal law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration between July 16, 2021, and September 16, 2021, while living in Mobridge, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mobridge Police Department, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Blue Coat was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Kidnapping and Robbing Man in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kareem Davis, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years in prison for kidnapping and robbing a man in Southeast Washington, and then forcing the victim to drive to various ATMs at gunpoint. The victim escaped by jumping out of the car.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Davis pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a federal kidnapping charge. He was sentenced by the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich. Following his prison term, Davis will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2020, the victim, then 25, drove to the 3800 block of 9th Street SE, believing he would see a young woman he had met the previous afternoon. Instead, while the victim was parked on the street, Davis approached his car, tapped on the passenger side window, and told him to open the door. After sitting in the front passenger seat, Davis asked if the victim was there to visit “his sister.” Davis then pulled a handgun from his waistband, pointed it, and demanded all of the victim’s money.
The victim turned over $216 in cash and the change from the vehicle’s cup-holders. But Davis demanded even more money, threatening to kill the victim. Fearing he would be shot, the victim began driving Davis to various ATMs, crossing into Maryland to withdraw approximately $1,500 for Davis. After the final ATM withdrawal, Davis ordered the victim to drive them back to 9th Street SE. As they got to 9th Street, the victim placed his vehicle on cruise control and jumped out of the moving car. He escaped on foot and immediately called 911.
Davis was arrested on Oct. 7, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly L. Paschall, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Detroit Area Tax Preparer Indicted for Falsifying His Own Returns and Obstructing the IRSRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, returned an indictment today charging a professional tax return preparer with filing false tax returns for himself and his business, obstructing the IRS, and other tax crimes.
According to the indictment, Raj Paruthi, of Novi, owned and operated Raj Paruthi CPA PC, an accounting and tax preparation business located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For tax years 2013 and 2014, Paruthi allegedly filed false corporate and individual income tax returns on which he did not report hundreds of thousands of dollars in business receipts and profits he personally received from the business. Paruthi allegedly also did not disclose to the Department of Treasury a foreign bank account he held in India, which he was required to do by law. According to the indictment, he also made false statements to the IRS about his personal and business finances, including the types of payments his tax preparation business received, the number and location of his business bank accounts and his personal receipt of funds from the business. Paruthi allegedly also did not file a 2015 tax return for MVD Advisory Services LLC, another company he owned and operated.
If convicted, Paruthi faces up to three years in prison for each false tax return count, three years in prison for interfering with the IRS, one year in prison for failing to file a tax return, and five years in prison for not disclosing a foreign bank account. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Kenneth C. Vert and Catriona M. Coppler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Detroit Area Software Developer Indicted for Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, returned an indictment today charging a Michigan man for not paying over employment taxes to the IRS.
According to the indictment, Yigal Ziv, of West Bloomfield, owned and operated Multinational Technologies Inc. (MTI), a software developer for manufacturing products. Ziv allegedly was responsible for filing MTI’s quarterly employment tax returns and collecting and paying to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from employees’ wages. From the first quarter of 2014 through the first quarter of 2018, Ziv allegedly collected approximately $691,000 in employment taxes from MTI’s employees but did not file employment tax returns or pay the withheld taxes to the IRS. Even after learning of the IRS’s ongoing criminal investigation in May 2018, Ziv allegedly also did not file MTI’s employment tax returns from the fourth quarter of 2019 through the fourth quarter of 2020 and did not pay over to the IRS approximately $199,000 in payroll taxes withheld from MTI’s employees. According to the indictment, during the same period he did not pay over taxes to the IRS, Ziv caused MTI to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own personal benefit, including home mortgage payments, luxury auto lease payments and department store purchases.
If convicted, Ziv faces up to five years in prison for each of the 22 counts of willful failure to collect or pay over employment taxes. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
IRS Criminal-Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Kenneth C. Vert and George Meggali of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Davenport Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Chelsey Renae Lira, age 31, of Davenport, was sentenced on June 1, 2022, to 180 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Following her imprisonment, Lira was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay a $200 Special Assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
In fall 2020, law enforcement was investigating a large-scale drug conspiracy in Davenport, involving eight people, including Lira. On November 10, 2020, law enforcement initiated a traffic stop on vehicle driven by Lira, but she fled at a high rate of speed, before exiting and fleeing on foot. Officers failed to apprehend her, but in Lira’s car they recovered 45.16 grams of ice methamphetamine, a stolen, loaded nine-millimeter Springfield XDS handgun, a loaded magazine for the handgun, additional ammunition, and other evidence consistent with drug trafficking. On December 15, 2020, law enforcement arrested Lira on outstanding warrants and recovered 13.61 grams of ice methamphetamine and other evidence consistent with drug trafficking. After bonding out of jail, Lira continued to traffic methamphetamine with one of her co-conspirators. Due to her participation in the conspiracy, Lira was responsible for distributing more than five kilograms of methamphetamine. Lira pleaded guilty on January 26, 2022.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
This matter was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.