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1 April 2022
Two Idaho Men Enter Guilty Pleas to Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – A Murtaugh man and a Pocatello man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Between January 1 and March 24, 2021, Antonio Verduzco-Arreola, 40, of Murtaugh, and Joseph Alexander Huber, 35, of Pocatello, entered into an agreement to distribute controlled substances in the Pocatello area. On March 21, 2021, two pounds of methamphetamine was abandoned in a Pocatello hotel room rented by Verduzco-Arreola. On March 24, 2021, Pocatello Police officers conducted surveillance near the hotel in Pocatello. Officers observed Huber meet with both Verduzco-Arreola and a third co-defendant. Verduzco-Arreola was later contacted by law enforcement and found in possession of 439 grams of counterfeit oxycodone that contained fentanyl. When Huber was arrested on April 30, 2021, police officers found 82 grams of methamphetamine in Huber’s possession and 167 grams of methamphetamine in his hotel room.
On March 29, 2022, Verduzco-Arreola pleaded guilty to entering into an agreement with his co-defendants to distribute fentanyl. Verduzco-Arreola is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14, 2022, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye and faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
On March 30, 2022, Huber pleaded guilty to entering into an agreement with his co-defendants to distribute methamphetamine. Huber is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2022, before Chief Judge Nye and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Pocatello Police Department, Idaho State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which led to charges.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 186 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 139 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,982 months (approximately 665 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.21 months (4.43 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 57.86 (4.8 years) in federal prison.
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Three Worcester Men Convicted of Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Three Worcester men have been convicted by a federal jury in Worcester of trafficking cocaine.
Junior Melendez, 41, Juan Rodriguez, 31 and Kevin Jean, 31, all of Worcester, were convicted on Wednesday, March 30th by a federal jury of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine. District Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencings of all three defendants in September 2022.
From March 2019 through early June 2019, law enforcement intercepted communications involving two cell phones used by the defendants pursuant to Court authorized wiretaps. Those interceptions revealed that Melendez, Rodriguez and Jean conspired with Angel Cordova, Antoine Mack, Carlos Richards and others to buy and sell multiple kilograms of cocaine. Melendez and Rodriguez purchased powder cocaine from Cordova, cooked a portion of that powder cocaine into cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), and then distributed the cocaine – frequently using Jean and Mack as their runners – to their primary buyer, Richards in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Cordova and Mack, who was also charged as a felon in possession of a firearm, previously pleaded guilty. In May 2020, Mack was sentenced to 54 months in prison. Cordova is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2022. Richards remains a fugitive.
Melendez is a convicted felon and has previously served 109 months in federal prison for drug and firearms violations. Melendez is the alleged leader of the Massachusetts chapter of the Almighty Vice Lords street gang.
The charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and cocaine base provides for a sentence of no greater than 40 years in prison, six years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Melendez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years based on the volume of cocaine involved and his prior conviction. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on 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, Boston Field Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent. During the investigation, valuable assistance was provided by Massachusetts State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Worcester County Sheriff’s Office; Shrewsbury Police Department; Athol Police Department; Winchendon Police Department and the Pawtucket, Rhode Island Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg A. Friedholm and Lauren A. Graber are prosecuting the case.
Three Individuals Indicted and Arrested for Drug Trafficking from Puerto Rico to the Continental United StatesRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 23, 2022, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment charging three individuals for drug trafficking, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, titled Operation Air Fryer Express.
According to court documents, Héctor Colón-Rosario, Edgardo Colón-Pons, and Carlos Neftalí Torres-Santiago were arrested on March 31, 2022, for the large-scale distribution of kilogram quantities of cocaine to the continental United States. The indictment alleges that starting in June of 2020, the defendants used the United States Postal Service to send kilograms of cocaine to the continental United States. Specifically, these three defendants purchased new household appliances such as air fryers, among other things, and concealed kilograms of cocaine in those newly bought items. They would mail those items in larger boxes by way of the United States Postal Service to Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland. Other co-conspirators would receive the cocaine-laden shipments for further distribution.
The defendants made their initial court appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos E. López of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Vance Eaton is 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.
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Texas Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JORGE OMAR JIMINEZ, age 24, a resident of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced on March 31, 2022 to eighteen (18) months’ imprisonment, three (3) months of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter after pleading guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute one-hundred (100) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, in February 2020, a Mexican drug trafficker contacted a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) confidential source and offered to supply the source with a half-kilogram of heroin by way of a courier. On February 9, 2020, the courier, JIMINEZ, arrived in New Orleans and checked into a hotel on Canal Street. The following day, under the direction of HSI agents, the source arranged a meeting with JIMINEZ to conduct the transaction. As JIMINEZ left the hotel to meet the source, agents approached JIMINEZ who was in possession of a black bag. After obtaining consent from JIMINEZ, agents searched the bag and located a pair of black tennis shoes inside a separate back pack. Concealed in the soles of each shoe was a black tar substance. Laboratory analysis confirmed the substance as heroin and the total weight was approximately one half-kilogram. In a post-arrest interview, JIMINEZ told agents an unknown man provided him with the shoes in McAllen, Texas and instructed him to travel to New Orleans and sell the drugs to the source for $11,000.00.
This case was investigated by the Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones.
Superseding Indictment Charges 12 in Gun-Running Conspiracy to Supply Firearms to Gang Members in ChicagoRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A 21-count superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday charges 12 individuals with conspiring to violate federal firearms statutes, including dealing in firearms without a license; transporting and receiving firearms into another state; making false statements to a federally licensed firearm dealer; conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and to use and carry firearms in relation to crimes of violence; and conspiring to commit money laundering, as well as other related substantive offenses.
The announcement was made by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland; U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee; U.S. Attorney John Lausch for the Northern District of Illinois; Mickey French, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Nashville Field Division; ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division Kristen de Tineo; Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office; and Mr. Guy Surian, Assistant Director for Investigations and Operations, U.S. Army CID.
Wednesday morning, agents from the ATF, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and officers from the Chicago Police Department and the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department began arresting those charged in the indictment. As of this morning, six of those charged are in custody and the remaining defendants are currently being sought by law enforcement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois will handle the initial appearances by all defendants before they are transferred to the Middle District of Tennessee for further proceedings.
In July 2021, Demarcus Adams, 21; Jarius Brunson, 22; and Brandon Miller, 22, were enlisted members of the U.S. Army and stationed at the Fort Campbell military installation in Clarksville, Tennessee, and were charged by indictment with crimes stemming from the purchase and transfer of dozens of firearms to the streets of Chicago. In addition to these defendants, this superseding indictment charges the following nine individuals in the conspiracies and other substantive offenses: Blaise Smith, 29; Rahaeem Johnson, aka Rah, 24; Bryant Larkin, 33; Corey Curtis, 26; Elijah Tillman, 24; Lazarus Greenwood, aka Zarro, 23; Dwight Lowry, aka Ike, 41; Dreshion Parks, 25, all of Chicago; and Terrell Mitchell, 27, of Davenport, Iowa.
Two individuals alleged to be part of the conspiracies died as a result of gang violence, which was facilitated by the firearms illegally transferred to individuals in the Chicago area prior to this indictment.
The indictment alleges that the new defendants are members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in the Pocket Town neighborhood of Chicago. Between December 2020 and April 2021, the defendants conspired to purchase and deliver over 90 illegally obtained firearms to the Chicago area to facilitate the on-going violent disputes between the Pocket Town Gangster Disciples and their rival gangs.
The indictment further alleges the methods used by co-conspirators to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in the Clarksville, Tenn. and Oak Grove, Kentucky areas, which included communicating via text messages to coordinate the purchase and delivery of firearms to the Chicago area; providing false information on firearms purchase application forms; and using apps such as Zelle and CashApp to facilitate payment for the illegal transfer of firearms. On one occasion, the indictment alleges that in addition to several firearms available for sale, Brandon Miller had 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition available for purchase.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on one or more of the charged counts.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives-Nashville, Chicago, and Des Moines Divisions; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; the IRS-CI - Charlotte and Chicago Field Offices; the Clarksville, Tenn. Police Department; the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Crime Gun Intelligence Center; and the Davenport, Iowa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Kurtzman and Kathryn Risinger are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Stoughton Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Bank Robberies in Wisconsin & TennesseeRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Todd Templeton, 52, Stoughton, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in prison for three bank robberies. Templeton pleaded guilty to these charges on November 3, 2021.
On February 24, 2021, Templeton robbed the Associated Bank on King Street in Stoughton. He approached a teller, lifted his shirt to display a black handgun tucked into his waistband, and demanded money telling them “Don’t press any buttons.”
On February 26, 2021, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the Town of Dunn after Templeton crashed a stolen snowmobile and was warming his hands on the gas grill of the complainant’s porch. He admitted to drinking alcohol and using cocaine and was admitted to the hospital due to cold exposure injuries on his hands and feet.
On March 1, 2021, Templeton left the hospital against medical advice and stole a family member’s truck. On the morning of March 3, 2021, Templeton robbed the Associated Bank on Cottage Grove Road in Madison. He gave the teller a note stating that he was armed and demanded money.
On March 11, 2021, Templeton robbed the SunTrust Bank on East Third Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He approached a banker, pulled a handgun from his waistband, and said “I want you to empty the vault, this is a robbery.” He was later apprehended by FBI task force agents in Cleveland, Tennessee. Templeton claimed that he used a BB gun, which he had discarded.
At the time of these offenses, Templeton was on supervised release after serving approximately 11 years in federal prison for a 2007 bank robbery conviction. In that case, Templeton entered a bank in Baraboo, approached a teller and said, “Open the drawer and give me the money or you’ll be shot.” Three days later, he entered a bank in Janesville, exposed a black handgun in his waistband, and demanded money. After his initial term of supervised release was revoked in 2020, he was released from federal prison on January 27, 2021, and began a second term of federal supervision.
At sentencing, Judge Conley said that these were very serious offenses and noted the effects on the victims, specifically threats against their lives and displaying a handgun even if it was a BB gun as Templeton claimed. Judge Conley said that statistics relating to lowered criminal risk with age did not apply to Templeton, and the specific evidence here was to the contrary: that Templeton has escalated his behavior and went right back to committing bank robberies when released from prison. Judge Conley stated that in between periods of serial incarceration, Templeton has been unsuccessful on community supervision with numerous violations including drug use, failure to follow rules, and absconding, therefore a significant period of incarceration was necessary to protect the public.
In addition to imposing 10 years prison on the 2021 robberies, Judge Conley revoked Templeton’s supervised release in the 2007 case and sentenced him to an additional three years in prison, for a total of 13 years. Templeton was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and pay restitution.
The charges against Templeton were the result of investigations conducted by the Stoughton and Madison Police Departments, Chattanooga, Tennessee Police Department, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee assisted in this case. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Springfield Health Care Charity Pays More Than $8 Million Related to Federal Embezzlement, Bribery InvestigationRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – Springfield, Missouri-based nonprofit Preferred Family Healthcare will pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement announced yesterday, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees.
“Preferred Family Healthcare must relinquish the illegal profits it garnered from a wide-ranging fraud and bribery scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Several former officers and employees are being prosecuted in separate criminal cases for their individual criminal conduct. This non-prosecution agreement holds the charity itself responsible for their actions as agents of the charity. Public tax dollars were stolen and misused in the course of this public corruption scheme, and through this agreement and these separate prosecutions, those dollars are being restored to the public coffers.”
“Employees of Preferred Family Healthcare used charitable organizations to illegally line their own pockets through fraud and bribery,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) “IRS-Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to uncover large frauds designed to divert funds that were meant to help those in need of medical services. Preferred Family Healthcare has acknowledged that its former employees engaged in criminal activity and they are taking steps to make amends by forfeiting a sum of money to the federal government and paying restitution to the state of Arkansas.”
“The public should not suffer or be responsible for individuals who abuse their leadership positions out of greed for personal financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “It is never acceptable to embezzle and misappropriate funds, especially those that directly impact our health care system. As today’s announcement underscores, although the individuals directly involved are no longer with Preferred Family Healthcare, this organization is accepting responsibility for its employees’ actions.”
“The misuse and misappropriation of millions of federally sourced funds, designated for employment training and behavioral healthcare services to the public, by former executives of Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH) is a gross abuse of the positions of trust they once held within the organization,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Steven Grell of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “These former executives failed the public and did a disservice to PFH employees by prioritizing their own personal benefit and financial gain over the public they served. Today’s agreement demonstrates PFH’s willingness to take corrective actions regarding the criminal actions of former executives of the organization.”
Preferred Family Healthcare provides a variety of services to individuals in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, including mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services. Most of the charity’s funding is from appropriated federal funds – the largest portion being Medicaid reimbursement.
By signing the non-prosecution agreement, representatives of Preferred Family Healthcare admitted that former officers and employees of the charity engaged in a conspiracy to, amongst other criminal activity, embezzle funds from the charity and to bribe several elected state officials in the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas Senate. As a direct result of these actions, Preferred Family Healthcare realized a financial benefit. Although Preferred Family Healthcare’s board of directors did not receive full or accurate information about these actions, the board, through lack of proper oversight, allowed its officers and employees to violate federal law.
Under the terms of the non-prosecution agreement, Preferred Family Healthcare will forfeit more than $6.9 million to the federal government and pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to the state of Arkansas related to the misuse of funds from the state’s general improvement fund.
Several former executives from the charity, former members of the Arkansas state legislature, and others have pleaded guilty in federal court as part of the multi-jurisdiction, federal investigation, including the following:
Former Chief Executive Officer, Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable organization that received federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former executive and head of clinical operations Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Missouri., pleaded guilty to concealment of a known felony. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former employee and head of operations and lobbying in Arkansas, Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to one count of federal program bribery.
Political Consultant Donald Andrew Jones, aka D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.
Former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper, of Melbourne, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Preferred Family Healthcare. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry (Hank) Wilkins IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, and devising a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the State of Arkansas of their right to honest services. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
As part of the federal investigation, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the charity were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2019. They pleaded not guilty, and are awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3, 2022.
The separate criminal cases are being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon T. Kempf of the Western District of Missouri, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Arkansas, Senior Litigation Counsel Marco A. Palmieri and Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Justice, Labor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigated the cases. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Missouri, the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice Criminal Division.
South Florida Man Guilty of Attempted Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A federal jury in Fort Pierce, Florida has found Zachary S. Spiegel, 38, of Jensen Beach, guilty of attempted on-line enticement of a minor.
According to evidence presented at trial, for several weeks in January of this year, Spiegel communicated online and by text message with someone whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl named Shayla. In reality, “Shayla” was a fictional persona created by a 16-year-old boy who was trying to identify child predators in the area. On January 9, Spiegel attempted to persuade Shayla to meet him in the parking lot of a Fort Pierce shopping plaza for sex in his car. Spiegel sent Shayla graphic descriptions of the sex acts he would perform on her, as well as photos of his erect penis. They agreed on a time and place to meet, but Spiegel did not make it. Spiegel later explained to Shayla that while on his way to their rendezvous, law enforcement officers pulled him over for speeding and he decided to return home. After this incident, the 16-year-old boy contacted law enforcement.
Spiegel kept communicating with a person he believed was the 14-year-old Shayla. As he had done before, Spiegel made sexually explicit comments, sent several more photos of his face and penis, and talked about meeting Shayla in person.
A law enforcement investigation led officers to Spiegel. They executed a search warrant at his Jensen Beach home on January 20, where they found him in possession of the cellular phone he had used to communicate with “Shayla.”
U.S. District Court Judge Paul C. Huck will sentence Spiegel on May 23, at 9:30 a.m., in Fort Pierce federal court. Spiegel faces 10 years to life in federal prison.
(Photograph of Spiegel, Government’s Trial Exhibit 5).
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, announced the guilty verdict.
HSI Miami and the Fort Pierce Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Bergstrom and Justin Hoover are prosecuting it.
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 the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-14017.
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Somersworth Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of an Unregistered FirearmRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Ryan Cortina, 34, of Somersworth, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of an unregistered firearm, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 23, 2019, the Somersworth Police Department received information from a confidential information (CI) that Cortina possessed destructive devices at his Somersworth residence. The CI claimed Cortina showed him a “grenade” he had built. Officers applied for a search warrant for Cortina’s residence. While executing the warrant on September 27, 2019, officers located five suspected destructive devices in a duffle bag. Further analysis showed that one of the devices was an improvised explosive bomb which therefore should have been registered in accordance with Federal Firearms Registrations
Cortina is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18, 2022.
“By possessing an improvised bomb, the defendant placed residents of Somersworth in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Farley. “Had the device been detonated, it could have threatened the lives of innocent people. Thanks to the hard work and responsiveness of law enforcement officers, a potential tragedy was averted. This case provides an example of how law enforcement officers are working each day to protect public safety in the Granite State.”
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Somersworth Police Department with the assistance of New Hampshire State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.
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San Francisco Teacher Charged with Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Charles Richard Barrett made an initial appearance today in federal court on a criminal complaint for receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. Barrett made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson.
According to the complaint filed March 30, 2022, and unsealed today, Barrett, 33, of San Francisco, is a teacher at a private elementary and middle school in San Francisco. In June of 2020, as part of an investigation into Barrett’s partner, federal agents came into possession of a computer found in Barrett’s residence. The complaint alleges that evidence recently obtained from the computer establishes that Barrett communicated with two suspected minors and received sexually explicit images involving minors from them.
Communications involving the first victim allegedly occurred between December 2013 to February 2014. According to the complaint, during that period, Barrett had a text message conversation with a minor that included sexually explicit images. Specifically, after the minor informed Barrett that he was 16-years-old, Barrett, who was 24 years old at the time, sent the victim sexually explicit images of himself and encouraged the victim to respond with sexually explicit images of himself. The victim complied. Barrett received at least nine sexually explicit images of the victim. The text exchange includes salacious descriptions of the images that were exchanged.
Communications regarding the second victim occurred in a series of text messages in 2013. Again, the victim informed Barrett that he was 16 years old and that he was a high school student in San Francisco. Barrett continued interacting with the victim, sent sexually explicit images of himself to the minor, and encouraged the minor to respond with sexually explicit images of his own. Barrett received at least four sexually explicit images of the victim.
Barrett is charged with receipt of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2).
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are mere allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted of the charge, Barrett faces a mandatory minimum term of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison. As part of a sentence, the court also may order fines, assessments, and a term of supervised release. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Magistrate Judge Hixson ordered Barrett detained pending a detention hearing. Barrett’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 12 p.m., before Magistrate Judge Hixson, for the detention hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Yeh is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Claudia Hyslop. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the HSI.
Rochester Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment in Multi-Million Dollar Nationwide Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that John Law, age 43, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for his role in a national Ponzi scheme.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Law previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud in connection with a Ponzi scheme that netted over $115 million and resulted in more than $70 million in losses to victims, some of whom were located in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Law conspired with Perry Santillo, also of Rochester, New York, who also previously admitted his role in the scheme and was recently sentenced in New York to serve 210 months’ imprisonment. Santillo is awaiting sentencing in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Santillo and Law offered and sold securities to the public and provided investment advice to customers around the country. Law operated what purported to be legitimate investment advisory business in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. Law and Santillo admitted that the Scotrun business was fraudulent and operated as a Ponzi scheme where the fraudsters misappropriated substantial amounts of the investor’s funds and used the remaining funds to pay off investors who requested withdrawals from their accounts. The Scotrun operation, one of many operated by Santillo, used various business names, including Advice and Life Group, Poconos Investments, First American Securities, and Financial Planners Group of America.
As part of the scheme, Santillo and others travelled the country and bought books of business from investment professionals such as registered representatives and investment advisors. The Scotrun business was purchased from Anthony Diaz in 2015. Coincidentally, Diaz was convicted of perpetrating an entirely different fraudulent investment scheme and was sentenced by Judge Mannion to serve 210 months’ imprisonment on March 26, 2021. Many of the customers defrauded by Santillo and Law were previously defrauded by Diaz.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations; the Securities and Exchange Commission; United States Postal Inspection Service; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud; the New York State Department of Financial Services; and the Harrisburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.
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Rhode Island Man Admits to Fraudulently Filing for COVID-Relief Unemployment BenefitsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who filed fraudulent online COVID-relief unemployment insurance claims in five states pled guilty today in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, in May 2020, Jesse Hazard, 31, who worked only in Massachusetts, submitted an online application seeking expanded pandemic unemployment benefits from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. Despite receiving these benefits from Massachusetts, between June 17, 2020, and September 12, 2020, Hazard filed similar online benefit applications with unemployment agencies in five other states: Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, and Nebraska. In his applications, Hazard falsely claimed that he worked in, or was a resident of, each of those states.
Hazard received $12,876 in funds from California; his claims to Arizona, Nevada, Nebraska, and Colorado were denied. The total loss, both actual and intended, amounts to $48,152.
Hazard is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2022. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case, as well as other instances of criminal activity related to fraudulent applications for pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits are being investigated jointly by the FBI, the Rhode Island State Police, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. Cases are jointly reviewed, charged, and prosecuted by a team of prosecutors that include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton, Stacey P. Veroni, and G. Michael Seaman, and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General John M. Moreira, chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
United States Attorney Cunha and Attorney General Neronha thank the United States Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at [email protected] or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID- 19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Red Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in the Shooting Death of a Red Lake Tribal Police OfficerRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a Red Lake Tribal Police Officer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on July 27, 2021, officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department (“RLTPD”) responded to a call to conduct a welfare check on David Brian Donnell, Jr., 29, at his residence in Redby, Minnesota. Five RLTPD officers responded to Donnell’s residence. Upon arrival, the officers found Donnell standing outside on the porch and attempted to have him walk towards the officers, but Donnell instead went inside the residence. Because Donnell had an active tribal warrant and was refusing to comply, the officers made the decision to breach the door. As soon as the door was breached, Donnell opened fire on the officers. Officer Ryan Bialke was immediately struck by gunfire and fell. Donnell continued shooting, firing several rounds from an Izhmash Saiga 7.62 caliber rifle at the four other officers on the scene. One RLTPD officer returned fire to allow the officers to escape into the woods. Donnell continued firing at the officers as they fled into the woods. Donnell fired at least 22 shots at Officer Bialke and the four other RLTPD officers. Officer Bialke succumbed to his injuries and died on the scene. Donnell then fled the scene, taking the rifle with him. Shortly thereafter, officers arrested Donnell at a nearby residence.
Donnell pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim to one count of murder in the second degree. Donnell faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melinda A. Williams and Joseph S. Teirab are prosecuting the case.
Providence Man Admits to Distributing MethRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man today pled guilty in federal court to a charge of knowingly and intentionally distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
According to charging documents, during a Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force investigation that began in September 2021, members of the task force monitored transactions between Jamont Patrick, 30, and another person on November 3, 2021; during these transactions Patrick sold the individual a total of approximately 203 grams of methamphetamine pills.
On November 10, 2021, members of the task force conducted a court-authorized search of Patrick’s residence and seized approximately 189 grams of pills containing methamphetamine, two scales, and other items used in the distribution of narcotics.
Patrick is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2022. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Michael Seaman.
The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force is comprised of personnel from the DEA; United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General; Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation; Rhode Island State Police; the East Providence, Cranston, Coventry, Newport, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket Police Departments; and Amtrak Police Department.
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Pocono Lakes Woman Sentenced for Threat to DoctorRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lorena Keglic, age 50, of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to time served of two months in prison and two years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for making a threat in interstate commerce.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Keglic was indicted by a grand jury in Omaha, Nebraska, on January 23, 2020. Keglic was charged with making a threatening telephone call from Pennsylvania, where she resides, to a victim in Bellvue, Nebraska. Keglic called an abortion clinic and left a voice message for a doctor, threatening to come after the doctor and his family and cut them to pieces. Keglic’s case was transferred to the Middle District of Pennsylvania after she signed an agreement to plead guilty. She entered her guilty plea on August 3, 2021, in Scranton.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case.
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Philadelphia LCN Associate Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Drug DealingRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Victor DeLuca, a.k.a. “Big Vic,” 57, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was sentenced to ten years in prison and ten years of supervised release by Senior United States District Judge R. Barclay Surrick for racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In November 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges in a superseding indictment stemming from his involvement in criminal activity with and for the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra, also known as the LCN, the mafia, and the mob. The Philadelphia LCN is one of a number of LCN organized crime families based in various cities throughout the United States. The goal of the LCN in Philadelphia and elsewhere is to make money through the commission of various crimes, including illegal gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, and extortion.
According to court documents, and the defendant’s guilty plea on November 29, 2021, DeLuca was an associate of the LCN who worked with LCN members and associates to commit crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, and loansharking, among other crimes. The defendant pled guilty to his involvement with the LCN for that conduct as well as for an effort in April 2017 to obtain two pounds of methamphetamine, intended for later resale, on behalf of other LCN members and associates.
“Even though the Philadelphia mob is not what it was in the last century, the organization and its criminal activities are still very much a problem and are damaging the communities in which it operates,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting anyone who is committing serious federal crimes like these, and we will not rest until the mob is nothing but a bad memory.”
“As a longtime associate of the Philadelphia LCN, Victor DeLuca earned his keep through drug-dealing, loansharking, and extortion - pretty much the antithesis of an honest day’s work,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “His actions caused harm to individual victims and the community alike and it’s gratifying he’s now been brought to justice. The FBI will continue to keep organized crime squarely in our sights as we work to make the city of Philadelphia a safer place.”
The case was investigated the FBI, including its Philadelphia Field Division and Atlantic City Resident Agency, as part of a long-running investigation, with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ortiz and Justin Ashenfelter of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorneys Alexander Gottfried and Kristen Taylor of the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Philadelphia Carjacker and Armed Robber Sentenced to over 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Rasheen Mainor, 21, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced to over 11 years and five months in prison, and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Petrese B. Tucker, for committing a carjacking and an armed robbery.
In December 2019, the defendant carjacked a woman driving a Honda CRV in Northeast Philadelphia by pointing a firearm at the victim and then punching her in the face before taking her vehicle. Then, a month later in January 2020, Mainor and two accomplices used the carjacked CRV to flee from yet another crime scene: a tobacco store in West Philadelphia, the Dollar & Smoker’s Point, also known as the Chester Mini Market, where the defendant and his accomplices pointed a firearm at the cashier, forced him to run away, and then took merchandise and approximately $500 cash from the store.
“Carjacking a vehicle and then robbing a business at gunpoint threatens our collective safety,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “And if you commit these crimes in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, you are going to be met with a felony prosecution and long prison sentence, as is the case with this defendant who will now spend more than a decade behind bars for his crimes.”
“This carjacking and armed robbery were violent crimes targeting absolutely innocent victims,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “No one should have to fear a punch in the face — or worse — from a gun-toting carjacker, or a roving crew of criminals terrorizing them at work. These are offenses against society that undermine public safety and quality of life in this city. The FBI and Philadelphia Police Department are working every day to take violent individuals like Rasheen Mainor off the street, to keep them from harming anyone else.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Miller.
Otsego County Man Arrested for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Hawkins, age 59, of Maryland, New York was arrested today for failing to register and update his registration as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York.
According to the complaint filed against him, Hawkins is required to register as a sex offender because of his 1997 conviction in the State of Rhode Island for First-Degree and Second-Degree Child Molestation. The complaint further alleges that Hawkins has been residing in New York without registering his address for several months and that his last registration shows him as homeless living in Rhode Island.
If convicted, Hawkins faces a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years, supervised release of up to three years starting after he serves any term of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Hawkins was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric and was detained pending further court proceedings.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
Omaha Man on Parole for Murder Sentenced to 270 Months for Attempted Home Invasion RobberyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Rufus E. Dennis, 43, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Attempted Interference with Interstate Commerce by way of Robbery; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and felon in possession of a firearm. Dennis has a prior murder conviction for which he was out on parole when he committed the robbery and firearm offenses.
Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Dennis to a term of 270 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Dennis will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Chief Judge Rossiter varied upward from the recommended federal sentence in this case and supported his decision to do so based on the fact that Dennis intended to murder victims during a planned home invasion robbery and was on parole for second degree murder at the time of the instant offenses. The FBI obtained recordings of Dennis describing in detail his plans for the home invasion. Dennis expressed in the recordings that he was not going to be caught or identified and would leave no witnesses behind.
The evidence at trial showed that Dennis “cased” a family’s home on four separate occasions in January, 2020 while he was gathering information about the home and the family’s movements. A single mother of two young children lived in the home. Dennis planned to do physical harm to that woman in the presence of her elderly mother once he gained entry to the residence. Dennis ultimately planned to shoot anyone who saw his face during the home invasion. In furtherance of that plan, Dennis unwittingly attempted to buy handguns from an undercover officer and recruited a confidential informant with the FBI to act as his lookout and getaway driver for the home invasion.
On the morning of the planned home invasion, agents, investigators, and officers with the Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force executed search and arrest warrants at Dennis’s residence and recovered a stolen firearm with Dennis’s DNA on it. Dennis hoped to trade the rifle for a handgun with the undercover officer prior to invading the home.
United States Attorney Jan Sharp stated, “Omaha is a better place today following the arrest and conviction of Rufus Dennis. We cannot create a better community when armed predators roam our streets. The lengthy sentenced imposed on Mr. Dennis represents a win for the citizens of Omaha.”
Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “The FBI’s Greater Omaha Safe Streets Task Force arrested Rufus Dennis before he carried out his plan to terrorize a single mother, her two toddler children and their elderly grandmother. At the time of his arrest, Dennis was one of the Omaha Police Department’s most wanted individuals. With today’s sentencing, our community will no longer have to worry about this violent perpetrator hurting or terrorizing anyone else for a very long time.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bellevue Police Department, and the Omaha Police Department.
Oil Company Worker Guilty of Negligent Discharge of Hazardous Substances into the Gulf of MexicoRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PATRICK HUSE, age 40, of Perkinston, Mississippi, pled guilty today to a violation of Title 33, United States Code, Section 1321(b)(3) and 1319(c)(1)(A).
According to today’s guilty plea, HUSE was employed as a “Person-in-Charge” ( “PIC”) on Main Pass 310A (“MP-310A”), an oil and gas production platform. In July 2015, workers on MP-310A noticed a sheen on the surface of the surface of the water surrounding the platform. The sheen meant that the platform was discharging oil or other hazardous substances into the Gulf of Mexico. The workers alerted HUSE, a PIC on MP-310A. The workers told HUSE that they believed the sheen to be the result of sand buildup in filtration equipment on MP-310A. HUSE ordered the workers to remove the sand buildup from the filtration equipment in lieu of a complete shut-in, hoping the sheen would dissipate. These measures failed to stop the platform from sheening, so the workers shut down the platform through an emergency shutdown of the entire platform.
HUSE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of one year, a fine of $2,500 to $25,000 per day of violation, a maximum term of supervised release of up to one year, and a $25 mandatory special assessment fee. Sentencing has been scheduled by District Judge Barry Ashe for July 7, 2022.
United States Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General, Energy Investigations Unit, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Spiro G. Latsis and J. Ryan McLaren are in charge of the prosecution.
Obion County Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 9 Years for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN- Cordarion K. Thompson of Union City, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 115 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on November 12, 2019, members of the United States Marshals Service executed an arrest warrant for Thompson at his residence in Union City, Tennessee, in relation to an aggravated assault charge. Upon arrival, officers discovered Thompson in the air conditioner return air vent of the apartment. He was placed in custody and found in possession of a black backpack, which contained a loaded Lorcin, .380 caliber pistol. A special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) subsequently reviewed this firearm and determined that it was manufactured outside the state of Tennessee.
Thompson waived his Miranda rights and admitted ownership of the firearm. As a convicted felon, Thompson is prohibited from possessing firearms under state and federal law.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Thompson was involved in an altercation with an individual in Union City on November 4, 2019, and during that incident he shot the person in the leg.
On March 29, 2021, United States Chief District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Thompson to 115 months' imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Union City Police Department, United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Oakland Resident Charged with Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Sales in TenderloinRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jose Alvarado appeared in United States District Court today to face federal charges for the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon.
According to allegations in the federal criminal complaint unsealed today, Alvarado, 26, who resides in Oakland, engaged in four narcotics sales on different dates in the Tenderloin area to three separate undercover law enforcement officers. The complaint describes that in the late afternoon of November 30, 2021, at the corner of Eddy Street and Polk Street, Alvarado sold approximately seven grams of fentanyl to an undercover officer. The complaint next alleges that in the afternoon of January 13, 2022, near the corner of Eddy Street and Larkin Street, Alvarado sold just over 12 grams of fentanyl and seven grams of methamphetamine to a different undercover officer. The complaint further alleges that a week later, on January 20, 2022, in the vicinity of Ellis Street and Van Ness Boulevard, Alvarado sold just over two ounces of fentanyl to yet another undercover officer. The complaint lastly charges that Alvarado met up with this same undercover officer on February 10, 2022, at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Polk Street – at the corner of a federal law enforcement building – and shortly sold the undercover officer two ounces of fentanyl and one ounce of methamphetamine.
The complaint charges Alvarado with one charge of distributing five or more grams of methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B)(viii) and with one charge of distributing 40 or more grams of fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B)(vi). The statutory penalty for each charge is a minimum of five years of imprisonment and a maximum of 40 years of imprisonment, a maximum of a 5,000,000 fine, and a minimum of 4 years of supervision following release from prison with a maximum of lifetime supervision. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Alvarado made his initial federal court appearance today in United States District Court in San Francisco before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. Alvarado remains in custody. His next court appearance is scheduled on April 5 for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hixson.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ankur Shingal is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Erick Machado and Jessie Chelsea. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DEA and the San Francisco Police Department.
North Carolina Man Convicted by Federal Jury for Gunpoint Robbery of Puppies from Lancaster County BreederRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Christopher Lamont Stimpson, Jr., 23, of Greensboro, North Carolina, was convicted of committing a gunpoint robbery of a Lancaster County puppy breeder and his family in order to steal five French Bulldog puppies in October 2020.
In November 2020, the defendant was charged by Indictment with robbery which interferes with interstate commerce, and interstate transportation of stolen goods in connection with the robbery. To lure the victims out with the puppies, dogs with a total value of more than $23,000, Stimpson posed as a customer seeking to purchase five French Bulldog puppies, only to pull out a gun, point it at the victims, and steal the animals. One of the victims recorded the registration of the defendant’s getaway vehicle, which was traced back to a rental company in Greensboro, North Carolina. According to court documents, a customer of the breeder who had also been interested in purchasing one of the puppies later discovered an Instagram posting which featured a video and a photograph of the puppies, as well as photographs of Stimpson. In December 2020, the defendant was arrested in North Carolina.
“Stimpson committed armed robbery in order to greedily and callously steal vulnerable, living creatures,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “This conviction demonstrates our Office’s commitment to prosecuting dangerous, armed criminals, no matter where they may run and hide. We are thankful to our partners here in Pennsylvania and in North Carolina for their partnership in bringing Stimpson to justice.”
“Armed robbery is armed robbery, whether the objective is drugs, dollars, or dogs,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Christopher Stimpson traveled quite a ways to terrorize the breeder and his family and take those puppies by force. Let this be a warning to anyone else planning on coming into Pennsylvania to commit a violent crime: the FBI and our partners will track you down wherever you are and see that you’re brought to justice.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ephrata Police Department, and the Greensboro (NC) Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark S. Miller.
Nicholas County Man Sentenced for Federal Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Nicholas County man was sentenced today to one year in prison, to be served on home confinement, for fraudulently obtaining a line of credit.
According to court documents, James Woods, Jr., 48, of Craigsville, was sentenced to the one year to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Woods pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud in December 2021, admitting he applied for the line of credit under the name of a construction business he did not own. Woods admitted to the court that he did not have permission from the owner of the business to apply for the line of credit at this store to lease commercial construction equipment. The credit application was transmitted to Cross Lanes and eventually out of West Virginia where it was approved for $10,000. Woods then used the line of credit to lease a CASE Model 850 bulldozer and it was delivered to a jobsite that Woods controlled.
Once the owner of the business learned about the fraudulent line of credit, the equipment rental store was contacted and the bulldozer was recovered by the West Virginia State Police and the equipment provider.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and credited the investigative work of the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, which uncovered the fraud in conjunction with a larger fraud investigation. The West Virginia State Police also helped with the equipment recovery.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Kathleen Robeson handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00001.
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* * * NOTE: On April 6, 2022, the Court vacated the one-year sentence imposed on April 1, 2022. U.S. District Judge Frank W. Volk resentenced Woods on May 27, 2022, to four years of probation and one year of home detention. * * *
New York Man Sentenced to 56 Months in Prison for Defrauding Investors of More Than $3.5 Million Through Securities Offering SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A New York man was sentenced to 56 months in prison on March 31, 2022 for perpetrating a scheme to defraud more than 70 investors through a long-running securities offering fraud that raised more than $4 million and caused investor losses of more than $3.5 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Donald A. Milne III, 57, of Massapequa, New York, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging him with one count of securities fraud. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in 2012, Milne founded Instaprin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Instaprin), a purported pharmaceutical corporation that operated in New York, for the stated purpose of developing a fast-acting form of powdered aspirin that could instantly stop heart attacks and strokes. Instaprin was a successor entity to another New York corporation, SPI Acquisition Corp. (SPI), which Milne founded in 2010 for the stated purpose of acquiring assets for the development of the same fast-acting form of powdered aspirin. Milne was the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Instaprin and SPI, and exercised complete and exclusive control over them, including the offer, marketing, and sale of securities issued by those entities.
From as early as 2013 and through 2018, Milne executed a scheme to defraud dozens of investors in Instaprin and SPI securities through multiple and ongoing material misrepresentations concerning, among other things, how the victims’ investment money would be used and how their past investments had performed, so that Milne could misappropriate substantial sums of the investors’ money for his own personal gain and enrichment. Through at least four separate unregistered securities offerings that he caused Instaprin or SPI to issue between 2013 and 2016, Milne received more than $4 million in investment proceeds from victim investors across the country, and deposited the investment funds in one or more bank accounts that he controlled.
Milne misrepresented to victim investors the manner in which he and Instaprin/SPI would maintain and use the funds raised through Instaprin securities offerings. Milne falsely represented in the offering materials that he had assembled “a very strong world renowned board of directors and medical advisory board” that included industry leaders in fields of science and finance. Milne also misrepresented to investors that specific individuals had joined Instaprin as directors, advisors, and/or shareholders of Instaprin, made numerous false and misleading statements in investment updates distributed to investors between April 2014 and September 2018, and also represented that Instaprin was in negotiations with large pharmaceutical corporations for joint business ventures.
Milne misappropriated a substantial majority of the investors’ funds to pay out distributions to other investors in a Ponzi-scheme fashion; pay for Milne’s personal expenses, including a Caribbean vacation, boating expenses, divorce payments, clothing, and spa treatments; and to sustain and operate Island Raceway & Hobby Inc., a toy race car business that Milne separately owned.
In May 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Milne and Instaprin in New Jersey federal court regarding the fraudulent scheme to which Milne pleaded guilty. That matter was resolved through the entry of final judgments permanently enjoining Milne and Instaprin from violating the charged provisions of the federal securities laws, ordering full disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Milne to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI Trenton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office, under the direction of Kelly L. Gibson, for its substantial assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Brendan Day, Attorney-in-Charge of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Trenton Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Suchorsky of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Joseph Mure Jr. Esq., Brooklyn, New York
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – STEPHONE BRIDGES, age 32, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on March 31, 2022 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a one-count indictment charging him with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on August 15, 2021, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force Officer conducted surveillance in the area of the 2200 block of North Galvez Street in New Orleans. The detective observed the handle of a firearm in BRIDGES’s front waistband as BRIDGES exited the steps and began to loiter on the sidewalk. The detective summoned marked units to the scene, and BRIDGES made sure his shirt was covering the object in his waistband before sitting down on the steps of the residence. Officers arrived in the area and approached BRIDGES. A Glock Model 49x, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, bearing serial number BMDZ792 was removed from BRIDGES’s front waistband. The firearm was equipped with a red transparent magazine. The magazine contained 18 live rounds and one live round in the chamber of the firearm. BRIDGES was also in possession of Ecstasy and approximately three grams of crack cocaine. Prior to this, BRIDGES knew he had been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
BRIDGES faces a maximum term of (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne is in charge of the prosecution.
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Ms-13 Leader Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and Conspiring to Commit Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced El Salvadorian national Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey today to life in prison for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13 and for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and possession with intent to distribute heroin. A federal jury convicted Corea Diaz of those charges on November 23, 2021 after a four-week trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D'Antuono, of the FBI Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Bedford County (VA) Sheriff Michael W. Miller.
“The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the violence perpetrated by MS-13,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “With the help of members of our communities we will work to bring to justice those MS-13 members who commit these horrible crimes.”
“Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, also known as Reaper, reported directly to the gang’s top leadership in El Salvador and was responsible for implementing MS-13’s program of violence and intimidation on the East Coast,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. “In 2017, our office, working with dedicated members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, began an investigation into illicit narcotics, which were being trafficked and distributed on Long Island. That investigation quickly mushroomed as we learned more about MS-13 and the reign of terror being directed by Corea Diaz. Working with more than 20 agencies, we disrupted MS-13 operations on the East Coast. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, the FBI, and our countless partners who helped bring Corea Diaz to justice.”
“As members of MS-13, Corea Diaz and his co-conspirators were ruthless and showed no regard for human life by extorting innocent people, tampering with witnesses, and ordering a murder over a drug dispute,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “With today’s sentence, Corea Diaz will no longer be able to commit senseless violence and homicidal acts on our streets. The FBI remains steadfast in our resolve to work with our partners to ensure that individuals like Corea Diaz are held accountable for their crimes and to eliminate MS-13's violence from our communities.”
“Any time we can get a notorious gang member off the streets, it is a victory for both law enforcement and law-abiding citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI Baltimore. “In this case, the criminal is particularly violent, and now he will face the consequences of his crimes. HSI is grateful to have worked with our partnering federal and local law enforcement agencies to make the communities safer for the citizens of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.”
MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Maryland, including Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County.
According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Corea Diaz and co-defendant Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno controlled and operated the MS-13 Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or “Sailors”) Clique through a pattern of racketeering activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Evidence showed that the Sailors Clique ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local immigrant-run businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.” The Sailors Clique also trafficked in illegal drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. A large share of the proceeds of the Sailors Clique’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
The Sailors Clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules. In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia area had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Corea-Diaz and co-defendant Alvarado-Requeno organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the high schooler. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, Corea Diaz and co-defendant Alvarado-Requeno helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.
Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on MS-13.
Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland, was also convicted at trial and faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Judge Xinis has scheduled his sentencing for April 25, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite commended the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, HSI, the DEA Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan, and Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Monroe County Man Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brian T. Labar, age 45, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 70 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 4 years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Labar previously admitted that he distributed one half pound of crystal methamphetamine for $3,350. Labar was arrested by authorities after he and another individual delivered the methamphetamine to a confidential informant on December 13, 2019, in the parking lot of the Eagle Valley Mall, Stroud Township, Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Missouri Health Care Charity Pays over $8 Million to Resolve Federal Embezzlement, Bribery InvestigationRead the Press Release
Preferred Family Healthcare, a Springfield, Missouri-based non-profit, will pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement announced yesterday, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees.
“Preferred Family Healthcare must relinquish the illegal profits it garnered from a wide-ranging fraud and bribery scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Eastern District of Missouri. “Several former officers and employees are being prosecuted in separate criminal cases for their individual criminal conduct. This non-prosecution agreement holds the charity itself responsible for their actions as agents of the charity. Public tax dollars were stolen and misused in the course of this public corruption scheme, and through this agreement and these separate prosecutions, those dollars are being restored to the public coffers.”
“Employees of Preferred Family Healthcare used charitable organizations to illegally line their own pockets through fraud and bribery,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “IRS-Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to uncover large frauds designed to divert funds that were meant to help those in need of medical services. Preferred Family Healthcare has acknowledged that its former employees engaged in criminal activity, and they are taking steps to make amends by forfeiting a sum of money to the federal government and paying restitution to the state of Arkansas.”
“The public should not suffer or be responsible for individuals who abuse their leadership positions out of greed for personal financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “It is never acceptable to embezzle and misappropriate funds, especially those that directly impact our health care system. As today’s announcement underscores, although the individuals directly involved are no longer with Preferred Family Healthcare, this organization is accepting responsibility for its employees’ actions.”
“The misuse and misappropriation of millions of federally sourced funds, designated for employment training and behavioral healthcare services to the public, by former executives of Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH) is a gross abuse of the positions of trust they once held within the organization,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Steven Grell of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “These former executives failed the public and did a disservice to PFH employees by prioritizing their own personal benefit and financial gain over the public they served. Today’s agreement demonstrates PFH’s willingness to take corrective actions regarding the criminal actions of former executives of the organization.”
Preferred Family Healthcare provides services to individuals in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, including mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services. Most of the charity’s funding comes from federally appropriated funds – the largest portion being Medicaid reimbursement.
As a condition of this non-prosecution agreement, representatives of Preferred Family Healthcare admitted that former officers and employees of the charity engaged in a conspiracy to, amongst other criminal activity, embezzle funds from the charity and to bribe several elected state officials in the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas Senate. As a direct result of these actions, Preferred Family Healthcare realized a financial benefit. Although Preferred Family Healthcare’s board of directors through lack of proper oversight, allowed its officers and employees to violate federal law.
Under the terms of the non-prosecution agreement, Preferred Family Healthcare will forfeit more than $6.9 million to the federal government and pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to the state of Arkansas related to the misuse of funds from the state’s general improvement fund.
Several former executives from the charity, former members of the Arkansas state legislature, and others have pleaded guilty in federal court as part of the multi-jurisdiction, federal investigation, including the following:
- Former Chief Executive Officer, Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November 2018 to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable organization that received federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
- Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
- Former executive and head of clinical operations Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Missouri, pleaded guilty in September 2019 to concealment of a known felony. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
- Former employee and head of operations and lobbying in Arkansas, Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to one count of federal program bribery.
- Political Consultant Donald Andrew Jones, aka D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.
- Former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
- Former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper, of Melbourne, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Preferred Family Healthcare. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
- Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry (Hank) Wilkins IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and devising a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the State of Arkansas of their right to honest services. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
As part of the federal investigation, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the charity were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2019. They pleaded not guilty, and are awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3.
The separate criminal cases are being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Marco A. Palmieri and Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon T. Kempf of the Western District of Missouri, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Justice, Labor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigated the cases.
This is a combined investigation with the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, the Western District of Missouri, the Western District of Arkansas, and the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Members of Crescent City Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Prison Terms up to 25 Years for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City), Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland), and Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City) for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Alvarado, who was the head of the Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, and Perez and Martinez were each sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. All three had previously pleaded guilty.
According to court documents, Alvarado worked to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine along with a number of intermediaries – including Martinez, Perez, Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City), Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City) and others – all of whom lived in close proximity to one another in Crescent City. Miguel Angel Ortiz (29, Crescent City) also served as a courier to deliver multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia to the Crescent City neighborhood in which Alvarado and the others operated. Alvarado, through his intermediaries, would deliver ounces and pounds of methamphetamine primarily to Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville), who operated out of his home. Watson, in turn, redistributed ounces of methamphetamine to mid-level dealers located throughout central Florida, including George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell), Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen), Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma), and David John Doerr (56, Astor).
On July 17, 2021, FBI agents arrested Alvarado, Martinez, Ontiveros, Ortiz and Watson. At the time of his arrest, Alvarado had nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly two kilograms of cocaine in his possession along with more than $13,000 in U.S. currency, two loaded handguns, and a drum magazine for an AK-47 assault rifle containing 172 rounds of ammunition.
Eleven charged conspirators have pleaded guilty for their roles in this case. See below for details.
Defendant
Date of Guilty Plea
Sentenced or Hearing Date:
Incarceration:
Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City)
11/2/21
3/31/22
300 months
Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland)
12/14/21
3/31/22
135 months
Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City)
11/16/21
3/31/22
135 months
Miguel Angel Ortiz (39, Crescent City)
11/30/21
2/15/22
70 months
Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City)
11/30/21
2/16/22
71 months
Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City)
8/24/21
11/16/21
36 months
Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville)
3/29/21
TBD
TBD
David John Doerr (56, Astor)
11/16/21
2/16/22
57 months
Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma)
11/30/21
2/15/22
24 months
George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell)
11/16/21
4/7/22
TBD
Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen)
2/23/22
5/12/22
TBD
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mclean Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Multiple MinorsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Mclean man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for producing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 27, was convicted on October 27, 2021, by a federal jury of five counts of production of child pornography, six counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography, after law enforcement found that he engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with at least six different minors between 2017 and 2020.
The evidence presented at trial established that Sanders, who ran a concessions business that provided food and beverage services for local schools, met these minors on various mobile applications and an online forum. Sanders exchanged hundreds of messages with the minors, in which he instructed and induced them to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Sanders also discussed meeting some of these minors in person and engaging in sexual acts with them and threatened to distribute a video depicting one of these minors to others at the minor’s high school if the minor did not comply with his instructions.
Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom pursuant to a court-authorized search established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders told law enforcement that he obtained such images from Darkweb websites, the sole purpose of which were to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Seth M. Schlessinger prosecuted the case.
In 2021, EDVA launched “UnMasked,” a community-based educational outreach and prevention program in Virginia dedicated to raising awareness and educating the community about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation involving children and young adults. UnMasked is a multi-disciplinary partnership of local, state, federal, and non-profit stakeholders. The core curriculum is provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) NetSmartz program. To report an incident involving online sexual exploitation, call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a report at report.cybertip.org. To request an UnMasked event at your school or organization, please contact EDVA’s Community Outreach Coordinator at [email protected].
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-143.
Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
An Alabama man was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for federal and local firearms offenses stemming from the discovery of weapons in his pickup truck parked near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 72, of Falkville, Alabama, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal and local firearms offenses stemming from the discovery of weapons in his pickup truck parked near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to court documents, Coffman traveled from Alabama to the District of Columbia several days prior to Jan. 6, 2021. He parked his red GMC Sierra pickup truck in the 300 block of First Street SE, on the morning of Jan. 6. Less than half a mile away in the U.S. Capitol Building, a joint session of the U.S. Congress was scheduled to meet in the afternoon to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Coffman admitted in his plea agreement that he exited the pickup truck at 9:20 a.m. and walked in the direction of the U.S. Capitol Building, and towards a rally near the National Mall. Inside the pickup truck were several loaded firearms within arms-reach of the driver’s seat, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, a crossbow with bolts, machetes, camouflage smoke devices, a stun gun, and a cooler containing 11 mason jars filled with ignitable ingredients for Molotov cocktail incendiary weapons. Coffman also carried a loaded handgun and a loaded revolver as he walked around the area that day. A search of Coffman’s residence in Alabama later that month led to the discovery of 12 additional mason jars containing ignitable substances, each constituting the component parts of Molotov cocktails.
Coffman did not have a license to carry a pistol in the District of Columbia and had not registered any firearms or destructive devices in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.
Coffman has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 6, 2021. Coffman will be placed on three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Coffman was sentenced in the District of Columbia by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in two separate criminal cases, one brought in the District of Columbia on Jan. 7, 2021, and the other brought in the Northern District of Alabama and transferred to the District of Columbia for purposes of plea and sentencing. Coffman had pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2021, to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, a federal offense, regarding the component parts of Molotov cocktails discovered in his pickup truck in Washington, D.C., and at his residence in Alabama. Coffman also pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license, a District of Columbia offense. Judge Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him to 46 months in prison on each of the federal offenses, and 15 months on the District of Columbia offense, with the time running concurrently.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Friedman for the District of Columbia and Henry Cornelius for the Northern District of Alabama prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham and Washington Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that PALMA JEFFERSON, SR., 64, from Orleans Parish, pled guilty on March 31, 2022 to a one-count superseding bill of information, pursuant to a plea agreement with the government. JEFFERSON, SR. was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on August 29, 2019.
During a surveillance operation, officers saw JEFFERSON, SR. conduct multiple narcotics transactions. When police encountered him, he was in possession of a stolen firearm and cocaine. Also, JEFFERSON, SR. admitted to being a cocaine addict.
JEFFERSON, SR. pled guilty to possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(3). At sentencing, JEFFERSON, SR. faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three (3) years supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(a)(2).
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Bücher.
Man Pleads Guilty to 2017 Claremore MurderRead the Press Release
A Claremore man pleaded guilty today in federal court to a 2017 murder, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Michael Eugene Spears, 58, pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree.
“Defendant Michael Spears brutally took Mark McKinney’s life then planned to dispose of the victim’s body in a lake. Thankfully, someone reported the murder before he could hide his terrible crime,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Helping to ensure Spears’ conviction in federal court were a team of dedicated federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and officers with the Claremore Police Department.”
In his plea agreement, Spears admitted to stabbing the victim, Mark McKinney, multiple times with a machete, killing him. The murder occurred during an argument between the two men on Nov. 18, 2017.
Sometime after the murder, Spears told a relative what had happened and asked to borrow a truck to transport the victim’s body to a lake in an effort to hide his crime. Law enforcement was contacted the next morning.
Authorities discovered the victim with multiple stab wounds to his hands, neck and torso. According to the medical examiner’s report, the victim suffered wounds to his heart and both lungs during the stabbing. In addition, there was blunt force trauma to the victim’s head and body.
Spears had previously been convicted of first degree murder in Rogers County District Court. Because the defendant is a tribal citizen and the crime occurred within the Cherokee Nation reservation, his state conviction was overturned, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.
The FBI and Claremore Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Duncombe and Justin G. Bish are prosecuting the case
Man Pleads Guilty for Manufacturing a BombRead the Press Release
A man responsible for building an explosive device made with fireworks, treble hooks, rivets and other material pleaded guilty Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Zane Paul Bennett, 20, pleaded guilty to unlawful manufacture of a destructive device.
“Zane Bennett acted without regard for his own safety and others when he illegally manufactured a bomb containing large fishhooks, screws and rivets that could inflict serious bodily injury,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I commend the Broken Arrow and Tulsa Police Departments, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the ATF for their continued professionalism and swift response following the discovery of the bomb.”
In his plea agreement, Bennett admitted that on January 23, 2022, he knowingly and illegally manufactured the explosive device, which was not registered with the National Firearms and Transfer Record, and that he intended to set it off. He stated that he manufactured the device while staying in a hotel in Broken Arrow. It was built with large round tubes, numerous fireworks (flash powder), other fireworks and a fuse. Inside the device, Bennett placed large treble hooks, screws and rivets.
Bennett was taken into custody on Jan. 24, 2022, after his girlfriend was stopped by Broken Arrow police officers following a shoplifting incident and officers noticed the device in the back seat of the vehicle. During the stop, the girlfriend called Bennett who then arrived on foot and asked if he could take possession of the vehicle if she was going to be detained. When asked about the device, Bennett told officers he recently manufactured it and intended to use it to destroy watermelons.
The Tulsa Police Department Bomb Squad x-rayed the explosive device, which showed several large fishhooks, screws, and rivets in the device. Also inside the device were a large quantity of small fireworks packed together. The device was dismantled and the components retained. After obtaining a search warrant of Bennett’s hotel room, officers and agents with the Broken Arrow Police Department and ATF located and seized fireworks and a metal rivet consistent with what was found in the destructive device.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Broken Arrow Police Department, Tulsa Police Department, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert T. Raley and Christopher J. Nassar are prosecuting the case.
Maine Woman Sentenced to 37 Months for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Deborah Cross, 65, of Sanford, Maine was sentenced on Thursday to 37 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 4, 2018, a cooperating individual purchased over 60 grams of methamphetamine from Cross at a residence in Franklin, New Hampshire. The cooperating individual made the purchase while working with law enforcement agents and wearing a video and audio recording device.
Cross previously pleaded guilty on December 8, 2021.
“Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that is causing tremendous harm in communities throughout New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Farley. “To protect our citizens, we are working closely with the FBI and all our law enforcement partners to identify traffickers who are distributing this deadly substance and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
“Today, Deborah Cross learned that there are serious consequences to distributing methamphetamine out of your home, and endangering your community,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Given the horrific impact this drug has on its users, the FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to keep it, and other dangerous drugs, out of New Hampshire.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.
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Macon Man Who Victimized a Child and Assumed Her Social Media Identity to Distribute Child Pornography is Convicted in Project Safe Childhood CaseRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who assumed the social media identity of a 12-year-old girl using threats and then forced the victim to produce child sexual abuse material that he sold online, is facing a maximum of 30 years of federal imprisonment for his crime.
Anthony Sparks Brown, 27, of Macon, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III on Thursday, March 31. Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years up to a maximum of 30 years of imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine and a maximum lifetime of supervised release. Brown will also have to register as a sex offender for life upon release from prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 12. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The facts in this case are terrible, but, sadly, all too common. The epidemic of child sexual exploitation online is such that parents must empower themselves and their children with information and take the necessary proactive measures to protect themselves from online predators,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Federal, state and local law enforcement resources are being engaged to track down and stop cyber child predators around the clock.”
“The GBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims. No child should be subject to online exploitation. As we work with internet service providers and other law enforcement agency partners, we are ensuring that predators like this defendant are held accountable,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds.
According to court documents, the GBI received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Jan. 2019, based on a report originating from Facebook detailing child sexual abuse material communicated between two Facebook users—a middle school-aged female (Jane Doe #1), and a 57-year-old man. An ensuing investigation ultimately revealed that Brown was using the Jane Doe #1 account to possess, distribute and sell child sexual abuse material.
Brown had met the real Jane Doe #1, a 12-year-old girl from Tennessee, on Instagram in 2018. Brown told investigators that she sent him nude images. Later, Brown threatened the 12-year-old on Facebook using an alias, sending her these images and other sexually explicit photos and stating that he was sure that she didn’t want her parents to see the images. Brown then proposed they make a deal whereby in exchange for Jane Doe #1’s Facebook login information, Brown would refrain from sending out her explicit photos. Jane Doe #1 complied and sent her credentials to Brown. That same day, Brown began soliciting sexual images and videos from the girl, using threats.
Brown was taken into custody on July 9, 2019, at his residence at the Intown Suites Hotel in Macon, where he was also employed. Brown admitted he threatened the girl in order to receive her Facebook passwords and assumed her identity on Facebook, chatting with her friends and family on that platform. He further admitted to using threats to coerce more sexually exploitative images and videos from her, distributing those images and selling some of the images to her uncle.
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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the GBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim is prosecuting the case, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom.
MS-13 Leader Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and MurderRead the Press Release
A New Jersey man was sentenced to life in prison today for murder in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Miguel Angel Corea Diaz aka Reaper, 41, of Long Branch, a leader in the transnational criminal enterprise La Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13, was convicted by a federal jury on Nov. 23, 2021, after a four-week trial. Co-defendant Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno aka Insolente and Trankilo, 24, of Landover, Maryland, was also convicted at trial and faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25.
According to court documents, MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. MS-13 has branches or “cliques” that operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland and elsewhere on the East Coast.
“The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the violence perpetrated by MS-13. With the help of members of our communities we will work to bring to justice those MS-13 members who commit these horrible crimes.”
“As members of MS-13, Corea Diaz and his co-conspirators were ruthless and showed no regard for human life by extorting innocent people, tampering with witnesses, and ordering a murder over a drug dispute,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office. “With today’s sentence, Corea Diaz will no longer be able to commit senseless violence and homicidal acts on our streets. The FBI remains steadfast in our resolve to work with our partners to ensure that individuals like Corea Diaz are held accountable for their crimes and to eliminate MS-13's violence from our communities.”
“The ruthlessness of MS-13 in pursuit of profits shows a clear link between violence and the illicit drug trade,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Today’s sentence won’t undo the harm Diaz is responsible for, but it ensures that for the rest of his life, he will no longer be a direct threat to the communities he terrorized for so long. DEA will continue to work tirelessly with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure violent criminals like Diaz are taken off the streets, helping to make American communities safer and healthier.”
“Any time we can get a notorious gang member off the streets, it is a victory for both law enforcement and law-abiding citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore. “In this case, the criminal is particularly violent, and now he will face the consequences of his crimes. HSI is grateful to have worked with our partnering federal and local law enforcement agencies to make the communities safer for the citizens of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.”
According to evidence presented at trial, between 2015 and 2018, Corea Diaz and his co-defendant Alvarado-Requeno controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or Sailors) Clique. This Sailors Clique was involved in a host of significant criminal activity including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Evidence showed that the gang ran a “protection” scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.” The gang also trafficked in illegal drugs, including heroin and cocaine. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
According to evidence presented at trial, the Sailors Clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules. In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana. In response, Corea-Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the minor. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, Corea Diaz and Alvarado-Requeno helped to hide and protect the killers from law enforcement.
The FBI and HSI investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the DEA’s Washington and New York Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office, and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.
Los Angeles Paralegal Admits Role in Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Legal U.S. Residency for Members of Philippines-Based ChurchRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles paralegal has agreed to plead guilty to participating in a conspiracy to violate U.S. immigration laws by preparing and filing fraudulent documents that sought legal permanent residency and citizenship for members of a Philippines-based church who allegedly worked as fundraisers for a bogus charity operated by the church, the Justice Department announced today.
In a plea agreement filed today in United States District Court, Maria De Leon, 73, a resident of the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles and the owner of Liberty Legal Document Services, agreed to plead guilty to participating in a scheme with administrators of the church, which is known as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC).
In addition to pleading guilty, De Leon agreed to cooperate in the government’s case.
De Leon admitted in the plea agreement to participating for about eight years in the conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and visa fraud with the leaders of the KOJC.
“At the time [De Leon] completed the immigration paperwork for certain KOJC members, [she] knew that the immigration paperwork was based upon false representations of the bona fides of the underlying marriages” made by church officials, according to the plea agreement.
De Leon admitted to submitting fraudulent “Petitions for Alien Relative” and related paperwork on behalf of KOJC members knowing or believing that the marriages were arranged for purposes of securing favorable immigration status for a spouse.
De Leon is one of nine defendants who were charged in November 2021 in a 42-count superseding indictment that alleges a labor trafficking scheme that used fraudulently obtained visas to bring KOJC members to the United States, where they were forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity – the Glendale-based Children’s Joy Foundation (CJF). The indictment alleges that the donations were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.
Members who proved successful at soliciting for the KOJC were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to acquire legal status in the United States so they could continue soliciting donations, the indictment alleges. Many of the workers were moved around the United States to solicit donations as CJF “volunteers,” who were also called Full Time Miracle Workers, according to the indictment, which alleges these “workers fundraised for KOJC nearly every day, year-round, working very long hours, and often sleeping in cars overnight.”
The superseding indictment also alleges a sex trafficking scheme that implicates KOJC’s leader, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, who was referred to as “The Appointed Son of God.”
De Leon is one of six defendants previously arrested in this case. The remaining five defendants who have appeared in federal court in Los Angeles are currently scheduled to be tried on March 21, 2023.
Three of the defendants, including Quiboloy, are fugitives believed to be in the Philippines.
The court is expected to soon schedule a hearing for De Leon to formally enter her guilty plea to the conspiracy count. Once she pleads guilty, De Leon will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
As part of the investigation, the FBI is encouraging potential victims or anyone with information about KOJC activities to contact investigators. Those with information are asked to call the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565. Individuals may also contact the FBI through its website at https://www.fbi.gov/tips.
The investigation into KOJC activities is being led by the FBI, which is receiving substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel H. Ahn, Jake D. Nare and Benjamin D. Lichtman of the Santa Ana Branch Office, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Angela C. Makabali of the General Crimes Section, are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney Katharine Schonbachler of the Asset Forfeiture Section is also working on the matter.
Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Schuylkill County, PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today is seeking to join the lawsuit Doe et al. v. Schuylkill County et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs in this case are four female employees of Schuylkill County who allege that County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr., sexually harassed them and that they experienced retaliation when they opposed Halcovage’s sexual harassment. The allegations in the United States’ complaint in intervention, as described in detail below, include multiple incidents of sexual advances and of coercion of sexual intercourse, and inappropriate sex-based comments occurring over many years.
“When an elected official abuses their power and position to sexually harass public servants in the workplace they can and must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit sends a clear message that the Department of Justice will not tolerate sexual harassment and will vindicate the rights of survivors.”
“No one should be forced to endure sexual harassment and then have that injury compounded by suffering retaliation for complaining about that harassment in the workplace,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus for the Middle of Pennsylvania. “Our office will work diligently with the Civil Rights Division to enforce the right to be free from unlawful workplace harassment and retaliation.”
The United States’ complaint in intervention alleges that Schuylkill County violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when it subjected the four women to Halcovage’s sexual harassment and retaliated against them because they opposed his sexual harassment. Halcovage used his power as a County Commissioner to coerce one of the women, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, to have sex with him numerous times. Halcovage sexually harassed the other three women through among other things, crude sexual comments, obscene jokes and spreading a false rumor that he had had sex with one of them. High-ranking Schuylkill County officials were aware of Halcovage’s sexual harassment, but failed to take any actions to stop it until one of the women filed a written complaint. After the County investigated the written complaint, it determined that Halcovage had violated the County’s sexual harassment policy. Despite this finding, the County took no disciplinary action against him and he continues to serve as a Schuylkill County Commissioner. The County retaliated against the four women because of their opposition to Halcovage’s sexual harassment by, among other things, moving two of them to less desirable office locations and demoting the other two. Despite a clear conflict of interest and his obvious motive to retaliate against them, Halcovage cast the decisive vote to demote the two women.
The United States’ complaint in intervention is based on charges of discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Philadelphia District Office, which investigated the charges and found reasonable cause to believe Schuylkill County violated Title VII. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charges to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department’s proposed intervention in this lawsuit is part of a joint effort to enhance collaboration between the department and the EEOC in the vigorous enforcement of Title VII.
This lawsuit is also part of the Civil Rights Division’s Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative. The initiative is aimed at eradicating sexual harassment in state and local government workplaces. It focuses on litigation, outreach, and development of effective remedial measures to address and prevent future sex discrimination and harassment.
This lawsuit is being handled by Trial Attorneys Allan Townsend and Amber Trzinski Fox of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Butler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Employment Litigation Section is available on its websites www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.
Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Fair Housing Act Case Alleging Unlawful Exclusion of Tenants Who Do Not Speak EnglishRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a Statement of Interest today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York explaining how policies that exclude rental housing applicants because they do not speak English may violate the Fair Housing Act.
The Statement of Interest was filed in CNY Fair Housing v. Swiss Village LLC, et al., a lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by refusing to rent apartments to applicants who are limited English proficient (LEP) unless someone who speaks and reads English lives in the unit. The defendants own and manage apartments in Dewitt, New York. The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants refused the applicants’ offers to bring their own interpreters to translate lease documents and assist with communications.
“Refusing to rent to people who do not speak English makes finding safe and affordable housing especially hard for people who come to the United States from countries where English is not the primary language,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When housing providers ban prospective tenants who do not speak English well, their actions may violate the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin, race and other protected characteristics. As we celebrate Fair Housing Month, the Department of Justice underscores its commitment to fighting for fair housing across our nation and ensuring that housing providers respect the federal civil rights of people who do not read or speak English fluently.”
“The right to housing is fundamental to full participation in society,” said U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman for the Northern District of New York. “When landlords engage in practices or enact policies that disparately impact people who have come to America from non-English speaking countries, these actions must be strictly scrutinized for potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. My office is proud to partner with the Civil Rights Division in regard to this matter.”
“HUD commends the Justice Department for pursuing the housing rights of those who call America home,” said Demetria L. McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Relying on recent Census data, CNY Fair Housing’s complaint alleges that the defendants’ LEP exclusion policy imposes an unjustified disparate impact on the basis of national origin and race. The complaint also alleges that the defendants’ restrictive language policy was a pretext to discriminate against applicants based on their national origin and race.
Among its protections, the FHA prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of national origin or race. The Statement of Interest explains how a restrictive language policy may violate the FHA when it has a disparate impact or is used as a proxy or pretext for discrimination based on national origin or race, as alleged in plaintiff’s complaint. It also discusses how the plaintiff’s allegations are consistent with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Guidance on Fair Housing Act Protections for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, which clarifies how restrictive language policies may run afoul of the FHA.
CNY Fair Housing v. Swiss Village et al. was filed in the Northern District of New York in November 2021. The defendants have moved to have the case dismissed. CNY Fair Housing opposes that motion, and the Justice Department’s Statement of Interest agrees that dismissal of the complaint would be inappropriate. The motion is now pending before the court.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status (having one or more children under 18), national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination submit a report online at www.civilrights.justice.gov. Such individuals also may contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Fair Housing Act Case Alleging Unlawful Exclusion of Tenants Who Do Not Speak EnglishRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – The Justice Department filed a Statement of Interest today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York explaining how policies that exclude rental housing applicants because they do not speak English may violate the Fair Housing Act.
The Statement of Interest was filed in CNY Fair Housing v. Swiss Village LLC, et al., a lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by refusing to rent apartments to applicants who are limited English proficient (LEP) unless someone who speaks and reads English lives in the unit. The defendants own and manage apartments in Dewitt, New York. The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants refused the applicants’ offers to bring their own interpreters to translate lease documents and assist with communications.
“Refusing to rent to people who do not speak English makes finding safe and affordable housing especially hard for people who come to the United States from countries where English is not the primary language,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When housing providers ban prospective tenants who do not speak English well, their actions may violate the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin, race and other protected characteristics. As we celebrate Fair Housing Month, the Department of Justice underscores its commitment to fighting for fair housing across our nation and ensuring that housing providers respect the federal civil rights of people who do not read or speak English fluently.”
“The right to housing is fundamental to full participation in society,” said U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman for the Northern District of New York. “When landlords engage in practices or enact policies that disparately impact people who have come to America from non-English speaking countries, these actions must be strictly scrutinized for potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. My office is proud to partner with the Civil Rights Division in regard to this matter.”
“HUD commends the Justice Department for pursuing the housing rights of those who call America home,” said Demetria L. McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Relying on recent Census data, CNY Fair Housing’s complaint alleges that the defendants’ LEP exclusion policy imposes an unjustified disparate impact on the basis of national origin and race. The complaint also alleges that the defendants’ restrictive language policy was a pretext to discriminate against applicants based on their national origin and race.
Among its protections, the FHA prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of national origin or race. The Statement of Interest explains how a restrictive language policy may violate the FHA when it has a disparate impact or is used as a proxy or pretext for discrimination based on national origin or race, as alleged in plaintiff’s complaint. It also discusses how the plaintiff’s allegations are consistent with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Guidance on Fair Housing Act Protections for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, which clarifies how restrictive language policies may run afoul of the FHA.
CNY Fair Housing v. Swiss Village et al. was filed in the Northern District of New York in November 2021. The defendants have moved to have the case dismissed. CNY Fair Housing opposes that motion, and the Justice Department’s Statement of Interest agrees that dismissal of the complaint would be inappropriate. The motion is now pending before the court.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status (having one or more children under 18), national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination submit a report online at www.civilrights.justice.gov. Such individuals also may contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Justice Department Announces Superseding Indictment Charging 12 in Gun-Running Conspiracy to Supply Firearms to Gang Members in ChicagoRead the Press Release
A 21-count superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday charges 12 individuals with conspiring to violate federal firearms statutes, including engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; transporting and receiving firearms into another state; making false statements to a federally licensed firearm dealer; conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and to use and carry firearms in relation to crimes of violence; and conspiring to commit money laundering, as well as other related substantive offenses.
“The Justice Department recognizes that fighting violent crime requires approaches tailored to the needs of individual communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “But gun violence can be a problem that is too big for any one community, any one city, or any one agency to solve. That is why our approach to disrupting gun violence and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals rests on the kind of coordination you see here today.”
Wednesday morning, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI) and officers from the Chicago Police Department and the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department began arresting those charged in the indictment. As of this morning, six of those charged are in custody and the remaining defendants are currently being sought by law enforcement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois will handle the initial appearances by all defendants before they are transferred to the Middle District of Tennessee for further proceedings.
In July 2021, Demarcus Adams, 21; Jarius Brunson, 22; and Brandon Miller, 22, were enlisted members of the U.S. Army and stationed at the Fort Campbell military installation in Clarksville, Tennessee, and were charged by indictment with crimes stemming from the purchase and transfer of dozens of firearms to the streets of Chicago. In addition to these defendants, this superseding indictment charges the following nine individuals in the conspiracies and other substantive offenses: Blaise Smith, 29; Rahaeem Johnson, aka Rah, 24; Bryant Larkin, 33; Corey Curtis, 26; Elijah Tillman, 24; Lazarus Greenwood, aka Zarro, 23; Dwight Lowry, aka Ike, 41; Dreshion Parks, 25, all of Chicago; and Terrell Mitchell, 27, of Davenport, Iowa.
The indictment alleges that the new defendants are members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in the Pocket Town neighborhood of Chicago. Between December 2020 and April 2021, the defendants conspired to purchase and deliver over 90 illegally obtained firearms to the Chicago area to facilitate the ongoing violent disputes between the Pocket Town Gangster Disciples and their rival gangs.
The indictment further alleges the methods used by co-conspirators to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in the Clarksville, Tennessee and Oak Grove, Kentucky areas, which included communicating via text messages to coordinate the purchase and delivery of firearms to the Chicago area; providing false information on firearms purchase application forms; and using online apps to facilitate payment for the illegal transfer of firearms. On one occasion, the indictment alleges that in addition to several firearms available for sale, Brandon Miller had 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition available for purchase.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on one or more of the charged counts.
The announcement was made by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland; U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee; U.S. Attorney John Lausch for the Northern District of Illinois; Special Agent in Charge Mickey French of the ATF Nashville Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Kristen de Tineo of the ATF Chicago Field Division; Karen Wingerd, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI, Charlotte Field Office; and Assistant Director Guy Surian for Investigations and Operations, U.S. Army - Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
This case is being investigated by the ATF-Nashville, Chicago, and Des Moines Divisions; the U.S. Army-CID; the IRS-CI - Charlotte and Chicago Field Offices; the Clarksville, Tenn. Police Department; the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Crime Gun Intelligence Center; and the Davenport, Iowa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Kurtzman and Kathryn Risinger are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Insurance company owner sentenced after lying to bankruptcy court, underreporting incomeRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County insurance company owner has been sentenced to federal prison for lying in bankruptcy court and his tax returns.
Jaques Andres Frym, 53, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to False Oath in Relation to a Bankruptcy Proceeding, and Filing a False Tax-Related Document, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Frym to pay a fine of $30,000, and restitution of $112,042.12.
“The integrity of our bankruptcy courts and tax systems depend on honest, forthright presentations from citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Jacques Frym violated that trust by lying to the court and on his tax documents, and is being held accountable.”
As described in court documents and testimony, from 2005 to 2021 Frym was the owner and agent of numerous business entities engaged in the sale of insurance. In 2015, Frym caused the creation of an entity named Federal Employee Benefits with his wife listed as the sole owner.
In 2016, Frym filed for bankruptcy to discharge $5 million in debt, and under oath claimed he performed no work for FEB “when, in fact, he knew that he sold, and was the primary individual responsible for selling, insurance contracts on behalf of FEB.”
In addition, Frym admitted that in 2018 he significantly underreported his income when filing his personal tax returns.
The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Harper III and Asset Recovery Unit Chief Xavier A. Cunningham.
Hastings Man Sentenced for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that James Mitchell, 34, of Hastings, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 31, 2022, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard to 15 years in federal prison for possession of 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, with intent to distribute. Following his prison term, Mitchell will serve ten years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In January of 2020, James Mitchell was stopped by North Platte police driving a Chevy Cobalt with only one working headlight. The officer could smell marijuana. Mitchell admitted to the officer that he had just smoked marijuana and stated there may be more in the vehicle. The officer then searched the vehicle and found marijuana and methamphetamine.
The following month, in February of 2020, deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Troopers from the Nebraska State Patrol were at Lake Maloney State Recreation Area south of North Platte, following up on an unrelated investigation. Mitchell, driving a Chevy Cobalt, slowed down and came to a stop near the law enforcement officers. Two officers recognized Mitchell and knew there to be an active warrant for his arrest. He was given verbal commands to get out of the car. Mitchell did not comply, put the car in reverse, accelerated rapidly, and backed into a parked patrol vehicle. The side mirror on Mitchell’s car struck a deputy attempting to arrest Mitchell. Mitchell then drove forward in the direction of the deputies at which time a deputy fired his weapon striking Mitchell. Mitchell was taken to the hospital where he admitted to using marijuana and methamphetamine and was treated for his injuries. Deputies found four bags of methamphetamine in Mitchell’s vehicle. All four bags tested positive for methamphetamine with the largest bag being 75 grams of actual or pure methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol, the North Platte Police Department, and the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force, which is made up of officers from the Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff, Hastings Police Department, Adams County Sheriff, Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff, Nebraska State Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Harford County Felon Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child to Produce Child Pornography and to Illegal Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Travis Joseph Crawford, age 34, of Edgewood, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to Crawford’s plea agreement and other court documents, on November 30, 2020, Harford County Sheriff’s deputies went to Crawford’s residence, based on a warrant issued for Crawford by Maryland State Police for firearm related offenses. When the officers arrived, they heard Crawford call, “Where’s my gun?” Crawford was arrested and law enforcement recovered an Apple iPhone 7, an Apple Watch, and a fully-loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
A search warrant subsequently executed on Crawford’s phone revealed three sexually explicit videos involving Jane Doe, all of which were recorded without her knowledge or permission. Specifically, on two occasions in July 2020, when Jane Doe was 12 years old, Crawford produced videos of Crawford’s hand touching Jane Doe’s buttocks and genitals over her shorts while Jane Doe slept. On November 29, 2020, when Jane Doe was 13 years old, Crawford hid his iPhone under the sink in a bathroom used by Jane Doe and recorded a video of Jane Doe in the bathroom, undressing and getting into and out of the shower.
Crawford was previously convicted of a felony and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
As a result of his guilty plea, upon his release from prison, Crawford will also be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Crawford and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Crawford will be sentenced to at least 15 years, but no more than 22 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled Crawford’s sentencing hearing for July 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Crawford remains detained.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, ATF, the Maryland State Police, and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Hardy County man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – David Abreu, of Fisher, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Abreu, 41, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine – Aiding and Abetting.” Abreu admitted to selling methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth” and “ice,” in Hardy County in February 2021.
Abreu 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 Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Fox Valley Restaurant Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling announced that on March 31, 2022, Luis A. Morales (age: 41), the former owner of Mr. Taco and Savor Food & Spirits, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to court filings, Morales was the leader of a local drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing numerous kilograms of cocaine throughout the Fox Valley area from approximately 2014 until December 2020. Investigators learned that Morales commonly traveled to the Chicago, Illinois, area to obtain large amounts of cocaine. He also frequently traveled to Mexico and Colombia. The Mr. Taco Kimberly location was often used to distribute and accept payments for cocaine.
After a lengthy investigation, Morales was arrested during a traffic stop on Highway 41 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in December 2020. Two kilograms of cocaine were located in the back seat of his vehicle. After the traffic stop, investigators identified and searched the location of Morales’s source of supply in Chicago, Illinois, where they located an additional 11 kilograms of cocaine and approximately $80,000 in cash. Investigators then executed search warrants at various residences and all of Morales’s restaurants, where they located additional cocaine, cash, and firearms. The evidence further established that Morales had direct ties and confirmed contacts with Cartel Jalisco New Generation (“CJNG”), a violent Mexican cartel.
During the sentencing hearing, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach noted that by purchasing large quantities of cocaine from members and associates of CJNG, Morales financially supported a large criminal enterprise known for destroying other countries and communities. Judge Griesbach also emphasized that Morales was driven by greed and took advantage of other people’s addictions.
Morales’s incarceration will be followed by ten years of supervised release. Judge Griesbach also ordered a money judgment of forfeiture in the amount of $150,000 in addition to the approximately $145,000 already seized and forfeited.
The successful prosecution of this case was the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration—Green Bay Resident Office (DEA-GBRO), the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group—Drug Unit (LWAM), and the Wisconsin Department of Justice—Department of Criminal Investigation. Several other law enforcement agencies assisted throughout this investigation, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Wisconsin National Guard Counterdrug Program, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Appleton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros prosecuted the case.
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For further information contact:
Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales
(414) 297-1700
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Former deputy sheriff convicted of drug traffickingRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A former deputy with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Baldemar Cardenas, 36, Mission, admitted that in January 2020, he conspired with members of a drug trafficking organization.
Members of the group would receive kilogram quantities of highly-pure cocaine. They would then utilize small portions of the drugs to create sham cocaine with very low purity.
Cardenas would ensure authorities seized the fake bundles. The seizure would allow the co-conspirators to avoid responsibility for stealing the cocaine from their source of supply and allow the distribution of the stolen cocaine for profit.
In order to further the scheme and in exchange for $10,000, Cardenas provided information to law enforcement in order to effectuate the seizure of the sham bundles. Cardenas falsely claimed a confidential source provided the information. Based on the information he gave, law enforcement seized the multi-kilogram sham bundles of cocaine.
Laboratory testing conducted on the bundles revealed a cocaine purity level of only 1.5%.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa accepted the plea and set sentencing for June 14. At that time, he faces a minimum of five and up to 40 years in prison. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigation conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, and Mission Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is prosecuting the case.
The plea is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation Muchos Primos. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States. It uses 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.
Former Sri Lankan Ambassador Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Sri Lankan GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former ambassador for Sri Lanka pleaded guilty today to diverting and attempting to embezzle $332,027 from the government of Sri Lanka during its 2013 purchase of a new embassy building in Washington, D.C.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division.
Jaliya Chitran Wickramasuriya, 61, of Arlington, Virginia, served as ambassador for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the United States and to Mexico from 2008 to 2014. He pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.
The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled sentencing for July 20, 2022.
According to court documents, from in or around late 2012 through November 2013, Wickramasuriya devised a scheme to defraud the government of Sri Lanka during its 2013 purchase of a new embassy building in Washington, D.C. by inflating the price of the real estate transaction by $332,027 and, at closing, diverting those funds from the government to two companies which had no role in the real estate transaction. At and after the January 2013 closing, Wickramasuriya directed these payments. Later in 2013, Wickramasuriya ultimately had an equal amount of funds redirected back to government accounts, leaving the Sri Lankan government with no loss.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, HSI Special Agent in Charge Villanueva, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from Homeland Security Investigations and FBI. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the prosecution of the case, including Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela DeFalco, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Grisier, Alejandra Arias and Steven Brantley, of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind Lal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Christian A. Levesque, Acting Deputy Chief of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions (HRSP) Section of the Department’s Criminal Division. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.