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Friday 4 February 2022
Undocumented Individual Sentenced for Filing Fraudulent Claims in Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – An undocumented individual was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to use over 100 victims’ identities (without their consent) to unlawfully submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits claims, totaling at least $934,129.
Alan Ray (33) pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of conspiracy to possess counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. In addition to imprisonment, U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan sentenced Ray to three years of supervised release and ordered Ray to pay restitution.
According to court documents and admissions made in court, from March 2020 to late October 2020, Ray conspired with others to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation, California Employment Development Department, and other state workforce agencies. As part of the fraudulent scheme, Ray had the state workforce agencies mail debit cards — not in his name — containing unemployment benefits to addresses he had access to. In total, more than $934,129 in unemployment benefits was approved by the state workforce agencies, and at least $698,655 was withdrawn by Ray and his co-conspirators. The fraud was discovered when Ray attempted to ship fraudulently-obtained debit cards from Las Vegas to his residence in Houston, Texas.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Los Angeles Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Fang prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Two Miami Residents Plead Guilty for Their Role in $9 Million Scheme to Defraud Prescription Drug Coupon ProgramsRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Today, William Clero, 45 and Cesar Armando Perez Amador, 52, residents of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in a $9 million scheme to defraud prescription drug cost-saving coupon programs offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers. At sentencing, which will be scheduled before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, Clero and Perez each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, beginning in 2014 through April 2021, Clero and Perez established numerous retail pharmacies in Miami-Dade County that purported to provide prescription drugs to individuals with private health insurance plans or without health insurance coverage. In court, Clero and Perez admitted that they and others conspired to defraud prescription drug cost-saving coupon programs by causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims to those programs resulting in more than $9 million in payments. The government tied 21 pharmacies to the defendants’ scheme, which pharmacies existed only to transmit the false and fraudulent claims. The pharmacies did not have real customers or prescriptions, and did not dispense medications.
To conceal their involvement in the scheme, Clero and Perez recruited nominee or “straw” owners for each pharmacy and listed them on corporate records, bank records, and other business documents. Clero and Perez also admitted that they transferred most of the proceeds of the scheme to shell companies they controlled and diverted large amounts of money for their personal use and benefit.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Filed Office, announced the guilty plea.
HSI Miami investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aimee C. Jimenez and Ana Maria Martinez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
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-20112.
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Two Men Arrested for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 86 Kilograms of Cocaine Seized in French Town Neighborhood of St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that charges have been filed against two men for conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, following the seizure of 86 kilograms of cocaine and a firearm at a Frenchtown residence on St. Thomas. Yefri Martinez Herrera and Kelly Bruney were arrested Thursday, February 3, 2022, and made their initial appearances in federal court today, February 4, 2022.
According to court documents, Kelly Bruney is the alleged leader of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) which distributes kilogram quantities of cocaine to drug organizations in the Caribbean and owns kilogram quantities of drugs in St. Thomas. Yefri Martinez Herrera is described in court documents as a “broker”, who connects individuals looking to purchase kilogram quantities of cocaine with individuals looking to sell kilogram quantities of cocaine.
On January 18, 2022, Martinez Herrera and Bruney were involved in planning a drug transaction involving 200 kilograms of cocaine, and on February 3, 2022, Martinez Herrera and Bruney prepared to sell 86 kilograms of cocaine. However, the men could not agree on a public meeting location for the drug deal, because Martinez Herrera was fearful of law enforcement, due to the fact that he had a pending arrest warrant for conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing in and harboring aliens issued by the District Court of Puerto Rico.
Federal agents were able to identify the location and home where Martinez Herrera was staying with the drugs. When agents entered the home, they observed eighty-seven brick-like objects, later identified as cocaine, on the floor of a bedroom on the second floor and a Glock 23 pistol located in the same room.
While conducting a safety sweep of the home, agents located Martinez Herrera hiding inside one of the closets of a bedroom on the first level and arrested him. Moments later agents spotted Bruney in the vicinity driving a silver Tacoma. Bruney was also arrested.
This case is being investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), Air Marine Operations (AMO), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Puerto Rico Police Department and Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan Albino.
United States Attorney Shappert reminds the public that a complaint is merely a formal charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Lancaster Men Charged with Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Lopez, age 38, and Michael Torres, age 40, both of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, were indicted on February 2, 2022, by a federal grand jury on money laundering charges.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lopez is the owner of C&D Motorsports, a car dealership located in Lancaster, where Torres is employed as a salesperson. The indictment alleges that from October 16, 2019, through December 11, 2019, Lopez and Torres conspired to conceal that the funds used to purchase a vehicle were purported to be proceeds of drug trafficking.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the maximum penalty under federal law for the money laundering offense charged is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Statement U.S. Attorney Damian Williams on the Conviction of Michael Avenatti for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
As an attorney and fiduciary, Michael Avenatti pledged to advise his clients and act in good faith. As evidenced by his second conviction by this Office in just three years, this time for stealing a book advance from his client, he did just the opposite. Rather than advise his clients in their best interests, Avenatti instead used his law degree as a license to steal. Michael Avenatti has once again been convicted by a unanimous jury for blatant abuse of his privilege to practice law and for betraying his solemn responsibility to his clients.
St. Francis Man Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on February 3, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Koty Arcoren, age 30, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Arcoren was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 13, 2021. He pled guilty on October 28, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on March 7, 2021, in St. Francis, wherein Arcoren approached a man who was sitting in a parked car and confronted him. Arcoren then produced a large knife and swung it at the man. The man raised his arm to protect himself and Arcoren cut the man’s finger with the knife.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Arcoren was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for the Trafficking of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Aaron Crawford, age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for the sex trafficking of two minors. Crawford was also sentenced to pay $10,350 in restitution to the victims. Judge Chuang also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Crawford must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”
“Not only will our office continue to actively prosecute human traffickers to the fullest extent of the law, but we also remain unified with the Department’s comprehensive strategy to combat this heinous and inhumane crime. The Office’s longstanding history and exemplary work to bring human traffickers to justice is particularly clear in the sentencing of Aaron Crawford.” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “Crawford abused, manipulated, threatened, and trafficked two minor victims to line his own pockets from the sex work that they conducted. Let this 20-year sentence be a deterrent to others who may commit human trafficking crimes in Maryland.”
“FBI Baltimore and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure this defendant will never intimidate, coerce or victimize a child again,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Crawford’s sentence of 20 years will hopefully bring some closure and allow the victims and their families to move forward from these heinous crimes.”
According to his plea agreement, from April 2019 to December 2019, Crawford recruited, harbored, and transported two minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts.
Specifically, Crawford posted a juvenile victim (Victim 1) in online advertisements for commercial sex and provided lodging in two locations for Victim 1 where Victim 1 conducted sex “dates.” Victim 1 was 15-years-old and had been reported missing for two months at the time. Crawford instructed Victim 1 to send sexually explicit images to him for the online advertisements; these images constituted child pornography. Upon further investigation, law enforcement located numerous communications on Crawford’s phone between Crawford, Victim 1, and sex procurers between November 5, 2019 and December 6, 2019. Crawford sent “johns” the addresses where Victim 1 was kept on 182 occasions. The majority of the communications were related to facilitating prostitution in various locations in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Further, in January 2020, law enforcement officers were advised that a 16-year-old female (Victim 2) had been trafficked by an individual known as “Fly.” In an interview with law enforcement, Victim 2 positively identified Crawford as the individual she knew as “Fly.” Crawford first met Victim 2 in March 2017 when Victim 2 was 13-years-old. Later, after they met again in April 2019, Crawford introduced Victim 2 to an adult female who encouraged Victim 2 to work as a prostitute. After Victim 2 engaged in commercial sex dates, Crawford refused to share the profits with Victim 2. Victim 2 then left with the adult female. When they met again in August 2019, Victim 2 performed sex acts for customers at Crawford’s direction at an apartment complex and a parking lot. When Victim 2 declined to engage in further commercial sex dates, Crawford raped Victim 2 and threatened to kill her if she did not engage in more sex dates. Victim 2 escaped soon thereafter when Crawford left the apartment complex where he was keeping her. She then deleted the text communication application that Crawford used to contact her so that he could no longer communicate with her.
After his arrest, investigators discovered that Crawford’s cell phone contained communications with numerous women where Crawford attempted to recruit them to work for him as commercial sex workers. In at least two of the conversations, the women identified themselves as minors.
As a founding member of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office pledges to continue to combat human trafficking by working with our partners to investigate and prosecute traffickers and rescue victims. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) was formed in 2007 by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Attorney General of Maryland, and the State's Attorney for Baltimore City to serve as the lead investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services coordinating body for anti-human trafficking activity in the State of Maryland. The MHTTF is a multidisciplinary team of agencies and organizations committed to a victim-centered approach in the fight against human trafficking in Maryland. Our record of success in rescuing and serving a range of labor and sex trafficking victims is irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or age. Our communities, including the vulnerable victims who are the targets of traffickers, benefit greatly from awareness of the types of human trafficking; indicators of human trafficking; and resources available to survivors of human trafficking.
On January 31, 2022, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which aims to enhance the department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases; and to support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.
Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:
- Strengthen engagement, coordination and joint efforts to combat human trafficking in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
- Establish federally-funded, locally-led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
- Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
- Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
- Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
- Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
- Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.
To learn more about the Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking, please visit www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-announces-justice-department-strategy-combat-human.
To learn more about human trafficking indicators visit www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/indicators-human-trafficking. If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and (https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/human-trafficking.
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Seattle man who recruited ‘teen’ for prostitution arrested on federal chargesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 23-year-old Seattle man, appeared in federal court this week charged with two felonies related to human trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Issac Shorack, was arrested at Sea-Tac Airport Wednesday evening as he drove to the arrivals area to pickup a person he believed to be a 17-year-old minor. In fact, Shorack had been communicating with an undercover agent out of state about traveling to Seattle to work as a prostitute.
“Just this week, Attorney General Garland highlighted DOJ’s efforts to protect the victims of human trafficking. Those who prey on our youth to enrich themselves must be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “This case began with a tip from a concerned citizen. Then law enforcement uncovered how Mr. Shorack used money and promises to lure young women into prostitution so that he could line his own pockets.”
According to the criminal complaint, the investigation began with a call to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in November 2021. The caller reported information about minors who were being trafficked in the Seattle area – in the location known as “the track” or “the blade,”on Aurora Avenue North. The FBI began an investigation and was able to trace some of the activities of Shorack and the minors he controlled for sex trafficking. Forensic examination of electronic devices revealed text messages showing Shorack in control of the minors’ activities including pricing, what sex acts they should engage in with sex buyers, the use of condoms and information about whether they were earning enough money for him. Investigators analyzed Shorack’s texts to the minors about how much money they were making, and saw that they correlated with cash deposits made into his bank accounts.
The FBI used an experienced undercover agent based out of state to reach out to Shorack posing as a 17-year-old minor. Shorack communicated with the “minor” via phone and text messages and attempted to entice her to travel to Seattle and work for him as a prostitute. Shorack had some of the minors under his control reach out to the undercover officer as well to try to recruit her to work for him. Shorack used various questions to try to determine whether the undercover was law enforcement. Ultimately, Shorack purchased a ticket for the “minor” to fly to Seattle and told her he would pick her up outside baggage claim. Instead, Shorack was arrested by Port of Seattle Police.
Shorack appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday February 3, 2022. He was detained pending a further hearing on Tuesday February 8, 2022.
Attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transportation of a minor to engage in prostitution are punishable by a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison to life in prison.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Seattle Police Department and the Port of Seattle Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham. Ms. Crisham is the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Western District of Washington.
Randolph County woman admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Cheyanne Mary Katherine Winning, of Montrose, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Winning, 30, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine—Aiding and Abetting.” Winning admitted to selling methamphetamine in November 2020 in Randolph County.
Winning faces up to 20 years of incarceration and fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Raleigh Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for drug trafficking and firearms crimes. On October 21, 2021, Romel Lamont Talton pled guilty to charges of distributing a controlled substance (cocaine base) and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Talton, 38, was charged after selling quantities of cocaine base (crack) to undercover officers. A search of Talton’s residence recovered additional quantities of narcotics, an unlawfully-possessed firearm, and drug proceeds. Talton has numerous prior convictions for drug distribution in North Carolina and Connecticut.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Raleigh Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Fitzgerald prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-00061-D-1.
President of Manpower Agency in the Northern Mariana Islands Sentenced for Visa Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Saipan, MP - SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant ALEJANDRO TUMANDAO NARIO, age 65, a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and a lawful permanent resident in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 21 months imprisonment for Fraud and Misuse of Visas (Visa Fraud), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546. The Court also ordered three years of supervised release, a $7,000.00 fine, and a $100.00 special assessment fee.
Alejandro T. Nario is the owner, president, and manager of A&A Enterprises, CNMI LLC, a manpower agency business in the CNMI. Since its incorporation in January 2019, A&A Enterprises facilitated an unlawful scheme to acquire CW-1 nonimmigrant visas for foreign citizens to enter and remain in the CNMI.
Nario and his staff submitted petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for at least 99 known foreign citizens. The petitions included contracts of employment, specifying terms, hours, and wages to be paid. A&A Enterprises did not intend to employ these foreign citizens. The scheme was merely a mechanism to get them temporary immigration status. After paying $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 to A&A Enterprises for their CW-1 visas, once in the CNMI, these foreign workers would gain nondocumented jobs such as in construction, groundskeeping, and housekeeping, and then pay A&A Enterprises a fee of $194.00 every two weeks to keep their status.
The CW-1 visa program requires businesses petitioning for foreign workers to prove there is a demand for certain jobs and that those jobs for some reason cannot be filled by available United States citizens. The petitioning business must also pay the administrative fees and travel expenses for the foreign workers. But in this case, foreign workers were required to pay for these expenses and acquire their own jobs, while A&A Enterprises profited.
At the same hearing, a second defendant, ROSALEE BANGOT ABEJO, age 47, a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines residing in the CNMI, was sentenced to six months of home confinement and 36 months of probation for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. The Court also ordered 72 months of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and a $100.00 special assessment fee.
During its investigation of A&A Enterprises, Homeland Security Investigations discovered Abejo was assisting the company by providing documents and other templates included with fraudulent visa petitions by A&A Enterprises. Abejo also relied upon staff at A&A Enterprises to electronically modify documents, which Abejo used to fraudulently submit CW-1 and CW-2 petitions for two friends, and her own husband.
“The CW-1 program continues to be abused by certain employers in the CNMI,” stated U.S. Attorney Anderson. “The public and the workers deserve a visa system that is free from fraud and waste. We will prosecute this unlawful conduct to hold employers accountable and to promote fairness among those seeking employment in the CNMI.”
"These business owners defrauded many people who believed they were coming to the CNMI for legitimate jobs," said John F. Tobon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Honolulu. "HSI will continue to investigate these crimes vigorously to protect the integrity of our immigration system and those who are victimized by these con-artists.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Albert S. Flores Jr., Assistant United States Attorney for the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Porterville Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. —Renato Aguilera, 30, of Porterville, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 3, 2020, Aguilera conspired with Pedro Delgado-Montenegro, 42, a native and citizen of Mexico, and James Cox, 58, of Porterville, to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Aguilera, acting at the direction of Delgado-Montenegro, delivered 800 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl during two separate undercover transactions. Aguilera also delivered approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to Cox, following negotiations between Delgado-Montenegro and Cox.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Porterville Police Department, the Coalinga Police, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Aguilera is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on April 29, 2022. Aguilera faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Charges are pending against Cox and Delgado-Montenegro. The charges are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Pistolero de Barrio Azteca que cometió los homicidios del Consulado en Ciudad Juárez es encontrado culpable de todos los cargosRead the Press Release
Ayer un jurado federal en Texas condenó a dos miembros de la violenta pandilla callejera y carcelaria Barrio Azteca por todos los cargos relacionados con los asesinatos de una empleada del Consulado de los Estados Unidos, su esposo y el esposo de otra empleada del Consulado de los Estados Unidos.
José Guadalupe Díaz Díaz, alias Zorro, de 43 años, de Chihuahua, México, y Martín Artín Pérez Marrufo, alias Popeye, de 54 años, de Chihuahua, México, fueron declarados culpables al final de un juicio con jurado de 13 días ante la jueza federal de distrito Kathleen Cardone en el Distrito Oeste de Texas, División El Paso. El jurado encontró a Díaz y Marrufo culpables de cargos de conspiración por extorsión, tráfico de narcóticos, importación de narcóticos, lavado de dinero y asesinato en un país extranjero; tres cargos de asesinato en ayuda al crimen organizado y tres cargos de asesinato resultantes del uso y portación de un arma de fuego durante y en relación con delitos de violencia y tráfico de drogas.
La evidencia presentada en el juicio demostró que el 13 de marzo de 2010, Díaz y Marrufo servían como pistoleros en los equipos de sicarios que asesinaron a la empleada del Consulado de los Estados Unidos, Leslie Enríquez, su esposo, Arthur Redelfs, y Jorge Salcido Ceniceros, el esposo de otra empleada del Consulado de los Estados Unidos. Las víctimas fueron atacadas por los equipos de sicarios después de partir de la fiesta de cumpleaños de un niño en Juárez porque inicialmente los confundieron con pandilleros rivales. Díaz disparó y mató a Enríquez y Redelfs. Marrufo disparó y mató a Ceniceros.
“Los asesinatos de Leslie Enríquez, Arthur Redelfs y Jorge Salcido Ceniceros son una tragedia”, dijo el Fiscal General Auxiliar Kenneth A. Polite Jr. de la División Criminal del Departamento de Justicia. “Estas condenas demuestran el compromiso del Departamento de combatir a las organizaciones criminales transnacionales violentas. Quiero agradecer al gobierno mexicano por su cooperación, incluida la extradición de ambos acusados a los Estados Unidos para enfrentar cargos penales”.
“Aunque han pasado 12 años desde estos asesinatos sin sentido, nuestra oficina solo ha fortalecido su determinación de buscar justicia para las víctimas de la violencia de los cárteles”, dijo la fiscal federal Ashley C. Hoff para el Distrito Oeste de Texas. “Estos veredictos de culpabilidad demuestran la búsqueda diligente de nuestros fiscales y nuestro compromiso de proteger a las comunidades de la brutalidad despiadada”.
“Estas condenas representan el compromiso del FBI para tomar medidas agresivas contra cualquier persona que quite la vida de ciudadanos estadounidenses inocentes”, dijo el subdirector Luis Quesada de la División de Investigación Criminal del FBI. “Incluso los criminales más despiadados, ya sea aquí o lejos, no pueden evadir la justicia, y continuaremos responsabilizando a aquellos que cometen actos brutales de violencia”.
“Las condenas de hoy sirven como una clara advertencia a todos los narcotraficantes de que perseguiremos y enjuiciaremos a todos y cada uno de los que comprometan la seguridad y la salud de los estadounidenses y aquellos que apoyan a nuestras misiones estadounidenses en el extranjero”, dijo la administradora de la DEA, Anne Milgram. “Las mujeres y los hombres trabajadores de la DEA continuarán trabajando con nuestros socios nacionales y globales para librar a nuestras comunidades de la intimidación, la violencia y el abuso de drogas que infligen estas redes criminales de drogas”.
En el juicio, los fiscales presentaron evidencia de que Barrio Azteca es una organización criminal transnacional dedicada al lavado de dinero, el crimen organizado y actividades relacionadas con las drogas en El Paso, Texas. La pandilla se alió con otras bandas de narcotraficantes para luchar contra el Cartel de Sinaloa, en ese momento encabezado por el Chapo Guzmán, y sus aliados por el control de las rutas del narcotráfico a través de Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Las rutas de la droga a través de Juárez, conocidas como la Plaza Juárez, son importantes para las organizaciones narcotraficantes porque es una ruta principal de tráfico de drogas ilícitas hacia los Estados Unidos.
Un total de 35 acusados fueron inculpados en la tercera acusación formal y se alega que cometieron varios actos delictivos, incluidos los asesinatos del Consulado de Juárez en 2010 en Juárez, México, así como extorsión, distribución e importación de narcóticos, represalias contra personas que brindan información a cuerpos policiales de Estados Unidos, extorsión, lavado de dinero, asesinato y obstrucción de la justicia. De los 35 acusados, todos han sido detenidos y 28 se han declarado culpables. Uno fue condenado por juicio, uno se suicidó antes de que concluyera su juicio y tres están esperando la extradición de México.
Diaz fue extraditado de México el 13 de noviembre de 2019 y Marrufo fue extraditado de México el 18 de enero de 2020. Las extradiciones fueron el resultado de una estrecha coordinación entre autoridades policiales de Estados Unidos y México, quienes también cooperaron en la investigación y enjuiciamiento de este caso.
La sentencia está programada para el 9 de mayo. Díaz y Marrufo enfrentan una sentencia mínima obligatoria de cadena perpetua.
El abogado litigante Jay Bauer de la Sección de Derechos Humanos y Procesamientos Especiales de la División Criminal, la abogada litigante Christina Taylor de la Sección de Crimen Organizado y Pandillas de la División Criminal y el fiscal federal adjunto Steven Spitzer del Distrito Oeste de Texas están procesando el caso. La Oficina del Fiscal Federal para el Distrito de Nuevo México y las Oficinas de Asuntos Internacionales y Operaciones de Cumplimiento de la División Criminal brindaron una asistencia significativa en este caso.
El Grupo de Trabajo de Calles Seguras del FBI ubicado en el Centro Antipandillas de Texas en El Paso, la Oficina de Campo de Albuquerque del FBI, la DEA Juárez y la DEA El Paso investigaron el caso. La Agencia de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos; Inmigración y Control de Aduanas; el Servicio de Alguaciles de EE. UU.; Aduanas y Protección de Fronteras de EE.UU; la Oficina Federal de Prisiones; el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU.; el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas; el Departamento de Justicia Criminal de Texas; el Departamento de Policía de El Paso; la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de El Paso; el Departamento de Policía del Distrito Escolar Independiente de El Paso; la Comisión de Bebidas y Alcohol de Texas; la Policía Estatal de Nuevo México; la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Doña Ana, Nuevo México; el Departamento de Policía de Las Cruces, Nuevo México; El Centro Correccional del Sur de Nuevo México y el Centro Penitenciario del Condado de Otero, Nuevo México, brindaron una valiosa asistencia.
En Inglés
Pair Plead Guilty to Felony Possession of Stolen MailRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of Wytheville, Virginia residents pleaded guilty today to possessing stolen mail, including letters from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Joseph Arthur Manning, 35, and Caitlyn Page Turner, 23, pleaded guilty today to one count each of possession of stolen mail.
According to court documents, on December 28, 2021, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a person who had witnessed mail being stolen from their mailbox by a pair of individuals driving a Kia Optima. Shortly after the call, Wythe County Sheriff’s deputies located a Kia Optima and conducted a traffic stop. Manning and Turner were the occupants of the vehicle.
During the traffic stop, deputies obtained a search warrant for the car and located and recovered numerous pieces of mail from various addresses in the Barren Springs area.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Owasso Man Sentenced for Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
An Owasso man who killed his stepfather in March 2020 was sentenced today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
“Jordan Kuykendall violently assaulted his mother, and Charles Botts was forced to intervene. Kuykendall then fought Mr. Botts and during the struggle, stabbed him to death,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Those who commit violent criminal acts within the Northern District of Oklahoma will be brought to justice. Kuykendall will serve 78 months in federal prison for his crime.”
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jordan Taylor Kuykendall, 25, to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.
On Oct. 8, 2021, Kuykendall pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country. In his plea agreement, Kuykendall admitted that on May 17, 2020, he got into an argument with his stepfather, Charles Botts, and stabbed him, resulting in the victim’s death.
At approximately 1 am on May 17, 2020, Botts intervened when Kuykendall, who was intoxicated, assaulted his mother. Botts pulled the defendant off the mother and pinned him down on the floor. According to a witness, the victim then told Kuykendall that he loved him and released him. When he released Kuykendall and walked away to his bedroom, the defendant followed him with a knife. Inside the bedroom, a struggle ensued between the defendant and victim. Kuykendall stabbed the victim and repeatedly struck the victim in the head while he was laying against a closet door.
Medics transported Botts to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa where he was later pronounced dead just after 4 am. According to the medical examiner’s report, Botts “died as a result of a stab wound of the left lateral chest,” that penetrated his heart.
At sentencing, Botts’ sister described how her brother had grown in the last five years since he found Christ. She called him the brother she remembered as a child. She described his selflessness and explained that when Kuykendall needed help, her brother was there for him. She then said Kuykendall acted recklessly the night he took her brother’s life.
In a sentencing memorandum, the United States requested an upward departure from the federal sentencing guidelines. They argued that due to the brutal nature of the crime, a term of 15 years imprisonment was appropriate. The United States noted that multiple individuals had gone out of their way to help the defendant the night of the crime, and in return, he committed an assault and killing. They also noted that while Kuykendall did not have a criminal history, victim witness statements indicated that Kuykendall had a history of violence and lashing out at family and dating partners.
The defense asked for a sentence of 63 months due, in part, to the long term psychological effects of Kuykendall’s exposure to violence in the home as a young child.
The FBI and Owasso Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan H. Heatherman iproseucted the case.
One-Time EDD Employee Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Nearly $4.3 Million in COVID Relief FundsRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A former California Employment Development Department (EDD) employee was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison for causing nearly 200 fraudulent COVID-related unemployment relief claims to be filed in other people’s names, resulting in nearly $4.3 million in ill-gotten gains.
Gabriela Llerenas, a.k.a. “Maria G. Sandoval,” 44, of Perris, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Holcomb, who also ordered her to pay $4,298,093 in restitution.
Llerenas took advantage of the expanded eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law in March 2020. The CARES Act provided additional UI benefits to qualified individuals and helped provide UI benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic to people who did not otherwise qualify, including business owners, self-employed workers, independent contractors, and those with a limited work history.
From April to October 2020, Llerenas filed and caused the filing with EDD of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits that falsely asserted the named claimants were self-employed independent contractors – often identifying them as cake decorators or event attendants – who were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Llerenas obtained some of the names, Social Security numbers and other identifying information she used to submit the fraudulent claims through her prior work as a tax preparer.
Llerenas also falsely stated on some of the applications that the claimants were residents of California entitled to unemployment insurance benefits administered by EDD when in fact they lived elsewhere. On some applications, she inflated the amounts of income she reported for the claimant to maximize the benefit amount. She also filed a dozen or more fraudulent EDD claims in a day.
As a result of the fraudulent unemployment benefits applications that Llerenas filed and caused to be filed, EDD authorized Bank of America to mail debit cards in the names of the claimants to addresses she provided, including her residence, her husband’s business location, her mother’s apartment and the addresses of friends and other family members.
Llerenas charged the named claimants a fee for filling the applications, which was often paid out of the fraudulently obtained benefits. In at least one case, she told the named claimant that she was still employed at EDD and could control the distribution of the unemployment insurance benefits, and then demanded an additional payment for “releasing” the benefits.
In total, 197 debit cards were fraudulently issued because of this scheme. Judge Holcomb found that the resulting losses to EDD and the United States Treasury that Llerenas caused totaled $4,298,093.
As part of the investigation, $621,124 in cash was seized from Llerenas and has been forfeited.
Llerenas previously worked at EDD as a disability insurance program representative. She resigned in March 2002 after admitting to fraudulently authorizing and paying disability benefits administered by EDD. She was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison in connection with that scheme.
The Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, EDD-Investigations Division, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, FBI and Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein, Chief of the Major Frauds Section, prosecuted this case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Kevin Jacoway, 33, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court for Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Jacoway to 140 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal prison system. After his release from prison, Jacoway will serve 15 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
In August 2020, members of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducting undercover investigations into peer-to-peer file sharing of child exploitation materials identified an IP address associated with a residence in Omaha as sharing files of child pornography. In December 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence of Jacoway and co-defendant Timothy Fox and seized several electronic devices. More than 90,000 images and 1,000 videos depicting child pornography were located on devices that Jacoway claimed as his own. Co-defendant Fox is currently serving a sentence of 128 months’ imprisonment.
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 and the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force
Oldham County Woman Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Laundering Son's Drug MoneyRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An Oldham County woman was sentenced Wednesday in United States District Court by United States District Judge Benjamin J. Beaton to 15 months in prison, followed by an additional 15 months home incarceration, and three years’ supervised release, for charges of conspiracy to launder drug trafficking proceeds and for structuring bank transactions to evade federal cash transaction reporting requirements.
Cara Leann Naber, 57, was indicted by a Louisville Grand Jury in April 2019 with her codefendant and son, John Frank Naber III, 22. Cara Naber pleaded guilty on October 4, 2021, and was sentenced Wednesday, February 2, 2022, in Louisville. Her son, John Frank Naber, III, pleaded guilty to drug, firearms, and money laundering charges in 2020 and was sentenced to eleven years in prison in January 2021.
As part of a multi-agency narcotics and money laundering investigation targeting Cara Naber’s son, federal authorities executed multiple search warrants in February 2019. Investigators found and seized narcotics and pill pressing equipment which John Frank Naber, III used to manufacture homemade counterfeit Adderall on his family’s property in Oldham County. Naber made his counterfeit pills using methamphetamine and then sold them in bulk to his customers as a vendor on the Dark Web. Authorities also seized drug proceeds, including over $325,000.00 in cash and Bitcoin valued at over $200,000.00.
Cara Naber was charged for her role in laundering proceeds for her son’s drug trafficking operation, including by moving the proceeds through traditional bank accounts and cryptocurrency accounts in her name and by holding cash drug proceeds for her son in her safe deposit boxes. As part of a plea agreement, Cara Naber will pay an additional $420,000.00 towards an asset forfeiture money judgment and a $100,000.00 fine.
“This case highlights the exceptional work of the IRS Criminal Investigation agents assigned to the case as well as the agencies who supported the investigation - HSI, CBP, USPIS, and KSP,” said Michael A. Bennett, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “It also serves notice to those in the drug trade that we will leave no stone unturned in identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting those who seek to profit by peddling poison in our communities.”
“This case should be a warning to those using the Dark Web and cryptocurrency to commit drug crimes and launder the proceeds,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “IRS CI is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate drug traffickers using our financial expertise.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Corinne E. Keel and Robert Bonar. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation led the financial investigation into Cara Naber and worked in collaboration with several other agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Kentucky State Police (KSP).
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North Versailles Man Charged with Federal Drug and Gun Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of North Versailles, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The three-count Indictment returned on February 1, 2022, named Jerome Sidney Whitley, age 23, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about July 10, 2021, Whitley possessed with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and possessed an Anderson Manufacturing .223 caliber rifle in furtherance of drug trafficking and as a convicted felon.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $1,500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Doug Maloney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the North Versailles Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
National Institute of Justice Funded Research Amasses Details of a Half Century of United States Mass ShootingsRead the Press Release
The Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ) today published an article discussing the NIJ-supported and publicly available Violence Project Database that identifies common traits of persons who engaged in mass shootings between 1966 and 2019.
During that time, mass shootings in the United States notably increased, with more than half occurring after 2000, and 20% occurring during the last five years of the study period. The death toll in mass shootings in the last decade has grown dramatically. In the 1970s, mass shootings claimed an average of eight lives per year. From 2010 to 2019, the average was 51 deaths per year.
“This study — one of the most extensive assessments of mass violence to date—reveals a deeply unsettling trend: more Americans are dying at the hands of mass shooters than at any point in recent history,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon. “This analysis paints a portrait of shooters, giving us a better idea of who commits these crimes and helping us detect the warning signals for these appalling acts of violence.”
The database draws information exclusively from open sources, such as social media sites and online newspapers, in order to build a broader understanding on the part of the public, the justice system and the research community of who mass shooters are and what motivates them. Funded by NIJ, it covers 172 mass public shooters and more than 150 psychosocial history variables, such as those individuals’ mental health history, past trauma, interest in past shootings and situational triggers.
Analysis of the database shows that persons who committed public mass shootings in the U.S. over the last half century were commonly troubled by personal trauma before the shooting, nearly always in a state of crisis at the time and, in most cases, engaged in leaking their plans before opening fire. Most were insiders of a targeted institution, such as an employee or student. Except for young school shooters who stole the guns from family members, most used legally obtained handguns in those shootings.
The study includes a discussion of demographics, motivations, warning signs and other key findings. The article is available at “Public Mass Shootings: Database Amasses Details of a Half Century of U.S. Mass Shootings with Firearms, Generating Psychosocial Histories.” The research described in this article is based on the grantee report, A Multi-Level, Multi-Method Investigation of the Psychosocial Life Histories of Mass Shooters, September 2021, by Co-Principal Investigators Jillian Peterson and James Densley.
To receive notifications of new NIJ publications, register here.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Murrysville Doctor Sentenced for Illegal Drug Distribution and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court following his convictions for unlawful dispensing and distributing Schedule II controlled substances and health care fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer sentenced Yee Chung Ho, age 72, a physician, to three years of probation, including 180 days of home detention. Ho also was ordered to pay restitution totaling $6,500 to Medicare, and to forfeit his Drug Enforcement Administration number, Pennsylvania state license to practice medicine, and $89,280.00 to the United States. Ho was further ordered to serve 250 hours of community service.
During the defendant’s plea hearing on November 9, 2021, Ho admitted that, while practicing as a licensed medical doctor at his family medicine practice located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he knowingly dispensed and distributed Schedule II drugs, specifically, Oxycodone, to a patient outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Ho also admitted that, from April 2018 through June 2019, he committed health care fraud by causing fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare for payments to cover the costs of unlawfully prescribed drugs.
Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Cessar and Karen Gal-Or and Special Assistant United States Attorney Edward Song are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The investigation leading to the filing of charges in this case was conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit (OFADU). The Western Pennsylvania OFADU, led by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, combines the expertise and resources of federal and state law enforcement to address the role played by unethical medical professionals in the opioid epidemic.
The agencies which comprise the Western Pennsylvania OFADU include: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Bureau of Narcotic Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office – Criminal Division, Civil Division and Asset Forfeiture Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Office of Inspector General and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Licensing.
Mississippi Couple Indicted in Sweepstakes ScamRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Troy Smith, age 27, and Michelle Greenwood, age 36, of Mississippi, were indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021 on eighteen counts of conspiracy, wire fraud mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy for receiving funds from sweepstakes scam victims and transferring a portion of those funds to coconspirators located in Jamaica. This indictment was unsealed by Court order on February 2, 2022.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that between August 2016 and June 2018, the defendants and other unindicted coconspirators received consumer fraud-induced MoneyGram, Western Union, and Ria money transfers, bank wires and deposits, checks, and cash from victims across the United States totaling more than $300,000.
Their victims included a 51-year-old widow residing in Columbia County, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In October 2016, an unidentified fraudster using a fictitious name and posing as an official of a sweepstakes organization falsely told Victim 1 that she had won a multi-million-dollar cash prize and automobile. This fraudster also told Victim 1 that she had to prepay taxes, and later various other fees and expenses, in order to receive her cash prize and automobile. Victim 1 was directed to send money in the form of money transfers, bank wires, and cash mailings payable to the defendants in their own names and in various aliases. Victim 1 was told that the defendants were also officials of the sweepstakes organization. She ended up sending about $123,000 in the form of Western Union, MoneyGram, and Ria money transfers to the defendants and coconspirators, making about $90,000 in cash deposits into their accounts, depositing about $14,000 in the form of bank wire transfers, and mailing about $2,000 in cash and money orders.
Smith and Greenwood received these funds from Victim 1 and others and then sent a portion of these fraud-induced funds to various coconspirators in Jamaica. From October 2016 until about June 2018, the defendants sent around 57 Western Union money transfers totaling about $50,000 to different recipients in Jamaica. Smith and Greenwood commonly received money using certain names, including their own real names, and then sent money to Jamaica under different names and in smaller dollar increments.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud is 20 years’ imprisonment. This charge may also carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release following imprisonment. The maximum penalties under federal law for wire fraud and mail fraud are likewise 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release following imprisonment. The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments is 20 years’ imprisonment. This charge may also carry a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of the property, money, or monetary instrument involved in the transaction, as well as a term of supervised release following imprisonment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Minnesota Man Charged with Aiming Laser Pointer at AircraftRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A Rochester, Minnesota man is charged with 2 counts of aiming the beam of a laser pointer at aircraft, announced Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
The indictment, which was returned on January 26, 2022 by a grand jury sitting in Madison, Wisconsin, charges Nicholas James Link, 42. The indictment alleges that on October 29, 2021, Link aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a Delta Airlines commercial aircraft and at a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft. The indictment alleges that he did so while in Wisconsin.
The indictment was unsealed yesterday. Link’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison has not been scheduled.
If convicted, Link faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on each count. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnesota State Patrol, and River Falls (Wisconsin) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan is handling the prosecution.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Minnesota Fugitive Living in Rutherford County Is Sentenced to 15 Years for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – John Wayne Drysdale, 69, of Minneapolis, M.N., has been sentenced to 180 months in prison for transportation of child pornography, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Drysdale to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Chris Edge, Acting United States Marshal of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) for the Western District of North Carolina, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and statements made in court during yesterday’s hearing, on December 11, 2020, the USMS in Minneapolis contacted USMS in Asheville regarding Drysdale, who they believed to be in Forest City in Rutherford County. Drysdale had been convicted of possession and receipt of child pornography in Minnesota and was on supervised release after serving his federal sentence. Court records show that, while on supervised release, Drysdale removed his electronic monitoring device and travelled to North Carolina. The Asheville USMS and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office were able to locate Drysdale at a residence in Forest City and Drysdale was taken into custody.
According to court records, the day law enforcement arrested Drysdale HSI special agents seized his electronic devices. HSI computer forensic analysts conducted an analysis of the seized devices and located images containing child pornography, URL links to websites hosting child pornography, and websites known to serve as chat forums for pedophiles and recovered evidence that Drysdale had begun to access the dark web.
On August 30, 2021, Drysdale pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography. He is currently in federal prison and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended HSI and the U.S. Marshals Service for their investigation of the case and thanked the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Probation Office for the District of Minnesota for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Solheim, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case, as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.
Miami Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Medical Ventilators Intended to Treat Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients in El SalvadorRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Two Miami men were each sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment for stealing 192 medical ventilators worth approximately $3 million. The ventilators were owned by the United States Agency for International Development (“USAID”), and were bound for a COVID-19 intensive care facility in El Salvador as part of a United States COVID-19 aid program. The ventilators were stolen in South Florida while in transit to El Salvador.
Yoelvis Denis Hernandez, a/k/a “Guajiro,” 42, and Luis Urra Montero, a/k/a “Flaco,” 25, previously pled guilty to theft of government property. Montero was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment this week; Hernandez was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment in December 2021.
According to court documents, on August 9, 2020, Hernandez and Montero stole a tractor trailer loaded with 192 medical ventilators during its transport by truck to Miami International Airport. USAID had acquired the ventilators and was sending them to the Government of El Salvador as part of an aid program to treat critically ill COVID-19 El Salvadorian patients. Hernandez and Montero stole the trailer from a lot where the driver had left it overnight. Following an investigation, federal law enforcement agents recovered most of the stolen ventilators.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office, and Thomas J. Ullom, Acting Inspector General, United States Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General (“USAID-OIG”), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke.
FBI Miami, FBI Miami’s Major Theft Task Force, and USAID-OIG investigated this case, with assistance from Boynton Beach Police Department, Miami Dade Police Department, Medley Police Department, City of Miami Gardens Police Department, and Broward Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman and Michael B. Homer. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling asset forfeiture.
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 20-cr-20252.
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Maplewood Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Maplewood man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
According to court documents, on October 12, 2021, Metro Transit Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle stuck on the light rail tracks in St. Paul. At the scene they found Deandre Lenier Neal-Hill, 34, unconscious in the driver’s seat of a maroon Chevrolet Malibu. The vehicle, with the engine still reviving, had a flat tire and was stuck in the tracks. Officers removed an unresponsive Neal-Hill from the vehicle and began preforming emergency medical aid until the paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital.
According to court documents, as officers extracted Neal-Hill from the vehicle, officers observed a black handgun on the floorboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was later determined to be an FNH USA model 503 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Neal-Hill’s pistol was loaded with one round in the chamber and seven bullets in the inserted magazine. Neal-Hill was also in possession of marijuana, methamphetamine, and oxycodone pills.
Because Neal-Hill has prior felony convictions, including convictions of drive-by shooting, assault, and drug sale, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the FBI, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced for Repeat Bomb Threats to Langley Air Force BaseRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A New York man was sentenced today to 2 and a half years in prison for threatening to blow up Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
According to court documents, D'Carlo Nimis Deluca, 51, called the New York Police Department (NYPD) at approximately 6:32 a.m. on February 22, 2021, and threatened to “blow up” Langley Air Force Base. About 11 minutes later at 6:43 a.m., Deluca directly called Langley Air Force Base and reported there was a bomb in a building on base. As a result of the threats, the Air Force cleared portions of the base and expended resources to ensure the area was safe. Deluca further disrupted Air Force operations by making another threat shortly before 1:00 p.m. on February 22, 2021, which again resulted in the Air Force clearing portions of the base.
Deluca has a history of making threats of violence or imminent emergency activity. At the time he made the threats to Langley Air Force Base, he was under federal court supervision from the Southern District of New York for his prior federal conviction for making threats to blow up Trump Tower and the White House. Since 2019, Deluca has made dozens of threats, including threats to kill former President Trump, President Biden, and the former First Lady. When Deluca was arrested in March 2020, he was found in possession of a pressure cooker, which he previously sent pictures of himself ordering to a tip line for law enforcement in the District of Columbia with messages like “SUSPICIOUS narc packages,” “Ka boom loca en la cabezza,” and “Ka boom.”
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Peninsula Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership that includes the FBI, Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, James City County Police Department, and Newport News Police Department. This task force investigates the most violent criminal enterprises operating on the Virginia Peninsula. Tips regarding gang activity and other violent crimes in the region can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.
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. 4:21-cr-24.
Magic Valley Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Drug Distribution CaseRead the Press Release
BOISE – A Gooding man was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court records, beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers received information that Ruben Robles-Ramos, 49, of Gooding, was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Magic Valley. An investigation was initiated and revealed that Robles-Ramos sold methamphetamine to another person on three occasions. During later investigative efforts, law enforcement learned about storage units that were used by Robles-Ramos and others to store controlled substances. A search of these storage units led to the seizure of approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine, 1½ pounds of heroin, and five firearms, including an AK-47 style assault rifle.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Robles-Ramos to serve five years of supervised release. It is expected Robles-Ramos will be deported to Mexico upon the completion of his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Idaho State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Twin Falls, Gooding, Jerome, Minidoka, and Cassia County Sheriff's Offices, Twin Falls Police Department, and the Jerome County Prosecutor’s Office, which led to charges.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Luray Woman Sentenced for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Luray, Virginia woman, who was found to be in possession of twenty-nine pounds of methamphetamine, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for possession and intent to distribute more than 500 grams of the drug.
Danica Leigh Strate, 33, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, in November 2019, Strate was living in Stanley, Virginia with co-defendant Gene Anderson Stidham when law enforcement assisted a Virginia probation officer with a search of their residence. During the search, crystal methamphetamine, a wallet, and plastic bags were located. However, a subsequent search of duffle bags that Stidham and Strate had removed from the residence prior to the search led to the discovery of twenty-nine pounds of methamphetamine, cash, a digital scale, a .380 caliber pistol, and various items associated with drug distribution. Stidham and Strate both admitted to being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine.
Stidham previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was sentenced in December 2021 to a term of imprisonment of 180 months.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Luray Police Department, the Stanley Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case.
Lame Deer man sentenced to 33 months in prison for stabbing woman on Northern Cheyenne Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Lame Deer man who admitted to assaulting a woman by stabbing her through a car window was sentenced today to 33 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Brett William James Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to assault resulting in bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on May 18, 2019 in Lame Deer, located on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Jones went to a residence, was intoxicated and started a confrontation over twenty dollars. Jones began threatening people with a knife. The victim, identified as Jane Doe, got into a van to drive to the police station and report the disturbance. She stopped when she saw Jones in front of the van. Witnesses indicated that Jones broke the driver’s side window before stabbing Doe in the arm. Doe was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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LaGrange Man Sentenced to 45 Years for Carjacking Resulting in Serious InjuryRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A LaGrange man was sentenced today to 540 months in prison for his role in a carjacking that left an 83-year-old victim with permanent and disabling injuries. On October 21, 2021, Anthony Rashad Dawson pled guilty to three counts of a superseding indictment: aiding and abetting a carjacking with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm; felon in possession of a firearm; and possession of a stolen firearm.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Dawson, 31, violently assaulted an 83-year-old man, leaving the victim permanently disabled, in order to steal the victim’s car, money, firearm, and other items of personal property. A co-Defendant, Tiera Gardner, was sentenced in December 2021 to 168 months’ imprisonment for her role in the carjacking.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Lenoir County Sherriff’s Office, Goldsboro and Kinston Police Departments, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Fitzgerald prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00180-D-1.
Knoxville Man Convicted of Federal Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On February 4, 2022, Kelvon Foster, 22, of Knoxville, pleaded guilty to a one-count Information charging Foster with making false or fictitious statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(a)(6). Violations of that statutory provision are sometimes referred to informally as “straw purchasing.” Sentencing has been set for June 30, 2022, before United States District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer.
Foster faces a term of up to 10 years imprisonment, $250,000 in fines and up to three years on supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the Court on December 16, 2021, Foster waived an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury and agreed to plead guilty to the aforementioned charges. Foster admitted to purchasing firearms from a Federal Firearm’s Licensee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on behalf of people prohibited by federal law from purchasing firearms. Foster further admitted that he purchased at least one of the firearms, a Glock pistol, on behalf of a juvenile, Anthony Thompson. The Glock pistol was later recovered by law enforcement in connection with an officer-involved shooting of Thompson at Austin-East Magnet High School on April 12, 2021.
United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Resident Agent in Charge Keith Jordan of the ATF’s Knoxville Field Office, and Director David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF and the TBI. The United States Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the Knox County Attorney General’s Office for its support of this federal investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community face.
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Justice Department, ICE and the FBI Recognize International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital MutilationRead the Press Release
The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), including the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU), will join U.S. and international law enforcement partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others this Sunday, Feb. 6 in recognizing the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
“There will be no tolerance – today or any other day – for this harmful and traumatic practice,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is dedicated to the enforcement of the STOP FGM Act to protect young women from this traumatic experience.”
“The FBI stands with our partners in acknowledging this International Day of Zero Tolerance in support of the victims of this horrendous crime,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We reaffirm our commitment to protecting young women and girls by bringing to justice those who violate this vulnerable group.”
“The International Day of Zero Tolerance provides us the opportunity to raise awareness of this issue and remember the women and girls who have suffered from this human rights abuse, including those who have died or live with the health complications from this practice,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Assistant Director for National Security Andre R. Watson.
Federal agencies have engaged in a variety of initiatives aimed at protecting women and girls in the United States who have been subjected to or who may be at risk of FGM. For example:
- To help raise awareness, HSI special agents regularly conduct outreach at U.S. international airports to inform travelers of the dangers of FGM and the consequences for those who commit this horrific abuse. In December, HSI special agents conducted outreach at international airports in Dulles, Virginia, and Dallas, Texas, under an initiative called Operation Limelight USA. Operation Limelight USA was initiated in 2017 by ICE’s HRVWCC, and modeled after the U.K.’s Operation Limelight, a joint initiative by the U.K.’s Border Force and police services.
- The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime awarded over five million dollars in three-year grants to support community projects around the country designed to increase direct services, education, and community partner engagement to stop the victimization of women and girls through FGM. For more info, see press release: Justice Department announces nearly $3 million to address female genital mutilation and cutting.
- Justice Department, DHS, and FBI conducted a variety of trainings for local, state and federal law enforcement (prosecutors, local and state police, child protective services professionals, and others) to raise awareness about the applicability of federal and state laws barring FGM, best practices for interactions with FGM survivors, and where to find support services. Similar trainings and meetings were held for educators, immigrant and refugee service providers, and medical professionals.
FGM is a serious human rights violation and a federal crime. In 2013, Congress amended the federal FGM statute to add section 116(d), which prohibits the transportation of a person from the United States to another country for purposes of having FGM performed upon them.
On Jan. 5, 2021, the STOP FGM Act 2020 was signed into law, further aligning the U.S. definition of FGM with the World Health Organization’s definition. Violations of this law may result in imprisonment and potential removal from the United States.
Individuals suspected of FGM, including sending girls overseas to be harmed, may be investigated by the HRVWCC and prosecuted by the Department of Justice accordingly.
On Jan. 13, 2021, the Department of Justice indicted a Texas woman for allegedly transporting a minor out of the United States for FGM, the first time that charges were brought under the provision of the law which prohibits taking a girl out of the United States for the purpose of FGM. The FBI’s Houston Field Office investigated the case with support from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.
According to UNICEF, more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, which refers to procedures that injure the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. While primarily concentrated in north, west and central Africa, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia, FGM also occurs in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 500,000 women and girls in the United States are either victims of FGM or are at risk of being subjected to it. The practice is global in scope and found in multiple geographies, religions and socioeconomic classes.
ICE’s HRVWCC is focused on investigating global atrocities and the perpetrators of human rights violations and war crimes. Initiated by ICE’s HSI in 2008, the HRVWCC leverages the knowledge and expertise of a select group of special agents, attorneys, intelligence analysts, criminal research specialists and historians who are charged with preventing the United States from becoming a safe haven to individuals who engage in the commission of war crimes, genocide, torture and other forms of serious human rights abuses from conflicts around the globe. The center also brings together other DHS components and federal partners, to include the FBI and the Department of Justice, who work collaboratively alongside HSI to investigate human rights violators and to pursue war crimes investigations and prosecutions.
Anyone with information about victims or perpetrators of FGM is encouraged to call the toll-free ICE tip line at (866) 347-2423 or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324). To submit a tip online, complete the ICE online tip form, or the FBI online tip form at tips.fbi.gov. The FBI’s call center and online portal are available anytime, and tips may be provided anonymously. For more information about FGM visit the United Nations' Zero Tolerance Day website.
Justice Department Announces Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael S. Rollins have announced the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which aims to enhance the Department’s capacity to prevent human trafficking; prosecute human trafficking cases; and support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.
Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:
- Strengthen engagement, coordination, and joint efforts to combat human trafficking by prosecutors in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
- Establish federally funded, locally led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
- Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
- Enhance initiatives to reduce vulnerability of American Indians and Alaska Natives to violent crime, including human trafficking, and to locate missing children.
- Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
- Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
- Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
- Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.
“The fight against sex and labor trafficking, and supporting these victims, is one of my highest priorities for this office. Coordination among local, state and federal partners to provide a victim-centered approach to prevent human trafficking in the District will be further enhanced by the Justice Department’s newly released strategy,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Human trafficking has a devastating and sustained impact on victims and their loved ones. My office will spare no resource in identifying, prosecuting and holding traffickers accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”
The District of Massachusetts has established itself as a leader in the fight to address human trafficking.
Since 2017, the Department of Justice has committed approximately $235 million in federal grants throughout the District of Massachusetts to aid in the fight against sex and labor trafficking and support victims of crime, including survivors of human trafficking. These funding streams have supported health and human service organizations providing direct services to survivors, state and local human trafficking prevention programs, law enforcement trainings and other support to victims and minor victims of human trafficking.
In FY2021, the following federal grants were awarded in Massachusetts to support local and state anti-trafficking programs, and provide direct services to victims of crime, including survivors of human trafficking:
- Baystate Medical Center, Inc., $600,000
- Ascentria Community Services, Inc., $800,000
- Attorney General’s Office, $1,558,000
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts: $21,488,509
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office $1,699,742 to develop a Massachusetts Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking. The Commonwealth’s Anti-Trafficking (CAT) Task Force is a federally funded, multidisciplinary approach that is the first of its kind and a national model for locally led anti-human trafficking task forces. This effort is a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, direct service providers, and state, local and federal law enforcement to proactively investigate and effectively prosecute human trafficking in Massachusetts while also providing trauma informed comprehensive services for victims of human trafficking.
The Massachusetts CAT Task Force receives referrals for all types of human trafficking cases. Referrals or questions should be communicated to the CAT Task Force through the Attorney General’s Office or via email to [email protected]. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.
To receive more information related to applying for federal grant programs to support anti-trafficking work, please visit www.grants.gov.
The Department’s strategy will be implemented under the direction of the National Human Trafficking Coordinator designated by the Attorney General in accordance with the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017. To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Jury Convicts Anamosa Man of Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
A felon with domestic abuse convictions who possessed firearms and ammunition was convicted by a jury on February 3, 2022, after a one-and-a-half-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Douglas Hurt, age 41, of Anamosa, Iowa, was found guilty of possessing two firearms and ammunition after having been convicted of one felony and three misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.
The evidence at trial showed that, in June 2020, in the cabin where he lived, Hurt possessed a Chinese Type 56 7.62 x 39 mm caliber rifle, a Remington 870 Express Magnum 12-gauge shotgun, and ammunition.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hurt was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the trial and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Hurt faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years on supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
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.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR 21-59.
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Juneau Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
JUNEAU – A Juneau man was sentenced to more than six years in prison by U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess for illegally possessing a firearm. During the sentencing Judge Burgess noted the defendant’s significant prior history involving violence against others and the seriousness of this offense endangering the officer and others.
According to court documents, Pharoah Akhenaten, aka Curtis Burchfield, 41, pulled a firearm on a Juneau police officer in an effort to stop his arrest on an underlying warrant. Due to prior felony convictions punishable by more than one year in prison, Akhenaten is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
On October 22, 2019, a Juneau police officer observed Akhenaten in a vehicle with a female passenger where there had been reports of suspicious activity involving the vehicle earlier in the evening. The officer contacted Akhenaten to confirm his identity. During this contact Akhenaten pretended to have a diabetic condition and got out of the vehicle indicating he was going to throw up. The officer was advised that Akhenaten had an active arrest warrant. He vigorously resisted the officer’s attempt to place him under arrest, spinning into the officer’s face and pushing the officer backwards onto the ground. Akhenaten then began advancing towards the officer on the ground with what appeared, and later confirmed, to be a firearm. The officer was able to discharge a taser hitting Akhenaten who then got back into his car and started it. Additional officers arrived on scene and arrested Akhenaten who was wearing an empty holster. The officers found a firearm loaded and chambered in the vehicle floorboard.
“Pursuing and prosecuting violent offenders is one of the highest priorities of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., for the District of Alaska. “And anyone who attacks or endangers law enforcement officers as they work to keep the public safe will face severe penalties, as reflected by this substantial sentence.”
The Juneau Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Jefferson County man admits to failing to registerRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Patrick Allen Darlington, of Charles Town, West Virginia, has admitted to a failure to register charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Darlington, 43, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Failure to Register.” Darlington, a person required to register as a sex offender because of a prior conviction, has admitted to traveling across state lines without updating his sex offender registration from August 2020 to March 2021 in Jefferson County and elsewhere.
Darlington faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor F. Hurney is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Jacksonville man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for bank robbery and brandishing a handgun during a robbery and was ordered to pay $58,333.00 in restitution. On August 10, 2021, Michael Donell Moore pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Moore, 29, robbed two banks during May 2019. On May 8, 2019, Moore entered the First Citizens Bank in Wilson, North Carolina, wearing a hoodie, surgical mask, and latex gloves. Moore handed the bank teller a note demanding money and threatened to kill everyone in the bank. Moore also pointed a handgun at the bank teller. Moore was able to take $29,607 from the bank.
On May 28, 2019, Moore robbed the CresCom bank in Chocowinity, North Carolina. Moore entered the bank wearing a hazmat suit, sunglasses, and a surgical mask. Moore approached the bank teller and handed her a note. The note stated Moore had a bomb and the bank teller had one minute to let Moore into the bank vault. Moore was also holding a silver revolver in his right hand. Moore was able to leave the bank with $28,726.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wilson Police Department, Chocowinity Police Department, and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00408-FL.
Inmate Sentenced to 15 Months for Conspiring to Launder Drug Trafficking ProceedsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - Mario Allen was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to launder drug-trafficking proceeds between 2017 and 2019, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Allen, age 40, of Petersburg, Virginia, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Judge Ranjan directed that the prison sentence be served consecutively to the federal prison sentence Allen was serving at the time as a result of prior racketeering and drug-trafficking convictions.
Allen was incarcerated at USP-Lee in Virginia when he conspired to launder the proceeds of the distribution of Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances. Such substances have caused severe illness and deaths throughout the United States in recent years.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
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.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Feb. 1 was:
Joseph John Lequin, 65, of Shelby, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Lequin faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Lequin was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-05.
Brian Lee Big Bow, 44, of Box Elder, on charges of strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon. If convicted of the most serious crime, Big Bow faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Big Bow was released pending further proceedings. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-79.
Appearing on criminal complaints were:
Jesus Zamora Cuevas, 23, of Mexico, on charges of prohibited person in possession of firearm and illegal re-entry of deported alien. If convicted of the most serious crime, Cuevas faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Cuevas was detained pending further proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-04.
Rolando Lopez Lara, 22, of Mexico, on charges of prohibited person in possession of ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Lara faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Lara was detained pending further proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-05.
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on Feb. 2 was:
Jeffrey Brandon Zabolotney, 34, of Lolo, on charges of transportation of child pornography and receipt of child pornography. If convicted of the most serious crime, Zabolotney faces a mandatory minimum five years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Zabolotney was released pending further proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations and the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-57.
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Feb. 3 was:
William Edward Coffin, 34, of Big Sky, on charges of prohibited person in possession of firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Coffin faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Coffin was released pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Montana Probation and Parole Division investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-03.
Chase David Carmody, 41, of Billings, on prohibited person in possession of firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Carmody faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Carmody was released pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-01.
Appearing on Feb. 4 was:
Curtis Jeffrey Montclair, 37, of Poplar, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Montclair faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Montclair was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fort Peck Police Department and Montana Probation and Parole Division investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-70.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Husband and Wife Plead Guilty to Conspiracy in Relation to Fraudulent Tax Filings of Maryland Auto Body Repair ShopRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Ercin Kalender, age 60, of Alexandria, Virginia and Lizette Kalender, age 44, of Alexandria, Virginia pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy in relation to tax fraud within their corporate filings and business taxes. As part of their plea agreements, the Kalenders have been ordered to pay $2,219,602 in restitution.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to their guilty pleas, Ercin Kalender owned and operated Butch’s, a very successful Capital Heights, Maryland auto body shop. Lizette Kalender worked at the autobody shop as a manager and bookkeeper. In that capacity, she handled tax reporting matters and regularly worked with an outside tax preparation and accounting agency, which prepared the taxes for Butch’s and the personal tax returns for Ercin and Lizette.
For the fiscal tax years of 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, Butch’s reported its income and expenses to the federal government by filing Forms 1120 with the Internal Revenue Service. During this period, the Kalenders conspired with each other to include materially false information on their Form 1120s filed with the IRS on behalf of Butch’s. The false information included on the Form 1120s included a significantly lower report of gross income and taxable income.
The Kalenders jointly worked to divert revenue from Butch’s and avoid significant revenues being deposited into Butch’s corporate bank accounts and reported to the IRS. As part of the conspiracy, the Kalenders kept two sets of financial records for Butch’s, one that reported the actual revenues and profits of the business and a second set that reported lower figures which were used for tax purposes. The Kalenders’ conspiracy to submit false tax returns also involved cashing checks, received at Butch’s at a Prince George’s check cashing facility (Business A). The checks cashed at Business A were not reported on Butch’s tax returns and resulted in the underreporting of Butch’s annual income for fiscal years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 by more than $6.6 million. The corresponding tax loss to the IRS for the four years was $2,219,602.
As stated in their plea agreements, in August 2018, the Kalendars sought to sell Butch’s. As part of the investigation, an undercover federal agent posed as a potential buyer and had contact with the Kalenders. During their conversations, Ercin and Lizette explained the profitability of Butch’s and revealed their practices of the underreporting of revenues and income from Butch’s. During one conversation, while Lizette was present, Ercin informed the uncover agent that he had a regular practice of taking checks intended to pay for auto body repair work and cashing them at Business A. Some of the checks were made payable to Butch’s while other customer checks were written to Butch’s customers, or jointly payable to Butch’s and the customers.
Further, Ercin explained that while Butch’s filed tax returns showed $2.2 million in gross receipts, the actual gross receipts were closer to $3.1, $4.2, and $3.9 million for the fiscal years for 2015, 2016, and 2017; respectively. He also stated that his father had done this for years before he had taken over Butch’s operations and that his father used Business A to cash checks for 30-35 years. Ercin continued to explain the conspiracy by informing the undercover agent that he regularly cashed $50,000-60,000 at a time in off the books checks at Business A but estimated that he had reduced the amounts in recent years to approximately $30,000-35,000 cashed per visit to Business A. Ercin also informed the agent that Lizette also reported sizeable W-2 income, which helped them evade scrutiny by the IRS.
While working with the outside tax preparation and accounting agency, Lizette deliberately hid the money flowing through Business A. Lizette sent bank statements for the corporate accounts, check stubs, credit card statements, payroll records, and other business records but withheld the revenue received through the checks cashed at Business A. Thus, underreporting taxable income to the tax preparation and accounting agency.
During conversations with the undercover agent, Lizette showed records to the undercover agent displaying total sales of $4.3 million and $3.9 million for the fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Lizette also talked about pulling out invoices for additional customers from business records to cause business records to match their bank records.
As detailed in their plea agreements, the Kalenders knowingly caused a portion of the employee’s wages to be paid in cash and falsely reported the wages of Butch’s employees on Forms 941 filed with IRS. In a conversation with the undercover agent, Ercin stated that he paid all his employees’ extra compensation in cash to avoid tax obligations except for one secretary who was not paid under the table. This system of paying employees in cash deprived the State of Maryland of tax revenue and subverted the taxation systems of the IRS and Maryland.
In 2019, after the Kalenders became aware of the IRS’s investigation, Butch’s reported gross receipts of more than $4.5 million, an increase of more than $2.2 million over the fiscal year 2018.
Ercin Kalender and Lizette Kalender face a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled Ercin and Lizette’s sentencing hearings for May 26, 2022, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; respectively.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 77 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, Detectives with the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Nicholas Allen Bland, 41, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In July of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Bland.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Highest Paid MTA Employee in 2018 Sentenced to 8 Months in Overtime Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that THOMAS CAPUTO, a longtime employee of the Long Island Rail Road (“LIRR”) who in 2018 was the highest paid employee of the entire Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) due to extraordinarily high volumes of overtime pay, was sentenced to eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit federal program fraud by submitting time reports falsely claiming to have worked hundreds of hours of overtime that he did not in fact work, including for time he spent participating in a bowling league. CAPUTO previously pled guilty on August 26, 2021, before United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who also imposed the sentence. Judge Engelmayer had earlier sentenced two of CAPUTO’s coconspirators, JOHN NUGENT, and JOSEPH BALESTRA, to terms of imprisonment for their participation in the scheme. NUGENT, who pled guilty on July 27, 2021, was sentenced on November 4, 2021 to a five-month term of imprisonment. BALESTRA, who pled guilty on September 14, 2021, was sentenced on January 4, 2022 to a three-month term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The sentences the court imposed on the participants in this egregious overtime fraud scheme send a clear message: If you commit overtime fraud, you will go to prison. The public expects that public employees will show up and receive honest pay for an honest day’s work, not line their pockets with double-time or time-and-a-half pay while out bowling.”
In sentencing CAPUTO’s codefendant NUGENT, Judge Engelmayer remarked that the defendant participated in “an orgy of overtime fraud that was carried out on an epic scale,” and remarked that “Just punishment requires a substantial sentence including real prison time” and that “The message has to be, if you get caught faking overtime, there will be significant consequences and you will spend time in prison.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint and Indictment filed in federal court, and the statements made in connection with the sentencings of CAPUTO, NUGENT, and BALESTRA and the prosecution of coconspirators JOSEPH RUZZO and FRANK PIZZONIA:
CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA schemed to fraudulently receive thousands of dollars in compensation from the MTA by falsely claiming to have worked hundreds of voluntary overtime hours that in fact they did not work. The overtime pay the defendants claimed led to significant increases in their salary and led to them being among the highest-paid MTA employees, and in the case of CAPUTO, the highest-paid MTA employee in 2018. The defendants frequently volunteered for overtime and then claimed to have been working lucrative overtime shifts at times when they were in fact at home or at other non-work locations, such as, in the case of CAPUTO, a bowling alley.
The Defendants’ Employment at the MTA
The MTA runs North America’s largest transportation network, providing bus, subway and rail service to a population of more than 15 million people in New York City and the surrounding areas. The MTA’s operating agencies include the LIRR, a commuter railroad providing service between Manhattan and locations on Long Island.
CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA are current or former LIRR employees. CAPUTO was an LIRR employee responsible for track inspection, RUZZO, NUGENT, and BALESTRA were all LIRR foremen, and PIZZONIA is an LIRR track worker.
In addition to their regular duties, CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA each volunteered to work and were assigned a number of lucrative overtime shifts during which they were required to, among other things, support third-party contractors working on construction projects on or around LIRR properties. These voluntary overtime shifts were offered to LIRR employees in order of their seniority under the applicable union collective bargaining agreements, enabling CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA to be assigned large numbers of voluntary overtime shifts due to their seniority.
At all relevant times, CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA received hourly rates for their regular schedule, and were then entitled to be paid higher “overtime” rates – typically one and a half or two times the regular hourly rate, depending on the circumstances – for additional hours worked. At all relevant times, CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, and BALESTRA were required to self-report their time.
The Defendants’ Excessive Overtime Claims and Frequent Absences from Work
In 2018, CAPUTO was paid approximately $461,000 by the MTA. Of that amount, approximately $117,000 comprised his base salary and other forms of compensation apart from overtime, while the additional approximately $344,000 was paid for overtime that CAPUTO ostensibly worked. In total, this made CAPUTO the highest paid employee at the MTA during 2018 – higher than, for example, the Chairman of the MTA.
In 2018, CAPUTO claimed to have worked approximately 3,864 overtime hours, on top of 1,682 regular hours. That is, if CAPUTO had worked every single calendar day in 2018 including weekends and holidays (although he did not), that would average out to approximately 10 hours of overtime every day for an entire year in addition to his regular, 40-hour work week.
Similarly, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA also claimed to have worked and were paid for an excessive number of overtime hours in 2018. Each of them was paid over $200,000 in overtime alone, putting each of them within the top 30 highest paid employees at the MTA during 2018. These payments were based on reported amounts of overtime hours ranging from 2,918 to 3,914, which if the defendants had worked every calendar day in 2018 would average out to approximately 8 to 10 hours for every single day, in addition to the employee’s regular 40-hour work week.
The defendants’ claimed overtime, however, was inflated by numerous hours in which the defendants claimed to be at work but in fact were absent without authorization. Staffers from the Office of the MTA Inspector General (“MTA OIG”) worked with criminal investigators to perform a detailed review of the hours claimed to have been worked by the defendants in or around calendar year 2018. This investigation, among other things, compared the time records for CAPUTO, RUZZO, NUGENT, BALESTRA, and PIZZONIA with various records that established their true whereabouts, such as location information for their cellular phones, bank records, MTA building access card data, work and personal emails and social media records, and records from third parties such as a bowling alley where CAPUTO participated in bowling league games despite claiming to work an average of 10 hours of overtime every single day of 2018.
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In addition to the prison sentences, CAPUTO, 56, of Holbrook, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release with six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service; NUGENT, 50, of Rocky Point, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release with five months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service; and BALESTRA, 51, of Blue Point, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release with three months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service, and all were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $109,641.74.
Mr. Williams praised the FBI and the MTA-OIG for their outstanding investigative work on this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul M. Monteleoni, Thomas A. McKay, and Aline R. Flodr, are in charge of the prosecution.
Harrisburg Man Sentenced to over Three Years’ Imprisonment for Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Taashaun Mansfield, age 23, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 37 months' imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for straw purchasing firearms for prohibited individuals.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Mansfield pleaded guilty to conspiring with three other individuals to purchase firearms for felons and individuals under indictment. In 2020, Mansfield purchased seven firearms and transferred them to his codefendants because they were prohibited from possessing firearms. Six of the firearms were recovered during the investigation, but a seventh firearm has not been located.
Co-defendant Michael Windham, age 20, of Harrisburg, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw purchase firearms and possessing a firearm while under indictment. Antonio Godbolt age 34, of Harrisburg, also previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw purchase firearms and possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Both are awaiting sentencing. A third co-defendant, Johnny Quinones, age 34, of Harrisburg, is awaiting trial on charges of making a false statement to obtain a firearm, conspiring to straw purchase guns, and possessing a gun and ammunition as a felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case in conjunction with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Harrisburg Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison for Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Childes Neely, age 30, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 181 months' imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for robbery and weapons offenses.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Childes Neely pled guilty to conspiring with four other individuals to commit a total of four armed robberies. During a three-hour period on Saturday night, April 6, 2019, Neely’s co-conspirators wore masks and brandished guns, including an assault rifle, to rob five establishments in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Neely acted as the getaway driver on three of those robberies. Neely also pled guilty to conspiring to rob, at gun point, a Rite Aid pharmacy in Harrisburg, on Monday, April 8, 2019. Neely’s role in that robbery was as a masked gunman to help take cash and drugs from the pharmacy.
A codefendant, Brandon Harris, age 29, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to conspiring to commit the robberies. He was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. David Rinehardt, age 21, of Statesville, North Carolina, also pled guilty to conspiring to commit the robberies and was sentenced to over nine years in prison.
Kendrick Groover-Floyd, age 32, of Harrisburg, pled guilty to robbing the Rite Aid. He is awaiting sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation brought this case in conjunction with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is prosecuting the case.
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Green County Woman Pleads Guilty to CARES Act FraudRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, Kentucky – United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett announced today that Mandy Ellen Bauer, age 41, pleaded guilty to an Information charging her with 9 counts of fraud related to various CARES Act financial assistance programs.
According to court documents, between April and July 2020, Bauer, of Greensburg, Kentucky filed 9 fraudulent applications for various CARES Act financial assistance programs, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and advance payment of tax credits, resulting in an attempted theft of over $230,000. Bauer exaggerated the gross revenues, number of employees, and payroll of her company, Family Personal Sales, in the fraudulent applications.
PPP loans were designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. Under this program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) would forgive all or part of loans if all employees were kept on the payroll for eight weeks and borrowers submitted documentation confirming that the loan proceeds were used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.
EIDLs provided loan assistance (including $10,000 advances) for small businesses and other eligible entities for loans up to $2 million. The EIDL proceeds could be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred.
Finally, as part of the CARES Act, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created the Form 7200, Advance of Employer Credits Due To COVID-19, to allow employer businesses to request an advance payment of the tax credits prior to the filing of their Form 941.
Bauer waived an Indictment and pleaded guilty to a nine count Information charging her with wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. Bauer made her initial court appearance and pleaded guilty on February 2, 2022, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for May 11, 2022. Bauer faces a maximum of 180 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weiser is prosecuting the case.
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On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Gary Woman SentencedRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND –Briana S. Williams-Heard, 24 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Williams-Heard was sentenced to 1 year probation with 12 months home detention.
According to documents in the case, in 2020 Williams-Heard bought three handguns from two federally licensed firearm dealers which she then gave to a convicted felon gang member. Williams-Heard falsely reported to police that one of those guns was stolen, and that gun was subsequently found in the possession of the felon gang member.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Michigan City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank E. Schaffer and Geovanny E. Martinez.
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.
Gary Man Sentenced to 46 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Israel Wiggins, 25, of Gary, Indiana was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Phillip P. Simon after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm as a Felon, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Wiggins was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Wiggins was arrested for an unrelated warrant in Merrillville, Indiana. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a .40 caliber firearm with an extended magazine. Wiggins had a prior conviction in Lake County Superior Court for the felony offense of Auto Theft, making him ineligible to legally possess a firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service’s Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Padula.
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.
Four Indicted for Burglary of Asheville Firearms DealerRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A grand jury in Asheville has indicted four individuals on federal charges in connection with the burglary of an Asheville firearms dealer, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief David Zack of the Asheville Police Department (APD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
The indictment charges Jesse Lynn Williams, 33, Lyron Deshawn Greenlee, 34, and Alexa Rae Bassillo, 29, all of Asheville, with conspiracy to commit theft of firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), and theft of multiple firearms from an FFL and aiding and abetting. Williams, Greenlee, and Bernard Eugene Carson, Jr. 33, of Morganton, N.C., are also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Williams and Bassillo are also facing charges of possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance.
According to allegations contained in the indictment, on January 7, 2022, Williams, Greenlee and Bassillo conspired to break into and steal firearms from Carolina Guns and Gear West, LLC (Carolina Guns and Gear) an FFL located at 3106 Sweeten Creek Road, in Asheville. The indictment alleges that Williams broke into the gun store and stole 33 firearms, while Bassillo and Greenlee served as lookouts or drivers during the burglary. The indictment further alleges that between January 7 and January 12, 2022, Carson was found to be in possession of one of the stolen firearms.
The defendants will be appearing in court on the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf.
The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The ATF and APD are in charge of the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.
Four Defendants Plead Guilty to Meth Conspiracy Near Elementary SchoolRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four defendants have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a conspiracy that converted large amounts of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine at a rented house within 1,000 feet of George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jose Vieyra-Lopez, 37, a citizen of Mexico; Megan Eubanks, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., and Victor Suarez-Gallardo, 33, of Kansas, each pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, Feb. 3. Vieyra-Lopez and Suarez-Gallardo each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school from Jan. 1, 2014, to May 18, 2018. Eubanks pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Co-defendant Ruben Ortiz-Vieyra, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., a lawful permanent resident of the United States from Mexico, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy within 1,000 feet of a school on Jan. 12, 2022.
In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Vieyra-Lopez, Suarez-Gallardo, and Ortiz-Vieyra each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school. Suarez-Gallardo, Ortiz-Vieyra, and Eubanks each also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing or using firearms with drug trafficking. Ortiz-Vieyra also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess or use firearms with drug trafficking.
According to their plea agreements, Ortiz-Vieyra supplied methamphetamine to Eubanks. Vieyra-Lopez was the drug runner for Ortiz-Vieyra.
On April 26, 2018, a confidential informant purchased one-half pound of methamphetamine from Eubanks for $3,000 in a transaction that involved Ortiz-Vieyra. On May 2, 2018, the confidential informant purchased one pound of methamphetamine from Eubanks for $5,000. Ortiz-Vieyra was also involved in the transaction. On May 8, 2018, the confidential informant purchased one-half pound of methamphetamine. Ortiz-Vieyra and Vieyra-Lopez were involved in the transaction.
On May 15, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Eubanks’s residence. Officers seized methamphetamine, marijuana, a Ruger .380-caliber pistol, a box of ammunition, a counterfeit $100 bill, and drug paraphernalia.
On May 17, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Kansas City, Mo., residence controlled by Ortiz-Vieyra and Suarez-Gallardo. There were no furniture or other items inside the residence to make it appear occupied. Instead, officers found a black cooking stand that had a pan sitting on top that contained liquid methamphetamine. The residence is approximately 484 feet from George Melcher Elementary School.
Ortiz-Vieyra admitted that he rented houses where he converted liquid methamphetamine into a crystallized form of methamphetamine for sale, including approximately five pounds of methamphetamine approximately one week before his arrest on May 17, 2018. Ortiz-Vieyra admitted that he sold methamphetamine to Eubanks and others. The next day Suarez-Gallardo, who had also been observed at the residence where methamphetamine was being converted, was arrested. Officers found acetone and a Berretta .45-caliber firearm at his residence. Suarez-Gallardo identified Ortiz-Vieyra as the conversion cook. Suarez-Gallardo admitted that he had distributed 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine from the conversion lab.
Under the terms of their plea agreements, the defendants must forfeit to the government $1,080,000, which was received for the unlawful distribution of methamphetamine, based on a sale price of $600 per ounce and the distribution of 1,800 ounces (112.5 pounds) of methamphetamine.
Under federal statutes, each of the defendants is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.