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19 July 2022
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to 14 Years for Stealing A Maserati and Robbing Charlotte Pawn ShopRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jango Omar Touray, 27, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for stealing a Maserati and robbing a pawn shop at gunpoint, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. also ordered Touray to serve three years of supervised release.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents, admissions made in connection with Touray’s guilty plea, and information introduced at sentencing, on February 8, 2019, Touray robbed Gulf Export, a car dealership located at 3330 North Tryon Street, in Charlotte. Court records show that, Touray entered the car dealership while carrying what appeared to be a long gun wrapped in a white towel and ordered individuals inside to get on the ground. Touray then ordered an employee to hand him the keys to a Maserati Grand Tourismo. The employee complied, and Touray fled the dealership in the stolen vehicle. Touray received a sentencing enhancement for committing a robbery involving carjacking for this offense.
According to court records, three days later, on February 11, 2019, Touray robbed the Cash America Pawn business, located at 4635 North Tryon Street, in Charlotte. During the robbery, Touray, who was armed with a firearm, ordered the business manager to open the store’s jewelry display cases and ordered other employees to hand him the keys to the cash registers. Touray fled the scene in the stolen Maserati with the store’s cash and jewelry. Court records show that CMPD officers located Touray driving the stolen vehicle and proceeded to follow him. Touray was apprehended after he crashed the Maserati and attempted to flee on foot. Law enforcement recovered from inside the vehicle the firearm Touray used during the pawn shop robbery and some of the stolen cash and jewelry.
On November 26, 2019, Touray pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Touray remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending placement by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and CMPD conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Bozin, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Campbell County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Bellevue, Ky., man, Perrin George March V, 27, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, before U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to illegal possession of a firearm.
According to March’s plea agreement, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at his residence and found a fully loaded AK-47 pistol, ammunition, and large capacity magazines. March admitted that he knew he was currently subject to a domestic violence order and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
March was indicted in May 2022.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield.
March is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2022. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
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Camden County Man Admits Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs and Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man today admitted conspiring to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds, fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits, and illegally possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Stephen Bennett, 46, of Berlin, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of bank fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was 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 hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The CARES Act also authorized the Small Business Administration to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To obtain a PPP or EIDL loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provided unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who were not eligible for other types of unemployment (the self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers). The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (FPUC) that provided an additional $600 weekly benefit to those eligible for PUA and regular unemployment insurance benefits.
In 2020, Bennett conspired with Rhonda Thomas to submit one PPP application and one EIDL application for a company controlled by Bennett. The applications stated that the company had 16 employees, gross revenues of $1.73 million, and an average monthly payroll of $144,000, when in fact the company had no employees, revenue, or payroll. Bennett and Thomas also submitted forged tax forms and altered bank statements as part of the PPP loan application. Based on the misrepresentations, the loans were approved in the amount of $510,000. Bennett paid kickbacks of over $150,000 to Thomas and used the rest of the fraudulently obtained PPP and EIDL loan proceeds to pay for personal expenses, including jewelry and vehicles.
Also in 2020, Bennett defrauded the Pennsylvania Department of Labor by submitting 74 unemployment insurance claims in the names of other individuals. Bennett falsely stated on that the applicants were self-employed and unemployed because of COVID-19. Benefits of $425,339 were paid to Bennett as a result of the fraudulent claims he submitted.
In May 2021, law enforcement officials executing a search warrant at Bennett’s home found a .9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol with no serial number (commonly referred to as a “ghost gun”) and a magazine loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition.
The charge of bank fraud conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The count of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21, 2022.
Thomas previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and money laundering and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Patricia Tarasca, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Regional Office; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott; special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia, special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden and Senior Litigation Counsel Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Division in Camden.
California Man Sentenced to over 11 Years for $27 Million PPP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Southern California man was sentenced today to 135 months, the equivalent of 11 years and three months, in prison for submitting fraudulent applications seeking money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), submitting false statements to a financial institution, and money laundering.
Robert Benlevi, 53, of Encino, was convicted by a federal jury of bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution, and money laundering on March 28. According to court documents, and evidence presented at trial, Benlevi submitted 27 PPP loan applications to four banks between April and June 2020 on behalf of eight companies solely owned by Benlevi. In the applications, Benlevi sought a total of $27 million in forgivable PPP loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In his fraudulent applications, Benlevi represented that each of his companies had 100 employees and average monthly payroll of $400,000, even though he knew that the companies did not have any employees or payroll expenses.
The evidence further showed that Benlevi also submitted fabricated IRS documents falsely stating that each of the companies had an annual payroll of $4.8 million. Based on Benlevi’s fraudulent loan applications, three of Benlevi’s companies — 1Stellar Health LLC, Bestways2 Health LLC, and Joyous-Health4U LLC — obtained $3 million in PPP funds. Although Benlevi falsely represented that the funds sought through the PPP loan applications would be used for payroll and certain other business expenses, the evidence showed that he instead used them for personal expenses, including cash withdrawals, payments on his personal credit cards, transfers to other personal and business accounts he controlled, and renting an oceanfront apartment in Santa Monica.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie S. Christensen for the Central District of California; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Acting Assistant Director in Charge Amir Ehsaei of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) Western Region made the announcement.
The FBI, SBA-OIG, and FDIC-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Justin Givens of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Cabarrus County Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Possessing Firearms as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Kannapolis, North Carolina resident was sentenced on July 19, 2022, to 120 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for the offense of felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Gerrell Laquan McRae, 39, pled guilty on April 7, 2022, to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On April 19, 2021, McRae was walking down a street in Kannapolis, when a Kannapolis Police Department officer recognized him and knew McRae had an outstanding warrant for arrest. The officer attempted to arrest McRae, but he ran. The officer caught him and searched him incident to the arrest, finding a loaded .32 caliber pistol in McRae’s right pants pocket, as well as quantities of methamphetamine and heroin.
This offense repeated similar conduct from a few months earlier. On January 6, 2021, McRae was walking down the street in Kannapolis, when two Kannapolis Police Department officers recognized him and knew he had an outstanding warrant for arrest. One officer activated blue lights and siren to get McRae to stop walking, but McRae ignored it and began to run. The two officers pursued McRae behind several residences and eventually caught him. McRae was carrying a fanny pack during the chase, which was slung around his torso underneath a jacket. McRae told the officers there was a gun and heroin in the fanny pack. A search of the fanny pack revealed a loaded 9mm caliber handgun, additional rounds of 9mm ammunition, and quantities of Suboxone strips, heroin, and several items of drug paraphernalia.
At the time of his arrests in January and April 2021, McRae was a convicted felon and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. McRae had prior convictions for multiple felonies including several convictions for distribution of cocaine and one conviction for Common Law Robbery in the Superior Court of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, as well as a conviction for Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury and Larceny from the Person in the Superior Court of Rowan County, North Carolina.
The Kannapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) handled the investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig M. Principe.
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Bronx Man Involved in Brazen Burglary Ring Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSEPHER Y. CARTAGENA, 26, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his leadership of a brazen burglary ring that resulted in the theft of millions of dollars in vehicles, phones, ATMs and other merchandise from numerous locations in Connecticut, New York and elsewhere.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Cartagena and his brother, Alexander Santiago, led a theft ring that, between June 2020 and January 2021, primarily burglarized car dealerships and mobile phone stores in Connecticut and New York. From dealerships, the group stole vehicle key fobs and vehicles, and from mobile phone stores they stole cell phones, electronics and other merchandise. They also stole ATMs from check cashing businesses and burglarized video game stores. Cartagena and Santiago planned and organized the burglary sprees, recruited others to participate in those burglaries, maintained inventories of the stolen property, sold that property, and then divided the proceeds among the participants. Cartagena used his residence to stockpile stolen merchandise and illicit proceeds.
Cartagena, Santiago and their associates committed more than 180 burglaries and stole more than $4 million in property.
Cartagena, Santiago and their associates often burglarized multiple locations in one night and, on numerous occasions, escaped from police by engaging the police in high-speed chases that had to be terminated for safety reasons. An apparent tally found on Santiago’s phone after his arrest indicated that he had engaged police in 89 chases.
The investigation also revealed that Cartagena and some of his associates possessed firearms during the conspiracy.
On December 23, 2020, when investigators attempted to apprehend Cartagena in the Bronx, Cartagena drove his vehicle onto a sidewalk, struck a law enforcement officer’s vehicle causing injuries to the officer, and then accelerated toward another law enforcement officer who was on foot and had to run out of the way. He then drove to a gas station, exited his own damaged vehicle, stole a Jeep that was being cleaned at the gas station, and escaped at a high-rate of speed into oncoming traffic.
At the gas station, officers recovered a black bag that Cartagena had dropped. The bag contained a 9mm handgun and assorted tools. Officers then searched Cartagena’s residence and seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, more than 30 vehicle keys and key fobs, 9mm ammunition, and approximately $87,000 in cash.
After additional high-speed chases and collisions with law enforcement vehicles later that day, Cartagena was arrested at approximately 10 p.m. that evening, in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan
Cartagena has been detained since his arrest. On February 3, 2022, he pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property.
Santiago was arrested on January 15, 2021. When investigators sought to conduct a court-authorized search of Santiago’s residence on that date, Santiago’s pit bull attacked an FBI agent and badly wounded his arm. Santiago was arrested, and a search of the residence revealed approximately 20 new cell phones in boxes, approximately 40 vehicle key fobs, a police radio, a glass-punch device, two firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition.
Santiago pleaded guilty and, on May 17, 2022, he was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment.
On May 2, 2022, Douglas Noble, of New York, was sentenced to 54 months of imprisonment for his role in this conspiracy. Two other co-conspirators were charged with offenses stemming from this scheme.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of approximately 30 local police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ruff and Ray Miller.
Brighton Man Arrested for $1.5 Million COVID-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a Massachusetts-based food truck business has been arrested and charged in connection with allegedly filing fraudulent loan applications in order to obtain $1.5 million in pandemic relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Loc Vo, 55, was charged with one count of wire fraud. Vo was arrested yesterday afternoon at Newark International Airport and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging document, Vo owned Smart Gourmet LLC (Smart Gourmet), a food truck business in Massachusetts, and Indy Publish, a dormant Maryland company. Between April 2020 and July 2021, Vo submitted loan applications on behalf of these businesses under three Small Business Administration (SBA) pandemic relief programs: the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). In these applications, Vo requested approximately $1.5 million and committed to use the funds for rent, mortgage interest, payroll and utilities, among other eligible expenses.
After receiving the relief funds, it is alleged that Vo immediately transferred most of them to brokerage accounts in his name to purchase shares in an electric car manufacturer, an internet marketplace company and a biotechnology company, among others.
The 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 forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses, through the PPP. Another is the EIDL, through which the SBA offers loans that can only be used on certain permissible business expenses, which can include payment of fixed business debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other business-related expenses that could have been paid had the COVID-19 disaster not occurred. The American Rescue Plan Act established the RRF to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open through forgivable loans for eligible uses.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. 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; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Angelina County Man Sentenced for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Lufkin man has been sentenced to more than 22 years in federal prison for drug trafficking related violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Alexander Timia Jones, 38, pleaded guilty on August 19, 2021, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Jones was sentenced to a total of 270 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale.
According to information presented in court, between July 2017 and December 2018, Jones led a drug trafficking conspiracy responsible for distributing over one kilogram of methamphetamine in the Lufkin area. Jones was in possession of several firearms while illegally distributing methamphetamine.
Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 1, 2020 and charged with drug trafficking and firearms violations.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson.
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18 Defendants Indicted for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Eighteen defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri after law enforcement officers seized approximately 29 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately $57,000, and firearms.
Brian E. Hall, 45, of Aurora, Mo., Jacqueline Aldrete Bojorquez, 28, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Jeffrey L. Hughley, 37, of Tulsa, Okla., were originally charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 31, 2022. Fifteen additional defendants were charged in a superseding indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. The superseding indictment was unsealed and made public upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.
Christopher A. Blevins, 37, of Fairview, Mo.; Lawrence D. Gwinup, 43, of Cassville, Mo.; Jennifer L. Childers, 38, Anthony S. Cooper, 39, and Joseph D. Piunti, 54, all of Bolivar, Mo.; Guy R. Winchester, 55, of Shell Knob, Mo.; Kimberly C. Elliott, 42, of Reeds, Mo.; Cody D. Ezell, 39, of Hollister, Mo.; Charles W. Mierisch, 49, of Cole Camp, Mo.; Kenneth C. Cole, Jr., 61, of Independence, Mo.; Edward Uribe, 34, who is in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in an unrelated case; Joseph A. Gilbert, 39, Joel O. Rodriguez, 39, and Shawna R. Bartman, 49, all of Phoenix, Arizona; and Coreena D. Velasco, 29, of Tulsa; along with the original defendants Hall, Bojorquez, and Hughley, were charged in the 37-count superseding indictment.
The federal indictment charges each of the 18 defendants with participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Greene, Jasper, and Newton Counties, and elsewhere, from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence on April 28, 2022, as part of an ongoing methamphetamine investigation. Officers seized seven pounds of methamphetamine, a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol, approximately $57,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia used for the packaging and sale of methamphetamine.
When Bojorquez and Hughley arrived at Hall’s residence later that night, they were taken into custody as well. Officers searched their vehicle and found approximately 22 pounds of methamphetamine in the trunk and a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the floorboard of the front passenger seat.
In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Cole, Cooper, Childers, Elliott, Rodriguez, Mierisch, Bartman, Hall, Winchester, Gwinup, Gilbert, Bojorquez, and Hughley are charged in 18 counts related to the distribution of methamphetamine. Piunti is charged with two counts relating to the distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of the Elmwood Park playground in Bolivar. Mierisch is also charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on a premises where a minor was present or resides.
Hall is also charged with one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hall allegedly possessed a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol on April 28, 2022.
Bartman is also charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Bartman allegedly possessed a Hi-Point .45-caliber pistol and a Tanfoglio 9mm pistol on May 19, 2021.
Blevins is also charged with one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Blevins allegedly possessed a Taurus 9mm pistol and a Ruger 9mm pistol on April 4, 2022.
Gwinup is also charged with one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Gwinup allegedly possessed a Smith & Wesson SD40 on April 9, 2022.
Bojorquez and Hughley are charged together in one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. They allegedly possessed a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol on April 28, 2022.
Hall is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Uribe, Velasco, Bojorquez, and Hughley are charged together in a separate count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Elliott and Blevins are each charged with one count of money laundering.
Uribe and Velasco are charged in two counts each with the unlawful use of a telephone to facilitate the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa County, Ok., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case 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.
"Operation Shots Fired" Getting ResultsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Western District of Oklahoma’s "Operation Shots Fired" is getting results. Operation Shots Fired is the local implementation of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to reduce gun violence by prioritizing the federal prosecution of gun crimes connected to shootings through the collaboration and cooperation of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors.
Specifically, Operation Shots Fired targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. As part of this effort, law enforcement uses technology from ballistic imaging of shell casings located at crime scenes and casings from test fires of located firearms to produce actionable investigative leads through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) made available through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). NIBIN is the only interstate automated ballistic imaging network in operation in the United States and is available to most major population centers in the United States.
Once law enforcement identifies shooters, the U.S. Attorney’s Office evaluates whether it can leverage federal laws to charge, detain, and imprison the "worst of the worst" offenders who discharge their weapons during criminal acts in our communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with the District Attorneys’ Offices to identify appropriate cases for federal firearm prosecution.
"Operation Shots Fired brings the power of federal prosecution to hold shooters accountable," said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. "We are proud to partner with our law enforcement partners and local prosecutors to help address the disturbing number of shootings in our communities which endanger all of us."
"ATF could not be more proud of the success of this critical initiative. There is no higher priority than keeping the citizens of Oklahoma City safe from violent criminals. By leveraging modern technology and good old school police work, plenty of bad guys are going to jail. Much of the success of this initiative is rooted in the deep relationships amongst all law enforcement agencies in the greater Oklahoma City area," stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek, II.
"We’ve all been witness to the tragedies of gun violence in our society," said Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley. "We are proud to partner with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to hold criminals responsible for their violent actions."
Since Operation Shots Fired began in late 2021, 36 defendants have been charged with federal offenses. Within just the past couple of weeks, this initiative has included the following:
Sentencings:
- ANTONEYO HARBERT, 33, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced on July 6, 2022, to 60 months in federal prison. According to public record, officers responded to a shots fired call at an apartment complex and located Harbert, who was intoxicated, walking down the stairs of an apartment building with a gun with a 31-round extended magazine.
- ANTONIO McCRAY, 34, of Lawton, Oklahoma, was sentenced on July 7, 2022, to 96 months in federal prison. According to public record, McCray pulled a gun on a friend during an argument. In two other incidents, McCray forced his girlfriend to play Russian roulette and pulled the trigger on a loaded revolver twice while pointed at her head, and locked another friend in the bathroom, pistol-whipping her, and threatened to kill her and her family.
Guilty Pleas:
- TERRELL HUBBARD, 35, of Oklahoma City, pled guilty on June 15, 2022, to illegal possession of ammunition. According to public record, Hubbard is alleged to have traveled to the workplace of a victim but was not allowed to enter the facility and became upset. Before leaving the premises, Hubbard discharged a firearm into the facility, narrowly missing the victim. Hubbard has been ordered detained pending sentencing.
- STEPHEN MARTIN, 31, of Verden, Oklahoma, pled guilty on June 22, 2022, to one count of illegal possession of a firearm and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. According to public record, Martin beat his fiancé and her dog and threatened to kill his fiancé. He then forced her into a car with a shotgun. When police tried to pull them over, Martin ran. After he was in custody, police located where he had hidden the shotgun and ammunition. Martin has been ordered detained pending sentencing.
- WAYNE PITTS, 54, of Oklahoma City, pled guilty on July 5, 2022, to illegal possession of ammunition. According to public record, Pitts assaulted his wife and their dog, threatened to kill himself, and shot a firearm into the ground. Pitts has been ordered detained pending sentencing.
Recently Charged: (NOTE: The public is reminded that charges are merely allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.)
- LINDELL BARKUS, 58, of Oklahoma City, was indicted on July 5, 2022, for the illegal possession of a firearm on May 24, 2022. According to public record, Barkus got in an argument with a random person at a 7-Eleven and started shooting. Barkus has been detained pending trial.
Sentencings take place approximately 90 days after a plea of guilty. At sentencing, each defendant faces up to ten years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine, followed by three years of supervised release, for each count of illegally possessing a firearm or ammunition. Under the recently enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, future defendants will face up to fifteen years in federal prison for the same conduct that occurs after June 25, 2022.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
Additional cases can be found at:
- Home Security Footage Leads to Ammunition and Drug Charges for Convicted Felon
- Domestic Altercation and Shooting Result in City Man Being Sentenced to 235 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Witness Tampering
For more information about Operation Shots Fired, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (405) 553-8999.
18 July 2022
牡蛎湾居民被指控参与 2700 万美元的投资欺诈骗局并向外籍人士出售结识知名美国政要的渠道Read the Press Release
今天，布鲁克林联邦法院公布了一份刑事控告书，指控 Sherry Xue Li 和 Lianbo Wang 犯有电信欺诈共谋罪、洗钱共谋罪以及因妨碍联邦选举委员会 (FEC) 实行竞选财务法而犯有共谋欺诈美国政府罪。Li 和 Wang 均是归化美国公民，今天早些时候在纽约牡蛎湾被捕，他们首次出庭安排在纽约布鲁克林的美国联邦法院，由美国治安法官 Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. 法官审判。
纽约东区美国联邦检察官 Breon Peace；联邦调查局 (FBI) 纽约办事处副主任 Michael J. Driscoll；美国国土安全部纽约国土安全局 (HSI) 代理特别行动署署长 Ricky J. Patel；以及美国国家税务局纽约刑事调查局 (IRS-CI) 特别行动署署长 Thomas Fattorusso 宣布了逮捕和 指控。
美国联邦检察官 Peace 表示：“正如指控，被告通过谎报他们的虚构项目得到了知名政要的支持，诱使受害者投资一个欺诈性骗局。被告以自己的名义向政治竞选活动非法提供外国资金，并邀请外籍人士作为他们的客人参加筹资活动，进而通过出售结识美国政要的渠道，实施了这一欺诈行为。本办公室致力于保护我们的民主进程不受非法外国势力的影响，保护投资者不会被掠夺性欺诈者骗取资金。”
美国联邦检察官 Peace 感谢美国公民和移民服务局在调查中提供的协助。
“我们指控 Li 和 Wang 承诺为一些投资者提供绿卡以及结识政治人物的渠道，并承诺为所有投资者提供分红。数千万美元的资金流入我国，这些资金来自投资者和虚假捐赠者，而他们希望自己的资金能够获得回报。然而，只有一个承诺得以兑现，那就是结识政治要人。“外国资金破坏了我们的移民和民主进程，因此我们必须尽一切努力保护移民和民主进程。”
“Li 和 Wang 被指控针对外籍人士实施大规模、多层次的欺诈骗局，包括虚假房地产投资、承诺付款利益、兜售结识美国政要的渠道，以及为竞选活动提供非法捐款。 滥用投资者签证程序促成了这一令人震惊的涉嫌欺诈案。”纽约国土安全局 (HSI) 代理特别行动署署长 Patel 表示。“HSI 将与我们的合作伙伴携手，继续坚定地监测美国签证和旅行系统是否存在外国行为人恶意滥用的迹象，并且我们将继续积极调查针对美国入境程序性框架的攻击。”
“据指控，Li 和 Wang 诈骗了受害投资者数百万美元，然后用这些非法所得过着奢侈的生活，并与知名政要“交往”。正是通过与执法部门的合作与协作，我们才能够捣毁这个多层次的欺诈骗局，确保涉嫌的犯案人现在为其罪行接受审判。”IRS 纽约 CI 特别行动署署长 Thomas M. Fattorusso 说道。
欺诈投资者的骗局
如刑事控告书中所指控，Li 和 Wang 精心策划了一场近十年的骗局，欺骗投资者投资一个虚构的项目，声称该项目在纽约沙利文县开发、建设和运营一家名为“汤普森教育中心 (Thompson Education Center)”（简称 TEC 项目）的私立教育机构。被告通过虚假陈述 TEC 项目取得的进展及其获得政府官员的支持，包括向投资者和潜在投资者发送内含 TEC 项目总裁 Li 与知名美国政要合影的宣传材料，来招揽受害投资者，其中许多受害投资者是居住在美国境外的外籍人士。许多外国受害者被说服投资 TEC 项目，原因之一是被告得到虚假保证，投资者若投资 50 万美元将保证他们通过美国国土安全部美国公民和移民服务局 (USCIS) 管理的 EB-5 投资签证计划在美国合法永久居留。
正如指控，Li、Wang 和其他同谋成员通过 Li 创建的多家公司名下的银行账户转移骗取投资者的资金，以此方式转走这些资金。一旦资金进入这些账户，Li 和 Wang 就会用这些资金支付大量的个人开支，包括服装和饰品、珠宝、住房、度假旅行、高档餐饮以及捐给知名政要的政治捐款。Li 和 Wang 实际花费在 TEC 项目上的投资本金只是用来编造和延续一个谎言，即 TEC 项目是一个实际在建的可行开发项目。例如，Li 和 Wang 雇佣了承包商、工程师和其他专业人员来绘制建筑图纸和制定建筑计划，并在开发场地上或周围开展少量工作，Li 和 Wang 向潜在投资者展示这些工作，以误导他们相信 TEC 项目有完成的实际可能性并且有兑现共谋者向投资者承诺的投资回报的实际可能性。
截至 2022 年 7 月，150 多位投资者为 TEC 项目投资至少 2700 万美元，其中大约 1650 万美元来自 EB-5 投资者，嫌犯承诺为他们提供绿卡作为投资回报，还有大约 1100 万美元来自股票投资者，嫌犯向他们承诺将会进行 IPO。截至 2022 年 3 月，Li、Wang 及其共谋者挪用和洗白至少 200 万美元的 TEC 项目投资者资金。在同一时期，Li、Wang 及其共谋者将 250 万美元的投资者资金用于各种个人花费，但没有明确商业目的，Li 或 Wang 并没有向美国国家税务局申报这些收入。到目前为止，TEC 项目的 EB-5 投资者并未获得临时或永久绿卡，TEC 项目也没有进行 IPO 或在任何证券交易所上市。
出售结识美国政要的渠道
为了进一步推进他们的骗局，Li 和 Wang 还冒充外籍人士的“虚假捐赠者”，为支持美国政要和政治委员会的竞选活动提供非法捐款。此外，Li 和 Wang 还向外籍人士承诺，可以通过付费参加美国政治活动和结识美国政要。Li 和 Wang 利用从外籍人士骗取的资金作为政治捐款的资金，并谎称自己和其他美国公民是这些资金的捐赠者，这违反了《联邦选举竞选法》(FECA) 和 FEC 的法规。在某些情况下，Li 和 Wang 利用 TEC 投资者的投资资金进行政治捐款，并利用这些捐款获得参与政治活动的权利，在这些活动中，Li 和 Wang 与当选官员合影。然后，Li 和 Wang 利用这些合影作为一种营销工具，吸引外籍人士对 TEC 项目进行投资。
例如，如刑事控告书中所指控，Li 和 Wang 向十二名外籍人士每人收取了 9.3 万美元的入场费，以便与时任美国总统一起参加 2017 年 6 月 28 日的筹资活动（2017 年 6 月 28 日筹资活动）。Li 和 Wang 利用从外籍人士骗取的资金，以自己的名义非法向联合筹资委员会举办的 2017 年 6 月 28 日筹资活动提供 60 万美元的政治捐款，其中 Li 提供 27.05 万美元，Wang 提供 32.95 万美元。Li、Wang 及其外籍人士客人参加了 2017 年 6 月 28 日的筹资活动，并与时任美国总统合影。之后 Li 和 Wang 利用 Li 在筹资活动上与该总统的合影为 TEC 招揽投资。
* * *
FBI 鼓励任何人士如果知悉刑事控告书中相关指控的信息或认为自己是受害者，则可通过 tips.fbi.gov 网站上的互联网电子举报表格或通过拨打 FBI 的举报热线 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) 与 FBI 联系。
刑事控告书中的指控仅仅是指控，除非证明有罪，否则假定 被告是无罪。
该政府案件正在由本办公室的国家安全和网络犯罪科以及本办公室的公共廉政科处理。美国助理 联邦检察官Robert T. Polemeni、Ian C. Richardson 和 Joshua Hafetz 在律师助理专员 Magdalena St. Surin 的协助下负责本次起诉。本办公室资产追回科的美国联邦助理检察官 Claire S. Kedeshian 负责没收资产。
被告:
SHERRY XUE LI
年龄：50
纽约，牡蛎湾Lianbo Wang，又名“Mike Wang”
年龄： 45
纽约，牡蛎湾E.D.N.Y.备审案件编号 22-MJ-756
West L.A. Man Found Guilty of Stalking Charges for Longtime Harassment Campaign Against Female Doctors at VA FacilitiesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal jury today found a West Los Angeles man guilty of federal stalking charges for his harassment campaign targeting two female doctors at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and two other female doctors working at the VA’s Loma Linda facility in San Bernardino County.
Gueorgui Hristov Pantchev, 50, was found guilty of four counts of stalking.
According to evidence presented at his five-day trial, Pantchev’s conduct with respect to two of the doctors began in 2011 with numerous threatening communications sent to West L.A. VA doctors identified in court documents as Victim C and Victim D. As a result of this harassment, Pantchev was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and was convicted in 2014 of nine counts of stalking and witness intimidation.
After serving a state prison sentence, Pantchev was paroled in 2017 and he was barred from the West L.A. VA Medical Center. Pantchev then began seeking medical services at the VA’s Loma Linda facility, where he started stalking, harassing, and intimidating Victims A and B.
Notwithstanding the parole conditions that prohibited him from going to the West L.A. facility, in 2020, Pantchev sought care there and began sending harassing and intimidating communications to colleagues of Victims C and D.
Pantchev deluged Victims C and D and their colleagues with hundreds of lewd, sexually explicit, and defamatory fliers bearing large pictures of Victim C and Victim D that Pantchev repeatedly distributed around the West Los Angeles VA facility and other locations.
On the morning of Pantchev’s arrest in January 2021, he drove to Victim D’s home and her child’s elementary school and distributed more sexually explicit flyers that included the victim’s home address and contact information. During a search of Pantchev’s residence, law enforcement found more copies of the same flyers, along with printed copies of some of the letters and emails Pantchev sent to victims.
Pantchev has been in federal custody since his arrest in January 2021.
United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled a September 26 sentencing hearing, at which time Pantchev will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
The FBI and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Khaldoun Shobaki and Lauren Restrepo of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Wauchula Man Arrested for Producing, Distributing, and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Christopher Froehlich (40, Wauchula) on a criminal complaint charging him with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. If convicted, Froehlich faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison for production of child pornography, a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison for distribution of child pornography, and a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, and a potential life term of supervised release on all counts. Froehlich made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda A. Sansone on Friday and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the complaint, in December 2017, Froehlich posed as a 15-year-old boy and connected with the 15-year-old victim via Live.Me, a live-streaming video service. Froehlich convinced the child victim that they were in a relationship and coerced the child to produce sexually explicit videos and photos for Froehlich. When the child tried to stop producing sexually explicit videos and photos for Froehlich, Froehlich threatened to post the videos and photos to social media for the child’s family and friends to see.
In June 2020, the child attempted to stop communication with Froehlich, at which point Froehlich posted the child’s nude photos to social media. Froehlich continued to contact the child until June 2022 by using various phone numbers and different usernames on social media platforms.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance from the Wauchula Police Department, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Bradenton Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Virginia Company Pays $137,500 to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Christopher Scharf, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region, today announced that McClain & Company, Inc. (“McClain”) has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the government and has paid $137,500 to resolve allegations that it paid a third party to falsify certificates of inspection for vehicles used to inspect bridges and, after a Connecticut workplace fatality involving a McClain under bridge inspection (“UBI”) vehicle, provided the false inspection certificates for that vehicle to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) during the resulting investigation.
McClain, based in Culpeper, Virginia, rents and leases bridge access equipment to engineering companies and government agencies for use on bridge inspection and bridge maintenance projects. As part of its business, McClain provided UBI vehicles to various state departments of transportation and bridge inspection engineering firms under federal aid contracts funded in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation, including multiple contracts with the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
The government contends that, between January 2012 and January 2015, McClain paid Virginia-based Martin Enterprize, Inc. (“MEI”) to create 123 certificates of inspection falsely certifying that MEI had inspected the UBI vehicles in McClain’s fleet when, in fact, McClain knew that the UBI vehicles had not been inspected by a neutral third party. In addition, after OSHA opened a workplace fatality investigation into the death of one of McClain’s employees who had been operating a McClain UBI vehicle in Connecticut, McClain sent OSHA false certificates of inspection for the UBI vehicle that had been involved in the workplace fatality.
As part of its civil settlement agreement with the government, McClain has paid $137,500.
“This settlement resolves allegations that a government contractor not only took shortcuts that put its own employees at risk, but it attempted to thwart a proper federal investigation of a workplace fatality involving its equipment,” said U.S. Attorney Avery. “This is unacceptable. Businesses and individuals who receive federal funds and then engage in such misconduct face both criminal and civil penalties.”
Since July 2019, McClain has been under an Interim Administrative Settlement and Compliance Agreement with the Federal Highway Administration.
In related criminal proceedings, McClain, McClain employee Kenneth Mix, and Carol “Casey” Smith, who was the president of MEI, each pleaded guilty to federal charges related to their conduct in this matter.
“The settlement announced today demonstrates our commitment to working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial colleagues to protect the integrity of Federal-aid programs,” said Christopher Scharf, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, Northeastern Region. “Having a safe workplace is equally as important as shielding taxpayer funds from fraud, waste, and abuse as we go about the business of building and maintaining the Nation’s infrastructure.”
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Gruber, with the assistance of Auditor Susan N. Spiegel.
Veteran sentenced to 18+ years in prison for sexual assault on a child left in his careRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 40-year-old Army veteran who most recently was a civilian resident of Joint Base Lewis McChord, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 225 months in prison for abusive sexual contact with a child under 12, and sexual abuse of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Shawn Matthew Wilcher is required to register as a sex offender and will be on lifetime supervised release following his prison term. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said the crime, “was horrendously serious… the victim endured repeated violence over a long period of time…. She endured unimaginable terror.”
“This type of horrific abuse of a young child cannot be explained or justified, despite whatever demons Mr. Wilcher battles from his military service. His crimes have created ripples of destruction many times over,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “He will get treatment for the PTSD he blames for his conduct, but studies indicate this young victim will suffer long-lasting trauma throughout her life – trauma that is difficult, if not impossible, to remedy.”
According to records filed in the case, Wilcher is the spouse of an active-duty enlisted Army soldier. Between October 2015 and January 2018, Wilcher resided with his spouse on Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Between October 1, 2018, and May 21, 2019, Wilcher and his spouse resided on Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). Wilcher is a veteran himself and served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. In his plea agreement, Wilcher admits that he sexually molested a young child left in his care during his residence at both military bases. The abuse came to light in May 2019, when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend who reported it to a school counselor. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and the FBI immediately investigated the case. Wilcher has been in custody since his arrest on May 25, 2019.
Charges in the District of Hawaii and the Western District of Washington were both resolved by Wilcher’s guilty plea on August 23, 2021. Wilcher will be on lifetime supervision following his prison term and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Army CID.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Grady Leupold and Matt Hampton for the Western District of Washington, and Morgan Early for the District of Hawaii.
Uber Commits to Changes and Pays Millions to Resolve Justice Department Lawsuit for Overcharging People with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice filed in court today a multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with Uber Technologies Inc. (Uber) to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Uber violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the agreement, Uber will offer several million dollars in compensation to more than 65,000 Uber users who were charged discriminatory fees due to disability.
In November 2021, the department filed a lawsuit alleging that Uber violated Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination by private transportation companies like Uber. According to the complaint, in April 2016, Uber began charging passengers wait time fees in a number of cities, eventually expanding the policy nationwide. The wait time fees started two minutes after the Uber car arrived at the pickup location and were charged until the car began its trip. The department’s complaint alleged that Uber violated the ADA by failing to reasonably modify its wait time fee policy for passengers who, because of disability, needed more than two minutes to get in an Uber car. Passengers with disabilities may need additional time to enter a car for various reasons. A passenger may, for example, use a wheelchair or walker that needs to be broken down and stored in the car. Or a passenger who is blind may need additional time to safely walk from the pickup location to the car itself. The department’s lawsuit alleged that, even when Uber was aware that passengers’ need for additional time was clearly disability-based, Uber started charging a wait time fee at the two-minute mark.
Under the two-year agreement, Uber has committed to waive wait time fees for all Uber riders who certify that they (or someone they frequently travel with) need more time to get in an Uber car because of a disability. Uber also will ensure that refunds are easily available for anyone who does not have a waiver and is charged a wait time fee because of disability. Uber will advertise the wait time fee waiver program and train its customer service representatives on the waiver program and refund process to ensure that people with disabilities are not charged illegal fees.
Additionally, Uber will credit the accounts of more than 65,000 eligible riders who signed up for the waiver program for double the amount of wait time fees they were ever charged, which could amount to potentially hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in compensation. Uber will also pay $1,738,500 to more than one thousand riders who complained to Uber about being charged wait time fees because of disability, and $500,000 to other harmed individuals identified by the department.
“People with disabilities should not be made to feel like second-class citizens or punished because of their disability, which is exactly what Uber’s wait time fee policy did,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement sends a strong message that Uber and other ridesharing companies will be held accountable if their services discriminate against people with disabilities. The Civil Rights Division remains committed to enforcing the ADA and ensuring that people with disabilities can travel free from barriers and indignities.”
“Ensuring equal access to transportation for those with disabilities is an important goal of the ADA,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds for the Northern District of California. “People with disabilities must have access to ridesharing services provided by Uber and similar companies without enduring discriminatory wait time fees. This agreement removes that barrier to equal access for passengers with disabilities and provides a mechanism to compensate those harmed by Uber’s past wait time fee policy.”
This matter was handled jointly by Assistant U.S. Attorney David DeVito for the Northern District of California and the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section. A copy of the settlement agreement is attached.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit http://www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at http://www.ada.gov/complaint.
Uber Commits to Changes and Pays Millions to Resolve Justice Department Lawsuit for Overcharging People with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Justice filed in court today a multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with Uber Technologies Inc. (Uber) to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Uber violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the agreement, Uber will offer several million dollars in compensation to more than 65,000 Uber users who were charged discriminatory fees due to disability.
In November 2021, the department filed a lawsuit alleging that Uber violated Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination by private transportation companies like Uber. According to the complaint, in April 2016, Uber began charging passengers wait time fees in a number of cities, eventually expanding the policy nationwide. The wait time fees started two minutes after the Uber car arrived at the pickup location and were charged until the car began its trip. The department’s complaint alleged that Uber violated the ADA by failing to reasonably modify its wait time fee policy for passengers who, because of disability, needed more than two minutes to get in an Uber car. Passengers with disabilities may need additional time to enter a car for various reasons. A passenger may, for example, use a wheelchair or walker that needs to be broken down and stored in the car. Or a passenger who is blind may need additional time to safely walk from the pickup location to the car itself. The department’s lawsuit alleged that, even when Uber was aware that passengers’ need for additional time was clearly disability-based, Uber started charging a wait time fee at the two-minute mark.
Under the two-year agreement, Uber has committed to waive wait time fees for all Uber riders who certify that they (or someone they frequently travel with) need more time to get in an Uber car because of a disability. Uber also will ensure that refunds are easily available for anyone who does not have a waiver and is charged a wait time fee because of disability. Uber will advertise the wait time fee waiver program and train its customer service representatives on the waiver program and refund process to ensure that people with disabilities are not charged illegal fees.
Additionally, Uber will credit the accounts of more than 65,000 eligible riders who signed up for the waiver program for double the amount of wait time fees they were ever charged, which could amount to potentially hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in compensation. Uber will also pay $1,738,500 to more than one thousand riders who complained to Uber about being charged wait time fees because of disability, and $500,000 to other harmed individuals identified by the department.“Ensuring equal access to transportation for those with disabilities is an important goal of the ADA,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds of the Northern District of California. “People with disabilities must have access to ridesharing services provided by Uber and similar companies without enduring discriminatory wait time fees. This agreement removes that barrier to equal access for passengers with disabilities and provides a mechanism to compensate those harmed by Uber’s past wait time fee policy.”
“People with disabilities should not be made to feel like second-class citizens or punished because of their disability, which is exactly what Uber’s wait time fee policy did,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement sends a strong message that Uber and other ridesharing companies will be held accountable if their services discriminate against people with disabilities. The Civil Rights Division remains committed to enforcing the ADA and ensuring that people with disabilities can travel free from barriers and indignities.”
This matter was handled jointly by Assistant U.S. Attorney David DeVito for the Northern District of California and the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section. A copy of the settlement agreement is on NDCA Pacer and posted on our website with this press release.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit http://www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed online at http://www.ada.gov/complaint.
U.S. Attorney's Office & ATF Announce Joint Public Awareness Campaign Focusing on Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today the launching of Think Again, an informational campaign aimed at educating the public on how to prevent illegal firearms from getting into the wrong hands.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina partnered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) in this initiative, as part of a joint effort to reduce gun-induced violence and to increase reporting of illegal firearms activity.
“The fight against gun violence requires the coordination of law enforcement agencies. More importantly, our success relies on the help of the community. With this campaign, we invite the public to be a part of the solution to gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Our message is simple. We ask everyone to Think Again, before you agree to be a straw gun purchaser for a person who is not permitted to own a firearm. To Think Again, before you make a decision that could lead to an illegal firearm ending up in our streets. And to Think Again, before you ignore illegal gun activity. Instead, report it to the authorities. Let’s work together and let’s be the cure to the gun violence epidemic.”
“Each and every person plays a critical role in protecting their neighborhoods and preventing crime, and when we make the right decision and push back against those involved in committing crimes, we help make a much safer community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Before you break the law, before you help put a firearm in the hands of a dangerous individual, or before you make a choice that could put yourself or those around you in danger, we want you to Think Again and consider the consequences.”
The Think Again campaign combines a multi-media dissemination of information, to include 30-second radio spots, Public Service Announcements, promoted social media messaging, and billboard advertisements designed to increase awareness about gun crimes and underscore the dangers of illegal firearms purchasing or misuse. The information will also be shared with certain school districts within Western North Carolina in an effort to engage in outreach with students, guardians, teachers, and school administrators. Furthermore, information on how to spot illegal gun purchases and other important information related to straw purchasing of firearms will be disseminated to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) in Western North Carolina via ATF’s notification system.
An important component of the campaign is the anonymous reporting of gun-related criminal activity. The campaign enourages the public to get involved by reporting illegal firearms to the ATF by calling 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), via text at 63975, or online at WWW.ATF.GOV/ATF-TIPS.
For additional information about our Think Again initiative, please visit our website. You can view our Think Again Public Service Announcements here.
U.S. Attorney Announces Recent Results of Federal Efforts to Reduce Violent Crime in Calhoun CountyRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona announces that continued federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime have led to four Calhoun County men being charged with federal firearms crimes in the last month. These indictments are the result of the collaborative enforcement strategies applied by federal and local partners to identify and focus enforcement on the most violent and highest risk offenders driving violent crime in Calhoun County. Federal and local law enforcement collaborate in Calhoun County through the Department of Justice’s National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Program, which Anniston and Oxford have been a part of since 2019. PSP seeks to leverage federal law enforcement assets in support of local efforts to drive down violent crime.
“The United States Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners are committed to sharing all available federal resources and support with our partners in Calhoun County to respond to escalating violence and drug crime,” said United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona. “By leveraging strong federal violent crime laws and protections, the Anniston and Oxford Police Departments and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Office are utilizing every available resource to make Calhoun County safer and to deliver justice for victims. I’m thankful for their leadership and partnership in PSP and beyond.”
In June 2022, a federal grand jury indicted multiple defendants from Calhoun County:
James Spears, 37, of Oxford, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Spears illegally possessed a Taurus 9 mm pistol and ammunition during a traffic stop by Anniston Police.
Antoine McClellan, 32, of Anniston, was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. McClellan was stopped by Anniston Police for a traffic violation. As officers approached the car, they noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded large amounts of illegal substances that were later proven to be methamphetamine and marijuana.
Otis Hunter 40, of Anniston, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hunter illegally possessed a Springfield 0.40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
Charrezz Brown 25, of Anniston, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the case documents, an officer who approached Brown’s car during a traffic stop saw Brown place what appeared to be a firearm under his seat. After a search of the vehicle, it was confirmed that Brown possessed a Glock 9 mm pistol and a 5.56 mm rifle.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the Department of Justice’s violent crime strategy to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders collaborate to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
“These indictments for illegal firearms possession are a lesson for every person who is prohibited due to a previous felony conviction or other circumstance,” said United States Attorney Escalona. “If you have been convicted of a felony or are a domestic abuser, you are prohibited by federal law from having a firearm, as well as ammunition. If you have been previously convicted of a felony and don’t want to end up in federal prison, stay away from all guns and ammunition,” recommended Escalona.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two District Men Found Guilty of Conspiracy, First-Degree Murder, and Participation in a Criminal Street Gang in 2017 SlayingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Quincy Garvin, 22, and Saquan Williams, 20, both of Washington, D.C., have been found guilty by a jury of conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed, participation in a criminal street gang, and other charges for a brazen shooting into a courtyard that took place in September 2017 in the Potomac Gardens area of Southeast Washington.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The verdicts were returned today and on July 13, 2022, following a six-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert Okun presided over the trial. At sentencing, both defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the crimes. Judge Okun set a status hearing for Sept. 9, 2022. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the government’s evidence, between May 2017and October 2017, the defendants and others were members of a criminal street gang operating in the area of Wellington Park, within Washington, D.C. Garvin, Williams, and others were involved in a number of “beefs” with individuals from other areas of the city.
Thus, on Sept. 10, 2017, at approximately 6 p.m., as the victim, Carl Hardy, was standing outside in the Potomac Gardens neighborhood, Williams, Garvin, and two others circled the Potomac Gardens neighborhood three times looking for individuals to target. On the fourth trip around the block, the vehicle stopped, and the driver paused to allow Garvin, Williams, and one other man to exit the vehicle armed with multiple weapons, to include an assault rifle. Garvin, Williams and the third shooter opened fire on the crowded courtyard, firing over 30 rounds and striking Mr. Hardy. The group then fled the scene.
Mr. Hardy, 24, was transported to the hospital where doctors operated multiple times in their efforts to save him. Ultimately, on Oct. 1, 2017, Mr. Hardy succumbed to his injuries. Shortly after Mr. Hardy’s death, arrest warrants were obtained for Williams and Garvin charging them with the murder.
A homeowner who lived across the street from the shooting had a surveillance system with audio and high-definition video that captured the shooters as they ran back to the vehicle immediately after the shooting. This video was instrumental in investigating and prosecuting the case. This prosecution reflects the value of the District of Columbia’s Private Security Camera Incentive Program, which encourages residents to install security cameras to assist law enforcement.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sellinger, Daniel Lenerz, and Sharon Donovan; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Lead Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman and Meridith McGarrity; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Witness Security Specialist Ashli Tolbert; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators LaJune Thames and Maenylie Watson; and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Jackson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Timmer, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Lindsey Merikas who tried the case.
Tampa Woman Sentenced to Prison for Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Related to COVID Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Rolanda Wingfield (39, Tampa) to three years in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of her sentence, the court also ordered Wingfield to pay $135,576 in restitution to the various state workforce agencies she defrauded. Wingfield had pleaded guilty on April 26, 2022.
According to court documents, from approximately May through September 2020, Wingfield obtained the personal identifying information of others and used that information to submit, or cause the submission of, false and fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies in order to obtain UI benefits to which she was not entitled. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debit cards issued in the names of others. Wingfield then used, or attempted to use, the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money using ATMs. The U.S. Department of Labor determined that Wingfield obtained $135,576.
In March 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who were not ordinarily eligible for benefits.
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.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory D. Pizzo and John Cannizzaro.
Somersworth Man Sentenced to 39 Months on a Charge of Possession of an Improvised Explosive BombRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Ryan Cortina, 34, of Somersworth, was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison for possession of an unregistered NFA firearm, an improvised explosive bomb, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 23, 2019, the Somersworth Police Department received information from a confidential informant (CI) that Cortina possessed destructive devices at his Somersworth residence. The CI claimed Cortina showed him a “grenade” he had built. Officers applied for a search warrant for Cortina’s residence. While executing the warrant on September 27, 2019, officers located five suspected destructive devices in a duffle bag. Further analysis showed that one of the devices was an improvised explosive bomb which therefore should have been registered in accordance with Federal Firearms Registration.
“The improvised explosive bomb seized from the defendant’s home placed his neighbors and the community in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “Thanks to good police work, law enforcement officers were able to secure the potentially-deadly device and prevent individuals from being harmed.”
“This investigation is an example of the hard work of ATF special agents and the excellent cooperation we have with our law enforcement partners,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Boston Field Division. “Because of this cooperation, we were able to seize these dangerous destructive devices and ensured they never found their way into our communities.”
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Somersworth Police Department with the assistance of New Hampshire State Police and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.
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Serial Identity Theft Scammer Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Jason Evans, age 48, of Millsboro, Delaware, to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release. The Court also ordered Evans to pay a total of $124,837.79 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; and Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, beginning in January 2018, Evans was on supervised release from a prior federal fraud and identity theft conviction. Despite this, from June 2019 to August 2019, Evans used the identities of multiple victims to fraudulently obtain funds from financial institutions in the form of credit card accounts and cash advances.
For example, Evans submitted a fraudulent credit card application to a financial institution (financial institution 1) by using the name and personal identifying information of Victim 1. Financial institution 1 subsequently approved the fraudulent application and established a credit card account in Victim 1’s name and mailed the card to an address controlled by Evans. Additionally, in June 2019, Evans used a counterfeit Pennsylvania driver’s license in the name of Victim 1 to obtain a cash advance of $14,400 from financial institution 1.
In July 2019, Evans used a counterfeit license with the identifying information of Victim 1 and his picture to purchase nine smartphones from an Annapolis, Maryland smartphone store. Evans charged $12, 114.74 using a credit card in Victim 1’s name and identity. In total, Evans attempted to obtain at least $65,000 under Victim 1’s and other victims’ identities.
As stated in his guilty plea, while Evans was on pretrial release, Evans resumed his criminal conduct with an entirely new scheme. From January 2021 to August 2021, Evans used counterfeit cards from two financial institutions to purchase gift cards and other items from grocery stores in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. As a result of this scheme, Evans obtained $59, 837.79 in gift cards. He was arrested again in July 2021 for this criminal conduct.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Secret Service, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamera Fine and Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted 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. To report fraud, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Sarasota Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for COVID-19 Related FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Randy Xavier Jones (34, Sarasota) to five years and one month in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Jones to forfeit proceeds traceable to the offense, including 12 fraudulently obtained prepaid debit cards containing unemployment insurance benefits to which Jones was not entitled. Jones had pleaded guilty on March 24, 2022.
According to court documents, from July 2020 through at least September 2020, Jones knowingly engaged in a scheme to defraud several federal and state programs by obtaining COVID-19 related benefits—both loan proceeds from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program and unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits from state workforce agencies—to which he was not entitled. Specifically, Jones obtained an EIDL loan in the amount of $50,000 in the name of a non-existent entity. In addition, in response to numerous fraudulent applications filed in multiple states, Jones obtained UI benefits, loaded on to prepaid debit cards, from state workforce agencies in Arizona, California, and Nevada, among others. In order to retrieve the proceeds of the scheme, Jones, a resident of Sarasota, flew to California and, over a period of several weeks, withdrew cash from the prepaid debit cards that were funded as a result of the fraudulent applications. Through both schemes, Jones and others obtained nearly a half million dollars.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is 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 EIDL program is designed to provide economic relied to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities, and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtains a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds cannot be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel K. Jones.
San Diego Teacher and Coach Charged with Child Pornography DistributionRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Amanda L. Griffith (619) 546-8970 & Andrew Sherwood (619) 546-9690
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – July 18, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Daniel Dasko - a teacher’s aide, substitute teacher and youth hockey coach of elementary and middle school children in San Diego - was arrested by the FBI and charged in federal court with distribution of child pornography.
Dasko was arrested at his home on July 13. He made an initial appearance in federal court on July 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Butcher and was ordered detained pending trial. According to a federal complaint, Dasko is charged with Distribution of Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct.
Dasko’s alleged illicit activity was discovered during the course of another investigation that began in Philadelphia in July 2021, when the Philadelphia Division of the FBI received a cyber tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a man who was uploading child pornography. The subject was identified as a teacher in the Philadelphia area.
FBI Philadelphia executed a search warrant on the Philadelphia subject’s residence. A review of the subject’s iPhone revealed numerous conversations regarding child pornography using a social media application, both trading and producing images by baiting minor victims to send nude photos or videos or to go live online and be screen-recorded. The Philadelphia subject and other coconspirators would pose as females on social media sites in order to chat with the victims.
The complaint said investigators continued their review of the communications on the social media application in order to identify additional targets. One of those targets, using the name “Mr. Pickles,” was communicating with the Philadelphia subject from at least October 3, 2020 to October 3, 2021, during which time they exchanged over 3,671 messages, to include numerous of image and video files.
According to the complaint, the majority of these messages were conversations about sexually exploiting children they knew or met online. The complaint contains excerpts of some of the sexually-explicit electronic communications between the Philadelphia subject and Mr. Pickles in which they discuss their attraction to young boys.
Based on the investigation, the FBI believed Dasko was Mr. Pickles and obtained federal search warrants to search Dasko’s San Diego residence and person for child exploitation crimes. On July 13, 2022, those were executed. Following the advisal and waiver of his Miranda rights, Dasko agreed to speak with agents about his online activities. He admitted he was Mr. Pickles and the user of the social media account.
Victims or anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the FBI San Diego Field Office at 858-320-1800 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be anonymous.
“There is nothing more important than keeping our children safe from sexual abuse and exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Social media makes this a very challenging endeavor, but we will do everything in our power to protect kids from online predators who use technology to target and trick them.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the FBI for their excellent work in this case.
“Our children should be protected, not preyed upon,” said Stacey Moy, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Crimes against children remain a priority for the FBI. We will continue to aggressively investigate any matter where persons prey on our children, and work with our partners to get these predators removed from our community.”
DEFENDANT Case Number 22MJ2515
Daniel Dasko Age: 30 Carlsbad, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2) – Distribution of Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, five-year mandatory minimum
AGENCY
FBI
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sacramento Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Multiple Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dezmaighne McClain, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 10 years in prison for three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On April 6, 2022, a federal jury found McClain guilty on all three counts after a two-day trial.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 15, 2019, while on felony parole, McClain sold a firearm to an individual within minutes of meeting the person at the parole office. McClain sold the same individual another firearm on July 30, 2019, and continued to discuss potential firearms sales after that date. Evidence at trial showed that McClain also sold guns to others while on parole, both before and after the July 15 sale. McClain is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior felony convictions, which include robbery, assault, possessing a controlled substance for sale, and illegal possession of a firearm.
During a search of McClain’s residence, agents found more firearms, ammunition, and an AR‑15-style “ghost gun” hidden in the garage. Ghost guns do not contain serial numbers and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace and easy to acquire by criminals.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele Beckwith and Audrey Hemesath prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Rensselaer County Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Botsford, age 26, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to attempting to coerce and entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual acts with him. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Botsford admitted that between July and August 2020, he sent graphic, sexually explicit text messages to an undercover investigator who was posing as the 13-year-old child. In those messages, Botsford repeatedly asked the child for naked photos and sent photos of an erect penis to the presumed child. Botsford further stated that he wanted the child to run away and live with him in an abandoned building and get the child pregnant. On August 10, 2020, Botsford attempted to meet the child in person at a location in Troy in order to engage in sexual acts with the child. Botsford was encountered by law enforcement upon his arrival and arrested.
Botsford faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2022 in Albany before Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Botsford will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, to include the Colonie Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel L. Williams as 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.
Recidivist Drug Trafficker Is Sentenced to 16+ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Andres Chacon, 46, of Anderson, South Carolina, was sentenced to 194 months in prison and five years of supervised release for drug trafficking.
According to filed documents and court proceedings, on March 5, 2019, Chacon sold two kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine to an undercover investigator in Union County. In sentencing Chacon, the Court considered the defendant’s prior convictions for Unlawful Carry of Weapon and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute in South Carolina State court in 2009, after which he absconded from court supervision. In 2014, Chacon was also convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Carolina federal court, after which he also absconded from court supervision and was later caught with two kilograms of heroin and $90,000 in cash.
This case is the result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation which has led to the seizure of 18+ kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and over one kilogram of cocaine. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Mint Hill Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Pineville Police Department, Cornelius Police Department, and Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Reading Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery of Federal AgentRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Damar Coad, 20, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 7 years’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for the armed robbery of a federal agent.
According to Unites States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Coad pleaded guilty to robbing the federal agent, who was acting in an undercover capacity, at gunpoint during an operation in Schuylkill County. On September 17, 2020, the Federal agent arranged to meet Coad and John Fidanqui-Marten to purchase approximately $7,500 worth of methamphetamine in Frackville Borough. When the agent approached the two men they demanded the drug buy-money at gunpoint. The agent turned over the money and a high speed chased ensued. Police took the men into custody shortly thereafter.
Fidanqui-Marten, 20, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty for his participation in the robbery on July 5, 2022, and is awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Shenandoah Borough Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny Baer.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Pekin, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin, Illinois, man, Nathan Golden, 24, of the 2200 block of Sierra Drive, was sentenced on July 11, 2022, to 97 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Golden also is required to pay $54,000 in restitution.
At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade, the government presented evidence that Golden used peer-to-peer file-sharing software to download videos and images of child pornography. In May 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Golden’s house. On Golden’s computer and cell phone, they found more than 800 videos and images of child pornography, some of which depicted children as young as one year old.
Golden was indicted in June 2021 and pleaded guilty in December 2021.
The statutory penalties for receipt of child pornography are five to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and five years to a life term of supervised release, along with a special assessments, fines and restitution to victims. Golden also must register as a sex offender on the national registry.
The United States Secret Service, Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, and Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Golden was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Oyster Bay Residents Charged with $27 Million Investment Fraud Scheme and Selling Foreign Nationals Access to Prominent U.S. PoliticiansRead the Press Release
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in Brooklyn federal court charging Sherry Xue Li and Lianbo Wang with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) administration of campaign finance laws. Li and Wang, both naturalized U.S. citizens, were arrested earlier today in Oyster Bay, New York, and their initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; Ricky J. Patel, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI) announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the defendants enticed their victims to invest in a fraudulent scheme aided by misleadingly claiming that their fictitious project had the support of prominent politicians,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendants were able to perpetrate this fraud by then selling access to U.S. politicians by unlawfully contributing foreign money to political campaigns in their own names and bringing foreign nationals as their guests to fundraising events. This Office is committed to protecting our democratic process from those who would expose it to unlawful foreign influence, and investors from the predatory fraudsters who would steal their money.”
United States Attorney Peace thanked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for its assistance in the investigation.
"We allege Li and Wang promised investors green cards, access to political figures, and dividends on their money. Tens of millions of dollars came in from investors and straw donors, who expected their money would bear fruit. However, only one promise came to fruition, the access to political power. Foreign money pollutes our immigration and democratic processes, and we must do all we can to protect them," stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
Li and Wang are alleged to have perpetrated a massive, multi-layered fraud scheme targeting foreign nationals ranging from a sham real estate investment, promised benefits for payment, the solicitation for access to U.S. politicians, to making illegal donations for campaigns. The staggering scope of this alleged fraud was facilitated by an abuse in the investor visa process,” said HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Patel. “In tandem with our partners, HSI continues to steadfastly monitor U.S. visa and travel systems for indicators of malign foreign actor abuse and will continue to aggressively investigate attacks on the integrity of the framework that allows access to the United States.”
“It’s alleged that Li and Wang defrauded their victim-investors out of millions, then used their ill-gotten gains to live luxuriously and ‘rub elbows’ with prominent politicians. It is through law enforcement partnerships and collaboration that we were able to break-down this multi-layered fraud scheme and ensure that the alleged culprits now face justice for their criminal behavior,” said Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS:CI New York.
The Scheme to Defraud Investors
As alleged in the complaint, Li and Wang orchestrated a nearly decade-long scheme to defraud investors in a fictitious project to develop, build and operate a private educational institution in Sullivan County, New York, called the “Thompson Education Center” (the TEC Project). The defendants solicited victim-investors, many of them foreign nationals located outside of the United States, by falsely representing the progress they were making on the TEC Project and its support from government officials, including by sending investors and prospective investors promotional materials that included photographs of Li, the TEC Project’s President, with prominent U.S. politicians. Many foreign national victims were persuaded to invest in the TEC Project by, among other things, the defendants’ false assurances that their $500,000 investments would guarantee them lawful permanent residence in the United States through the EB-5 investment visa program administered by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
As alleged, instead Li, Wang and other members of the conspiracy siphoned off the money they fraudulently obtained from investors by transferring the funds through bank accounts held in the names of various companies that Li had created. Once the funds were in those accounts, Li and Wang used the funds to pay for numerous personal expenses including clothing and accessories, jewelry, housing, vacation travel, upscale dining, and political contributions to prominent politicians. The portion of the invested capital Li and Wang actually spent on the TEC Project was used merely to create and perpetuate the fiction that the TEC Project was a viable development project that was actually under construction. For example, Li and Wang hired contractors, engineers and other professionals to create architectural drawings and plans and perform minor work on or around the development site, which Li and Wang showed to potential investors to mislead them into believing the TEC Project had a realistic probability of completion and of delivering the returns on investment that the conspirators promised their investors.
As of July 2022, more than 150 investors have invested at least $27 million in the TEC Project, including approximately $16.5 million from EB-5 investors who were promised a green card in return for their investment, and approximately $11 million from stock investors who were promised that an IPO would take place. As of March 2022, Li, Wang, and their co-conspirators have misappropriated and laundered at least $2 million in TEC Project investor funds. During this same period, Li, Wang and their co-conspirators spent at least an additional $2.5 million dollars in investor funds on various personal expenses with no clear business purpose, none of which was reported as income to the Internal Revenue Service by Li or Wang. To date, no EB-5 investor in the TEC Project has received a temporary or permanent green card and the TEC Project has not made an IPO or been listed on any stock exchange.
Selling Access to U.S. Politicians
In furtherance of their scheme, Li and Wang also acted as “straw donors” for foreign nationals to unlawfully contribute to campaigns supporting U.S. politicians and political committees. Among other things, Li and Wang promised foreign nationals access to U.S. political events and politicians in exchange for a fee. Li and Wang used the money they received from foreign nationals to fund political contributions, and falsely identified themselves and other U.S. citizens as the contributors of the funds, in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations. In some cases, Li and Wang used TEC investors’ investment funds to make the political contributions which they used to gain access to the political events, where Li and Wang took photographs with elected officials. Li and Wang would then use the photographs as a marketing tool in soliciting investments from foreign nationals in the TEC Project.
For example, as alleged in the complaint, Li and Wang charged twelve foreign nationals $93,000 per person for admission to a June 28, 2017 fundraising event (the June 28, 2017 Fundraiser) with the then-President of the United States. Li and Wang used the funds that they collected from the foreign nationals to unlawfully make $600,000 in political contributions in their own names—$270,500 from Li and $329,500 from Wang—to the joint fundraising committee hosting the June 28, 2017 Fundraiser. Li, Wang and their foreign national guests attended the June 28, 2017 Fundraiser and took photographs with the then-President of the United States. Li and Wang later used a photograph of Li and the President taken at the fundraiser to solicit investment in the TEC Project.
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'The FBI has established a hotline for potential victims. If you have information regarding the allegations in the complaint or believe you may have been a victim, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section and the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert T. Polemeni, Ian C. Richardson, and Joshua Hafetz are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Magdalena St. Surin. Assistant United States Attorney Claire S. Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is responsible for the forfeiture of assets.
The Defendants:
SHERRY XUE LI
Age: 50
Oyster Bay, New YorkLianbo Wang, also known as “Mike Wang”
Age: 45
Oyster Bay, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-MJ-756
Oklahoma City Hospital Pays $120,000 to Settle Civil Penalty Claims Stemming from the Alleged Failure to Timely Report Thefts of Fentanyl and HydromorphoneRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – INTEGRIS ProHealth, Inc., and its parent, INTEGRIS Health, Inc. (collectively, "INTEGRIS") paid $120,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that Integris Baptist Medical Center Pharmacy ("Integris Pharmacy"), which is owned and operated by INTEGRIS ProHealth, Inc., violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
The United States alleges that in October 2021 Integris Pharmacy failed to timely notify DEA regarding thefts or significant losses of Schedule II controlled substances. More specifically, Integris Pharmacy allegedly failed to report within one business day of discovery the thefts of fentanyl and hydromorphone by a former employee. To resolve these allegations, INTEGRIS agreed to pay $120,000 to the United States.
In reaching this settlement, INTEGRIS did not admit liability, and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims. The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Johnson and Ronald R. Gallegos prosecuted the case.
Ocean County Man Admits Receiving Child Pornography and Online Enticement of MinorRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man today admitted receiving images of child sexual abuse and inducing a minor to send him sexually explicit images and engage in sexually explicit conduct over an online messaging service, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
David M. Frew, 41, of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of online enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In June 2017, Frew used an online messaging service to communicate with a minor victim. At Frew’s request, the victim sent Frew sexually explicit images.
In 2008, Frew was convicted of three counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a computer in Pennsylvania after sending sexually explicit photos or videos to investigators in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit, who were posing as minors online. Also in 2008, Frew was convicted in New Jersey of endangering the welfare of children due to his possession of child pornography. As a result of his prior convictions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Frew was a registered sex offender at the time of his conduct charged in the information.
Because Frew is a previously convicted sex offender, the charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a statutory maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of online enticement carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a statutory maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 23, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in Atlantic City, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Technical Crime Unit; the RCMP National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre; the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer; and the Little Egg Harbor Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Hawkins, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Northern Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Leaving Pipe Bombs at Cell Phone StoresRead the Press Release
BAY CITY – A Whittemore, Michigan, resident pleaded guilty today to two separate criminal cases related to the placement of explosive packages outside cellphone stores in Cheboygan, and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, announced Eastern District of Michigan United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison and Western District of Michigan United States Attorney Mark Totten. Whittemore and Cheboygan are in the Eastern District and Sault Ste. Marie is in the Western District.
Ison and Totten were joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
John Douglas Allen, 76, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Thomas Ludington in Bay City, Michigan. Allen faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on November, 9, 2022.
During the plea hearing, Allen admitted that on September 15, 2021, at approximately 7:36 pm, he placed a United States Postal Service (USPS) box with black tape on it and a wire coming out of it outside an AT&T Store in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Later that evening, Allen placed another USPS box with black tape on it and a wire coming out of it outside of a Verizon Store in Cheboygan, Michigan. The two devices were examined by the FBI laboratory Explosive Unit, which concluded that the two devices were improvised explosive devices (IEDs), also commonly referred to as pipe bombs. Both pipe bombs contained shrapnel and a threat note demanding $5 million. Based on video footage taken from the cell phone stores and other nearby businesses, as well as an exhaustive investigation by law enforcement, agents were able to determine that Allen was the person who left the packages outside of the stores.
In addition, Allen pleaded guilty to placing letters containing threats aimed at telecommunications providers at cell towers located in the Upper Peninsula.
“The actions of this defendant could have resulted in significant bodily harm or death to citizens in the area,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, we were able to find and remove these dangerous devices before the defendant could cause serious harm.”
U.S. Attorney Totten added, “Allen’s actions in placing pipe bombs in front of commercial businesses in Sault Ste. Marie and Cheboygan endangered the lives of innocent citizens, first responders, and the bomb technicians who rendered those devices safe. Grievances and disputes cannot be communicated or resolved through threats of violence or extortion.”
This case was investigated by special agents, intelligence analysts, troopers, deputies, and officers from the FBI, Michigan State Police, Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office, Cheboygan Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Police, the US Coast Guard Investigative Service, US Border Patrol and ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Buckley, Jerome Gorgon, Christopher O’Connor and Theodore Greeley are prosecuting the case in their respective districts.
Northern Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Leaving Pipe Bombs at Cell Phone StoresRead the Press Release
BAY CITY – A Whittemore, Michigan, resident pleaded guilty today to two separate criminal cases related to the placement of explosive packages outside cellphone stores in Cheboygan, and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, announced Eastern District of Michigan United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison and Western District of Michigan United States Attorney Mark Totten. Whittemore and Cheboygan are in the Eastern District and Sault Ste. Marie is in the Western District.
Ison and Totten were joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
John Douglas Allen, 76, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Thomas Ludington in Bay City, Michigan. Allen faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on November, 9, 2022.
During the plea hearing, Allen admitted that on September 15, 2021, at approximately 7:36 pm, he placed a United States Postal Service (USPS) box with black tape on it and a wire coming out of it outside an AT&T Store in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Later that evening, Allen placed another USPS box with black tape on it and a wire coming out of it outside of a Verizon Store in Cheboygan, Michigan. The two devices were examined by the FBI laboratory Explosive Unit, which concluded that the two devices were improvised explosive devices (IEDs), also commonly referred to as pipe bombs. Both pipe bombs contained shrapnel and a threat note demanding $5 million. Based on video footage taken from the cell phone stores and other nearby businesses, as well as an exhaustive investigation by law enforcement, agents were able to determine that Allen was the person who left the packages outside of the stores.
In addition, Allen pleaded guilty to placing letters containing threats aimed at telecommunications providers at cell towers located in the Upper Peninsula.
“The actions of this defendant could have resulted in significant bodily harm or death to citizens in the area,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, we were able to find and remove these dangerous devices before the defendant could cause serious harm.”
U.S. Attorney Totten added, “Allen’s actions in placing pipe bombs in front of commercial businesses in Sault Ste. Marie and Cheboygan endangered the lives of innocent citizens, first responders, and the bomb technicians who rendered those devices safe. Grievances and disputes cannot be communicated or resolved through threats of violence or extortion.”
This case was investigated by special agents, intelligence analysts, troopers, deputies, and officers from the FBI, Michigan State Police, Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office, Cheboygan Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Police, the US Coast Guard Investigative Service, US Border Patrol and ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Buckley, Jerome Gorgon, Christopher O’Connor and Theodore Greeley are prosecuting the case in their respective districts.
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New Castle Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Angel Cruz II, age 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Cruz sold two firearms to a confidential informant during a controlled-buy operation in exchange for $1,000. Cruz, who has a felony conviction for robbery, is prohibited from the possession of firearms and ammunition. In connection with his federal arrest, law enforcement conducted a protective sweep of his New Castle residence. Law enforcement observed ammunition during the protective sweep, and law enforcement then applied for and obtained a search warrant for the residence. The subsequent search resulted in the seizure of an additional firearm.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for Nov. 18, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court ordered Cruz to remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Lawrence County Drug Task Force conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Cruz.
Monmouth County Man Admits Online Sexual Enticement of MinorRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Manalapan, New Jersey, man today admitted using online chat applications to entice an adolescent to engage in prohibited sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Angelo N. Curato, 30, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti to a superseding information charging him with one count of online enticement of a minor.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
From February 2017 through June 2017, Curato used online chat applications to misrepresent his identity and entice or coerce an adolescent to engage in prohibited sexual activity, knowing that the victim was under the age of 18.
The online enticement charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry O’Connell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit.
Luna County inmates sentenced for assault on corrections officersRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Johnny Black and Henry Felix were sentenced to prison for their parts in an assault on corrections officers at the Luna County Detention Center in Deming, New Mexico.
Black and Felix, as well as co-defendants Jacob Merkel and Victor Sanchez, pleaded guilty to assault upon a person assisting federal officers involving physical contact.
According to the plea agreements and other court records, on Feb. 17, 2021, Black became angry with corrections staff and started arguing with them. When staff attempted to escort him out of the pod, Black struck an officer, starting an altercation that other inmates joined. Sanchez saw the altercation and joined Black in striking the officer. As the altercation continued, Merkel grabbed another officer and punched him in the face. After Merkel and the officer went to the ground, Merkel got back up and continued the altercation. At that time, Felix emerged from the crowd and attacked the second officer from behind, striking him in the head and body.
On July 15, Black was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, with one year and six months to run consecutive to his prior sentence of 14 years and three months in prison for using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and being an accessory after the fact. On June 10, Felix was sentenced to one year and three months in prison, with nine months to run consecutive to his prior sentence of 10 years for possession with intent to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Merkel, who pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison, with nine months consecutive to his prior sentence of 13 years and 10 months for robbery and discharge of a firearm. Sanchez, who pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, with 12 months to run consecutive to his prior eight-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The U.S. Marshals Service and Luna County Corrections Officers investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuted the case.
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Lowell Career Offender Indicted on Firearms and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on firearms and drug offenses.
Ricardo Colon, 34, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging document, on March 21, 2022, Colon was found in possession of cocaine and fentanyl intended for distribution as well as firearms and ammunition: a .22 caliber revolver, two 9 mm pistols, multiple gun magazines and 140 rounds of ammunition. Colon is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple previous felony convictions.
The charge of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Barry Golner, Interim Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gotlob of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Leading $10 Million Conspiracy to Distribute 1,000 Kilos of MethRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to being the leader of a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Mirza Alihodzic, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
By pleading guilty today, Alihodzic acknowledged that he was responsible for the distribution of at least 45 kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy, which lasted from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019.
On Feb. 19, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Alihodzic’s residence. Officers seized 5.5 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, and $1,620 in cash from the residence. Officers also seized 18 firearms from Alihodzic’s BMW, including a Sten 9mm machine gun, two short-barreled shotguns (a Mossberg 20-gauge and a Revelation 16-gauge) and a stolen Sig Sauer 9mm handgun.
Alihodzic sold large amounts of methamphetamine to two separate confidential law enforcement sources in March and April 2019. In October 2019, Alihodzic contacted another confidential law enforcement source to make arrangements to travel by plane to California to pick up 40 kilograms of methamphetamine. The methamphetamine would later be sold in the Kansas City area.
On Nov. 4, 2019, Alihodzic met at his residence with the confidential source to discuss details of the plan for the source to pilot an aircraft from the Kansas City area to an unknown location in southern California. While inside Alihodzic’s residence, the source observed multiple firearms, including a gold-plated AK47, an M16-style rifle and several pistols. Alihodzic said he would be taking the firearms with them to the people they were meeting in California.
The next day, the confidential source arrived at Alihodzic’s residence to pick him up and take him to the Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport. Alihodzic placed a large red bag into the back of the black Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 pick-up truck. They drove to a Denny’s parking lot, where they met co-conspirator Michael B. Becher, 40, of Raytown, Mo., then returned to the residence. While they were sitting in the pick-up truck, Alihodzic talked to the confidential source about trust. Alihodzic had a device the source described as a “debugger.” Alihodzic was using the debugger to see if the source was being truthful. Alihodzic casually took a pistol from the area of his waist and displayed it on his lap in a threatening manner. Alihodzic got out of the vehicle, and when he returned a few minutes later, he handed a pistol to the source and told him/her to come inside the residence. Officers then entered the residence and arrested Alihodzic, Becher, and others.
Officers searched the red bag Alihodzic had placed in the back of the pick-up truck, and found a Springfield 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, a Bushmaster 5.56 semi-automatic rifle with an obliterated serial number, and a gold-painted Norinco 7.62x39mm semi-automatic rifle, which had been reported as stolen during a burglary in Independence, Mo.
Alihodzic is among 17 defendants who have pleaded guilty in two separate indictments that resulted from this investigation. Becher pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy on April 13, 2022.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Alihodzic agree to a sentence of at least 25 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 35 years in federal prison without parole. Alihodzic must also pay a money judgment not to exceed $9,961,839, representing all of the proceeds obtained as a result of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. The forfeiture is based on a conservative street price of $2,300 for 226 grams (a half-pound) of methamphetamine and the total conspiracy distribution of nearly 979 kilograms (978,859 grams) of methamphetamine. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Sean T. Foley, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bradshaw. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Justice Department Secures the Surrender of over 4,000 Beagles from Virginia Breeder of Dogs for ResearchRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – In a consent decree entered on July 15 by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Envigo RMS, a company that breeds and sells animals for research, has agreed to a permanent prohibition on engaging in any activity at its facility in Cumberland, Virginia, that requires an Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license. Envigo RMS has also agreed to relinquish all remaining beagles at the Cumberland facility to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
In May, the United States filed suit against Envigo RMS, alleging that the company was failing to provide humane care and treatment to the thousands of beagles at the company’s Cumberland facility. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Envigo RMS was failing to meet the AWA’s minimum standards for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation and adequate veterinary care, among other requirements. Based on past violations identified during inspections by the Department of Agriculture and evidence of extensive, ongoing AWA violations obtained during a multiday criminal search warrant executed at the Cumberland facility beginning on May 18, the Justice Department moved for a temporary restraining order that the federal court granted on May 21 to ensure the health and welfare of the beagles at the Cumberland facility.
The Justice Department worked with the HSUS to develop a plan to transfer the 4,000 remaining beagles from the Cumberland facility and make those beagles available for adoption. The transfer plan, which was jointly submitted by the Justice Department and Envigo RMS, was approved by the District Court on July 5. Under the transfer plan, the HSUS will coordinate the enormous effort to remove all of the beagles from the Cumberland facility over the course of 60 days.
“This settlement brings to an end the needless suffering caused by Envigo’s blatant violations of animal welfare laws at this facility,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We will continue to vigorously enforce animal welfare laws to ensure that animals are provided the humane care that they are legally owed and deserve.”
“Due to the efforts of Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 4,000 animals have been rescued from dire circumstances, and we will continue to hold accountable those who are responsible,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “I am grateful to all those who assisted with this case, especially those who are ensuring that these animals receive the care they deserve.”
This settlement is the result of prosecution by Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorney Shampa Panda of ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Giorno for the Western District of Virginia.
Justice Department Secures the Surrender of over 4,000 Beagles from Virginia Breeder of Dogs for ResearchRead the Press Release
In a consent decree entered on July 15 by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Envigo RMS, a company that breeds and sells animals for research, has agreed to a permanent prohibition on engaging in any activity at its facility in Cumberland, Virginia, that requires an Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license. Envigo RMS has also agreed to relinquish all remaining beagles at the Cumberland facility to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
In May, the United States filed suit against Envigo RMS, alleging that the company was failing to provide humane care and treatment to the thousands of beagles at the company’s Cumberland facility. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Envigo RMS was failing to meet the AWA’s minimum standards for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation and adequate veterinary care, among other requirements. Based on past violations identified during inspections by the Department of Agriculture and evidence of extensive, ongoing AWA violations obtained during a multiday criminal search warrant executed at the Cumberland facility beginning on May 18, the Justice Department moved for a temporary restraining order that the federal court granted on May 21 to ensure the health and welfare of the beagles at the Cumberland facility.
The Justice Department worked with the HSUS to develop a plan to transfer the 4,000 remaining beagles from the Cumberland facility and make those beagles available for adoption. The transfer plan, which was jointly submitted by the Justice Department and Envigo RMS, was approved by the District Court on July 5. Under the transfer plan, the HSUS will coordinate the enormous effort to remove all of the beagles from the Cumberland facility over the course of 60 days.
“This settlement brings to an end the needless suffering caused by Envigo’s blatant violations of animal welfare laws at this facility,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We will continue to vigorously enforce animal welfare laws to ensure that animals are provided the humane care that they are legally owed and deserve.”
“Due to the efforts of Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 4,000 animals have been rescued from dire circumstances, and we will continue to hold accountable those who are responsible,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “I am grateful to all those who assisted with this case, especially those who are ensuring that these animals receive the care they deserve.”
This settlement is the result of prosecution by Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorney Shampa Panda of ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Giorno for the Western District of Virginia.
Justice Department Files Religious Discrimination Suit Against the City of Lansing, MichiganRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it filed a lawsuit against the City of Lansing, Michigan, alleging that Lansing discriminated against former detention officer Sylvia Coleman on the basis of her religion, when it terminated her employment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII is a federal statute that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex and religion.
“Religious discrimination and intolerance have no place in the workplace today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Employees should not have to choose between their religion and their livelihood, particularly when the employer can accommodate their religious beliefs. The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting the religious rights and religious freedom of employees by ensuring that no one faces unlawful discrimination in the workplace.”
According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on July 15, 2022, Coleman informed the City of Lansing that she could not work a shift from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday because of her religious observance of the Sabbath as a Seventh-day Adventist. Yet the City of Lansing failed to take adequate steps to reasonably accommodate her religious observance and instead terminated her employment, following her first scheduled Saturday shift. The complaint also alleges that the City of Lansing failed to show that accommodating Coleman would cause undue hardship on the operation of its business. Through this lawsuit, the United States seeks to have the City of Lansing develop and implement policies that would prevent religious discrimination, seeks monetary damages for Coleman, and seeks other appropriate relief.
The Indianapolis District Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigated and attempted to resolve Coleman’s charge of discrimination before referring it to the Department of Justice. More information about the EEOC’s jurisdiction is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.
This case is being handled by Senior Trial Attorneys Sara Safriet and Robert Galbreath of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section.
Ensuring that local, county and state governments comply with Title VII is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the jurisdiction of the Employment Litigation Section is available on its websites at www.justice.gov/crt/ and https://www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jonathan Lee Sturkey, 37, of Huntington, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 30, 2021, law enforcement officers observed the driver and passenger of a vehicle at the Third Avenue Speedway smoking marijuana. When Sturkey, the passenger, was asked to step out of the vehicle, he admitted to the officers that he had a firearm. Officers found a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .38-caliber revolver in Sturkey’s left coat pocket.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Sturkey knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for the distribution of a quantity of cocaine base in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on May 23, 2011.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-21.
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Grafton Dentist Sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay over $1 million in forfeitureRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 15, 2022, Scott Charmoli, formerly a licensed dentist, was sentenced to 54 months’ incarceration for committing healthcare fraud and making false statements related to healthcare matters.
Scott Charmoli was the owner and sole dentist operating Jackson Family Dentistry in Jackson, Wisconsin. In 2015, Charmoli began a years-long scheme to defraud dental insurance companies into paying for unnecessary crown procedures. Charmoli aggressively sold crowns to patients and then intentionally broke their teeth with his drill in order to convince the insurance companies to pay for the crowns. In March 2022, a jury found Charmoli guilty of five counts of health care fraud and two counts of making false statements to the insurance companies.
In announcing sentence, United State District Judge Lynn Adelman called this an unusual case of fraud because Charmoli physically harmed his own patients and “intentionally damaged” their teeth. He explained that Charmoli’s fraudulent conduct led to physical injuries and a loss of trust in the dental profession. He described Charmoli as “persuading,” “badgering,” and “shaming” his victims and said that Charmoli was both “pushy” and “coercive.” Judge Adelman also focused on the fact that Charmoli made his victims feel like “prey” and that he caused them significant pain and discomfort. The judge indicated that a period of incarceration was necessary to reflect the seriousness of this conduct, particularly because there was no “motive other than greed” for Charmoli’s crimes. In announcing the sentence, Judge Adelman said it was important for other professionals in Charmoli’s position to know that this kind of fraudulent conduct would not be tolerated.
Evidence at trial indicated that Charmoli performed far more crowns than most dentists in Wisconsin, ranking in, or above, the 95th percentile of crowns performed each year from 2016 to 2019. The evidence also showed that Charmoli billed over $4.2 million for crown procedures between 2016 and 2019, and that he performed more than 700 crowns each year from 2015 to 2019. In each of 2015 and 2016, Charmoli performed over 1000 crown procedures. Evidence also showed that in addition to submitting x-rays to insurance companies of damage Charmoli himself had caused, Charmoli made false statements to dental insurers when they denied initial claims for crown coverage.
Charmoli benefited significantly from his scheme, amassing significant assets. As part of his sentence, Charmoli already has been ordered to pay $1,043,229.31 in forfeiture. He also will be responsible for reimbursing insurance companies and reimbursing patients who received fraudulent crowns for their out-of-pocket expenses. Judge Adelman will determine the final amount of restitution due and owing to patients and insurance companies related to the offenses of conviction within 90 days. In addition, Charmoli is the subject of several malpractice lawsuits brought by former patients.
“Mr. Charmoli abused a position of trust and lied to his patients and their insurers simply to line his own pockets,” stated United States Attorney Frohling. “Despite already having many advantages in life, Mr. Charmoli simply wanted more, and he was willing to harm his patients physically, emotionally, and financially to fund his lifestyle. I commend the hard work of the FBI agents and the trial team in pursuing justice for the victims in this case.”
“Health care fraud remains a top priority for the FBI due to the negative effects it has on our community,” said SAC Michael E. Hensle. “Not only do health care fraud schemes like this cost the U.S. taxpayers through increased health insurance premiums and greater out-of-pocket expenses, they also cause unnecessary pain and suffering to those who seek the assistance of trusted health care professionals. The FBI will continue to investigate and work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute those who take advantage of the health care system for their own financial greed. Together, we remain committed to bringing those to justice who personally benefit from their criminal health care fraud schemes.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Michael A. Carter prosecuted.
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Former Prattsville Town Supervisor Pleads Guilty to FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kory O’Hara, age 45, formerly the Town Supervisor of Prattsville, pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a grant extended to Prattsville in the wake of Hurricane Irene.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); John Pias, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector (DHS-OIG); and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region (HUD-OIG).
In August 2011, Hurricane Irene caused significant damage to the Town of Prattsville, resulting in the issuance of millions of dollars in rehabilitation grants to Prattsville and its residents. As Town Supervisor, O’Hara entered into various grant agreements, including with the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
In pleading guilty, O’Hara admitted that between 2013 and 2015, he obtained false invoices from a Prattsville-based modular home business, Moore’s Homes, purporting to reflect construction work performed on O’Hara’s automotive garage, O’Hara’s Service Station, which Moore’s Homes did not perform. O’Hara issued checks to Moore’s Homes reflecting payment on the invoices, but Moore’s Homes returned all of the money.
O’Hara, who was Town Supervisor at the time, then submitted the false invoices and checks to Prattsville and the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation to fraudulently obtain $24,915 in grant proceeds under the New York Main Street Program.
United States Attorney Carla Freedman stated: “The New York Main Street Program was designed to make sure that grant money would be used to rebuild Prattsville in the wake of Hurricane Irene. As Town Supervisor, O’Hara knew the rules, but chose not to follow them. Instead, he took grant money fraudulently. We will continue to hold public officials accountable who, through fraud, put their own interests above those of their constituents.”
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli stated: “Kory O’Hara violated the trust of his community and his duty as Town Supervisor by stealing funds that were meant to help the town recover from Hurricane Irene. Thanks to my partnership with United States Attorney Carla Freedman and federal law enforcement and agencies, O’Hara has now been held accountable for his fraudulent, selfish actions.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi stated: “Hurricane Irene had an absolutely devastating impact on the town of Prattsville, New York. While residents struggled to rebuild their lives, Mr. O'Hara was busy fraudulently obtaining the funds meant to assist them. The FBI, together with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to aggressively investigate those who exploit the programs designed to alleviate the tremendous loss that follows a natural disaster.”
HUD OIG Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi stated: “Prattsville was overwhelmed by Hurricane Irene’s damaging winds and flooding. Mr. O’Hara was entrusted to use federal disaster recovery funds to benefit the residents of Prattsville. Instead, his actions resulted in illicit personal gains and undermined the integrity of American taxpayer-funded relief programs. The HUD OIG will not tolerate this behavior and will continue to work with our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the State Comptroller’s Office, FBI, and Homeland Security to ensure bad actors are held accountable for their misdeeds.”
O’Hara faces up to 20 years in prison; a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years; and a maximum fine of $250,000. He will also be required to pay $24,915 in restitution to the State of New York.
O’Hara’s co-defendant, Stephen Baker, age 71, of Prattsville, previously pled guilty to offering a false instrument for filing, a Class A misdemeanor, in Prattsville Town Court, and the federal charges against him were dismissed.
This case was investigated by the Office of the New York State Comptroller, Division of Investigation; FBI; DHS-OIG; and HUD-OIG, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck.
Ecuadorian and Mexican Nationals Found Guilty of Trafficking Cocaine in the Eastern Pacific OceanRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Manuel Angel Velez-Acosta (33, Ecuador), Guillermo Cabrera Perez (48, Mexico), Andres Nixon Gonzales-Catagua (48, Ecuador), and Hernan David Gonzales-Quiroz (42, Ecuador) guilty of possessing and conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The defendants each face a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. The sentencing hearings have been scheduled for October 13, 2022. They were indicted on February 4, 2021.
According to testimony presented at trial, on January 26, 2021, a U.S. Navy airplane detected a 25-30 foot open-hull motorboat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, about 400 nautical miles south of Mexico, operating in a location where maritime drug smuggling by similar vessels is common. As the Navy aircrew watched and video-recorded, the defendants, who were the four crewmembers on board that boat, began jettisoning packages of cocaine overboard into the water. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter BERTHOLF was patrolling nearby and launched its helicopter and small boats to investigate. After arriving on scene, the Coast Guard determined the vessel was without nationality, and therefore subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Although the Coast Guard was unable to recover the jettisoned packages, it was able to collect chemical trace detection evidence, which showed the presence of cocaine in the same compartments of the boat where the defendants had done the jettisoning. Cocaine was also found on one of the defendant’s hands.
This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force comprised of agents and analysts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro and Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Ruddy.
Cudahy Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 18, 2022, Gerald E. Belmore, Jr. (age: 55) of Cudahy, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison by Senior District Judge William C. Griesbach.
Belmore, Jr. possessed and distributed numerous digital images and videos of child pornography. His indictment and subsequent conviction were the result of an online undercover investigation involving a popular social media messaging platform.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach noted the serious nature of the charge, the effect these crimes have on their victims, and the need for just punishment. Following his release from prison, Belmore, Jr. will spend five years on supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sexual offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Milwaukee Office and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Chicago Man Charged in Federal Court with Carjacking Rideshare DriverRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man on carjacking and firearm charges for allegedly carjacking a rideshare driver’s vehicle at gunpoint in downtown Chicago.
NOAH RANSOM, 18, of Chicago, stole a Lexus RX350 from a Lyft driver on April 9, 2022, according to an indictment and search warrant unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The Lyft driver picked up Ransom and four other men at a downtown Chicago hotel around 4:00 a.m., and shortly thereafter Ransom pointed a gun at the driver and ordered him to stop the car and get out, the search warrant states. The victim complied and Ransom allegedly drove off with the other men in the victim’s car. About 90 minutes later, Illinois State Police identified the vehicle on the South Side of Chicago and ordered it to stop, but the car fled, the search warrant states. After a 25-minute chase, ISP forced the vehicle to a stop in the city’s West Loop neighborhood, arrested Ransom and the others after a foot chase, and discovered a handgun, the search warrant states.
The indictment charges Ransom with carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison. The firearm count carries a minimum prison term of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the underlying carjacking offense.
Ransom was arrested Friday. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by ISP and the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Chicago Carjacker Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison for stealing a vehicle at gunpoint in Chicago and striking a bicyclist while fleeing from police.
On the afternoon of May 27, 2020, ELIAS QUINONES-FIGUEROA forcibly took a Chevrolet Tahoe sport-utility vehicle from a victim who was cleaning the car in the Noble Square neighborhood of Chicago. Quinones-Figueroa brandished a handgun and drove off in the vehicle after the victim complied with demands to give up the car. Nearly three hours later, Quinones-Figueroa was driving the carjacked Tahoe when he noticed a Chicago Police vehicle and drove off in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed. Quinones-Figueroa drove through multiple stop signs and a red light before striking the bicyclist and crashing into a parked car in the city’s West Town neighborhood.
Quinones-Figueroa, 21, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Quinones-Figueroa to seven years for the firearm offense, to be followed by five years and seven months for the carjacking, for a total prison sentence of 12 years and seven months. Judge Kendall also ordered Quinones-Figueroa to pay $5,000 in compensation to the injured bicyclist and $1,000 in compensation to the victim of the carjacking.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn D. McCarthy.