Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Friday 18 February 2022
Arizona Prison Inmate Charged with Brokering Sale of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in IllinoisRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An inmate in a state prison in Arizona has been charged with federal drug offenses for allegedly brokering the sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Illinois.
A criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges MANUEL GARCIA, also known as “Chuy,” 42, with distribution of controlled substances.
Garcia has been incarcerated since 2010 by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. In the summer of 2021, while residing at the Eyman Arizona State Prison Complex, Garcia allegedly coordinated with a buyer outside of the prison to purchase methamphetamine and fentanyl for delivery to Illinois. Garcia negotiated the transaction, including sending photos of the methamphetamine via video chat, using a cell phone he had smuggled into the prison, the complaint states. Garcia had approximately a pound of crystal methamphetamine and nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills sent to the buyer at an address in Joliet, Ill., the complaint states. Unbeknownst to Garcia, the buyer was cooperating with law enforcement. On July 8, 2021, law enforcement intercepted the package of narcotics upon arrival at a U.S. Postal facility in Forest Park, Ill.
In the days that followed, Garcia allegedly directed the buyer to meet a third party and pay him on Garcia’s behalf for the fentanyl and methamphetamine. On July 14, 2021, with law enforcement covertly watching, the buyer met with Garcia’s representative in a parking lot at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and provided $11,100 as payment to Garcia for the narcotics, the complaint states.
Garcia currently resides at the Florence Arizona State Prison Complex. His initial appearance in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys A.J. Dixon and Megan DeMarco.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Thursday 17 February 2022
Wolf Point man who assaulted man in head with bat sentenced to 32 months in prisonRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Wolf Point man who admitted to attacking a man in the head with a bat on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 32 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Harry B. Azure, 22, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $13,505 restitution.
In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that on Nov. 19, 2019 in Wolf Point, Azure and another individual broke through the door of the residence of the victim, identified as John Doe, struck the victim multiple times in the head with a small baseball bat and left. The victim initially was treated at a local hospital then flown to Billings because of the severity of injuries.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Johnson, prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Fort Peck Tribal Police.
XXX
Whitehall man admits receiving child pornographyRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Whitehall man suspected of downloading child pornography for approximately six years admitted charges on Feb. 16, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.
Tyler D. Pinnt, 35, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with receipt of child pornography. Pinnt faces a mandatory minimum five years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years to a lifetime of supervised release and special assessments.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for May 19 and continued Pinnt’s release pending further proceedings. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The government alleged in court documents that Pinnt received child pornography from about March 2015 to July 2021. The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was investigating Pinnt for online crimes against children and on July 13, 2021, served a search warrant on his residence near Whitehall. Agents seized several computers and cellular phones and conducted a forensic examination of the devices. At the time of the search, Pinnt admitted in an interview that he found child pornography online and that agents would locate child pornography on his laptop and desktop computers. Investigators located child pornography images and videos on Pinnt’s two phones and his computers and determined that Pinnt had downloaded the material between March 2015 and July 2021.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Helena Police Department and Seattle (Washington) Police Department Human Trafficking Unit.
This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.
XXX
West Virginia Man Admits Traveling to PA to Have Sex with a MinorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Moundsville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Jason Lynn, age 43, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that beginning on April 4, 2019, Lynn began communicating with an undercover FBI agent purporting to be a minor. From April 4, 2019 through May 3, 2019, Lynn chatted with the undercover Agent. During their conversations, Lynn expressed his desire to engage in sexual conduct with the minor. The undercover Agent told Lynn that he was under 18 years of age. Lynn told the purported minor to delete the chats so that they would not get in trouble. Lynn made arrangements to travel to Pittsburgh and meet with the minor at a hotel downtown. On May 3, 2019, Lynn traveled in interstate commerce, from West Virginia to the state of Pennsylvania, to meet the purported minor. Agents arrested Lynn in downtown Pittsburgh.
Judge Hornak has not yet set a date for the sentencing hearing. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 30 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the defendant remains in custody.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lynn.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Virginia Woman Who Fled to Nicaragua with Her Child for More Than A Decade Pleads Guilty to International Parental KidnappingRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorneys Trini E. Ross, of the Western District of New York, and Nikolas Kerest, of the District of Vermont, announced today that Lisa Miller, 53, formerly of Virginia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Defendant Miller was in a civil union with Janet Jenkins under Vermont law. Miller was artificially inseminated during the civil union and had a child, IMJ. In 2003, Miller sought termination of the civil union and disputes arose regarding Miller’s and Jenkins' parental rights of IMJ. Miller disputed those parental rights in both Virginia and Vermont courts. Prior to September 2009, Jenkins had been awarded parental rights in Vermont. In early September 2009, the Vermont family court, which had jurisdiction over the dispute regarding the parental rights of IMJ, ordered that Janet Jenkins was entitled to an unsupervised parental visit with IMJ on the weekend of September 25, 2009. Miller was aware of the court ordered visit but did not want to allow unsupervised visitation for that weekend. In the early morning of September 22, 2009, Miller removed IMJ from the United States to Canada via Buffalo, NY, and eventually to Nicaragua, with the intention to take IMJ out of the country in order to obstruct Jenkins' court ordered parental rights. Miller remained out of the country until she voluntarily returned to the United States in January 2021, after IMJ had reached 18 years of age.
Three other defendants were charged and convicted for their roles in this case. Philip Zodhiates was charged in the Western District of New York and convicted following a jury trial of international parental kidnapping and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping and sentenced to serve 36 months in prison. Zodhiates organized the kidnapping of IMJ. He also assisted in the recruitment of Mennonite Pastor Kenneth Miller, who was convicted following a jury trial of international parental kidnapping in the District of Vermont and sentenced to serve 27 months in prison. Timothy Miller was also charged, convicted, and sentenced to time served (eight months) for his role in assisting Lisa Miller. He purchased a one-way plane ticket for Lisa Miller and IMJ to travel from Toronto, Ontario to Nicaragua. Upon their arrival in Nicaragua, Timothy Miller assisted Lisa Miller and IMJ financially including providing them with shelter.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Vermont Office of the U.S. Marshal’s Service, under the direction of Marshal Bradley Larose; and the Vermont Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent-in-Charge. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael DiGiacomo and Paul Van de Graaf are handling the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 9, 2022, before Judge Arcara.
Utica Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Prison for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Frank Hunter, 37, of Utica, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 121 months in federal prison for his role in a drug conspiracy that trafficked cocaine, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl in Utica from July 2018 through July 2019, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen, and Chief Mark Williams, Utica Police Department.
The multi-agency investigation began in March of 2017 and culminated in the federal arrest of Frank Hunter on July 23, 2019, following the execution of several search warrants in Utica where drugs, cash, and other evidence was seized.
In addition to his prison sentence, Frank Hunter was also sentenced to a post-incarceration term of supervised release of 5-years. The Court also directed the forfeiture of unrecovered assets Hunter acquired through the distribution of drugs consisting of a money judgment in the amount of $518,080.00.
Also forfeited by Frank Hunter were:
$3,241.57 from a credit union account
$5,266.59 from a credit union account
$6,722.07 from a credit union account
$8,226.53 from a credit union account
$4,415.24 from a credit union account
$66,060.00 in U.S. currency
$36,005.00 in U.S. currency
$4,391.00 in U.S. currency
$4,100.00 in money orders
A 2011 Ford Explorer SUV
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by New York State Police-Special Investigations Unit (NYSP-SIU), Investigators from the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, members of the City of Utica Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Beaty, Special Assistant U.S Attorney Grant Garramone, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick.
U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee Statement on the Honorable D. Brock Hornby Taking Inactive Senior StatusRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby presided over his final proceeding this afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Portland. Following the proceeding, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee issued the following statement on Judge Hornby taking inactive senior status:
“Having served in the state and federal courts of Maine for now forty years, Judge Hornby possesses superior intellect, compassion, and fairness. He always treated the litigants and lawyers who appeared before him with patient consideration and respect. As a long-time leader among federal judges across the nation, he made us proud to call him ours. Judge Hornby’s extraordinary contributions have left a remarkable impression on the practice of law in Maine. My colleagues and I at the United States Attorney’s Office, as well as the many who served in the Office before us, are grateful for his service and example.”
# # #
Tillamook County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Tillamook County, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Travis Edmond Samson, 40, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, on April 30, 2020, Tillamook Police Department officers responded to a report of Samson, who had three active arrest warrants, slashing the tires of a minivan parked at a motel in Tillamook. Shortly after the officers arrived on scene, Samson exited the motel’s office and approached the officers. The officers attempted to place Samson under arrest, but he resisted and began reaching for his back pants pocket. The officers managed to subdue Samson and located a loaded .25 caliber handgun in his back pants pocket.
On April 13, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Samson with felon in possession of a firearm. On September 20, 2021, he pleaded guilty to the single charge.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Tillamook Police Department with assistance from the FBI and ATF. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady A. Adams.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Three Guatemalans Extradited to the United States on International Cocaine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 17, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Three Guatemalan nationals who were extradited to the United States from Guatemala to face international cocaine trafficking charges appeared in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judges Bernard G. Skomal and Jill L. Burkhardt, who ordered that the defendants remain in custody pending trial.
The Guatemalan nationals are charged in three separate indictments stemming from Operation Guerrilla Unit, a long-term investigation spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego.
The Guatemalan nationals include Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez, aka “Metal,” Jorge Alexander Campos-Oliva, aka “Peluda,” and Fabio Josue Campos-Oliva, aka “Black Chivita.” The defendants made their initial court appearances on Friday, February 11, 2022 in San Diego before Judge Skomal.
During today’s detention hearings, and in publicly filed documents, the defendants were described as organizers and leaders in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere. According to the indictment and other public records, each of the defendants and their co-conspirators are alleged to have coordinated the smuggling of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Guatemala with an ultimate destination of the United States.
Defendants Castillo-Hernandez, Jorge Campos-Oliva, and Fabio Campos-Oliva are each charged separately with participating in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere, knowing and intending that the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States. In each of these cases, the conspiracy is alleged to have continued up to and including July 28, 2020.
On August 31, 2021, Castillo-Hernandez, Jorge Alexander Campos-Oliva, and Fabio Josue Campos-Oliva were arrested in Guatemala pursuant to extradition requests from the United States. Guatemala subsequently granted their extradition, and on February 10, 2022, they were extradited to the United States.
Operation Guerrilla Unit is a multi-year investigation targeting high-level cocaine traffickers operating in northwest Guatemala and their suppliers. This investigation has offered one of the most comprehensive views to date of the inner workings of cocaine trafficking in Guatemala. High-level cocaine traffickers were targeted in a massive probe involving multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and a number of federal districts.
“These extraditions send a message to drug traffickers around the world that the Department of Justice will aggressively pursue drug traffickers who earmark multi-ton quantities of cocaine for the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “Due to the collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and this Office, we will always seek to keep these drug traffickers accountable.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and all the law enforcement agencies for their hard work on this case.
“The extradition of these individuals demonstrates the determination of HSI San Diego special agents and our law enforcement partners to bring down critical transportation cells in the cocaine supply network from South America to the United States,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI will continue to pursue the dismantlement of this organization through further arrests and extraditions in its effort to combat the flow of dangerous drugs into the United States.”
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendants.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
DEFENDANT
Case Number 20cr2242-DMS
Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez Age: 29 Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
aka “Metal,” aka “Joker”
Case Number 20cr2241-DMS
Jorge Alexander Campos-Oliva Age: 44 Guatemala City, Guatemala
aka “Peluda,” aka “Papa,” aka “Magico”
Case Number 20cr2240-DMS
Fabio Josue Campos-Oliva Age: 46 Guatemala City, Guatemala
aka “Black Chivita”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, 963
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 853Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
U.S. Coast Guard
HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala
HSI Attaché Mexico City Mexico
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S)
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Terrebonne Parish Man Indicted for over a Kilo of Fentanyl and Multiple FirearmsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JON VERDIN, age 25, of Terrebonne Parish, La., was charged February 11, 2022, in a three (3) count indictment by a federal grand jury with narcotics and firearms charges for possessing over a kilogram of fentanyl and four firearms. Specifically, the federal grand jury charged VERDIN with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A)(vi), as well as Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A)(i), 922(g)(1), and 924(e)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
If convicted of the narcotics trafficking charges, VERDIN faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years and up to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five (5) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. VERDIN also faces an additional, consecutive sixty (60) month term of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to five (5) years of supervised release, if convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Finally, if VERDIN is found to be an Armed Career Criminal due to his criminal history, for his felon in possession of firearms charge, he faces a minimum of fifteen (15) years and up to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to five (5) years of supervised release. For each offense, VERDIN faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the defendants’ guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, Houma Police Department, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Bücher.
Taylorville, Illinois, Man Sentenced to Forty-Eight Months in Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Taylorville, Illinois, man, Daniel S. Ward, 54, of the 1300 block of S. Cardinal Street, was sentenced on February 10, 2022, to 48 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for knowingly possessing 50 or more grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, with intent to distribute.
Ward was indicted in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in June 2021.
The statutory penalties for possession of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute are a minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment to a maximum of life imprisonment, a minimum five-year to a maximum life term of supervised release, and up to a $10,000,000 fine. Ward was eligible for a lower sentence because he was sentenced pursuant to the “safety-valve” provision of 18 U.S.C. §3553(f).
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police Central Illinois Enforcement Group, Taylorville Police Department, and Christian County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass represented the government in the prosecution.
St. Bernard Parish Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Airline Baggage ScamRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DONMONICK MARTIN, age 30, of Chalmette, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 9, 2022 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
According to court documents, MARTIN conspired to defraud commercial airlines through the submission of false claims for reimbursement for lost baggage. In January 2021, MARTIN’s co-conspirator Pernell Jones, Jr. (“JONES”) took a flight to New Orleans under a fictitious identity. Shortly thereafter, MARTIN went into Louis Armstrong International Airport, assumed the same fictitious identity, and falsely told American Airlines that his bag had been lost on the flight. Court documents also allege that, on four occasions, JONES submitted false claims for lost baggage to airlines under false identities and MARTIN agreed to accept the reimbursement funds from the airlines on JONES’s behalf to help JONES evade detection. In November 2021, JONES pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. JONES is set to be sentenced in February 2022.
MARTIN faces up to a maximum term of five (5) years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for May 4, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans would like to acknowledge the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Dallas Police Department. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni.
Socorro Man Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
EL PASO – A federal grand jury in El Paso returned an indictment yesterday charging a Socorro man with two counts of child pornography.
According to court documents, from October 30, 2020 to January 21, 2022, Hector Anthony Segura, 33, allegedly downloaded numerous visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct onto his electronic devices.
Segura is charged with one count of Receipt and Distribution of a Visual Depiction Involving the Sexual Violation of a Minor and one count of Possession of a Visual Depiction Involving the Sexual Violation of a Minor. The defendant is scheduled for his arraignment on March 11, 2022 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leon Schydlower of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison on the receipt and distribution charge and up to 20 years in prison for the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Valenzuela is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Sex Trafficking Trial Ends in Guilty Verdict against Houston ManRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Kevondric Fezia, 26, of Houston, Texas, has been found guilty by a federal jury in Lafayette on sex trafficking charges. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. presided over the trial.
An indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2021, charging Fezia and his co-defendant, Calista Jenee Winfrey, 23, of Orange, Texas. The indictment charged Fezia and Winfrey both with one count of sex trafficking, and Fezia with one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in prostitution. Winfrey entered a guilty plea prior to the trial.
The trial began this week and after deliberating for a short time yesterday afternoon, a federal jury in Lafayette found Fezia guilty on both counts. Testimony at the trial revealed that beginning in November 2020, Fezia was recruiting minor females to engage in prostitution and began communicating with a 14-year-old female in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Fezia was well aware when he began communicating with her that she was a minor, but he still pursued her and tried to convince her that she would make a lot of money by engaging in prostitution for him. The minor victim made a decision to run away with Fezia to Texas and on February 13, 2021, he drove his Mercedes Benz and picked up the minor victim and took her to Texas. Winfrey and Fezia both were well aware that the victim was only 14 years old, but they continued to try and convince her to engage in prostitution.
Both defendants traveled with the minor victim to a hotel in Beaumont, Texas and introduced her to another prostitute that was working for Fezia who was 16 years old. Winfrey engaged in multiple acts of prostitution in the presence of the minor victim at the hotel, continually trying to convince the minor victim that she should also engage in prostitution. Fezia took photographs of both minor girls and the other prostitutes he was employing and posted them on his Instagram account as an advertisement, along with a visible geo tag showing those who saw the advertisement where to go to engage in sexual acts with the girls.
When the minor victim’s grandmother realized that she had run away from home, she began looking at the child’s social media accounts and found the communications between her granddaughter and Fezia. She then contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement officers were able to identify Fezia and found him at his apartment in Houston, Texas, along with other prostitutes and the minor victim. He attempted to hide her in the closet, but she and the other 16-year-old prostitute were found.
Fezia and Winfrey each face a maximum sentence of life in prison, not less than 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Sentencing for Fezia and Winfrey has been scheduled for June 23, 2022, at 9:00.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Lake Charles Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Luke Walker and John W. Nickel.
# # #
Scottsbluff Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Dillon Morgan, 24, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief United States Chief District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Morgan to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Law enforcement, with the WING Task Force (Western Nebraska Intelligence Narcotics Group), utilized a confidential informant (CI) to purchase methamphetamine from Morgan. On February 25, 2020, the CI purchased 29 grams of methamphetamine from Morgan. On March 2, 2020, the CI purchased 30 grams of methamphetamine from Morgan. On March 3, 2020, law enforcement arrested Morgan with two grams of meth. Morgan was distributing methamphetamine to other individuals in the Alliance and Scottsbluff areas.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the WING Task Force.
Sacaton Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Stabbing DeathRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nina Maria Harrison, 36, of Sacaton, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Harrison previously pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter.
On February 22, 2020, Harrison stabbed the victim multiple times, killing her. The attack took place on the Gila River Indian Community, where Harrison is an enrolled member.
The Gila River Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Raynette Logan, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00186-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-014_Harrison# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Recidivist Defendant Sentenced to 120 Months for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography.
James B. Clawson Sr., 59, was convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia of possession of child pornography on Aug. 26, 2021. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Clawson was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in the Eastern District of Virginia after law enforcement discovered that he was serving as the administrator of an online forum dedicated to child sexual abuse material and distributing such material to members of his forum.
While on a term of federal supervised release in connection with this conviction, a U.S. Probation Officer visited Clawson’s home and found a laptop and thumb drives in a hidden compartment in Clawson’s closet. Though Clawson had denied owning a laptop, law enforcement’s investigation established that Clawson had been using the laptop to search for and download images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which he then stored on one of his thumb drives. Once saved to his thumb drive, Clawson categorized and renamed these files based on the specific sexual conduct they depicted.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth M. Schlessinger and Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s CEOS prosecuted the case.
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 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
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-119.
Recidivist Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Virginia man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography.
James B. Clawson Sr., 59, of Alexandria, was convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia of possession of child pornography on Aug. 26, 2021. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Clawson was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in the Eastern District of Virginia after law enforcement discovered that he was serving as the administrator of an online forum dedicated to child sexual abuse material and distributing such material to members of his forum.
While on a term of federal supervised release in connection with this conviction, a U.S. probation officer visited Clawson’s home and found a laptop and thumb drives in a hidden compartment in Clawson’s closet. Though Clawson had denied owning a laptop, law enforcement’s investigation established that Clawson had been using the laptop to search for and download images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which he then stored on one of his thumb drives. Once saved to his thumb drive, Clawson categorized and renamed these files based on the specific sexual conduct they depicted.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with significant assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth M. Schlessinger of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
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 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Rapid City Woman Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 14, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Megan Lawrence, age 42, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lawrence was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on February 19, 2021. She pleaded guilty on October 22, 2021. Lawrence was involved in a conspiracy responsible for distributing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Rapid City area. Methamphetamine was brought to South Dakota from California by Lawrence's co-conspirators, Larre Hayes and Shelby Tripp Lien. Lawrence helped further distribute the methamphetamine upon its arrival. Lawrence also received packages in the mail containing methamphetamine, coordinated by Hayes. Hayes is awaiting sentencing and Lien is pending trial.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Lawrence was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Three Years for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 3, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Michael “Texas” Cole, age 31, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Cole was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on July 23, 2020. He pleaded guilty on May 28, 2021. Defendant was stopped for driving a vehicle with a suspended license. During the stop, a drug-detection dog alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle and drug paraphernalia was located. Upon the arrest of the defendant fentanyl was discovered in his shoes, which he intended to distribute to others.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Cole was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 12 1/2 years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 4, 2022 by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Anthony Larson, age 40, was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Larson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on September 17, 2020. He pleaded guilty on September 3, 2021. Larson was part of a conspiracy responsible for distributing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in western South Dakota. Others charged in the conspiracy have trial and sentencing dates pending.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Larson was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 7, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Mark Smith, age 44, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Smith was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on March 18, 2021. He pleaded guilty on September 23, 2021. During his involvement in the conspiracy, the Defendant arranged for methamphetamine to be shipped to South Dakota from California. The methamphetamine was then dispersed to others for use and further distribution.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Smith was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Ammunition by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on February 9, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Jake Williams, age 38, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2021, and pleaded guilty on July 26, 2021. The conviction stems from Williams, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing ammunition, knowingly possessing 9mm rounds of ammunition which were found after Williams came into contact with law enforcement in April 2021 at Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Williams was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Attempted Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Possession of Child Pornography was sentenced on February 4, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Michael Ray Hudson, age 34, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Hudson will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Hudson was arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Hudson initiated sexual chats and sought images of child pornography from a person he believed to be a 15-year-old boy, but who was in fact an undercover agent. Hudson then negotiated a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Hudson went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was met by law enforcement and placed under arrest.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Hudson was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – A Raleigh County man pleaded guilty today to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to statements made in court, Lawrence Lee Hart, 61, of Glen Daniel, contacted another user on a dating app on October 1, 2021. Hart was told that the girl was only 13 years old and located in Beckley. After learning the girl’s age and that she was a virgin, Hart offered to teach her about sex. Over the next month, Hart engaged in extensive text and phone conversations with the girl during which he instructed her on masturbation, oral sex, and sexual intercourse. He also asked her to send him a sexually explicit image of herself and sent sexually explicit photographs of himself. On November 5, 2021, Hart was arrested when he went to meet the minor to engage in sexual activity.
Hart faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in June 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-00254.
###
Queens Marine Corps Reservist and Long Island Nurse Indicted for COVID-19 Vaccination Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Jia Liu, a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, and Steven Rodriguez, a nurse at a clinic in Hempstead, New York, with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States Department of Health and Human Services and one count of conspiring to commit forgery in connection with their scheme to distribute and sell false COVID-19 Vaccination Cards. Liu, a Marine Corps reservist, is additionally charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States Department of Defense for providing these cards to United States Marine Corps reservists. The defendants were arrested this morning and will make their initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, by deliberately distributing fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards to the unvaccinated, the defendants put military and other communities at risk of contracting a virus that has already claimed nearly one million lives in this country,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office remains committed to rooting out and prosecuting those individuals who threaten our public health and safety for profit.”
“The COVID-19 vaccination card fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by Liu and Rodriguez resulted in more than 300 stolen or false vaccination cards circulating throughout the community, and in the destruction of multiple doses of a vaccine intended to protect people from the most severe effects of the virus. Schemers who defraud the government in any way—and profit from pocketing the funds—will continue to be held accountable,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Driscoll.
The indictment alleges that from at least March 2021 to February 2022, the defendants conspired to steal and forge COVID-19 Vaccination Cards to falsely record persons as immunized with vaccines that protect against COVID-19, when in reality, they had not been immunized. In addition to selling stolen and false cards to unvaccinated persons, Liu and Rodriguez also conspired to enter false COVID-19 vaccination records into New York state databases, allowing unvaccinated individuals to receive the Excelsior Pass, which displays a user’s vaccination status in a digital app.
According to court documents, Liu purchased blank COVID-19 Vaccination Cards from Rodriguez, and then forged and distributed them to buyers and other co-conspirators for a profit. Liu also directed buyers to meet Rodriguez in person at the healthcare clinic to purchase fraudulent cards. Rodriguez would meet the buyer, but instead of administering the vaccine he destroyed a vial of vaccine intended to be used to vaccinate a patient. He then provided a forged COVID-19 Vaccination Card to the buyer that he completed to make it falsely appear that the buyer had received a dose of vaccine. He further made entries in the Immunization Databases falsely indicating that the buyer had been vaccinated.
After the U.S. Department of Defense imposed a requirement that all active and reserve military service members be vaccinated against COVID-19, from August 2021 to January 2022, Liu created and distributed false COVID-19 Vaccination Cards to United States Marine Corps reservists to help them evade vaccination requirements.
The defendants promoted their scheme through messages on encrypted messaging applications and on social media. They referred to COVID-19 Vaccination Cards using code names, such as “gift cards,” “Cardi Bs,” “Christmas cards” and “Pokemon cards.” The defendants distributed at least 300 stolen or false COVID-19 Vaccination Cards and created more than 70 false entries in the Immunization Databases.
All COVID-19 vaccination providers are required to give individuals who receive a COVID-19 vaccine a COVID-19 Vaccination Card. These COVID-19 Vaccination Cards list the name and date of birth of the patient, name of the manufacturer of the COVID-19 vaccine that the patient received, the date the patient receives it, the lot number of the vaccine dose, and the location where each dose is administered.
Proof of vaccination, as reflected in a COVID-19 Vaccination Card or Excelsior Pass, is required to travel to certain locations and attend certain events where large numbers of people congregate, such as sporting events, concerts, restaurants, and bars. In addition, some employers and government agencies require employees to have received a COVID-19 vaccination. Proof of vaccination requirements are intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 and maximize the safety of the community. In April 2021, the State of New York established the Excelsior Pass. Using patient data recorded in Immunization Databases, an Excelsior Pass stores and displays a user’s vaccination status in a digital app. The pass is intended to be shown at participating businesses and venues as proof of vaccination.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Amir is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
JIA LIU
Age: 26
Queens, New YorkSTEVEN RODRIGUEZ
Age: 27
Long Beach, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-70 (DG)
Queens Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Payroll Tax FraudRead the Press Release
A New York woman pleaded guilty today to employment tax crimes.
According to court documents, Catherine Manzione, of Queens, co-owned and operated All American Transit Mix Crop (All American), a concrete company, with her father, Rocco Manzione. From the second quarter of 2013 through the third quarter of 2017, Catherine and Rocco Manzione withheld federal employment taxes from the wages of All American’s employees, but they did not timely file All American’s employment tax returns, nor did they pay over the required taxes to the IRS. For the second quarter of 2017 alone, they did not pay more than $38,000 in payroll taxes they had withheld from their employees’ wages. In total, Catherine Manzione caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $311,135.
In addition to All American, Rocco Manzione owned and operated at least two other concrete companies. He previously pleaded guilty to payroll tax fraud and tax evasion related to his operation of all three companies. Rocco Manzione is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26.
Catherine Manzione is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Kathryn Carpenter of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Previously Deported Haitian Citizen Arrested at the Cyril E. King AirportRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a citizen of Haiti was arrested on February 14, 2022, at the Cyril E. King Airport on a criminal charge stemming from his illegal reentry into the United States.
According to court documents, Dunord Joseph, 36, presented himself to Customs and Border Protection officials for inspection at the Cyril E. King Airport in hopes of boarding a flight to Orlando, Florida. Records checks revealed that Dunord Joseph had previously been removed from Miami, Florida, on December 18, 2018, and there is no record of him having obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission prior to being found back in the United States on February 14, 2022.
Dunord Joseph is charged with a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1) for returning to and remaining in the United States after having been removed, denied admission, excluded or deported and doing so without the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 2 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Pine Ridge Woman Charged with Discharging a Firearm During an Assault and First Degree BurglaryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Discharge and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, First Degree Burglary, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Samantha Red Feather, age 31, was indicted on January 20, 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on February 4, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges relate to Red Feather entering a residence at Pine Ridge and shooting the owner on October 27, 2021. The charges are merely accusations and Red Feather is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen is prosecuting the case.
Red Feather was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for April 12, 2022.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Assault and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on February 4, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Timothy George Buckman, age 37, was sentenced to a total of 11 years in federal prison. Buckman was also sentenced to three years of supervised release to follow imprisonment and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Buckman was arrested and federally indicted following an altercation on December 8, 2020, where Buckman, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, assaulted two individuals with a firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Buckman was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced for Stealing Fuel TruckRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Interstate Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle was sentenced on February 11, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.
Cole Brewer, age 30, was sentenced to time served, equal to approximately nine months in custody, and three years of supervised release. Brewer was also ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Brewer was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2021. He pleaded guilty on September 23, 2021. The conviction stems from Brewer stealing a Freightliner fuel truck from Hay Springs, Nebraska, in June 2020, and transporting it across the state lines to Pine Ridge where it was discovered by law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Pierre Man Sentenced on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on February 15, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Michael Lewis, age 39, was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, forefiture of firearms and ammunition, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Lewis was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 9, 2021. He pled guilty on October 29, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on September 14, 2020, in Pierre, when law enforcement entered Lewis’s residence and located a small amount of drugs, drug paraphernalia, multiple stolen firearms, and ammunition. Lewis is an unlawful user of a controlled substance and therefore is prohibited from possessing firearms. The firearms had all been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime
This case was investigated by the Pierre Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Lewis was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Oviedo Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving and Possessing Photos and Videos Depicting Children Being Sexually Abused and TorturedRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Richard A. Kirkendall (34, Oviedo) to 24 years in federal prison for using the internet to receive and possess images and videos depicting the sexual abuse and torture of children. Kirkendall was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Kirkendall had pleaded guilty on September 23, 2021.
According to court documents, Kirkendall used a particular peer-to-peer file sharing software to download child sexual abuse materials over the internet. In that process, he distributed child-pornographic videos to an undercover FBI agent. The videos distributed by Kirkendall depicted toddler-aged children being sexually abused and sodomized.
On May 10, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Kirkendall’s residence and seized three cellphones belonging to Kirkendall. Forensic analyses of these devices revealed that they contained approximately 321 images and 103 videos depicting the sadistic sexual abuse of children, including material depicting infants and very young children being raped and sodomized.
The analyses also showed email communications dating back to 2012 through which Kirkendall traded child sexual abuse materials with another person over the internet. In the emails, Kirkendall stated, among other things, that he was interested in extremely violent child sexual abuse images and videos and wanted to see “blood.” Kirkendall also explained in detail how the other user could sexually assault a 3-year-old child that the user had access to through the use of deception.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Orlando Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Distributing Images and Videos Depicting His Sexual Abuse of Three ChildrenRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced David Milton Kissner, Jr. (34, Orlando) to 80 years in federal prison for two counts of using children to produce child sexual abuse materials and one count of distributing this material over the internet. Kissner was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Kissner had pleaded guilty on October 8, 2021.
According to court documents, in May 2021, Kissner created a number of videos depicting three different young children being sexually abused. In several of these videos, Kissner can be seen molesting two of these children, one of which was toddler-aged. Kissner then distributed images and videos depicting this sexual abuse online, including several to an undercover law enforcement agent.
In one of these videos, Kissner can be heard saying, “I love molesting kids.” In another video, Kissner induced a child to remove the child’s clothing by asking if the child wanted a “toy.” During an online chat with an undercover officer, Kissner stated that he was a pedophile who liked both preteens and toddlers and that he was going to try to molest a child at his place of work, an Orlando area water park. Kissner also suggested that he and the undercover agent should meet to trade child victims.
During a subsequent interview with law enforcement agents at his workplace, Kissner admitted that he had committed hands-on sexual abuse of two children, and further that he had been sexually abusing these children since January 2021. A forensic examination of Kissner’s cellphone revealed that he had 16 videos and 4 images depicting child sexual abuse saved on the phone.
“When you consider the abuse and fear this monster forced upon his young victims, 80 years in prison is still not enough. I commend the dedicated special agents who make it their job to remove the individuals from our society who prey on innocent children,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Cameron J. Stidd, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 16, 2022, by United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher to 150 months’ imprisonment for distribution of child pornography. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Stidd will begin a 15-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender. Judge Buescher ordered Stidd to pay restitution in the amount of $24,000 and an additional special assessment in the amount of $5,000.
On January 19, 2020, Kik, an online website with servers located outside the State of Nebraska, identified at least one image of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct that was distributed by an account user to other account users on the Kik application. Kik captured the Internet Protocol (IP) address that was used by the account user to distribute the image of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement obtained information related to the IP addresses, which ultimately identified Stidd as the subscriber and that he resided in Omaha.
The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), Special Operations Division, executed a federal search warrant of Stidd’s Omaha residence. The NSP seized numerous digital devices. Stidd gave a voluntary statement to law enforcement in which he admitted to using Kik. A forensic review of Stidd’s Kik account and digital devices revealed at least one thousand (1,000) graphic files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The forensic review of Stidd’s Kik account and digital devices further revealed that on January 19, 2020, Stidd distributed images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for His Role in Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man from Ohio who was involved in a conspiracy to distribute drugs was sentenced February 16, 2022, to four years in federal prison.
Dean Warren Wright, age 47, from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, received the prison term after an August 6, 2021 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
At the guilty plea, Wright admitted he was part of an agreement to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana in the Northern District of Iowa. Wright was stopped in a vehicle in Iowa and was found to be in possession of more than $74,000 in cash related to drug trafficking.
Wright was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Wright was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Wright is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Waterloo Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-cr-2060.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Ocala Man Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud in Relation to Resale of Wireless Communications PlansRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA –Justin Michael Lewis, 39, of Ocala, Florida was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison following his conviction for six counts of wire fraud. The sentenced was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“Notwithstanding the size of the corporation, fraud schemes harm companies and their customers,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “The deceptive, persistent, and sophisticated acts employed by this defendant demonstrate the danger posed to both corporations and their consumers. With the assistance of our dedicated law enforcement partners, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in acts of corporate fraud.”
Evidence introduced at trial revealed that between September 2015, and February 2018, Lewis engaged in a scheme to defraud a wireless carrier by obtaining unlimited cellular data lines through fraudulent means and reselling them to the public for a 1500% mark-up. During most of this time-period, unlimited plans were not widely available to the public. When his actions were discovered, Lewis made false representations to the carrier, created new companies in other people’s names, and submitted altered documentation to conceal his activities. Finally, he used a technique to manipulate the carrier’s customer website portal to obtain unlimited data for free through accounts he had opened in other people’s names.
In addition to the prison term, Lewis’ sentence included 3 years supervised release, the forfeiture of two residences and several bank accounts, a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $1,349,398.98, and restitution to the victim in the same amount.
“This case is an example of the FBI’s relentless effort to protect American companies and their customers,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “When individuals defraud corporations, it is ultimately citizens – the corporation’s customers – who pay the price. The FBI remains committed to pursuing investigations into corporate fraud in an effort to protect consumers from bearing the costs associated with criminal activity.”
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Gary Milligan and David P. Byron prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida i/s one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Ocala Convicted Felon Indicted for Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Michael Tyrone Young (32, Ocala) with possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. If convicted, Young faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal grand jury had indicted Young on December 7, 2021, he was arrested on February 15, 2022.
According to court documents, officers from the Ocala Police Department encountered Young during a routine patrol of a local public housing complex on the night of August 31, 2021. The officers observed Young dropping a heavy metallic object that resembled a firearm. Young, who was not a resident of the complex, had a strong odor of marijuana about his person. During a subsequent search, a loaded 9mm handgun fell out of Young’s pants. The officers also located MDMA (ecstasy) on his person. A record check showed that Young had prior state felony convictions for possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, possession of cannabis with the intent to sell, and possession of oxycodone with the intent to sell. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
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.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the City of Ocala Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
North Dakota Man Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Prison for Traveling to Connecticut for Sex with MinorRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER J. BRERETON, 35, of Fargo, North Dakota, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for traveling to Connecticut to attempt to engage in sex with a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2020, Brereton began chatting online with a minor female who had an online profile stating she was 18 years old. In February 2020, a law enforcement officer received permission to take over the minor’s account and, in an undercover capacity, the officer informed Brereton of the female’s true age of 15 years old. Brereton continued to chat with the “girl,” discussed engaging in sexual activity with her and made plans to drive to Connecticut meet her for sex.
On March 12, 2020, Brereton began driving from North Dakota and he arrived at a hotel in Meriden the next day. At the hotel, Brereton unpacked lingerie and sexual paraphernalia he had purchased for the planned sexual encounter. He was arrested later that day by New Haven Police on state charges after he drove to a location where he had arranged to meet the “girl.”
Brereton has been detained since his arrest. On July 19, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of traveling interstate with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
U.S. Attorney Boyle thanked the New Haven State Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the prosecution of this case.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Nigerian Citizen Sentenced to over 13 Years in Prison for Sweepstakes SchemeRead the Press Release
AUSTIN – A Nigerian citizen and resident of Canada was sentenced today to nearly 14 years in prison for his role in a fraudulent “sweepstakes” scheme with a loss in excess of $260 million.
According to court documents, on September 4, 2018, Harry Cole, aka “Akintomide Ayoola Bolu,” “John King,” “Big Bro,” “Egbon,” 51, was one of eight defendants charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The fraud is a type of “sweepstakes” scheme that ran from 2012 to 2016. Cole purchased lists of potential elderly victims and their addresses. Cole and other conspirators based in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada metropolitan area sent packages containing fraudulent sweepstakes information to conspirators residing in the U.S. The packages contained thousands of mailers that U.S.-based conspirators then sent to victims notifying them that they had won a sweepstakes. Each mailer included a fraudulent check issued in the name of the victim, usually in the amount of $8,000 and a pre-addressed envelope.
Victims were instructed to deposit the check into their bank account, to immediately withdraw between $5,000 and $7,000 dollars in cash or money orders and to send the money to a “sweepstakes representative” to facilitate the collection of the prize. By the time the bank notified the victim that the deposited check was fraudulent, the victim had sent cash or a money order that was received by the defendants or conspirators. Later, the conspiracy recruited an Austin-based conspirator, Stephen Omowaiye, who printed and sent sweepstakes scam packages to victims and also received victim payments in Austin.
The intended loss from this scheme was over $260 million with an actual loss of more than $900,000.
Today, Cole was sentenced to 166 months of imprisonment as well as three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $850,000 and to pay $111,870.25 in restitution.
“Cole and the other perpetrators of this despicable scam tricked hundreds of elderly victims out of their hard-earned money while the conspirators callously disregarded the consequences to our senior citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “This case demonstrates our office’s commitment to hold accountable those who prey upon vulnerable victims. We will use every tool at our disposal to make sure they cannot hide in other countries and escape justice.”
“Our investigative reach in this case, through international cooperation with Canada, shows that justice can prevail even when criminals are outside of our nation’s borders,” said Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRSCI) Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the Houston Field Office. “Through the teamwork with our law enforcement counterparts in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Toronto Police Department, we stopped Harry Cole and his co-conspirators and their international sweepstakes and stolen identity tax refund fraud rings that targeted numerous elderly U.S. citizens. While IRSCI will pursue criminals, the best defense is to always protect your personal information and to verify first before sending any money domestically or internationally.”
“This federal investigation uncovered a sophisticated scheme that exploited legitimate financial institutions to defraud businesses and residents of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, HSI San Antonio. “These types of crimes swindle hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S. victims each year and illicitly finance criminal organizations around the world. HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to do everything possible to stop this kind of fraud and ensure the financial integrity of the homeland.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting consumers from fraud schemes for many years,” said Inspector in Charge Scott Fix. “There are a wide variety of financial schemes that target our most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, and the effects of those schemes are devastating to the victim and their families. The Inspection Service is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue those who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetrate these fraud schemes and bring them to justice.”
On October 27, 2021, Cole pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. He has remained in federal custody since his extradition and arrest on August 20, 2020.
Co-defendants include: Nigerian citizen and U.S. resident Akintola Akinmadeyemi; Austin residents Joel Calvin and Clarence Barefield (aka CJ); Mesquite, TX, resident Donna Lundy; Nigerian citizens and Canadian residents Tony Dada Akinbobola (aka Lawrence D Awoniyi, aka Boss Tony, aka Toyin), Emmanuel Olawale Ajayi (aka Wale, aka Walata), and Bolaji Akinwunmi Oyewole (aka BJ, aka Beejay).
On January 24, 2019, Calvin pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud. On February 15, 2019, Lundy pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Both are scheduled for sentencing on March 3, 2022.
On February 19, 2019, Akinmadeyemi pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. He was sentenced to 120 months in prison and ordered to pay $111,870.25 in restitution.
On April 26, 2019, Barefield pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. He was sentenced to 96 months in prison.
On February 11, 2022, Akinbobola was extradited to the United States from Canada and is awaiting arraignment in Austin.
Ajayi and Oyewole are fugitives.
IRSCI, HSI, and USPIS investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Galdo prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Attorneys with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted with the extradition of Cole from Canada.
###
New York Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Jamestown, NY, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 7 years in prison followed by 4 years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Peter Shawbrougham, 27.
According to information presented to the court, on or about July 2019 through in and around June 2020, Shawbrougham did conspire to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Ms. Chung commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Shawbrougham. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Firearms Offenses and Causing Mailing of Fraudulent Concealed Handgun Permit Training Course CertificatesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on February 16, 2022, TRAVIS WHITE, age 41, of New Orleans, was sentenced by United States District Judge Lance M. Africk after previously pleading guilty to firearms offenses and mail fraud.
Specifically, WHITE previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 1349; one count of conspiracy to unlawfully deal in firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(a)(1)(A), 923(a), 924(a)(1)(D) and 371; and one count of sale of a firearm to a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(d) and 924(a)(2).
According to court records, WHITE operated a Louisiana corporation, Always On Point LLC, based out of New Orleans. Through the business, WHITE sold fraudulent certificates attesting that his customers had completed a training course required to obtain concealed carry firearms licenses, although in most cases, those individuals had completed little to no training. WHITE was not an approved concealed-carry-training instructor with the Louisiana State Police. Additionally, WHITE sold firearms to his customers, although he was not a federally licensed firearms dealer. In some instances, WHITE sold firearms to individuals who were not permitted to possess or purchase firearms due to felony convictions.
Judge Africk sentenced WHITE to a term of imprisonment of 51 months, 3 years of supervised release and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is in charge of the prosecution.
* * *
New London Man Admits Role in Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that ABRAHAM ROSADO, 33, of New London, pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense stemming from his role in a conspiracy in which cocaine was mailed through the U.S. Postal Service from Puerto Rico to southeastern Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2020, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force in Connecticut intercepted a suspicious package that was destined for a location in Puerto Rico. A court-authorized search of the package revealed $158,900 in cash. Investigators established a connection between Raul Robles, who is Rosado’s cousin, and the seized package, and learned that Robles’ and Rosado’s residence on Blackhall Street in New London had received approximately 25 suspicious parcels from Puerto Rico since September 2019.
Investigators continued to monitor USPS deliveries of parcels mailed from Puerto Rico to the Blackhall Street residence, including multiple parcels addressed to names of individuals who did not reside there. A court-authorized search of one parcel that had been mailed to a fictitious individual at the residence revealed more than a kilogram of cocaine.
Rosado was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on April 8, 2021.
Rosado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer on May 11, 2022. Rosado is detained pending sentencing.
Robles pleaded guilty to the same offense on September 21, 2021, and awaits sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the New London and Town of Groton Police Departments. The Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden and Town of Groton Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman.
New Jersey Woman Admits Operating Unlicensed Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey woman today admitted transmitting the proceeds of a fraudulent scheme in which elderly victims were falsely told that they had won large sums of money in a lottery sweepstakes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Shanile Lyle, 28, of Orange, New Jersey pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Julian X. Neals to an information charging her with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In 2018, Lyle received checks from victims of a lottery scheme in which the victims were told that they had won large sums of money in a lottery sweepstakes and had to pre-pay taxes on their winnings. Lyle then deposited that money into a bank account that she controlled. Lyle kept a fee for herself and then wired the remainder of the funds to other individuals, including individuals overseas.
The charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Lyle’s sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
New Jersey Couple Charged with Forced Labor and Other CrimesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury yesterday returned an eight-count indictment charging a Burlington County, New Jersey, couple with the forced labor and other crimes involving two undocumented individuals, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced today.
Bolaji Bolarinwa, 47, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 65, both of Moorestown, New Jersey, are both charged with two counts of forced labor. Bolaji Bolarinwa is also charged with two counts of bringing in and harboring certain undocumented individuals and two counts of unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of forced labor. Both defendants appeared today by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King.
According to the indictment from 2015 to 2016, Bolaji Bolarinwa unlawfully obtained labor and services from one victim by means of serious harm or threats of serious harm, and from another victim by means of force or threats of force. She abused and threatened abuse of legal process against both victims. Bolarinwa’s spouse, Isiaka Bolarinwa, participated in the scheme and financially benefitted from the victims’ forced labor.
Bolaji Bolarinwa knew that both victims had entered the United States illegally and harbored them from detection for her own financial gain. She confiscated and possessed the passports and visas of both victims.
Both defendants face a maximum penalty on each forced labor count of 20 years in prison. Bolaji Bolarinwa faces a maximum penalty on each undocumented individual harboring count of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty on each unlawful document conduct count of five years in prison. They also each face a fine on each count of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Hutson and Vasantha Rao of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Bern Woman Sentenced to More Than 13 Years for Trafficking over One Kilogram of Methamphetamine, Tax FraudRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A New Bern, North Carolina woman was sentenced today to 166 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Antoinette Charmane Becton, 41, was named in an Indictment filed on February 19, 2020. On January 27, 2021, Becton entered a plea of guilty to a Criminal Information.
In October 2018, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force received information that Alterick Wallisima Boyd was distributing large quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin in Pitt County, North Carolina. Over the next several months, agents conducted an investigation into Boyd and his co-conspirators. Boyd is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2022.
From December 2019 through February 2020, a confidential source conducted controlled purchases of cocaine, cocaine base (crack), and more than one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine from Becton.
A search warrant was executed at Becton’s residence on February 20, 2020, and agents seized $2,680 in currency from prior controlled drug purchases; a money counter; a digital scale; two smoking pipes; suspected fake ID cards and bank cards; and suspected cocaine base (crack).
In a separate investigation, agents with the Internal Revenue Service determined that over the course of several years, Becton ran a business called Carolina Tax Service. Through that business, Becton filed large numbers of false tax returns in which she listed fabricated information to fraudulently obtain tax refunds. In total, from 2014 to 2018, Becton and her employees filed false tax returns with intended losses of more than $1,000,000.
“Crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive and destructive controlled substance. It destroys minds, bodies, and communities,” said United States Attorney Michael Easley. “The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute those who would sell these substances for personal profit.”
“When those we trust to prepare our taxes take advantage of their clients for their own greed, everybody is harmed,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge, Charlotte Field Office. “Today's sentencing again emphasizes that the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and U.S. Attorney’s office will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who would attempt to defraud America's tax system.”
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Greenville Regional Drug Task Force, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the cases and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott A. Lemmon and Susan Menzer prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 4:20-CR-0016-M-3.
New Bern Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison for Heroin Trafficking and Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Howard Jones, 50, of Craven County was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 100 grams or more of heroin, distribution of a quantity of heroin, possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents, other evidence and information presented in court, on June 15, 2020, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Jones as he travelled back from Chicago. A K-9 alerted on the car and $15,000 was located. On June 24, 2020, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office and New Bern Police Department made a controlled purchase of an ounce of heroin from Jones at the Kensington Park Apartments in New Bern. On June 25, 2020, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, New Bern Police Department, and North Carolina SBI assisted by ATF served a search warrant at the same apartment. Law enforcement found a secret compartment in the kitchen which contained a loaded stolen handgun, digital scales and 7 ounces of heroin. They also found $16,000 and a key to a safe deposit box in Georgia in the apartment. Jones was arrested at the scene. On July 1, 2020, Jones called a family member from jail and advised them to get a key and attempt to retrieve money for him. Law enforcement went to the bank and seized $10,000 before they could arrive.
Jones has prior convictions for Felony Aggravated Battery with a firearm, Armed Home Invasion, Manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and Burglary.
This is part of operation “Fighting Jelly Fish” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Craven, County Sheriff’s Office and the New Bern, Kinston, Holly Ridge and Goldsboro Police Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-00067-M.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery Spree of Twin Cities BusinessesRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 262 months in prison for seven violent armed robberies of Twin Cities businesses. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced the defendant.
According to court documents, on July 28, 2020, Derrick Lee Spillman, 41, robbed three Twin Cities businesses, including a Holiday gas station and two liquor stores. During the robberies, Spillman pointed a handgun at employees and ordered them to the ground. On July 30, 2020, Spillman continued his crime spree by robbing two additional Holiday gas stations, a Speedway gas station, and a Subway restaurant. During these incidents, Spillman pointed a handgun at employees, racked the slide of the gun, and demanded cash from the registers.
On August 10, 2021, Spillman pleaded guilty to seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the New Hope Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.
Miami Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A South Florida federal district judge has sentenced a 21-year-old man to 156 months in prison for pointing a gun at two people at a Miami gas station and jacking their car on April 6, 2021.
Law enforcement officers located the stolen car the next day. Carlos Junior Senecharles was driving; his girlfriend was in the passenger seat. Officers witnessed Senecharles run a red light, crash into another car, careen into a fence and a tree, and flee from the scene towards an abandoned apartment building. Officers arrested Senecharles and found a loaded firearm inside the stolen car.
Senecharles pled guilty on December 1, 2021, to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.
FBI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from Miami Dade Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Bailyn prosecuted Senecharles. Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Zloch is handling asset forfeiture.
This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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-20286.
###
Mexican National Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Illegal Re-entry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
PECOS – On Tuesday, a Mexican national was sentenced to a total of 60 months in prison for unlawfully re-entering the United States after previously being removed by immigration authorities.
According to court documents, Efrain Gonzalez-Pargas, aka Efrain Gonzalez-Vargas, 39, of Zacatecas, Mexico, was found near Big Bend National Park on August 24, 2021. Gonzalez admitted to Border Patrol Agents that he had entered the United States illegally by wading across the Rio Grande River.
On October 12, 2021, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry into the United States in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326. Gonzalez had previously been sentenced to eight months in prison for the same offense in October 2020. Gonzalez was deported and removed from the United States by immigration authorities after that conviction.
U.S. District Judge David Counts ordered Gonzalez to serve 46 months in prison for the current case and another 14 months in prison for violating his supervised release for the 2020 case for a total of 60 months in prison.
At the sentencing hearing, evidence was presented that Gonzalez had a previous conviction in California for battery with serious bodily injury.
Gonzalez has remained in federal custody since his arrest on August 24, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho made the announcement.
HSI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Weber and Scott V. Greenbaum prosecuted the case.
###