Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
12 April 2022
Maryland man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – James Andrew Logan, of Dundalk, Maryland, was sentenced today to 24 months of incarceration for his role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Logan, 27, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy.” Logan admitted to working with others to purchase, possess, and transfer firearms to persons who couldn’t legally purchase or possess firearms. The crimes took place from April 2019 to December 2020 in Berkeley County and elsewhere.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Man, 72, Convicted of Attempted Bank Robbery in AbileneRead the Press Release
A 72 year-old El Paso man was found guilty of attempted bank robbery on Tuesday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
After two days of trial and just two hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Lubbock convicted James Earl Green, Jr. of attempted bank robbery.
According to evidence presented at trial, at approximately 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2019, Mr. Green accosted a First State Bank employee as she was attempting to enter the bank for opening.
Mr. Green held a handgun to the employee’s head and pushed her inside the bank, where he held her for approximately 20 minutes. During that time, surveillance video caught the defendant on camera pacing back and forth with an identifiable limp.
A second bank employee arrived at 7:57 a.m., and a struggle ensued. (Download surveillance footage here.) During the melee, Mr. Green struck the first employee on the head with his handgun. He then fled on foot without obtaining any money, leaving his two duffel bags behind.
An anonymous tipster notified the Abilene Police Department that a gold Cadillac had been parked across the street from the bank the morning before the robbery. Law enforcement then identified the Cadillac – a four door sedan with its front right hub cap cover missing – in surveillance video pulled from the bank’s vicinity. An employee of the City of Abilene narrowed down gold Cadillacs from a list of more than 11,000 to locate a matching gold Cadillac belonging to Mr. Green.
After learning that Mr. Green lived in El Paso, officers reached out to an individual there that knew him, who reviewed the bank surveillance video and noted that the robber in the video walked in a similar manner to Mr. Green, who wore a prosthetic leg. She also shared a photo of Mr. Green’s Cadillac, which was gold and missing its front right hub cap cover.
Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Crime Lab extracted a DNA profile from the duffel bag, ran it through the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), and found a match to a sample from Mr. Green. Additionally, a member of the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team obtained historical cell phone data from Mr. Green’s cell phone provider and placed Mr. Green’s cell phone traveling to Abilene from El Paso days before the attempted bank robbery and returning from Abilene to El Paso immediately following the attempted robbery.
Mr. Green now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing has been set for July 21.
The Abilene Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas and El Paso Field Offices, and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Crime Laboratory conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Woolam and Ryan Redd tried the case. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix presided over the trial.
Man Who Sold Deadly Fentanyl Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER DUBICKI, 37, formerly of Sprague, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Norwich Police Department launched an investigation after several fatal and non-fatal overdoses occurred in a short period of time in eastern Connecticut. Investigators determined that, beginning at least as early as January 2017 and continuing to July 2018, Michael Nieves worked with Juan Reyes to supply heroin and fentanyl to other distributors, including individuals who regularly traveled from eastern Connecticut to Hartford to purchase the drugs. Those individuals then sold the drug to customers in the Norwich and New London areas.
On July 5, 2017, Norwich Police officers responded to a residence on the report of an overdose. The victim, a 34-year-old male, was transported to the hospital where he died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined the victim’s cause of death to be “acute fentanyl intoxication.” The investigation revealed that Dubicki sold the fentanyl to the victim after previously purchasing it from Nieves and Reyes.
As the investigation continued, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Dubicki. On February 7, 2018, a court authorized search of Dubicki’s residence revealed approximately 650 glassine bags of fentanyl.
Dubicki has been detained since his arrest on May 7, 2018. On August 12, 2019, he pleaded guilty to fentanyl, heroin and cocaine distribution charges.
Investigators connected six other overdoses, three fatal and three non-fatal, to drugs that were supplied by Nieves and Reyes. They both pleaded guilty to federal charges.
On June 9, 2021, Reyes was sentenced to 151 months in prison and, on February 24, 2022, Nieves was sentenced to 168 months in prison.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Norwich Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins with the assistance of the State’s Attorney for the New London Judicial District.
Louisiana Man Sentenced to Three Years Imprisonment for Dog Fighting VenturesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Louisiana man was sentenced today to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1000 fine for possession of an animal in an animal fighting venture.
Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021. According to court documents, Turner possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures. On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, Turner and others discussed gambling on dog fights, arranging and participating in dog fights, sponsoring and exhibiting dogs in dog fights, training and housing dogs for the purposes of dog fighting, commerce in and transport of fighting dogs, and the promotion of dog fights.
In October 2017, a federal law enforcement team consisting of agents from the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies executed a search warrant on Turner’s residence in Loranger. During the search, 33 dogs were found on the property, many of which had injuries, scarring and fresh wounds. Law enforcement also discovered a large collection of dog fighting paraphernalia, including:
- a water tank equipped to force dogs to swim to condition them for fighting;
- an electrified prod used in conjunction with the water tank;
- two treadmills equipped to force dogs to run to condition them for fighting;
- ledgers containing the weights and prices of dogs;
- “break sticks” and “flirt poles,” training equipment intended to enhance dogs’ jaw strength;
- pedigrees for the fighting dogs Turner bred; and
- photographs of dogs in inhumane conditions.
“Dog fighting is a particularly cruel form of animal abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Turner bred dogs solely to abuse them, through inhumane training methods and violent fights that left them scarred, severely injured, or dead. These dogs deserved better. As this prosecution demonstrates, those who engage in this abhorrent conduct will be brought to justice.”
“This case lifts the veil on the brutal realities associated with this heinous activity,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “This federal crime exploits animals for the sake of human entertainment and ill-gotten financial gains. Collectively, local, state and federal law enforcement partners are actively engaged in ending this criminal industry by holding accountable perpetrators who engage in dog fighting and rescuing victimized dogs from this appalling pastime.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling,” said Special Agent-in-Charge, Dax Roberson of USDA-OIG. Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”
“Animal cruelty is a heinous crime that deserves our ultimate condemnation and serious legal consequences for those who engage in it for ‘sport’ and/or profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Division. “Today’s sentencing should serveas a reminder to those like Mr. Clay Turner who commit such criminal activity, that they will be held accountable. For their outstanding cooperation and great work, we thank our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana, the Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, and the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section in the criminal prosecution of those who participated in animal fighting ventures.”
Trial Attorneys Matthew D. Evans, Christopher Hale and former Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer L. Blackwell of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.
###
Louisiana Man Sentenced for Three Years’ Imprisonment for Dog Fighting VenturesRead the Press Release
A Louisiana man was sentenced today to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine for possession of an animal in an animal fighting venture.
Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021. According to court documents, Turner possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures. On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, Turner and others discussed gambling on dog fights, arranging and participating in dog fights, sponsoring and exhibiting dogs in dog fights, training and housing dogs for the purposes of dog fighting, commerce in and transport of fighting dogs and the promotion of dog fights.
In October 2017, a federal law enforcement team consisting of agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies executed a search warrant on Turner’s residence in Loranger. During the search, 33 dogs were found on the property, many of which had injuries, scarring and fresh wounds. Law enforcement also discovered a large collection of dog fighting paraphernalia, including:
- a water tank equipped to force dogs to swim to condition them for fighting;
- an electrified prod used in conjunction with the water tank;
- two treadmills equipped to force dogs to run to condition them for fighting;
- ledgers containing the weights and prices of dogs;
- “break sticks” and “flirt poles,” training equipment intended to enhance dogs’ jaw strength;
- pedigrees for the fighting dogs Turner bred; and
- photographs of dogs in inhumane conditions.
“Dog fighting is a particularly cruel form of animal abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Turner bred dogs solely to abuse them, through inhumane training methods and violent fights that left them scarred, severely injured or dead. These dogs deserved better. As this prosecution demonstrates, those who engage in this abhorrent conduct will be brought to justice.”
“This case lifts the veil on the brutal realities associated with this heinous activity,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “This federal crime exploits animals for the sake of human entertainment and ill-gotten financial gains. Collectively, local, state and federal law enforcement partners are actively engaged in ending this criminal industry by holding accountable perpetrators who engage in dog fighting and rescuing victimized dogs from this appalling pastime.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms and gambling,” said Special Agent in Charge Dax Roberson of USDA-OIG. “Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”
“Animal cruelty is a heinous crime that deserves our ultimate condemnation and serious legal consequences for those who engage in it for ‘sport’ and/or profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Division. “Today’s sentencing should serveas a reminder to those like Mr. Clay Turner who commit such criminal activity, that they will be held accountable. For their outstanding cooperation and great work, we thank our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana, the USDA-OIG, and the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section in the criminal prosecution of those who participated in animal fighting ventures.”
Trial Attorneys Matthew D. Evans, Christopher Hale and former Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer L. Blackwell of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.
Leader of firearms ring convictedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - The 17th individual involved in a firearms trafficking cell has entered a guilty plea to eight charges related to the scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Gustavo Gomez-Valenzuela, 49, a Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Houston, admitted to aiding and abetting a false statement on a firearms purchasing form, alien in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, aiding and abetting smuggling goods from the United States, international money laundering conspiracy and illegal reentry after removal.
Gomez-Valenzuela was the leader of a Houston-based gun trafficking cell that was sending firearms to Mexico. As part of his plea, he admitted to providing funds to purchase hundreds of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, smuggling both firearms and ammunition to Mexico, possessing firearms and selling kilogram quantities of meth.
He received the firearms from other individuals in the organization who purchased the firearms from Khalid Abdulaziz, the owner and manager of Zeroed In Armory. While acting in the capacity of a federal firearms licensee in Houston, Abdulaziz sold the majority of the firearms to others charged in this case. Those people have admitted to working with Abdulaziz and making false statements in the purchase of firearms, thereby illegally purchasing them.
Abdulaziz previously pleaded guilty to six counts of aiding and abetting a false statement on ATF Form 4473.
As a result of the scheme, approximately 500 firearms were purchased and ultimately trafficked to transnational criminal organizations in Mexico.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Stabe and Lisa M. Collins prosecuted the case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, IRS – Criminal Investigation, Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Leader of Cellphone Fraud and Identity Theft Scheme Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HENRY PEREZ was sentenced today to more than seven years in prison for leading a multi-year cellphone account takeover fraud and identity theft conspiracy. PEREZ impersonated legitimate cellphone accountholders in order to fraudulently obtain smartphones and electronic devices that he charged to compromised accounts. The fraud scheme also caused more than 300 victims across the United States to lose cellphone service for a period of time; during the time that PEREZ controlled victims’ phone numbers, “inbound” text messages intended for victims were instead received by PEREZ. PEREZ’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, before whom PEREZ previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Henry Perez led a sophisticated cellphone fraud and identity theft scheme. He impersonated victims, changed victims’ account information so victims would not receive fraud alerts, charged purchases to victims’ accounts, and deprived victims of cellphone service. Today’s sentence sends a clear message: Those who exploit victims’ identifying information for financial gain will pay a heavy price.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, public court filings, and statements made in court:
From June 2017 through December 2019, PEREZ was the leader of a criminal fraud ring that committed cellphone account takeover fraud and identity theft across the United States, including in the Southern District of New York. The scheme’s primary objective was to obtain new, valuable electronic devices, including iPhones, and charge these purchases to victims’ accounts, without the knowledge or consent of the victim accountholders. Over the course of the conspiracy, participants in the scheme attempted to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million worth of devices and, in fact, fraudulently obtained more than $530,000 worth of such devices (e.g., iPhones, iPads, and AirPods), by charging purchases to victims’ accounts.
To perpetrate the scheme, members of the conspiracy, including PEREZ, used stolen identity information to impersonate victims who had cellphone accounts with a particular cellphone service provider (“Provider-1”). Members of the conspiracy then called customer service representatives of Provider-1 and used social engineering techniques to take over accounts by making various misrepresentations, including impersonating accountholders and expressing a purported need to regain access to their accounts. Through these misrepresentations, conspirators were able to gain unauthorized access to, and control of, accounts belonging to victim accountholders. Once they gained access, members of the conspiracy made various unauthorized changes to victim accounts, so that fraud alerts and emails relating to account changes were sent to a conspiracy member, rather than to the legitimate accountholders. Participants in the conspiracy then purchased new electronic devices, which they charged to victim accounts, without the knowledge or consent of the victims.
In many instances, conspirators arranged for the fraudulently ordered devices to be shipped to more than 50 different addresses. In other instances, members of the scheme, including PEREZ, personally entered stores operated by Provider-1 to pick up fraudulently obtained devices. In total, participants in the conspiracy conducted in-store pickups of fraudulently obtained devices in at least 10 different states.
Once they had successfully exploited a particular victim’s account, members of the conspiracy typically relinquished control of that account, and moved on to exploiting other victim accounts. During the period in which the conspiracy compromised, and retained control of, a particular victim’s cellphone number, that victim typically lost cellphone service. In total, the scheme caused more than 300 victims across the United States to lose cellphone service for a period of time. During the time that a victim lost cellphone service, their phone line remained in service—but it was controlled by PEREZ’s conspiracy, rather than the victim; thus, during that time, “inbound” text messages intended for that victim were instead received by PEREZ.
PEREZ was integrally involved in all aspects of the scheme, including using victims’ personal identifying information to dupe Provider-1; gaining unauthorized access to victim accounts; making unauthorized changes to victim accounts; receiving fraudulently obtained devices; and recruiting, directing, and paying a subordinate, including supplying that subordinate with victim information. In addition, PEREZ gained access to victims’ sensitive information, including their addresses, certain financial information, and in some cases, their relatives’ names.
In addition to his prison sentence of 88 months, PEREZ, 34, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $539,654.96 and forfeiture of $532,374.96.
* * *
Mr. Williams praised the New York Office of Homeland Security Investigations and its El Dorado Task Force for its outstanding work on this case.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Neff is in charge of the prosecution.
Landlord Pays $15,000 to Resolve Allegations that It Collected Excess Rent from a TenantRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – 2011 Bandera Road, LLC agreed to pay the United States $15,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, by collecting excess rent from a tenant in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly referred to as “Section 8.” Section 8 is a program to assist low-income families, the elderly and the disabled in securing decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Through this program, HUD provides funding by vouchers administered by local public housing agencies. HUD pays the housing subsidy directly to the landlord, which may cover all or a portion of a tenant’s monthly rent. As a condition of receiving the housing subsidy, the landlord contractually agrees not to charge the tenant rent that exceeds the amount set by the public housing agency.
2011 Bandera Road leased property to certain tenants participating in the Section 8 program. This settlement resolves allegations that from November 2017 through January 2019, the company violated the False Claims Act by knowingly requiring one of those tenants to pay rent that exceeded what was contractually allowed.
United States Attorney Ashley C. Hoff stated, “The Section 8 program helps Americans in need of affordable quality housing. That purpose is undermined when a program participant overcharges a beneficiary of the program.”
“Those who seek out opportunities to prey on American families who rely on HUD programs for safe and affordable housing will be pursued and held accountable,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Bertrand Nelson with the HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to fully investigate allegations of fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement of HUD programs and protect American taxpayer dollars that fund them.”
The settlement resolves allegations contained in a lawsuit filed by a former tenant under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, investigated this matter along with Assistant United States Attorney John Deck from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. The qui tam case is docketed as United States ex rel. Elissa L. White and Elissa L. White, individually, v. 2011 Bandera Road, LLC, Cause No. 5:20-CV-488, (W.D. Tex.).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
###
Judge sentences St. Louis man to more than 10 years in federal prison for bank fraud in conjunction with the Payment Protection Program (PPP)Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Robert Williams, age 58, of St. Louis, Missouri, appeared before United States District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp on today’s date. Based on a previous plea of guilty, Williams was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison for numerous counts of bank fraud related to Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) loans.
The United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”) is an executive-branch agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law that was enacted in or around March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One source of relief provided for in the CARES Act is the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The purpose of loans issued under the PPP was to enable small businesses suffering from the economic downturn to continue to pay salary or wages to their employees.
To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying business is required to submit a PPP loan application, signed by an authorized representative of the business. The PPP loan application requires the business to acknowledge the program rules and make certain affirmative certifications to obtain the PPP loan.
According to court documents, Williams obtained federal loans provided through the CARES Act that resulted in a loss of up to approximately $2.7 million. Williams applied for these loans at Midwest Regional Bank, PNC Bank and submitted false information to receive funding.
The investigation included a review of numerous PPP loan applications and financial accounts during the summer of 2020. Williams completed and submitted approximately thirty different PPP loan applications that contained materially false statements and false supporting documents related to the ownership of a business and the business’ payroll including the number of employees and monthly payroll expenses.
Investigators also determined that Williams did not use the PPP loan funds for any appropriate business expenses but used funds for his own personal benefit including the purchase of vehicles such as a Maserati Levante and a Jaguar, F-Pace. Williams also assisted several other businesses in brokering and submitting fraudulent PPP loan applications. During the investigation the FBI seized approximately $466,000 and vehicles. Williams has also agreed to an order of restitution for $1,231,491.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration and FDIC of the Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Dowd III.
Johnstown Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Johnstown, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Troy Jamal Jones, 36, of Johnstown, PA, pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two of the Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, on or about August 21, 2019, Jones did distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base. Further, on or about August 27, 2019, Jones did distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Aug. 23, 2022. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $2,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones.
Jemez Pueblo man sentenced to five years in federal prison for child sexual abuse in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alan Madalena, 33, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Jemez, was sentenced in federal court today to five years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. Madalena pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2021.
A federal grand jury indicted Madalena on Dec. 2, 2020. According to the plea and other court records, on four occasions between Aug. 1, 2020, and Oct. 15, 2020, Madalena sexually abuse the victim in his residence on the Pueblo of Jemez. The victim, who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Jemez, was 15 years old at the time. Madalena knew the victim’s age when he committed the sexual abuse.
Upon his release from prison, Madalena will be subject to five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jemez Pueblo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Elisa Dimas prosecuted the case.
# # #
Husband and Wife Arrested for Export Control Violations, Wire Fraud, Tax Fraud and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
A Texas man and woman were arrested today in Helotes on criminal charges related to the husband’s involvement in alleged export violations and both of their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud a research and development company (R&D Company) that provided services to industrial and government clients in the United States and abroad.
Xiaojian Tao, 63, is charged with one count of illegal export of defense articles; one count of unlawful export of commerce-controlled goods; and one count of making a false statement with regards to the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA). Tao allegedly exported items to China without having obtained a required export license from either the Department of State or the Department of Commerce.
Tao and Yu Lang, aka Laura Long, 63, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. According to court documents, from 1997 to the present, Tao and Lang owned and operated Tyletech, aka Tylex Tech LLC and Tyle Tech, a company that provides engineering consulting services. From 1994 to March 2020 Tao worked for the R&D Company that directly competed with Tyletech. Although Tao certified that each year he would notify the R&D Company of any conflicts of interest and follow Standards of Conduct, Tao and Lang hid Tao’s role in Tyletech, instead funneling business from the R&D Company to Tyletech.
Further, from 2016 to 2020, Tao and Lang allegedly filed false income tax returns and are both charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and five counts of filing false tax returns. Tao also is charged with one count of making a false statement and Lang is charged with two counts of making a false statement.
If convicted, Tao faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the export counts and the false ECRA statement. Tao and Lang face a maximum 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud counts; five years in prison on each of the false statement counts and the defrauding the U.S. count; and three years in prison on each of the false tax return counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff for the Western District of Texas; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the IRS – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Special Agent in Charge Trey McClish of the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security – Office of Export Enforcement’s Dallas Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI; IRS-CI; and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, along with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark T. Roomberg and William R. Harris for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Houstonian sent to prison for sexually exploiting young relativeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 36-year-old man has been ordered to prison for production and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Richard Reyes Trigo pleaded guilty Sept. 22, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown sentenced Trigo to 360 and 240 months for the production and distribution convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 30-year-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information that detailed the serious and damaging nature of the offense.
In handing down the prison terms, the court noted “the seriousness of the defendant’s actions.” Trigo was further ordered to pay $3000 in restitution to the victims and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Trigo will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
From July 13-14, 2020, Trigo had been communicating with someone he believed was a person with similar interest in child pornography. Trigo continued to engage in conversations via Kik – a site individuals with a sexual interest in children often frequent.
During this time, Trigo accessed and interacted in a social media forum that contained terms commonly associated with the sexual exploitation of children. In it, he admitted he was sexually active with his two-year-old minor female relative and had performed sexual acts on her. Trigo later sent four sexually-explicit images of the minor, some of which focused on her private area.
Trigo also claimed to be sexually active with an eight-year-old minor relative.
Trigo has been in custody since being determined a danger to the community and a flight risk. He will remain there pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherin Daniel and Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Helotes Husband and Wife Arrested for Export Control Violations and Alleged Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Helotes man and woman were arrested today in Helotes on criminal charges related to the husband’s involvement in alleged export violations and both of their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud a research and development company (R&D Company) that provided services to industrial and government clients in the United States and abroad.
Xiaojian Tao, 63, is charged with one count of illegal export of defense articles; one count of unlawful export of commerce-controlled goods; and one count of making a false statement with regards to the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA). Tao allegedly exported items to China without having obtained a required export license from either the Department of State or the Department of Commerce.
Tao and Yu Lang, aka Laura Long, 63, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. According to court documents, from 1997 to the present, Tao and Lang owned and operated Tyletech, aka Tylex Tech LLC and Tyle Tech, a company that provides engineering consulting services. From 1994 to March 2020 Tao worked for the R&D Company that directly competed with Tyletech. Although Tao certified that each year he would notify the R&D Company of any conflicts of interest and follow Standards of Conduct, Tao and Lang hid Tao’s role in Tyletech, instead funneling business from the R&D Company to Tyletech.
Further, from 2016 to 2020, Tao and Lang allegedly filed false income tax returns and are both charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and five counts of filing false tax returns. Tao also is charged with one count of making a false statement and Lang is charged with two counts of making a false statement.
If convicted, Tao faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the export counts and the false ECRA statement. Tao and Lang face a maximum 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud counts; five years in prison on each of the false statement counts and the defrauding the U.S. count; and three years in prison on each of the false tax return counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington; and Special Agent in Charge Trey McClish, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security – Office of Export Enforcement’s Dallas Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI; IRS-CI; and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, along with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark T. Roomberg and William R. Harris are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Hobbs Act RobberyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for using actual force or violence to steal a firearm from Academy Sports + Outdoors, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to information presented to the Court, on November 6, 2021, Cody Jerome Cooley, 23, visited Academy Sports + Outdoors in Gulfport. Cooley approached the gun counter and asked to see one of the handguns, a Springfield Armory XDM Elite. The clerk gave Cooley the firearm to examine. Cooley later motioned towards another handgun in the display case. When the clerk turned his head to look at the gun, Cooley looked both ways, struck the clerk in the face with the Springfield Armory handgun, and fled from the store. This was all captured on surveillance footage.
After he fled from the store with the stolen handgun, armed civilians apprehended Cooley in a nearby restaurant parking lot. Post Miranda, Cooley admitted to taking the gun and striking the clerk. The clerk that was struck by Cooley had to receive medical care for his injuries.
Cooley pled guilty on January 11, 2022, to unlawfully obstructing, delaying, and affecting interstate commerce by robbery.
“The United States Attorney’s Office along with its federal, state and local partners is dedicated to prosecuting those who commit violent crimes in our communities. In this case, justice was swift. The residents of Gulfport deserve no less,” said United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.
Gulfport Police Deputy Chief Craig Petersen stated: “We at the Gulfport Police Department are committed to reducing gun violence in our city. Because of the partnerships with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we successfully took a violent individual off the streets who could have participated in callous acts with a stolen firearm in our community. Continued efforts such as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative are essential in making Gulfport a safer place to live and work.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gulfport Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.
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.
Greenbush Man Sentenced for Possessing Unregistered Short-Barreled ShotgunRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Greenbush man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Lawrence Shirland, 52, to time served and two years of supervised release. Shirland pleaded guilty on September 15, 2021.
According to court records, on November 10, 2019, Shirland was involved in an altercation at his home in Greenbush during which he fired a warning shot from a sawed-off shotgun. The shot hit a truck windshield. When police arrived, Shirland admitted that he had fired the shotgun and provided it to officers. He explained that he had modified the shotgun himself. Specifically, he cut the barrel with a hack saw, cut and sanded the stock, and wrapped it in tape.
Shirland’s shotgun was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Federal law prohibits the possession of a weapon made from a shotgun if the modified weapon has a barrel less than 18 inches in length or an overall length of less than 26 inches unless that weapon is registered to the possessor in the NFRTR.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.
###
Former U.S. Postal Service Employee in Chicago Charged with Stealing Stimulus Checks from the MailRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former U.S. Postal Service employee in Chicago has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly stealing government stimulus checks from the mail.
OLIVIA L. BRYANT, 33, of Chicago, is charged with three counts of theft from the U.S. mail. Bryant pleaded not guilty to the charges during her arraignment Monday in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is set for May 13, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., before U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Andre Martin, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Area Field Office of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General; and J. Russell George, Inspector General of the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
The indictment accuses Bryant of stealing three pieces of mail from her route in Chicago in March of last year. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka advised the Court during arraignment that the stolen mail contained government stimulus checks.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each count in the indictment is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Official Agrees to Pay $10,000 to Resolve Conflict-of-Interest and False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Kenneth J. Buck, Ph.D., the former Executive Director of the Office of Management Integration at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has agreed to pay $10,000 to resolve allegations that he violated conflict-of-interest rules in connection with a DHS contract following his departure from the agency in 2016. The settlement, which is based on his ability to pay, also resolves allegations that Buck violated the False Claims Act by submitting, or causing others to submit, false invoices to DHS to conceal his involvement with the contract following his departure from DHS.
Among other things, the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 imposes post-employment restrictions on certain federal officials, including a mandatory one-year “cooling off period” during which former officials are prohibited from communicating directly with their former agency on behalf of another party with the intent to influence agency action. The settlement announced today resolves allegations that Buck violated this rule by communicating directly with a now-former DHS official with the intent to influence agency action regarding a DHS contract with Intelligent Fiscal Optimal Solutions LLC (iFOS), under which Buck was engaged as a subcontractor. According to the government’s allegations, Buck informed a now-former DHS official that he planned to leave DHS and accept an engagement with iFOS, and less than one week later that other DHS official selected iFOS for a no-bid contract. The government alleged that, during his one-year cooling off period, Buck had extensive communications with the DHS official on behalf of iFOS, which Buck and the other DHS official sought to conceal. Finally, the government alleged that Buck and iFOS violated the False Claims Act by submitting false invoices to DHS in which work performed by Buck was billed under the name of another iFOS employee, despite the fact that Buck had not completed a mandatory background investigation required for all personnel who worked on the DHS contract.
“The federal government’s conflict-of-interest rules are essential to ensuring that the federal government’s operations, including the award of contracts, are conducted fairly and free of undue influence,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who violate these important safeguards, whether they are current or former federal government employees.”
“We appreciate our partnership with the Department of Justice,” said Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS. “This settlement sends a clear message that corruption in the ranks at DHS will not be tolerated.”
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the DHS Office of Inspector General’s Major Fraud and Corruption Unit. The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Civil Division, with substantial investigative assistance from Special Agent Asher Shapiro of DHS-OIG.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Former Puerto Rico Police Officer Sentenced to 48 Months of Imprisonment for Participating in Robbery and Extortion ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Former Puerto Rico police officer Carlos Boyrie-Laboy was sentenced today to 48 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release by District Judge Francisco A. Besosa for his role in a robbery and extortion conspiracy.
Boyrie-Laboy conspired with Sergeant Miguel Conde-Vellón and officer Luis Rodríguez-García on multiple occasions to illegally enter premises, detain individuals, and steal property while in their official capacity as police officers. Boyrie-Laboy was found guilty on December 6, 2021 following a one week jury trial. Conde-Vellón and Rodríguez-García pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.
The United States established at trial that on December 29, 2016, defendants, Conde-Vellón, Rodríguez-García, and Boyrie-Laboy, while acting in their official capacity as PRPD officers and carrying firearms, made an unauthorized, forced entry into a residence located in the Duque Ward in Naguabo, PR, which they believed to be the stash house location utilized by the purported illegal seller of pyrotechnics. The defendants searched the residence, located and took possession of the following pyrotechnics: two (2) boxes of fireworks each containing 40 pieces of generic fireworks, two (2) boxes each containing 53 pieces of Thunder Max fireworks, one (1) box containing 18 pieces of Premiere FWK fireworks, and $2,995.00 in U.S. currency, which they believed to be proceeds of illegal activity from the person and presence, of a confidential source without lawful authority. In fact, the pyrotechnics and money stolen by the defendants was the property of the United States, with a combined value in excess of $1,000.
On or about June 15, 2017, defendants, Conde-Vellón, Rodríguez-García, Boyrie-Laboy, and Quermie Marquez-Rivera, while acting in their official capacity as PRPD officers and carrying firearms, made an unauthorized, forced entry into a residence located in the Calabazas Ward in Yabucoa, PR, which they believed to be the stash house location utilized by the purported illegal seller of stolen electronic equipment. The defendants searched the residence in order to locate and steal cash and property belonging to the purported illegal seller of electronic equipment. They found and stole two Samsung Tablets, and $6,350.00 in U.S. currency, which they believed to be proceeds of illegal activity from a confidential informant without lawful authority. In fact, the electronic equipment and money stolen by the defendants was the property of the United States, with a combined value in excess of $1,000.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Humacao Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy handled the prosecution of the case.
Former PWSA Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Violating the Clean Water ActRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Glenn Lijewski, 71, of the City’s Brookline neighborhood, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Lijewski was the supervisor at the Aspinwall Drinking Water Plant, which is operated by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (“PWSA”). Between 2010 and 2017, Lijewski and another supervisor at the plant discharged clarifier sludge directly into Allegheny River in violation of a federal permit. Lijewski also directed PWSA employees to discharge sludge into the river. Lijewski also admitted to submitting reports containing false information about the amount of sludge it was to sending to ALCOSAN’s waste treatment plant. Under the terms of an industrial user permit, the Aspinwall plant was permitted to send up to one million of sludge per day to the waste treatment facility. At one point, three of the five sludge flow monitors broke. Lijewski and others at the plant began using estimated sludge-flow figures. This information, in turn, was included in reports PWSA was required to submit to ALCOSAN pursuant to the industrial user permit. Sludge is generated during the process by which raw water is transformed into potable drinking water and consists of solid material removed from the water through the use of chemicals and sedimentation. Over time, an island formed in the river at the point where the discharges were taking place. According to the indictment, a number of employees at the plant referred to the buildup as “Glenn’s Island.”
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for August 16, 2022, at 1:30 pm. The law provides for a total sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued Lijewski’s bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Leo Ivory and Special Assistant Martin Harrell are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lijewski.
Former NYPD Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking Large Quantities of Imported Date Rape Drug and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that former New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officer and Bronxville, New York resident JOHN CICERO was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas to 10 years in prison for distributing large quantities of imported gamma-butyrolactone (known as “GBL”) and methamphetamine in Westchester County and New York City. CICERO previously pled guilty on October 13, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause, to one count of conspiring to distribute GBL and 50 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “A former NYPD police officer once sworn to protect the public, John Cicero spent years betraying his former law enforcement partners, enriching himself, and endangering the community by importing GBL, a dangerous liquid date-rape drug, from China and methamphetamine from Mexico and trafficking massive amounts of both throughout Westchester and New York City, including in Hell’s Kitchen and midtown-Manhattan around Penn Station. Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, Cicero will serve a substantial sentence in prison for his callous crimes.”
According to the Indictment, public court filings, and statements made in court:
Beginning in at least 2017 and lasting until his arrest in February 2020, CICERO and his co-conspirators stockpiled and sold liters of GBL and kilograms of methamphetamine in apartments, hotel rooms, and storage units in the heart of midtown Manhattan, and a residence in Bronxville, New York. CICERO played a prominent and leadership role in the conspiracy, as the conspiracy’s top importer of GBL from China, and as someone who had direct access to the Mexico-based source of supply and with whom he arranged the receipt of and payment for methamphetamine. CICERO also created and used fake identity documents and stolen credit cards to pay for, among other things, the luxury Manhattan hotel rooms where drugs were trafficked and used. CICERO repeatedly brokered large-scale narcotics transactions over recorded prison calls with an inmate then in New York State custody. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has previously seized GBL sent from China to CICERO’s address in New York. CICERO held a supervisory role in the criminal activity, which involved over three kilograms of methamphetamine and 750 liters of GBL. The charged conduct began years after CICERO left the NYPD.
On February 19, 2020, CICERO was arrested in a Wall Street hotel, in a room he had rented under a false identity. In addition to methamphetamine and GBL, law enforcement recovered from CICERO’s room a bank card and a fake ID, bearing CICERO’s photograph, all in the name of the false identity to whom the room was rented. As part of CICERO’s arrest, law enforcement also recovered detailed drug ledgers, sophisticated credit card making equipment, and notebooks full of victims’ personally identifiable information.
* * *
In addition to the prison sentence, CICERO, 40, of Bronxville, New York, was sentenced to four years of supervised release and ordered to pay a forfeiture penalty of $216,262.50.
Earlier in the case, three of CICERO’s co-defendants pled guilty for their roles in the same conspiracy. MARCO CASO, 50, of New York, New York and IRMA MATERASSO, 38, of New Rochelle, New York, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute GBL and 50 grams of methamphetamine and MATTHEW MATEO, 25, of the Bronx, New York, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute GBL and 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and detectives from the FBI, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Westchester County Police Department, Yonkers Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, New York Police Department, and U.S. Probation. He also thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the New York State Department of Corrections Office of Special Investigations for their assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Dealership Sales Associate Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
A former car dealership sales associate alleged to have been responsible for more than $ 1 million in fraudulent vehicle sales pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
William Ray Turner, 31, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
“William Turner exploited his position when he stole an identity and used it to submit a false loan application for the purchase of a vehicle. He then illegally profited from the crime by receiving a commission and selling the SUV to a personal acquaintance,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to fully prosecuting white collar criminals, like Turner, who defraud employers and the banking system.”
In his plea agreement, the former sales associate stated that on Sept. 14, 2020, he knowingly used identification belonging to another individual to submit a false loan application to Ally Bank for the purchase of a 2019 KIA Sorento in the approximate amount of $32,917 from Patriot Chevrolet. Turner stated that he received a commission for the purported sale of the vehicle, and after the sale was approved, he caused the Kia Sorrento to be transferred to an acquaintance who subsequently made payments to Turner via CashApp for the vehicle. Turner admitted that he acted with the intent to defraud the dealership.
According to the indictment initially filed in the case, from March 2019 to October 2021, Turner was employed at Patriot Chevrolet in Bartlesville. Turner sold cars, assisted customers in obtaining financing for the purchase of vehicles, and received commission payments for his sales. Starting in May 2020, Turner devised and carried out a scheme where he used stolen identities to purchase vehicles in those individuals’ names and sometimes sold the vehicles to other people for cash. The vehicles would then leave the dealership’s lot, and Turner would receive the commissions.
The U.S. Secret Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Bartlesville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Cella and Melody Noble Nelson are prosecuting the case.
Former Corrections Officer Sentenced for Smuggling Contraband into JailRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Center was sentenced in federal court today for taking bribes to smuggle illegal drugs to inmates of the facility.
Daniel Coach, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one year and two months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Coach to forfeit to the government $3,631, which represents the amount of proceeds he personally obtained as a result of the offense.
On Dec. 3, 2021, Coach pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband into the Jackson County Detention Center and provide that contraband to inmates of the center from March 2020 to March 2021.
Coach admitted that, while he was employed as a corrections officer at the detention center, he took bribes to smuggle contraband into inmates at the center. Coach used the mobile phone application Cash App to accept the bribe payments for contraband. According to court documents, Coach successfully smuggled oxycodone, K2, fentanyl, Percocet, and ecstasy to inmates at the detention center.
On March 3, 2021, following a telephone conversation with an undercover police officer posing as an associate of an unindicted co-conspirator, Coach took a bribe of $100 in exchange for his promise to smuggle OxyContin pills to the unindicted co-conspirator, an inmate at the detention center.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Promoting Nationwide Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced to 51 months in prison today for his role in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that involved more than 200 participants in at least 19 states.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Aaron Aqueron, of Clermont, recruited clients to the fraud scheme by convincing them that their mortgages and other debts entitled them to tax refunds. Aqueron collected tax and financial information from the clients to send to co-conspirators, who prepared tax returns and other tax documents to submit to the IRS. These tax returns falsely claimed that banks and other financial institutions had withheld large amounts of income tax from the participants, thereby entitling the clients to a refund. In reality, the financial institutions had not paid any income to, or withheld any taxes from, these individuals. In total, the tax returns filed by Aqueron’s clients sought more than $14.6 million in tax refunds and caused the IRS to actually pay out more than $7.6 million.
As part of his plea, Aqueron admitted he and his co-conspirators received fees from his clients ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 each. Aqueron further admitted he did not report on his 2015 individual tax return the income he received from the scheme. Aqueron also personally filed false tax returns for other years on which he fraudulently claimed that he was entitled to tax refunds. In response to one of these false tax returns, the IRS issued Aqueron a refund of $193,347.97.
Aqueron further admitted that, pursuant to the fraud scheme, he attempted to obstruct the IRS’s efforts to collect the tax refunds it issued to his clients. Aqueron and his co-conspirators coached clients on ways to obstruct IRS collection efforts. For example, after learning one client had begun to receive letters from the IRS about collections, Aqueron instructed the client: “Make sure you move money out of your name and out of the banking institutions and be smart.” Aqueron also attempted to obstruct IRS efforts to collect his own fraudulently-obtained refund, including by transferring money into a trust.
Last month, the main promoter of the fraud scheme, Iran Backstrom, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison. Backstrom’s second-in-command, Mehef Bey, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, the district judge also ordered Aqueron to serve three years of supervised release and pay approximately $5.9 million in restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind, Kavitha Bondada and Isaiah Boyd III of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt for the Middle District of Florida, are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Promoting Nationwide Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced to 51 months in prison today for his role in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that involved more than 200 participants in at least 19 states.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Aaron Aqueron, of Clermont, recruited clients to the fraud scheme by convincing them that their mortgages and other debts entitled them to tax refunds. Aqueron collected tax and financial information from the clients to send to co-conspirators, who prepared tax returns and other tax documents to submit to the IRS. These tax returns falsely claimed that banks and other financial institutions had withheld large amounts of income tax from the participants, thereby entitling the clients to a refund. In reality, the financial institutions had not paid any income to, or withheld any taxes from, these individuals. In total, the tax returns filed by Aqueron’s clients sought more than $14.6 million in tax refunds and caused the IRS to actually pay out more than $7.6 million.
As part of his plea, Aqueron admitted he and his co-conspirators received fees from his clients ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 each. Aqueron further admitted he did not report on his 2015 individual tax return the income he received from the scheme. Aqueron also personally filed false tax returns for other years on which he fraudulently claimed that he was entitled to tax refunds. In response to one of these false tax returns, the IRS issued Aqueron a refund of $193,347.97.
Aqueron further admitted that, pursuant to the fraud scheme, he attempted to obstruct the IRS’s efforts to collect the tax refunds it issued to his clients. Aqueron and his co-conspirators coached clients on ways to obstruct IRS collection efforts. For example, after learning one client had begun to receive letters from the IRS about collections, Aqueron instructed the client: “Make sure you move money out of your name and out of the banking institutions and be smart.” Aqueron also attempted to obstruct IRS efforts to collect his own fraudulently-obtained refund, including by transferring money into a trust.
Last month, the main promoter of the fraud scheme, Iran Backstrom, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison. Backstrom’s second-in-command, Mehef Bey, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, the district judge also ordered Aqueron to serve three years of supervised release and pay approximately $5.9 million in restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
“The sentencing handed down today demonstrates the key role Aqueron played in this sophisticated scheme to swindle the government,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “Financial fraud of this magnitude and with this degree of trickery, deceit, and dishonesty, deserves to be punished. The IRS and Department of Justice remain determined and vigilant in investigating and prosecuting such schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind, Kavitha Bondada and Isaiah Boyd III of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Mississippi – A Florida man was sentenced to 62 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
Ross Alger Medlin, 30, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today after having previously pled guilty to the offense.
According to information presented to the Court, on February 24, 2021, law enforcement officers stopped a vehicle driven by Vincente Aguirre in Jackson County, Mississippi. Ross Alger Medlin was a passenger in the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped for following too closely. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of over 400 grams of suspected methamphetamine. Aguirre and Medlin were taken into custody.
The FBI’s investigation revealed that Aguirre and Medlin had traveled to Texas from Florida to obtain the methamphetamine and were returning to Florida at the time of the traffic stop. The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Lab for analysis. The analysis indicated that the substance was in fact methamphetamine.
Vincent Aguirre was sentenced on February 4, 2022, to 107 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The FBI and Ocean Springs Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.
Final defendant in meth conspiracy sentenced to more than 12 years in prisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of six defendants in a Columbus-to-West Virginia methamphetamine ring was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 154 months in prison.
Marvin C. Bozeman, II, 32, of Las Vegas, served as the group’s methamphetamine supplier.
According to court documents, in spring 2019, Columbus Division of Police officers received information from law enforcement in West Virginia that large amounts of methamphetamine were being transported from Columbus to be distributed in West Virginia.
Further investigation revealed the defendants were distributing large quantities of the drug and using various residences in Central Ohio to store and distribute the methamphetamine. Drug premises included residences on Rumsey Road, Lock Avenue and Esther Drive, among others.
Co-conspirators convicted in this case include: Joseph Brian Howard, Timothy D. Copley, Samantha Howard, Darin T. Copeland and Charlee Ann Blankenship. Howard and Copeland were each also sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
Bozeman admitted to supplying Howard with packages containing pounds of methamphetamine from Las Vegas. Portions of the drugs were then redistributed amongst co-conspirators and throughout the region. Bozeman used the United States Postal Service to send nine-to-10-pound packages of methamphetamine in the mail. The local drug traffickers paid him approximately $1,000 per pound.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Elizabeth Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Final Five Defendants Plead Guilty to Roles in Multi-State Drug RingRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Five individuals pleaded guilty this week to roles in a multi-state drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Huntington that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, oxycodone, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
The five are the last of 18 individuals indicted to enter guilty pleas in the case, the result of a long-term investigation in which law enforcement seized more than 47 pounds of fentanyl, 4.5 pounds of cocaine, 2 pounds of heroin, 14 firearms and $335,000.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Marvin Jerome Calvin, 40, of Huntington, pleaded guilty to the distribution of fentanyl after admitting that he sold approximately 1.8 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Huntington on July 6, 2020. Calvin further admitted that he distributed crack cocaine to a confidential informant on June 25 and 26, 2020. When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Calvin’s residence in Huntington on August 6, 2020, the officers recovered approximately 1.6 grams of cocaine, which Calvin admitted that he intended to sell.
Reginald Jerome Hairston, 43, of Huntington, admitted he conspired with other individuals to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl between May and July 2021. Hairston acquired quantities of the controlled substances from co-defendant Christopher Leon Vest for purchase by other individuals. Hairston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Vest pleaded guilty in January 2022 to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
Kimberly Ann Combs, 44, of Huntington, admitted that she bought 104 30-milligram oxycodone pills from co-defendant William Raeshaun Byrd at his Huntington residence on July 23, 2021. When Combs left Byrd’s residence, law enforcement officers stopped her vehicle and recovered the oxycodone pills. Combs further admitted she received oxycodone pills from Byrd on at least 10 other occasions in June and July 2021. Combs provided some of those pills to another individual. Combs pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of oxycodone and faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced on July 18, 2022. Byrd previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this year to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
Dillon Andrew Young, 28, of Sissonville, admitted that he spoke to co-defendant Scott Midkiff on April 9, 2021, using the cell phone of another individual. Midkiff asked Young to bring the phone to him because Midkiff believed that the owner of the phone had stolen a quantity of drugs and money from him. Young agreed to bring the phone to Midkiff in exchange for money and 10 grams of methamphetamine. When Young entered Midkiff’s Huntington residence, law enforcement seized the phone and arrested Midkiff. Young pleaded guilty to use of a communications facility in committing, causing, and facilitating a felony, controlled substance offense. Young faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced on August 1, 2022. Midkiff pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Brayan Luces, 24, of Columbus, Ohio, admitted from May to July 2021, he regularly shipped a minimum of 1 kilogram of fentanyl and 1 kilogram of cocaine, to an individual in Huntington. The fentanyl and cocaine were transported by vehicle from Columbus to Huntington where they were provided to an individual on consignment. After the drugs were sold in the Huntington area, Luces would receive the drug proceeds, which were transported by vehicle to Columbus. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Luces’ residence in Columbus on July 22, 2021, and seized 13 kilograms of fentanyl, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately $26,484 in cash, two firearms, and various magazines and ammunition. Luces pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and five kilograms or more of cocaine. Luces faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on July 18, 2022.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings.
“This successful prosecution targeted and dismantled a significant supply chain of deadly and illegal drugs,” United States Attorney Will Thompson said. “As we know all too well, these drugs ruin untold lives across our communities. I therefore commend the FBI and our federal, state, and local investigative partners along with Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Cremeans who handled these prosecutions.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force – composed of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department – investigated the case. The West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West provided support. The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus assisted in the investigation.
This prosecution 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00109.
###
Fergus Fall, MN, Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Violent Gang RobberiesRead the Press Release
FARGO – Interim United States Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced that on April 12, 2022, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter D. Welte sentenced Abbot William Aho, a/k/a Boogie, age 26, Fergus Falls, MN, to 25 years in federal prison for the charges of Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances; and Aiding and Abetting. Chief Judge Welte also sentenced Aho to 5 years supervised release and 1,773.23 in restitution.
It is alleged that from January 2019 through May 2019, Abbot Aho, led a criminal gang known as the "Slither Gang," and conspired with other individuals to target robbery victims who were themselves alleged drug traffickers in North Dakota, Minnesota, and elsewhere. Aho and the co-conspirator gang members carried out a string of robberies by threats of violence, the infliction of violence, and the brandishing of firearms and other dangerous weapons. Aho and the co-conspirators often resorted to home invasions or setting up victims to meet at a public place, and then robbed them of drugs, money, firearms and personal property, later selling the drugs they stole.
In addition to numerous similar related federal prosecutions across the state as a part of this initiative, several of Aho’s co-conspirators have also been sentenced for their involvement in the violent robberies:
• Cory Carlson, age 24, Robbinsdale, MN: Sentenced on December 9, 2021, to 100 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release for the charges of Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
• Sarah Ann Carlson, age 21, Minneapolis, MN: Sentenced on July 19, 2021, to 80 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release for the charges of Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; and Aiding and Abetting.
• Jared Christopher Kaul, age 21, Fridley, MN: Sentenced on December 8, 2021, to 32 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release for the charges of Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances.
• Nicholas Dakota May, age 22, Fargo ND: Sentenced on November 23, 2021, to 28 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release for the charges of Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery and Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances.
• Shelby Lynn Dallman, age 23, Faribault, MN: Sentenced on August 23, 2021, to 24 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release for the charge of Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery.
• Josiah Thomas Aguilar, age 21, Dilworth, MN: Sentenced on December 13, 2021, to 100 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release for two counts of Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence – Hobbs Act Robbery; Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances; and Aiding and Abetting.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Fergus Falls, MN, Police Department; Fargo, ND, Police Department; Cass County, ND, State’s Attorney’s Office; and the Ottertail County, MN, States Attorney’s Office, and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office, with Assistant United States Attorney Chris C. Myers assigned to the case.
######
Elite Healthcare Owner Sentenced to Two Years for Defrauding Health InsurerRead the Press Release
The owner of a medical consulting company was sentenced today to two years in federal prison for defrauding health insurers, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Steven Berglund, the 52-year-old owner of Elite Healthcare, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and healthcare fraud on Nov. 10, 2021 – three days into his criminal trial. He later attempted to withdraw his plea, arguing that the stress of the trial had left him with diminished mental capacity. The court rejected his attempts, ruling that Mr. Berglund had understood his plea and entered it knowingly and voluntarily. He was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. Senior District Judge Terry Means.
At his trial, the government had introduced evidence showing that Mr. Berglund had organized and led an elaborate “pass-through billing” scheme in which health insurers were deceived into paying Palo Pinto General Hospital for laboratory tests were actually performed by out-of-network laboratories. (Due to its status as a rural hospital, Palo Pinto was often able to receive higher reimbursements than urban hospitals or out-of-network labs.)
The evidence also showed that Mr. Berglund and his coconspirators used an overseas company to conduct the fraudulent billing, and used front companies to pay kickbacks to induce doctors to order more laboratory tests.
In plea papers, Mr. Berglund admitted to the scheme.
According to court documents, Mr. Berglund and other members of the conspiracy submitted more than $54 million in laboratory services claims; as a result, insurers paid Palo Pinto more than $8 million. After paying the out-of-network labs, the billing company involved in the scheme, and kickbacks, the coconspirators divvied up rest of the proceeds.
Four of Mr. Berglund’s coconspirators were previously sentenced:
- Aaron Cerpanya, co-owner of Elite, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to 12 months + one day in prison.
- Adam Gardner, co-founder of MedHealth Solutions, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to 12 months + one day in prison.
- Cody Waddell, co-founder of MedHealth Solutions, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
- Harris Brooks, former CEO of Palo Pinto, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to five years’ probation.
The court ordered all five defendants jointly and severally liable for $2.4 million in restitution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Weybrecht, Mark Nichols, and Megan Fahey (fmr) prosecuted the case.
- Aaron Cerpanya, co-owner of Elite, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to 12 months + one day in prison.
Drug User in Illegal Possession of a Firearm Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
An unlawful drug user who possessed a firearm was sentenced on April 7, 2022, to more than two years in federal prison.
Esai Lopez, 23, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after an October 7, 2021, guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
Evidence at Lopez’s plea and sentencing hearings revealed that on June 3, 2020, defendant illegally possessed a handgun and was disarmed by police. Then, on June 23, 2020, Lopez and three other men were involved in a shooting. The men drove to the home of an intended victim, but seeing law enforcement in the area, aborted their attack run. The men decided upon a secondary target where one of men repeatedly fired at a Sioux City, Iowa home. There were people, including children, in the house at the time of the shooting. The evidence further revealed that on September 28, 2020, while the June 23 incident was under investigation, Lopez possessed a firearm in connection with a burglary, an Iowa charge of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, and the shooting of a dog.
Lopez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Lopez was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $38,863.42. in restitution to victims and the insurance company. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Lopez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4071. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
District Man Sentenced to Prison Term for Carjacking of Uber Driver in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jahlil Perry, 19, of District Heights, Maryland, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for carrying out a carjacking last August of an Uber driver in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Perry pleaded guilty in February 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license. He was sentenced by the Honorable Jason Park. Following his prison term, Perry will be placed on 24 months of supervised probation, with the potential of an additional 24 months of incarceration if he violates the terms of that probation. Perry also must pay $1,410 in restitution to the victim.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 13, 2021, at approximately 9:20 p.m., Perry and a co-defendant – Cordell Green, 20, of Laurel, Maryland, pulled next to the Uber driver’s SUV and boxed him in while he was making a pick-up in the 1200 block of 16th Street NE. Green opened the rear driver-side door, pointed his gun at the driver, and ordered him out of the SUV. Perry walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and pointed his gun directly at the driver’s head. The driver stumbled out of the car, in a panic, and Perry ordered him to turn over his cellphone. Green then drove away with Perry in the passenger seat. As they rode off, Perry threw the cellphone out the window, cracking the screen. Both he and Green laughed about how scared the victim was, and Perry declared, “I feel like a god.”
A short time later, while being pursued by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department, Green crashed the SUV, totaling the vehicle. Both Green and Perry were apprehended and arrested fleeing the scene of the crash and have been in custody ever since.
Inside the SUV, police officers found two firearms, both of which were equipped with high-capacity magazines and which each were loaded with at least 12 rounds. Both weapons were “ghost guns,” unserialized and untraceable privately manufactured firearms. Additionally, officers recovered a dash camera from inside the vehicle, which had been installed by the victim and captured the offense in its entirety.
Green also pleaded guilty to charges. He is to be sentenced on Aug. 19, 2022.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold, who prosecuted the matter.
Des Moines Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – Eric Romun Hill, age 46, of Des Moines, was sentenced today in federal court to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm as a felon. He was ordered to serve a term of supervised release, to follow his prison term, of three years; pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund; and forfeit any interest in the firearms he possessed.
According to court documents, Hill unlawfully possessed a .45 caliber pistol and a stolen 12-gauge shotgun on August 30, 2020. The sentence imposed by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner took into consideration Hill’s criminal history – which included two convictions for violent crimes and, in the current matter, the reckless discharge of firearms in proximity to others in a Des Moines residential neighborhood. Following Hill’s actions on August 30, 2020, Hill removed a GPS monitoring device he was ordered to wear as a condition of parole for a state conviction. He remained at large until he was located and arrested five months later.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines Police Department investigated the case with assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Fifth Judicial District, Department of Correctional Services.
Decatur men convicted for Chamblee carjacking and Newnan firearms theftsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Antonio McCrary has been sentenced for a carjacking at a Chamblee, Georgia residence and an unrelated string of firearm thefts in Newnan, Georgia. Additionally, Cortez Butler, who admitted to committing the carjacking with Butler, was sentenced in September 2020.
“These two men brazenly stole a car from a family’s driveway and fired a gun towards the victim as they sped away,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “Later, McCrary boldly continued his criminal behavior by breaking into a dozen cars and stealing multiple firearms before leading law enforcement on a dangerous high-speed chase on an interstate. Thankfully no lives were lost during McCrary’s or Butler’s crimes as a result of the coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement.”
“The sentencing of McCrary and Cortez to substantial prison time illustrates the FBI’s commitment to working with its law enforcement partners to protect our citizens against such violent offenders,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, Philip Wislar. “This sentencing sends a message to those contemplating such brazen and selfish criminal acts that they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The public is now safer with McCrary and Cortez behind bars.”
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is committed to investigating crimes committed against Internal Revenue Service employees,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the other law enforcement agencies involved for their partnership and investigative efforts.”
“We appreciate the collaborative efforts by all agencies in resolving this case and bringing closure to the victims and others involved during this investigation,” said Chief Brent Blankenship, Newnan Police Department.
According to U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: In March 2018, the victim was in the kitchen of his home in Chamblee when he heard his family’s car unlock in the garage and saw the car’s lights come on. The victim looked into the garage and saw a man getting into the car, and then ran outside as someone backed the car out of the garage. The victim jumped on the hood of the car but fell off when he heard a gunshot.
Shortly after the carjacking, video footage near a house in Decatur, Georgia showed Butler and McCrary arriving and exiting the stolen car. Butler and McCrary later confessed to the carjacking. Four days later, the stolen car was recovered from a third party during a traffic stop in Atlanta.
In January 2020, McCrary and another man drove around Newnan, Georgia in a different stolen vehicle. They broke into more than a dozen cars during a three-hour crime spree, and stole cash, electronics, and four firearms. Several of the break-ins were caught on surveillance cameras, allowing Newnan Police to place a “be on the lookout” or “BOLO” for the stolen car.
That afternoon, a Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted the car and attempted a traffic stop. McCrary, who was driving, led officers on a high-speed chase driving over 130 miles per hour on I-85 and recklessly cut in and out of traffic. McCrary eventually exited the highway, ran multiple red lights and stop signs, and caused another car to run off the road and hit a tree. The chase finally ended when McCrary lost control of the car, ran off the road, and landed sideways in a ditch. McCrary and his accomplice were taken to the hospital, and once cleared, booked on state charges. Newnan Police recovered all of the items stolen earlier that day, including the four firearms. Officers recovered five additional guns, most of which were also recently reported stolen.
McCrary was charged in a federal indictment with the March 2018 carjacking, discharging a firearm during the carjacking, the January 2020 theft of firearms, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. McCrary had previously pled guilty in a state case to a home burglary in Cumming, Georgia, during which he and others stole jewelry, electronics, and a luxury automobile.
Antonio McCrary, 24, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to 13 years, six months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. McCrary pleaded guilty to the federal crimes of theft of firearms and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also considered the Chamblee carjacking in imposing the sentence.
Cortez Butler, 23, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced on September 9, 2020 to ten years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He pled guilty to the federal offense of discharging a firearm during the March 2018 carjacking.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annalise K. Peters and Matthew Carrico prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Chamblee Police Department, and the Newnan Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.
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.
DC Solar CFO Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Billion Dollar Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Robert A. Karmann, 55, of Clayton, was sentenced today to six years in prison and ordered to pay $624 million in restitution for participating in a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme involving DC Solar, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Karmann was a certified public accountant (CPA) that DC Solar hired first as its Controller in 2014, and later as its Chief Financial Officer. DC Solar manufactured mobile solar generator units (MSG), which were solar generators that were mounted on trailers. The MSGs were sold to investors who were given generous federal tax credits, and who were falsely led to believe that there was extensive demand from third parties to lease these MSGs to create a revenue stream. In fact, that demand was virtually non-existent. DC Solar had instead become a fraud scheme that took new investor money to pay older investors, using circular transactions that were fraudulently disguised to look like real third-party lease revenue.
According to court documents, Karmann and the other co-conspirators, including company founder Jeff Carpoff, carried out an accounting and lease revenue fraud using the Ponzi-like circular payments. Carpoff and others lied to investors about the market demand for DC Solar’s MSGs and its revenue from leasing to third parties. Then Karmann, Carpoff, and others covered up these lies with techniques including false financial statements, false operation reports, and false written summaries of the supposed revenue from leasing MSGs to third parties. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, Karmann oversaw the hidden circular transfers of funds, delivered false financial information to another co-conspirator for use in tax returns and tax documents, provided false compiled financial statements to an investor representative for multiple funds, and provided other false information to investor representatives about DC Solar’s third-party leasing. Karmann also directed others in DC Solar’s accounting department, including one subordinate whom Karmann told to “make it up” when responding to a customer request for location reports on their MSGs. During these years that Karmann knowingly joined in the fraud, DC Solar pulled in over $600 million in investor funds as a result of this scheme.
On Nov. 9, 2021, Jeff Carpoff was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $790.6 million in restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. His wife, Paulette Carpoff, 47, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and money laundering, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10, 2022.
On Nov. 16, 2021, Joseph W. Bayliss was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $481.3 million in restitution for securities fraud and conspiracy in connection with the DC Solar scheme.
Other defendants have pleaded guilty to criminal offenses related to the fraud scheme and are scheduled for sentencing: Alan Hansen, 50, of Vacaville, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2022; Ronald J. Roach, 54, of Walnut Creek, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3, 2022; and Ryan Guidry, 44, of Pleasant Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7, 2022.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher S. Hales and Kevin C. Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
Paulette Carpoff, Hansen, and Guidry face a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison. Roach faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years prison. The actual sentences, 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.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to possessing a 10 mm Glock pistol while a convicted felon. The defendant used the firearm to shoot a victim.
Joel Polanco, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 12, 2022. Polanco was charged by criminal complaint in December 2020 and subsequently indicted in January 2021.
In October 2020, Polanco was arrested after police responded to the area of Snow and Cherry Streets in Fitchburg following a report of a person suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. A witness reported seeing someone fitting Polanco’s description shoot the victim. In addition, surveillance videos showed a person fitting Polanco’s description carrying what appeared to be the black fanny-pack and holding an item in his hand that appeared to be a gun. Polanco shot the victim using a 10 mm Glock pistol which was later recovered from a black fanny-pack in the area of Snow Street.
Polanco is prohibited from possessing a firearm after being convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition and distribution of cocaine base in March 2011.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernst Martineau made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Bennett of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Cleveland Man Convicted of Possession of Ammunition as a FelonRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal jury convicted Brandon Bethune, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday, April 7, 2022, of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Bethune was found guilty after a three-day trial before Judge J. Philip Calabrese.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on March 20, 2021, Cleveland Police officers responded to a residence after a call concerning reports of domestic violence. Officers met the caller and were advised of a man inside the residence with a firearm threatening to shoot the caller. After securing the residence, officers located Defendant Bethune inside, and he was subsequently arrested.
During the arrest, CDP officers recovered a firearm in the defendant's waistband that contained a round of ammunition jammed in its chamber. After he was transported to Cuyahoga County Detention Center, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's officers conducted another pat-down of the defendant and discovered the firearm's magazine, which contained four rounds of ammunition.
Bethune is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for felonious assault and attempted felonious assault in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
Bethune is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, 2022, and faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
This case was investigated by the ATF, Cleveland Division of Police, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam J. Joines and Bryson N. Gillard.
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to Nine Years for Possession of A Firearm by A FelonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney sentenced Laverne Jacobs, 30, of Charlotte, to 108 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney King is joined in making this announcement by Brian Mein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
According to filed court documents and statements made in court, on June 28, 2020, a man called 911 and alerted dispatchers that Jacobs was in front of his house, that Jacobs threatened to shoot him in the head, and that he observed Jacobs putting bullets into a firearm. A CMPD officer dispatched to the scene heard gunshots while she was approaching the victim’s residence and saw Jacobs with a firearm in his hand. As the officer approached the defendant, he fled the scene and threw the firearm into the woods. CMPD officers apprehended Jacobs and recovered the firearm, which was loaded with one round of ammunition in the chamber. Officers also located two projectile holes in the victim’s residence. At the time of the shooting, there were three individuals inside the home. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that the firearm had been reported stolen.
Jacobs has multiple previous state convictions including robbery, breaking and entering, selling drugs, and assault on a female, and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Jacobs is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The investigation was handled by ATF and CMPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Caviar Fisherman Sentenced to 12 Months in Federal Prison for Lacey Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, KY – Daniel Allen, 44, of Brookport, IL, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison followed by two years of post-release supervision for violating the Lacey Act.
In pleading guilty, Allen admitted that between November 6, 2018, and April 20, 2019, he illegally caught shovelnose sturgeon along the Kentucky/Illinois boarder and sold the fish roe to a caviar distributor in Tennessee. Allen caught sturgeon out of season and using illegally sized mesh nets along the Ohio River. He also caught sturgeon near the Smithland Lock and Dam in an area closed to commercial fishing.
Among other things, the Lacey Act makes it unlawful for any person to transport and sell fish that were taken in violation of any law or regulation of any state. Kentucky and Illinois both regulate fishing for sturgeon and its eggs, which are marketed as caviar. A violation of the Lacey Act constitutes a felony if the fish had a market value in excess of $350.
At sentencing, Allen agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution for the illegally taken sturgeon and eggs.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case with the assistance of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee prosecuted the case.
###
Career Cocaine Trafficker Pleads Guilty in Multi-State Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Vermont man with two prior federal convictions for drug conspiracy pleaded guilty on Friday, April 8, 2022, to his role in a drug trafficking organization.
Juan Ramos, 45, of Wardsboro, Vt., pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for July 21, 2022.
From 2015 through 2016, Ramos purchased cocaine from a co-conspirator and distributed the drugs in Massachusetts and various customers in Vermont. Ramos also promoted his co-conspirator and introduced this source of supply to another individual. In total, Ramos distributed over 500 grams of cocaine.
Ramos has two prior federal convictions for cocaine distribution conspiracy. In 2002, Ramos was convicted in the District of Vermont and was sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2010, Ramos was convicted in the Southern District of New York and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Pursuant to Ramos’ pleas agreement, he faces a sentence of at least eight years and up to 12 years in prison. The charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to six years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Vermont State Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Curley, Neil L. Desroches and Steven H. Breslow of Rollins’ Springfield Office are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Buffalo Man Going to Prison for 10 Years for Selling Fentanyl That Led to A DeathRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Octavio Cruz, 39, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, butyryl fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who handled the case, stated that on December 27, 2018, Cruz sold a quantity of butyryl fentanyl to an individual identified as C.H. At approximately 9:17 p.m. that night, the West Seneca Police Department responded to a call for an unresponsive person. Officers discovered C.H. unresponsive and later confirmed C.H. was deceased. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death to be acute intoxication from butyryl fentanyl. Officers recovered C.H.’s cell phone, which contained text messages between C.H. and Cruz. In addition, officers recovered a small plastic bag that contained suspected heroin. Testing determined the substance to be butyryl fentanyl.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward Baker, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Timothy Foley, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski.
# # # #
Brockton Man Sentenced to Nearly 10 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy that Spanned Across Southeastern MassachusettsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Boston to Brockton to Cape Cod.
Jermaine Gonsalves, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 115 months in prison and six years of supervised release. On Sept. 22, 2021, Gonsalves pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana.
In the fall of 2018, law enforcement began investigating a violent Brockton drug trafficking organization (DTO) headed by brothers Djuna and Cody Goncalves that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana throughout southeastern Massachusetts from a base of operations on Addison Avenue in Brockton. The investigation identified Gonsalves as a member of the DTO who drove Djuna to pick up fentanyl from suppliers and deliver it to customers. The investigation also targeted several Boston-based drug suppliers to the Goncalves brothers.
A search of Gonsalves’ residence during the investigation resulted in the seizure of a loaded 9-millimeter Luger semiautomatic pistol, .40 caliber ammunition, approximately 43 suboxone strips, a digital scale, a pistol light and a bag of cutting agents.
Gonsalves was indicted in a superseding indictment in June 2019 along with 16 others as part of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Gonsalves has a prior federal drug trafficking conviction and a conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon. Gonsalves is the 12th defendant to be sentenced in the case. All of the remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement . Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea E. Porter of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Officer with VehicleRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty on Thursday, April 7, 2022, to assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer while fleeing a motor vehicle stop.
Tykeam Jackson, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Sept. 13, 2022. Jackson was arrested and charged in August 2020.
On July 27, 2020, a deputized federal law enforcement officer stopped Jackson in Avon for speeding and instructed him to exit his vehicle. Instead, Jackson accelerated the vehicle with such force that the officer was dragged for several feet and thrown to the ground. Jackson then sped away, drove in and out of a public parking lot where he swerved around pedestrians and other vehicles, ignored traffic signals and drove into oncoming traffic, eventually travelling at a speed of approximately 100 miles per hour in the breakdown lane of Route 24. After attempting to cross all three travel lanes, Jackson lost control of the vehicle and crashed head-on into the guardrail. He exited the vehicle, ran across Route 24 and was subsequently found running into and obstructing traffic on a nearby roadway.
According to court documents, at the time of the offense, Jackson was on probation resulting for an armed robbery conviction in Suffolk Superior Court.
The charge of assaulting a federal officer provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New England Field Division; and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey made the announcement. The Massachusetts State Police provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Hoefle of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Berkeley County woman sentenced for role in drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Angela Dawn Gregory, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to XX months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Gregory, 43, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin, Fentanyl, Cocaine Base, and Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Gregory admitted to working with others to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine hydrochloride from August 2020 to June 2021 in Berkeley County and elsewhere.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Timothy D. Helman prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; Customs and Border Protection; FBI-New York Safe Streets Task Force; and the New Jersey State Police investigated. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania assisted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Berkeley County man admits to role in drug trafficking and firearms conspiracyRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Craig Orndoff, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Orndoff, 35, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Eutylone.” Orndoff admitted to working with others to distribute Eutylone from June 2019 to December 2020 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere.
Orndoff faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Harpers Ferry Police Department; and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. investigated. The EPDTF consists of the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Ranson Police Department, the Charles Town Police Department, and the Martinsburg Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Bergen County Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Filing Phony Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months and two days in prison for his role in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns in victims’ names in order to obtain tax refunds to which he was not entitled, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Emmanuel A. Barrientos-Fermin, 39, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today via videoconference.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2020, through February 2020, Barrientos and others conspired to utilize stolen personal identifying information (PII) to submit fraudulent tax returns in victims’ names, in order to obtain tax refunds without the victims’ knowledge or consent. A conspirator would obtain falsified Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates and W-2s bearing the victims’ stolen PII and provide them to Barrientos-Fermin and other, who would use them to file tax returns at various tax preparation company branches posing as the victims.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Barrientos-Fermin three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $17,373 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, Philadelphia Division; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Totowa, New Jersey, Police Department, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
Atlantic County Man Admits Role in Drug Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in drug distribution scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Ricardo Clavijo, 40, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before the U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute over one kilogram of heroin, one count of possession with intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin, and one count of maintaining a drug-related premises.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On July 12, 2021, a search warrant was executed at Clavijo’s residence, where law enforcement authorities encountered Clavijo and his brother, Christopher Gonzalez. Authorities found a drug packaging facility in the basement, as well as 4.3 kilograms of heroin, 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 10.8 kilograms of cocaine, drug packaging materials and equipment, and a money counting machine. Some of the heroin was already packaged in tens of thousands of individual doses, ready for street-level distribution. Agents also seized a .45 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine for the handgun, a 9mm 50-round drum magazine, and $8,457 in cash, all of which will be forfeited by Clavijo as part of his guilty plea.
The conspiracy count and possession with intent to distribute count to which Clavijo pleaded guilty both carry a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of life in prison and a fine of $10 million, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest. The count of maintaining a drug-related premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2022.
Gonzalez is charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Newark Division, DEA Atlantic County HIDTA Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting County Prosecutor Cary Shill, and the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael T. Hughes, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Johns of the Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in Gonzalez’s complaint are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ashland Man Sentenced to 108 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky. — An Ashland man, Jamaal A. Stokes, 31, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to Stokes plea agreement, in September 2021, law enforcement conducted a search of Stokes’ residence and found him in possession of between one and two pounds of methamphetamine, a large amount of marijuana, a large amount of cash, a digital scale, and plastic baggies.
Stokes pleaded guilty in December 2021.
Under federal law, Stokes must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.
– END –
11 April 2022
Wyoming Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Conference to Meet in Lander May 3-4Read the Press Release
The Wyoming Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC) Conference will be held at the Inn at Lander beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 3 and will conclude at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday May 4, 2022. This conference is for law enforcement officers and provides training sessions coupled with the opportunity to meet and network with other law enforcement from local, county, state, federal and tribal agencies across Wyoming.
This year’s theme is Sharing Solutions for Stronger Law Enforcement and Safer Communities. Sessions focus on everything from seizing and forfeiting criminal assets to dealing with officer wellness and PTSD. An awards dinner will be held 6:00-8:00 p.m., May 3, 2022, at the Lander Community Center and will recognize the outstanding achievements of Wyoming’s law enforcement officers.
United States Attorney Bob Murray said, “We believe the LECC conference offers excellent training and provides an opportunity to talk about, and share, what is happening across the state—then come up with solutions to not only protect the citizens of Wyoming, but also ensure we are taking care of the men and women who serve to protect.”
The standard registration fee is $100 and includes the awards ceremony dinner. CLE and Post credits are available for some sessions. To register, email [email protected] or call Rob Gaulke at 307-772-2991.
Venezuelan Woman Arraigned on Conspiracy to Kidnap and Murder, Child Pornography Charges Following Extradition from Columbia to the United StatesRead the Press Release
UPDATE
The Press Release has been updated to reflect the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs' assistance.
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Moraima Escarlet Vasquez Flores, aka “Johana Martinez,” 39, of Venezuela, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty on April 11, 2022, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, on charges that she conspired with Sean Fiore to kidnap and murder a person in a foreign country, conspired with Fiore to produce and produced child pornography, and that she aided and abetted the receipt by Fiore of child pornography. Vasquez Flores’ appearance in court follows her extradition to the United States from Colombia, where she was living at the time of her arrest in September 2020. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle granted the government’s motion for detention and ordered Vasquez Flores detained pending trial.
According to court records, in September 2018, Vasquez Flores, then in Venezuela, is alleged to have communicated over WhatsApp with Fiore, who was then located in Vermont. Both used aliases. The WhatsApp communications were about Fiore’s interest in purchasing a video depicting the torture of a kidnapped child, who was referred to as a “slave.” Fiore ultimately paid $600 to Vasquez Flores in Amazon gift cards for the video. Fiore sent specific instructions on what abuse he wished to see inflicted on the child. On October 3, 2018, Vasquez Flores is alleged to have sent Fiore a hyperlink to a video file that showed Vasquez Flores inflicting sadistic abuse on a prepubescent boy consistent with Fiore’s specifications.
On October 13, 2018, Vasquez Flores is alleged to have sent three video files to Fiore that depicted the sadistic abuse of a prepubescent boy. Fiore did not commission the production of these video files.Vasquez Flores is alleged to have subsequently used WhatsApp to communicate with Fiore and to discuss Fiore’s desire to purchase another video which showed the torture and killing of another kidnapped “slave.” Fiore sent specifications for the types of physical abuse, humiliation, and manner of death he wished to see in the video. In December 2018, Fiore agreed to pay $4,000 for this video. In April 2019, Vasquez Flores is alleged to have sent Fiore a hyperlink to a 58-minute video file depicting the requested sadistic abuse and possible death of an adult male.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest emphasized that the charges in the indictment are accusations only and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Vasquez Flores’ sentence will be determined by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the impact, if any, of any mandatory minimum prison terms applicable to any count of conviction.U.S. Attorney Kerest commended the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in the investigation of Vasquez Flores and Fiore.
Barbara A. Masterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, Patrick Jasperse, Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Eduardo Palomo, Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, represent the government. Vasquez Flores will be represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Vasquez Flores's arrest and extradition.
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 Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.