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Thursday 14 April 2022
West Sacramento Man Indicted for Illegal Possession of Handgun, Ammunition, and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Rudy Tafoya, 54, of West Sacramento, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in May 2021, Tafoya was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be in possession of ammunition, a firearm, and methamphetamine. At that time, Tafoya was on supervised release for a previous conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Tafoya is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on account of six prior felony convictions, including two felony crimes of violence.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office; and the West Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Sauvageau is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Tafoya faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the ammunition and firearm counts and up to an additional year for the methamphetamine count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 and IRS Warn Potential Tax Cheats to Timely File Accurate and Complete Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - With the deadline for filing federal individual income tax returns rapidly approaching, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, jointly announced a warning to those who are thinking about breaking the law by committing tax crimes. Willfully filing false tax returns or deliberately evading paying taxes are serious criminal offenses and can result in prison and substantial fines and penalties.
“Those who fail to pay their taxes put an added burden on honest taxpayers and cheat the government out of much needed revenue that finances our government’s operations,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus. “Our office will aggressively investigate and prosecute those individuals who knowingly and willfully evade their tax obligation and violate our tax laws.”
“With the tax filing deadline right around the corner, those who may think about committing tax fraud should consider the negative consequences of their actions, which could include jail time,” said Tim Connelly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “People who file accurate and honest returns can be assured that IRS-CI and the U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to seek out and prosecute those who willfully attempt to defraud the tax system.”
Throughout the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted a broad array of tax offenses including tax evasion, employment tax fraud, and refund fraud. Enforcement efforts are continually ongoing. Here are a few recent examples:
- On March 24, 2022, Erin Hossler, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for tax evasion and ordered to pay $153,539.70 in restitution to the IRS. Hossler stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Cressona Borough, where she previously worked as Secretary/Treasurer and failed to file income tax returns during the years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
- Joseph Rinker, of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on February 25, 2022, to two years of probation for using his position as the manager of the Harvest Moon Restaurant in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to embezzle over $300,000, that he subsequently failed to report as income to the IRS from 2014 to 2017. Rinker was ordered to pay $64,250 in restitution to the IRS.
- On February 18, 2022, Charles R. Ehrenberg, owner of Ehrenberg Roofing and Construction, Inc., located in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to failing to pay over to the IRS federal employment taxes, including Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) taxes for the period from 2017 through 2020, in the total amount of $185,681.90.
- On March 3, 2022, Ricky Long, of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months plus one day in prison for failure to account for and pay over employment taxes for a home healthcare business known as Warm Hearts Home Care Agency, Inc. operating in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Long failed to file tax returns or pay over $296,484.89 in employment and trust fund taxes collected from employees over several years. Rather than turning the money over to the IRS, Long used the money to open a wine bar in Shamokin, Pennsylvania and to pay personal expenses such as vacations and tickets to sporting events. Long was also ordered to make full restitution.
- Giuseppe Tomasino, age 45, and Andrea Tomasino, age 71, co-owners of Tomasino’s Restaurante Italiano, located in Dallas, Pennsylvania, were sentenced on March 8, 2022, for failure to pay income and employment taxes between 2014 and 2019 related to the operation of their restaurant. Giuseppe Tomasino was sentenced to serve a 6-month period of home detention with electronic monitoring and Andrea Tomasino was sentenced to two years of probation and to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $214,347.
- On April 12, 2022, Ronald Halko, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to evade payment of Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) taxes in the approximate amount of $144,864.43 by concealing sources of income and other assets from the IRS.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tax Scam Warning
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the IRS remind taxpayers to exercise caution during tax season to protect themselves against tax schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud. Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. IRS Criminal Investigation works closely with the Department of Justice to shutdown scams and to prosecute the criminals behind them.
Each year, taxpayers’ personal information is compromised through phishing scams or by unscrupulous tax preparers. IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) wants taxpayers to be aware of tax-related fraud. Tips to avoid tax season fraud include:
- Choose a tax preparer wisely. Look for a preparer who is available year-round.
- Ask your tax preparer for their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). All paid preparers are required to have one.
- Don’t use a ghost preparer. They won’t sign a tax return they prepare for you.
- Don’t fall victim to tax preparers’ promises of large refunds. Taxpayers must pay their fair share of taxes.
- Don’t sign a blank tax return. Taxpayers are ultimately responsible for what appears on tax returns filed with the IRS.
- Make sure you receive your refund. Your refund should be deposited into your bank account, not your tax preparer’s.
- The IRS will not call you threatening legal action. If you receive a call like this, hang up.
- Don’t respond to text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS. They may contain malware that could compromise your personal information.
- Don’t click links or open attachments in unsolicited emails or text messages about your tax return. These messages are fraudulent.
- Protect your personal and financial information. Never provide this information in response to unsolicited text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS.
For more tips on choosing a tax professional or how to file a complaint against one, visit IRS.gov. Taxpayers who suspect tax violations by a person or business, may report it to the IRS using Form 3949A, Information Referral. Taxpayers can report phishing emails to [email protected] or IRS impersonation scams to TIGTA.gov.
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Two Vieques Residents Plead Guilty to Concealing over One Million Dollars in Cash on a Vessel Outfitted for Smuggling in USVI WatersRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Julius Alvarez-Gonzalez and Jimmy Garcia-Quinonez, of Vieques, PR, each entered guilty pleas to the charge of concealing over one million dollars in cash on a vessel outfitted for smuggling, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today.
According to court documents, on July 26, 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine (AMO) agents stopped a vessel traveling without navigational lights, heading toward the western portion of St. Thomas, USVI. Prior to boarding, agents observed the defendants onboard the vessel. When the defendants saw the agents, they threw a large duffel bag overboard. Agents subsequently recovered and searched the duffel bag, which contained over one million dollars in US currency.
The boat captain, Defendant Alvarez, faces 33 months incarceration and Defendant Garcia faces 30 months incarceration. Both Defendants face a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces’ (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Utica Men Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – DAEQUON D. PERKINS, age 25, and MARK W. BAKER, age 44, both of Utica, New York, pled guilty today for their participation in a fentanyl conspiracy.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara, New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen, Timothy Foley, Acting Special Agent in Charge. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; John B. Devito, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Mark Williams, Utica Police Department.
PERKINS pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, and to distribution of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. As part of his guilty plea, Perkins admitted that beginning no later than May 2021, he agreed with others to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl to customers in the Utica, New York area. Perkins also admitted that on May 27, 2021, he distributed approximately 1.75 grams of a fentanyl mixture in Utica.
At sentencing on August 10, 2022, PERKINS faces a minimum term of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a post-incarceration term of at least 4 years and up to life of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $5,000,000.
BAKER pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. As part of his guilty plea, Baker admitted that beginning no later than May 2021, through at least August 4, 2021, he agreed with others to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl to customers. Baker further admitted that on August 4, 2021, at his residence in Utica, he possessed a fentanyl mixture he intended to distribute to others, a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, two 12-gauge shotguns, and multiple rounds of ammunition of various calibers, which he possessed in furtherance of drug-trafficking. Baker also acknowledged that in 2010, he was convicted of drug conspiracy charges in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, for which he was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment.
At sentencing on August 10, 2022, BAKER faces a minimum term of 15 years and up to life in prison, a post-incarceration term of at least 8 years and up to life of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $8,000,000.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by New York State Police-Special Investigations Unit (NYSP-SIU), investigators from the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, members of the City of Utica Police Department, DEA, ATF, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie.
Two Marketers Sentenced for Engaging in an Illegal Health Care Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Two men were sentenced in federal court Wednesday for helping orchestrate a scheme where physicians received kickback payments in exchange for writing and referring expensive compounded drug prescriptions to OK Compounding, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Johnathon Yates Boyd III, 50, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $391,475.41 in restitution. Bryan Fred Woodson, 61, of Beach City, Texas, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $553,232.45 in restitution.
Boyd III and Woodson each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks.
It is illegal to pay or receive “kickbacks” in conjunction with federal health care insurance. Prohibitions against kickbacks are crucial to ensure that financial motives do not undermine the medical judgment of physicians and other health care providers.
Boyd III and Woodson admitted to conspiring together with Christopher Parks, 60, of Jenks, and Dr. Gary Lee, 61, of Tulsa, to enrich themselves through the scheme at the expense of the federal government.
According to court documents, Boyd III and Woodson, formed R&A Marketing Group LLC around 2012. R&A Marketing introduced its recruited physicians to OK Compounding, a pharmacy controlled and operated by Parks and Lee, for the purpose of entering into a referral relationship with the pharmacy. The conspirators provided illegal kickbacks and bribes to the physicians, and in return, the physicians wrote expensive patient prescriptions for compounded drugs and referred those prescriptions to OK Compounding. The pharmacies then submitted large claims for payment of the costly prescriptions to various federal health care programs.
Physicians were allegedly provided pre-printed prescription pads that listed compounded formula choices. They would then check a box with their preferred selection then fax it directly to OK Compounding, rather than writing a prescription tailored to the patient who could then take it to a pharmacy of their choice.
Payments to physicians were disguised through various sham business arrangements. For example, physicians would enter into agreements with a pharmacy to serve as “medical directors” or “consulting physicians.” However, physicians did not provide any services to OK Compounding nor any other pharmacies controlled by Parks and/or Lee.
In exchange for recruiting physicians to enter into contracts as “medical directors” or “consulting physicians”, R&A Marketing was paid a commission based on the reimbursed prescriptions.
Compounding prescriptions is a practice in which a pharmacist or physician combines, mixes or alters ingredients of a drug or multiple drugs to create a medication that is tailored to the specific needs of a patient. These medications are prescribed when standard Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs are unsuitable for the patient. They are also more expensive and reimbursed at a far higher rate by federal and private insurance companies. Compounded drugs are not to be mixed or marketed in bulk.
OK Compounding is no longer in operation. Charges are currently pending against Parks and Lee. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Veteran’s Affairs- Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor- Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS- Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Service- OIG, FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Noble Nelson and Richard M. Cella prosecuted the case.
Two Defendants Admit to Participating in the Kidnapping of a Victim at Maryland Hotel and CasinoRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain”, age 23, of Washington, D.C., and Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a “Mup”, age 29, also of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today and Tuesday, respectively, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino. Darius Young also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to their guilty pleas, on February 3, 2021, Young, Hebron, co-defendant Christopher Young, age 26, of Washington, D.C., co-defendant Lamar Perkins, age 27, of Washington, D.C., and Co-conspirator 1 worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.
As stated in their pleas, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 met Victim A at a hotel and casino, where they made the false promise that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C. At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Co-conspirator 1’s car with Hebron.
At 8:13 a.m., co-defendant Christopher Young called Darius Young to report that Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 had “snatched” Victim A. Soon after Co-conspirator 1, Hebron, and Victim A arrived in Southeast D.C., Darius and Christopher Young entered into Co-conspirator 1’s vehicle with Victim A inside. Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A. At that time, Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 took Victim A’s personal items including Victim A’s wallet, cell phone, hotel room key, and a watch valued at $500.
Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 then demanded the code to Victim A’s hotel safe. When Victim A refused, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun. In response, Victim A told the co-conspirators the code to the hotel safe. Hebron then forced Victim A out of the car. Darius and Christopher Young then exited the vehicle with Victim A as Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 drove back to the hotel and casino to burglarize Victim A’s hotel room.
As Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 traveled back to the hotel and casino, Darius and Christopher Young led Victim A at gunpoint to a boiler room inside a Southeast D.C. apartment building. Darius Young then called Perkins and directed him to look out for police or anyone else that might hear or see Darius and Christopher Young with Victim A. Inside the boiler room, Darius and Christopher Young repeatedly assaulted Victim A, threatened his life, demanded Victim A’s PIN number to his ATM card, and demanded information about the items located in his hotel room. Darius and Christopher Young then relayed this information to Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 by phone.
Simultaneously, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 accessed Victim A’s hotel room where they stole Victim A’s property, including a gaming system, $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash.
As stated in their plea agreements, after conspiracy members stole Victim A’s hotel items, and left Victim A inside the Southeast D.C. apartment building, law enforcement saw Darius and Christopher Young walking away from the building. Moments later, law enforcement located Victim A, who had sustained several injuries, including a bloody wound on his forehead, a broken nose, and cuts on his mouth and eye.
Co-defendants Lamar Perkins and Christopher Young pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in February 2022 and are scheduled to be sentenced in May 2022.
Darius Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to between 12 and 13.5 years in federal prison. Hebron and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts his plea agreement, Hebron will be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled their sentencings for June 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. and August 8, 2022, at 10 a.m.; respectively.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington, and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also praised the Prince George’s County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Two Convicted Felons from Lake Charles Area Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Two men from the Lake Charles, Louisiana area were sentenced today in the U.S. District Court, on firearms charges, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the two individuals as follows:
Nathan Allen Boutte, 32, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On June 27, 2020, officers with the Lake Charles Police Department received a complaint that an individual had exited a vehicle with a firearm and approached the complainant’s apartment carrying the weapon. Upon arrival at the scene, officers located the subject and determined it to be Boutte. He was sitting in front of the apartment and officers noticed the odor of PCP emitting from his person and observed his speech was slurred and he appeared to be incoherent and seemed confused. Officers located an AR style rifle nearby and found that it had been modified by the barrel having been cut down and made shorter. Officers learned that Boutte had prior felony convictions and took him into custody. After a period of approximately eight hours had passed and he was sobered up and coherent, officers questioned Boutte about the incident. He admitted to possessing the firearm even though he knew he was prohibited from doing so. Boutte has prior felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and simple criminal damage to property.
This case was investigated by the ATF and Lake Charles Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.
Nicholas Ryan, 37, of Sulphur, Louisiana, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On July 7, 2020, a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for several traffic violations. The vehicle refused to stop and during the pursuit that followed, the deputy observed an object being thrown from the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was eventually stopped, and Ryan was identified as the driver. Ryan and a passenger in the vehicle were detained while the deputy searched the area where the object was thrown from the vehicle. The deputy located a Glock 9mm pistol in that area and Ryan admitted that it was his and he had thrown it from the vehicle. Ryan has a prior felony conviction for aggravated second degree battery (2011) prohibiting him from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the ATF and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon.
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Tucson Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Prohibited Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Javier Rafael Haro-Aguilar, 24, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Haro-Aguilar previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien.
A federal search warrant executed at Haro-Aguilar’s residence revealed multiple firearms and ammunition, as well as evidence of narcotics trafficking and the use of a Snapchat account to traffic drugs and sell firearms. As a citizen of Mexico who lacks legal status in the United States, Haro-Aguilar was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefani Hepford, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-02592-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022- 042_Haro-Aguilar# # #
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.Towaoc Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting His BrotherRead the Press Release
DURANGO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that a federal jury in Durango has found Alonzo Gary Summa, age 36, guilty of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. The judge sentenced him to 96 months in prison.
At trial, the government presented evidence that on August 11, 2020, Summa cut his half-brother with a knife during an argument in Towoac, Colorado, on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation. Around the time of the assault, Summa sent the victim a Facebook message that said “I suggest u watch where u go from now And watch your back…I’m comeing [sic] after u.” Summa’s assault left the victim with a seven-inch, permanent scar. Evidence presented at trial showed that the victim feared retaliation from Summa for his participation in the case. At the time of the assault, the defendant was on supervision for a federal conviction for an assault that also involved a knife, 17-cr-00147-REB.
The jury announced its verdict on November 12, 2021. Summa was sentenced by the Honorable Senior District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn on February 11, 2022, to serve 78 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Summa was also sentenced to serve an additional 18 months in prison for violating his prior federal supervised release, which he was on at the time of this offense.
“Prosecuting violence inflicted towards family members always presents challenges, especially in a small community such as Towaoc,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “Our office remains committed to holding accountable violent offenders in Indian Country.”
The Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys R. Josh Player and Jeffrey K. Graves handled the prosecution.
Case number: 20-cr-00262-REB-GPG
Texas man sentenced for smuggling $1.1M of crystal methRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 20-year-old Dallas resident has been sent to federal prison for illegally importing approximately 25.16 kilograms of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Luke Law pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced him to serve a total of 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. As a condition of his supervised release, Judge Marmolejo ordered the defendant must speak to high schools at least three times a year about avoiding drugs and avoiding the choices he made.
On June 6, 2021, Law attempted to cross into the United States after vacationing in Monterrey, Mexico. Authorities referred his vehicle to the secondary inspection area where a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. An X-ray scan revealed anomalies behind the vehicle’s gas tank. Upon further investigation, law enforcement discovered a total of 29 bundles of meth wrapped in clear tape weighing approximately 25.16 kilograms.
The drugs have an estimated street value of approximately $1.1 million.
Law has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons Facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens prosecuted the case.
Ten Members of International Stock Manipulation Ring Charged in Manhattan Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of three indictments charging ten individuals with engaging in a long-running “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation scheme involving the stocks of numerous companies traded on United States-based stock exchanges. The scheme spanned the globe and the ten defendants charged were residents of Canada, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Spain, Monaco, Turkey and the Bahamas. RONALD BAUER was arrested in the United Kingdom. CURTIS WILLIAM LEHNER, COURTNEY VASSEUR, and JULIUS CSURGO were arrested in Canada. ANTHONY KORCULANIC was arrested in Spain. PETAR MIHAYLOV was arrested in Bulgaria. Finally, DOMENIC CALABRIGO was arrested in the Bahamas. The United States intends to seek the extradition of BAUER, LEHNER, VASSEUR, CSURGO, KORCULANIC, MIHAYLOV, and CALABRIGO to the United States. CRAIG AURINGER, a citizen of Canada and resident of the United Kingdom, HASAN SARIO, a citizen and resident of Turkey, and DANIEL FERRIS, a citizen of the United Kingdom and resident of Monaco, were also charged and remain at large.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, for years, the defendants, collectively, made over $100 million by orchestrating ‘pump-and-dump’ stock manipulation schemes of publicly traded shares of U.S.-based issuers. These pernicious ‘pump-and-dump’ schemes made the defendants rich while causing real harm to ordinary, retail investors who were left swallowing the losses. These defendants used a web of nominee entities and shell companies located all over the world attempting to disguise their own orchestration of these schemes. Today’s charges should send a clear message to all of those who think they can make millions running ‘pump-and-dump’ schemes --- no matter where in the world you are located, and no matter how many fake accounts and offshore shell companies you try to hide behind, our Office will vigorously pursue and prosecute you.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “Stock manipulation schemes such as the one charged here today serve to undermine confidence in our financial markets and create a playing field designed to illegally benefit a greedy few fraudsters at the expense of many honest investors. As alleged, the 10 charged defendants operated a global scheme that reaped more than $100 million in illicit proceeds. Our action today should serve as a reminder of our commitment to insure free and fair markets for all investors.”
As alleged in the three Indictments unsealed in Manhattan federal court[1]:
The Defendants
United States v. Ronald Bauer et al., 22 Cr. 155
RONALD BAUER, CRAIG AURINGER, PETAR MIHYALOV, and DANIEL FERRIS participated in a conspiracy that, collectively, involved “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes of the securities of at least 12 United States-based issuers, resulting collectively in at least approximately $75 million in total proceeds.
RONALD BAUER, a/k/a “Patek,” a citizen of Canada and the United Kingdom who resided in the United Kingdom, orchestrated numerous “pump-and-dump” schemes. BAUER controlled the various aspects of the schemes.
CRAIG AURINGER, a citizen of Canada who resided in the United Kingdom, participated in multiple “pump-and-dump” schemes including by coordinating stock promotion campaigns and by providing funding in furtherance of the stock manipulation schemes.
PETAR MIHAYLOV, a/k/a “Petar the Bulgarian,” a/k/a “PDM,” a citizen and resident of Bulgaria, participated in multiple “pump-and-dump” schemes by coordinating stock manipulation promotion campaigns and providing funding in furtherance of the stock manipulation schemes.
DANIEL FERRIS, a citizen of the United Kingdom who resided in Monaco, participated in multiple “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes including by opening accounts that were then used to trade shares and transfer funds in furtherance of the schemes and by taking various actions necessary to prepare the publicly traded companies that were used as the vehicles for the stock manipulation schemes. FERRIS also served as the Chief Executive Officer of at least one of the companies whose shares the group thereafter manipulated.
United States v. Curtis Lehner et al., 21 Cr. 121
CURTIS LEHNER, COURTNEY VASSEUR, HASAN SARIO, and DOMENIC CALABRIGO participated in a conspiracy that, collectively, involved “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes of the securities of at least 9 United States-based issuers, resulting collectively in at least approximately $35 million in total proceeds.
CURTIS LEHNER, a/k/a “Santa,” a citizen and resident of Canada, and COURTNEY VASSEUR, a/k/a “Black Water Resource Management,” a/k/a “Black Water,” a/k/a “Cyrill Vetsch,” a/k/a “Arctic Shark,” a/k/a “Oscar Devries,” a citizen and resident of Canada, both orchestrated numerous “pump-and-dump” schemes.
HASAN SARIO, a/k/a “Ali,” a/k/a “H,” a citizen of Germany and Turkey who resided in Turkey, furthered the stock manipulation schemes by, among other things, acting as a designated “trading specialist” who directed the group’s stock trading across various nominee entity accounts that the group controlled. SARIO also utilized a network of nominee entities and nominee entity bank accounts that he controlled in order to both trade shares and transfer funds in furtherance of the schemes.
DOMENIC CALABRIGO, a/k/a “Raider,” a citizen of Canada who resided in the Bahamas, furthered the stock manipulation schemes by, among other things, coordinating stock promotion campaigns.
United States v. Julius Csurgo and Anthony Korculanic, 22 Cr. 190
JULIUS CSURGO and ANTHONY KORCULANIC participated in a conspiracy that collectively, involved “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes of the securities of at least 19 United States-based issuers, resulting collectively in at least approximately $35 million in total proceeds.
JULIUS CSURGO, a/k/a “Gyula Karoly Csurgo,” a citizen of Canada and Hungary who resided in Canada, orchestrated numerous “pump-and-dump” stock manipulation schemes. In connection with the schemes, CSURGO owned and operated an entity called Antevorta Capital Partners, Ltd. (“Antevorta”), which CSURGO used as a vehicle for the “pump-and-dump” schemes. CSURGO, directly and through Antevorta, furthered the schemes by purchasing and selling numerous stocks in connection with the scheme and funding certain fraudulent stock promotion campaigns that were used to drive up the share prices as CSURGO and his co-conspirators sold off the shares that they controlled.
ANTHONY KORCULANIC, a/k/a “Remy,” a/k/a “Viper,” a citizen of Canada and Croatia who resided, at certain relevant times, in Spain, participated in multiple “pump-and-dump” schemes including by coordinating stock promotion campaigns and by providing funding in furtherance of the stock manipulation schemes.
Overview of the “Pump-and-Dump” Stock Manipulation Schemes
As alleged, the defendants participated in “pump-and-dump” schemes that followed a typical pattern. First, the defendants and their co-conspirators secretly amassed control of the vast majority of the stock of certain publicly traded companies that were traded on the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market in the United States. Second, the defendants and their co-conspirators then manipulated the price and trading volume for these stocks, causing the share price and trading volume to become artificially inflated, through coordinated trading and false and misleading promotional campaigns that they funded. Third, and finally, the defendants sold out of their secretly amassed positions at these inflated values at the expense of the investing public.
In furtherance of the scheme, the defendants used a network of nominee entities to trade shares and funnel proceeds of these schemes back to the defendants and their co-conspirators. Holding the shares through the network of nominee entities allowed the defendants and their co-conspirators to conceal the fact that, in reality, they controlled the vast majority of the shares of the issuer.
The securities that the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to manipulate were issued by small companies, were thinly traded, and typically traded at less than $2 per share. These publicly traded shell companies frequently had few, if any, actual assets or actual business operations. While on paper the defendants and their co-conspirators had no connection to these companies, in reality they exercised substantial control, including installing management at the companies, financing the companies’ operations, and funding payments for attorneys in order to prepare public filings with OTC Markets Group, Inc. and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In order to attract investor interest, the defendants and their co-conspirators, at times, caused private businesses to be merged or “vended” into the publicly traded shell companies. The private businesses were often in industries likely to attract the investing public’s interest.
In connection with the scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators frequently engaged in manipulative trading activity in order to artificially increase the trading volume and share price of the stocks. This manipulative trading included, at times, coordinated “match” trades in which the defendants and their co-conspirators caused one nominee entity or other brokerage account subject to their control to sell a certain quantity of shares while causing another nominee entity or brokerage account subject to their control to buy a similar quantity of shares that same day. These match trades, which often occurred on days when there was low trading volume, had the effect of artificially increasing the share price and trading volume of the stock.
As part of the “pump-and-dump” schemes, the defendants and their co-conspirators financed and coordinated promotional campaigns through which promotional materials touting the stocks were distributed to the investing public. These stock promotional materials frequently contained false and misleading claims about the issuer, as well as omitting material information, with the objective of inducing retail investors to purchase the shares of the issuer, which allowed the defendants and their co-conspirators to sell of their substantial positions for a profit. The defendants and their co-conspirators often expended hundreds of thousands of dollars on these stock promotion campaigns. Furthermore, certain of the defendants used a “boiler room” to solicit investors, including investors based in the United States, to purchase shares of certain of the companies. These “boiler rooms” involved multiple individuals working in a coordinated effort to contact potential investors, often through unsolicited “cold calls,” and providing investors with false, misleading, unfounded, and/or exaggerated information about the relevant issuer in order to induce the potential investors to purchase shares.
The defendants and their co-conspirators profited from the scheme by selling their shares into the market at the artificially high prices they had created through their manipulative activities. By selling their shares while the share price was artificially inflated, the defendants and their co-conspirators were able to realize millions of dollars in illicit profits. Once the defendants and their co-conspirators had sold off their shares and ceased the stock promotion campaign and their manipulative trading tactics, the share price of the relevant companies typically dropped precipitously. The defendants and their co-conspirators then laundered the proceeds of the schemes back to themselves in a manner designed to conceal the source of the funds and/or the identity of the recipients. Such laundering was frequently accomplished through the use of fabricated invoices, contracts and agreements.
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Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. Each of the defendants is further charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Each of the defendants is further charged with multiple counts of securities fraud pursuant to Title 15 of the United States Code, which carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per count. Each of the defendants is further charged with wire fraud, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Finally, each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI. He further thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division, as well as authorities in the United Kingdom (in particular the National Extradition Unit), Canada (in particular the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Alberta Securities Commission, and the Toronto Police Service Fugitive Squad), Spain (in particular the Spanish National Police), Bulgaria (in particular the National Police Service), and the Bahamas (in particular the Royal Bahamas Police Force). Finally, Mr. Williams also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which initiated civil proceedings against nine of the ten defendants today.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah Solowiejczyk, Jason Richman, and Vladislav Vainberg are in charge of the prosecution.
The allegations in the Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictments, and the description of the Indictments set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy and Filing Fraudulent Tax Returns for ClientsRead the Press Release
A Louisiana woman was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States and helping clients file false tax returns.
On Nov. 14, 2019, Brittany Patterson, of St. John the Baptist Parish, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. According to court documents, Michegel Butler owned Crown Tax Service LLC, where Patterson worked as a tax return preparer. From approximately January 2013 through April 2013, Patterson, Butler and others conspired to inflate their clients’ refunds by preparing tax returns claiming false Schedule C businesses, dependents and dependent care expenses. To substantiate the false income and expenses reported on their tax returns, Patterson and the other co-conspirators directed clients to fill out fraudulent receipts. They also encouraged some clients to buy or sell the personal identification information of dependents that could be falsely reported on tax returns.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier ordered Patterson to serve three years of supervised release and pay approximately $90,856 in restitution to the United States.
On Feb. 4, 2021, Butler was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Jessica Kraft of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dall Kammer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.
Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy and Filing Fraudulent Tax Returns for ClientsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Louisiana woman was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States and helping clients file false tax returns.
On Nov. 14, 2019, Brittany Patterson, of St. John the Baptist Parish, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. According to court documents, Michegel Butler owned Crown Tax Service LLC, where Patterson worked as a tax return preparer. From approximately January 2013 through April 2013, Patterson, Butler and others conspired to inflate their clients’ refunds by preparing tax returns claiming false Schedule C businesses, dependents and dependent care expenses. To substantiate the false income and expenses reported on their tax returns, Patterson and the other co-conspirators directed clients to fill out fraudulent receipts. They also encouraged some clients to buy or sell the personal identification information of dependents that could be falsely reported on tax returns.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier ordered Patterson to serve three years of supervised release and pay approximately $90,856 in restitution to the United States.
On Feb. 4, 2021, Butler was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Jessica Kraft of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dall Kammer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.
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Stockton Man Indicted on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Jeffrey James Bray, 36, of Stockton, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Bray sold at least six firearms to an undercover agent or confidential source in 2019. During the investigation, Bray also sold over 300 rounds of ammunition. Bray cannot lawfully buy or possess firearms or ammunition himself because he has sustained numerous felony convictions, including evading a police officer, vehicle theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and twice for second degree burglary.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Yuba City Police Department, and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Bray faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Breon Peace on Sentencing of Edward and Linda ManganoRead the Press Release
“In the federal courthouse behind me, a short time ago, former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano was sentenced by the Court to 12 years in prison, and his wife, Linda Mangano, to 15 months in prison.
Nearly two years ago, a federal jury found Edward Mangano guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice and multiple counts of taking bribes and kickbacks from a businessman in exchange for pressuring local officials to guarantee the businessman’s loans. Linda Mangano was found guilty of obstructing the investigation by lying to the FBI about getting a lucrative “no show” job from that businessman, which was a bribe to her husband.
Edward Mangano’s blatant acts of corruption, and the defendants’ concerted efforts to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation, display a stunning abuse of power. The defendants’ conduct is an affront to our system of government and, quite frankly, a betrayal to the people of Nassau County, especially the residents of the Town of Oyster Bay.
From the moment he was elected, Edward Mangano sold himself and his office. He cashed in the power, the resources, and the influence of his office to enrich himself and his wife. For Ed Mangano, public service was self-service. He received bribes in the form of vacations, an expensive watch, furniture and hardwood flooring for his house. And, most notably, a $100,000-a-year no-show job for his wife, Linda Mangano.
Simply put, Edward Mangano is going to jail for brazenly abusing the power of his office as the top elected official of Nassau County. He is going to jail for betraying not only the people who elected him, but every resident of Nassau County who believes that government is supposed to do good, make our lives better and serve our communities honestly and without public officials lining their pockets with taxpayers’ hard-earned money.
To this day, neither defendant has shown a trace of remorse for their crimes and maintain they did nothing wrong. Their lack of shame is remarkable.
Edward and Linda Mangano’s flagrant disregard for the law has left them convicted felons and headed for prison. Today’s sentence demonstrates that corruption and obstruction will not be tolerated.
I stand here together with the outstanding prosecutors from my Office and the exceptional FBI agents who successfully brought the Manganos to justice, with a very important message. I want to assure the public that their faith in government and our criminal justice system is not misplaced. The disgraceful and greedy conduct of the Manganos has been exposed and punished.
And the same fate awaits those in public service who abuse their positions to serve themselves and not the people. Officials who choose to deprive the people of the honest services they deserve will find themselves in a courtroom learning that there is a serious price to pay for their corruption. No one is above the law.
I will conclude my remarks on a positive note, praising the prosecutors and FBI agents I mentioned moments ago. I want to commend Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine Mirabile, Christopher Caffarone and former Eastern District Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Treinis Gatz for their tireless, tenacious and terrific work on the case. I also thank Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder and Legal Assistant Kerry Ucci. They were ably assisted in the pursuit of justice by FBI Special Agents Laura Spence, Frank Lomonaco and William Sena, Forensic Analyst William Del Gais and Eastern District of New York Special Agent Michael Cassidy.”
Watch the video of the statement here.
Southwest Colorado Narcotics Traffickers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Durango – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces four defendants were sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute illegal drugs. The defendants operated across the southwestern portion of Colorado, ranging from Alamosa to the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
Camelo Martinez, age 30, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release for the distribution of pure methamphetamine on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. According to court documents and facts presented at sentencing, Martinez used an intermediary to distribute 56.2 grams of pure methamphetamine in July 2020. The case was investigated by the Southern Ute Police Department.
Roger Reyes, age 39, was sentenced to 87 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession with the intent distribute heroin in Alamosa, Colorado. According to court documents and facts presented at sentencing, In April 2021, law enforcement observed Reyes leaving the home of a known gang member and was found in possession of 122.4 grams of heroin that same night. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) and the Alamosa Police Department.
Aaron Claycomb, age 37, was sentenced to 84 months in prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release for distributing heroin in Durango, Colorado. According to court documents and facts presented at sentencing, Claycomb sold 195.6 grams of pure methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement agents at a gas station in Durango, Colorado. At the time, Claycomb was on parole for several other drug-related convictions. The case was investigated in a coordinated effort of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwestern Drug Task Force, and the Southern Ute Police Department.
Abraham Romero, age 33, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine in Alamosa, Colorado. According to court documents and facts presented at sentencing, law enforcement searched Romero’s residence in June 2021 and found 89 grams of a methamphetamine mixture, 36 grams of heroin, and 13.2 grams of cocaine, separated out into zip lock baggies. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Alamosa Police Department.
“These convictions and sentences show our office’s commitment to vigorously prosecuting drug trafficking in Southwestern Colorado”, said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Each of these cases involved coordination between state and federal agencies, including our partners with the Southern Ute Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”
“During the current opioid epidemic the steadfast dangers of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin are often eclipsed by the proliferating fentanyl threat. Methamphetamine continues to be one of the most deadly drug threats within our communities,” said DEA Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser. “DEA Denver is committed to ensuring that the drug laws of this country are upheld even within the farthest reaches of our state, and we are proud to serve alongside our state and local partners to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods.”
United States District Court Judge Robert Blackburn, sitting in Durango, Colorado, sentenced the defendants on April 11, 2022.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Graves handled the prosecution of these cases.
CASE NUMBERS: Martinez, 21-cr-00069-REB-JMC; Reyes, 21-cr-00160-REB-JMC; Claycomb, 20-cr-00264-REB-JMC; Romero, 21-cr-00260-REB; JMC
Shoreline, Washington man arrested for possessing multiple firearms in violation of protection orderRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 44-year-old Shoreline, Washington man will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle this afternoon, charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Rustam Yusupov was arrested without incident late yesterday at his Shoreline residence.
According to the criminal complaint, Seattle Police Officers were called to a downtown Seattle hotel room on March 10, 2022, with reports of a distraught man asking the hotel staff for assistance. When the officers went to the hotel room, they noted that furnishings had been over-tuned, with the mattress moved to block the door. Police found two firearms in the room – including a “ghost gun,” a firearm without a serial number.
Due to his agitated state, Yusupov was transported for medical attention. As officers were preparing to leave the hotel, a staff member working in the garage alerted them to weapons he had seen in Yusupov’s car. In the car were multiple firearms – including two additional “ghost guns.” In all police recovered:
- FMK Firearms Model AR-1 Extreme 5.56 NATO caliber rifle.
- Aero Precision Model X15 5.56 caliber pistol.
- Ruger Model 5.7 5.7x28mm caliber pistol.
- Ruger Model 18029 Precision 6.5mm Creedmoor/.308 Winchester Caliber rifle.
- Kel-Tec Model Sub 2000 9x19mm caliber rifle.
- A North American Arms Corp. Derringer .22 revolver.
- Two Polymer80 9mm caliber pistols with no serial number and
- A skeletonized AR-15 5.56 NATO caliber pistol with no serial number.
Yusupov is the subject of a protection order. He had been ordered by King County Superior Court to surrender all his weapons. In March 2020 and again in May 2021, Yusupov was ordered to surrender his firearms and had signed paperwork and informed law enforcement that he no longer possessed any firearms.
Illegal possession of a firearm is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Thomas Woods.
Sex Trafficking Conspiracy Member Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Lakeya Aldridge age 41, of Federalsburg, Maryland to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Michael McDermott of the Federalsburg Police Department; and Colonel Melissa Zebley of the Delaware State Police Department.
According to her guilty plea, in October 2018, Aldridge participated in a conspiracy to traffic Victim 1 led by Joshua Lankford, age 33, of Federalsburg, Maryland. Victim 1 had been engaging in commercial sex acts on her own before being approached by Lankford. Knowing of Victim 1’s drug addition, Lankford lured Victim 1 into performing commercial sex acts at his direction with the promise that he would help Victim 1 make more money to buy a house and attain custody of her son.
Days after luring Victim 1 to conduct commercial sex dates at his direction, Lankford recruited Aldridge, Kevonne Murphy, age 31, of Federalsburg, Maryland; and David Goodwin, age 29 of Federalsburg, Maryland to participate in the sex trafficking conspiracy. Throughout the conspiracy, Aldridge forced Victim 1 to continue to engage in commercial sex acts and maintained Victim 1 in exchange for money from Lankford.
Specifically, on October 29, 2018, the conspiracy members drove Victim 1 back to Maryland from Delaware where she continued to engage in commercial sex acts and provided all funds she was paid to the co-conspirators. After one commercial sex act, Victim 1 returned to the co-conspirators and gave them the money she had collected. Aldridge and Murphy yelled at Victim 1 for not making enough money. Fearing for her safety, Victim 1 attempted to escape by attempting to jump out of Aldridge’s moving car. Aldridge then removed her belt and another co-conspirator put it around Victim 1’s neck to prevent her from escaping. Murphy then contacted Lankford and informed him of Victim 1’s escape attempt. Subsequently, Aldridge, Lankford, and the other conspiracy members drove to railroad tracks in a dark and remote location where Aldridge and her co-conspirators physically assaulted Victim 1 with Aldridge’s belt to maintain her compliance.
After assaulting Victim 1, Aldridge and her co-conspirators transported Victim 1 to a motel in which Victim 1 was prohibited from wearing clothes for the remainder of the evening. Victim 1 was also forced to take a cold shower to cause her to suffer. Later that night, the co-conspirators drafted a sex acts sheet which listed acts that the victim would be required to perform for customers moving forward. The sex acts sheet was later recovered pursuant to a search warrant of the motel room.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on the morning of October 30, 2018, Victim 1 accessed Aldridge’s cell phone and called 911. Upon arrival at the motel room, Murphy opened the door for Delaware State police troopers. Troopers saw Victim 1 standing behind Murphy and Victim 1 began indicating that she was in distress. The three conspirators were then detained.
Report suspected instances of human trafficking and sex trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the HSI Baltimore and Philadelphia offices, the Maryland State Police Department, the Federalsburg Police Department, and the Delaware State Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary W. Setzer and Leah Branch of the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution unit, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/human-trafficking and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Scranton Man Charged with Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ronald Halko, age 79, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was indicted on April 12, 2022, by a federal grand jury for tax evasion.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Halko attempted to evade payment of Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) taxes (the collecting of employment taxes by the IRS from the owners or corporate officers of a business that has failed to pay the employment taxes) in the approximate amount of $144,864.43 by concealing sources of income and other assets from the IRS.
The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Scott County Man Sentenced to 324 Months for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Georgetown, Ky., man, Phillip Christopher Abel, 36, was sentenced on Thursday, to 324 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, after previously pleading guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.
According to his Abel’s plea agreement, law enforcement received information that he was using Freenet, a peer-to-peer file sharing network to request files associated with the sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, law enforcement found at least 30 deleted photos of a pre-pubescent female in various sexual poses that were taken at Abel’s property. Abel admitted that he knowingly used the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the sexually explicit conduct.
Abel pleaded guilty in September 2021.
Under federal law, Abel must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life. In addition to his prison time, Abel is required to pay $15,000 in restitution.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky; and Michael D. Bosse, Chief of Police, Georgetown Police Department, announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HSI, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and Georgetown Police Department. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Russian Legislator and Two Staff Members Charged with Conspiring to Have U.S. Citizen Act as an Illegal Agent of the Russian Government in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Russian Legislator Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Babakov and Staff Members Aleksandr Nikolayevich Vorobev and Mikhail Alekseyevich Plisyuk, Allegedly Conspired to Violate U.S. Sanctions, Have a U.S. Citizen Act as an Illegal Agent of Russia, and Fraudulently Obtain Visas to Enter the U.S. in Furtherance of a Global Foreign Influence Scheme for the Russian Government
Three citizens of the Russian Federation (Russia) are charged in an indictment, which was unsealed today, with conspiring to use an agent of Russia in the United States without prior notice to the Attorney General, conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and conspiring to commit visa fraud.
According to court documents, beginning in or around January 2012 through at least June 2017, Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Babakov, 59; Aleksandr Nikolayevich Vorobev, 52; and Mikhail Alekseyevich Plisyuk, 58, operated an international foreign influence and disinformation network to advance the interests of Russia.
“The indictment alleges that a high-ranking Putin-aligned legislator and his closest staffers, all three of whom are sanctioned, engaged in a global campaign to influence and gain access to U.S. elected officials,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department will not hesitate to prosecute those who seek to covertly influence the American political process and evade U.S. sanctions.”
“Russian legislator Aleksandr Babakov and two of his staffers allegedly orchestrated a covert Russian propaganda campaign in the United States in order to advance Russia’s malevolent political designs against Ukraine and other countries, including the United States.,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s indictment demonstrates that Russia’s illegitimate actions against Ukraine extend beyond the battlefield, as political influencers under Russia’s control allegedly plotted to steer geopolitical change in Russia’s favor through surreptitious and illegal means in the United States and elsewhere in the West. Such malign foreign interference will be exposed, and we will pursue justice against its perpetrators.”
“This FBI investigation highlights the lengths the Russian government will go to undermine our rule of law,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI is committed to protecting the United States from foreign malign influence and upholding the sanctions in place to keep our democracy safe.”
As alleged in the indictment, Babakov, a member of the Russian legislature, Vorobev, his Chief of Staff, and Plisyuk, another member of Babakov’s staff, used a nonprofit organization based in Russia, the Institute for International Integration Studies, as a front for this global foreign influence campaign to advance Russia’s foreign policy objectives. Through these operations aimed at influencing the course of international affairs, the defendants worked to weaken U.S. partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions and promote Russia’s illicit actions designed to destroy the sovereignty of Ukraine. The defendants schemed to affect U.S. policy towards Russia through staged events, paid propaganda and the recruitment of at least one American citizen (CC-1) to do their bidding in an unofficial capacity and without notice to the Attorney General, as required by law. In pursuit of these goals, the defendants sought to co-opt U.S. and European politicians and to influence public opinion in their favor, using American and European citizens as their proxies to validate them, bring them access to power, evade sanctions and obscure their true objective to advance Russia’s foreign policy.
Among other things, the defendants contacted members of the U.S. Congress from 2012 into 2017 to seek meetings and to offer free travel to at least one Congressmember on behalf of Babakov, as well as other foreign officials aligned and associated with Babakov. For example, in 2012, at the direction of the defendants, CC-1 sought to secure a meeting for Babakov with multiple members of Congress, including by offering an “all expenses paid” trip to a particular Congressmember to meet with European politicians and receive “an award.” Congressmembers rebuffed these efforts.
In March 2017, the defendants sought to arrange a meeting for Babakov with a member of the U.S. Congress in pursuit of the objective of “strengthen[ing] the ties of cooperation between” Russia and the United States. To secure that meeting, the defendants, through CC-1, transmitted a letter drafted by CC-1 and signed by Babakov to a particular Congressmember.
Also in March 2017, the defendants contacted at least one member of the U.S. Congress to offer free travel to a Babakov-affiliated conference in Yalta, part of Russia-controlled Crimea, as a service to benefit the purported “Prime Minister of Crimea,” Sergey Aksyonov. Aksyonov was organizing and attending the conference, and had been sanctioned by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as a Specially Designated National (SDN) since 2014 based on his role in actions and policies threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine. The defendants worked together and with their associates to organize, facilitate and promote the Yalta conference, including by soliciting Americans to attend and present at the conference and receive funding from Aksyonov’s organizing committee, for the benefit of Akysonov and his Russia-backed purported government of Crimea. The Congressmember did not accept the offer.
In connection with these foreign influence activities, the defendants also submitted fraudulent visa applications in February 2017 seeking to travel to the United States under the false pretense of each traveling alone for a “vacation,” when in fact they planned to conduct unofficial meetings with U.S. politicians and advisors to further their influence objectives. In June 2017, OFAC sanctioned the three defendants as SDNs. The defendants’ visa applications were ultimately denied in January 2018, disrupting the defendants’ planned meetings in the United States.
Babakov currently serves as the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian legislature. From approximately September 2014 to October 2021, Babakov served as a member of the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian legislature, and therefore had the title of Senator. From approximately 2003 to 2014, Babakov served as a member of the State Duma, where he held prominent roles such as Chair of the State Duma Commission on Legislative Provisions for Development of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation. In or around 2011, Babakov joined the United Russia party, which is the political party of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On or around June 17, 2012, Putin appointed Babakov to be the Russian Federation’s Special Representative for Cooperation with Organizations Representing Russians Living Abroad. Babakov has become a leader in the “For Truth” party formed in or about 2021, which supports Putin. At all times relevant to the indictment, Vorobev has held the position of Chief of Staff for Babakov, and Plisyuk has served on Babakov’s staff.
Babakov, Vorobev and Plisyuk are charged with one count of conspiring to have a U.S. citizen act as a Russian agent in the United States without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiring to commit visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly J. Ravener and Kyle A. Wirshba for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
On March 2, the Attorney General announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The task force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This press release has been modified to reflect precise statutory language.
Russian Legislator and Two Staff Members Charged with Conspiring to Have A U.S. Citizen Act as an Illegal Agent of the Russian Government in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging ALEKSANDR MIKHAYLOVICH BABAKOV, ALEKSANDR NIKOLAYEVICH VOROBEV, and MIKHAIL ALEKSEYEVICH PLISYUK, citizens of the Russian Federation (“Russia”), with conspiring to act in the United States as an illegal agent of Russia, conspiring to violate United States sanctions, and conspiring to commit visa fraud. BABAKOV, a Deputy Chairman in the Russian legislature, VOROBEV, and PLISYUK are based in Russia and remain at large.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Russian legislator Aleksandr Babakov and two of his staffers allegedly orchestrated a covert Russian propaganda campaign in the U.S. in order to advance Russia’s malevolent political designs against Ukraine and other countries, including the U.S. Today’s indictment demonstrates that Russia’s illegitimate actions against Ukraine extend beyond the battlefield, as political influencers under Russia’s control allegedly plotted to steer geopolitical change in Russia’s favor through surreptitious and illegal means in the U.S. and elsewhere in the West. Such malign foreign interference will be exposed, and we will pursue justice against its perpetrators.”
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said: “The indictment alleges that a high-ranking Putin-aligned legislator and his closest staffers, all three of whom are sanctioned, engaged in a global campaign to influence and gain access to U.S. elected officials. The Department will not hesitate to prosecute those who seek to covertly influence the American political process and evade U.S. sanctions.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “Beginning as far back as 2012, Aleksandr Babakov, an oligarch who has served as a leader in the Russian legislature along with two of his deputies, operated a nonprofit organization as a subterfuge for an international foreign influence and disinformation network to advance the interests of the Russian Government. As alleged, Babakov sought to undermine Western sanctions - including those imposed against him - promote Russia’s illicit actions designed to destroy Ukrainian sovereignty, and co-opt and cultivate relationships with U.S. politicians to advance Russia’s malign foreign policy objectives. Today’s action demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to the identification and disruption of Russian Government schemes to target the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
Beginning in or around January 2012 and continuing into at least June 2017, Babakov, a member of the Russian legislature, Vorobev, his Chief of Staff, and Plisyuk, another member of Babakov’s staff, operated an international foreign influence and disinformation network to advance the interests of Russia. The defendants used a nonprofit organization based in Russia, the “Institute for International Integration Studies,” as a front for this global foreign influence campaign to advance Russia’s foreign policy objectives. Through these operations aimed at influencing the course of international affairs, the defendants worked to weaken U.S. partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions, and promote Russia’s illicit actions designed to destroy the sovereignty of Ukraine. The defendants schemed to affect U.S. policy towards Russia through staged events, paid propaganda, and the recruitment of at least one American citizen (“CC-1”) to do their bidding in unofficial capacities. In pursuit of these goals, the defendants sought to co-opt U.S. and European politicians and to influence public opinion in their favor, using American and European citizens as their proxies in an effort to validate them, bring them access to power, evade sanctions, and obscure their true objective to advance Russia’s foreign policy.
Among other things, the defendants contacted members of the U.S. Congress from 2012 into 2017 to seek meetings and to offer free travel to at least one Congressmember on behalf of BABAKOV, as well as other foreign officials aligned and associated with BABAKOV. For example, in 2012, at the direction of the defendants, CC-1 sought to secure a meeting for BABAKOV with multiple members of Congress, including by offering a trip to a particular Congressmember “all expenses paid” to meet with European politicians and receive “an award.” Congressmembers rebuffed these efforts.
In March 2017, the defendants sought to arrange a meeting for BABAKOV with a member of the U.S. Congress in pursuit of the objective of “strengthen[ing] the ties of cooperation between” Russia and the United States. To secure that meeting, the defendants, through CC-1, transmitted a letter drafted by CC-1 and signed by BABAKOV to a particular Congressmember.
Also in March 2017, the defendants contacted at least one member of the U.S. Congress to offer free travel to a BABAKOV-affiliated conference in Yalta, part of Russia-controlled Crimea, as a service to benefit the purported “Prime Minister of Crimea,” Sergey Aksyonov, who was organizing and attending the conference, and had been sanctioned by the United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) as a Specially Designated National since 2014 based on his role in actions and policies threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine. The defendants worked together and with their associates to organize, facilitate, and promote the Yalta conference, including by soliciting Americans to attend and present at the conference and receive funding from Aksyonov’s organizing committee, for the benefit of Akysonov and his Russia-backed purported government of Crimea. The Congressmember did not accept the offer.
In connection with these foreign influence activities, the defendants also submitted fraudulent visa applications in February 2017 seeking to travel to the United States under the false pretense of each traveling alone for a “vacation,” when in fact they planned to conduct unofficial meetings with U.S. politicians and advisors to further their influence objectives. In June 2017, OFAC sanctioned the three defendants as Specially Designated Nationals. The defendants’ visa applications were ultimately denied in January 2018, disrupting the defendants’ planned meetings in the U.S.
BABAKOV currently serves as the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian legislature. From approximately September 2014 to October 2021, BABAKOV served as a member of the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian legislature, and therefore had the title of “Senator.” From approximately 2003 to 2014, BABAKOV served as a member of the State Duma, where he held prominent roles such as Chair of the State Duma Commission on Legislative Provisions for Development of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation. In or about 2011, BABAKOV joined the United Russia party, which is the political party of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On or about June 17, 2012, Putin appointed BABAKOV to be the Russian Federation’s Special Representative for Cooperation with Organizations Representing Russians Living Abroad. BABAKOV has become a leader in the “For Truth” party formed in or about 2021, which supports Putin. At all times relevant to the Indictment, VOROBEV has held the position of Chief of Staff for BABAKOV, and PLISYUK has served on BABAKOV’s staff.
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BABAKOV, 59, VOROBEV, 52, and PLISYUK, 58, of Russia, are charged with one count of conspiring to have a U.S. citizen act as an illegal agent in the United States for Russia and Russian officials without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiring to commit visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, and thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, for their assistance.
On March 2, 2022, the Attorney General announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The task force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly J. Ravener and Kyle A. Wirshba are in charge of the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The charges in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
This press release has been modified to reflect precise statutory language
Registered Sex Offender Arrested on Charges of Possession and Distribution of Child PornographyRead 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 John Fadden, 48, of Savona, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography by an individual who has a prior conviction involving the sexual abuse of a child. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that in March 2021, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received two cybertip reports from Yahoo! Inc. that in February and March, 2021, user [email protected] uploaded approximately 185 image files of suspected child pornography. In October 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Fadden’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices and storage media. A forensic analysis recovered more than 100 files of child pornography on a Sandisk thumb drive.
Fadden is a Level 3 registered sex offender. He was convicted in 1991, 1992, and 2001 of Sexual Abuse 1st: Sexual Contact with Individual Less Than 11 Years Old. In 2013, Fadden was convicted of Sex Offender Fail to Report Change of Address/Status In 10 Days.
The indictment is a result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski.
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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Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Raleigh County man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Joshua Radcliffe, 39, of Shady Spring, admitted that he used a Cobray Model D, .45/.410-caliber Derringer pistol to rob the Shop Rite convenience store in Shady Spring, Raleigh County, on December 1, 2021. Law enforcement officers found the firearm in his residence on December 6, 2021.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Radcliffe was aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his August 2019 felony conviction in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia for conspiracy to use firearms in a drug trafficking crime.
Radcliffe is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department for their work in the investigation.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is 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-62.
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Postal Service Letter Carrier Pleads Guilty to Stealing MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JAVONTE RICHARD, age 29, of New Orleans, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to Theft of Mail by a Postal Service employee in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709.
According to court documents, the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”) received complaints from the public concerning missing parcels received by the Johnson Post Office in Metairie, that were later determined to be entrusted to RICHARD. On November 14, 2019, USPS-OIG Special Agents placed a package in the mail to be processed and delivered by RICHARD while on her route. The item was a mail package addressed to a fictitious person and address from another fictitious person and address. While on her route, RICHARD opened the package. Shortly after, USPS-OIG Special Agents stopped RICHARD and observed her retaping the package. RICHARD later admitted to opening the package and removing it from the mail.
RICHARD faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. United States Chief District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown has set sentencing for July 21, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Office of the Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
Postal Contractor Charged with Mail TheftRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Anthony Collier, Jr., age 39, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on mail theft charges.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on November 2, 2021, Collier took mail packages intended to be delivered through the U.S. Postal Service to victims located in Charlotte, North Carolina and Maryland. Collier was acting as a contractor responsible for transporting mail. The value of the items taken were in excess of $10,000.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Penbrook Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court
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Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years in Prison for Stealing Nearly $1 Million in PPP FundsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Devron Brown, 50, formerly of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $939,350 restitution by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney for his involvement in a scheme to unlawfully obtain and misuse loan proceeds offered through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to eleven felony counts: two counts of bank fraud and attempted bank fraud, and nine counts of money laundering in connection with fraudulently obtaining approximately $937,500 in PPP loan proceeds by making false representations regarding his alleged construction business, Just Us Construction, Inc. Brown made multiple false characterizations about the business, including the number of employees, the wages paid to them, the payroll taxes paid on those wages, and the intended use of the PPP loan proceeds. Brown then used those PPP loan proceeds for personal and unauthorized purchases, including a new residential property in Florida, a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle, a luxury automobile, and diamond jewelry. The defendant also caused a second fraudulent PPP loan application to be submitted for approximately the same amount in early 2021, but that application was denied.
“Paycheck Protection Program funds are intended to help American small-businesses continue paying their employees, even if revenues have dropped dramatically due to the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Thieves who attempt to take these funds are taking advantage of others’ misfortune – ripping them off while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund the program. Here, the defendant fraudulently obtained nearly $1 million in funds that could have helped struggling businesses and individuals, and instead spent the money on indulgences for himself.”
“Cars, diamond rings, a house — Devron Brown must’ve thought he hit the jackpot when he got that PPP money,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “We’re talking about a program created to keep businesses and employees afloat amid a pandemic battering our economy. The FBI simply won’t stand for opportunists thinking they can defraud the federal government, live large, and get away with it. We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone foolish enough to do so.”
“Joseph Whitbeck, former Vice President of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 274, betrayed the trust of the members he served by engaging in a kickback scheme involving the solicitation of cash payments from letter carriers who he assisted in obtaining monetary grievance settlements from the United States Postal Service. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards to investigate union officials who exploit their members for personal benefit,” said Syreeta Scott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Deal.
Peekskill Man Who Identifies as an “Incel” or “Involuntary Celibate” Is Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Stalking, Threatening, and Harassing Multiple VictimsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that DAVID KAUFMAN, a/k/a “David Khalifa,” a/k/a “John Morray,” a/k/a “Big Man,” a self-identified “Incel,” was sentenced to 30 months in prison, after pleading guilty to stalking multiple victims between October 2019 and August 2020. U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “David Kaufman, a self-described ‘Incel,’ or ‘Involuntary Celibate,’ expressed his hatred of women by terrorizing and harassing his victims though threats of violence. The Court’s sentence sends a clear message to the public that perpetrators of violence against women will be held accountable for their crimes.”
According to the Complaint, Indictment, other documents in the public record, as well as statements made in public court proceedings:
KAUFMAN self-identifies as an “Incel” or “Involuntary Celibate,” which refers to a group of domestic extremists who adhere to a violent and misogynist ideology of male supremacy. Incels believe they are entitled to sex with women and to women’s bodies, and they blame women for refusing to have sex with them. Incels have an active online community and over the last eight years, Incels also have committed acts of violence against women around the world, including in the United States. For example, in 2014, a self-proclaimed Incel named Elliot Rodger declared a “War on Women” and killed six people and injured fourteen others near a college campus in California. Prior to these attacks, Rodger posted a video manifesto online, in which he explained that he planned his attack to punish women for rejecting him and for depriving him of sex, and to punish sexually active men because he envied them.
In or about 2019 and 2020, KAUFMAN harassed, threatened, and stalked numerous victims. In or about February 2019, KAUFMAN sent a bomb, rape, and death threat to a female victim. A few months later, beginning in or about October 2019, KAUFMAN sent two victims (“Victim-1” and “Victim-2”), among others, violent and threatening messages using over 50 social media accounts. In these messages, KAUFMAN self-identified as an Incel, expressed his hatred of women, and threatened to commit acts of violence. For example:
- On or about June 24, 2020, KAUFMAN sent the following message to Victim-1: “Hey wanna hear a joke? What’s worse than 10 Stacy’s nailed to one tree? One Stacy nailed to ten trees [laughing crying face emoji].” “Stacy” is an Incel term that refers to an attractive female who rejects or refuses to have sex with an Incel, is hated by Incels, and is targeted by Incels for harassment, vitriol, humiliation, and violence.
- On or about June 29, 2020, KAUFMAN sent a series of messages to Victim-2. These messages included an image of one of Elliot Rodger’s victims, a deceased female who had been stabbed to death, accompanied by the following message: “This is what happened when a woman said ‘no’ to Elliot Rodger . . . . Hopefully [Victim-1] never said no to someone just like Elliot Rodger.”
- In or about July 2020, KAUFMAN posted the following messages: “Don’t piss off BIG MAN” and “When [Victim-1] and I are dead, we’ll be in heaven together forever.”
- On or about July 11, 2020, KAUFMAN sent the following message to Victim-1: “Women have done nothing but spit in my face. Soon I’ll be getting a gun.”
- On or about July 12, 2020, KAUFMAN posted the following messages: “A beautiful environment is the darkest hell, if you have to experience it all alone . . . –Elliot Rodger” and “I don’t think [Victim-1] will be laughing too much later on."
KAUFMAN also created social media accounts using the first and last names of Victim-1 and Victim-2, respectively, and impersonated Victim-1 and Victim-2 online.
In the summer of 2020, law enforcement officers approached KAUFMAN and told him to stop harassing Victim-1 and Victim-2. On or about July 14, 2020, KAUFMAN was arrested on state criminal charges and an order of protection was issued in Westchester County prohibiting KAUFMAN from, among other things, communicating or contacting Victim-1 or Victim-2.
Notwithstanding the court order of protection, state charges, and multiple warnings by law enforcement, KAUFMAN continued to harass, threaten, and stalk Victim-1 and Victim-2 until he was federally charged and arrested in August 2020. KAUFMAN also conducted online surveillance of Victim-1’s residence and researched how to illegally purchase a gun and assemble a semi-automatic rifle.
* * *
In addition to the prison sentence, KAUFMAN, 28, of Peekskill, New York, was sentenced to 3 years supervised release, with first six months of home detention, the conditions of which include orders of protection prohibiting KAUFMAN from, among other things, contacting certain victims and their family members.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York State Police, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Cortlandt County Police Department, the Stamford Police Department, the Peekskill Police Department, the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance and cooperation.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Kim is in charge of the prosecution.
Paroled Murderer Arrested on Production of Child PornographyRead 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 Israel Rivera-Reyes, 48, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in March 1995, Rivera was convicted of Murder 2nd Degree: With Intent and sentenced to serve five years to life in prison. Rivera was released in August 2006 on New York State Parole. Rivera’s parole was subsequently revoked in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He was most recently re-paroled on March 14, 2019.
On April 7, 2022, the Irondequoit Police Department received a referral from Child Protective Services (CPS), which stated that Rivera had sexual intercourse with Minor Victim 1 on multiple occasions. At the time, Rivera was approximately 47 years old and Minor Victim 1 was 16 years old. The complaint states that Rivera also sent nude pictures and videos to Minor Victim 1’s phone. A search of Minor Victim 1’s recovered multiple sexually explicit videos. On April 13, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Rivera’s Norcrest Drive residence in Rochester, during which investigators seized Rivera’s cell phone. Rivera was taken into custody at that time.
The complaint is a result of an investigation by the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Alan Laird, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Sandra Doorley.
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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Owner and Operator of Arlington Insurance Agency Convicted by Federal Jury of Stealing Government BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner and operator of an Arlington-based insurance agency has been convicted by a federal jury in Boston of fraudulently receiving disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Patrick Quinn, 50, of Arlington, was convicted on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, following a six-day jury trial of two counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Aug. 17, 2022. Quinn was arrested and charged in December 2019.
Since January 2012, Quinn stole more than $420,000 in veteran benefits and Social Security benefits by falsely telling the VA and SSA that he was unable to work due to a disability, when in reality, he owned and operated Quinn Insurance Group, Inc.
In October 1995, shortly after being discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, Quinn applied and was approved for disability compensation benefits with the VA based on a series of physical injuries and, later, post-traumatic stress disorder. In March 2005, Quinn applied for Individual Unemployability (IU) benefits with the VA, which is paid to individuals who are unable to maintain substantially gainful employment as a result of their service-connected disabilities. In the application, Quinn claimed that his PTSD prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation and that he had become too disabled to work. In support of his application, Quinn submitted a letter from his purported final employer, Insurance Management Consultants, Inc., claiming Quinn was let go due to his erratic behavior and was no longer employed at the firm. While receiving IU benefits, Quinn completed and returned four VA employment questionnaires, in each of which he attested he had not worked during the previous year.
Similarly, in November 2005, Quinn applied and was approved for Disability Insurance Benefits with Social Security, this time claiming he had become unable to work due to his disabling condition in September 2004. In June 2006, Quinn applied for Child’s Insurance Benefits, which are paid to the dependent of a disabled individual receiving Disability Insurance Benefits, on behalf of his minor child. Social Security beneficiaries are obligated to report if they return to work to the SSA. In May 2018, Quinn reported to the SSA that he had not worked since May 2006. The SSA continued to pay benefits to Quinn and his son based on this report.
Evidence presented at trial established that Quinn was self-employed as the owner and operator of his own insurance agency, Shannon Francis & Quinn Insurance, which later became Quinn Insurance Group, Inc, since at least March 2003 – contrary to his claims to the VA and SSA. Quinn also served as the President, Treasurer, Secretary and Director of Insurance Management Consultants, Inc. from 2000 through 2007, despite telling the VA and SSA that the company fired him in 2005. While operating his own insurance company, Quinn regularly received payments ranging in amounts of $6,500 to $15,000 and grew his business significantly through acquisitions of nine smaller insurance companies at various times between 2012 through 2019. Further evidence established that Quinn was appointed by 65 insurance companies to conduct business on their behalf and renewed his insurance producer license on numerous occasions.
The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of making a false statement provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; and Sharon MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
Orono Man Sentenced for Possessing Unregistered Short-Barreled RifleRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Orono man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Louis J. Dettling, 27, to time served (nine months) and two years of supervised release. Dettling pleaded guilty on December 2, 2021.
According to court records, on March 2, 2021, Dettling was pulled over by the Holden Police Department and arrested on state charges of terrorizing and criminal trespass. A subsequent inventory search of Dettling’s vehicle revealed a short-barreled rifle that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Federal law prohibits the possession of a rifle having a barrel length of less than 16 inches unless that weapon is registered to the possessor in the NFRTR.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office; and the Holden Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.
Niskayuna Man Arrested for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Aaron Griesche, age 39, of Niskayuna, New York, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with receiving child pornography, announced 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).
The complaint alleges that Griesche used his laptop to download child pornography, which he later transferred to a USB storage device. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge against Griesche carries a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Griesche would also have to register as a sex offender if convicted.
Griesche appeared today for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart and was ordered detained pending further proceedings.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia 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.
New York Man Indicted for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A New York man was arraigned today in the Eastern District of New York on charges of tax evasion.
According to the April 8 indictment, from 2009 to 2014, David Seruya, of Brooklyn, was a shareholder of a New Jersey-based home warranty business. In 2014, Seruya allegedly entered into a buyout agreement whereby he agreed to sell his shares of stock back to the business and exit the company. In exchange for his stock shares, the home warranty company allegedly agreed to pay Seruya a total of more than $4.1 million, which included a lump sum payment and installment payments spread out over 24 months. The indictment charges that on his 2014 through 2016 tax returns, Seruya underreported income he received from the sale of his stock. Indeed, Seruya allegedly provided false and incomplete income information to his return preparer for each of those years. In total, Seruya’s tax evasion allegedly caused a loss to the IRS of more than $250,000.
If convicted, Seruya faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of three counts of tax evasion. 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, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York and Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins of IRS-Criminal Investigation Newark Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Shawn Noud of the Tax Division and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Silane for the Eastern District of New York 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.
New Haven Man Charged with Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging NELSON SANTINI, 27, of New Haven, with one count of distribution of 40 grams or more fentanyl.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on August 13, 2021, members of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force made a controlled purchase of approximately 50 grams of fentanyl from Santini.
If convicted of the charge, Santini faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.
Santini has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on April 6, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and Robert S. Ruff.
Morgan City Woman Pleads Guilty in Staged Automobile Collision SchemeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that GILDA HENDERSON (“HENDERSON”), age 69, of Morgan City, pled guilty on April 13, 2022 to Count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. In pleading guilty to Count 1, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years’ imprisonment; a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years; and a fine of up to $250,000.00, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Today’s guilty plea bring the total number of defendants convicted in Operation Sideswipe to thirty-six (36).
According to court documents, HENDERSON falsely claimed that she was a passenger in a car that was struck by a tractor-trailer on May 11, 2017. In fact, the defendant conspired with Damian Labeaud (“Labeaud”), Mario Solomon (“Solomon”), and others to intentionally collide with a tractor-trailer in the area of Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road in New Orleans. After the intentional collision, HENDERSON filed a fraudulent lawsuit claiming that the tractor-trailer was at fault and lied in a deposition. This scheme caused the insurance company for the tractor-trailer to pay over $140,000.00 in settlement funds for the May 11, 2017 collision. The Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing in this matter for July 27, 2022.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni; Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Rivera; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Long.
Monroe County Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Terrance Tyson, age 45, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on April 12, 2022, before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, to bank robbery. Judge Mariani ordered that a presentence investigation take place. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Tyson admitted robbing the NBT Bank located in East Stroudsburg, on September 24, 2019. Tyson stole approximately $5,226.
The charges against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Stroud Area Regional Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Under federal law, Tyson faces a maximum sentence of up to twenty years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Monmouth County Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Gun Trafficking Conspiracy and Distribution of CocaineRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing cocaine in Monmouth County and conspiring to illegally sell firearms, including multiple handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Enrique Quijada, 25, of Freehold, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking, one count of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States, and one count of distribution of cocaine. Judge Thompson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2020 through September 2020, Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria, Waldin Espinosa-Ozoria, Enrique Quijada, Javier Rodriguez-Valpais, and Jacquelyn DeJesus were members of a gun trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Florida to New Jersey. DeJesus allegedly assisted Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria – the alleged leader of the conspiracy – by acting as a “straw purchaser” of firearms in Florida. Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria and DeJesus then transported the firearms from Florida to Monmouth County, where members of the conspiracy, including Quijada, sold the firearms to individuals working at the direction and supervision of the FBI. Rodriguez-Valpais sold a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle to Quijada, who in turn sold the rifle to an individual working at the direction and supervision of the FBI. In addition to gun trafficking, Quijada admitted selling cocaine to an individual working at the direction and supervision of the FBI.
Three other members of the gun trafficking conspiracy – Javier Rodriguez-Valpais, Waldin Espinosa-Ozoria, and Jacquelyn DeJesus – previously have pleaded guilty in connection with this case. The charges against Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria remain pending.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Thompson sentenced Quijada to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the FBI Tampa Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark and Tampa Field Divisions, and the Freehold Borough, New Jersey, police department for their assistance in the investigation.
In July 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Leveraging existing resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C. According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in the New York/northern New Jersey area originate from outside the area. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in the New York/northern New Jersey area with their counterparts in those other locations.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
For the defendant whose charges remain pending, the charges and allegations are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Michigan Doctor to Pay $775,000 to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
A gynecologic oncologist, Vinay K. Malviya M.D., has agreed to pay $775,000 to resolve claims he violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of false claims for payment to federal health care programs related to alleged medically unnecessary surgical procedures that he performed.
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that, from Feb. 1, 2011, through June 30, 2017, Dr. Malviya knowingly submitted false claims for payment to federal health care programs related to (1) radical hysterectomies and modified radical hysterectomies that Dr. Malviya performed when only simple hysterectomies were medically necessary; (2) chemotherapy services that Dr. Malviya administered or ordered that were in excess of what was medically necessary; and (3) evaluation and management services by Dr. Malviya that were not performed or not rendered as represented. In August 2021, Ascension Michigan and related hospitals agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of false claims for payment to federal health care programs related to alleged medically unnecessary procedures performed by Dr. Malviya.
“Every day, patients rely on their doctors’ medical judgment to determine what type of medical care is reasonable and necessary,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue doctors who knowingly abuse this trust and subject their patients to unnecessary treatments or procedures.”
“This settlement should put health care providers on notice that we will seek to hold those responsible who profit from providing services to patients that are more aggressive than medically necessary,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “This office will use all available resources to protect the integrity of our nation’s health care systems.”
As part of the settlement, Dr. Malviya agreed to be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal health care programs for a period of three years. During that time, federal health care programs will not pay anyone for items or services, including administrative and management services, furnished, ordered or prescribed by Dr. Malviya in any capacity.
“The submission of false claims for medically unnecessary procedures improperly diverts funds needed to care for the most vulnerable while increasing the financial burden on taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Along with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who cause fraudulent claims to be submitted to federal health care programs.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought by Pamela Satchwell, Dawn Kasdorf and Bethany Silva-Gomez under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under these provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Satchwell v. Ascension Health, No. 17-CV-12315 (E.D. Mich.). Relators will receive a combined payment in the amount $147,250.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the U.S. Defense Health Agency, Office of Program Integrity.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Denise Barnes of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell-Harbin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Meriden Woman Who Embezzled More Than $400K is SentencedRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CRYSTAL KLATT, 36, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 12 months and one day imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for embezzling more than $400,000 from her employer’s clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Klatt was employed as an office manager by a property management company located in Hamden. Clients of the property management company would allow the company access to their bank accounts in order to allow the management company to make payments on behalf of the respective client. Klatt had access to the client’s bank accounts as part of her job responsibilities. Between approximately December 2014 and January 2021, Klatt diverted $446,859.82 from the bank accounts of at least 14 clients to pay her personal credit card charges.
Judge Hall ordered Klatt to pay full restitution.
On December 21, 2021, Klatt pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Klatt, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 2.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, Hamden Police Department and Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
Man Receives Ten Year Prison Sentence for His Role in Prescription Drug Scheme Involving Montgomery PhysicianRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – On April 11, 2022, Garren Charles Rogers, 36, of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in organizing a prescription drug scheme in Montgomery, Alabama, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. Rogers’s prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, Rogers was part of a conspiracy involving numerous others to obtain illegitimate and unlawful prescriptions for oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. These prescriptions were signed by a Montgomery physician, Dr. D’Livro Lemat Beauchamp, who received payment from organizers of the conspiracy, including Rogers, for each unlawful prescription he signed. In addition to receiving their own prescriptions, the organizers distributed prescriptions through various means to other co-conspirators whose names appeared on the prescriptions. In many cases, the prescriptions signed by Dr. Beauchamp were obtained by co-conspirators through Rogers and other organizers or managers without the co-conspirators actually going to Beauchamp’s office. After the co-conspirators filled their prescriptions for oxycodone, they gave the pills to Rogers or one of the other organizers or managers to distribute and collected payment for filling their prescriptions. The scheme operated from 2012 until in or around April 2020. In total, Rogers and the co-conspirators he organized illegally acquired approximately 41,430 30-milligram oxycodone tablets, which is equal to 1,243,700 milligrams of the drug. Rogers pleaded guilty to conspiring to unlawfully possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone on August 30, 2021.
For his part in the scheme, Dr. Beauchamp pleaded guilty on October 20, 2020, to the same offense. Another one of the organizers, Deandre Varnel Gross, pleaded guilty to the same offense on March 30, 2021. Dr. Beauchamp’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 14, 2022, and Gross’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 12, 2022.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad investigated this case, with assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Shelby County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross, Alice S. LaCour, and B. Chelsea Phillips are prosecuting the case.
Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JOSEPH REED, age 35, of New Orleans, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to Bank Robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).
According to court documents, on October 9, 2021, REED attempted to rob the Chase Bank in New Orleans, Louisiana. REED entered the bank on foot and slipped a note underneath the protective glass. The victim teller was unable to dispense the cash requested by the suspect. The suspect then removed his phone from his pocket and appeared to try and take a photograph of the victim teller.
REED faces a maximum of twenty (20) years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. United States Chief District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown has set sentencing for July 21, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force as well as officers with the New Orleans Police Department and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Maestri is handling the prosecution.
Local felon admits to smuggling nearly 100 in trailerRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old Desoto man has entered a guilty plea to alien smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Dedrick Lindell Coleman pleaded guilty to smuggling 95 non-U.S. citizens in a trailer.
As part of his plea, Coleman admitted that on Jan. 14, he approached the Interstate Highway 35 Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located on mile marker 29 while driving a tractor trailer. A K-9 unit alerted authorities to the presence of concealed humans and referred him to secondary inspection.
There, authorities found a total of 95 non-U.S. citizens hidden in the trailer. All were determined to be in the United States illegally. At the time of his arrest, authorities also discovered a pistol in Coleman’s possession.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing July 7. At that time, Cruz faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Coleman has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isaac is prosecuting the case.
KC Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine to distribute after trying to break into a car and a house.
Joel L. Redman, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 15, 2021, Redman pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Redman was arrested on Oct. 5, 2019, when Kansas City, Mo., police officers responded to a report of a suspicious prowler near 41st and Oak Street. A resident said Redman tried to get into their car, which was parked in front of their house, then came up to the house and pulled on the door handles. The door was locked and he did not get in. Redman was still near the house when police officers arrived.
Redman, who was sweating heavily and twitching, told officers he had recently smoked methamphetamine and was “tweaking pretty hard.” Redman was arrested for outstanding parole violation warrants from both paroles he was on in Missouri and Kansas. Officers searched Redman and found a clear plastic bag that contained 65 grams of pure methamphetamine. Officers also found a loaded Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol in Redman’s waistband. The pistol had been reported as stolen.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Redman has prior felony convictions for distributing heroin, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm, Marijuana TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers.
Jamahl D. Jones, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Co-defendant Michael D. Moore, 32, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2021, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jones and Moore were arrested on Aug. 17, 2020 following a brief standoff and foot chase. Officers who had been surveilling Moore followed him into a parking lot near 2310 E. 9th St., Kansas City, Mo., in order to arrest him on an outstanding state arrest warrant for robbery and armed criminal action. As officers drove into the parking lot with their red and blue lights flashing, Moore got out of Jones’s BMW SUV, took cover behind the vehicle, and drew a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol from his waistband. Moore pointed his firearm directly at police officers as he attempted to take a position of cover behind his vehicle. Moore fled as additional police cars entered the parking lot, throwing away his handgun. Moore then laid on the ground about 15 feet away from the firearm, and was taken into custody. Officers recovered the firearm, which was loaded with 16 live rounds in the 16-round high-capacity magazine and one live round in the chamber. Officers identified the firearm as having been reported stolen.
Jones, who was standing beside the vehicle as officers approached, was also detained. Officers found marijuana in Jones’s front shorts pocket. Inside the vehicle, officers found a Sadarius 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which contained a magazine and 16 live rounds of ammunition with a live round in the chamber. Officers also found a box that contained 18 live rounds of 9mm ammunition, a 9mm handgun magazine, and a small safe that contained a 9mm handgun magazine and approximately 123 grams of marijuana.
Co-defendant Keona L. Johnson, 28, pleaded guilty on Jan. 18, 2022, to making a straw purchase of the Sadarius 9mm semi-automatic handgun. She falsely told a federally licensed firearms dealer that she was the actual buyer, when in fact, she purchased the handgun for Jones on the day of his arrest.
Jones also admitted that he and Moore were involved in a robbery a few weeks prior to his arrest.
On July 21, 2020, Moore approached a man who was putting oil in his car outside a gas station on East 39th Street, Kansas City, Mo. Moore approached him with a gun and ordered him to “empty your pockets.” Moore and another man stole approximately $140 and fled the scene. On July 29, 2020, police officers stopped Jones, who was driving a BMW SUV that was identified as involved in the robbery. Officers found a Masterpiece Arms 9mm pistol with a high-capacity extended magazine inside the vehicle, as well as 146 grams of marijuana packaged in multiple individual baggies in the driver’s side floorboard. This incident is the basis for the specific charges to which Jones pleaded guilty today.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jones has two prior felony convictions for burglary, two prior felony convictions for tampering, and prior felony convictions for theft and possessing a controlled substance. Moore has a prior felony conviction for robbery.
Under federal statutes, Jones is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years in federal prison without parole, up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Moeder. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Operation LeGend
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Justice Department Secures Civil Rights Settlement Agreement Against South Carolina Department of Juvenile JusticeRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina today filed a complaint and settlement agreement with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice to resolve its investigation of the Broad River Road Complex in Columbia, South Carolina, the long-term residential facility for children in South Carolina’s juvenile justice system. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Corey Ellis for the District of South Carolina made the announcement.
The agreement resolves the department’s claims that the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice fails to protect children at the Broad River Road Complex from harm from staff and other children and uses prolonged isolation as punishment.
Under the agreement, the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice will make changes meant to increase safety at the Broad River Road Complex. These changes include changes to staffing patterns, the development of a positive behavior management program to reduce youth-on-youth violence and increased video surveillance. The agreement also requires the Department of Juvenile Justice to limit the use of force or restraints to exceptional circumstances and improve its investigation process.
In addition, the agreement requires the Department of Juvenile Justice to restrict the use of isolation to incidents where the child poses a serious and immediate danger to themselves or to others. Finally, the agreement appoints an independent subject matter expert to monitor the agreement and make recommendations to ensure the Department of Juvenile Justice’s compliance with the agreement.
“All children held in the custody of the state deserve safe and humane conditions, that can bring about rehabilitation and reform,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “This comprehensive settlement agreement will protect children held in the Broad River Road Complex from harm and the damaging impact of long-term isolation. We will continue working to safeguard the civil rights of children held in detention facilities across the county.”
“The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice is to be commended for its commitment to reforming the state’s juvenile detention facility and protecting children in custody,” said U.S. Attorney Corey Ellis for the District of South Carolina. “Today, the state has taken an important step in rectifying the unconstitutional conditions in its juvenile correctional facilities.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina initiated the investigation in October 2017. Today, the department provided written notice of the facts supporting its conclusion that employees at the Broad River Road Complex engage in a pattern of excessive force that harms children and violates their constitutional rights. In February 2020, the department also sent the Department of Juvenile Justice notice of its conclusions that it fails to protect children from harm from other children and engages in punitive, prolonged isolation. The agreement addresses both reports.
The Justice Department filed the complaint pursuant to provisions of 34 U.S.C. § 12601 covering “the incarceration of juveniles.” In addition, the Justice Department and South Carolina filed a joint motion requesting that the court retain jurisdiction to enforce the settlement agreement, if necessary.
The Civil Rights Division is committed to safeguarding the rights of children held in secure facilities across the country. For example, the division recently opened a statewide investigation of Texas’s secure juvenile facilities to examine whether Texas provides children confined in the facilities with adequate mental health care, reasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, and reasonable protection from excessive use of chemical restraints and isolation. In Connecticut, the division recently issued a report finding that the Manson Youth Institution’s isolation practices, inadequate mental health services and inadequate special education services violate children’s constitutional and federal rights.
The department encourages individuals who wish to share information about the Broad River Road Complex to contact the department at (844) 380-6166 or via email at [email protected]. The Civil Rights Division also has a Civil Rights Portal, where people can report when their civil rights have been violated, which is available at https://civilrights.justice.gov/. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Justice Department Releases Action Plan to Advance EquityRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today released its Equity Action Plan, in accordance with President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.
The Justice Department’s mission is to ensure equal justice under law. The Equity Action Plan builds on this mission by utilizing resources across the Department to advance equity for underserved communities nationwide. The Equity Action Plan focuses on prioritizing equity and increasing opportunity in five key areas: federal financial assistance, access to grants, language access, stakeholder engagement, and contracting and procurement.
Underserved communities, especially communities of color, experience higher rates of violent crime, especially hate crimes and gun violence, which have devastating effects on victims, their families, and their communities. Such violence affects Black youth, men, and women and other communities of color at disproportionate rates, and is highest in racially segregated, high poverty neighborhoods. The Department has dedicated substantial resources to combating violent crime and gun violence through both vigorous law enforcement efforts and significant investments in evidence-based community programs, such as community-based violence intervention, that can help disrupt violence and strengthen communities. The Equity Action Plan will use cross-departmental resources to aid communities that have experienced inequity, disparity, grief, and adversity, often attributed to violent crime.
“Improving access to Justice Department programs and services is critical to ensuring equal justice under law and promoting public safety,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department’s Equity Action Plan is designed to increase equity, opportunity, and resources to our most vulnerable communities.”
In order to address the key areas established in the Equity Action Plan, the Department has identified the following action items:
- Leverage federal funds provided by the Department to (a) encourage grantees to include equity considerations in the provision of federally funded services, (b) enhance data collection to identify and take action to address disparities in access to the Department’s programs or services based on demographic factors, and (c) better ensure that grantees are complying with non-discrimination mandates;
- Improve access to funding opportunities for organizations that are led by, or primarily serve, historically marginalized and underserved populations;
- Reduce language barriers that make it difficult for individuals with limited English proficiency to access Department programs or activities, communicate public safety concerns, or vindicate their rights;
- Improve the Department’s engagement with stakeholders in underserved communities and disadvantaged groups in order to establish enduring relationships with them and enhance the public’s awareness of the Department’s expansive mission and resources; and
- Increase opportunities for small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones to secure Department contracts.
Since Jan. 20, 2021, the Department has taken many steps to advance equity for marginalized communities, including by combating hate crimes and hate incidents, revitalizing the Community Relations Service, re-establishing the Office for Access to Justice, ensuring non-discrimination in federal grants, expanding language access, and reforming law enforcement practices. The Department’s Equity Action Plan will build on these ongoing efforts.
Jury Finds Tulsa Man Guilty of Drug, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A cocaine trafficker from Tulsa was convicted at trial of drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
After three days of trial and seven hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Dallas found Roberto Chairez, 33, guilty of one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to evidence presented at trial, in July 2020, Mr. Chairez negotiated the purchase of two kilograms of cocaine with another individual in Dallas in exchange for $58,000 in cash. Later that month, he drove from his home in Tulsa to Dallas to purchase the cocaine, renting a hotel room in Dallas for the night.
The morning of the intended purchase, he communicated again with the cocaine supplier, and began driving to the drug deal. On his way there, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, working in partnership with the DEA, stopped his car and found $58,000 hidden inside. The trooper also found a high-capacity firearm in Mr. Chairez’s center console.
“Drug trafficking and its frequent companion, drug-related violence, threaten the health and safety of every single one of us,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Dallas Field Division. “Mr. Chairez’s conviction holds him directly responsible for his intended actions and has undoubtedly saved lives, with a weapon off the streets and drugs that will never find a life to destroy.”
Mr. Chairez now faces up to life in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and John Kull prosecuted the case. Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn presided over trial.
Jury Convicts ISIS ‘Beatle’ for Role in Hostage-Taking Scheme that Resulted in the Deaths of American, British, and Japanese CitizensRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a militant fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, on all eight charges that were brought against him in the United States relating to his participation in a brutal hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria.
According to evidence presented during trial through the testimony of 35 witnesses, from November 2012 through February 7, 2015, former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, served as a high-ranking ISIS fighter and was an integral member of a wide-ranging conspiracy involving the captivity of 26 hostages in Syria. Elsheikh personally participated in the detention of and hostage negotiations for four American citizens – James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff, and Peter Edward Kassig – each of whom died as hostages in ISIS custody. In addition, Elsheikh personally participated in the detention of and hostage negotiations for British, French, Italian, Danish, German, Spanish, Swedish, Belgian, Swiss, and New Zealand nationals.
According to evidence presented during trial, Elsheikh and two other ISIS members supervised the terrorist organization’s jails and detention facilities at which the hostages were held. Elsheikh and his co-conspirators engaged in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages that was meant as an effort to subdue the hostages. These actions were also intended to compel the victims’ family members and their governments to pay large monetary ransoms for their release, in addition to compelling the U.S. government and other governments to agree to other terms and conditions for the victims’ return.
According to evidence presented during trial, in addition to physically and psychologically abusing the hostages, Elsheikh and his co-conspirators participated in forcibly exposing the hostages to the murder of other hostages held by ISIS, including a Russian hostage who was killed in or about February 2014 and a Syrian prisoner who was executed in or about April 2014. After a group of European hostages were forced to witness the execution of the Syrian prisoner, Elsheikh and his co-conspirators returned the hostages to the prison where they were being held with American and British hostages.
From August 2014 through October 2014, ISIS released videos depicting the beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning. In November 2014, ISIS released a video depicting the decapitated head of Peter Kassig. In January 2015, ISIS released videos depicting the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto. On or about February 7, 2015, Kayla Mueller’s family received an email from ISIS confirming Mueller’s death in Syria.
According to evidence presented during trial, Elsheikh was part of a group of ISIS members who spoke with British accents and were referred to by the hostages as the “Beatles.” He and his convicted co-conspirator, Alexanda Amon Kotey, 38, were captured together in January 2018 by the Syrian Democratic Forces as they attempted to escape Syria for Turkey. Mohammed Emwazi, who conducted the above-referenced videotaped beheadings, was killed in November 2015 in a U.S. military airstrike in Syria.
On September 2, 2021, Kotey pleaded guilty to all of the offenses charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in the eight-count indictment, consisting of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death; four counts of hostage taking resulting in the deaths of the four Americans (James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff, and Peter Kassig); one count of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens outside of the United States; one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists resulting in the deaths of U.S., British, and Japanese nationals; and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in the deaths of U.S., British, and Japanese nationals. Kotey faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2022. Valuable assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the United Kingdom Home Office.
Elsheikh faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2022.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its profound appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Counter Terrorism Command of the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and our many foreign partners for their dedicated commitment to assist the United States in seeking justice for all the victims of these crimes.
First Assistant United States Attorney Raj Parekh, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, John T. Gibbs, and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
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. 1:20-cr-239.
Jury Convicts ISIS ‘Beatle’ for Role in Hostage-Taking Scheme that Resulted in the Deaths of American, British and Japanese CitizensRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a militant fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, on all eight charges that were brought against him in the United States relating to his participation in a brutal hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria.
According to evidence presented during trial through the testimony of 35 witnesses, from November 2012 through Feb. 7, 2015, former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, served as a high-ranking ISIS fighter and was an integral member of a wide-ranging conspiracy involving the captivity of 26 hostages in Syria. Elsheikh personally participated in the detention of and hostage negotiations for four American citizens – James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig – each of whom died as hostages in ISIS custody. In addition, Elsheikh personally participated in the detention of and hostage negotiations for British, French, Italian, Danish, German, Spanish, Swedish, Belgian, Swiss and New Zealand nationals.
According to evidence presented during trial, Elsheikh and two other ISIS members supervised the terrorist organization’s jails and detention facilities at which the hostages were held. Elsheikh and his co-conspirators engaged in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages that was meant as an effort to subdue the hostages. These actions were also intended to compel the victims’ family members and their governments to pay large monetary ransoms for their release, in addition to compelling the U.S. government and other governments to agree to other terms and conditions for the victims’ return.
According to evidence presented during trial, in addition to physically and psychologically abusing the hostages, Elsheikh and his co-conspirators participated in forcibly exposing the hostages to the murder of other hostages held by ISIS, including a Russian hostage who was killed in or about February 2014 and a Syrian prisoner who was executed in or about April 2014. After a group of European hostages were forced to witness the execution of the Syrian prisoner, Elsheikh and his co-conspirators returned the hostages to the prison where they were being held with American and British hostages.
From August 2014 through October 2014, ISIS released videos depicting the beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and British citizens David Haines and Alan Henning. In November 2014, ISIS released a video depicting the decapitated head of Peter Kassig. In January 2015, ISIS released videos depicting the decapitated body of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa and the beheading of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto. On or about Feb. 7, 2015, Kayla Mueller’s family received an email from ISIS confirming Mueller’s death in Syria.
According to evidence presented during trial, Elsheikh was part of a group of ISIS members who spoke with British accents and were referred to by the hostages as the “Beatles.” He and his convicted co-conspirator, Alexanda Amon Kotey, 38, were captured together in January 2018 by the Syrian Democratic Forces as they attempted to escape Syria for Turkey. Mohammed Emwazi, who conducted the above-referenced videotaped beheadings, was killed in November 2015 in a U.S. military airstrike in Syria.
On Sept. 2, 2021, Kotey pleaded guilty to all of the offenses charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in the eight-count indictment, consisting of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death; four counts of hostage taking resulting in the deaths of the four Americans (James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig); one count of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens outside of the United States; one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists resulting in the deaths of U.S., British and Japanese nationals; and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in the deaths of U.S., British, and Japanese nationals. Kotey faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.
Elsheikh faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its profound appreciation to the FBI, the Counter Terrorism Command of the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and our many foreign partners for their dedicated commitment to assist the United States in seeking justice for all the victims of these crimes.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Indictment Charges 2 New Haven Men with Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging LUIS SALAMAN, also known as “Bebe,” 40, and ISMAEL HEREDIA, also known as “Junie,” 29, both of New Haven, with fentanyl trafficking offenses.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in October 2021, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force learned that Salaman was distributing large quantities of narcotics throughout New Haven. The investigation revealed that Salaman worked with Heredia to distribution heroin and fentanyl. Between November 2021 and March 2022, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of distribution quantities of heroin/fentanyl from Salaman and Heredia.
Salaman and Heredia were arrested on April 5, 2022.
The indictment charges Salaman and Heredia with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. If convicted of this offense, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
The indictment also charges Salaman with one count and Heredia with seven counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.
In addition, the indictment alleges that Salaman is eligible for enhanced penalties because of a prior conviction for a serious violent felony, which potentially increases his mandatory minimum prison sentence to 15 years.
Salaman is detained and Heredia is released on a $100,000 bond.
U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and Robert S. Ruff.