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Friday 11 March 2022
Operation False Haven: Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Using a Fraudulently Obtained Naturalization Certificate and Civilly DenaturalizedRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Billy Efrain Penaranda, age 39, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Bolivia and residing in Pitt County, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II to two years’ probation following a guilty plea to using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate. Moreover, Penaranda was civilly denaturalized as a U.S. citizen.
According to court records, on June 20, 2019, Penaranda knowingly used a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate to apply for a North Carolina driver’s license. On August 31, 2009, Penaranda fraudulently acquired U.S. citizenship and a certificate of naturalization by making materially false statements under oath on his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.”
On November 14, 2012, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Craven County, Penaranda was convicted of indecent liberties with a child. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between 16 and 20 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to the indictment to which he pled guilty, Penaranda committed the crime between January 1, 2008, and December 29, 2009. The victim was 12 years old. Prior to his arrest, Penaranda provided police with a written confession in which he admitted to molesting and photographing the naked victim multiple times over a nearly two-year period. Penaranda was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crime.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven (OFH), in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation. OFH is an initiative designed to purpose-built to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00445-M-1.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 274 Months for Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Lonnie L. Perry, age 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court for two counts of interference with interstate commerce by way of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm, during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of discharging a firearm, during and in relation to a crime of violence. Chief United States District Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Perry to 274 months (22 years, 10 months) in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Perry will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Perry was found guilty by a jury of the four charges following a trial in July of 2021.
On October 25, 2017, Perry entered the Select Mart convenience store in Omaha and brandished a weapon at a store employee. A father was shopping inside the store with his young son, and they hid in a backroom of the store until the police arrived at the scene.
On November 5, 2017, Perry entered the VP Racing Station convenience store in Omaha, brandished a weapon at two store employees and then fired his weapon into two vehicles fleeing the scene. Each vehicle had a family with a child in it, and the bullet from the second shot landed next to the car seat of a two-year-old boy, nearly striking him. The bullet landed on the driver’s seat floorboard of the first vehicle.
On November 6, 2017, Omaha Police officers arrived at an apartment complex for a disturbance where Perry was identified brandishing a weapon. While near a Runza restaurant, officers saw Perry drop a gun into a trash can. Perry resisted arrest. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. Perry escaped custody in handcuffs and was arrested again later that same day. The weapon was tied through ballistics to the shooting at the robbery the day before and had Perry’s DNA on it.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Great Plains Violent Crimes Task Force.
New Mexico man arraigned for sexual abuse of children in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Christian Quintana, 33, of Dulce, New Mexico, was arraigned in federal court on March 9 on a three-count indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual abuse by force or threat, and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Quintana will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Quintana on Oct. 26, 2021. According to the indictment, between Oct. 1, 2012, and Oct. 30, 2013, Quintana allegedly engaged in sexual contact with a child, identified as Jane Doe 1. Between April 10, 2015, and May 10, 2016, Quintana allegedly engaged in a sexual act with Jane Doe 1, who at the time was less than 12 years old.
Between Oct. 17, 2019, and Oct. 17, 2020, Quintana allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a second victim, a minor identified as Jane Doe 2. He allegedly did so by force.
The abuse charged in the indictment is alleged to have taken place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in Indian Country. Both victims are enrolled members of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Quintana faces a minimum of 30 years and up to life in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea N. Van Deventer is prosecuting the case.
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New Haven Crack Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that that JERRY ROLLINS, also known as “Prank,” 37, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an FBI New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and New Haven Police Department investigation into narcotics trafficking in the Hill section of New Haven. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps and multiple controlled purchases of crack. Between July and September 2020, investigators made five controlled purchases of crack from Rollins. Intercepted communications subsequently confirmed that Rollins was selling distribution quantities of crack to other street-level dealers.
Rollins was arrested on January 26, 2021. On that date, a search of his residence revealed crack, narcotics processing and packaging materials, and more than $9,000 in cash.
Rollins has been detained since his arrest. On October 20, 2021, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine base (“crack”).
The FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force includes members from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and West Haven Police Department have assisted the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile and Marc H. Silverman through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Moline Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa– A Moline, Illinois man, Jose Antonio Tapia, age 43, was sentenced yesterday to 72 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Tapia was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term and immediately pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
Law enforcement identified Tapia when they responded to an altercation at a strip club in Davenport. Tapia and another male were involved and Tapia brandished a loaded firearm, racked the slide, and displayed it in a threatening manner before fleeing the club. Tapia discarded the firearm as he ran. Law enforcement retraced Tapia’s steps and located the firearm. Tapia was also in possession of marijuana and a distribution amount of cocaine base. Tapia pleaded guilty to the charge on November 15, 2021.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated the case.
Mishawaka Man Sentenced to 71 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Brandyn Blacharski, 29 years old, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Blacharski was sentenced to 71 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in August of 2020, Blacharski was involved in a shooting in Mishawaka. He left the scene of the shooting in order to dispose of the firearm and was eventually arrested with the firearm in his possession. Blacharski had at least four prior felony convictions and was out on bond for a burglary case at the time of this offense.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Saint Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit, South Bend Police Department, Mishawaka Police Department, Berrien County Michigan Sheriff’s Department, and Cass County Michigan Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank E. Schaffer.
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.
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Mill Hall Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Mill Hall, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 5 years in prison followed by 4 years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Robert Nyman, 59, of Mill Hall, PA.
According to information presented to the court, from July 2019 to June 2020, Nyman did conspire to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, as well as, conspired to commit money laundering.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Ms. Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Nyman. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Meriden Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Narcotics and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONATHAN RIVERS, 39, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 26, 2020, Meriden Police arrested Rivers after a search of a disabled vehicle on his property revealed more than 575 grams of cocaine, more than 44 grams of crack cocaine, more than 52 grams of fentanyl, more than 26 grams of heroin, 690 grams of marijuana, a Highpoint Model HCP .40 caliber handgun, a Smith and Wesson Model 629-1 44 Magnum Revolver, a Romanian Model TTC 9mm handgun, and 18 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition. A quantity of crack cocaine was also found in a vehicle Rivers had driven earlier that day.
Rivers’ criminal history includes state convictions for robbery, kidnapping and drug 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.
On September 29, 2021, Rivers pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Rivers, who is released on a $250,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 25.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and the Meriden Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Donovan and Konstantin Lantsman, with assistance from Law Student Intern Joseph Linfield.
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.
Memphis Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm After a Misdemeanor Conviction of Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN- Terrell Johnson, 25, has been sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on September 18, 2020, an officer with the Memphis Police Department conducted a traffic stop at Elvis Presley and Kerr Avenue. During that traffic stop, Johnson left his vehicle and fled on foot for a short distance before being taken into custody. Johnson was carrying a distinct backpack which contained 1.25 pounds of hemp and a loaded firearm.
Because of his prior felony convictions, as well as convictions for domestic assault, Johnson is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
On December 6, 2021, Johnson pled guilty to being in possession of a firearm after a misdemeanor conviction of domestic violence.
On March 10, 2022, United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Johnson to 110 months in federal prison to be followed by three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force. The PSN initiative is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our communities safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Greg Wagner prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Member of Cuban Credit Card Skimming Crew Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Cuban man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents, Denis Monsibaez Diaz, 38, and other co-conspirators, all of whom are Cuban nationals, placed skimming devices on gas pumps located in Northampton County. The skimming devices were capable of recording the credit and debit bank card numbers, along with the PINs, of the customers that used their cards at the gas pumps. In April and May 2018, using the stolen card information, Diaz and his co-conspirators traveled between Harris Teeter store locations, among other destinations, to withdraw money from the victims’ bank accounts and purchase prepaid debit gift cards. They were attributed with attempting to steal over $200,000 in a matter of days as a result of those gas pump skimmers.
Diaz is the seventh defendant sentenced for this conspiracy. The crew was attributed with aggregate losses of over $5 million over several years. In addition, many of the defendants had significant criminal histories involving the same conduct and were known to travel the country perpetrating this scheme. The leader of the crew, Yasmani Granja Quijada, 33, was found to be trading over 9,800 additional stolen credit card numbers using his email account over the past few years. On January 4, 2021, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service seized numerous vehicles and other items that were purchased by the defendants with funds stolen through credit cards, including a boat and luxury vehicles. Several other conspirators remain at large.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and David L. Doughty, Jr., Northampton County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi prosecuted the case.
This case is an example of EDVA’s commitment to protecting Virginians against fraud and unlawful business practices. Alongside law enforcement agencies, non-profit and private organizations, this week EDVA recognizes National Consumer Protection Week by raising awareness about widespread and emerging scams.
If you are the victim of a scam or think you have been contacted by a scammer, report the fraud to your local law enforcement, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-109.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 267 Months’ Imprisonment on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Marc Punzalan, age 27, formerly of Maryland, was sentenced to 267 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann on child pornography charges.
According to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, Punzalan pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a child. In 2013, Punzalan, through the use of an internet messenger service, coerced a 13-year-old child to send him nude photographs of herself. Over the course of two days in June 2013, Punzalan sent hundreds of messages to the 13-year-old victim. In these messages, Punzalan attempted to extort the 13-year-old victim to send him additional nude images by threatening to tell her parents and the police that she had sent such pictures on prior occasions. Punzalan continued to harass and blackmail her despite her repeated requests for him to stop. Punzalan continued to threaten her even after she told him that his demands had her contemplating suicide. The 13-year-old victim eventually became so emotionally distraught that she committed suicide on the second day of Punzalan’ s threats and harassment.
Punzalan committed similar acts against other young girls at the same time in Maryland, where he was living at the time. After hearing from several of the dozen family and friends present to support the 13-year-old victim, Chief Judge Brann called Punzalan’s conduct “sickening” and said Punzalan’s predatory behavior caused irreparable harm.
Punzalan is presently serving a sentence from the District of Maryland for child exploitation offenses from that district. The 267-month sentence imposed by the Chief Judge Brann will result in an overall sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment for Punzalan.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the South Williamsport Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Man Sentenced to 480 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – U.S. District Judge Francisco Besosa sentenced Ricardo Pérez-Delgado to a term of 480 months (40 years) in prison for his participation in a robbery resulting in the murder of Armando Rosado-Molina, a businessman who owned several gas stations and other commercial properties, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Between March 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, Pérez-Delgado and his co-defendants planned to commit a robbery at Rosado-Molina’s residence in San Lorenzo. During the evening hours between March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2019, Pérez-Delgado and his co-defendants set up surveillance near Rosado-Molina’s residence. They were armed with a baseball bat, a weapon having the appearance of a rifle, and pepper spray. Pérez-Delgado and his co-defendants later breached the residence and encountered Rosado-Molina who tried to defend himself with a firearm he legally owned. During a physical struggle with Pérez-Delgado, Rosado-Molina lost control of the firearm. He was subsequently beaten with a baseball bat, after which point Pérez-Delgado shot and killed Rosado-Molina.
Pérez-Delgado and his co-defendants, all of whom have already pleaded guilty, took two motor vehicles and over $20,000 from Rosado-Molina’s residence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was in charge of the investigation, and Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Alum prosecuted the case.
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Madison Man Sentenced to More Than 27 Years for Sex Trafficking of MinorsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A Madison, Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 330 months in federal prison for sex trafficking of minors. James Coney, 33, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, and Fitchburg Police Chief Alfonso Morales. This prison sentence will be followed by 25 years of supervised release.
Following a four-day trial in federal court, Coney was convicted on March 1, 2021 of four counts of sex trafficking a minor, one count of sex trafficking a minor by force, one count of attempted sex trafficking a minor, and four counts of transporting a minor from Wisconsin to Illinois for the purpose of prostitution.
The jury found that from May 2017 to March 2018, Coney trafficked five minors, attempted to traffic a sixth minor, and transported minors from Wisconsin to Illinois where they engaged in prostitution. The evidence presented at trial showed that Coney began trafficking the minors immediately after being released from state prison in May 2017. Coney used Backpage ads to arrange “dates” for the minor victims, collected the money from the customers, and instructed the minors on what to do. All six of the minor victims testified at the trial. Numerous witnesses testified that Coney was both physically and verbally abusive to the minor victim who was trafficked by Coney the longest.
The investigation of Coney began in December 2017 when one of the minor victims was reported missing by her mother to the Fitchburg Police Department. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children publicized the minor’s disappearance, and she ultimately was found in Chicago in January 2018 where she had been with Coney. Coney was arrested in March 2018 in Lake Delton, Wisconsin and found with another one of the minor victims.
“The sentence imposed today reflects the cruelty of the defendant’s use of force and intimidation to exploit the young victims of his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney O’Shea. “Our office will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to hold sex traffickers accountable and seek justice for their victims.”
“Wisconsin DOJ works every day to keep children in Wisconsin safe,” said AG Kaul. “Thank you to the hardworking men and women in DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation who worked tirelessly to bring this child sex trafficker to justice for his horrific crimes.”
“This case began with a report of a missing member of our community and through countless hours of investigation, it led to the discovery of a situation that has unfortunately become a frequent occurrence in our country. Exploiting, abusing, and traumatizing vulnerable minors is appalling and these unacceptable acts cannot be tolerated by society,” said Chief Morales. “We remain committed to partnering with our community, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders, to prevent and investigate these cases in order to protect our youngest and most vulnerable community members.”
Judge Peterson said the minor victims were horribly exploited and highly damaged by Coney. The Court found that Coney obstructed justice by contacting one of the minor victims over 100 times in violation of the Court’s order prohibiting his contact with the victims, and by attempting to persuade two minor victims not to testify against him. Judge Peterson said that Coney has had an unrelenting string of violations since his arrest on these charges. Judge Peterson noted that when Coney’s pretrial detention time is included, his total sentence amounts to 30 years in federal custody.
The charges against Coney are the result of an investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chicago, Lake Delton, Janesville, and Madison Police Departments; the Dane County Sheriff’s Office; and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Taylor Kraus handled the prosecution.
Macon Man Sentenced in “Lying and Buying” Gun CaseRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who was on probation for aggravated assault when he was arrested during an ATF-led investigation into illegal gun possession and drug distribution was sentenced to prison this week for unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Logan Riley Nettles aka Carrot Top, 23, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on March 9, after he previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a person under a felony indictment. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Lying to buy a gun for a prohibited person is a federal offense that endangers our community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office is working with law enforcement to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of violent felons and to hold those who help prohibited persons from obtaining guns accountable for their crimes.”
According to court documents, ATF was conducting undercover surveillance in Macon in May 2021, as part of Operation United Front when they spotted Nettles, who had been released from prison on March 8, 2021, and was serving probation. Nettles, who was wearing a blue backpack, got into a car belonging to his girlfriend, Ansley Nicole Hunt, 22, of Savannah, Georgia. Officers stopped Nettles and conducted a search pursuant to his probation. Inside Nettle’s backpack was a 9mm handgun with a loaded, extended 30-round magazine. Hunt later admitted that she purchased the gun for Nettles, and Nettles admitted he was with her when she bought the gun. In addition, when Hunt bought the firearm for Nettles, she made false statements on the ATF Form 4473 she signed at the time of purchase, knowing the firearm was for Nettles, a prohibited person. Nettles was convicted of aggravated assault and gang activity in the Superior Court of Bibb County, Georgia, in 2019.
Operation United Front is an ongoing ATF-led investigation into illegal gun possession and drug distribution centered in the Macon, Georgia, community using data gathered from the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). Agents used NIBIN data to plot shooting incidents in the Macon area on a map. When areas of high density relating to these shootings were identified, confidential informants and undercover agents were directed to these areas of criminal activity. NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic
evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy and Possessing Meth with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Gregory Neemann, 57, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and for possession of actual methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Neemann to imprisonment for a term of 180 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Omaha Police Department (OPD) officers received information about Neemann from a confidential source in March 2020. On March 13, 2020, OPD officers stopped Neeman’s car in anticipation of serving a search warrant at his residence in Omaha. Neemann was in possession of methamphetamine and $2,363 in drug proceeds.
A search of the Neemann’s residence yielded drug paraphernalia, a functional digital scale, and another quantity of methamphetamine. Neemann admitted to additional pound-quantity distributions of methamphetamine obtained from co-defendant Michael Allison. The total amount of methamphetamine mixture was in excess of 500 grams.
Before Neemann committed the offense charged in this indictment, he had a final conviction for a prior serious drug felony. Specifically, on September 21, 1999, Neemann was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In that case he was sentenced to a 151-month term of imprisonment followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.
Co-defendant Michael Allison is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Leonardtown Woman Pleads Guilty to Organizing a Conspiracy to Fraudulently Obtain over $1 Million in Disability BenefitsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Angela Marie Farr, age 36, of Leonardtown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit theft of government property and two counts of theft of government property in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The total loss to the United States as a result of the fraud scheme is at least $1,010,702.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Kim R. Lampkins, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Philadelphia Field Division.
“Angela Farr took advantage of a program whose goal was to help others, but did the exact opposite in her efforts to fraudulently obtain VA disability benefits,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “We remain committed to the prosecution of those, like Farr, who steal benefits intended to assist military veterans whose service to our country honorably has left them with a disability.”
“The VA Office of Inspector General works diligently to identify those who would steal benefits intended for qualified veterans,” said VA OIG Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins. “The VA OIG thanks its law enforcement partners for their commitment in helping hold these defendants accountable.”
According to her guilty plea, Farr organized a conspiracy in which she submitted false and fraudulent documents to the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) in support of her claims for disability compensation, as well as for the disability claims for her then-husband, and for her father. The fraudulent documents stated that Farr, her husband, and her father were homebound and required full-time assistance for basic tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing. In fact, all three individuals lived ordinary, active lives.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Farr served in the U.S. Navy from August 2, 2005 until April 19, 2007, when she was administratively discharged. In 2009, Farr filed a claim for Disability Compensation stating that she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after being sexually assaulted while on duty three years earlier. At the same time, Farr also falsely claimed to VA that she was seriously injured in a traffic accident when she was struck by a drunk driver while driving on duty in 2006. Farr claimed that she suffered from chronic neck and back pain as a result of the accident.
In support of these claims, Farr filed an entirely fabricated medical record purportedly from the Navy consisting of over 70 pages of documents supposedly authored by criminal investigators, psychologists, and physical therapists. Based on the injuries claimed and the forged supporting medical documentation, the VA rated Farr 70 percent disabled as of October 6, 2007.
In 2015, Farr sought additional compensation claiming that she suffered a traumatic brain injury and other grave health consequences as a result of the 2007 vehicle accident. Farr again submitted dozens of forged fraudulent medical documents in support of her claim, using the names of both real and fictitious physicians. The documents claimed that Farr was paralyzed from the waist down, suffered multiple seizures daily, required round-the-clock care for basic functions such as toileting and showering, and claimed that she also suffered from an aneurysm, heart attack, and leukemia. Based on the fraudulent documentation, VA increased Farr’s disability rating to 100 percent, and awarded Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) for her in-home nursing care requirements.
In April 2016, Farr applied online for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits on the basis of the same disabilities she cited in her VA claims. In that application, Farr claimed that she was unable to work and was forced to medically retire, despite the fact that she was working for the Department of Defense at the time she applied. The Social Security Administration awarded SSDI benefits to Farr on September 17, 2016.
Farr received approximately $440,085 in VA benefits to which she was not entitled, and approximately $35,666 in Social Security benefit payments to which she was not entitled, resulting in a loss to the United States of $475,751 just on Farr’s claims alone. As outlined in her plea agreement, Farr will be required to forfeit an amount equal to the proceeds obtained as a result of the fraud by paying a money judgment of $475,751, and will be ordered to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is at least $1,010,702.
Farr also admitted that she conspired with and assisted her then-husband and her father, both of whom are former members of the U.S. Military, to obtain additional disability benefits by exaggerating their existing claims and documenting those exaggerated claims with forged and fraudulent documentation. As a result, Farr’s father was found to be 100 percent disabled and was awarded SMC. Farr’s then-husband received the highest amount of disability compensation and SMC paid by VA, in addition to a Caregiver Assistance stipend of more than $2,500 per month, that he received for purportedly servicing as Farr’s caregiver, despite claiming to be completely disabled himself and unable to use his arms and legs. At the time, Farr’s husband regularly attended a local CrossFit gym. In total, Farr’s then-husband received $370,912 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled. Farr’s father received $168,074 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled, from which the VA has recovered approximately $4,035. At the time of the claims, Farr’s father was a civilian employee of the Navy, supervising a logistics unit of 25 people.
Farr faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of the two counts of theft of government property. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for August 4, 2022.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the VA OIG and SSA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Leader of Dark Web Drug Trafficking Operation Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison and 59 Bitcoin in ForfeitureRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The leader and organizer of a highly sophisticated drug trafficking operation was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for manufacturing and distributing a multitude of controlled substances using the Dark Web.
Binh Thanh Le, 25, of Brockton, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. Le was also ordered to forfeit more than 59 Bitcoin (currently worth in excess of $2 million), $114,680 in cash, $42,390 representing the proceeds from the sale of a 2018 BMW M3, along with other items including a pill press and currency counter. On Sept. 29, 2021, Le pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, Ketamine and Alprazolam (Xanax).
This sentence marks the first judicial forfeiture of cryptocurrency in the District of Massachusetts.
“The Dark Web is a rising threat to our communities and must be taken very seriously. Anonymous networks open the door for people, including our children, to order deadly amounts of illegal narcotics from anywhere in the world and have them delivered to their doorsteps. Le took advantage of this – at only 22-years-old, he used the Dark Web to organize a complex drug distribution operation that reached a nationwide customer base and an international network of suppliers,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This sentence sends a clear message to Dark Web criminals: the federal government is entering this space. We will find you and you will be held accountable. Thanks to the incredible work of our law enforcement colleagues, there is one less cybercriminal hiding in the shadows.”
“When the U.S. Mail system is unwittingly used to transport illegal narcotics it is taken very seriously,” said Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. “The sentence imposed today on Binh Thanh Le should give fair warning that Postal Inspectors will identify and seek prosecution of those individuals involved in dark web illegal commerce. The Postal Inspection Service is continuously working to disrupt and dismantle the underground marketplace and enhance its ability to prevent and combat criminal activity.”
“Le attempted to use the Dark Web to conceal his drug trafficking business, using its assumed anonymity to distribute dangerous drugs throughout the United States and reap a generous profit,” said Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Boston Field Office. “This sentence shows that crimes conducted in the cyber realm have very real, very significant consequences. HSI is proud of our partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and stands ready to assist our federal, state and local partners in thwarting crimes like these.”
“This was a very long and complex investigation that involved a lot of help and assistance from multiple agencies including the United States Postal Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Stoughton Police and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office,” said Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey. “Hundreds of hours of investigative work shut down a significant drug operation that was supplying club drugs through sales on the dark web. This is a great example of law enforcement partners working together to keep people safe.”
Le was indicted in June 2019 along with co-conspirators Steven McCall and Allante Pires. According to court records, Le received wholesale quantities of controlled substances in the mail from various international sources. Le and, allegedly, his co-conspirators then processed and manufactured those controlled substances at an office space Le rented in Stoughton. To distribute the drugs, Le created and operated a vendor site called “EastSideHigh” in markets on the Dark Network, more commonly known as the Dark Web. The Dark Web is any portion of the internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations or authorization that anonymize internet traffic. Le used these Dark Web markets to advertise various drugs for sale, including cocaine, MDMA, Ketamine and Xanax. After receiving the orders and payment via Bitcoin, Le and, allegedly, others mailed the drugs to customers throughout the United States.
On March 27, 2019, Le met with undercover law enforcement officers at a hotel in Norwood to exchange $200,000 worth of Bitcoin for cash. Le was arrested after he transferred the Bitcoin to the agents.
Over 19 kilograms of MDMA, almost seven kilograms of Ketamine, nearly one kilogram of cocaine and more than 10,000 counterfeit Xanax pills were seized by authorities during the investigation. Investigators also recovered a computer with the “EastSideHigh” vendor page open, numerous packages containing MDMA and Ketamine, various shipping and packaging materials and a pill press from the office space in Stoughton.
U.S. Attorney Rollins; USPIS INC Larco-Ward; HSI SAC Millhollin; Norfolk DA Morrissey; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office, made the announcement. Special assistance with the investigation was provided by the Homeland Security Investigations in Colorado; Postal Inspectors from around the country; and the Stoughton, Norwood, and Brockton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit, handled the forfeiture.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Kingfield Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Kingfield man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
According to court records, between May 2009 and April 2010, Richard Hinkley, 57, saved sexually explicit images from video chats with a person he knew to be a minor. In May 2020, a search warrant was executed at Hinkley’s home. The search revealed these and other images of child pornography on Hinkley’s electronic devices, some depicting children under 12 years of age.
Hinkley faces between 15 and 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child and up to 20 years for possession of child pornography. He also faces a $250,000 fine on each count and from five years to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the FBI investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.
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Kansas Businessman Sentenced for ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal judge ordered a Kansas businessman to pay approximately $215,000 in restitution and serve one year of probation as part of his sentence for failing to pay over payroll tax collections to the Internal Revenue Service. In 2018 Charlie James, 43, of De Soto pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents James was the co-owner of KC United, LLC which operated several subsidiary infrastructure and utility contractor companies. In April 2011, three of the subsidiaries filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in U.S. District Court in the District of Kansas. Under the terms of the bankruptcy, Charlie James was required to continue to withhold payroll taxes from the employees then forward the funds to the IRS. Instead, from the time of the bankruptcy filing through April 2012, James took part in a conspiracy in which $214,305 was not paid to the IRS.
“When dishonest business owners conspire with others to carry out schemes to defraud the United States, all taxpayers pay the price,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Charlie James went to great extremes to hide assets from the IRS, and that behavior brought him to the attention of IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and the Department of Justice. We have a duty to protect the integrity of the nation’s tax laws and will take aggressive actions to do so.”
The IRS- Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble prosecuted the case.
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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Against BayPort Credit Union for Violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief ActRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it has obtained a settlement agreement requiring BayPort Credit Union (BayPort) to pay nearly $110,000 to resolve allegations it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by charging excessive interest on servicemembers’ loans and repossessing servicemembers’ cars without court orders.
“This case is just the latest example of the Justice Department’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding the rights of servicemembers, who make so many sacrifices in defending our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to vigorously enforce the protections to which servicemembers are entitled under federal law, including their right to a 6% interest rate cap on loans and a right not to have their car repossessed without a court order.”
“Entering military service can create financial hardships for our servicemembers who make incredible sacrifices for our nation’s security,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This consent order helps ensure that these men and women are not disadvantaged by their military service and that servicemembers’ rights are protected going forward.”
The SCRA requires creditors to reduce the interest rate on servicemembers’ financial obligations, including retail installment sales contracts, to 6% in certain circumstances. The SCRA also prohibits repossessing a motor vehicle from a servicemember during military service without a court order, as long as the servicemember made a deposit or installment payment on the loan before entering military service.
Today’s settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, resolves a lawsuit filed today by the Department of Justice. The lawsuit alleges that BayPort unlawfully charged interest in excess of 6% to 21 servicemembers who qualified for and sought SCRA interest rate benefits. In at least one instance, BayPort told a servicemember that reducing the interest rate would increase her monthly payment. The lawsuit also alleges that BayPort unlawfully repossessed three servicemembers’ motor vehicles without court orders. In at least one of those cases, BayPort knew about the borrower’s military service and repossessed the vehicle from a military base.
Under the terms of today’s settlement, BayPort must pay nearly $70,000 to the affected servicemembers. Additionally, BayPort must pay $40,000 to the United States as a civil penalty. The agreement also requires BayPort to revise its policies and procedures to prevent future SCRA violations and provide SCRA training to its employees.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $476 million in monetary relief for over 121,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on the department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, John Willie Henderson, Jr. a/k/a Dirt, 48, was indicted for aiding and abetting in the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine to an individual on February 23, 2018. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 10, 2019, and pled guilty on December 7, 2020.
The case is the result of an extensive Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, “Fire and Ice,” which began as an operation targeting illegal methamphetamine distribution in central Mississippi. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Jackson Police Department, Madison Police Department, Ridgeland Police Department, and Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha Middleton prosecuted the case.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on March 11 was:
Nathan Francis Stops, 41, of Lame Deer, on charges of sexual abuse of a minor. If convicted of the most serious crime, Stops faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a mandatory minimum of five years to life of supervised release. Stops was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-26.
Appearing on March 10 was:
David Benjamin Wick, Sr., 41, of Lame Deer, on charges of sexual abuse of a minor. If convicted of the most serious crime, Wick faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a mandatory minimum of five years to life of supervised release. Wick was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-28.
Appearing on March 7 was:
River Gene Fortney, 22, of Livingston, on charges of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Fortney faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Fortney was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-13.
Christopher Lee Widner, 29, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Widner faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Widner was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-21.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Individual Indicted and Arrested for Laundering More Than $360,000 of Unemployment Benefits and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance FundsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – On March 10, 2022, the Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Martín Scamaroni-Cintrón with money laundering violations related to fraudulently obtained funds from the Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda).
According to the indictment, Scamaroni-Cintrón engaged in a money laundering conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) to obtain Electronic Transfers of Funds (ETFs) containing Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments from multiple states as well as the proceeds of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans that he was not qualified and authorized to receive in his various bank accounts held in Puerto Rico. The applications for UI and PUA were fraudulently submitted in the names of other persons, whom never applied for UI and PUA benefits or SBA loans, but the applications utilized the defendant’s bank account and routing numbers. Scamaroni-Cintrón knowingly transferred these illegally obtained proceeds to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and proceeds.
In addition to the money laundering conspiracy, Scamaroni-Cintrón was also charged with sixteen substantive counts of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(i). From approximately May 2020 through January 2021, the amount of fraudulently obtained benefits and loans associated with the defendant’s money laundering activity totaled approximately $361,683.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Victor Acevedo and Manuel Muñiz Lorenzi are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendant is facing 20 years in prison for each money laundering count, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Harrell, Arkansas Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Harrell man was sentenced today to 140 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, on or about August 12, 2020, investigators with the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Antonio Bush, age 40. The methamphetamine field tested positive and was sent to the crime lab for further testing.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Kim Harris and Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Former Temple Business School Dean Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for Rankings Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Moshe Porat, 75, of Bala Cynwyd, PA, the former Dean of Temple University’s Richard J. Fox School of Business and Management (“Fox”) from 1996 until 2018, was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine by United States District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert after being convicted at of fraud in connection with a scheme to artificially inflate the school’s program rankings against other schools nationwide.
In November 2021, the defendant was convicted after trial on charges that he conspired and schemed to deceive the school’s applicants, students, and donors into believing that the school’s business degree programs legitimately earned top rankings, so that they would pay tuition and make donations to Temple. In April of the same year, Porat was charged by Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, stemming from a multi-year conspiracy in which the defendant participated with a Fox professor named Isaac Gottlieb and a Fox employee named Marjorie O’Neill to submit false information about the school’s online MBA (“OMBA”) and part-time MBA (“PMBA”) programs to U.S. News & World Report in order to inflate Fox’s rankings in the annual U.S. News surveys of top OMBA and PMBA programs.
Among other things, the conspirators agreed to provide false information to U.S. News about the number of Fox’s OMBA and PMBA students who had taken the Graduate Management Admission Test (“GMAT”); the average work experience of Fox’s PMBA students; and the percentage of Fox students who were enrolled part-time, all because it was believed that better numbers for these metrics would result in better rankings for the programs. And indeed, the scheme was successful. Relying on the false information it had received from Fox, U.S. News ranked Fox’s OMBA program Number One in the country four years in a row (2015 – 2018). U.S. News also moved Fox’s PMBA program up its rankings from No. 53 in 2014 to No. 20 in 2015, to No. 16 in 2016, and to No. 7 in 2017. Finally, the defendant boasted about these rankings in marketing materials directed at potential Fox students and donors. Enrollment in Fox’s OMBA and PMBA programs grew dramatically in a few short years, which led to millions of dollars a year in increased tuition revenues.
“The defendant conspired to provide false information about Fox programs and students in order to boost its appearance and fraudulently manipulate those who sought to support a top-tier school,” said U.S. Attorney Williams.” “Today an unhappy chapter for higher education in Philadelphia has come to a close and Moshe Porat has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment appropriate for his crime.”
“This defendant was, at one time, a well-respected member of academia,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire. "But when he conspired to game the system and cheat potential students, he blurred the lines and went from well-educated professional to run-of-the-mill fraudster. The FBI does not care about your status in life when you break the law. We will bring to justice anyone who defrauds the government and, by extension, the public.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General; and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark B. Dubnoff, Nancy Potts and M.T. Soltis.
Former Newton Man Sentenced to 70 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting ChildrenRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – On March 10, 2022, United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced Andrew Scott Scanlan, age 33, formerly of Newton, to 840 months in prison for two counts of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Offense by a Registered Sex Offender announced United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Scanlan pleaded guilty on November 4, 2021. Following completion of his prison term, Scanlan will be required to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for ten additional years.
According to court documents, on multiple different dates from September 2, 2020, to January 21, 2021, Scanlan persuaded and coerced Child Victim #1 to perform sex acts on Scanlan in Newton. Scanlan video-recorded these sex acts on three different dates using his cell phone. Child Victim #1 was nine years old when Scanlan’s abuse began and Scanlan knew the age of that child. At the time Scanlan committed these Production of Child Pornography offenses, Scanlan was required by the laws of the State of Iowa to register as a sex offender. Additionally, in early 2021, Scanlan took photographs depicting child pornography using his cell phone of Child Victim #2. Child Victim #2 was four years old. Investigators located the above-referenced depictions on Scanlan’s cell phone as well as additional depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct that Scanlan had obtained via the internet.
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Newton Police Department, and the Jasper County Attorney’s Office. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the United States Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.
Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.
Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced for Bribery and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
A former veteran detective for the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Police Department, who was a task force officer with the FBI and a member of the Cumberland County Drug Task Force, was sentenced today to 75 months in prison for bribery, drug distribution and making false statements.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Christopher Collare, 54, now of Blythewood, South Carolina, used his official position to obtain sex from two women in exchange for agreeing to take actions in prosecutions. Specifically, in 2015, Collare agreed to accept sex or money in exchange for not appearing at an evidentiary hearing so that a criminal charge would be dismissed. In 2018, Collare agreed to accept sexual favors in exchange for taking steps to help reduce a potential sentence. In addition to bribery, the jury convicted Collare of distributing heroin in 2016. He also was convicted of lying in November 2015 on a federal form he completed during the process of becoming an FBI task force officer, and of making multiple false statements when interviewed by federal agents in May 2018.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Special Agent in Charge Russell W. Cunningham of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, Harrisburg Resident Agency, and the DOJ-OIG Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney James I. Pearce of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section (formerly with the Public Integrity Section) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlo D. Marchioli and Phillip J. Caraballo for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.
Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced for Bribery and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Special Agent in Charge Russell W. Cunningham of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) Washington Field Office announce that a former veteran detective for the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Police Department, who was a task force officer with the FBI and a member of the Cumberland County Drug Task Force, was sentenced today to 75 months in prison for bribery, drug distribution, and making false statements by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Christopher Collare, 54, now of Blythewood, South Carolina, used his official position to obtain sex from two women in exchange for agreeing to take actions in prosecutions. Specifically, in 2015, Collare agreed to accept sex or money in exchange for not appearing at an evidentiary hearing so that a criminal charge would be dismissed. In 2018, Collare agreed to accept sexual favors in exchange for taking steps to help reduce a potential sentence. In addition to bribery, the jury convicted Collare of distributing heroin in 2016. He also was convicted of lying in November 2015 on a federal form he completed during the process of becoming an FBI task force officer, and of making multiple false statements when interviewed by federal agents in May 2018.
“A badge carries enormous responsibility along with the trust it confers,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire. “Those who abuse that responsibility will find themselves on the wrong side of the law, facing the stark reality that crossing the line comes with punishment. Law enforcement officers at every level – local, state, federal – owe the public honest services free from bias or self-indulgent actions.”
“We rely on law enforcement officers to do their work with honesty and integrity. Instead, Collare exploited his official position, accepting bribes of sex and money in exchange for taking actions in prosecutions. Now, he will be held accountable for the bribery and lies,” said Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office.
The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office Harrisburg Resident Agency and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorney James I. Pearce of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section (formerly with the Public Integrity Section) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlo D. Marchioli and Phillip J. Caraballo of the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.
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Florida Dietary Supplement Salesman Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud the FDA and Conspiring to Distribute Anabolic SteroidsRead the Press Release
A Florida man who led sales for a sports and dietary supplements retailer was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, James Boccuzzi, 38, of Parkland, was director of sales for Blackstone Labs LLC, a Boca Raton-based sports and dietary supplements retailer. A jury convicted Boccuzzi in December 2021 of conspiracy to defraud the FDA and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Boccuzzi to 51 months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $20,000.
Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators, including Phillip “PJ” Braun, Aaron Singerman, Blackstone Labs LLC and others, conspired to defraud the FDA and to illegally manufacture and distribute anabolic steroids that were controlled substances under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. Evidence at trial established that Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators continued to sell the illegal controlled substances despite knowing about the law and its impact on the legality of Blackstone’s steroid products.
The evidence also showed that Boccuzzi and his co-conspirators quickly sold off other Blackstone products containing certain stimulants after they received an FDA warning letter notifying them that the products were unlawful to sell as dietary supplements. Further, the evidence showed that the conspirators concealed the sales of other products containing research chemicals despite knowing that the products could not legally be sold as dietary supplements. During the conspiracy, Boccuzzi also created a fraudulent “Certificate of Free Sale,” representing himself to be an employee of the FDA, in order to ship Blackstone Labs products internationally.
“Dietary supplement distributors and manufacturers cannot ignore the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will work with law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals and companies who disregard public safety to make a profit.”
“Drug products that are disguised as supplements can pose a serious risk to the health of U.S. consumers,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Miami Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who jeopardize the public health.”
Aaron Singerman and Phillip Braun, who co-founded and operated Blackstone Labs, previously pleaded guilty to distributing unapproved new drugs and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. Each was sentenced to 54 months of imprisonment and ordered to forfeit $2.9 million and $3 million, respectively. The court also previously ordered $38,655 in restitution for medical expenses related to certain victims.
In total, eight individuals and three companies were convicted of felonies in connection with the activities of Blackstone Labs and ordered to forfeit a total of nearly $8 million. Boccuzzi is the final defendant to be sentenced in this case.
FDA-OCI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Alistair Reader and Stephen Gripkey, Senior Litigation Counsel David A. Frank and Assistant Director John W. Burke of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the cases with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Laura Akowuah, Brian Furlong and Sarah Hawkins from the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel also provided assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Five Men Arrested for Sex Crimes in Online Sting OperationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a joint online sex crimes operation that ran from March 6, 2022, through March 10, 2022.
As a result, the following five men were arrested:
Kent Mews, age 55, Sioux Falls, SD – Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
Zachary Murray, age 35, Brookings, SD – Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
Sky Thomas Roubideaux, age 22, Tea, SD – Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
Elliott Anderson, age 25, Sioux Falls, SD – Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
Jordan Matthew Hermanson, age 31, Sioux Falls, SD – Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction is 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years minimum of supervised release, up to life, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges are merely accusations, and all five Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
“This successful operation illuminates the continued threat child predators pose to our children,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul. “I want to thank our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for teaming with us, and the South Dakota DCI’s ICAC task force, in this very important work.”
The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to extend its appreciation to all law enforcement partners involved in the investigations for their efforts and continued cooperation.
Five Defendants Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Prescription Drug Smuggling & Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced that five defendants have been charged with conspiring to smuggle prescription drugs into the United States illegally. Brendon Gagne of Fountain, Colorado; James Funaro of Atlanta, Georgia; Jeremy Walenty of Tampa, Florida; Taylor McLaren of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and, Joshua Ford of Troy, Michigan, have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the United States for distribution in the Western District of Michigan and elsewhere. Gagne and Funaro are also charged with money laundering conspiracy, and Funaro is charged alone with a single count of money laundering.
According to court documents, the defendants operated two websites – ExpressPCT and ExpressPEDS – that sold prescription drugs and some controlled substances. ExpressPEDS also sold anabolic-androgenic steroids. The indictment alleges that the drugs sold on the sites were manufactured largely, if not entirely, outside of the United States and smuggled into the country illegally for distribution to customers throughout the United States. According to the indictment, the sites did not ask customers for prescriptions even though the drugs sold require a person to be under the supervision of a licensed practitioner.
ExpressPCT accepted Bitcoin, a type of cryptocurrency, as well as alternative forms of payment, including payments sent via digital payment networks such as Zelle and Cash App. According to the indictment, if customers elected to pay using an alternative form of payment, rather than Bitcoin or another form of cryptocurrency, co-conspirators directed payments through accounts linked to defendant James Funaro. The indictment alleges that Funaro then converted the proceeds of the scheme into cryptocurrency before they were moved to accounts held by other co-conspirators, including foreign nationals residing overseas. Overall, investigators traced at least $12 million in proceeds to the drug smuggling scheme.
If convicted of conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the United States, the defendants face a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If Gagne and Funaro are separately convicted of the money laundering conspiracy charge, they face a statutory maximum of twenty years in prison and a fine of up to either $500,000 or twice the value of the funds laundered, whichever is greater.
In addition to arresting the defendants, investigators also seized several luxury vehicles that Gagne allegedly purchased using proceeds of the smuggling scheme, including a Maserati and an Audi sport coupe. Investigators also seized the websites in question.
Four of the five defendants made their initial appearances on March 10, 2022, in the districts of their arrest. Gagne will have his initial appearance in the District of Colorado on March 11, 2022. They will all then be arraigned in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan before Magistrate Judge Phillip J. Green on March 21, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge of the Western District of Michigan, Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins of the Detroit Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Special Agent in Charge Lynda Burdelik of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations Chicago Field Office, and Detective Lieutenant David Cope of the Michigan State Police Metropolitan Enforcement Team made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Michigan State Police are investigating the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie M. Carowan and Justin Presant.
An indictment is merely an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent of all charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The United States has the burden of proving the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Fitchburg Man Pleads Guilty in Wide-Ranging Fentanyl, Heroin, Crack and Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a wide-ranging fentanyl, heroin, crack and cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Branny Taveras, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 14, 2022.
According to court documents, following a fatal fentanyl overdose in September 2018, law enforcement began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) in the Fitchburg area led by co-conspirators Pedro Baez and Anthony Baez. Beginning in July 2019, electronic communications revealed that Taveras and others in the DTO distributed a fentanyl and heroin mixture on a regular basis to individuals in the Fitchburg area, including to Pedro and Anthony Baez, who redistributed that mixture to others.
Over the course of the investigation, agents seized over 1.8 kilograms of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, over 3.6 kilograms of cocaine and over 50 grams of crack cocaine, as well as a stolen, loaded handgun, drug manufacturing equipment and over $376,000. Taveras was responsible for distributing over 400 grams of a fentanyl and heroin mixture.
Taveras was charged along with 17 others in July 2020. He is the 11th defendant to plead guilty in the case. In December 2020, Anthony Baez was sentenced by Judge Hillman to 13 years in prison. Pedro Baez pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2022.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. The Fitchburg Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Lunenburg Police Department also provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter of Rollins’ Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Finds Grafton Dentist Guilty of Healthcare Fraud and False StatementsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on March 10, 2022, Scott Charmoli (age: 61) of Grafton Wisconsin, a licensed dentist, was convicted of five counts of healthcare fraud and two counts of making false statements related to healthcare matters.
The evidence presented at trial established that Scott Charmoli engaged in a years-long scheme to defraud dental insurance companies into paying for unnecessary crown procedures. The evidence showed that, beginning in 2015, Charmoli started to aggressively sell patients on the need for crown procedures. After convincing patients they needed crowns, Charmoli intentionally broke his patients’ teeth with his drill and took pictures and x-rays of the damage he caused. Then, Charmoli sent images of the damage he caused to insurance companies as support for his requests for payment for the crown procedures. Insurance companies assumed that those images of damage represented the pre-operative condition of the teeth, and as a result, paid the claims. Many of Charmoli’s patients also paid significant co-pays for these crown procedures.
The evidence showed that Charmoli performed far more crowns than most dentists in Wisconsin, ranking in, or above, the 95th percentile of crowns performed in each year from 2016 to 2019, according to data from just one insurance company. The evidence also showed that Charmoli billed over $4.2 million for crown procedures between 2016 and 2019, and that he performed more than 700 crowns each year from 2015 to 2019. In each of 2015 and 2016, Charmoli performed over 1000 crown procedures. Evidence also showed that in addition to submitting x-rays to insurance companies of damage he caused, Charmoli made false statements to dental insurers when they denied initial claims for crown coverage.
Charmoli is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2022, by United States District Court Judge Lynn Adelman. Charmoli faces a maximum term of ten years of imprisonment for each healthcare fraud conviction and a maximum term of five years of imprisonment for each false statement conviction.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Michael A. Carter prosecuted.
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Federal Jury Convicts Vancouver Man for Sex Trafficking of MinorsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal jury in Portland found a local man guilty today for transporting two young teen girls across state lines, drugging and sexually abusing them, and selling them to other grown men for sex.
Johnl Jackson, 34, of Vancouver, Washington, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking; three counts of sex trafficking of a child; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; and three counts of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.
“Trafficking in human lives is a despicable crime, here made worse by Johnl Jackson’s exploitation of young women for profit” said Scott Erik Asphaug, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “Sex trafficking minors has a profoundly negative impact on survivors and their loved ones. I want to thank the brave women who agreed to step out of the shadows to testify against their abuser and hope that this experience offers them closure and a path to a new and better life. Our office will continue to prioritize all trafficking cases and do everything in our power to prevent further victimization.”
“Johnl Jackson preyed upon vulnerable youth. He used violence, drugs and manipulation to control these young teenage girls,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “The agents and officers on the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force are committed to finding and helping victims of human trafficking, to protect them from further abuse, and to keep their traffickers from hurting anyone else.”
According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2016, Jackson met and befriended Keonte Desmond Scott, 23, also of Vancouver, after Scott’s release from prison. Jackson sold Scott cocaine and eventually began coaching him in commercial sex trafficking. In late 2016, Scott met and began a relationship with Jackson’s future co-defendant and fellow Vancouver resident Diana Petrovic, 23. Jackson helped Scott traffic Petrovic, showing him how to post online prostitution ads and, at times, posting the ads himself on Scott’s behalf. Scott paid Jackson for the ads and purchased drugs from him using a portion of Petrovic’s prostitution earnings. Soon, Jackson and Scott began using Petrovic to recruit and traffic other minor females.
By early 2019, several minors reported to law enforcement that they had been trafficked by Scott and Petrovic. During the ensuing investigation, authorities learned of two teen girls, then 14- and 15-years-old, respectively, who together had run away from their homes in Lane County, Oregon and were introduced to Scott and Petrovic at a mall in Vancouver, Washington. Petrovic took the girls to a home the girls believed was Jackson’s and gave them drugs and alcohol. Scott and Petrovic told the girls they would take them to an upscale party, but, instead, took them to a location in Portland where they were sold for sex. Eventually, the girls separated themselves from Scott and Petrovic, spent the night elsewhere, and were driven back home by one of the girl’s mothers the next day.
By the summer of 2018, Scott returned to prison and Petrovic began working directly with Jackson. Petrovic maintained contact with one of the girls from Lane County over social media and repeatedly asked her to return to Portland. Petrovic eventually convinced the girl to meet and, in late August 2018, Jackson, Petrovic, and another adult woman drove to Eugene to pick her up. When the group arrived, the girl was accompanied by a 15-year-old friend. On the drive back to Portland, Jackson gave both girls drugs. At some point during the drive, Jackson gave Petrovic money to buy the girls new clothing and underwear.
The group took the girls to Vancouver where they were given more drugs and, at some point, stopped at a house to resupply on cocaine. Inside the house, they sent one of the girls back to a room to engage in sexual acts with the drug supplier in exchange for the drugs and money. Later, a person believed to be Jackson’s uncle notified the group of potential prostitution customers gathering at an auto shop in Battle Ground, Washington. Petrovic and Jackson took the girls to the auto shop and offered them for sex, but the men gathering appeared uninterested and so the group returned to the Vancouver house. Back at the Vancouver house, Jackson and Petrovic engaged in sex acts with the girls, who were now heavily intoxicated.
The group eventually returned to the Battle Ground gathering where one of the girls was forced to have sex with an adult man. Jackson and Petrovic warned the girls to say they were 19 years old to avoid getting them in trouble for trafficking children. Throughout the evening, the girls were not allowed to sit without being harassed by Petrovic and Jackson about needing to make more money. When one of the girls protested, Petrovic slapped her. Later in the evening, one of the girls escaped with a man who she convinced to intervene on her behalf. Petrovic convinced the other girl that her friend had betrayed her by leaving.
Jackson and Petrovic took the remaining girl to a hotel near Portland International Airport where they spent the night. The next day, they took her to a residence in Northeast Portland where she was forced to have sex with one man for $300 and forcibly raped by another. One day while Jackson and Petrovic were sleeping in their hotel room, the girl managed to escape and was rescued several hours later by her grandfather.
On May 8, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Scott, Petrovic, and an accomplice with sex trafficking of children and transporting minors with intent to engage in sexual activity.
On October 9, 2019, in a separate criminal case, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Jackson and Petrovic with sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, and coercion; sex trafficking of a child; and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. Later, on December 4, 2019, Jackson and Petrovic were charged by superseding indictment with conspiring to engage in sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking of a child; sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, and coercion; and transporting a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. Jackson was additionally charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, but the charge was dismissed before trial.
On July 22, 2020, Petrovic was charged by criminal information with distributing a controlled to a person under 21 and pleaded guilty, resolving both of her criminal cases. She will be sentenced on April 3, 2023.
On December 9, 2021, Scott pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking. He will be sentenced on April 13, 2022.
Jackson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He will be sentenced on June 6, 2022 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.
U.S. Attorney Asphaug and Special Agent in Charge Ramsey made the announcement.
This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) with assistance from the Tigard Police Department and Portland Police Bureau. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Cadotte and Pamela Paaso with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Zusman, Suzanne Miles, and Thomas Ratcliffe, and Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Glen Ujifusa.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
If you or someone you know is in danger, please call 911. If you are a human trafficking victim or have information about a potential human trafficking situation, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting 233733. Calls and texts are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Human trafficking is a serious federal crime where individuals are compelled by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex, labor, or domestic servitude against their will. Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause unimaginable harm. In January 2022, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland launched a new national strategy to combat human trafficking that aims to prevent all forms of trafficking, prosecute trafficking cases, and support trafficking victims and survivors.
Federal Jury Convicts Leader of A Prison Gang on Three Counts of Drug and Money Laundering OffensesRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Following a six-day trial in United States District Court at Greeneville, a jury convicted Charles Elsea, Jr., 44, a longtime inmate of the Tennessee Department of Corrections, of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, and money laundering.
Sentencing is set for August 8, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., before the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Elsea faces a maximum life sentence in prison, a ten-year minimum mandatory for Count one, and a term of supervised release of five years.
The trial was the result of a five-year investigation that began in the spring of 2017. The investigation spanned the country, multiple local and federal agencies worked together to bring this case to trial. Elsea was determined to not only be involved in the drug conspiracy but was the leader of the conspiracy. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Elsea was a leader of a prison gang and ran an entire drug organization behind prison walls, using smuggled cellphones to conduct his business outside the presence of the prison guards. Elsea conspired with gang members and others to distribute hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine across Tennessee. Elsea arranged multiple purchases of pounds of methamphetamine from his prison cell and directed coconspirators to transport the methamphetamine from California and Arizona to Tennessee. Elsea and his coconspirators also used the drug proceeds from the methamphetamine to create marijuana grow houses in and out of Tennessee. Elsea even started two marijuana grow operations during the pendency of this case, utilizing the jail’s video system to speak to coconspirators about the cultivation of marijuana.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the DHS-HSI, DEA, USPS and with the assistance of Tennessee Department of Correction Office of Investigations and Conduct; Elizabethton, and Carter County Joint Drug Task Force; Huron Undercover Narcotic Team with the Michigan State Police; the Arkansas Highway Patrol; Missouri Western Interdiction Task Force with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department; California Visalia Police Department. This investigation was led by HSI Special Agent John Bulla.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan L. Gomez and J. Christian Lampe represented the United States at trial.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Federal Jury Convicts Duluth Felon for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted a Duluth man for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
Following a five-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank, Edell Jackson, 41, was found guilty of a single count of possessing a firearm as an armed career criminal. A sentencing date will be scheduled at a later time.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on January 14, 2021, officers with the Brooklyn Center Police Department were dispatched to a call of shots fired. Officers spoke to a woman who said Jackson shot at her during an argument and was still armed. The woman assisted officers in locating Jackson, who was sitting in a parking lot in the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet Avalanche. When law enforcement tried to apprehend Jackson, he reversed his vehicle and attempted to drive away but was blocked by police squad cars. Jackson exited his vehicle and fled on foot. As he ran, Jackson took his jacket off and discarded it in a snowbank near his vehicle. Officers pursued him on foot and eventually apprehended Jackson. Officers searched Jackson’s discarded jacket and found inside a zipped pocket a Bersa model Thunder 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
Because Jackson has multiple prior felony convictions in St. Louis County, Cook County (Illinois), and Will County (Illinois), he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
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.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minneapolis Police Department.
The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Angela M. Munoz.
Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Correctional Officer and Possessing ContrabandRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edward Boney (40, Washington, DC), a federal prisoner at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex, has entered pleaded guilty to assaulting a correctional officer and possessing contraband. Boney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Boney had been indicted on October 12, 2021.
According to court records, Boney is currently serving a 13-year federal sentence at FCC-Coleman for armed robbery and assault on a law enforcement officer. On November 20, 2020, Boney refused to comply with correctional officers’ directions and told the officers, “Today is a good day to die.” Boney then raised his arm and struck a correctional officer multiple times with a sharp metal object. The correctional officer suffered three stab wounds on his arms. Three additional correctional officers were also injured during the incident as they attempted to control and detain Boney.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
Farmington man sentenced to 16 years in prison for receipt of child pornography and enticement of a minorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – James L. Rodgers, age 42, of Farmington, Missouri appeared before United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on today’s date and was sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the receipt of child pornography and the coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to the plea agreement, on or between May 1, 2019, and October 9, 2019, in St. Francois County, Missouri, Rodgers utilized the internet and social media websites to communicate with multiple victims under the age of ten. Rodgers used the social media sites to request the victims to engage in sexual acts and that they produce and send to him images and videos of such sexual acts over the internet.
An examination of the Rodger’s cell phone by law enforcement also revealed he was distributing child pornography with others over the internet. On September 22, 2019, Rodgers shared eleven videos and nine images of child pornography and again on September 27, 2019, Rodgers exchanged five videos and sixteen images of child pornography over a social media platform.
The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Erie Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Offenses in Project Safe Neighborhoods CaseRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Charles L. McIntosh, 28, pleaded guilty to one count each in two separate cases before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in and around April 2019, McIntosh possessed two firearms while being a convicted felon. In addition, on or about April 22, 2021, McIntosh possessed three firearms while being a convicted felon and while on federal pretrial release in the 2019 case. Federal law prohibits an individual who has been convicted of a felony from possessing a firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reductions 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 prevent and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for June 30, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of McIntosh.
England Associates, L.P. d/b/a New London Health Center pays $400,000.00 to resolve False Claims Act allegationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – England Associates, L.P. d/b/a New London Health Center (“New London”) agreed to pay $400,000.00 to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable, necessary, and skilled. The settlement amount was based on New London’s ability to pay.
“Nursing home facilities provide important services to our elderly; however, those facilities must uphold the trust placed in them by billing the government only for reasonable and necessary services,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing efforts to protect patients and taxpayers by ensuring the that the care provided to beneficiaries of government-funded health care programs is dictated by clinical needs, not a provider’s fiscal interests.
“When funds from programs like Medicare are not used as intended, taxpayers and people who are entitled to those funds suffer,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This settlement is the result of the FBI’s commitment to work with our federal and state partners to ensure that federally funded healthcare programs are not abused by providers.”
“The provision of medical services should be based on a patient’s medical needs rather than the financial interests of providers,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable individuals who endanger the integrity of federal healthcare programs and the beneficiaries they serve.”
The government alleged that between January 1, 2011 and November 30, 2014, New London engaged in various practices that resulted in the submission of claims for unreasonable, unnecessary, and unskilled services to Medicare patients, including: (1) presumptively placing patients in the Ultra High therapy reimbursement level, rather than relying on individualized evaluations to determine the level of care most suitable for each patient’s clinical needs; (2) providing the minimum number of minutes required to bill at a given reimbursement level while discouraging the provision of additional therapy beyond that minimum threshold; (3) ramping up therapy minutes only during the period in which billing levels were set; and (4) pressuring therapists and patients to complete the planned minutes of therapy regardless of patient need, and in some cases, for patients for whom such therapy would have been dangerous.
The Government alleges that these arrangements violated the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O’Neal.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Delaware County Man Charged with Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Matthew Welcher, age 43, of Dundee, Iowa, has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The charge is contained in an Indictment unsealed on March 7, 2022, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, in May 2021, Welcher possessed a rifle after having been convicted of two felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and while he was subject to a no contact order.
If convicted, Welcher faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years on supervised release following any imprisonment.
Welcher appeared for a detention hearing today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Welcher’s next appearance for trial is set for May 9, 2022.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR 22-2011.
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Cuban citizen sentenced to prison after ramming FBI security gateRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 39-year-old man has been ordered to prison for illegally breaching federal security and gaining entry to the FBI building in Houston, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Nestor Mariano Vidal Batista pleaded guilty Feb 24. 2022.
Today, U.S. Circuit Judge Gregg Costa, sitting by designation, ordered Vidal to serve 14 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Vidal is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Batista had previously been convicted of alien smuggling. In handing down the sentence, the court noted how his actions posed a risk to others.
On June 23, 2021, Batista stole a Dodge Ram 2500 pick-up truck shortly before attempting to lodge an in-person complaint at the FBI office in Houston. Upon his arrival, security referred him to local authorities. Batista then re-entered the truck, circled the area and tried to force entry. He sped forward and crashed the truck into the front security gates of the FBI building. Shortly thereafter, he was able to exit the truck and enter the visiting area in the lobby. Authorities then subdued him and took him into custody.
As a result of his actions, he caused $7,929.90 in damages.
Vidal has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Porto prosecuted the case.
Crownpoint man charged with sexual abuse of a minor in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Wade Dixon, 33, of Crownpoint, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was arraigned in federal court today on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. Dixon will be released to a halfway house pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Dixon on Feb. 24. According to the indictment, on July 10, 2021, Dixon allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a victim, identified as Jan Doe, who was younger than 16 years. The alleged abuse occurred in McKinley County, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Dixon faces up to 15 years in prison.
The Navajo Nation Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the FBI. Special Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea N. Van Deventer is prosecuting the case.
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Counselor Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wide-Ranging Medicaid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CORTNEY DUNLAP, 37, of Burlington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a wide-ranging scheme that defrauded the Connecticut Medicaid Program of more than $1.3 million.
According to court documents and statements in court, from 2014 to 2020, Dunlap was a Licensed Professional Counselor with offices located on Brainard Road in Hartford. Dunlap also owned two entities, Inspirational Care and KEYS Program Inc., through which he managed group homes in Hartford, Bristol, Cromwell and Waterbury, including residences for women and children who were victims of domestic abuse.
From August 2018 through October 2020, Dunlap engaged in a scheme to defraud the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting claims for psychotherapy services that were purportedly provided to Medicaid clients. The vast majority of the claims were for occasions and dates of service when no psychotherapy services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims. On a limited number of occasions, some of the services were rendered by unlicensed individuals who were not qualified or licensed to provide psychotherapy.
The Connecticut Medicaid program suspended Dunlap as a Medicaid provider on approximately April 28, 2020, and, on May 7, 2020, federal law enforcement agents executed a court-authorized search of Dunlap’s Hartford offices. Dunlap subsequently billed Medicaid for psychotherapy services through Inspirational Care for services that which were not provided, using the provider number of a licensed clinical social worker who did not provide the services and was not aware that her provider number was being used to bill for the nonexistent services.
Dunlap required tenants of the group homes operated or managed by Inspirational Care and KEYS program to provide copies of the Medicaid member cards for the tenants and their children as a condition of the tenants residing at the group homes. Dunlap then used these Medicaid member numbers to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services that were not provided to the tenants or their children. Dunlap used the Medicaid member numbers of approximately 65 tenants or their children to bill Medicaid for fraudulent services, and Medicaid paid Dunlap approximately $543,117 for psychotherapy services that were not provided to these individuals.
In February 2019, the New Haven Public Schools hired Dunlap as a guidance counselor at the New Haven Adult and Continuing Education Center. In February 2020, Dunlap accessed a database containing personal identifying information of students and former students enrolled at New Haven Adult and Continuing Education, many of whom Dunlap did not have any professional relationship with and had never met. Dunlap used the information he acquired to determine whether the students were insured by Medicaid and, if so, identified the students’ Medicaid member identification numbers. He then billed Medicaid for fraudulent psychotherapy services that were never provided to the students. Dunlap used the personal identifying information and Medicaid member numbers of approximately 135 New Haven Adult and Continuing Education students to bill Medicaid for fraudulent services, and was paid a total of approximately $593,383 by Medicaid for these claims.
Dunlap also fraudulently billed Medicaid for psychotherapy services purportedly provided to employees of Inspirational Care when no such services were provided, and submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for psychotherapy services purportedly provided to members of his family when no such services were provided.
Judge Dooley ordered to Dunlap to pay restitution to Medicaid in the amount of $1,313,322.
U.S. Attorney Boyle noted that Connecticut Department of Social Services, working in close cooperation with law enforcement, suspended Medicaid payments to Dunlap and recovered $337,777.63 that Dunlap was slated to receive from Medicaid. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division also seized and forfeited $412,415.20 from Dunlap’s bank accounts. Dunlap has made an additional restitution payment of $20,000, leaving a restitution obligation of $543,129.17.
Dunlap was arrested on a criminal complaint on October 14, 2020. On June 4, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud.
Dunlap, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on April 25.
This investigation has been conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office and the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon with the assistance of Auditor Susan N. Spiegel.
Columbus man pleads guilty to robbing 2 mail carriers at gunpointRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to two separate armed robberies of United States Postal Carriers.
Brandon J. Campbell, 20, admitted to using violence and a weapon to endanger the mail carriers’ lives and steal property from them.
According to Campbell’s plea documents, he assaulted two postal carriers in September 2021.
On Sept. 8, 2021, Campbell stole an “arrow” key – which is used to access USPS mailboxes and receptacles – and vehicle keys from a postal carrier who was delivering mail at Vistas at Rocky Fork Apartment Complex in Gahanna. Campbell wore a balaclava mask and used a Glock-style handgun.
On Sept. 21, 2021, Campbell committed armed robbery against a second postal carrier who was delivering mail near 4500 Hemingway Court in Columbus. He again used a handgun and mask and stole the carrier’s arrow key.
Investigators followed Campbell’s champaign-colored Saturn Aura and subsequently executed search warrants on an apartment Campbell fled into, as well as his vehicle. Law enforcement officers discovered four firearms in that apartment, as well as the balaclava mask. Forensic examination of Campbell’s iPhone showed the phone was in the location of both robberies during the timeframe of the robberies. Campbell’s phone also showed pictures of himself holding a Glock-style firearm.
Aggravated robbery of property of the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future sentencing hearing.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Gary R. Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.
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Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to 11 ½ Years for Robbing A Metro T-Mobile Store at GunpointRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. sentenced Joseph Antwan Faulk, 37, of Charlotte, to 138 months in prison and three years of supervised release for robbing a Metro T-Mobile at gunpoint, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and court proceedings, on December 7, 2020, Faulk entered the Metro T-Mobile store located at 2504 Little Rock Road in Charlotte. Upon entering, Faulk approached the counter, pointed a firearm at two store employees, and ordered them to hand over the cash from the registers. Faulk also threatened to shoot the employees if they did not do as he said. The employees complied and Faulk fled the scene with the store’s cash and the employees’ personal cell phones. CMPD officers were able to identify Faulk, and days later Faulk was located and arrested at a residence in Charlotte. Inside the residence, CMPD officers found the firearm Faulk used during the robbery. Faulk has four prior state convictions in North Carolina for Robbery With a Dangerous Weapon.
On July 7, 2021, Faulk pleaded guilty to robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce, or “Hobbs Act” robbery, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Career Offender living in Proximity to Springdale Elementary School Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in August of 2020, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF), with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, identified Miles L. Neil, age 57, as a distributor of methamphetamine operating in Northwest Arkansas.
Between August and October of 2020, Detectives conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Neil.
On or about October 9, 2020, DTF detectives executed a search warrant on Neil's Springdale residence, which is located adjacent to Westwood Elementary School. The search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 162 gross grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
At sentencing, the United States presented evidence to the Court that Neil had prior felony convictions, which resulted in him being sentenced as a Career Offender.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Third Federal Bank Robbery ChargeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to the April 2020 robbery of a Santander Bank branch in Boston.
Dennis C. Taylor, 49, pleaded guilty one count of bank robbery. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2022. Taylor was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 4, 2020, and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 12, 2020.
On April 29, 2020, an individual – later determined to be Taylor – dressed in a dark hooded jacket, blue latex gloves and a facemask entered a Santander Bank branch on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston where he approached a teller and demanded money. The teller handed Taylor cash from her drawer, which he placed in a white plastic bag before exiting the bank. Included within the cash was a red dye pack. Surveillance cameras on Massachusetts Avenue captured video of Taylor exiting the area and running towards a local parking garage as the red dye pack exploded into a plume of red smoke. During a subsequent search of the parking garage, law enforcement recovered a white plastic bag containing red dye-stained money and a pair of blue latex gloves. The gloves were found to match Taylor’s DNA profile.
Taylor has been previously convicted of federal bank robbery in 2004 and again in 2010. In 2010, Taylor was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for the December 2009 robberies of a Rockland Trust bank and a TD Bank in Yarmouth.
The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Bakersfield Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 3 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Uriel Ivan Portillo, 35, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Nov. 21, 2019, Portillo distributed 5,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in exchange for $40,000 during a controlled purchase in Bakersfield.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Portillo’s co-defendant, Wilfredo Medina Perez, also pleaded guilty to the same and additional drug transactions. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 18, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Medina faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Armed Career Criminal Found Guilty of Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alex Winters (43, Leesburg) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Winters, who qualifies as an Armed Career Criminal based upon his criminal history, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Winters was indicted on February 24, 2021.
According to testimony presented at trial, on May 7, 2020, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office stopped a car for a traffic violation. After a deputy noted the smell of marijuana, the car was searched. Beneath Winters’s seat, deputies found a loaded 9mm pistol and fanny pack containing distribution amounts of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and eutylone. Also in the fanny pack, deputies found a digital scale, baggies, a drug ledger, and 9mm ammunition. Winters’s DNA was later analyzed and compared to DNA swabs taken from the firearm and he was determined to be a possible contributor.
This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling and Mark Morgan.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.