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8 July 2022
United States Files Forfeiture Action for Historic Marksmanship Medals Taken from Springfield ArmoryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action against 24 marksmanship medals from the 1880s and 1890s believed to have been unlawfully removed from the Springfield Armory, a National Historic site, several decades ago.
The Springfield Armory, located in Springfield, Mass., is a National Historic site managed by the National Park Service. All of the artifacts in the Springfield Armory’s collection are property of the United States Government.
The medals were awarded to Milan Bull and Freeman Bull, members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in the late 1800s. The daughter and niece of Freeman Bull and Milan Bull donated the medals to the Springfield Armory in 1944.
In October 2021, a collector contacted a curator at the Springfield Armory inquiring about the marksmanship medals. Based on the information provided by the collector, the Springfield Armory was able to determine that numerous items matching the collector’s items were missing from the Armory’s collection since the 1990s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation subsequently seized the medals.
“Massachusetts is the birthplace of the American Revolution, a war that gained our nation’s independence. Protecting and preserving artifacts of our Commonwealth’s history is of fundamental importance to this,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “My office is committed to combating the theft and sale of stolen historical property. The recovery of these important artifacts is the result of the excellent collaborative work between my office’s Asset Recovery Unit, the FBI, and the National Park Service.”
“These stolen medals that once belonged to world class marksmen and have been missing for almost 30 years are now one step closer to being returned to their rightful owner,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Their absence represented not just a physical and financial loss, but a loss to every visitor who missed out on viewing these significant artifacts of military history. The FBI is very proud to have recovered them.”
The Springfield Armory was established in 1777 as a federal arsenal to supply the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, the Springfield Armory remained under control of the United States Army until 1974 when Congress designated it as a national historic landmark and transferred control to the National Park Service. The Springfield Armory began operating a museum on the premises in 1866, and from that time, it collected artifacts.
It is a violation of federal law to embezzle, steal, purloin, or knowingly convert, or, without authority, to sell, convey or dispose of government property. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims.
U.S. Attorney Rollins and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. The civil forfeiture action is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit.
The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint are allegations.
Two More Defendants in ‘Grandparent Scam’ Network Plead Guilty to RICO ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Two more members of a network that operated and facilitated a large-scale “grandparent scam” pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy.
Lyda Harris, 74, of Laveen, Arizona, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday after being extradited to the United States from Albania on Nov. 12, 2021. Tracy Glinton, 35, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty on June 9. Of the eight defendants indicted in this case, six were arrested; all six have now pleaded guilty. The remaining two defendants remain at-large.
According to court documents, the defendants were members and associates of a network of individuals who, through extortion and fraud, induced elderly Americans across the United States to pay thousands to tens of thousands of dollars each to purportedly help their grandchild or other close family relative. Members of the network contacted elderly Americans by telephone and impersonated a grandchild, other close relative or friend of the victim. They falsely convinced the victims that their relatives were in legal trouble and needed money to pay for bail, for medical expenses for car accident victims or to prevent additional charges from being filed. The defendants and their co-conspirators then received money from victims via various means, including in-person pickup, mail and wire transfer, and laundered the proceeds, including through cryptocurrency.
“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to investigate and prosecute criminals who target elderly Americans and take advantage of their concern for loved ones,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are grateful to our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the FBI in advancing the department’s efforts against organized elder fraud, and to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.”
“These defendants were part of a sophisticated criminal organization that exploited the tremendous love a grandparent has for a grandchild,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “The victims were financially and emotionally devastated by callous people who thought only of enriching themselves. Because of the diligence of our prosecution team and law enforcement partners, these defendants have been brought to justice.”
“Scammers continue to target our elderly population at an ever-increasing rate across the country. These defendants intentionally preyed upon and systematically stole from their victims without a second thought,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “These guilty pleas send a clear message that the FBI is committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing to justice those who are committing financial crimes. The FBI will continue to work with our partners on the San Diego’s Elder Justice Task Force to protect our elders.”
Harris and Glinton pleaded guilty to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Harris is scheduled to be sentenced on September 30, 2022; Glinton is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Two additional defendants have been charged but have not been arrested.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, North County Resident Agency, with critical assistance from investigators of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Lauren M. Elfner and Wei Xiang with the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Oleksandra Johnson of the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case.
The department’s extensive and broad-based efforts to combat elder fraud seeks to halt the widespread losses seniors suffer from fraud schemes. The best method for prevention, however, is by sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud, and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Two Bloods Gang Members Sentenced to 30 and 35 Years in Prison for 2010 Strangling Murder and Dismemberment in the BronxRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DENFIELD JOSEPH and KEVIN DELVALLE were sentenced to 30 years in prison and 35 years in prison, respectively, for their 2010 murder of Donnell Harris in the Bronx. JOSEPH and DELVALLE previously pled guilty. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero imposed the sentences.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Almost twelve years ago, Denfield Joseph and Kevin Delvalle stabbed and strangled Donnell Harris to death in an act of senseless brutality. Investigators and career prosecutors in my Office worked tirelessly to find and hold accountable the perpetrators of this chilling crime. This prosecution and today’s sentences show our commitment to pursuing justice for all victims of gang and drug-related violence.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in Court:
Harris’s murder arose out of JOSEPH and DELVALLE’s involvement in gang-related narcotics trafficking in 2009 and 2010. JOSEPH and DELVALLE were Bloods gang members based in the Bronx. In the months leading up to Harris’s murder, JOSEPH, DELVALLE and others committed armed robberies and sold crack, ecstasy, and marijuana near East 173rd Street and Monroe Avenue.
In about March 2010, JOSEPH, DELVALLE, and other members of their crew began spending time with Harris. At the time, Harris was homeless and living on the roof of JOSEPH’s building. Harris repeatedly asked to be included in the robberies that JOSEPH and DELVALLE were committing, but they declined his requests. In late August 2010, Harris learned that JOSEPH and DELVALLE had cheated a drug customer, and that the customer had supposedly returned to the neighborhood with a gun, looking to retaliate. Harris told JOSEPH and DELVALLE that Harris would give the drug customer their location unless JOSEPH and DELVALLE provided Harris a share of their drug proceeds.
On or about August 31, 2010, JOSEPH, DELVALLE, and a co-conspirator decided to kill Harris. After an aborted plan to shoot Harris at Crotona Park, the men brought Harris back to an apartment on LaFontaine Avenue in the Bronx, where they spent the evening with Harris drinking and smoking PCP. As the night wore on, the men decided to kill Harris using knives they obtained from the kitchen of the apartment. As Harris was walking toward the door of the apartment, JOSEPH, DELVALLE, and a coconspirator attacked him, repeatedly stabbing Harris in the head, neck, and torso with knives, and beating him with cooking pots as Harris tried to escape. When they realized that Harris was not dead, the men moved him to the bathtub of the apartment, where they tried unsuccessfully to drown him. Harris begged for his life. JOSEPH and a coconspirator tried to strangle Harris with an extension cord around his neck. Harris broke free and ran for the door, but they pulled him back. DELVALLE then took the extension cord and strangled Harris to death with it.
After murdering Harris, the men left his body in the bedroom of the apartment. The next day, they bought cleaning supplies and returned to the apartment with JOSEPH’s girlfriend and DELVALLE’S girlfriend. While DELVALLE waited outside the apartment building as a lookout, the women dismembered Harris. JOSEPH, DELVALLE, and the coconspirator cleaned the apartment with bleach, wrapped Harris’s dismembered body in garbage bags, and removed it from the apartment in a shopping cart.
Early in the morning hours of September 1, 2010, the women wheeled the shopping cart containing Harris’s body west on 180th Street to Webster Avenue, while the three men followed them in DELVALLE’s car. After briefly stopping into a gas station convenience store with the shopping cart, the women left the shopping cart containing Harris’s chopped up body on the sidewalk at 4109 Park Avenue. DELVALLE directed JOSEPH and a coconspirator to get rid of the evidence and gave them a red container with lighter fluid. The men walked to where the shopping cart was left, poured the lighter fluid on the body, and lit the body on fire.
Surveillance video from that night shows JOSEPH’s and DELVALLE’s girlfriends pushing the shopping cart, and two hooded male figures walking back from the location where Harris’s body was found. On September 1, 2010, at 3:52 a.m., firefighters called to the scene discovered Harris’s body in the shopping cart.
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In addition to their prison terms, JOSEPH, 31, and DELVALLE, 35, of New York, New York, and Rochester, New York, respectively, were sentenced to four years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams thanked the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their outstanding work in the investigation and the New York City Police Department for its assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Feinstein is in charge of the prosecution.
Texas Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Corpus Christi, Texas – A Texas man was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents, Luis Carlos Munoz-Ochoa, 31, entered a conspiracy on May 25, 2021, to distribute 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. He not only distributed this 5 kilograms of methamphetamine, but also distributed an additional 4 kilograms of meth over the next month.
In addition to the prison sentence, Munoz-Ochoa was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Don’t Tell On Me Bro,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. “Don’t Tell On Me Bro” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff’s, and Columbia Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.
Texas Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of an Alabama ChildRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, John David Twomey, a 24-year-old from Brownwood, Texas, was sentenced to 324 months in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart.
According to Twomey's plea agreement and other court records, this sentence is the result of an investigation that began in Ozark, Alabama in October of 2021. During that investigation, multiple law enforcement agencies in Alabama and Texas worked together to find and recover a missing person. Those efforts led to the discovery of Twomey’s sexual exploitation of a minor.
Twomey was indicted and pleaded guilty to the charge on April 6, 2022. Following his 27-year prison sentence, Twomey will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system. Related charges remain pending in Texas.
This case was investigated by the Ozark Police Department, the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Brownwood, Texas Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb prosecuted the case.
Tampa Man Arrested on Fifteen-Count Indictment for Firearm and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Magdiel Carmona (27, Tampa) with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, four counts of possession with the intent to distribute narcotics, four counts of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and six counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Carmona faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the each of the drug counts, a minimum of five years, and up to life, for each count of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and up to 10 years in prison for each count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The indictment also notifies Carmona that the United States intends to forfeit the firearms recovered in this investigation, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, from August 10, 2021, through March 6, 2022, Carmona conspired with others to sell or deliver narcotics. During the conspiracy, Carmona possessed multiple firearms. Carmona had previously been convicted of multiple felonies – to include robberies – and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Beckman.
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.
St. Louis man admits double fatal shooting during drug robberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis on Friday pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges and admitted a role in a triple shooting in 2021 that killed two.
Antaveon Bernard Le'Vell Kent, 22, participated in a plan to steal marijuana that led to the March 16, 2021 shooting deaths of Kortlin Williams and Johnnie Jones, his plea agreement says. Another man was also shot but survived.
Kent, who went by “Trauma Traumatized” on Facebook, admitted using the social media site to communicate with his co-defendant, pick the targets and plan the robbery. When the victims arrived at a meeting spot in in the 1100 block of Montgomery Street, Kent and his co-defendant opened fire, shooting all three victims, Kent’s plea agreement says. Kent and his co-defendant were planning on selling the marijuana. Police found 621 grams of marijuana in the victims’ vehicle.
Kent pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, attempt to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and two charges of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that resulted in the fatal shootings of Williams and Jones.
Demorion Little has pleaded not guilty to drug and gun charges in the case, including a firearms charge that accuses him of the fatal shooting of Rocoby Rodgers on Feb. 25, 2021.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
South Florida Political Campaign Consultant Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Covid-19 Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Today, 42-year-old Royal Palm Beach, Florida resident Omar Smith pled guilty in South Florida federal court to lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the information to which he pled guilty, in June 2020, Smith applied for a $212,500 forgivable, federally guaranteed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan on behalf of A Star For I, Inc., a Florida company that he owned. It is alleged that to justify the requested loan amount, Smith claimed in the on-line loan application, and through supporting fraudulent payroll tax forms, that his company employed 30 people and spent an average of $85,000 each month on payroll. In fact, A Star For I, Inc had zero employees and no payroll expenses. A bank in Utah approved A Star For I, Inc.’s PPP loan application based on the lies and wired $212,500 to the company’s bank account in Florida, says the information.
Once the money hit the bank account in July 2020, Smith spent the next few months creating a paper trail to make it appear as if A Star For I, Inc. in fact had employees and was spending the PPP money on legitimate, approved expenses, it is alleged. According to the information, Smith issued checks from the company bank account made out to others who did little or no work for A Star For I, Inc.
Smith faces up to thirty years in prison and a fine of the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss or $1,000,000. United States District Judge Robin Rosenberg will sentence Smith on a date and time to be announced.
Smith has worked on political campaigns in South Florida.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jay Bernardo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, announced the charges.
FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Kaplan is prosecuting it.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who suffered financially from 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 the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
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.
You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-80074.
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South Carolina man sentenced to 5 years in prison on child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a real estate agent from South Carolina who admitted soliciting child pornography from a St. Louis area teen to five years in prison.
Ronald Saunders, 37, was also fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to his victim. Judge Pitlyk ordered him to be placed on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
Saunders pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of accessing with the intent to view child pornography. He admitted that between June 3, 2020 and Sept. 21, 2020, he communicated with a 17-year-old St. Louis-area girl by cell phone and via social media apps including TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Omegle, an anonymous online chat service.
Saunders admitted spending over 73 hours communicating by video with the teen and soliciting and viewing videos and images of the teen that constitute child pornography.
In Friday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson and the victim’s mother said Saunders manipulated the teen into believing there was a romantic relationship.
The victim, during the hearing, said, “I wish every single day we never went on that app,” referring to her initial contact with Saunders and added, “Ever since it happened I’ve never felt more alone.”
The victim said Saunders blamed her when the relationship was discovered. “I just want it to stop hurting,” she said.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has resources to help prevent and report online enticement.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Slidell Man Sentenced to Six Months in Jail After Stealing over $75,000 from Federal Retirement Benefits ProgramRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL R. MATHERNE (“MATHERNE”), age 62, of Slidell, Louisiana was sentenced on June 7, 2022 to serve six (6) months in federal prison after pleading guilty as charged to an indictment for Theft of Federal Funds on July 22, 2021. Additionally, the Court ordered MATHERNE to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to the indictment, the Social Security Administration (“SSA”), an agency of the United States, operated the Retirement Survivor Insurance Benefit program (“RSI Program”). The purpose of the RSI Program is to provide benefits to certain persons, including widows and widowers, in their retirement.
Following the death of his spouse, MATHERENE never advised the SSA of his spouse’s death and continued depositing the spouse’s SSA checks into their joint bank account. From December 2012 through March 2019, MATHERNE received monthly SSA benefits totaling approximately $75,838, which he deposited into their bank account and used for his living expenses.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr.
Seven Defendants Indicted for Drug Trafficking in the South Lake Tahoe and Sacramento AreasRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned two indictments on Thursday charging a total of seven defendants with various drug-trafficking crimes, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, as well as multiple counts of distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Defendants Wendy Labuda, 64; Epifanio Ramirez, 47; Sarah Anderson, 32; Fabian Gomez, 33, and Joaleen Rogers, 53, all of South Lake Tahoe; and William Owen, 47, of Sacramento, were charged in one indictment with counts specific to each defendant. A separate indictment charged Robert Choate, 38, of South Lake Tahoe, with distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, as part of the same investigation that led to the charges against the other six defendants.
According to court documents, between August 2020 and May 2022, the defendants worked together as part of overlapping efforts to sell methamphetamine and heroin in and around South Lake Tahoe. Over those two years, the defendants sold drugs to multiple confidential informants. While most of the defendants’ distribution happened in and around South Lake Tahoe, the investigation uncovered that some of the drug supply was coming from Sacramento.
These charges arise from Operation Bear Trap, which began in 2020 to address the growing problem of methamphetamine distribution in South Lake Tahoe. Four additional defendants were charged last August with multiple drug and gun trafficking crimes as part of the same operation. Over the course of the operation, law enforcement agencies have interdicted methamphetamine, heroin, and numerous firearms, including “ghost” pistols and assault rifles (firearms manufactured without serial numbers, making them harder for law enforcement to trace).
To date, 36 individuals have been arrested in connection to Operation Bear Trap in California and Nevada on state and federal charges related to drug and firearms trafficking.
For all defendants, any sentence would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Sanford Foster Parent Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Justin Dwayne Johnson, Sr. (47, Sanford) has pleaded guilty to five counts of producing and attempting to produce videos depicting children being sexually exploited and one count of possessing child sexual abuse materials. Johnson faces a minimum of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison on each of the five production counts, and up to 20 years in federal prison for the possession count. A sentencing date has been set for October 12, 2022. Johnson had been indicted on March 23, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, in January 2022, an investigation was initiated into Johnson after Child Protection Services was alerted that Johnson was secretly video-recording foster children to whom he had access. Johnson disclosed to an acquaintance that he had cameras in a particular residence to record the children in the nude and that he had videos on his cellphone and computer that depicted him molesting the children. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized several devices belonging to Johnson. The forensic examinations of Johnson’s cellphone and other electronic devices revealed numerous images and videos depicting children being sexually abused. Specifically, the evidence showed that Johnson used the children under his care to produce depictions of sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, Johnson’s cellphone contained numerous videos and images depicting other young children being sexually abused. To date, the FBI has identified at least 16 child victims that were sexually exploited by Johnson.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney Richardson-Jones and Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
Any person who was a victim, or has knowledge of someone who may have been a victim, is urged to contact FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or https://tips.fbi.gov.
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’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Rioting During Rochester Civil Unrest in May 2020Read the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Marquis Frasier, 29, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to rioting, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie M. Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on May 30, 2020, Frasier participated with others in a public protest near the Public Safety Building on Exchange Street in Rochester, which turned violent and resulted in vandalism, damaged property, looting, and fires. During the course of the protest, Frasier and others set fire to a mobile office located across the street from the Public Safety Building. Frasier assisted in lighting the mobile office on fire by throwing a bottle containing an accelerant and a rag into the mobile office. The burning of the mobile office was broadcast and recorded on Facebook Live, which streamed the burning of the mobile office online in real time. The mobile office was completely destroyed by fire.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith; the Gates Police Department, under the direction of Chief James VanBrederode; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley; the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team; the Rochester Fire Department, under the direction of Fire Chief Willie Jackson; and the United States Marshal’s Service, under the direction of United States Marshal Charles Salina.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Rochester Man Going to Prison for More Than 15 Years for His Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jonathan Torres aka Joey aka Joey Crack, 42, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who handled the case, stated that between April and November 28, 2018, Torres conspired with others to sell fentanyl and cocaine in the Wilkins Street area in Rochester. Torres supplied fentanyl and cocaine to individuals who would then distribute the drugs to customers. Torres also acted as a supervisor by monitoring the quantities of fentanyl and cocaine sold, directing the sales by others, re-supplying street-level workers, and supervising street-level workers who sold the drugs. At least one of the street-level workers was less than 18 years old. Torres used his Raines Park residence to store, package, and manufacture the fentanyl and cocaine for sale.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito; and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
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Raleigh County Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Beckley woman pleaded guilty today to the distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Brenda Crewey, 49, admitted to selling approximately four grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at her residence on February 21, 2020. Crewey further admitted that she had been consistently selling methamphetamine and heroine over the previous year.
Crewey is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit for conducting the investigation. The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Alex Hamner and Andrew D. Isabell are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-42.
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Prior Felon Arrested on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jesus Santiago, 32, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on June 23, 2022, U.S. Probation Officers searched Santiago’s residence on Glide Street in Rochester, during which they recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun, ammunition, a quantity of marijuana, and drug packaging materials. Santiago was previously convicted in 2016 in Erie County Court and in 2019 in the Western District of New York on firearms charges and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Santiago made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Marshal’s Task Force, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, the U.S. Probation Department, under the director of Chief Probation Officer Timothy Englert, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John DeVito, New York Field Division.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Previously Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – August Candeloro III, a/k/a “Nick,” age 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal charge of possession of child pornography.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, beginning in 2019 Candeloro began using a messaging application to send images depicting the sexual abuse of children. After additional investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Candeloro’s residence and seized his cellular phone from his bedroom. The phone was found to contain conversations between Candeloro and other users of the messaging application. Candeloro also joined private chat groups on the messaging application, many of which had chatroom names indicative of trading child pornography. Candeloro posted links to a secure cloud storage platform in many of the chatrooms. The secure cloud storage platform allows the user to create links containing encrypted files and chats with keys controlled by the user. Candeloro’s phone also revealed over 2000 images of suspected child pornography, including images involving prepubescent minors and depicting sadistic and masochistic conduct.
On January 11, 2010, Candeloro was convicted of a second-degree sex offense involving a 13-year-old victim in Howard County Circuit Court. As a result of that conviction, Candeloro was required to register as a sex offender.
Candeloro faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for October 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Candeloro has been detained since his arrest on May 17, 2021.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, Maryland State Police, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Pharmacist and Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Prison for Unlawfully Distributing OpioidsRead the Press Release
Three Texas men have been sentenced for illegally dispensing opioids and other controlled substances.
Hassan Barnes, 56, a pharmacist formerly of Missouri City, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for unlawfully dispensing opioids and other controlled substances. Clint Carr, 33, a pharmacy owner formerly of Cypress, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 24 and ordered to forfeit more than $700,000 for operating a pharmacy that illegally dispensed controlled substances and for laundering the criminal proceeds. Frasiel Hughey, 60, a supplier-level drug dealer formerly of Houston, was sentenced on June 23 to 20 years in prison for using fake prescriptions to purchase opioids and other controlled substances.
A jury convicted Carr in March of drug and money laundering conspiracies, along with other related charges. According to evidence presented at trial, Carr co-owned and operated CC Pharmacy in Houston, and CC Pharmacy 2 and CC Pharmacy 3 in the Austin area. Barnes was CC Pharmacy’s pharmacist-in-charge. In just 18 months, Carr, Barnes, and their co-conspirators unlawfully distributed over 1.5 million dosage units of controlled substances, including over 1.1 million pills of oxycodone and hydrocodone.
Trial evidence showed that CC Pharmacy unlawfully dispensed controlled substances — mostly oxycodone and hydrocodone — in bulk, for cash, based mostly on forged or stolen prescriptions brought in by drug couriers posing as staff of long-term care facilities. CC Pharmacy brought in over $5.5 million from the unlawful sale of these controlled substances, cash proceeds which Carr and his co-conspirators structured to avoid reporting requirements. Evidence at trial showed that Carr used these drug proceeds to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of luxury watches and the down payment on a $100,000 Ford pickup truck.
Carr was convicted following a five-day trial on charges of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances, unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Barnes pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances. Hughey pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances. Four other co-conspirators pleaded guilty in connection with the operation of CC Pharmacy, two of whom are still awaiting sentencing.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery for the Southern District of Texas, and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement.
DEA Houston, including the DEA Austin Resident Office, investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer and Courtney Chester of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson of the Southern District of Texas is handling forfeiture.
Persistent gang members sentenced to 4+ years in prison for illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Seattle men, with connections to violent street gangs and drive-by shootings, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for illegally possessing firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Both Sytrel Defranco Butler, 26, and Leo Myron Dickerson, 25, were sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez told the men they need to make different choices, “otherwise your future is being in prison over and over again, or being dead.”
“For the last five years, these two men have been repeatedly involved with guns and violence – indeed they have repeatedly documented their firearm addiction on social media,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “The sentences imposed in the past did not stop their criminal conduct. Now, these longer federal prison terms will protect the public. We can only hope the federal prison time will break the cycle of guns and violence and get them to change their ways.”
A review of state and federal court records paint a disturbing record of men with gang ties who are repeatedly illegally possessing weapons. Butler was prosecuted in King County in 2017, when he came to the attention of Kent Police who were investigating a series of drive-by shootings. In that case, Butler was shown on video possessing an AK-47 style assault rifle. Butler has been shot twice between 2015 and 2017 and was prosecuted for a retaliatory drive-by shooting in 2015. In 2018, Butler was charged federally with illegal firearms possession. The arrest followed the investigation of a drive-by shooting where an innocent person living next to the target was almost hit and killed.
Dickerson too has been repeatedly caught with firearms. He was prosecuted for two incidents in 2018 where he was caught illegally possessing firearms. The guns were assault rifles and Glocks with extended magazines. By May 2019, Dickerson was back on the streets and implicated in a shooting in Kent. He was arrested in a car that contained a backpack with three firearms. The investigation revealed that one of the guns had been used at a shooting in Kent and another at a shooting in Seattle.
In 2020, Butler and Dickerson had their supervised release revoked due to a video where they were seen with other felons and pictured with firearms. Dickerson was arrested later that year for illegally possessing firearms. Butler was arrested and had his supervised release revoked for drug dealing and firearms possession following a traffic accident in SeaTac.
In July 2021, Butler was investigated in connection with a homicide in Seattle. The case remains under investigation. As part of the investigation, law enforcement monitored the men’s social media. In various posts both Butler and Dickerson were shown with weapons. A warrant was issued for their arrests due to the supervised release violations. On August 19, 2021, the men were arrested at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. When law enforcement moved in, the two men threw handguns into the woods near where they were sitting. One gun was a Glock with an extended magazine, and the other was a stolen handgun. In addition to the handguns, two other AR-style pistols were found in a bag near the men, and in one of their vehicles.
In its request for a 5-year sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court that the “conduct is part of a recidivist pattern of criminal activity during which – for years – Butler and Dickerson consistently have possessed loaded firearms and associated with fellow gang members and felons under dangerous circumstances. Simply put, whenever Butler and Dickerson are not in custody, they possess firearms and revert to associating with the same criminal actors.”
Chief Judge Martinez sentenced Butler to 42 months in prison on the current criminal case, with another year to run consecutive for his supervised release violations. For Dickerson, Chief Judge Martinez imposed two years for the supervised release violations with a consecutive 30-month sentence for the gun possession at Saltwater State Park. “That was extremely serious,” the Chief Judge said, “Putting others in the community in grave danger.”
“The sentences these two men received should hopefully, and finally, send the message to them that their actions endangered not only themselves but the community as a whole,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “While Mr. Butler and Mr. Dickerson are off the streets now, ATF continues to investigate those who turn to the illegal use of firearms in our effort to make our communities safer.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Seattle Police Department and Kirkland Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Owners of Skilled Nursing Facilities Agree to Settle Americans with Disabilities Act ComplaintRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The United States Attorney’s Office announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the owners of Carrington Place of the Tappahannock (CPOT), which is located in Tappahannock. CPOT’s owners also have an interest in 12 other nursing facilities, and the remedial terms of the settlement agreement apply to each of these nursing facilities.
The settlement agreement resolves allegations that CPOT had denied admission to an individual who is deaf because she would need sign language interpreting services while at CPOT. The ADA prohibits covered entities from excluding individuals with disabilities from their services because they require auxiliary aid or services, such as a sign language interpreter. In addition to making significant changes to the policies and procedures at their nursing facilities, the owners of CPOT also agreed to pay $40,000 to the resident who it denied admission and a $50,000 civil penalty.
To resolve this complaint, the nursing facilities’ owners agreed to adopt new ADA policies at all 13 of the nursing facilities in which they have an interest: (1) Essex Rehabilitation & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Carrington Place at Tappahannock; (2) Essex Rehabilitation & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Tappahannock Post Acute Care; (3) LA First Street, LLC d/b/a Springhill Post Acute & Memory Care; (4) LA Westfork, LLC d/b/a White Oak Post Acute Care; (5) LA Old Hammond HWY, LLC d/b/a Pines Retirement Center of Baton Rouge; (6) LA Park Manor, LLC d/b/a Lafrenier Assisted Living and Memory Care; (7) Cplace Zachary ALF, LLC d/b/a Oakwood Village; (8) East Lake Rehab & Care Center, LLC d/b/a Trinity Regional Rehab Center; (9) Cplace of St. Pete, LLC d/b/a St. Pete Post Acute Care; (10) Birdmont Health Care, LLC d/b/a Carrington Place at Wytheville; (11) Botetourt health Care, LLC d/b/a Botetourt Post Acute Care; (12) Norfolk Area Senior Care, LLC d/b/a Chesapeake Post Acute Care; and (13) Cambridge Sierra Holdings, LLC d/b/a Reche Canyon Regional Rehab Center.
These policies will make the facilities’ services accessible to individuals with communication disabilities, including those who require the services of a sign language interpreter; require designation of ADA Administrators, who will be responsible for ensuring each facility’s compliance with the ADA; require the facilities to enter into agreements with sign language interpreting service providers to provide services to individuals who need them; and provide training for the facilities’ personnel on the ADA’s effective communication requirements.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Gordon, who is the Civil Rights Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The civil claims settled by this ADA agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA, including Effective Communication and a Business Brief on Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings. For more information on the ADA and to access these publications, visit http://www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Owner of Chicago Shipping Companies Charged with Helping Prepare False Corporate Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
On July 6, a federal grand jury in Chicago, Illinois, charged a Florida man with aiding in the preparation and filing of false corporate tax returns.
According to the indictment, from 2016 to 2017, Athanasios “Tom” Dimitropoulos, of New Port Richey, Florida, helped prepare and file 10 false corporate income tax returns on behalf of SDA Global Inc. and ABC Group Corp., two Chicago-based corporations he owns and controls. Dimitropoulos helped prepare tax returns that reported inflated amounts of costs of goods sold and deductible business expenses, resulting in both corporations underreporting their taxable income.
Dimitropoulos will make his initial appearance at a later date. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each of 10 counts of helping to file a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Boris Bourget of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick King for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Opelika Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Following Federal Gun ConvictionRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On Thursday, July 7, 2022, Thaddeus Dimarggio Holstick, a 43-year-old from Opelika, Alabama, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart.
According to Holstick’s plea agreement and other court records, in June of 2020, an officer with the Opelika Police Department (OPD) saw Holstick inside a convenience store having an argument with another man. Holstick and the other man eventually went outside and starting fighting. The OPD officer ordered the men to stop and, while attempting to separate them, saw a handgun tucked into Holstick’s waistband. Holstick has multiple felony convictions and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.
Following his prison sentence, Holstick will be on supervised release for three years. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the OPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon W. Bates prosecuted the case.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jonathan L. Traver, 30, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Traver to 105 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Traver will begin a five-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
On September 19, 2020, an Investigator with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), Special Operations Division, was working in an undercover capacity on the Bit Torrent network. The NSP was working to identify persons distributing child pornography to other Bit Torrent network users. The Investigator was sent child pornography from another individual located in Omaha. During the investigation, the NSP was able to identify the IP address of the individual who sent the child pornography to the undercover Investigator. The NSP obtained information related to the IP address, which ultimately identified Traver as the subscriber.
On October 9, 2020, NSP Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol contacted Traver at his Omaha residence. Traver confessed to downloading and viewing files of child pornography on the Bit Torrent network. NSP Investigators located numerous videos and image files of child pornography on Traver’s cell phone. Some of these images involved children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
Nicaraguan Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain EmploymentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LUIS ANTONIO CRUZ-SANCHEZ a/k/a “Lebardo Rojas”, age 36, a native of Nicaragua, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 7, 2022 for illegally using a social security number to enroll in a safety class to qualify for employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
United States District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced CRUZ-SANCHEZ to a probationary term of three (3) months and a $100 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on or about March 30, 2022, CRUZ-SANCHEZ presented a false Social Security card when attending a pre-employment safety class at the Gulf Coast Safety Council in St. Rose, Louisiana. CRUZ-SANCHEZ falsely represented that a social security number was assigned to him when in fact; the social security number had been assigned by the Commissioner of Social Security to another individual.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Newark, Ohio woman sentenced for stealing Social Security and pension fundsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cindy S. Hardway stole more than $250,000 over 15 years by continuing to claim her father’s pension and Social Security benefits after he passed away.
The 62-year-old Newark woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to pay restitution of $254,115.74, serve six months in federal prison, and spend three years under supervised release.
According to court documents, Hardway used some of the money for a trip to Las Vegas soon after her father’s death in 2005 then continued stealing the money for another 15 years.
“This money was intended for some of our nation’s most vulnerable people: retirees, widows and people with disabilities, among others,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “I commend the Social Security’s Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Labor for continuing to audit its programs and identify inappropriate distributions and theft. People should know they can be identified and held accountable.”
“This sentence holds Ms. Hardway accountable for accessing her deceased father’s account to steal taxpayer funds. I am gratified that a review by our audit office identified this case and alerted our investigators of this fraud,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “These efforts are critical to maintaining the public’s trust in Social Security. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry for prosecuting this case.”
Hardway pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of theft of public money and one count of theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan. Both crimes are felonies.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham and commended the investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty as Charged to Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BRANDON SMITH, age 27 of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty, on June 6, 2022, as charged to violating the Federal Gun Control Act. The single count indictment was for possession of a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(8) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, SMITH was issued a domestic violence protective order by a magistrate in Orleans Parish on June 1, 2020. That order restrained him from harassing, stalking, or threating an intimate partner, or engaging in other conduct that would place an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury. It also prohibited him from possessing a firearm. Investigators discovered SMITH possessed a 7.62mm “Draco” firearm and ammunition on December 23, 2020, while the domestic violence order was still in place.
The sentencing in this matter is set for October 12, 2022. SMITH faces a maximum of ten (10) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, a maximum of three (3) years supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
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 works 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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.
Monroe County Man Sentenced to 137 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ramon Williams, age 44, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 5, 2022, to 137 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for drug trafficking and firearms charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on May 25, 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of possessing two handguns in furtherance of drug trafficking, and to a separate count of distributing over 28 grams of crack cocaine. Charges were originally filed against Williams on March 20, 2019. Williams, however, failed to appear at a Court hearing on December 4, 2019, and absconded from pretrial supervision. He was located and arrested in Monroe County on March 24, 2022, and later pleaded guilty to the above charges.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Stroud Regional Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case was 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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Monessen Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Receiving a Kilo of Cocaine Sent through the US MailRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A former resident of Monessen, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months’ imprisonment and four years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Shaiquane Harrison, age 27.
According to information presented to the court, Harrison attempted to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. On March 1, 2021, law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery operation of a parcel that previously contained one kilogram of cocaine to a residence in Monessen, Pennsylvania. Following the control delivery of the parcel, mobile surveillance observed the defendant arrive in a rental vehicle, take possession of the parcel and then depart in the rental vehicle. Law enforcement followed the defendant to another Monessen residence and saw Harrison enter that residence with the parcel. Upon entering the residence, law enforcement observed the defendant, who had pieces of the parcel in his hands, flee contrary to directives to stop. Prior to jumping a fence, Harrison leaned through a window of a shed, hid a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, and dropped his cellular phone. A search of the phone revealed texts notifying Harrison that the parcel was sent and also revealed browser history of him tracking the parcel.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Harrison.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for the Armed Robberies of Two Gas Stations and a HotelRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for the armed robberies of two Speedway gas stations and a Super 8 Hotel, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on February 4, 2020, Keanu Dewone Ross, 30, entered a Speedway gas station in Columbia Heights, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register and the safe. Ross stole $140 in cash, various tobacco products, and several lottery tickets, before fleeing the scene in a waiting SUV parked several blocks away with his co-defendant, Antoinette Deniece Mae Dobyne, 30. On February 12, 2020, Ross entered a Speedway in Fridley, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register. Ross ordered the employee to the ground and kicked the employee in the face. Ross fled the store with more than $700 in cash, tobacco products, and lottery tickets. On three separate days in February, surveillance camera footage showed Ross and Dobyne cashing some of the stolen lottery tickets at two different gas stations.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2020, Ross and another man were driven to the area of the Super 8 Hotel in Brooklyn Center by Dobyne in her SUV. The men entered the hotel and ordered a hotel employee to the ground at gunpoint. Ross and the other man took the employee’s cell phone and car keys, and over $550 cash from the business. The men then told the employee to run from the scene. As the employee fled on foot, he heard gunshots. Officers recovered a discharged .380-caliber cartridge casing at the scene of the robbery. Surveillance camera footage showed the two men committing the robbery as described by the employee. The footage also showed the two men running from the hotel after the robbery toward an SUV and then fleeing on foot after the SUV got stuck in a snowbank. BCPD officers located Dobyne in the SUV at the scene. A warrant-authorized search of the SUV revealed Ross’s wallet and identification, and a black duffle bag full of various tobacco products.
According to court documents, later that same day, Ross was detained during a traffic stop by officers with the Minneapolis Police Department. Officers confiscated a Taurus Model PT738 .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol that was found on Ross’s person along with a large amount of cash. Subsequent forensic ballistics analysis using the discharged .380-caliber cartridge casing recovered at the scene of the hotel robbery revealed that the firearm confiscated from Ross’s person was the same gun that was fired during the Super 8 Hotel robbery. On January 19, 2022, Ross pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Doty and ordered to pay more than $1,850 in restitution to the businesses that were robbed. Dobyne’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the Columbia Heights Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, and the Hennepin County Crime Lab.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.
Mexican national caught with 9+ kilograms of methamphetamine pleads guilty to federal drug crimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Mexico who was caught with more than nine kilograms of methamphetamine in St. Charles, Missouri pleaded guilty Friday to a federal drug crime.
Juan Manuel Barajas-Magana, 35, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
During a Feb. 19, 2020, traffic stop, St. Charles police found 26 packages containing a total of 9.269 kilograms of methamphetamine, a stolen 9mm handgun and $5,046 in cash hidden in a subwoofer in a pickup truck being driven by Barajas-Magana.
Barajas-Magana’s passenger and traveling companion, Susana Esmeralda Salazar-Amaya, pleaded guilty to the same charge in August and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 15. She admitted being in the country illegally, giving a false name to police and having an active federal warrant from Indiana at the time of her arrest.
Barajas-Magana, a Mexican national who overstayed his visa, faces 10 years to life in prison when sentenced Oct. 4.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Charles Police Department.
Photos courtesy of St. Charles Police Department. St. Charles police found 26 packages containing a total of 9.269 kilograms of methamphetamine, a stolen 9mm handgun and $5,046 in cash hidden in a subwoofer during a 2020 traffic stop. Photo courtesy of the St. Charles Police Department. A close-up of the drugs and gun found by St. Charles police during a 2020 traffic stop.Member of $3M COVID-19 Loan Fraud Conspiracy SentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved the submission of at least 63 fraudulent loan applications to obtain COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to which he and his co-defendants were not entitled.
According to court documents, between April and December of 2020, Foad “David” Darakhshan, 47, conspired with his girlfriend, Haleh Farshi, 44, of Ashburn, and his brothers and their friends to submit falsified loan applications in order to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through banks and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration. The defendants used multiple shell entities they controlled to apply for PPPs and EIDLs and falsified IRS tax forms submitted to lenders. They engaged in a group WhatsApp chat devoted to executing the fraud scheme, openly discussing falsifying documents and inflating the numbers of employees, company revenues, and payroll figures in order to induce lenders to make the loans.
Altogether, the defendants wrongfully obtained over $3 million in loan proceeds. They submitted at least 63 loan applications, of which 17 were approved, the remainder being denied. Foad Darakhshan received over $1.5 million of the overall proceeds of the scheme. The group used the proceeds to invest in the stock market, fund a home construction project, travel to Cancun, purchase a vehicle, and pay for other personal expenses.
The U.S. government recovered over $1 million of the total scheme proceeds through seizure warrants, and Foad Darakhshan is ordered to pay full restitution.
Haleh Farshi; Farough Darakhshan, 39, of Great Falls; Fouzi Darakhshan, 36, of Falls Church; Shoughi Darakhshan, 30, of McLean; and Marcus Gharib, 29, of Tysons, all previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. They are scheduled to be sentenced between July and September.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge for the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case with assistance from the Asset Recovery Unit.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-267.
Manchester Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia, 46, a citizen of the Dominican Republic most recently residing in Manchester, was sentenced today to 91 months in federal prison for conspiring to sell fentanyl and other substances around the Manchester area, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Arias-Mejia, also known as “Chino,” was a prolific drug distributor who sold fentanyl and crack cocaine from at least 2018 to November 27, 2019, in the Manchester area. He ran a drug ring during that time period, selling large quantities of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and employing various co-conspirators to sell drugs on his behalf. The defendant provided his employees with pre-packaged bags containing multiple “fingers” (10-gram packages) of fentanyl and smaller baggies containing fentanyl, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine, and he would re-supply his co-conspirators as soon as each package was sold.
Arias-Mejia previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including more than 40 grams of fentanyl, on March 3, 2021. He is the last of five defendants in the conspiracy to be sentenced.
“This defendant was a major drug trafficker in the Manchester area who endangered the community by selling drugs directly to New Hampshire residents, and through others he recruited to do his bidding for him,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “He is the last in this conspiracy to be sentenced, and he is the most culpable. We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to keep drugs off the streets of our communities and hold drug traffickers like Arias-Mejia accountable for their crimes.”
“Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia led a major drug trafficking organization, selling deadly narcotics to a region hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for setting up multiple drug distribution houses in Manchester that profited from endangering the safety of our communities,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on illegal drug trafficking by investigating the criminal organizations behind it.”
“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Arias-Mejia who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Let this sentence be a warning to those traffickers who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes deadly drugs.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Manchester Police Department and Nashua Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana MacDonald and Aaron Gingrande.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Alien Smuggling Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Rafael Almanza-Guillen, 41, of Mexico, was sentenced Wednesday by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 63 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Almanza‑Guillen previously pleaded guilty to Unlawfully Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States, Resulting in Death.
On August 1, 2021, Almanza-Guillen brought three undocumented noncitizens from Mexico into the United States in exchange for payment. He led the noncitizens on foot through the desert, in temperatures averaging 106 degrees Fahrenheit. After running out of food and water, the four individuals found themselves stranded in the desert. Ultimately, one of the noncitizens died from hyperthermia, which is abnormally high body temperature. Yuma Border Patrol Agents rescued Almanza-Guillen and the two other noncitizens.
Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, and the Yuma Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa E. Jennis and Genevieve A. Ozark, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00650-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-111_Almanza-Guillen# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Man Pleads Guilty to Lying to a Federal Grand Jury and Violating the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on July 7, 2022 JAMES HEIGLE, 40, from St. Tammany Parish, pled guilty to counts four, five, and six of the superseding indictment for false declarations before a grand jury, felon in possession of a firearm, and violent felon in possession of body armor. HEIGLE was initially indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on July 1, 2021.
Between May 8 – 29, 2019, HEIGLE possessed multiple firearms and a bullet-proof vest. Before May 2019, he was convicted of a violent felony in Jefferson Parish, which precluded him from possessing firearms and a bullet-proof vest.
At sentencing for count four, false declarations before a grand jury, HEIGLE faces up to a maximum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1623.
At sentencing for count five, felon in possession of a firearm, HEIGLE faces up to a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
At sentencing for count six, violent felon in possession of body armor, HEIGLE faces up to a maximum term of imprisonment of three (3) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one (1) year of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Sections 931 and 924(a)(7).
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Bücher of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Weapons ViolationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Thursday, July 7, 2022, that TRON HUGHES, age 42, resident of New Orleans, LA, pled guilty as charged to a one-count indictment for his participation in a weapons violation on June 10, 2021. Count 1 of the indictment charges HUGHES with being a felon in possession a firearm.
In Count 1 of the indictment, HUGHES is charged with possessing two firearms on June 10, 2021, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 2. HUGHES faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a period of up to 3 years supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2022.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Louisville Man on Parole Sentenced to Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Jereld Maurice Swain, of Louisville, Ohio, was sentenced on Friday, July 8, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko to more than six years in prison and ordered to forfeit $3,740 after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
According to court documents, on March 11, 2021, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant at Swain’s residence. Swain was released from prison on August 22, 2020, and was placed on parole. During the search of the residence, officers obtained multiple bags of a white substance later identified as fentanyl and cocaine, as well as packaging materials, a digital scale and $3,740 in U.S. currency.
This case was investigated by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority and the Canton FBI. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Damoun Delaviz.
Liverpool Man Going to Prison for Robbing Banks in Brighton and Buffalo, and Attempting to Rob A Third Bank in Niagara FallsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Tyo, 34, of Liverpool, NY, who was convicted of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery, was sentenced to serve 100 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who handled the case, stated that over the course of four days in August 2019, Tyo robbed a bank in Brighton, NY; a bank in Buffalo, NY; and attempted to rob a third bank in Niagara Falls, NY:• On August 24, 2019, Tyo robbed the Citizens Bank inside the Tops Market on South Clinton Avenue in Brighton. Tyo gave the bank teller a detailed note that said, “if I even glimpse a dye-pack I will not hesitate to elevate the situation and you will be the first casualty.” The bank teller complied with Tyo’s demands and gave him U.S. currency, which Tyo took and fled the bank.
• On August 27, 2019, Tyo robbed a second Citizens Bank inside the Tops Market on South Park Avenue in Buffalo. He gave the bank teller a note demanding $50 and $100 bills and threatened the use of violence, stating in the note that he would use his gun if the teller did not cooperate. The teller complied and gave the defendant U.S. currency, which Tyo took and fled the bank.
• Also on August 27, 2019, Tyo attempted to rob a third bank, the Key Bank on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Niagara Falls. However, when he gave the teller a demand note, the teller said that they were dealing with a computer issue, and Tyo did not succeed in obtaining any money.The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Brighton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Dave Catholdi, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
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Jury convicts former Cincinnati Council member Sittenfeld of bribery and attempted extortionRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI - A U.S. District Court jury here found former Cincinnati City Council member P.G. Sittenfeld, 37, of Cincinnati, guilty of accepting $40,000 in campaign contributions in exchange for votes on a development project pending before the council.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on one count of bribery (up to 10 years) and one count of attempted extortion by a government official (up to 20 years).
Testimony in the trial which began June 21 included audio and video recordings of Sittenfeld telling undercover agents posing as developers that he could “deliver the votes” in exchange for contributions to a political action committee he controlled. He accepted eight $5,000 checks in 2018 and 2019. A federal grand jury indicted him in November 2020.
“We truly appreciate the jurors’ time and serious consideration of this matter,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Democracy requires politicians to uphold their oath with the highest standards of integrity and respect. In this case, we worked alongside the FBI to hold Mr. Sittenfeld accountable for abusing his oath and, ultimately, the trust that the citizens of Cincinnati placed in him.”
“When elected officials choose to commit illegal acts, they greatly damage the relationship between government and the public they were elected to serve,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The FBI prioritizes efforts to expose corruption in order to help maintain the integrity of our democracy and the trust citizens have in our government institutions.”
U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole will set a date for Sittenfeld’s sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Parker and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division announced the verdict. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew C. Singer and Megan Gaffney Painter are representing the United States in this case.
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Jury Convicts Doctor of Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a New York man today for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims for surgical procedures that were not performed.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Harold Bendelstein, 71, of Queens, billed Medicare and Medicaid for an incision procedure of the external ear for hundreds of patients, when in fact all he actually performed was an ear exam or ear wax removal. Specifically, between January 2014 and February 2018, Bendelstein, an ENT doctor, billed Medicare and Medicaid approximately $585,000 and was paid approximately $191,000. Medicare and Medicaid data demonstrated that Bendelstein was an outlier and the highest biller for this procedure in New York State.
Bendelstein was convicted of one count of health care fraud and one count of making a false claim. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations; and Acting Medicaid Inspector General Frank T. Walsh of the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and OMIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Andrew Estes and Patrick J. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vagelatos of the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Mississippi – A Jackson man was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents, in 2017, DEA agents began investigating the drug trafficking activities of Chey Johnson, 49, of Jackson, Mississippi, and other affiliated drug traffickers in central Mississippi. Throughout the investigation, agents seized approximately $585,000.00 in cash and 12 kilograms of cocaine. Johnson was indicted as a part of the trafficking organization and pleaded guilty as a result.
In addition to the prison sentence, Johnson was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Deadly Dose,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the central Mississippi area. “Deadly Dose” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson Police Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Internal Revenue Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Billings on July 8 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan for an initial appearance on a criminal complaint was:
Daniel Joseph Colvin, 35, of Livingston, on charges of unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Colvin faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Colvin was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-92.
Malea Orser, 24, of Billings, on charges of possession with intent to distribute narcotics. If convicted of the most serious crime, Orser faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Orser was detained pending further proceedings. The U.S. Postal Service investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-100.
Appearing on an indictment and pleading not guilty on July 7 was:
Jeremy Taylor Sims, 33, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted of the most serious crime, Sims faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Sims was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-62.
Appearing on July 6 was:
Earl Landon Old Chief, Jr., 36, of Lodge Grass, on charges of assault on a federal officer. If convicted of the most serious crime, Old Chief faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Old Chief was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-44.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on July 6 was:
Rachel Aileen Goodbird, 29, of Poplar, on charges of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious crime, Goodbird faces a maximum of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Goodbird was released pending further proceedings. The FBI, Fort Peck Law Enforcement, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-41.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Richard Hornsby, 39, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on December 9, 2020, troopers with the Indiana State Police stopped Hornsby for driving with an expired license plate. Troopers learned that Hornsby was also driving with an expired license and had a handgun in the car. After further investigation, troopers located approximately 175 grams of methamphetamine in the center console and an additional pistol. Hornsby admitted to possessing the methamphetamine, that he intended to sell it, and that he often carries a firearm during times where he will purchase methamphetamine for resale.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office; and Doug Carter, Superintendent of the Indiana State Police made the announcement.
DEA and the Indiana State Police investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Hornsby be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath who prosecuted this case.
Honduran National Indicted for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane Evans announced today that NORMAN GARCIA-GARCIA, age 24, was charged on July 7, 2022 in a one-count indictment for illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the indictment, NORMAN GARCIA-GARCIA (“GARCIA”), reentered the United States after he was previously deported on February 23, 2018. If convicted, GARCIA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two (2) years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U. S. Duane Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr. oversees the prosecution.
Herkimer County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – John Patrick Galusha, age 31, of Ilion, New York, pled guilty today to distribution and receipt of child pornography. 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 before United States District Court Judge Brenda K. Sannes, Galusha admitted that in January 2022 he traded child pornography with others over a social media messaging application on his phone, distributing approximately 35 files in exchange for 163 images and 7 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
When Galusha is sentenced on November 7, 2022, he faces at least five years and up to 20 years in prison for each of the distribution and receipt offenses. In addition, Galusha will be required to serve a term of supervised release of between five years and life after his term of imprisonment and will be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other actors.
This case was investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and Computer Crimes Unit (CCU) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
This case is being prosecuted 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.
Hazleton Man Sentenced to 25 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Pandemic Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Fredy Mendoza, age 34, formerly of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 300 months’ imprisonment for methamphetamine trafficking, and 18 months’ imprisonment for committing pandemic unemployment fraud, to run concurrent with the methamphetamine trafficking sentence.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on July 23, 2021, Mendoza pleaded guilty to conspiring with several other individuals to distribute and possess with intent to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Hazleton area between October 2019 and July 2020 and laundering between $40,000 and $95,000 in drug proceeds. He also pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine on December 9, 2019.
Mendoza also pleaded guilty to committing pandemic unemployment fraud while incarcerated and awaiting trial on the federal narcotics charges. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was created by the March 2020 CARES Act, as part of the United States government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public’s health and economic well-being. The PUA program was designed to provide unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits.
Mendoza pleaded guilty to conspiring with his codefendant, Christina Covey, formerly of Drums, Pennsylvania, to file false PUA applications on his behalf and for another federal inmate. The applications sought unemployment benefits for both inmates by claiming that they were laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic and available to work, despite their incarceration on underlying federal drug trafficking charges. The conspirators subsequently filed false weekly certifications required to continue receiving PUA benefits, ultimately securing nearly $30,000 dollars, which were mailed in debit cards to Covey. Mendoza was ordered to pay $29,799 in restitution.
Covey was also Mendoza’s codefendant in the methamphetamine trafficking case. Covey previously pleaded guilty to both methamphetamine trafficking, and to conspiring to commit pandemic unemployment fraud. She was sentenced by Judge Mannion to 48 months’ imprisonment for the methamphetamine trafficking, and 15 months’ imprisonment for committing pandemic unemployment fraud, five months of which were to run consecutive to the methamphetamine trafficking sentence.
The methamphetamine trafficking case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts. The pandemic fraud case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and by the Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo.
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 narcotics investigation was 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.
This case was also 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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Fulton Missouri Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sextortion, Online Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IOWA – A Fulton, Missouri man, Chad Alan Craghead, 45, was sentenced on July 7, 2022, to 360 months in prison for Production of Child Pornography and Interstate Communications with Intent to Extort. Following his prison term, Craghead was ordered to serve five years of supervised release. Craghead will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Craghead engaged in “sextortion” over a period of nearly two years. At the time he committed these offenses, he was an elementary and middle school teacher and high school track coach. Craghead posed as a teenage boy online and obtained nude images of Minor Victim 1, a sixteen-year-old. After obtaining those images, he created a second false identity and demanded additional nude images of Minor Victim 1, threatening to disseminate the nude images he already had to her friends and family if she did not comply. Craghead extorted Minor Victim 1 over the course of several months, including sending photos of her home, referencing her parents and sister by name, and sending a photo of her sister.
Craghead also extorted Minor Victim 2. Craghead threatened to disseminate Minor Victim 1’s nude images if Minor Victim 2 did not comply with his demands for nude images and videos. Minor Victim 2 complied, sending Craghead sexually explicit videos of herself. Even then, Craghead continued to extort Minor Victim 2 by threatening to disseminate her images and videos if she did not continue to send him sexually explicit material.
Through several Snapchat accounts associated with Craghead, the FBI located numerous other minor female victims across the country, some as young as 12 and 13 years old, who either sent Craghead nude images or from whom he extorted or attempted to extort nude images. In one instance, Craghead took on the minor females’ identity, created a social media account, and obtained child pornography material with the intent to blackmail the senders, all while acting as the minor victim. Craghead told the victim he did it because she refused his demands. The FBI observed the same “sextortion” pattern of conduct with all identified victims. The victims reported feeling fear, distrust, and distress due to Craghead’s conduct.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muscatine Police Department investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.
Fulton Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Fulton, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm.
Antonio Jerome Beard, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 18, 2021, Beard pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On Oct. 17, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Beard’s residence. Officers seized 443.98 grams of methamphetamine, 45 oxycodone pills, approximately 43 marijuana vape cartridges, 87 suspected ecstasy pills, $2,221 in cash, a loaded High Point .40-caliber pistol, and drug paraphernalia from Beard’s bedroom.
Beard admitted that he had purchased the approximately one pound of methamphetamine from his source for $5,000. Beard, who had purchased a pound quantity of methamphetamine from the same source two or three times, told investigators that he sold the methamphetamine for $500 an ounce.
On Nov. 5, 2019, law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at Beard’s residence and seized an additional 6.9 ounces of methamphetamine.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Richenberger. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fulton, Mo., Police Department, the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the MUSTANG Drug Task Force.
Former Postal Employee Indicted for Theft and False StatementsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eunice Ting, age 68, of Watervliet, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment charging theft of government property and making a false statement to obtain benefits from the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ting faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Ting was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel. She was ordered released pending a trial to be scheduled before Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.
This case is being investigated by USPS-OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping.
Former New Jersey Resident Sentenced to 41 Months in Connection with Acadia National Park Triple Vehicular FatalityRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Indian national man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for three counts of manslaughter, two counts of operating under the influence (OUI), and one count of unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Praneeth Manubolu, 30, to 41 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. Manubolu pleaded guilty on January 31, 2022.
According to court records, in the early morning hours of August 31, 2019, Manubolu, then living in New Jersey on a student visa, was the driver in a motor vehicle crash on the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park that injured him and killed his three passengers. Subsequent investigation revealed that Manubolu had been drinking earlier in the evening. His blood alcohol content was determined to be .095% approximately 90 minutes after the crash with the legal limit being .08%. The investigation also revealed that Manubolu’s car was traveling 76 mph approximately three seconds before impact. The speed limit on the section of Park Loop Road where the crash occurred was 25 mph.
The National Park Service and the Bar Harbor Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of the Maine State Police and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
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Former National Guard member sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of images of child rape and abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 56-year-old Maple Valley, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to four years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Paul Von Nahme was arrested in April 2021, after an overseas law enforcement agency reported that Von Nahme was using the ‘Kik’ social media platform to send images of child sexual abuse to a person overseas. The agency also reported Von Nahme was making claims online that he raped a 9-year-old child. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said, “You need to remember the damage and devastation these images do to the victims…. Your conduct helps make the [child pornography market] survive.”
According to records filed in the case, when law enforcement served a search warrant on Von Nahme’s electronic devices they found more than 3,400 images of child rape and abuse. The images of child sexual abuse came from all over the world: Russia, Australia, France, and Indonesia among others. Under a law passed in 2018, the Amy, Vicki, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act (AVAA), Von Nahme must pay at least $3,000 to each child identified in the horrific images. In this case the amount of restitution could be as much as $126,000. The restitution amount will be determined at a hearing in late August 2022.
Von Nahme pleaded guilty on November 3, 2021. He was released on bond pending sentencing. However, in March 2022, he was returned to custody for having unauthorized electronic devices to connect to the internet.
Von Nahme will be required to register as a sex offender when released from prison.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Seattle Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.