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Friday 8 April 2022
California Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Shola Yusuf Adediji a/k/a Michael Kopeck, 38, of Los Angeles, CA, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that between May and August 2019, Adediji conspired with others to defraud two electronics businesses, one in Amherst, NY, and one in Fort Myers, Florida, to obtain high-end electronic merchandise. Adediji and others posed as customers and completed fraudulent purchase orders. Throughout the scheme, both businesses shipped merchandise to Adediji and others throughout the United States. Adediji used the fictitious name “Michael Kopeck” to rent a storage unit where the fraudulently obtained merchandise was stored.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.Sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Butte man admits strangling woman on Northern Cheyenne Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Butte man accused of strangling a woman on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation admitted charges today, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Isaiah Benjamin Antelope, 26, pleaded guilty to strangulation. Antelope faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Sentencing was set for Aug. 17. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors. Antelope was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that in July 2020 the victim went to Antelope’s house in the Lame Deer area, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, for Antelope’s help in fixing a flat tire on a car. After trying to fix the tire, Antelope and the victim went inside the house. The victim was scared because the two had argued the day before. The two exchanged words and then Antelope strangled the victim with his hands. Antelope had strangled the victim on other occasions and made her pass out or feel like she was going to pass out.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Failing to Pay $2 Million in Payroll, Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lafayette County, Missouri, business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay over nearly $2 million in payroll and employment taxes over a four-year period.
Sandra Eller, 59, of Napoleon, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, April 7, to a federal information that charges her with failure to truthfully account for and pay over to the Internal Revenue Service the federal income taxes and payroll taxes withheld and owing to the government.
Eller has owned and operated three different medical billing and claims processing companies that operated in Oak Grove, Mo., and Grain Valley, Mo. Medical Revenue Solutions, LLC, had about 20 employees and operated until 2017. Claims Professionally Reviewed, LLC, had about 50 employees and operated until 2016. These companies merged into Soerries Coding and Billing Institute, Inc., which operated from 2016 through 2019. Eller was the president and chief executive officer of Soerries Coding and Billing Institute.
By pleading guilty, Eller admitted that she willfully failed to deposit the Federal Insurance Contributions Act and Medicare (FICA) taxes and income taxes that were withheld from her employees’ wages. Eller also admitted that she did not pay the employer portion of FICA.
Eller withheld the FICA taxes and income taxes, totaling $939,294, on 18 occasions from the first quarter of 2016 through the fourth quarter of 2019. Eller withheld payroll taxes from her employees’ paychecks; however, instead of forwarding those taxes to the government, she kept them for her business.
In addition, Eller owed the employer’s portion of the FICA taxes, unpaid federal unemployment taxes, employment tax due for the third quarter of 2019, and state tax withholdings that were not paid over, all of which total $1,051,699.
In total, Eller’s criminal conduct resulted in a tax loss of $1,990,993.
Under federal statutes, Eller is subject to a sentence of up to five years 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Bradley Lefebvre Sentenced on Federal Harassment ChargeRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Bradley Lefebvre, 39, a former resident of Springfield, Vermont who has since moved to New Hampshire, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 14 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a federal harassment charge. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Lefebvre serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term. The court ordered that Lefebvre surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 27 to begin serving his sentence.
On December 2, 2020, a federal grand jury in Rutland returned a three-count indictment accusing Lefebvre of harassing three victims during the spring and summer of 2020. The indictment alleges that Lefebvre used facilities of interstate commerce to harass and intimidate the victims and their families via communications that would reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress to those persons. Lefebvre pleaded guilty to one of the charges last summer.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lefebvre is represented by Assistant Federal Defender Mary Nerino. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to trafficking cocaine as part of a larger drug trafficking conspiracy.
Jean Aman, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4, 2022.
Aman was charged along with 24 others as part of Operation Snowfall. According to the charging documents, beginning in November 2018, law enforcement investigated drug trafficking activities by Boston-based street gang members and associates in the Commonwealth Development in Brighton, formerly known as Fidelis Way, a multi-apartment public housing development. It is alleged that the defendants, through their drug trafficking activities, assumed control over multiple apartments, where they stored, cooked, packaged and sold drugs. As a result, their activities caused a blight of the development and reduced the quality of life of the other residents.
The investigation also targeted large-scale drug suppliers and their associates. It is alleged that the targets continued to distribute cocaine and cocaine base throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown.
Aman was identified as a drug runner and drug distributor for one of the main cocaine suppliers in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Intercepted communications and surveillance revealed Aman coordinated drug deals and participated in drug trafficking conduct, including meeting with a main cocaine supplier. A traffic stop following an observed cocaine deal recovered 62 grams of crack cocaine from Aman. During a subsequent search of Aman’s residence, magazine clips and ammunition, over 350 grams of cocaine, over 150 grams of cocaine base and over $195,000 in cash were recovered. In total, Aman was responsible for distributing approximately over one kilogram of cocaine base and nearly 400 grams of cocaine.
Aman is the first defendant to plead guilty in the case. The remaining defendants are pending trial.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Douglas Bartlett, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Braintree, Cambridge, Canton, Randolph and Weymouth Police Departments; the Suffolk, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorneys’ Offices; and the Suffolk, Plymouth and Norfolk County Sheriffs’ Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Timothy E. Moran of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Boston Man Indicted for Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man has been indicted on sex trafficking and cocaine charges stemming from his alleged maintenance of a drug and sex trafficking hub operating out of a tent at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard (Mass and Cass).
Jonathan Vaughan, a/k/a “Ason,” 35, was indicted on three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, two counts of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Vaughan will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Monday, April 11, 2022.
According to the indictment unsealed today, from at least June 2019 through October 2021, Vaughan recruited and trafficked three female victims to engage in commercial sex acts by means of threats of force, fraud and coercion. It alleged that in or about October 2021, Vaughan transported two of the victims for purposes of prostitution to another state. At the time of his arrest on state charges, on Oct. 13, 2021, Vaughan allegedly possessed 15 bags of cocaine intended for distribution to drug users.
“Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that inflicts immeasurable pain and trauma on victims and communities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Vaughan allegedly preyed on and exploited multiple vulnerable victims, by coercion and by force, to engage in sex acts for his own financial benefit. He profited off of people’s pain. These alleged offenses are all too real – sex trafficking is happening all the time, even at this very moment, in our communities yet often goes unnoticed or ignored. No longer. My office will continue to work with community partners supporting victims and will use every means possible in our relentless pursuit to eradicate sex trafficking and the predators that perpetrate this violence and harm.”
“Vaughan is alleged to have used violence, threats, and drugs to coerce and control women, profiting financially by forcing them to perform sexual services for a fee and making it extremely difficult to escape,” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Boston Field Office. “Homeland Security Investigations is grateful to our partners at Barnstable Police Department and Boston Police Department for their collaboration in this case. Partnerships like these are critical to our mission to both investigate alleged human traffickers and help victims feel stable, safe, and secure.”
“The Barnstable Police Department recognizes the enormous impact on the victims and the community in these types of cases. We also know that human trafficking affects all walks of life and has extended its toxic reach to the Cape Cod community. Knowing these cases are often difficult for a single agency to investigate alone, we have dedicated Detective Katie Parache as a full time task force officer with the Department of Homeland Security Human Trafficking Task Force. Detective Parache will continue to work with state and federal partners to identify, target, and eradicate individuals that pray upon the vulnerable members of Cape Cod. We are grateful for these strong partnerships that allowed us to fully investigate this case and bring justice and peace to the victims,” said Barnstable Police Department Chief Matthew Sonnabend.
“The Boston Police Department is committed to identifying and investigating sex trafficking in order to provide safety to victims and hold offenders accountable for horrific crimes such as these. This individual took advantage of, and terrorized the most vulnerable members of our community. I would like to thank the members of the Boston Police Department who worked on this investigation as well as our law enforcement partners for the tremendous collaboration and coordination that enabled this violent offender to be brought to justice. This indictment serves as a clear message that this egregious behavior will never be tolerated,” said Gregory Long, Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston Police Department.
“Jonathan Vaughan is accused of sexually exploiting vulnerable women through force and coercion, and transporting them to other states,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Anyone who commits this heinous crime should know the FBI’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force will rigorously pursue them, while providing their victims with the resources they need to recover from the trauma they have suffered.”
“My office is working diligently to address the harm inflicted by violent human traffickers while ensuring that victims of sexual exploitation have the supports and services they need and deserve. These indictments represent what we can do on behalf of both survivors and our communities when we collaborate across agencies. I’m grateful to the members of my Human Trafficking and Exploitation Unit, the Boston Police Department, and our federal partners for their tireless work to hold a violent individual accountable and protect vulnerable members of our community from exploitation,” said Kevin R. Hayden, Suffolk County District Attorney.
According to court documents, dating back to at least 2019, Vaughan systematically preyed on women throughout Massachusetts, particularly in Boston and on Cape Cod. From at least late spring or early summer of 2021 until his arrest on state charges in mid-October 2021, Vaughan allegedly maintained a tent at Mass and Cass which he used as a hub for distributing drugs and recruiting and trafficking women.
Vaughan allegedly permitted his sex trafficking victims to stay in and bring “dates” back to his tent so long as he received the proceeds of the commercial sex acts that the women engaged in at his direction. It is alleged that he recruited victims in and around Mass and Cass and Downtown Crossing as well as on the internet, including over Facebook. According to court documents, Vaughan also brought his victims to hotels in locations such as Boston, Chelsea, Saugus, the Cape, as well as Queens and Manhattan, N.Y.
Vaughan is also alleged to have forced at least two of his victims to solicit themselves outdoors, by walking “the track” in areas such as Mass and Cass, Broadway in Chelsea and in and around Times Square in Manhattan, N.Y. Dating back to at least 2019, Vaughan allegedly engaged in both physical and sexual violence against his victims to manipulate them and to assert power and control over them. The investigation also revealed that Vaughan allegedly called himself “Ason the Pimp” and had a tattoo across his chest that states: “Pimp or Die.”
Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this crime should contact [email protected].
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please visit https://polarisproject.org/ for information and resources.
The charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million dollars. 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.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, HSI SAC Millhollin, FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta, Barnstable Police Chief Sonnabend, Suffolk County DA Hayden and BPD Acting Commissioner Long made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of Rollins’ Civil Rights Enforcement Team is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bentonville Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms and Drug PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Bentonville man was sentenced on April 6, 2022, to 100 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in March 2021, the Bentonville Narcotics Unit began investigating Rafael Melendrez, age 37, for drug trafficking. An anonymous tip indicated that Melendrez, was staying at a residence in Bentonville and selling drugs. The investigation revealed that Melendrez was a probation absconder with an active warrant out for his arrest.
On April 9th, 2021, while conducting surveillance, detectives observed Melendrez leave the residence in a vehicle. Melendrez was subsequently traffic stopped by a uniformed officer and arrested based on the outstanding warrant for absconding.
After the arrest, a search of Melendrez’ residence was conducted by detectives and Arkansas Community Corrections Officers. The search resulted in detectives locating multiple vacuum sealed packages, Ziplock baggies, and glass containers filled with marijuana (later totaling approximately 8.14 pounds), a money counting machine, two food processing machines used to vacuum seal the marijuana, two digital scales and 13 firearms. Detectives also located a safe that contained $48,150.00 in United States currency.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Bentonville Narcotics Unit and Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Beckley Man Sentenced for Fentanyl-Related Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Beckley man was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Curtis Douglas Harris, 35, sold a confidential informant approximately 2.5 grams of fentanyl and a Cobra .380-caliber pistol on March 4, 2021. Law enforcement officers utilized a confidential informant to conduct a second controlled purchase from Harris, during which Harris sold approximately 14 grams of fentanyl to the informant for $1,400. Both controlled buys occurred at Harris’ Beckley residence.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for conducting the investigation.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Alex Hamner prosecuted 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. 5:21-cr-00148.
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Beaufort County Man Sentenced to 30 years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — David James Allison, 33, of Bluffton, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that on January 4, 2020, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding the alleged sexual assault of a 22-month-old by David James Allison. Allison admitted to assaulting the victim approximately five times between September 2019 and December 2019, and live streaming these assaults over Skype.
Investigators determined that Skype communications were tied to an IP address in Littlehampton, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Subsequent investigation by the Sussex Police identified Andrew McPherson-Young, 52, of West Sussex, United Kingdom, as a subject in this matter. McPherson-Young admitted to Sussex Police that he directed Allison on how to sexually assault the victim while McPherson-Young watched the assaults over Skype. McPherson-Young is currently being prosecuted in the United Kingdom.
United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Allison to 360 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Dean H. Secor prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Barbour County man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Noah Jacob Graham, of Philippi, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Graham, 20, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Graham, a person prohibited from having firearms, admitted to having a .44 magnum caliber revolver in June 2020 in Barbour County.
Graham faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Arkansas Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – An Arkansas man was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in New Orleans.
According to court documents, on October 6, 2020, Victor Cody Rosillo, who had been traveling in Mississippi, committed a drive-by shooting from a nearby street onto Keesler Air Force Base near the Military Hospital Emergency Room. While no firearm was recovered, two shell casings and a fired bullet were recovered from the scene by Biloxi Police and Keesler Security Forces. The recovered projectile was analyzed by a forensic examiner and was determined to be a 9mm bullet consistent with the 9mm shell casings recovered. The forensic examiner also noted that the 9mm projectile would have been fired from a 9mm HiPoint firearm, which investigators learned was the same type of firearm possessed by Rosillo during the Keesler shooting incident.
Rosillo, who was serving a term of state felony probation in Arkansas at the time of the shooting in Mississippi, was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on December 28, 2021.
U.S. Attorney LaMarca praised the investigation and coordination of the FBI, the ATF, Keesler Security Forces and the Biloxi Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case as part of the federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. The centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s crime reduction efforts, PSN is an evidence-based program proven effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together and develop comprehensive solutions. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Alaska Man Sentenced to 32 Months in Prison for Threatening U.S. SenatorsRead the Press Release
FAIRBANKS – A Delta Junction, Alaska, man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 32 months in prison and a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty to two counts of threatening to murder Alaska’s two U.S. Senators.
According to court documents, Jay Allen Johnson, 65, left 17 threatening voicemails for Alaska’s two U.S. Senators over a five-month period and said that the messages were intended to retaliate against them for performing their official duties. On September 2, 2021, Johnson left a voicemail at the Washington D.C. office of Senator Lisa Murkowski containing several threats, including a threat to “burn” the Senator’s properties. Johnson then asked if the Senator knew what a .50 caliber shell “does to a human head.” On September 29, Johnson left another voicemail threatening to hire an assassin to kill the U.S. Senator. Johnson also left threatening voicemail messages for Senator Dan Sullivan between April 2021 and September 2021, including one in which he threatened to get his “.50 caliber out,” hold a “GoFundMe page for the …shells,” and to come “with a vengeance mother*ucker.”
The investigation revealed that the calls originated in Delta Junction, Alaska from a cellular telephone number that the FBI and Capitol Police had traced back to Johnson. The FBI arrested Johnson on October 4, 2021, after observing him drive from Delta Junction to Fairbanks International Airport. During a subsequent search of Johnson’s residence, the FBI seized seven unsecured firearms, which were illegal for Johnson to possess due to his prior felony conviction.
Johnson pleaded guilty in January of this year to the charges. As part of the plea agreement, a three-year federal protective order will be in place prohibiting Johnson from contacting either U.S. Senator, their family or staff members following his release from prison. Johnson also agreed to forfeit the seven firearms seized from his residence.
“Nothing excuses this conduct, threatening our elected officials, an act that attacks our very system of governance,” said U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. of the District of Alaska. “The erosion of civility in our political discourse will never justify threats or acts of violence. Johnson’s actions must be punished, and the Department of Justice will always work to ensure our elected officials can serve without fear of harm.”
“Those performing their official duties should be able to do so without fear for their safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This case underscores the swift efforts by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners as we worked together to address these threats before any potential acts of violence occurred.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Tansey prosecuted the case.
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3 area residents from Turkey charged with conspiring to illegally bring individuals into United StatesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged three individuals from Turkey who live in the Cincinnati region with conspiring to bring illegal Turkish immigrants into the United States via Mexico.
Comert Kurdistan (also known as Comert Ardic), 43, of Newtown, Ohio; Emma Brown (also known as Emma Nur), 35, of Cincinnati; and Ismail Altundag, 26, of Cincinnati have each been charged with federal immigration crimes.
According to the six-count indictment, the three defendants conspired in October and November 2021 to bring at least three undocumented immigrants into the United States.
Conspiring to bring in illegal immigrants is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and aiding or abetting in such conduct carries a potential maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; James C. Harris III, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Newtown Police Chief Thomas Synan Jr. and Miami Township Police Chief Mike Mills announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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3 Universal Aryan Brotherhood Gang Members Sentenced for their Roles in a Racketeering EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Three Universal Aryan Brotherhood gang members were sentenced this week in federal court for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise that committed acts of murder, kidnapping, the trafficking of methamphetamine and firearms, money laundering, assault, and robbery throughout the State of Oklahoma, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Christopher K. Baldwin, 42, and Robert W. Zeidler, 48, were each sentenced to 264 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Charles M. McCully, 44, was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
In December 2021, Baldwin and Zeidler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and to drug conspiracy. In November 2021, McCully pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and to kidnapping. The defendants refused to cooperate with the government.
“The Universal Aryan Brotherhood committed egregious acts of violence and distributed an estimated 2,500 kilograms of methamphetamine annually throughout Oklahoma,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Led by agents from IRS-Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, nine law enforcement agencies joined together to bring these three defendants and 15 other UAB members and associates to justice. I commend our partners for their outstanding work.”
“The significant sentences of these criminals send a strong message that those involved in criminal enterprises committing heinous acts of violence and drug trafficking will face swift justice,” said Christopher Miller, acting Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “Working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, our agency is relentless in the pursuit of dismantling transnational criminal organizations wherever they operate.”
Baldwin and Zeidler were key players involved in UAB operations while imprisoned in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester.
Baldwin admitted to being part of the gang from at least 1999 to 2017 and that during part of that time, he sat on the “Main Council,” the UAB’s highest governing body. Baldwin said he was involved directly or indirectly as a coconspirator in crimes of drug dealing, witness intimidation, money laundering and other crimes of violence.
Zeidler helped lead the gang’s methamphetamine operation. Zeidler admitted to joining the gang and to committing or causing to be committed crimes related to the racketeering enterprise and drug conspiracy.
Baldwin and Zeidler also admitted to knowingly and willfully agreeing with others to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of methamphetamine. As part of the UAB’s operations, members and associates participated in a significant and widespread methamphetamine distribution scheme directed by incarcerated UAB leaders.
McCully stated in his plea agreement that he had been a member of the UAB since 2005 and admitted that members commit various crimes such as murder, kidnapping, witness intimidation, home invasions, and drug dealing for the gang. McCully stated that on Oct. 26, 2014, he and others kidnapped two individuals and held them against their will because they believed the individuals had provided law enforcement with information about a UAB stash house. While they held the victims, McCully and the others threatened them and used tarps, shovels, blow torches and other items in an attempt to scare and intimidate the victims.
The three men were charged in an indictment along with 15 others in December 2018.
Codefendant Eddie Funkhouser, 51, will be sentenced April 12. Funkhouser previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and to kidnapping but refused to cooperate with the United States. The plea agreement, if accepted by U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan, stipulates that Funkhouser will serve 15 years in prison.
The UAB is a white supremacist prison-based gang with members operating inside and outside of state prisons throughout Oklahoma.
The UAB was established in 1993 within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and modeled itself after the principles and ideology of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that formed in the 1960s.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Tulsa and Enid Police Departments, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis A. Fries is prosecuting this case.
16 indicted on conspiracy charges for “boot” distribution operationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Sixteen individuals from Maryland and West Virginia are facing charges involving a drug conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
The indictment alleges that large quantities of Eutylone, also known as “boot,” were trafficked from Maryland to Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia from February 2019 to March 15, 2022.
“Eutylone is a dangerous drug that has a high potential for abuse and leads to adverse physical and psychological effects for its users,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “It poses a serious threat to public health in the Eastern Panhandle and this prosecution will make the community safer, both through enforcement and education.”
Those charged are:
- Charles Edward Scott, also known as “Whop Whop,” 28, of Damascus, Maryland
- Ryan Darnell Scott, 37, of Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Anthony Joseph Shants, Jr., also known as “Lul Draco,” 23, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Jose Michael Flores, also known as “Taz,” 26, of Montgomery Village, Maryland
- Andre Phillip Stevenson, 40, of Washington, D.C.
- Alim D. Farma, 23, of Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Robert Matthew Johnson, also known as “Flex,” 33, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Sophia Ellen Hizer, 20, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- Bernard Anthony Brickhouse, also known as “Mitch Sosa,” 26, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Kofi Orleans-Lindsay, 22, of Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Shayla Louise Wetzel, 25, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Destiny Hope Turner, 25, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
- Kyle Thayer, 35, of Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Kyle Allen Finch, 23, of Hedgesville, West Virginia
- Corbin Charles Linthicum, 22, of Kearneysville, West Virginia
- Mikayla Doreen Thornton, 23, of Martinsburg, West Virginia
Further, the indictment alleges that a co-conspirator, Shants, possessed firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activities.
All defendants have been arrested with the exception of Sophia Hizer and Shayla Wetzel, who are considered fugitives.
The defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the drug conspiracy charge. Shants faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; ATF; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Martinsburg Police Department; the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department; the Virginia State Police, Montgomery County; and Maryland State Attorney’s Office investigated.
Eutylone, a synthetic cathinone with a chemical structural similar to Schedule I and II amphetamines and cathinones, such as MDMA/ecstasy, is an illegal, Schedule I controlled substance. Eutylone became a scheduled drug in 2018, and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia has seen an increase in the drug’s popularity in the last several years. This indictment is the largest conspiracy charged thus far for eutylone distribution in the Northern District of West Virginia.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Thursday 7 April 2022
‘Modern-day Bonnie and Clyde’ face fraud charges related to mailbox theftsRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: A man who referred to himself and his girlfriend as a “modern-day Bonnie and Clyde” has been indicted on multiple federal charges for the unlawful use of information gleaned in thefts from mailboxes, while his girlfriend awaits sentencing after admitting to a related charge.
Michael H. Boatright, 33, of Chesterfield, S.C., is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Mail, Wire, and Bank Fraud; three counts of Theft of Mail; and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Stephanie Michelle Lea Napier, 29, also of Chesterfield, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in March to an Information charging her with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
“These charges demonstrate the dedication of our law enforcement partners in identifying and tracking down activities that started with swiping mail from mailboxes and led all the way to identity theft and financial fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Those determined to be responsible for such illegal activities will be held accountable.”
As described in the indictment returned during the April 2022 term of the U.S. District Court Grand Jury, Boatwright and Napier called themselves the “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” in a period from about November 2020 to June 2021, as they were alleged to have driven around Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida to steal mail from mailboxes, capturing personal identifying information from the stolen mail, and then using that information to take over victims’ bank accounts.
The indictment alleges the two stole, or attempted to steal, “hundreds of thousands of dollars from their many victims, and caused substantial non-monetary harm and headaches for countless victims.” At least four victims referenced in the indictment are residents of the Statesboro, Ga., area, and agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service have identified more than 100 potential victims in the three-state area, with actual and attempted financial losses of more than $500,000.
U.S. Attorney Estes applauded the work of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and the Statesboro Police Department, which contributed to the federal investigation.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the Jacksonville, Fla. and Savannah, Ga. offices of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Porter.
York Man Sentenced to 25 Years’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jesean DeShields, age 31, of York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 6, 2022, to 25 years’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, law enforcement first began investigating DeShields in September 2018. On September 27, 2018, they executed a search warrant at his East College Avenue apartment in York. They did not find him, but they found cocaine trafficking evidence and two firearms.
Less than six weeks later, police executed a second search warrant at a home on East Boundary Avenue in York. During the November 1, 2018 search, police recovered quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and oxycodone and another firearm. Deshields was arrested at the scene of this second search warrant. At the time of these events, Deshields had multiple prior convictions which prohibited him from possessing a firearm and qualified him as an Armed Career Criminal.
In October 2021, a jury convicted DeShields of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and oxycodone, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm as a felon. Judge Conner sentenced DeShields to the mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the York City Police, and the York County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Consiglio prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Opening Bank Accounts and Attempting to Purchase $83,000 Sports Car Using Stolen IdentitiesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to using two victims’ identities to open bank accounts and attempting to purchase an $83,000 Chevrolet Camaro.
Brandon Brouillard, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 13, 2022. Brouillard was indicted in June 2021.
In February 2021, Brouillard used the identity of a New Hampshire resident to open a bank account at Avidia Bank. Brouillard wired $108,000 to the Avidia Bank account from another individual’s Bank of America account. Brouillard also fraudulently obtained a New Hampshire driver’s license in the name of a New Hampshire resident, which he used to attempt to obtain a car loan from Capital One which was ultimately denied.
On April 17, 2021, Brouillard test drove a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro at a dealership in Norwood. After test-driving the Camaro, Brouillard agreed to purchase the sports car for $83,000 and paid for the vehicle with a cashier’s check made out to the dealership. Brouillard provided his Massachusetts driver’s license, proof of insurance, signed sales contract, Massachusetts application for registration and car title in connection with the purchase.
On April 19, 2021, Brouillard picked up the Camaro from the dealership. A few days later, the dealership learned that the account listed on the bank check provided by Brouillard was frozen. The dealership contacted Brouillard, who promised that he would wire $83,000 to pay for the car.
On April 26, 2021, an Arizona resident contacted local police and reported an attempted fraudulent wire transfer of $83,000 from the victim’s bank account. The victim reported that a fraudulent email purportedly from the victim was sent to the bank, requesting a wire transfer of $83,000 to pay for the victim’s “brother-in-law’s car.” The bank contacted the victim for verification, and the victim did not approve the transfer. Starting in or about September 2020, the victim’s accounts were compromised, and large fraudulent purchases were made and shipped to Brouillard’s address. It is estimated that approximately $500,000 of the victim’s funds were stolen.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Braintree, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Worcester and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Woonsocket Businessman Admits Defrauding the IRS of over Two Million DollarsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Woonsocket businessman today admitted in federal court that he participated in scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of more than two million dollars in taxes, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
In pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and wire fraud, Jesus Jose Mendez, 44, co-owner J&J Drywall, Inc., a subcontracting business incorporated in Massachusetts and operating in Rhode Island, admitted that he, and the co-owner of the business, paid most employees in cash, failing to properly account for, withhold, and pay federal and state employment taxes; the two similarly failed to make required unemployment insurance contributions.
According to charging documents, from 2013 to 2017, Mendez and his business partner, Jamie Zambrano, 36, of Woonsocket, allegedly used check-cashing businesses to cash more than 600 business receipt checks totaling more than $16 million dollars. While under law enforcement surveillance, Mendez and his business partner allegedly cashed checks at a Rhode Island check-casher, then travelled to construction sites carrying backpacks full of cash, which they left at the construction sites to be used to pay their employees.
During the same period, Mendez and Zambrano made just over $4 million in deposits in the business’s bank accounts, frequently structured in amounts of less than $10,000. Most of the remaining millions were allegedly used to fund a cash payroll for under-the-table laborers. With the exception of a small number of employees placed on an official payroll and paid by check, income and employment taxes were not withheld or paid to the IRS, and unemployment contributions were not made.
The IRS calculated the total federal tax loss at $2,821,463; the Massachusetts Department of Labor calculated a loss of unemployment contributions to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at $62,730.
Mendez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., on July 14, 2022. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Zambrano is currently a fugitive facing an indictment charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States (IRS); 17 counts of failure to collect and pay over taxes; tax evasion; and eight counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards in Boston and the Rhode Island State Police.
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Woman Sentenced to over Five Years for COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Texas woman was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for her scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of over $1.9 million in loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Lola Shalewa Barbara Kasali, 24, of Houston, submitted two fraudulent loan applications to two different lenders on behalf of her companies, Lola’s Level and Charm Hair Extensions. Through these loan applications, Kasali sought over $3.8 million in PPP loan funds. Kasali falsely represented the number of employees and payroll expenses in each of the PPP loan applications. To support these applications, Kasali also submitted fraudulent tax records. Kasali ultimately received over $1.9 million in PPP loan funds. The Justice Department, along with its law enforcement partners, seized the funds that Kasali fraudulently obtained.
A federal jury in Houston found Kasali guilty of two counts of bank fraud and two counts of making false statements to a financial institution on Dec. 8, 2021.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery for the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Catherine Huber of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) – Central Region; Special Agent in Charge Sharon Johnson of the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) – Central Region; and Acting Inspector in Charge Dana Carter of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Houston Division made the announcement.
FHFA-OIG, SBA-OIG, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Assistant Chief Jonathan Robell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Trial Attorney Matthew Grisier of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim McAlister for the Southern District of Texas.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Wheeling man admits to child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Eugene Wilson, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to a child pornography charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Wilson, 51, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Solicitation of Child Pornography.” Wilson admitted to asking a minor for sexually explicit material which contained a visual depiction of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The crime took place in Ohio County and elsewhere in October 2019.
Wilson faces at least five years and up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
United States Files Complaint Against Lehighton Doctor for Violating the False Claims ActRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG, PA —The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that the United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Dr. Peter J. Baddick, III, a family medicine practitioner, alleging that he issued medically unnecessary prescriptions for Subsys, a fentanyl-based spray manufactured by Insys Therapeutics, Inc., and used to treat breakthrough cancer pain. Dr. Baddick saw patients at his practice, Penn Medical Group, P.C., which operated in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Penn Medical Group ceased operations in September of 2019.
According to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, the Complaint alleges that Dr. Baddick violated the False Claims Act by prescribing Subsys to patients for whom the fentanyl-based drug was either not medically necessary or otherwise inappropriate. These prescriptions were submitted to and paid through the Medicare and TRICARE federal healthcare programs. The United States specifically alleges that from April of 2015 through December of 2015, Dr. Baddick prescribed Subsys to two patients, neither of whom had cancer and continued to write Subsys prescriptions for both patients after they raised concerns about the drug’s effects. The federal healthcare programs paid $308,701.94 for eighteen Subsys prescriptions to these two patients.
The United States previously prosecuted Insys under a criminal information filed in the District of Massachusetts, and Insys agreed to a global resolution of the government’s separate civil and criminal investigations. As part of the civil resolution, Insys agreed to pay $195 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act, and as part of the criminal resolution, it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government, its operating subsidiary pleaded guilty to five counts of mail fraud, and the company was subject to a $2 million fine and $28 million in forfeiture.
“The Department of Justice has a duty to protect the health and welfare of our citizens and to ensure that the taxpayer dollars that fund the federal healthcare programs are only expended for necessary medical services,” said U.S. Attorney John Gurganus. “Subsys is a potent and addictive opioid that was approved to treat cancer patients suffering from breakthrough pain. It is also a very expensive drug. Doctors who write medically unnecessary prescriptions for Subsys irresponsibly risk their patients’ wellbeing at taxpayer expense. It is imperative that we hold these healthcare providers accountable for their actions.”
“Protecting TRICARE, the health care program for active-duty military personnel, retirees, and dependents, is a top priority for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “When providers write medically unnecessary prescriptions for controlled substances and cause the submission of fraudulent claims to TRICARE, they put TRICARE beneficiaries at risk and undermine the integrity of the program. The civil fraud action announced today demonstrates the DCIS' ongoing commitment to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania, to investigate health care providers who cause false claims to be submitted to TRICARE.”
The claims asserted against Dr. Baddick are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. The case is docketed as United States v. Dr. Peter J. Baddick, III, Civ. No. 3: 22-512 (M.D. Pa.)
This case was investigated by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General—Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Attorney’s ACE Unit. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Counsel to the Inspector General assisted with the investigation. It is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Simpson.
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USP Lee Inmate Sentenced to 188 Months for Attempted Murder of Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Moris Alexis Flores, 33, an inmate at United States Penitentiary Lee County (USP Lee), was sentenced yesterday to over 15 years in prison for conspiring to murder a fellow inmate, attempting to commit murder, and being an inmate in possession of a prohibited object in relation to an assault that occurred at USP Lee in January 2020.
According to court documents, Flores, a member of the MS-13 gang, and four fellow inmates - Carlos Alfredo Almonte, Julio Angle Chavez, German Arquimides Hernandez, and Angel Moreno Guevara – were charged with conspiring to murder another inmate, “AZ”, a member of the Mexican Mafia gang. Armed with metal shanks, Flores and Guevara entered AZ’s cell and stabbed AZ multiple times. While Flores and Guevara were assaulting AZ, Almonte, Chavez, and Hernandez blocked the prison cell doorway in an effort to prevent other inmates and prison staff from interfering with the attack. As a consequence of the attack, AZ sustained multiple stab wounds but ultimately survived.
Almonte, Chavez, Hernandez, and Guevara have each pled guilty for their roles in the assault and will be sentenced in June 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena L. Busscher, Daniel J. Murphy, Whit D. Pierce, and Anthony P. Giorno are prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Announces Arrests of A Yakuza Leader and Affiliates for International Trafficking of Narcotics and Weapons, Including Surface-To-Air MissilesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today the arrests of TAKESHI EBISAWA, SOMPHOP SINGHASIRI, SUKSAN JULLANAN, a/k/a “Bobby,” and SOMPAK RUKRASARANEE, for international narcotics and weapons trafficking offenses. EBISAWA, a Japanese national, JULLANAN, a United States and Thai national, and RUKRASARANEE, a Thai national, were arrested in Manhattan on April 4, 2022. SINGHASIRI, a Thai national, was arrested in Manhattan on April 5, 2022. EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE were presented before Magistrate Judge Jennifer Willis on April 5, 2022, and were ordered detained, and SINGHASIRI was presented before Judge Willis on April 6, 2022, and was ordered detained.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “We allege Mr. Ebisawa and his co-conspirators brokered deals with an undercover DEA agent to buy heavy-duty weaponry and sell large quantities of illegal drugs. The drugs were destined for New York streets, and the weapons shipments were meant for factions in unstable nations. Members of this international crime syndicate can no longer put lives in danger and will face justice for their illicit actions.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “The expansive reach of transnational criminal networks, like the Yakuza, presents a serious threat to the safety and health of all communities. Ebisawa and his associates intended to distribute hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and heroin to the United States, using deadly weapons to enable their criminal activities, at a time when nearly 300 Americans lose their lives to drug overdose every day. These arrests represent the unwavering determination of the DEA, together with our U.S. and international partners, to target and bring to justice violent criminals who lead transnational drug trafficking organizations that continue to flood our country with dangerous drugs.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint charging the defendants, which was unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
Since at least in or about 2019, the DEA has been investigating EBISAWA, a leader within the Japanese transnational organized crime syndicate also known as Yakuza, in connection with large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking. The Yakuza is a network of highly organized, transnational crime families with affiliates in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and is involved in various criminal activities, including weapons trafficking, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and money laundering. Over the course of the investigation, EBISAWA introduced an undercover DEA agent (“UC-1”), posing as a narcotics and weapons trafficker, to associates in EBISAWA’s international criminal network, which spans Japan, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the United States, among other places, for the purpose of arranging large-scale narcotics and weapons transactions. EBISAWA and his associates—including SINGHASIRI, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE—have negotiated multiple narcotics and weapons transactions with UC-1.
EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE conspired to broker the purchase from UC-1 of United States-made surface-to-air missiles (“SAMs”), as well as other heavy-duty weaponry, for multiple ethnic armed groups in Burma, and to accept large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine for distribution as partial payment for the weapons. EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE understood the weapons to have been manufactured in the United States and taken from United States military bases in Afghanistan and planned for the narcotics to be distributed in the New York market.
In addition, EBISAWA and SINGHASIRI conspired to sell 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of heroin to UC-1 for distribution in New York. In furtherance of that transaction, on or about June 16, 2021, and on or about September 27, 2021, SINGHASIRI provided samples of approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine and approximately 1.4 kilograms of heroin. SINGHASIRI conspired to possess and use firearms, including machine guns, to protect narcotics shipments. EBISAWA also worked to launder $100,000 in purported narcotics proceeds from the United States to Japan.
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A table containing the charges and maximum penalties for EBISAWA, 57, of Japan; SINGHASIRI, 58, of Thailand; JULLANAN, 53, of the United States and Thailand; and RUKRASARANEE, 55, of Thailand, is set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
COUNT
DEFENDANT(S)
MAX. TERM OF IMPRISONMENT
Count One: narcotics importation conspiracy (21 U.S.C. § 963)
EBISAWA and SINGHASIRI
Life imprisonment; Mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment
Count Two: conspiracy to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices (18 U.S.C. § 924(o))
SINGHASIRI
Life imprisonment
Count Three: conspiracy to acquire, transfer, and possess SAMs (18 U.S.C. § 2332g)
EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE
Life imprisonment; Mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment
Count Four: narcotics importation conspiracy (21 U.S.C. § 963)
EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE
Life imprisonment; Mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment
Count Five: conspiracy to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices (18 U.S.C. § 924(o))
EBISAWA, JULLANAN, and RUKRASARANEE
Life imprisonment
Count Six: money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956)
EBISAWA
20 years’ imprisonment
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit. Mr. Williams also thanked the DEA Tokyo Country Office, DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Chiang Mai Resident Office, DEA Jakarta Country Office, DEA Copenhagen Country Office, DEA New York Field Office, DEA New Delhi Country Office, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the Japanese Narcotics Control Department, the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Japan Police, and the Indonesian National Police Satuan Tugas Khusus Merah Putih/Merah Putih Special Task Force for their assistance.
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.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and Alexander Li are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Lauren B. Goddard of the Counterterrorism Section.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two Men Sentenced Regarding Unlawful Transportation of Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced for unlawful transportation of an alien within the United States (aiding and abetting), announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Chief Patrol Agent Jason E. Schneider of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, and Special Agent in Charge David L. Denton of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.
Ricardo Ortega-Garcia, 43, of Mexico, was sentenced to 17 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Rigoberto Montoya-Landaverde, 27, also of Mexico, was sentenced to “time served” (effectively 8 months and 23 days) followed by 3 years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty on December 17, 2021. Upon completion of their prison sentences, both men are subject to Homeland Security proceedings to remove them from the United States. If either man were to return unlawfully to the U.S., within his period of supervised release, he would be subject to additional prosecution and penalties both for violating supervised release as well as for unlawful return-after-removal.
According to court documents, the two men were arrested on July 15, 2021, on Interstate 10 (eastbound) in Harrison County. Following a U.S. Border Patrol investigation, a Border Patrol Agent conducted a vehicle stop and identified the driver as Rigoberto Montoya-Landaverd. He did not have a valid driver’s license, but was a Legal Permanent Resident of the U.S. who had been living in Texas. Ortega-Garcia, the registered owner of the vehicle, was the front-seat passenger and was determined to be illegally present in the U.S. In addition to Ortega-Garcia and Montoya-Landaverde, there were four other adult passengers in the vehicle, all of whom were illegally present in the U.S.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for the case.
Two Men Indicted in Rockford on Charges of Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A federal grand jury in Rockford has returned an indictment charging two defendants - TONY CLAPP, 58, and GREGORY BOLLMAN, 48 - with conspiracy to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Clapp was also charged with attempted possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. He is currently on supervised release stemming from federal distribution of cocaine charges.
The indictment was returned on Tuesday. Arraignments in U.S. District Court in Rockford have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA. Substantial assistance was provided by the Illinois State Police, Illinois State Police Blackhawk Area Task Force, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ladd.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Clapp faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life, while Bollman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Two Charleston Men Plead Guilty in Multi-State Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two Charleston men pleaded guilty today to drug offenses involving a multi-state methamphetamine distribution ring, with one of them also pleading guilty to a related gun crime arising from a foiled Fourth of July 2021 murder scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Brian Dangelo Terry, 37, and Treydan Leon Burks, 31, admitted to obtaining large quantities of methamphetamine from out-of-state for distribution in and around Charleston. Terry admitted to distributing more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine between March 2019 and August 2021. Burks admitted to distributing between three and 11 pounds of methamphetamine between late 2020 and Sept. 28, 2021. Terry and Burks pooled their money in order to obtain the drugs, used couriers to transport drugs and drug proceeds, and distributed the drugs to lower-level dealers and users.
Terry pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. At a separate hearing, Burks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
With regard to the firearm offense, Terry admitted that he, Burks, James Edward Bennett, III, and Douglas Johnathan Wesley armed themselves at Burks’ residence in Rand on July 4, 2021, and drove to Charleston’s West Side where they intended to shoot another man. Alerted to the plot, police in marked cruisers converged on the area. The four men abandoned their vehicle in a Washington Street parking lot due to the increased police presence. Federal agents executed a search warrant on the vehicle and recovered four loaded firearms, including an AR-style assault weapon with a drum magazine. Terry was aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following felony convictions in 2005 and 2011, both in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
In his plea agreement, Burks also admitted his role in the July 4, 2021 incident. On March 2, 2022, Bennett pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm based upon his involvement in the plot. Wesley is scheduled for trial on May 24, 2022.
“This case represents an outstanding example of inter-agency teamwork and diligence that has not only dismantled a significant drug operation, but also prevented a violent crime from occurring,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “A quick response and coordinated effort by law enforcement spared Charleston’s West Side from another tragic incident.”
This case is part of a long-term investigation of a methamphetamine distribution network that resulted in 17 individuals being charged with various drug and firearms offenses in three separate indictments returned in 2021.
In addition to Burks, Terry and Bennett, several other individuals have already pleaded guilty: Denise Marie Cottrill, Angie Lane Harbour, Michael Antonio Smith, Shane Kelly Fulkerson, and Jason Robert Oxley. Timothy Wayne Dodd was convicted at trial last month. The remaining defendants are scheduled for trial on May 24, 2022.
Terry and Burks are scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2022, and each faces at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison.
In announcing the guilty pleas, Thompson commended the collaborative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha and Putnam County Sheriff’s Departments, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) in investigating this drug trafficking organization.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over today’s hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Josh Hanks and Alex Hamner are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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 Nos. 2:21-cr-00172, 2:21-cr-00171, and 2:21-cr-00211.
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Three New York Men Charged with Conspiring to Kidnap New Jersey ManRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three New York men were charged today with conspiring to kidnap and hold for ransom a Fort Lee resident, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Fa Deng, 42, of Staten Island, New York, and Albert Ferrelli, 50, and Chiahao Lee, 30, both of Queens, New York, are charged by complaint with conspiring to commit kidnapping. The three defendants appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and were detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On April 5, 2022, Deng, Ferrelli, Lee, and another conspirator drove to the victim’s home in Fort Lee. Ferrelli and the other conspirator entered the victim’s home wearing masks. They bound the victim’s hands, placed duct tape over his eyes and mouth, and forced him into a vehicle.
Law enforcement received information that kidnappers had sent the victim’s wife a photograph of the victim bound and duct-taped, demanding a ransom of approximately $680,000. When law enforcement responded to the victim’s home, they located what appeared to be duct tape with pieces of latex gloves stuck to it. After reviewing local surveillance footage, law enforcement identified a gray minivan used in the abduction. Other surveillance footage showed the minivan crossing the George Washington Bridge shortly after the kidnapping, and subsequently crossing into the Bronx and then into Queens.
The following day, New York Police Department personnel responded to Prince Street in Queens, where they encountered Ferrelli guarding the door to the building. When officers approached Ferrelli, they heard a man screaming for help inside the building. Officers entered the building and found the victim with his hands bound, and duct tape over his eyes and mouth. Surveillance footage obtained by law enforcement showed that during this captivity, the victim attempted to escape by running out of the building where he was eventually found. The video showed Ferrelli tackle the victim to prevent him from escaping, engage in a physical scuffle, and pull him back into the building.
Law enforcement located the gray minivan used in the kidnapping parked in the driveway of Lee’s home in Queens. Records showed that the minivan had been rented by Lee’s wife at LaGuardia Airport on April 4, 2022.
The maximum penalty for the offense is life imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of George M. Crouch Jr.; the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Mark Musella; officers of the Fort Lee Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew J. Hintze; and the New York Police Department under the direction of Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Silane of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 366 Days for Assaulting a U.S. Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Javon Mayo, 30, of Syracuse, New York, was sentenced yesterday to a 366-day term of imprisonment for assaulting a United States Postal Service letter carrier, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
As part of his previous plea, Mayo admitted that on December 24, 2020, he struck a letter carrier in the right eye while the carrier was delivering mail at an apartment complex in Syracuse, NY. Mayo broke part of the bone around the carrier’s eye.
United States District Judge David N. Hurd further imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, which will start after Mayo is released from prison.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Syracuse Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
Statement from U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins on the Acquittal of Seth Bourget and Joseph LavoratoRead the Press Release
“While we respect the jury’s decision, today’s verdict will not deter us from bringing these difficult cases. We believe that the allegations warranted the government’s investigation and charges.
Carrying a badge comes with enormous responsibility and obligations to not only enforce and abide by the law, but to respect the civil rights of people in your custody and care. That includes people in carceral facilities, many of whom are plagued with significant mental health issues, like the victim in this case.
This U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously investigate and when appropriate, prosecute allegations of civil rights violations. That also must be the case when the allegations are against Bureau of Prisons employees, who are themselves part of the Department of Justice system.
Our mission is not about winning or losing trials, but about pursuing justice. It is my hope that the light that was shed on these defendants’ conduct, and the undeniable physical harm caused to the victim, will result in positive improvements in our system.”
St. Albans Man Sentenced for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A St. Albans man was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute five or more grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, A St. Albans police officer stopped Austin Nathaniel Miller, 24, for riding a dirt bike on a city street on Aug. 14, 2021. Miller admitted to possessing a gun, and the officer recovered a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun from Miller’s waistband. In searching Miller’s backpack, the officer found two packages of suspected methamphetamine with a combined approximate weight of 239.21 grams. Drug lab analysis determined that the methamphetamine was approximately 96.4% pure.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Nick Miller prosecuted 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. 2:21-cr-00204.
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Sixth and Final MS-13 Member Involved in Murder of Teenage Boy in Lynn Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The sixth and final MS-13 member who participated in the July 2018 murder of a teenage boy, who was stabbed at least 32 times in a park in Lynn, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston.
Marlos Reyes a/k/a “Silencio,” 26, a Salvadorian national, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to 23 years in prison and three years of supervised release. In July 2020, Reyes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, also known as RICO conspiracy, on behalf of the MS-13 gang. As part of his racketeering activity, Reyes participated in the 2018 murder of a teenager, who was murdered with extreme atrocity and cruelty, and with deliberate premeditation, in violation of Massachusetts law.
MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational street gang operating in Massachusetts and numerous other states, as well as countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. MS-13 gang members often commit acts of extreme violence against suspected rivals, those suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, and others who the gang views as a threat. In recent years, dozens of MS-13 members have been convicted of RICO conspiracy and other serious felonies in the District of Massachusetts. MS-13 is organized into “cliques” or branches operating in local territories. Reyes belonged to the “Sykos Locos Salvatrucha” clique of MS-13, which operated in the cities of Lynn, Chelsea and other parts of Massachusetts.
In November 2018, Reyes and five other MS-13 Sykos clique members were indicted following an investigation into the murder of a teenage boy, whose body found in a park in Lynn on Aug. 2, 2018. The six defendants in this case included five participants in the murder, as well as one longstanding member of the Sykos clique. In a related case, the government charged a juvenile co-conspirator who was the sixth person involved in the murder.
The evidence in this case, which included a recording of one of Reyes’s co-defendants describing the murder in graphic detail, revealed that the MS-13 gang members murdered the victim based on their mistaken belief that he may have been assisting law enforcement.
On July 30, 2018, the gang members lured the victim to a playground and at least four of them were armed with knives. The group pretended to be friendly with the unsuspecting victim and took him to a wooded area of the park where they surrounded the victim and repeatedly stabbed him to death. At least four of the six assailants stabbed the victim, while two others assisted at the scene. After killing the victim, the gang members left his body in the wooded area of the public park. An autopsy revealed that the victim suffered at least 32 sharp force trauma wounds consistent with being stabbed repeatedly, along with blunt force injuries to the head.
Reyes is the sixth and final defendant to be sentenced in the case. On Feb. 14, 2022, Erick Lopez Flores, a/k/a “Mayimbu,” was sentenced to 40 years in prison. On Feb. 15, 2022, Jonathan Tercero Yanes, a/k/a “Desalmado,” was sentenced to 33 years in prison. On Feb. 16, 2022, Henri Salvador Gutierrez, a/k/a “Perverso,” was sentenced to life in prison. On Feb. 18, 2022, Djavier Duggins, a/k/a “Haze,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison. On March 17, 2022, Eliseo Vaquerano Canas, a/k/a “Peligroso,” was sentenced to 43 years in prison.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Acting Boston Police Commissioner Gregory Long; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher Reddy made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kunal Pasricha, Kaitlin O’Donnell, and Philip Mallard of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Seymour Manufacturing Company Pays $2.4 Million for Violating Clean Water ActRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division for New England, and Commissioner Katie Scharf Dykes of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that MARMON UTILITY LLC was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport for violating the Clean Water Act by knowingly failing to properly operate and maintain the industrial wastewater treatment system and sludge-processing equipment at the Kerite Power Cable & Pump Cable factory located at 49 Day Street in Seymour, Connecticut. Marmon Utility LLC (“Marmon Utility”), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, owns and operates the factory.
Judge Dooley ordered that Marmon Utility will be under federal probation for three years and must pay $2.4 million to the government: $800,000 as a federal penalty and a $1.6 million community service payment to remediate the Naugatuck River, as administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“CT DEEP”). Marmon Utility pleaded guilty to the offense on December 21, 2021.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Kerite Power Cable & Pump Cable (“Kerite”) factory in Seymour manufactures large power cables and generates industrial wastewater containing heavy metals such as lead and zinc. Under its 2015 CT DEEP permit, Marmon Utility was required to properly operate and maintain the wastewater treatment system at the factory to reduce the heavy-metal content by chemical precipitation before the wastewater could be discharged to the sewage treatment plant.
The investigation revealed that Marmon Utility had been cutting back on its environmental compliance program for many years, and had not had an employee with an environmental background running its wastewater treatment system since February 2004. When the operator of the wastewater treatment system became ill in March 2016, Marmon Utility ran the system for at least five months with maintenance employees who lacked environmental training and training on the treatment system.
On September 7 and 8, 2016, the superintendent of the Seymour treatment plant observed unusual, rusty brown wastewater flowing into the plant and notified CT DEEP. This rusty brown influent was interfering with the plant’s ability to treat the sewage. The superintendent took samples and determined that the lead concentration of the rusty brown influent was approximately 127 times greater than the plant’s normal lead measurement, and that its zinc concentration was over 10 times the typical zinc concentration. During the next several days, the superintendent had to order several truckloads of biologic microorganisms to break down the unprocessed sewage. It took two weeks for the treatment plant to return to usual operational capacity.
On September 27 and 29, 2016, CT DEEP and the plant superintendent inspected Marmon Utility’s Kerite facility and concluded that it had discharged the rusty brown influent with the high lead and zinc concentrations on September 7, 8, and 9, 2016. CT DEEP issued a Notice of Violation to Marmon Utility based on, among other evidence:
- The Marmon Utility facility manager’s statements (1) that the wastewater treatment operator had not been at the facility since the end of March 2016 due to medical reasons; (2) that no sludge had been processed in the filter press since this employee’s departure; and (3) no other Marmon Utility employee had been trained to process sludge as required under the CT DEEP permit.
- The Kerite factory had discharged 5,725 gallons of industrial wastewater on September 7, 2016, and 5,225 gallons on September 8, 2016, which exceeded the daily discharge limit in Marmon Utility’s CT DEEP permit.
- The lead concentration in water samples taken from Marmon Utility’s final discharge tank, which flows to the Seymour sewage treatment plant, was 69 times greater than the permissible limit in Marmon Utility’s CT DEEP permit. The zinc concentration was 8.5 times greater than the prescribed limit.
The EPA’s investigation further disclosed that from at least April 24 to September 29, 2016, the Marmon Utility maintenance employees operating the wastewater treatment system did not know how to check and maintain the pH probe, operate the sludge filter press, check or change certain filters. These were all key components of the treatment system used to remove heavy metals from the factory’s industrial wastewater. These employees did not even have access to the system’s operational manuals.
In fact, these Marmon Utility employees informed investigators that, during this time period, when certain tanks became full and the system was imbalanced, they would empty the tank by opening certain valves to discharge the industrial wastewater without treating it. As of mid-October 2016, the 3,000-gallon holding tank in Marmon Utility’s wastewater treatment system held 1,000 gallons of sludge.
In addition to improperly operating and maintaining the wastewater treatment system and sludge-processing equipment at the Seymour factory, Marmon Utility has also admitted to knowingly exceeding its maximum daily discharge limit in its CT DEEP permit on September 7 and 8, 2016, knowingly failing to notify CT DEEP promptly of the improper bypass, and that it had stopped processing the sludge using a sludge filter press as required under the CT DEEP permit.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen, with assistance from the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.
Santa Clara man in federal court to face child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Michael Rivera, 31, of Santa Clara, New Mexico, made an initial appearance in federal court today facing charges of production of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor. Rivera will remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for April 12.
According to a criminal complaint, a few days before March 23, 2021, Rivera allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a victim who was 12 years old at the time. Rivera allegedly began to request naked images of the victim. On Jan. 19, investigators seized the victim’s cell phone and conducted a forensic examination. The examination allegedly revealed sexually explicit images and videos of the victim.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Rivera faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography and a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for coercion and enticement.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating this case with assistance from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Marisa A. Ong is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Rocky Mount Gang Member Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for possessing a handgun as a convicted felon. On November 16, 2021, Raekwon Laderek Briggs pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Raekwon Briggs, 26, possessed two handguns during a high-speed chase in Edgecombe County. On March 21, 2019, a deputy pulled Briggs over for an expired registration. Briggs stopped his car and then accelerated when the deputy opened the door to his patrol car. Several law enforcement officers pursued Briggs. During the chase, Briggs sped through two school zones, ran a stoplight, and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic several times, which forced one car off the road. Briggs eventually stopped, and deputies observed two handguns on the dashboard. Both firearms were loaded with 28 rounds each. After his arrest, Briggs told the deputies that he knew the firearms were in the vehicle. Briggs also said he would have ended the chase in a shootout if Rocky Mount police officers had been involved in the chase.
Briggs had previously been convicted of several felonies, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and attempted possession of a firearm as a felon. Briggs was also validated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety as a member of the Bloods street gang.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-CR-00010-FL.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on April 1, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Will LaClaire, age 37, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
LaClaire was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 20, 2018, and pleaded guilty on November 12, 2021. The conviction stems from LaClaire, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, illegally possessing a Glock, model 36, .45 caliber pistol, which was found after LaClaire came into contact with law enforcement in January 2018 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
LaClaire was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
RGV tax preparer pleads guilty to preparing false tax returnsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A local tax preparer admitted to preparing false and fraudulent tax returns on behalf of taxpayers, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Linda Lopez was the owner and operator of a tax preparation business known as Premier Tax Solutions, which operated from 2012 through 2022 in and around Mission.
Lopez admitted that in or around February 2017, she prepared a federal tax return for a taxpayer that included multiple instances of false and fraudulent information, including false employee business expenses and false residential energy credit qualifying expenses.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez set sentencing for July 18. At that time, Lopez faces up to three years in prison and a possible $100,000 maximum fine.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Swartz prosecuted the case.
Putnam County Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Putnam County man pleaded guilty today to attempted sex trafficking of a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, James Michael Pritt, 40, of Buffalo, admitted to contacting another man online and arranging to pay him $150 in exchange for the man providing him with a 14-year-old girl for sexual intercourse. When Pritt arrived at the meeting location in South Charleston, he was placed under arrest.
Pritt is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2022, and faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement. The FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Andrew Isabell are prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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. 2:21-cr-200.
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Providence Man Sentenced on Firearm, Transportation of Stolen Property ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who admitted to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and with participating in a conspiracy to transport stolen recreation vehicles into Rhode Island was sentenced on Wednesday to thirty-seven months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
On December 21, 2020, Luis M. Morales, 39, pled guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and, in a separate case, to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, Morales is one of nine individuals who participated in a conspiracy, stretching across several states, to steal and sell sport boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, excavators, and trailers. Morales admitted that on July 17, 2020, he drove a pick-up truck to a Stafford, CT, recreational vehicle dealership where he and others stole a 2020 Yamaha watercraft, a 2019 Can-Am Maverick Sport off-road vehicle, and two trailers; all of these items were transported into Rhode Island. Morales similarly admitted that he and others stole three jet skis from a dealership an Easton, MA, on July 20, 202, and transported them to Rhode Island.
In a separately charged case, an Easton Police Detective encountered Morales while investigating the theft of the jet skis. During interviews police obtained his cell phone, which was turned over to the FBI and searched pursuant to a federal warrant. The FBI review discovered text messages indicating that Morales was also brokering the sale of fentanyl to a Massachusetts drug user in exchange for firearms. An analysis of these text messages established that Morales received or brokered the sale/trade of six firearms. Among the firearms obtained by Morales was an AR-15 assault rifle.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Morales to thirty-seven months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. In addition, Judge McElroy ordered Morales to pay a combined total of $55,455 in restitution to the owners of the stolen property and to insurance companies. Additionally, Judge McElroy ordered Morales to pay a $1,000 fine.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Ferland and Ly T. Chin.
An investigation by the Johnston and North Providence Police Departments, joined by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and merged with a parallel investigation by Rhode Island and Connecticut State Police, and the Easton, MA, and the Hampstead, NH, Police Departments, determined that between November 2019 and July 2020, three Bobcat excavators, ten jet skis, four boats, eight all-terrain vehicles, and ten trailers valued at over $700,000 were stolen.
United States Attorney Cunha thanks the FBI and ATF for their assistance in investigating Morales’ firearms trading activity.
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Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to Twenty Years in Federal Prison for Armed Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Rodney Varela, 38, of Columbus, Indiana, was sentenced late yesterday to twenty years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on March 10, 2020, Varela was found to be in possession of approximately 135 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded pistol while driving his vehicle. After further investigation, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Varela’s residence where agents seized approximately 700 grams of pure methamphetamine and five additional firearms.
Varela has numerous prior felony convictions in California and Indiana and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was also on parole at the time of the offense.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Matthew A. Myers, Sheriff of Bartholomew County, and Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. As part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who prosecuted this case.
Postal Worker Sentenced for Issuing Money Orders Without Receiving Full PaymentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced SHANNEL SMITH, age 41, of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, to three (3) years of probation for issuing money orders without receiving full payment, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. The sentencing occurred on April 6, 2022.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2019 and continuing until August 2019, SMITH, being an employee of the Postal Service, for the purpose of fraudulently enabling herself to obtain and receive, directly and indirectly, a sum of money from the United States, issued eight (8) postal money orders with face amounts of $150.00, $110.71, $100.00, $125.00, $80.00, $140.00, $100.00, and $150.00 without having previously received the full amount payable to the United States for these money orders, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 500.
Judge Africk sentenced SMITH to serve three (3) years of probation, to pay $955.74 in restitution, and ordered that she pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was investigated by special agents from the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”). The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachal Cassagne.
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Poplar man sentenced to more than three years in prison for stabbing two people on Fort Peck Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Poplar man who admitted to stabbing two individuals at a Wolf Point residence on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced today to three years and two months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Dewayne C. Shoots, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to an indictment charging him with two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on March 5, 2020, a Wolf Point police officer responded to a report that Shoots had stabbed multiple victims at a residence. The officer saw a victim, identified as John Doe, outside of the residence and bleeding from multiple stab wounds. The second victim, identified as Jane Doe, was lying on the floor inside of the residence and suffering from multiple stab wounds. Both victims identified Shoots as having stabbed them. Both victims suffered serious injuries. Witnesses confirmed they saw Shoots stab both John Doe and Jane Doe. All of the individuals at the scene had been consuming alcohol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy A. Johnson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Wolf Point Police Department and Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office.
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Picayune Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Video of Minor Engaging in Sexually Explicit ConductRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Picayune man was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution to a victim, for producing a video of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
According to court documents, Joshua Christopher Stockstill, 29, enticed a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct with his cell phone camera in Pearl River County in November of 2018. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) became aware of the video and other images. On July 14, 2021, with the assistance of NCMEC, the FBI in Gulfport identified then Picayune Police Sergeant Joshua Christopher Stockstill as the producer of the video.
Stockstill pled guilty on November 30, 2021 to producing a video of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
At sentencing, Stockstill was also ordered to pay a $10,000 assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case with the assistance of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Phoenix Man Charged After 150,000 Suspected Fentanyl Pills and Other Drugs Seized from ApartmentRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jesus Osvaldo Aguilar Rosas, 20, of Phoenix, Arizona, was charged by criminal complaint with four counts of possession of controlled substances for distribution. Aguilar was arrested on April 5 and had his initial appearance in federal court today.
The complaint alleges four violations of United States law related to Aguilar’s possession and intended distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. It further alleges that, on April 5, 2022, Aguilar was observed participating in a suspected drug transaction in Phoenix, Arizona. United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and Task Force Officers later determined that a bag Aguilar had been carrying contained methamphetamine and blue pills that are suspected to contain fentanyl. Aguilar was also in possession of a handgun. A subsequent search of Aguilar’s apartment led to the seizure of approximately 150,000 blue pills of suspected fentanyl, over 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, over three kilograms of cocaine, over one kilogram of powdered fentanyl, approximately one kilogram of heroin, a second firearm, and over $30,000 in cash.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 22-3103MB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-037_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.Philadelphia Man Sentenced to One Year in Jail for Shining Laser into Police HelicopterRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Raji Yusuf, 36, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine by United States District Judge Michael Baylson for shining a laser pointer into a Philadelphia Police helicopter while it was airborne and for violating the terms of his supervised release.
In December 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of aiming a laser at an aircraft. The charge stemmed from an incident that occurred in June of that year when two Philadelphia police officers were operating a helicopter as part of a regular nightly patrol. At approximately 9:55 p.m., while in flight in the area of the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, their helicopter was struck multiple times with a high intensity green laser. The laser flashes illuminated the cockpit, causing the officers to temporarily see spots in their vision. After regaining normal vision, the officers pinpointed the source of the laser on the ground in the Roosevelt Mall parking lot. Using the helicopter’s flood light, the officers saw a male wearing a blue shirt and jeans, later identified as the defendant, with the laser pointer. The officers radioed for assistance and Yusuf was taken into local custody by officers on the ground. At the time, Yusuf was on federal supervision for a 2016 conviction for trafficking firearms; accordingly, he was arrested by federal authorities a few days later for violating his supervised release.
“There is a reason that aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense – the consequences for those onboard and anyone in the vicinity could be disastrous,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Let this be a warning to anyone who might consider trying something similar: you could face serious federal prison time as a result.”
“Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft risks the safety of those onboard, as well as people on the ground. If a pilot’s vision is compromised, it could prove disastrous,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Mr. Yusuf made an extraordinarily bad decision — and did so while on federal supervision for his previous offense. This sentence not only holds him appropriately accountable, it shows how seriously we take it when someone uses a laser pointer in such a reckless and risky way.”
“Today’s sentencing shows that there are real consequences for pointing a laser at any aircraft,” said Joseph Harris, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Northeastern Region. “DOT-OIG will continue working with our Federal and State law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to vigorously pursue anyone who chooses to compromise the safety of the Nation’s airspace.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Wolfe.
Pennsylvania Man Admits Bank Fraud Conspiracy that Operated in South Jersey and Southeastern PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Pennsylvania man today admitted to his role in a bank fraud conspiracy that targeted 12 different financial institutions in southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Ahmed Bamidele Ponle, 42, of Darby, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud,.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Ponle was part of a multi-defendant, Nigerian-based, multi-layered criminal organization that engaged in a massive bank fraud conspiracy in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Rhode Island, between June 2016 and March 2020. Members of the group acquired numerous business checks that were stolen from the United States mail, altered the payee on the checks to a fraudulent name. They deposited the checks into bank accounts that had been opened with forged foreign passport documents and fraudulent U.S. visas that matched the names on the stolen checks. Once the banks credited all or a portion of the funds to the accounts, but before the checks had cleared, the defendants withdrew the funds from ATMs or purchased money orders, using debit cards associated with the fraudulent accounts. Members of the organization have used over 400 fraudulent accounts opened with fake identity documents to defraud the victim banks. To date, the total loss to the victim banks is approximately $6 million.
Ponle admitted his role in the conspiracy, which included using several false identities to open fraudulent bank accounts. He then made numerous deposits of stolen checks to these accounts and withdrew funds from the accounts.
As part of his plea, Ponle agreed to forfeit his interest in approximately $90,000 worth of money orders which were proceeds of the bank fraud and which were seized from a public storage facility in Philadelphia used by the conspirators to store additional fraudulent identity documents and proceeds of the bank fraud.
The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 10, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bellmawr office and Philadelphia Division Office, under the direction of Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge, Philadelphia Division; U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington, D.C. Division Office, under the direction of Peter R. Rendina, Washington Division Inspector in Charge; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Cherry Hill Office and Newark Division Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Division Office, under the Direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; Homeland Security Investigations Maryland Division Office, under the direction of James R. Mancuso, Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore; Homeland Security Investigations Rhode Island Office, under the direction of Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge, Boston Division Office; and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), under the direction of R. Mike Escott, Resident Agent in Charge, Philadelphia Resident Office, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
Three other conspirators have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing before Judge Hillman. Charges against eight other defendants remain pending before the District Court.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Askin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the pending complaints and indictments against the remaining eight conspirators are merely accusations, and the defendants in those cases are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pagans’ Associate Sentenced for Trafficking Cocaine and Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Pittsburgh, has been sentenced in federal court to 57 months imprisonment and six years’ supervised release on his conviction of drug and firearms offenses, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Jason Evans, 45, formerly of the City’s Esplen neighborhood.
According to information presented to the court, Evans was identified as a member of a large-scale drug trafficking operation, responsible for trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The investigation was the result of the efforts of the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to identify the criminal activity, including drug and firearms trafficking, of individuals who are members and/or associates of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club (PMC).
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation began in January of 2020, and beginning in August of 2020 and continuing through November 2020, the FBI conducted a federal Title III investigation, which resulted in the interception of thousands of wire and electronic communications over a total of ten (10) telephones, including telephones operated by co-defendants Bill Rana and Eric Armes, who were PMC members.
Evans, although not a member of the PMC, was a close associate of Rana’s, who was a “fully patched” member of the PMC and Sergeant of Arms for the Pittsburgh Chapter. Evans served as an “enforcer.” Evans accepted responsibility for distributing over 300 grams of cocaine.
Additionally, the Court was advised that on December 8, 2020, law enforcement executed numerous federal arrest and search warrants, in conjunction with the takedown of this investigation. Specifically, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Evans’ residence on Earl Street and seized approximately 10 ounces of cocaine as well as two firearms, ammunition, magazines, and over $10,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. Other assisting agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department Homicide, Baldwin Police Department, Brentwood Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department and West Deer Township Police Department, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jason Evans.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Ohio man indicted on fentanyl and gun chargesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – An Ohio man has been indicted on federal drug and gun charges after a traffic stop in Wheeling yielded a large quantity of fentanyl and a pill press used to make counterfeit tablets containing the synthetic opioid.
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced that Christopher W. Thomas, 32, of Thornville, was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury with the possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine as well as the unlawful possession of a firearm.
Thomas was stopped by the West Virginia State Police on March 3, 2022, on Wheeling Island. Arresting officers found 240 grams of suspected fentanyl in his possession, in powder form and in the form of counterfeit Xanax pills. Thomas possessed other items necessary to manufacture pills, including a metal pill press with a hydraulic jack, cutting agents, and a portable mixer.
"Drug traffickers are mass-producing fake pills that contain lethal doses of fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “Mr. Thomas had a portable laboratory in his car and possessed everything necessary to make his own tablets and then sell them to unsuspecting customers in the Ohio Valley."
Officers also recovered a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, a box of additional ammunition, nearly $5,000 in cash, and 81 grams of methamphetamine.
Thomas is facing up to 20 years of incarceration for each of the drug counts and up to 10 years of on the gun count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton J. Reid is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia State Police, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and ATF investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
North Providence Man Admits to Wire Fraud, Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A North Providence man who lives and works in Rhode Island today admitted that he filed COVID-relief unemployment applications in at least two other states, collecting more than $20,000 in benefits he was not entitled to receive, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
Derrick Gadson, 35, pled guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money.
According to information presented to the court, while collecting COVID-relief unemployment benefits in Rhode Island in June 2020, Gadson began filing for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts and Arizona, fraudulently claiming that he worked in both states. Gadson collected a total of $20,727 in federally funded unemployment insurance benefits that he was not entitled to receive.
Gadson is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith on July 11, 2022. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case, as well as other instances of criminal activity related to fraudulent applications for pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits are being investigated jointly by the FBI, the Rhode Island State Police, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. Cases are jointly reviewed, charged, and prosecuted by a team of prosecutors that include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton, Stacey P. Veroni, and G. Michael Seaman, and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at [email protected] or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID- 19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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North Carolina Man Sentenced to 70 Months’ in Prison for Stealing from a Federal Firearms LicenseeRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of North Carolina has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 70 months’ in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release on his conviction of theft from a federal firearms licensee, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on David R. Shahriari, a/k/a ‘David Anderson,” 39, of North Carolina.
In connection with the guilty plea, on August 29, 2011, Shahriari did knowingly steal and unlawfully take, eight firearms from L.B. Toney’s Alamo Gun Shop in DuBois, PA, which is a business licensed to deal in firearms.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard, Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Ms. Chung commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the DuBois City Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Shahriari.