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3 May 2022
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm, Fentanyl-Involved CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the illegal straw purchase of firearms and to conspiring to have drugs including fentanyl smuggled into the Western Regional Jail.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Corey Michael Perkins, 33, admitted to picking out four firearms at Jewelry Gold & Pawn in Huntington on June 30, 2020, telling an employee he would send someone to purchase them. Perkins knew he could not purchase the firearms himself because of a prior felony conviction. Perkins instead instructed another person to purchase the four firearms for him, providing that individual with the necessary cash. He further admitted that he aided, abetted, counseled, and induced that person to falsely state and represent on ATF Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee and buyer of the firearms, when in fact Perkins was the actual transferee and buyer of the firearms.
Perkins also admitted that while on home confinement he coordinated with multiple individuals to get drugs into the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville from November to December 2020. Perkins used recorded jail phone calls to arrange for a package containing 228 suboxone strips, 1.4 grams of fentanyl/methamphetamine mixture, and 1 gram of methamphetamine to be transported into the Western Regional Jail. Perkins utilized an inmate and a person who worked at the jail to carry out the scheme. Perkins was aware that the drugs were intended for redistribution in the jail, and that he would receive money.
Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2022. He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the illegal straw purchase of firearms, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for that crime. Perkins also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute suboxone, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine for that offense.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police, the Huntington Police Department, and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Investigations Unit.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Cremeans and Ryan A. Keefe are prosecuting the cases.
The case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
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. 3:22-cr-00056 and 3:21-cr-215.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty to the distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jeremy Lee Pettry, 38, admitted that he sold 28.13 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Huntington on July 29, 2020. Pettry further admitted that law enforcement officers seized 2.21 grams of cocaine, 15.73 grams of heroin and 5.78 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to sell, as well as a revolver from a closet, during an August 6, 2020, search of his 25th Street residence in Huntington. Pettry also admitted to selling approximately 30 ounces of methamphetamine in the months leading up to the search of his residence.
Pettry is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2022, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison as well as up to four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for conducting the investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-246.
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Hartsville Man who Attempted Drive-Thru Bank Robbery by Taxicab Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Florence, South Carolina --- Angel Luis Masdeu, 59, of Hartsville, has been sentenced to 6 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted bank robbery.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on February 25, 2021, Masdeu took a taxicab to a bank in Hartsville where he directed the taxi driver to enter the drive-thru line and place an envelope in the pneumatic tube. The bank teller received the envelope, which contained a torn, handwritten note demanding all money from all drawers and threatening to kill and/or blow up the bank. The teller activated the alarm, and officers with the Hartsville Police Department were dispatched to the bank. After arriving on scene, officers located the taxicab in the drive-thru line and detained Masdeu. Upon searching the taxicab, officers located several envelopes matching the envelope that was used to send the note and part of a torn paper matching the tear on the note. Officers determined the taxi driver was not involved in the attempted bank robbery.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Masdeu to 72 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year 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 the Hartsville Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.
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Harrison County man indicted on firearms and witness tampering chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles Raymond Wable, of Shinnston, West Virginia, was indicted today on firearms and witness tampering charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Wable, 61, was indicted today on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” and one count of “Tampering with a Witness by Corrupt Persuasion.” Wable, a person prohibited from having firearms because of prior drug convictions, is accused of having a semi-automatic rifle in September 2020 in Harrison County. Wable is also accused of paying a witness to influence the witness’s testimony in a federal case before Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley between October 1, 2020, and November 10, 22020 in Harrison County.
Wable faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms charge and faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the witness tampering charge. 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. ATF and the U.S. Probation Office investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Greenwich Resident Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Investors of Nearly $1.5 MillionRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SAMUEL KLEIN, 66, of Greenwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding investors of nearly $1.5 million.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Klein controlled several different entities, including Visual Group LLC; O.S. Management, LLC; KF Pecksland LLC; Four Pines Holdings, LLC; and Payton Lane NH, Inc. In 2018, Klein made false representations to a victim investor, including that the victim’s funds would be invested in distressed debt, when Klein knew that all of the investment funds would not be used for the stated purposes. Based on these false representations, the victim investor wrote a check in the amount of $200,000 to Visual Group LLC for the purpose of making a purported investment in distressed debt. Klein caused the check to be transported from New York to Connecticut and deposited into a bank account in the name of Visual Group LLC. Klein subsequently solicited and received approximately $50,000 in additional funds from the victim investor.
The investigation further revealed that, from approximately July 2016 through at least June 2019, Klein defrauded three additional victim investors of a total of more than $1.2 million by making multiple false statements and misrepresentations.
Klein knew that all of the funds solicited from the victim investors would not be used for his stated purposes, and instead would be utilized by Klein for personal and other expenditures.
Judge Hall ordered Klein to pay restitution in the amount of $1,497,797.52.
On August 30, 2021, Klein pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud and one count of money laundering.
Klein, who had been released on bond, was remanded to custody at the conclusion of today’s court proceeding.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Laraia and David T. Huang.
Georgetown Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Florence, South Carolina --- Julius Antwan Hicks, Jr., 38, of Georgetown has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on June 11, 2020, the Myrtle Beach Police Department executed a search warrant at Hicks’s residence in Myrtle Beach. During the search, officers located a firearm with an extended magazine and rounds of ammunition in one of the bedrooms. Hicks is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to his prior convictions for Distribution of Crack Cocaine 1st Offense and Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana 1st Offense.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Hicks to 60 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.
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Former Federal Agent Found Guilty of Participating in Bribery Scheme that Brought Him Approximately $100,000 in Ill-Gotten GainsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was found guilty by a federal jury today of dozens of criminal charges for accepting cash payments and other benefits to help an organized crime-linked person, including taking official action designed to help two foreign nationals gain entry into the United States.
Felix Cisneros Jr., 48, of Murrieta, was found guilty of 30 felonies: one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official, one count of bribery, 26 counts of money laundering and two counts of subscribing to a false tax return. After today's verdict was read, Cisneros was ordered immediately remanded into federal custody.
According to evidence presented at his five-day trial, over an 18-month period that started in September 2015, Cisneros accepted cash, checks, private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, meals and other items of value from a person identified in court documents as “Individual 1,” who was associated with a criminal organization. Cisneros received approximately $100,000 in checks and gifts from Individual 1 in 2015 and 2016.
Cisneros accepted the cash and other bribes while employed as a special agent with HSI, which is an agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security. In exchange for the bribes, Cisneros performed a series of official acts at the behest of Individual 1, including:
- Accessing a DHS database for information about a German national identified as W.R., and telling Individual 1 he removed a “hit” on W.R., “thus indicating derogatory information had been removed”;
- Placing an alert in a law enforcement database for an address associated with an illegal marijuana grow operation so Cisneros could learn of law enforcement interest and warn Individual 1;
- Obtaining an official DHS letter signed by an HSI assistant special agent in charge to allow the parole of Individual 1’s brother-in-law into the United States from Mexico, and later providing updates about the brother-in-law’s asylum application; and
- Collecting information on an associate of Individual 1 whose home had been searched by law enforcement and later providing Individual 1 with information about the investigation.
Cisneros also underreported his total income on his federal income tax returns by at least $20,000 for the year 2015 and at least $73,404 for the year 2016.
United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner has scheduled an August 1 sentencing hearing. The conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, the bribery count carries a sentence of up to 15 years, each money laundering charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, and each tax count carries a statutory maximum sentence of three years in federal prison.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Ruth C. Pinkel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Morse and Juan M. Rodriguez of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Former FEMA Employee Pleads Guilty to Aiding in the Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Shanta Johnson, age 44, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding in the preparation of false tax returns.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General.
According to her guilty plea, from January 2013 through at least April 2016, while employed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”), Shanta Johnson prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on behalf of her taxpayer clients. As detailed in court documents, Johnson prepared at least some of these returns while at work at FEMA. The false items on these tax returns included false deductions, fictional businesses and business expenses, and fake education expenses – all of which were designed to increase her clients’ tax refunds. Johnson charged money for her services and, in many cases, directed a portion of her clients’ refunds into more than twenty bank accounts she controlled. Johnson did not report the income she received for preparing tax returns on her own tax returns. In total, Johnson prepared at least 194 tax returns. She created and used numerous email accounts to establish accounts in the names of her clients on the online tax preparation software she used to make it appear as if her clients were preparing their own tax returns. Johnson did not list herself as the paid tax preparer on any of them, as required under IRS rules. She caused a tax loss to the IRS of $217,424.
Johnson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to between six and 15 months in federal prison and will be required to pay restitution to the IRS. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 30, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg commended the IRS-CI and DHS-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Comptroller’s Office for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham and Trial Attorney Sam Bean of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Brooklyn Resident Pleads Guilty to $3 Million Tax Return and Covid-Relief Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Patrick Poux pleaded guilty to filing false applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 emergency relief loans in 2020 under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL). Poux also pleaded guilty to fraudulently generating and submitting false tax return applications claiming millions of dollars in unearned tax refunds between 2016 and 2019. Today’s proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. When sentenced, Poux faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the guilty plea.
“It was money not well earned, or well spent. The defendant admitted to preparing and filing false applications for millions of dollars’ worth of COVID-19 disaster relief funds and tax refunds and then spending that money on a life coach and luxury goods,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will vigorously prosecute individuals who steal taxpayer dollars, especially from critically important government programs designed to help struggling small businesses and families stay afloat during the pandemic.”
“Patrick Poux orchestrated an elaborate scheme to create false W-2 forms with excessively high federal withholdings, attempting to gain millions by using shell companies he controlled to get fraudulent tax refunds for him and his co-conspirators. Poux’s fraud went on to include COVID-19 loan applications for companies that had no operations or employees,” said Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso. “Poux lived a rich lifestyle filled with luxury goods while stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from those who need the funds for their businesses to thrive. U.S. taxpayers have paid the bill for his lavish purchases for far too long, and today’s guilty plea ensures that Poux will soon pay it back by facing the consequences of his actions.”
The CARES Act was enacted on March 29, 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance in connection with economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the allocation of funds for the issuance of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The PPP allowed qualifying small businesses to receive unsecured loans on favorable terms, which they were required to use for certain specified expenses, including payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP provided for forgiveness of the loan if recipient businesses spent the proceeds on these specified expenses within a limited time period and used a certain percentage for payroll costs.
Similarly, the EIDL program was a program that provided low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. The CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDLs of up to $2,000,000 to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As set forth in court filings, between March 2020 and September 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Poux fraudulently applied for PPP and EIDL loans and grants totaling approximately $320,000, on behalf of himself and corporate entities he controlled. Poux received approximately $183,000 in COVID-19 relief loans and grants to which he was not entitled, and he spent those funds on personal expenses, including a life coach and luxury goods from stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue.
As also set forth in court filings, between 2016 and 2019, Poux and others used false wage and withholding information in income tax returns to obtain tax refunds to which they were not entitled. To advance the scheme, Poux created false tax forms for shell companies that had no operations or employees. He gave co-conspirators tax forms that falsely reported that the co-conspirator had worked at a shell company and had withheld income—even though the co-conspirator never worked at the shell company. Using these falsified forms, co-conspirators could claim substantial refunds from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In return, Poux received a percentage of such refunds. Poux and others submitted approximately 250 claims seeking a total of approximately $2.8 million in tax refunds from the IRS.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Amir is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PATRICK POUX
Age: 45
Snellville, GAE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-117 (BMC)
Federal Indictment Returned for Columbia Man for Possessing a Firearm and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a two-count indictment against Nicholas Vanover, 25, of Columbia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and simple possession of marijuana.
The indictment alleges that Vanover possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a prior felony and possessed a quantity of marijuana on January 30, 2020.
Vanover faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and is currently detained and has a detention hearing.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the City of Columbia Police Department.
This case was 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Federal Indictment Returned for Columbia Man for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 3-count indictment against David Bryant, III, 24, of Columbia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a stolen firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The indictment alleges that Bryant, possessed 3 firearms after having previously been convicted of a prior felony, possessed a stolen firearm, and possessed a firearm with an obliterated serial number all on January 28, 2020.
Bryant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine, and is currently detained pending trial.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the City of Columbia Police Department.
This case was 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Federal Indictment Returned for Columbia Man for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 1-count indictment against Eric Grier, 54, of Columbia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that Grier possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a prior felony on October 10, 2020.
Grier faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine and is currently detained.
The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department.
This case was 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Federal Indictment Returned for Columbia Man for Possessing a Firearm and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 3-count indictment against Kendrick Mann, 36, of Columbia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute.
The indictment alleges that Mann possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a prior felony, possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessed a quantity of marijuana with the intent to distribute all on July 5, 2020.
Mann faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine and is currently detained.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department.
This case was 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Elkins man indicted on firearms and drug chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Anthony Eugene McDonald, of Elkins, West Virginia, was indicted today on firearms and drug charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
McDonald, 45, was indicted today on one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” McDonald is accused of distributing methamphetamine in December 2020 in Marion County. McDonald, a person prohibited from having firearms because of prior convictions, is accused of having a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in December 2020 in Marion County.
McDonald faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the drug charge and faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms charge. 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 Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. ATF and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Egyptian citizen gets massive sentence for sexually coercing Texas minorRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 49-year-old man living in Massachusetts has been ordered to federal prison for nearly 34 years following multiple convictions of child exploitation, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
On Nov. 18, 2021, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales found Ehab Sadeek guilty following a one-day bench trial.
Today, Judge Morales the court sentenced Sadeek to 405 months in federal prison.
Calling the matter one of the most “egregious cases” before the court, Judge Morales considered the emotionally moving victim statements which described the trauma that Sadeek’s misconduct caused the minor and her family. The court noted how Sadeek “terrorized an innocent” in committing his crime.
Sadeek will also serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the minor victim.
On May 26, 2020, law enforcement responded to a call about a suspicious individual walking near a residence in a rural area of Corpus Christi. They discovered Sadeek outside the victim’s home.
The investigation revealed that Sadeek had groomed the minor and sent sexually explicit messages via social media for approximately two weeks. He then traveled from Massachusetts to Texas with the intent to engage sexually with the girl.
Sadeek will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the George West Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly K. Smith and Dennis E. Robinson prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Distribution of Fentanyl and Illegal Possession of Firearms Results in Lengthy Federal Prison Sentence for Alexandria ManRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Dustin Thompson, 36, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell for his involvement in the trafficking of fentanyl and illegal possession of firearms. Thompson was sentenced to 270 months (22 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Thompson was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury with drug trafficking and firearms offenses. On October 4, 2021, Thompson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On March 12, 2018, Thompson distributed a controlled substance to an individual in Alexandria and represented to him that the substance was heroin, when in truth and in fact, it was fentanyl. After consuming what he thought to be heroin, the individual became unconscious and crashed his vehicle into the Alexandria, Louisiana Police Department.
Law enforcement officers administered NARCAN, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, in order to revive the victim and he was taken to a local hospital where a NARCAN drip was given to him for an extended period of time. Law enforcement officers later searched Thompson’s residence and found three loaded firearms, 54 grams of fentanyl, and a large sum of cash.
“In this case, a large amount of fentanyl was recovered. However, let it be known that the Western District of Louisiana’s United States Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute all illegal fentanyl trafficking cases regardless of the quantity involved and we will seek stiff sentences of imprisonment. This has become an epidemic throughout the southern part of the country and this district is no exception. These law enforcement officers are to be commended for their swift, heady action resulting in this victim’s life being spared.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF and Alexandria Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth D. Reeg and J. Aaron Crawford.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Federal Prison for CarjackingRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Deloneo Breham, 32, of Detroit, MI, was sentenced in federal court for carjacking and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Breham was sentenced by United States District Judge Nancy Edmunds to 235 months in federal prison, followed by six years of supervised release. Breham has been in custody since his arrest in February 2021.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division.
“Carjackers create an unacceptable risk of physical harm or death and erode the overall sense of safety and security in our community,” stated US Attorney Ison. “We are committed to bringing the full weight of the justice system to bear on individuals who are making our neighborhoods unsafe and who prey upon our citizens.”
“People who were just living their lives — doing ordinary things each of us has done thousands of times — were terrorized because this defendant wanted a car. No one should have to live in fear of something like that,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “Breham’s sentence should be a warning to anyone who commits a carjacking that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
According to court records, during the early morning hours of February 22, 2021, Breham approached a man pumping gas into his truck at a gas station on Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. Breham—armed with a handgun—told the victim to give him the keys to the truck. When the victim refused, Breham shot him in the leg. While Breham tried to open the driver’s door, the victim—a lawful CPL holder—retrieved his own firearm and shot Breham. Breham fled the scene on foot. Detroit Police responded within seven minutes and found Breham hiding in a bush nearby.
Additional facts presented to the court established that six months before the February 2021 carjacking, Breham carjacked a woman at her home. On August 31, 2020, the victim arrived home with her minor children to find Breham inside her house, armed with a gun. Breham pointed his gun at the victim and demanded the keys to her car. When the woman hesitated, Breham told her “I don’t want to do this in front of your kids.” The victim gave Breham the keys to her car and he left the house. The victim’s car was recovered from the Suez motel on Eight mile the following day.
The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara Lanning and Diane Princ.
Dearborn Doctor Pleads Guilty to Diverting Prescription PillsRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Dearborn physician Tete Oniango, 47, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and agreed to forfeit approximately $37,000 in cash seized from his office, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office.
According to court records, Dr. Oniango admitted to prescribing 12,500 dosage units of hydrocodone, a powerful, Schedule II controlled substance without regard to medical necessity. Oniango issued these prescription drugs outside the course of professional medical practice and without any legitimate medical need for the drugs.
U.S. Attorney Ison said, “Hydrocodone is extremely addictive and can lead to addiction and eventual heroin use. Michigan has seen a devastating number of opioid drug overdoses in the last five years. My office remains committed to pursuing medical providers who abuse their roles as caregivers and inflict harm upon our community.”
Special Agent in Charge Tarasca stated, “Physicians who provide prescription drugs without a legitimate medical purpose are contributing to the drug epidemic in our community. The message should be clear, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to focus our efforts on any doctor or healthcare professional who prioritizes profit over patient health and safety.”
“Physicians, and other medical practitioners, who place profits ahead of their patients by prescribing powerful controlled substances outside of medical necessity, unnecessarily risk the safety of those who they are charged to care for,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who needlessly prescribe controlled substances at the expense of the well-being of others.”
Sentencing is set for August 22, 2022.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Ross as part of the district’s efforts to address the nation’s opioid crisis. The Eastern District of Michigan is one of twelve districts included in the Attorney General’s Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection initiative.
Cumberland County Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, and Tax Evasion in Connection with Romance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Cumberland County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire and money laundering, and tax evasion, in connection with a romance fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Rubbin Sarpong, 38, of Millville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering and tax evasion. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2016 to Sept. 3, 2019, Sarpong and his conspirators, several of whom reside in Ghana, allegedly participated in an online romance scheme, defrauding victims in New Jersey and elsewhere. Sarpong and the conspirators set up dating profiles on various dating websites, using fictitious or stolen identities and posing as United States military personnel who were stationed overseas. They contacted victims through the dating websites and then pretended to strike up a romantic relationship with them. After establishing virtual romantic relationships with victims on the online dating platforms and via email, the conspirators asked them for money, often for the purported purpose of paying to ship gold bars to the United States. Although the stories varied, most often Sarpong and the conspirators claimed to be military personnel stationed in Syria who received, recovered, or were awarded gold bars. The conspirators told many victims that their money would be returned once the gold bars were received in the United States.
Sarpong and the conspirators used several email accounts and Voice Over Internet Protocol phone numbers to communicate with victims and instruct them on where to wire money, including recipient names, addresses, financial institutions, and account numbers. At least 40 identified victims wired money to Sarpong and others in the United States, including to 13 bank accounts controlled by Sarpong, some of which were in the names of his friends, relatives, and a fictitious business entity, Rubbin Sarpong Autosales. Occasionally, victims also mailed personal checks or cashier’s checks to the conspirators and also transferred money to the conspirators via money transfer services, such as Western Union and MoneyGram. The funds were not used for the purposes claimed by the conspirators – that is, to transport non-existent gold bars to the United States – but were instead withdrawn in cash, wired to other domestic bank accounts, and wired to other conspirators in Ghana.
While engaged in this fraud, Sarpong purchased property in Ghana and posted photographs of himself on social media showing him with large amounts of cash, high-end cars, designer clothing and expensive jewelry. Despite having received approximately $1.14 million in taxable income from the scheme during tax years 2016 through 2018, Sarpong filed no income tax returns and paid no income tax, resulting in a tax loss of $387,923.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Sarpong to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.08 million to 36 victims, $387,923 to IRS, $4,096 to the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services and $6,903 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Messenger in Newark; special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Connecticut Man Sentenced for Federal Ammunition ChargeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Norwich, Conn. man was sentenced today for illegal possession of ammunition.
Paul Marino, 57, formerly of New Bedford, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On Jan. 21, 2021, Marino pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition.
On various dates in September 2019, Marino attempted to purchase a handgun and silencer from an undercover agent. During a search of Marino’s home in New Bedford on Sept. 26, 2019, agents seized three 9mm handgun magazines and 277 rounds of 9mm ammunition from a closet in Marino’s bedroom. The ammunition was in a FedEx box addressed to “Vincent Amoroso” in Rhode Island, bearing a return address in Tennessee. Counterfeit Virginia identification documents were also seized in the aliases of Vincent Amoroso and Christian Bennington, each of which bore Marino’s photograph, and an American Express card in the name of Christian Bennington.
Due to a prior federal conviction for wire fraud, Marino is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Additionally, after pleading guilty, Marino submitted several letters to the court that were purported to be from others in support of a lesser sentence for the defendant but were in fact altered and fraudulent – including letters with forged signatures and a letter purported to be from an individual who was deceased at the time.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. The New Bedford Police Department provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Abely, Chief of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Columbia Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA —Tavius Cortez Wiggins, a/k/a “Black,” 30, of Columbia was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented in court showed that on July 30, 2019, an officer with the South Carolina Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for speeding on Interstate 95 in Florence County. Upon contact, the trooper noticed a strong odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle and determined the driver did not have a valid driver’s license. Wiggins was a passenger. The trooper separated the three occupants of the vehicle, and responses to the trooper’s questions led the officer to believe there was evidence of criminal conduct in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle produced cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and three firearms, one of which was stolen, plus ammunition and extended ammunition magazines. The firearms included a loaded .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine, a loaded 9mm handgun, and a .22LR caliber firearm with a 125-round drum magazine attached.
FBI received information that Wiggins was facilitating the commercial sexual exploitation of a female passenger in the vehicle, that he supplied her with drugs, and that prior to the traffic stop he pointed a firearm at her head multiple times. The government presented other evidence at sentencing that Wiggins was involved in human trafficking: witnesses disclosed to the FBI that Wiggins prostituted women at hotels in the Columbia area, and that he did so by using physical violence, pointing firearms, and by withholding drugs causing “dope sickness.” At sentencing, Wiggins contested that evidence but conceded that the Government had enough evidence to support a sentencing enhancement based on that conduct.
Wiggins was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based on numerous prior felony convictions, including trafficking crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, two burglary convictions related to home invasions, escape from custody, identity fraud, and resisting arrest. Wiggins’s convictions began in 2008 and they also include multiple drug possession convictions.
United States District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Wiggins to 9 years in prison on a charge that carried a maximum of 10 years in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was 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.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
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Columbia Man Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison on Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- Jordan Davis Williams, 31, of Columbia, has been sentenced to 4 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on December 17, 2020, an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made a controlled purchase of 27.687 grams of fentanyl from Williams at a location in Columbia.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Williams to 48 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by ATF and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.
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Colchester Woman Faces Federal Charge for Knife Point Robbery of Church Street Store in BurlingtonRead the Press Release
UPDATE
The Press Release has been updated to reflect the correct hometown in the body of the release.
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Sabrina Kingsbury, 40, of Colchester, Vermont has been charged under the federal Hobbs Act with obstructing commerce by robbery. Kingsbury appeared today in U.S. District Court in Burlington for an initial appearance. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle granted the government’s motion for detention and ordered Kingsbury detained until trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to court records, the government alleges that on April 18, 2022 at approximately 4:00 p.m., Kingsbury entered the Black Diamond store at 17 Church Street and gathered about $1,200 worth of merchandise, including clothing, a backpack, and a headlamp. Kingsbury then attempted to leave the store without paying for these items. After store employees confronted her, she threatened to stab one of them. Soon after, officers from the Burlington Police Department arrested Kingsbury with the merchandise near the bus stop located at St. Paul and Pearl Streets. At the time of her arrest, Kingsbury possessed a Gerber Leatherman knife on her person.
The complaint is an accusation only and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Kingsbury faces a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which would follow any sentence of imprisonment. Any actual sentence will be determined with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Burlington Police Department are investigating this case. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Kingsbury is represented by Sara Puls, Esq. of the Federal Public Defenders Office.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psn
Clarksburg man indicted on firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Erik J. Wilson, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was indicted today on a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Wilson, 35, was indicted today on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Wilson, a person prohibited from having firearms because of a prior firearms conviction, is accused of having a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in January 2022 in Harrison County.
Wilson 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 Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. ATF and the Clarksburg Police Department investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Chatham County illegal alien sentenced to prison for luring teen into sexual activityRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: An illegal alien has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison after pleading guilty to luring a teen into participating in sexual activity.
Alejandro Pedroza-Romero, a/k/a “Zuleyka Luna,” a/k/a “Alex Luna,” 37, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States who resided in Garden City, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Coercion and Enticement, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. After completion of his prison term Pedroza-Romero will be subject to deportation.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Alejandro Pedroza-Romero flaunted the sovereignty of the United States by illegally entering, and then preyed on vulnerable victims on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Putting him behind bars automatically protects children from this predator.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Pedroza-Romero came to the attention of the Thunderbolt, Ga., Police Department in January 2021 when a minor victim reported Pedroza-Romero paid the victim for sexual acts. FBI agents later interviewed and arrested Pedroza-Romero after analyzing multiple electronic communications between Pedroza-Romero and the minor victim.
“This case is a perfect example of how partnerships between the FBI and our local law enforcement agencies are vital in protecting our citizens and in particular, children, our most vulnerable citizens,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The severity of this sentence is the greatest message we can send to anyone who would seek to take advantage of a child in this way.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Thunderbolt Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah J. Abrams.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
Charleston Man Sentenced for Firearm and Fentanyl CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of ammunition and for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dana Stevenson, 31, illegally possessed 9mm caliber ammunition on July 5, 2021. The ammunition was recovered at the scene of a daytime shooting at Central and Glenwood avenues on Charleston’s West Side.
Approximately five weeks after this incident, on August 12, 2021, South Charleston Police officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Stevenson, who fled at a high rate of speed. Stevenson was eventually apprehended and officers recovered approximately 38 grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle. The quantity of fentanyl and the presence of certain paraphernalia established that Stevenson intended to distribute the drug.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Stevenson knew he was prohibited from possessing ammunition because of his 2018 federal felony convictions in the Southern District of West Virginia for the distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-161.
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Camden Man Sentenced to 140 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Large Amounts of Heroin, Cocaine and CrackRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced to 140 months in prison for conspiring to distribute large amounts of heroin, cocaine, and crack in Camden, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Jose Diaz, 30, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin as well as quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence on April 28, 2022, in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Nineteen defendants were arrested in late 2018 on drug-trafficking charges based on the FBI’s investigation of a drug-trafficking organization that ran the open-air narcotics trade on the 400-500 block of Pine Street in Camden for several months in 2018. The organization included street-level sellers who were supervised by shift managers, who in turn were supervised by higher-level “runners.” Diaz admitted that he had a supervisory role as a shift manager, in the drug trafficking organization. The shift managers and runners supplied the sellers pre-packaged heroin, some of which was mixed with fentanyl, as well as cocaine and crack cocaine. The runners also collected drug proceeds from the shift managers and provided those proceeds to higher-level members of the conspiracy.
Seventeen of these defendants pleaded guilty before Judge Bumb to drug conspiracy charges. Two defendants are awaiting trial, which is scheduled for July 18, 2022. The charges and allegations against those two defendants are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Diaz to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Violent Offender and Gang Task Force, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire; the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay; the Camden County Sherriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Gilbert L. Wilson; the Cherry Hill Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief of Police Larry Robb; and the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security for their assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Aliabadi and Patrick C. Askin of the U. S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Burlington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man, Quanathan Naiji Knox Ivery, age 33, was sentenced on Monday, April 25, 2022, to 110 months in prison for Felon in Possession of Firearms. Ivery was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term and immediately pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
In Spring of 2020, law enforcement investigated felons shooting firearms at an indoor shooting range in Burlington. Law enforcement observed Ivery outside of the range and determined he was a felon and was ineligible from possessing firearms. When Ivery left the range, law enforcement stopped his vehicle and located three firearms, including a rifle, and a large amount of ammunition. Law enforcement also located a drum magazine, capable of holding 100 rounds of ammunition. Surveillance video from the range showed Ivery shooting all three of the firearms. On December 20, 2021, Ivery pleaded guilty to the charge.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Black Hawk Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Black Hawk, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on May 2, 2022, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Cole Younger, age 33, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Younger was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 19, 2021, and pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021. The conviction stems from Younger, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, illegally possessing a loaded SCCY Industries, model CPX-2, 9x19mm Luger caliber, semi-automatic pistol, which were found after Younger came into contact with law enforcement in June 2021 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.
Younger was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Battle Ground, Washington man sentenced to prison for illegally possessing firearmsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 44-year-old Battle Ground, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Lynn Manley Cargile was arrested on December 26, 2019, following a six-hour stand-off with police. Cargile was indicted federally in August 2021. At today’s sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said, “If you want your children to have a different life (than you), it’s up to you to model that for them.”
According to records filed in the case, police were called to Cargile’s home by a 9-1-1 call from his ex-wife, who alleged that Cargile had pushed her on their bed, had refused to allow her to get up, and when she later attempted to flee, had pulled her back into the house by her hair. After a lengthy wait, officers used ‘flash-bang’ devices to get Cargile to leave the house, and he was taken into custody. When officers entered the home to secure it for officer safety, they noted numerous firearms. After obtaining a court authorized search warrant, law enforcement discovered a Smith and Wesson AR-15 style rifle with a swastika on the rifle butt and a Black Rain Ordinance short-barreled rifle. Investigators also found two silencers, one of which was marked with “SS Bolts” markings associated with a Nazi Germany paramilitary organization. Cargile is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions in Clark County Washington for attempting to elude (2002 and 2003) and illegal firearms possession (1999 and 2002).
Cargile was in state custody until August 2021 serving a 29-month prison sentence for domestic violence stemming from the same incident. The court and prosecutors took into account that state prison term in determining the appropriate federal sentence.
Speaking at sentencing, Cargile said he had renounced his white supremacist views. “For the first time in my life I want to do something different. I want to do gang intervention and give back to the community…. My goal is to be a good dad, serve God and give back to my community.”
Chief Judge Ricardo S. Martinez ordered Cargile to be on supervised release for three years following prison with drug treatment and mental health treatment as appropriate. As he closed the hearing, the Chief Judge noted that he does not usually believe the statements defendants make about how they have changed, but he does believe the actions they take once released from custody.
The case was investigated by the Battle Ground Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Will Dreher and former Assistant United States Attorney Angelica Williams.
Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to 110 Months in Federal Prison for Charges Related to Drug Trafficking and Possession of Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Reuben Maurice Crawford, age 36, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 110 months in federal prison following his convictions for unlawful use of communications facilities in furtherance of drug trafficking activities and possession of contraband in prison. The Court further sentenced Crawford to serve one year of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, Crawford was involved with a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of controlled substances in the Middle District of Louisiana. On June 7, 2017, Crawford and another member of the organization discussed collection of drug trafficking proceeds from other members of the organization. On June 19, 2017, Crawford called another member and warned him that he was being surveilled by federal agents. Crawford then instructed the member to meet him at a bar so that he could take him to the federal law enforcement office and show him the vehicles used to conduct surveillance.
In June 2021, on two separate occasions, while housed as an inmate at West Baton Rouge Parish Prison, Crawford possessed cellular telephones, which are prohibited objects in prison under federal law.
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. stated, “This sentence demonstrates that we will use all tools at our disposal to bring to justice those who deal drugs in our community. The combined federal, state, and local efforts that culminated in this conviction once again reflect our unified front against crime in this district. I appreciate the tremendous dedication and hard work by the agents and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this important matter.”
U.S. Marshal Bill Brown stated, “When prisoners in our custody violate the law, we will seek to hold them accountable.”
This investigation is another effort by the OCDETF Program, which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations, and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
These matters were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kleinpeter and Harley Ferguson.
Barbour County man indicted on firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Andrew Cordel Wagner, of Elkins, West Virginia, was indicted today on a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Wagner, 31, was indicted today on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Wagner, a person prohibited from having firearms, is accused of having four rifles, one revolver, seven pistols, and four shotguns in November 2021 n Barbour County.
Wagner 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 Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. ATF investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Another Texan sentenced for dealing drugs on behalf of Texas “Mexikan” MafiaRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 29-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a large drug conspiracy involving heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and meth, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Joe Daniel Davila pleaded guilty July 23, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Davila to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed Davila’s role as a distributor of narcotics at various drug houses located within Corpus Christi and Robstown.
Davila was selling the narcotics at drug premises aka “trap houses” which the Texas “Mexikan” Mafia (TMM) operated. Many of these homes were equipped with electronic security systems and had doors reinforced with braces to make possible law enforcement entry difficult. Authorities also found firearms in some of these “trap houses.” Davila would oversee the selling of drugs at some of these houses and make sure the profits of the sales would go to the leadership of TMM.
The investigation began in Robstown in 2015. Law enforcement was eventually able to discover the TMM was operating these houses in both Robstown and Corpus Christi and maintaining the premises as one of their sources of income.
The TMM has a constitution that governs the enterprise which states that 10% percent of the profits from any member’s business or interest shall be contributed to the organization. TMM collects this fee, referred to as “the dime,” from members, prospective members and sympathizers. These individuals also earn their income by trafficking in illegal drugs on their own which TMM then distributes – to include heroin, meth and cocaine.
Nine others have been convicted as part of the overall conspiracy.
Robert Martinez Hinojosa, 63, Alice; and Matthew John Sayles, 42, Raul Benavides, 48, Juan Lebrado Pena, 31, and Gilberto Saldana Jr., 41, all of Corpus Christi, pleaded guilty to violating the Racketeer Influence Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute. Hinojosa received 268 months, while Sayles, Benavides, Pena and Saldana received respective sentences of 90, 108, 210 and 271 months.
Four others were convicted of conspiring to distribute narcotics - Sergio Pena, 26, Danny Ray Martinez, 32, and Serenity McCracken, 44, all of Corpus Christi; and Raul Valdez, 47, San Antonio. Pena and Martinez each received 120 month-prison terms, while McCracken is serving 36 months. Valdez is pending sentencing.
All have been and remain in custody. Davila is pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S Marshals Service; IRS - Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation known as Operation Charco Trece. Also providing assistance were sheriff’s offices in Nueces and Victoria Counties and police departments in Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Robstown and Portland.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany L. Jensen and Michael Hess prosecuted the case.
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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Albuquerque man pleads guilty to bank fraud and submitting false documentsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Rick Benavidez, 47, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on April 29 in federal court to two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of submitting fraudulent returns, statements or other documents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Benavidez will remain on release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Benavidez on Feb. 27, 2019. According to the plea agreement and other court records, from April 18, 2013, to May 31, 2013, Benavidez conspired with Damian Maron, and another man to submit fraudulent documentation, including altered pay stubs, to two credit unions to receive automobile loans. The altered pay stubs, which were provided to the applicant by Benavidez, supported a false claim that the applicant’s annual income was $85,000, when in fact it was only approximately $8,000 for 2013. The loan applications at both credit unions used the title for the same car, a 2007 Mercedes S Class, which was not for sale and which none of the men had any intention of purchasing. The funds were disbursed to “Automotive Express, Inc.,” a fictitious car dealership. The conspirators split the money, and the loan went into default.
Benavidez admitted in his plea that the fraudulently obtained loans in the guise of purchasing the Mercedes were part of a larger scheme using multiple straw applicants to obtain similar loans. As a result, defrauded financial institutions disbursed a total of $359,662.97.
Benavidez also acknowledged an additional loan scheme involving another alleged conspirator, Willie Lee Edwards, who is currently wanted by the FBI. The conspirators in this second scheme applied for a total of $1,154,493.42, of which $999,993.42 was disbursed by financial institutions.
After being charged with conspiracy and bank fraud, Benavidez submitted a false document to the IRS purporting to designate the assigned U.S. District Court judge as his fiduciary, knowing that the designation was false because the judge had not agreed to it and was not, nor had he ever been, Benavidez's legal fiduciary.
Maron pleaded guilty on March 10, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud, and is currently awaiting sentencing. Maron faces up to 30 years in prison.
By the terms of the plea agreement, Benavidez faces between 51 and 63 months in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Assistant United States Attorneys Sean J. Sullivan and Taylor F. Hartstein are prosecuting the case.
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"Long Time Coming" Update: Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Kentucky man pleaded guilty today to a role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in Parkersburg and elsewhere.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Robert Sanders, Jr., 30, of Ashland, Kentucky, admitted to supplying Matthew Edward Depew and Carlo Ramsey with methamphetamine that was then re-distributed by Depew and Ramsey in the Parkersburg area between June and September 2021. Depew previously admitted to acquiring several pounds of methamphetamine on consignment from Sanders and distributing it to third-party customers.
Sanders pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2022, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison as well as least five years of supervised release and a $10 million fine.
Depew, Carlo Ramsey, Floyd Dermonta Ramsey, Era Dawn Corder, and Ambera Roberts previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, as a result of a nearly year-long investigation dubbed “Long Time Coming.” All defendants are awaiting sentencing. The investigation also resulted in more than a dozen arrests on state criminal complaints in Wood County.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the excellent investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force (PNTF), the Parkersburg Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Vienna Police Department, the Williamstown Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Boyd County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Department, the Russell, Kentucky, Police Department and the Raceland, Kentucky, Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
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-163.
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2 May 2022
“Suicide Squad” admits to trafficking drugs worth over $1.6MRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Three individuals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import heroin and fentanyl into the United States from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Today, Liz Jomayra Diaz-Colon, 23, and Elias Herrera, 30, both admitted to their roles in the conspiracy. Their co-conspirator, Jonathan Guemez, 30, pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2021. All are from Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2021, Diaz-Colon, Herrera and Guemez began working with Mexican drug traffickers to coordinate transportation of multiple drug loads into the United States.
On Aug. 20, 2021, Diaz-Colon attempted to pass through a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. A K-9 alerted to her vehicle which resulted in the discovery of 4.66 kilograms of heroin concealed in the battery of her Jeep Cherokee.
The following day, Herrera attempted to enter the United States. Authorities also discovered narcotics in his vehicle - 4.76 kilograms of fentanyl in the car’s battery.
Guemez also attempted to bring drugs into the country. Law enforcement was able to seize 3.94 kilograms of heroin from his vehicle.
The investigation connected all three people. It revealed they had been communicating with each other through WhatsApp, referring to themselves as the “Suicide Squad.”
At the time of their pleas, they admitted that they had conspired together to import a total of 8.6 kilograms of heroin and 4.76 kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. The drugs have an estimated street value of approximately $1,622,880.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will sentence Diaz-Colon July 12, along with Herrera. Guemez will be sentenced May 3. At those times, each faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life with a possible $10 million maximum fine.
All three have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Williston Man Sentenced to 58 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and Trafficking over 3 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Gregory Lewis, 26, of Williston, Vermont, was sentenced today to serve 58 months in prison after his convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and distribution of cocaine base. United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Lewis to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his incarceration.
According to court records, in early 2021, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Burlington Police Department conducted multiple controlled purchases of cocaine base from Lewis. On March 29, 2021, multiple law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at Lewis’s residence in Williston. During the search, agents seized a stolen Glock Model 45 9mm pistol from Lewis’s bedroom and a privately manufactured AR-style firearm (commonly called a “ghost gun”), along with numerous tools of the drug trafficking trade, including packaging materials, digital scales, and a money counter. Agents also seized $43,135 of U.S. currency, and a collection of jewelry that appraised at over $70,000. Agents noted cocaine residue on the toilet seat in Lewis’s bathroom, after which Lewis admitted to having flushed approximately 750 grams of cocaine down the toilet as agents entered the residence. According to witness statements, Lewis’s admissions, and assets seized, Lewis is responsible for selling over 3 kilograms of cocaine in Chittenden County over a 16-month period.
Lewis’s federal sentence was ordered to run concurrent to his sentence imposed in Sarpy County, Nebraska, stemming from Lewis’s September 2019 arrest on Interstate 80 while in possession of 13 ounces of cocaine, bulk marijuana, and THC cartridges.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Burlington Police Department, as well as the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt handled the prosecution. Lewis was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn
White Supremacist Gang Leader and Members and Associates Convicted on Racketeering and Murder ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Five members and associates of a violent white supremacist gang, the 1488s, were convicted today in Alaska by a federal jury of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, and assault.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the 1488s are a violent prison-based gang operating inside and outside of state prisons throughout Alaska. The 1488s use Nazi-derived symbols to identify themselves and their affiliation with the gang, including a 1488 “patch” tattoo which depicts an Iron Cross superimposed over a swastika. The tattoo can only be worn by “made” members who generally gained full membership by committing acts of violence on behalf of the gang. The gang has written rules and a code of conduct, including the creed that “the only currency we recognize is violence and unquestionable loyalty.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that Filthy Fuhrer, formerly known as Timothy Lobdell, 45, founded and led the 1488 gang from inside Alaska’s maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 19-year sentence for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper. Fuhrer ordered members of the gang to commit violent kidnappings and assaults in the “free world” outside of prison. Trying to impose greater organization and structure with non-incarcerated members, Fuhrer believed that some members were defying the 1488 code of conduct and diminishing the power and influence of the gang. Fuhrer sent out a trusted lieutenant with a list of directives, these directives culminated in the kidnapping and assault of two low-level gang members on April 2, 2017, and July 20, 2017, and the kidnapping, assault, and murder of Michael Staton on Aug. 3, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, 1488 members Roy Naughton, aka Thumper, 43; Glen Baldwin, aka Glen Dog, 40; and Colter O’Dell, 29, worked with Craig King, aka Oakie, 56, who was a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, to kidnap and murder one of the victims, who had previously stolen from both King and the 1488s. King lined a room with plastic, where he and the 1488 defendants beat and tortured the victim. Baldwin and O’Dell then took the victim out to the woods, shot him, and burned his body. O’Dell earned his membership patch into the 1488s by committing the murder of Staton.
“The guilty verdicts today strike a significant blow to the highest levels of the 1488 gang,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to combating and dismantling violent white supremacist gangs.”
“Violent gangs, especially those based upon racial hatred, are a plague to our society. As this case demonstrates, the crimes of organized prison gangs often go beyond the prison walls bringing violence into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Today’s convictions are a major disruption to the operation of the 1488 prison gang and hold accountable those who order or commit brutal and heinous crimes. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute violent gang crimes regardless of where they take place. There is no higher priority than keeping our communities and the citizens of Alaska safe.”
“Today’s verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigating and dismantling violent gangs, regardless of where they are being operated and who is leading them,” said FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the Criminal Investigative Division. “In collaboration with our federal, state, local and international partners, we will aggressively target and pursue violent offenders. This verdict sends a clear signal to others who engage in gang violence that we will hold them accountable and bring them to justice.”
“The inhumanity shown by members of the 1488 criminal enterprise, to include the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Michael Staton, is a gruesome example of why we must identify and dismantle violent criminal organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The morally despicable extremist prison gang has been seriously undermined thanks to the robust and effective, coordinated law enforcement and prosecution efforts shown throughout this case. These convictions will certainly make our community a safer place.”
Fuhrer was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Naughton was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Baldwin, O’Dell, and King were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping conspiracy. All five defendants face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for the murder.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, and the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, investigated the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). Investigative assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the State of Alaska’s Department of Corrections.
Trial Attorney Jeremy Franker of the Criminal Division’s OCGS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Taylor, James Klugman and Chris Schroeder are prosecuting the case.
White Supremacist Gang Leader and Members and Associates Convicted on Racketeering and Murder ChargesRead the Press Release
Five members and associates of a violent white supremacist gang, the 1488s, were convicted today in Alaska by a federal jury of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, and assault.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the 1488s are a violent prison-based gang operating inside and outside of state prisons throughout Alaska. The 1488s use Nazi-derived symbols to identify themselves and their affiliation with the gang, including a 1488 “patch” tattoo which depicts an Iron Cross superimposed over a swastika. The tattoo can only be worn by “made” members who generally gained full membership by committing acts of violence on behalf of the gang. The gang has written rules and a code of conduct, including the creed that “the only currency we recognize is violence and unquestionable loyalty.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that Filthy Fuhrer, formerly known as Timothy Lobdell, 45, founded and led the 1488 gang from inside Alaska’s maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 19-year sentence for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper. Fuhrer ordered members of the gang to commit violent kidnappings and assaults in the “free world” outside of prison. Trying to impose greater organization and structure with non-incarcerated members, Fuhrer believed that some members were defying the 1488 code of conduct and diminishing the power and influence of the gang. Fuhrer sent out a trusted lieutenant with a list of directives, these directives culminated in the kidnapping and assault of two low-level gang members on April 2, 2017, and July 20, 2017, and the kidnapping, assault, and murder of Michael Staton on Aug. 3, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, 1488 members Roy Naughton, aka Thumper, 43; Glen Baldwin, aka Glen Dog, 40; and Colter O’Dell, 29, worked with Craig King, aka Oakie, 56, who was a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, to kidnap and murder one of the victims, who had previously stolen from both King and the 1488s. King lined a room with plastic, where he and the 1488 defendants beat and tortured the victim. Baldwin and O’Dell then took the victim out to the woods, shot him, and burned his body. O’Dell earned his membership patch into the 1488s by committing the murder of Staton.
“The guilty verdicts today strike a significant blow to the highest levels of the 1488 gang,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to combating and dismantling violent white supremacist gangs.”
“Violent gangs, especially those based upon racial hatred, are a plague to our society,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “As this case demonstrates, the crimes of organized prison gangs often go beyond the prison walls bringing violence into our communities. Today’s convictions are a major disruption to the operation of the 1488 prison gang and hold accountable those who order or commit brutal and heinous crimes. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute violent gang crimes regardless of where they take place. There is no higher priority than keeping our communities and the citizens of Alaska safe.”
“Today’s verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigating and dismantling violent gangs, regardless of where they are being operated and who is leading them,” said FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the Criminal Investigative Division. “In collaboration with our federal, state, local and international partners, we will aggressively target and pursue violent offenders. This verdict sends a clear signal to others who engage in gang violence that we will hold them accountable and bring them to justice.”
“The inhumanity shown by members of the 1488 criminal enterprise, to include the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Michael Staton, is a gruesome example of why we must identify and dismantle violent criminal organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The morally despicable extremist prison gang has been seriously undermined thanks to the robust and effective, coordinated law enforcement and prosecution efforts shown throughout this case. These convictions will certainly make our community a safer place.”
Fuhrer was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Naughton was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Baldwin, O’Dell, and King were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping conspiracy. All five defendants face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for the murder.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, investigated the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). Investigative assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the State of Alaska’s Department of Corrections.
Trial Attorney Jeremy Franker of the Criminal Division’s OCGS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Taylor, James Klugman and Chris Schroeder are prosecuting the case.
Whidbey Island man charged federally in connection with San Juan Island ArsonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 33-year-old Whidbey Island, Washington resident was charged by criminal complaint with arson in connection with the April 6, 2022, fire that destroyed or damaged multiple businesses on San Juan Island, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Dwight Christianson Henline will be brought to federal court in Seattle for his initial appearance on the charge.
“Federal investigators worked carefully and methodically with their state and local counterparts, using video evidence and sales records to identify Mr. Henline as a suspect in this fire,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “The blaze is estimated to have caused millions of dollars in damage in a very small community. It took a community effort to stop the fire from spreading further. Holding the arsonist accountable is now our priority.”
According to the criminal complaint, arson investigators determined the fire originated on the back deck of the Crystal Seas Kayaking building at 40 Spring Street. They also determined, based on video and other evidence, that the fire was caused by someone lighting an ignitable liquid. A video recording from the adjacent Windermere Real Estate office indicates the fire began at about 10:04 p.m. on April 6, 2022, then died down. It smoldered until it intensified and began to grow again at about 3:15 a.m. on April 7, 2022. A local citizen saw the fire at about 3:43 a.m. and reported it. Although firefighters arrived from throughout the islands, the fire seriously damaged or destroyed the Crystal Seas Kayaking building, the Windermere Real Estate office, and the building housing Crow’s Nest Coffee and Herb’s Tavern before it was extinguished.
ATF personnel and local investigators collected various surveillance videos from San Juan Island businesses to try to determine who set the fire. These videos show Henline in the proximity of the fire’s origin on April 6, 2022. Using these videos, investigators were able to track Henline’s movements in Friday Harbor immediately before and after the fire. Of significance, Henline purchased candy, energy drinks, bleach, and ammonia at King’s Market with a debit or credit card in the early evening. At about 9:53 p.m., Henline used cash to buy lighter fuel at a small convenience store. That nearly empty bottle of lighter fuel was later found with Henline’s belongings at the home where he was staying on Whidbey Island.
After buying the lighter fuel, Henline walked through some alleys in Friday Harbor, then crossed Spring Street in the direction of Crystal Seas Kayaking. One minute after the fire began, Henline walked away from that area towards the harbor, collected a suitcase he had stashed in the lower deck area beneath the Friday Harbor Ice Cream Company, then boarded the ferry bound for Anacortes.
Investigators later obtained a warrant for Henline’s arrest. A Langley Police Department officer located and arrested Henline on that warrant on April 16, 2022, on Whidbey Island.
Initial estimates are that the fire caused millions of dollars of damage to multiple businesses, including Crystal Seas Kayaking; San Juan Property Management; San Juan Excursions; Windermere Real Estate; Crow’s Nest Coffee; and Herb’s Tavern.
Arson is punishable by a mandatory minimum 5 years and up to 20 years in prison.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, and San Juan County Fire and Rescue, with assistance from the Langley Police Department and the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Erin H. Becker and Cecelia Gregson.
henline_complaint.pdfWaterbury Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Firearm Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LENWOOD GATLING, 38, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between July and October 2020, a DEA New Haven Task Force investigation revealed that Gatling was using a storage unit he rented at a facility located on Meriden Road in Waterbury to store and distribute narcotics. Gatling was arrested on October 14, 2020. On that date, a court-authorized search of the storage unit revealed nine firearms, three of which were reported stolen; approximately 420 grams of fentanyl packaged in approximately 11,000 individual use bags; approximately 99 grams of heroin; approximately nine grams of cocaine; and approximately $30,000 in cash.
Gatling’s criminal history includes multiple felony offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Gatling pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
Gatling has been detained since his arrest.
The Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force includes participants from the U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut State Police and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Middletown, Naugatuck and Waterbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Neeraj N. Patel.
Vestal Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Nicholas Donafrio, age 42, of Vestal, New York, pled guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy to one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
Donafrio’s sentencing is scheduled for September 6, 2022. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge. The Court must also impose a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life, and Donofrio will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
As part of his guilty plea, Donafrio admitted that in September of 2016 an FBI undercover agent using peer-to-peer file sharing software downloaded child pornography from Donafrio’s laptop computer and that in March of 2017 he possessed over 12,000 images and 57 video files depicting child pornography on a thumb drive. Donofrio also admitted that he possessed another 1,500 images and 150 videos on eight other pieces of electronic media, and that the child pornography he collected included prepubescent children and toddlers.
Donafrio’s case was investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), with assistance from the Vestal Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
United States Attorney’s Office Announces 19th Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods Logo Contest WinnersRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA --- United States Attorney Corey F. Ellis announced today the winners of the United States Attorney’s Office’s 19th Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Logo Contest, which was open to all South Carolina grade school students.
The theme of this year’s contest was “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools.” Judges sought logos that demonstrated a successful collaboration between schools, communities, and law enforcement to reflect (1) warning signs that students should be looking for related to gun violence; (2) resources to help students who have concerns about gun violence; and (3) general messages to prevent gun violence in South Carolina schools.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is the Department of Justice’s flagship effort in the fight against gun violence in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “This contest empowers tomorrow’s leaders to express their ideas and concerns about a troublesome topic that impacts all of society. Thanks to this year’s participants – it was a great competition.”
The overall winning logo will be used in publications distributed statewide and displayed on the United States Attorney’s Office website. The winner from each grade division and overall winner are named below:
Winner K–2nd grade Division
Mason Cordona, Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science,
Winnsboro, SC
Winner 3rd–5th grade Division/ OVERALL WINNER
Layla McMillan, Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science,
Winnsboro, SC
Winner 6th–8th grade Division
Jasmine Lucas, William J. Clark Middle School, Orangeburg, SC
Winner 9th–12th grade Division
Laila Saddler, C. A. Johnson High School, Columbia, SC
The winning entries were chosen by a select group of young leaders at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice who act as role models for the other youth throughout the entire department. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association and the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association will provide $50.00 awards to each division winner; and the overall winner, Layla McMillan, will receive an additional $50.00 award. All students who participated will receive a Certificate of Appreciation for their submissions.
The annual logo contest is a long-running part of the district’s PSN program and an important prevention initiative that has proven to be an effective way to engage our students in meaningful conversation about preventing gun crimes amongst our young people and ensuring a safe learning atmosphere for our children. PSN focuses on reducing violent crime in our communities through prevention, enforcement, and reentry initiatives.
View this year’s winning submissions and learn more about the contest at http://www.justice.gov/usao/sc/programs/logowinners.html.
Ulster County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Anthony Hadden, age 29, of Modena, New York, was sentenced last week to 121 months in prison for possessing, distributing, receiving and transporting child pornography.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Hadden admitted that between December 14, 2017 and January 9, 2018, he distributed and received images and videos of child pornography through a group messaging application on his phone. His phone also contained numerous files depicting child pornography. Hadden also admitted that on January 21, 2020, Hadden emailed to himself numerous images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
In imposing sentence on April 29, 2022, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release to follow the term of incarceration.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
U.S. Attorney Announces Settlement of Fraud Lawsuit Against Online Pharmacy for Overdispensing InsulinRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) New York Regional Office, announced today that the United States filed and settled a healthcare fraud lawsuit against online retail pharmacy PillPack, LLC (“PillPack”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. The settlement resolves allegations that PillPack improperly billed Government healthcare programs (“GHPs”), including Medicare and Medicaid, for more insulin pens than patients needed according to their prescriptions and falsely under-reported the days-of-supply of insulin dispensed. Under the settlement, PillPack agreed to pay approximately $5.79 million to the United States and various States that were fraudulently overbilled for insulin. As part of the settlement, PillPack also admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct the Government alleged in its Complaint, including that it dispensed insulin pens that exceeded days-of-supply limits imposed by GHPs.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Pharmacies are trusted to provide accurate information to Government healthcare programs and to prevent waste when dispensing medications to patients. PillPack abused this trust by dispensing insulin refills long before patients needed them and by falsely reporting the days-of-supply of insulin actually dispensed to prevent its claims for reimbursement from being denied. This Office will continue to hold pharmacies accountable when they submit false information and waste taxpayer dollars.”
Insulin pens (hard plastic pen-shaped cases containing syringes filled with insulin solution) are a common way for diabetic patients to self-administer insulin. Manufacturers most frequently distribute insulin pens in five-pen cartons with each pen containing 300 units (3 mL) of insulin solution. Pharmacies can dispense such pens to patients only with valid prescriptions from licensed prescribers. Valid insulin prescriptions must set forth the “directions for use,” which typically designate both how much insulin to administer and the frequency and/or timing of when to administer it.
When PillPack sought reimbursement from GHPs for insulin pens, it was required to report, among other data, the quantity dispensed and the days-of-supply. The “quantity dispensed” specifies the amount of medication being dispensed to a patient when the pharmacy fills the prescription, and the “days-of-supply” refers to the number of days that the dispensed medication should last if the patient uses it according to the directions for use in the prescription. Typically, to calculate days-of-supply, a pharmacist divides the total quantity of medication being dispensed to a particular patient by that patient’s “daily dose,” i.e., the amount of medication that the prescriber directs the patient to use each day.
GHPs impose dispensing limits for prescription drugs, including insulin pens, in terms of quantity and days-of-supply and will deny a claim if the reported days-of-supply exceeds those limits, unless an override is obtained. GHPs typically calculate the date on which a prescription refill would be needed (the “refill due date”) based on the date when a patient last filled a prescription and the days-of-supply reported by the pharmacy for that prior fill. GHPs also typically establish automated processes to deny claims for reimbursement for refills that are submitted too far in advance of the refill due dates. The reliability of these processes depends on the accuracy of the days-of-supply reported by pharmacies.
As alleged in the Government’s Complaint:
From April 2014 through November 2019 (the “Covered Period”), PillPack’s general practice was to dispense insulin pens to patients using full cartons. PillPack would dispense and bill for the full carton, and falsely under report the days-of-supply to make it appear that the dispensing did not violate the program’s days-of-supply limit.
The practice of under-reporting days-of-supply also led PillPack to dispense premature refills to program beneficiaries. Whenever PillPack recorded in its internal system the inaccurate lower days-of-supply that were submitted to conform with the GHP’s days-of-supply limit, the system would generate a premature refill due date. As a result, PillPack pharmacists frequently dispensed insulin pen refills days or weeks before patients actually needed them according to their prescriptions.
The settlement requires PillPack to pay $5,616,136.85 to the United States, and PillPack has agreed separately to pay $175,522.55 to state governments, for a total of $5,791,659.40. Under the settlement, PillPack admitted, among other things, that:
- During the Covered Period, PillPack’s insulin pen dispensing practice was to supply patients with a full carton of insulin pens. In many instances, this resulted in exceeding the GHP’s applicable days-of-supply limit. Instead of accurately reporting the days-of-supply and contacting the GHP or its agent to attain the requisite override, in many instances PillPack would dispense and bill for the full carton, and reduce the days-of-supply reported to the GHP to conform to the GHP’s days-of-supply limit. As a result, for those claims, PillPack reported days-of-supply data to GHPs that were different from, and lower than, the days-of-supply that should have been reported had PillPack calculated days-of-supply according to the typical pharmacy billing formula of dividing the quantity of insulin dispensed by the daily dose.
- Prior to April 2019, PillPack’s prescription management and dispensing software determined refill dates based on the reported days-of-supply. Thus, during this time period, when PillPack pharmacists reported inaccurate lower days-of-supply data to GHPs and payors working on their behalf, the software used this inaccurate data to generate premature refill due dates, causing PillPack pharmacists to dispense insulin pen refills to patients days or weeks before the patients actually needed them according to their prescriptions.
- During the Covered Period, PillPack received audit reports from pharmacy benefit managers, acting on behalf of GHPs, requesting that PillPack repay the overpayments it had received for insulin pen prescription claims due to inaccurate days-of-supply reporting.
- GHPs and payors working on their behalf approved and paid claims submitted by PillPack for insulin pen refills that they would not have approved if PillPack had accurately reported the days-of-supply for previous fills according to the typical pharmacy billing formula of dividing the quantity dispensed by the daily dose. Specifically, PillPack’s practice of dispensing and submitting reimbursement claims for insulin pen refills using inaccurate lower days-of-supply data prevented GHPs and payors working on their behalf from reliably calculating refill due dates and confirming that refills had not been prematurely dispensed before approving PillPack’s claims for reimbursement.
- In certain instances, over time, patients accumulated multiple extra insulin pens that they did not need according to their prescriptions.
In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had previously been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services. He also thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Units for Washington and Texas for their assistance in this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Levine and Pierre Armand are in charge of the case.
Two West Seneca Women Arrested, Charged with Selling OxycodoneRead 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 Renee Ferrentino, 48, and Kiara Hurd, 20, both of West Seneca, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with the intent to distribute, and to distribute, Oxycodone and conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Misha A. Coulson, who is handling the case, stated that in August 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration the New York State Police began investigating the narcotic sales and trafficking of defendant Ferrentino who was distributing Oxycodone pills. On two separate dates in April 2022, investigators conducted controlled purchases of Oxycodone/Hydrochloride and Oxycodone/Acetaminophen pills from Ferrentino and Hurd at their Union Road residence. On April 28, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant the residence and seized numerous prescription bottles, which contained amounts of suspected controlled substances including:
• amphetamine and dextroamphetamine; • Oxymorphone Hydrochloride; • Oxycodone-Acetaminophen; • Buprenorphine Hydrochloride; • Tramadol Hydrochloride; • alprazolam; • lorazepam; • Zolpidem Tartrate
The prescription bottles were in multiple names, some of which did not include the defendants. A bag of cash and various drug paraphernalia were also recovered.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski, and the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward Baker.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Two Lebanese Citizens Extradited from Republic of Georgia to Face International Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
Mohamad Yassine and Hassan Rahman, citizens of Lebanon, will be arraigned today on money laundering charges for operating an international money laundering organization. Yassine and Rahman were arrested in September 2021 in Georgia and extradited to the United States on April 30, 2022. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Susan A. Gibson, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey Division announced the extraditions.
“The defendants operated a sophisticated money laundering conspiracy that used the international banking system to move bulk cash by sending wire transfers for criminals throughout the world,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office is committed to working with our international partners to dismantle the money laundering networks upon which drug traffickers and other criminals rely.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Georgian Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the DEA’s Country Attaché Office in Georgia, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance with the arrest and extradition.
“Drug traffickers rely on international money laundering organizations in order to further their criminal operations,” stated Special Agent in Charge Gibson. “The defendants in this investigation have helped to fuel the misery felt by so many affected by illegal drug use. The men and women of DEA will continue to work with our international partners to ensure these criminals are brought to justice.”
According to court filings, between approximately June 2017 and March 2018, Yassine and Rahman participated in a sophisticated Lebanon-based money laundering organization. Yassine led the organization, and Rahman was a member who reported directly to Yassine. The organization collected, laundered, and repatriated illicit funds, including drug proceeds, throughout Europe, the Middle East, South America, Australia, and the United States, in exchange for a percentage-based commission of the amount laundered. The organization typically charged a double-digit commission, as high as 17%. The organization used a network of workers to pick up and deliver bundles of cash, and it used the banking system to launder money through wire transfers. Some of the funds the defendants laundered originated in Australia, were sent to Turkey, and ultimately transferred into a bank account in Brooklyn.
The charges in the superseding indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to 40 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Jonathan P. Lax, Nomi D. Berenson and Tara B. McGrath are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
MOHAMAD YASSINE
Age: 51
Majdel Anjar, LebanonHASSAN RAHMAN
Age: 38
Majdel Anjar, LebanonE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-137 (S-1) (EK)
Three Family Members Sentenced in USDA Crop Loan and Bankruptcy Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Three Northeastern Iowa family members were sentenced recently in federal court for their respective roles in crop loan and bankruptcy fraud schemes.
Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum, formerly known as Aimee Lynn Flatjord, age 53, from Lawler, Iowa, was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment on April 28, 2022. She was ordered to make $165,592.21 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture-Farm Services Agency (“USDA-FSA”) and $4,796 in restitution to a bank, to pay a $5,000 fine, and to repay $7,086.74 in attorney fees for her prior court-appointed counsel. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum received the prison term after a June 14, 2021 guilty plea to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency and one count of bankruptcy fraud.
Donald Eugene Rosenbaum, age 58, from Cresco, Iowa, was sentenced to two years of probation on May 2, 2022. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Donald Eugene Rosenbaum received the probation term after a June 10, 2021 guilty plea to one count of bankruptcy fraud.
Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum, age 27, from Fredericksburg, Iowa, was sentenced to three months of imprisonment and three months of home confinement on April 25, 2022. He was also ordered to make $165,592.21 in restitution to the USDA-FSA, jointly and severally with Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum. Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum received the prison term after a June 21, 2021 guilty plea to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
In the family members’ plea agreements, as well as through evidence at a three-day sentencing hearing for Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum, it was established that Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum (“Aimee”) and Donald Eugene Rosenbaum (“Donald”) historically farmed land in Chickasaw County, Iowa. Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum (“Marshal”) is the son of Aimee and Donald. In late 2014, Aimee directed Marshal to apply for a crop loan with the USDA-FSA for the 2015 crop year on the pretense that Marshal would be taking over the farm due to purported health problems of Aimee and Donald. After Marshal obtained over $165,000 in loan proceeds and pledged the farm’s 2015 crop to the USDA-FSA, Aimee applied for and obtained over $1.3 million in loans from a local bank on the representation that Aimee and Donald would continue to farm the land that year. The 2015 crop thus was double-pledged without the knowledge of the USDA or the bank. Aimee applied for the bank loans on Donald’s behalf using a power of attorney she had obtained from Donald.
The Rosenbaums eventually defaulted on both loans and sold the double-pledged crop with little to no repayment. After the bank started foreclosure proceedings on the Rosenbaums’ farm, Aimee and Donald filed five bankruptcy petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Aimee and Donald each filed two additional bankruptcy petitions in bad faith and on the eve of scheduled Sheriff’s sales in state court in order to frustrate and delay the bank’s attempts to obtain repayment for its loans to Aimee and Donald. During one telephonic hearing in bankruptcy court in 2019, Aimee pretended to be Donald. The district court also found that Aimee submitted false evidence and testimony to the district court at her sentencing hearing.
The Rosenbaums were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum and Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum were released on bonds previously set and are to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on dates yet to be set.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-CR-2078.
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Tampa Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Five Years for Possessing A Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle has sentenced Willard Green Porter (44, Tampa) to five years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Porter was also ordered to forfeit the firearm. He had pleaded guilty on January 18, 2022.
According to facts presented in court, on June 29, 2021, officers from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) observed a speeding vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign shortly before 1:00 a.m. Officers initiated a traffic stop around the corner on Terra Ceia Drive as the car pulled into a residential driveway. When the officers approached the vehicle, one of the officers observed the sole occupant—later identified as Porter—reach into the vehicle’s center console. The officer observed Porter put his hand on a black handgun in the console and the officer immediately alerted his partner. Porter was removed without incident and placed in handcuffs. He admitted to police that he was a convicted felon, that he knew he had the gun in his car, and that he kept the loaded gun “for protection.”
When Porter was searched, the officers located plastic baggies in his front pocket containing 3 grams of powder cocaine and 2 grams of crack cocaine. An additional 11.6 grams of crack cocaine, several scales, and empty baggies were recovered from inside the car. In addition, a black Springfield Armory .40 pistol was recovered from the center console of the car. The pistol was loaded with 15 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
Law enforcement records showed that Porter had multiple prior felony convictions, including for possession of cocaine (2002); battery on a law enforcement officer (2004); obstructing an officer with violence (2004); possession of cocaine (2004); tampering with evidence (2004); and possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine (2004), for which he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig Gestring.
This case was 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.
Tampa Man Sentenced for Role in Construction-Related Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced George Garcia (34, Tampa) to 21 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $126,200, the proceeds of the wire-fraud conspiracy. Garcia had pleaded guilty on January 18, 2022.
According to court documents, Garcia owned and managed a construction company which purported to supply construction services and labor for construction contractors and subcontractors. In order to comply with Florida law, Garcia’s company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Garcia’s company had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be Garcia’s employees at construction sites and these workers were often undocumented aliens who were actually working for and under the daily supervision and direction of the contractors. Garcia or others would then regularly receive “payroll checks” from contractors that were cashed at various financial institutions to pay Garcia’s purported “employees” and other related expenses.
During the time period charged, Garcia falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that his company had a very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees who worked on construction jobsites. Garcia also falsely and fraudulently sent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that his company’s employees had full worker’s compensation coverage.
In reality, Garcia’s company received and cashed more than $19 million in checks from various construction contractors for these purported “employees.” This payroll figure far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Garcia had reported to his worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, these employees, in reality the employees of other entities, performed work on jobsites without adequate insurance coverage. In addition, the insurers lost premiums they would have charged had they been aware of the true number of workers their policies were thus being manipulated to cover.
As a result of these misrepresentations, Garcia’s company also disclaimed responsibility for ensuring that jobsite workers were legally authorized to work in the United States and that required state and federal payroll taxes were being paid for these workers. The contractors who actually paid these workers’ wages and used their services were thus also able to avoid responsibility for those duties as well.
“Garcia is facing the consequences of his scheme to defraud the insurance company by severely misrepresenting his workers compensation policy,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas, HSI Tampa. “Garcia’s greed jeopardized the health and well-being of hundreds of non-citizen laborers who worked dangerous and difficult jobs without the safety net of proper workman’s compensation insurance.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services. It is part of an investigation by those agencies into the use of shell companies and “ghost” employees in the construction industry. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.