Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Wednesday 2 February 2022
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing A Firearm and FentanylRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Cornelius Michael Turner (34, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. Turner received 15 years on each count, to be served concurrently. He had pleaded guilty on October 21, 2021.
According to court documents, in May 2019, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Turner’s vehicle, but Turner fled from the officers. Turner eventually stopped his vehicle in a restaurant parking lot but refused the officers’ commands to exit his vehicle. While Turner was in his vehicle, officers observed Turner stuffing things down his pants. Officers removed Turner from his vehicle, and during a subsequent pat down, a loaded firearm and fentanyl were found in Turner’s pants. At the time of the incident, Turner had multiple prior felony drug convictions and, therefore, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
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.
Irwin Man Indicted in Project Safe Childhood CaseRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - One resident of Irwin, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal law against the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Thomas Crosby, age 27, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about October 16, 2020, Crosby knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography, was aware of the sexually explicit nature of the material and further knew that the visual depictions were of actual minors engaged in that sexually explicit conduct.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years, or any combination thereof. 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 Brian W. Castello is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Horse Doping Drug Supplier Convicted in Manhattan Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction at trial of defendant SETH FISHMAN, DVM, on two counts of drug adulteration and misbranding, with intent to defraud and mislead, in connection with a nearly twenty-year scheme to create and distribute “untestable” performance enhancing drugs for use in professional horseracing. FISHMAN was one of over thirty defendants charged in four separate cases in March 2020, each arising from this Office’s multi-year investigation of the abuse of racehorses through the use of performance enhancing drugs.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The jury’s swift conviction of Seth Fishman reflects the overwhelming evidence of his guilt as displayed through this trial. As an ostensible veterinarian – sworn to the care and protection of animals – Fishman cynically violated his oath in service of corrupt trainers and in the pursuit of profits. Through the sale of untested, unsafe, and unstable drugs, Fishman’s illegal drug business was a platform for both fraud and animal abuse. Today’s conviction appropriately condemns the danger inherent in Fishman’s crimes and underscores the seriousness with which this Office takes the kind of abuse that Fishman practiced.”
As established by the evidence at trial:[1]
FISHMAN was charged in United States v. Navarro, 20 Cr. 160 (MKV), a case arising from an investigation of widespread schemes by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors, and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses competing at all levels of professional horseracing. By evading PED prohibitions and deceiving regulators and horse racing officials, participants in these schemes sought to improve race performance and obtain prize money from racetracks throughout the United States and other countries, including in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), all to the detriment and risk of the health and well-being of the racehorses. Trainers who participated in the schemes stood to profit from the success of racehorses under their control by earning a share of their horses’ winnings, and by improving their horses’ racing records, thereby yielding higher trainer fees and increasing the number of racehorses under their control. Indicted veterinarians profited from the sale and administration of these medically unnecessary, misbranded, and adulterated substances. FISHMAN, acting as the manufacturer of customized PEDs designed specifically to evade anti-doping controls, reaped millions of dollars from the sale of his drugs to trainers around the United States and across the globe.
FISHMAN specifically targeted clients in the racehorse industry, peddling dozens of unsafe and untested drugs that purported to have performance-enhancing effects on racehorses. FISHMAN created and marketed these drugs as “untestable” under typical anti-doping drug screens and extolled the virtues of these illegal drugs by describing his method of creating customized products for individual customers in order to silo product lines to reduce the likelihood that detection of doping by trainer would undermine the remainder of FISHMAN’s corrupt clientele.
In the course of nearly twenty years during which he operated his doping company, Equestology, FISHMAN took additional efforts to mislead and lie to regulatory authorities in an effort to shield his illegal activity. FISHMAN incorporated a sham business in Panama designed to appear as if his drug operation was outside the jurisdiction of U.S. authorities; he pressured employees to sign non-disclosure agreements intended to gag them if questioned by regulators; he designed labels that would provide no hint as to the provenance of the unsafe drugs shipped across the country; and he lied to state investigators regarding the nature of his business when asked directly about his role in Equestology during a Delaware state investigation in 2011, while also bragging to others that he had called in a “personal political favor” to quash that investigation.
While claiming to practice as a legitimate veterinarian, FISHMAN used his veterinary license as another form of cover for his illegal drug manufacturing business. In fact, FISHMAN sold illicit drugs, including prescription drugs, under sham prescriptions for animals that he never saw or discussed. Those drugs included intravenous and intramuscular injectables that FISHMAN sold to laypeople for injection into the horses under their purported “care,” many of which were seized at premises throughout the country at the time of the original indictments in this case, including barns located in New York. Those included “blood building” drugs (for example, “BB3” and other Epogen-mimetic substances), vasodilators (for example, “VO2Max”), and bags filled with scores of “bleeder pills,” each designed to covertly increase performance in affected horses.
FISHMAN was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit misbranding and drug adulteration in connection with the doping operation of convicted co-defendant Jorge Navarro. Among the horses that FISHMAN aided Navarro in doping XY Jet, a thoroughbred horse that won the 2019 Golden Shaheen race in Dubai before dying of sudden heart attack in January 2020. As established at trial, FISHMAN sold tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of PEDs to Navarro over the course of several years, and Navarro specifically credited FISHMAN for XY Jet’s performance at the Golden Shaheen.
FISHMAN was further convicted of a second count of conspiracy to commit misbranding and drug adulteration in connection with the operation of Equestology, which included FISHMAN’s continuation of that offense even following his release on bail following his initial arrest in October 2019. FISHMAN faces a total of up to 20 years in prison for his convictions. The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of FISHMAN will be determined by the judge.
* * *
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Office’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force and its support of the Bureau’s Integrity in Sports and Gaming Initiative. Mr. Williams also expressed the Office’s appreciation for the Food and Drug Administration, the investigative support and substantive expertise of which was integral to the success of this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Mortazavi, Andrew C. Adams, and Anden Chow are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As to Fishman’s co-defendants, these facts, including the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the descriptions of the Indictments set forth herein, constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Harrison County man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Taylor M. Washington, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 51 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Washington, 30, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Washington, a person prohibited from having firearms because of a prior conviction, admitted to having a .22LR caliber semi-automatic rifle in July 2020 in Harrison County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Bridgeport Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Halfmoon Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kevin J. Nugent, age 44, of Halfmoon, New York, was sentenced today to serve 120 months in prison for attempting to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct with him. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Nugent admitted that in August 2019 he exchanged multiple sexually explicit messages via an online social networking application with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old child, in an attempt to coerce and entice the child into having sex with him. Nugent further admitted that on August 27, 2019, he traveled to meet with the child at a location in Albany County. Nugent was arrested after arriving at the location, and has been in custody since that date.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 10-year term of supervised release, which will start after Nugent is released from prison. As a result of his conviction, Nugent will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Colonie Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Grant County man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Randall Aaron Koontz, Jr., of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Koontz, 41, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Koontz admitted to selling methamphetamine in August 2019 in Grant County.
Koontz 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 Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Glassport Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Glassport, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Rory Shelton, 59, formerly of Glassport, PA.
According to information presented to the court, in May 2019, a 16 year-old female went missing from her home in Paducah, Kentucky. An investigation traced the girl to Shelton’s one-room apartment in Glassport, PA, where the female was found to be staying with Shelton. Subsequent search warrants for the apartment and Shelton’s cell phones revealed an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material, including prepubescent minors and sadistic and masochistic conduct. Sexually exploitive images of the 16 year-old were also discovered. Shelton was convicted in Allegheny Court of Common Pleas for his conduct related to the 16 year-old girl and is serving a state sentence of 36 to 72 months of imprisonment. Judge Colville ordered the federal sentence to run concurrently with the state sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shelton.
Georgia nurse practitioner convicted of health care fraud in complex telemedicine fraud schemeRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Rockdale County, Ga., nurse practitioner faces substantial time in federal prison after a jury found her guilty of health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and other counts in a multimillion-dollar telemedicine fraud scheme.
Sherley L. Beaufils, 43, of Conyers, Ga., was convicted after a two-day trial on charges of an illegal kickback conspiracy, and five counts each of Health Care Fraud, False Statements Related to Health Care, and Aggravated Identity Theft, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on the charges subjects Beaufils to a possible statutory sentence of up to 10 years in prison on each count of Health Care Fraud, two years on each count of Aggravated Identity Theft, and five years in prison on all other counts, along with substantial fines and penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Indicted in the Southern District as part of the nationwide Operation Brace Yourself initiative targeting healthcare fraud, Sherley Beaufils profited by signing unnecessary orders for orthotic braces for patients she never examined or spoke to,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Her greed was her undoing – and she is now being held accountable for targeting the elderly with her serial fraud.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Beaufils, as a nurse practitioner, facilitated orders for more than 3,000 orthotic braces that generated more than $3 million in fraudulent or excessive charges to Medicare. Co-conspirators captured the identities of senior citizens, identified through a telemarketing scheme, and bundled that information as “leads.”
Beaufils then signed her name to fake medical records, in which she falsely claimed she provided examinations of those patients, and then created orders for orthotic braces for patients she never met or spoke with – including a knee brace for an amputee, and a back brace for a recently deceased patient – and other durable medical equipment, in exchange for money. Beaufils’s fraudulent orders were then sold to companies that would generate reimbursement from Medicare.
Beaufils was found not guilty at trial of one additional charge of conspiracy.
“Today, this defendant found out what health care providers who defraud Medicare are finding out all over America: fraudsters will be held accountable for their greed-fueled fraud schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Our investigators will continue to work closely with our state and federal law enforcement partners to protect federal health care programs from such scams.”
“The level of greed shown by Beaufils in this case is shocking, as she lined her pockets at the expense of American taxpayers and government funded healthcare programs,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Health care costs are driven up when doctors and staff bill for unnecessary and incomplete services, and the FBI and our partners will use every resource necessary to put a stop to it.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Porter and Patricia G. Rhodes.
Franklin County Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Scott Barton, age 30, of Tupper Lake, New York, was sentenced today to 120 months (10 years) in prison for distributing and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his prior guilty plea, Barton admitted that in July 2020, he used a messaging application on his phone to participate in a group chat in which child pornography was being traded. As part of this group chat, Barton distributed a video of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a member of the group. Barton also admitted that in November and December 2020, he possessed hundreds of videos and images of child pornography within a cloud storage account he maintained and controlled.
United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 10-year term of supervised release, which will start after Barton is released from prison. Barton will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Computer Crimes Unit (CCU). The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
Four Defendants Arrested in Connection with the Overdose Death of Michael K. WilliamsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Keechant Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced that IRVIN CARTAGENA, a/k/a “Green Eyes,” was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court with a narcotics conspiracy in which he distributed the fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in the death of Michael K. Williams. In another criminal complaint unsealed today, co-conspirators HECTOR ROBLES, a/k/a “Oreja,” LUIS CRUZ, a/k/a “Mostro,” and CARLOS MACCI, a/k/a “Carlito,” were charged as members of the fentanyl and heroin conspiracy. CARTAGENA was arrested in Puerto Rico yesterday and is expected to be presented tomorrow in federal court in Puerto Rico. ROBLES, CRUZ, and MACCI were arrested yesterday and will be presented today in Manhattan federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Michael K. Williams, a prominent actor and producer, tragically overdosed in his New York City apartment from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, along with our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, we announce the arrests of members of a drug crew, including Irvin Cartagena, the man who we allege sold the deadly dose of drugs to Michael K. Williams. This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop. Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished. They just feed addiction and lead to tragedy. The Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will not give up. We will bring every tool to bear. And we will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said: “As these federal charges show, the NYPD’s narcotics and precinct detectives in Brooklyn North lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K. Williams and his family. It is a level of dedication the NYPD carries out in every case, from beginning to end, in every instance where criminals peddle narcotics and prey on the innocent, and where people die from illegal drugs. I commend our NYPD investigators, working closely with their federal partners in the United States Attorney’s Office, in the Southern District of New York, for their work to clean up this long-embattled block in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and for their sustained commitment to follow every lead this case wrought, from New York City to Puerto Rico and back.”
According to the allegations in the complaints[1]:
Since at least in or about August 2020, a drug trafficking organization (the “DTO”) has been operating in the vicinity of 224 South 3rd Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The DTO sells heroin laced with fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue on the street in front of, and from an apartment inside of, the apartment building located at 224 South 3rd Street, among other places. On or about September 5, 2021, members of the DTO sold Michael K. Williams heroin, which was laced with fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue, with CARTAGENA executing the hand-to-hand transaction, as shown in the below screenshots from surveillance video.
Williams died as a result of using that fentanyl-laced heroin. Despite knowing that Williams died after being sold the DTO’s product, CARTAGENA, ROBLES, CRUZ, and MACCI continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin, in broad daylight, amidst residential apartment buildings, in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
* * *
CARTAGENA, 39, of Brooklyn, New York; ROBLES, 57, of Brooklyn, New York; CRUZ, 56, of Brooklyn, New York; and MACCI, 70, of Brooklyn, New York, are each charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. CARTAGENA is also charged with causing the death of Williams in connection with the narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Intelligence Analysts. Mr. Williams also thanked the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) New York Strike Force, the United States Marshals Service, the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the New York Division of the DEA for their assistance in this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Micah Fergenson and David Robles are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the complaints, and the description of the complaints set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Fort Thompson Woman Indicted for AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Marvel Dion, age 36, was indicted on March 9, 2020. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 1, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to eight years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on February 1, 2020, in Fort Thompson, Dion attempted to flee out of the back of a house and began striking an officer after being informed she was being placed under arrest.
The charge is merely an accusation and Dion is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
Dion was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Former West Michigan Doctor Charged with Health Care Fraud and False StatementsRead the Press Release
Dr. Daniel Castro Formerly Practiced at Bronson Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – A federal grand jury in Grand Rapids returned an indictment charging a Texas doctor with defrauding health care insurers and creating false medical records, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today.
According to court documents, Dr. Daniel Castro, age 70, currently of McKinney, Texas, was employed by Bronson Hospital in Battle Creek from February 2015 until May 2017, where he practiced as an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat physician). The indictment alleges that Dr. Castro performed functional endoscopic sinus surgeries on patients whose symptoms, history, and computed tomography scans (CT scans) did not support the medical necessity of such procedures. Additionally, the indictment alleges that Dr. Castro routinely billed for removing diseased tissue from inside his patient’s sinuses when diseased tissue did not truly exist and billed for performing surgery on sinus cavities that did not exist, to increase his compensation. The grand jury also alleged that Dr. Castro routinely billed for performing complex neck dissection surgeries designed to treat confirmed cancer of the head and neck when his patients did not have cancer and he actually performed much simpler surgical neck procedures not associated with cancer treatment. Finally, the indictment alleges that Dr. Castro created false entries in his office consultation notes and operative reports in order to justify the medical necessity of his sinus surgeries or to make it appear as if he had actually performed the higher paying neck dissections or sinus procedures that he did not actually perform.
Castro is charged with 34 counts of health care fraud and 8 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. The defendant’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2022 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally J. Berens of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the health care fraud charges and up to 5 years in prison on each of the false statement charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Stella is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct and not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Please click this text to view the Castro Filed Indictment document.
###
Former U.S. Navy Captain Pleads Guilty as the Seventh Fleet Navy Bribery Trial ApproachesRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher (619) 546-9714, Michelle Wasserman (619) 546-8431, Valerie Chu (619) 546-6750, and David Chu (619) 546-8266
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 2, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Navy Captain Donald Hornbeck pleaded guilty in federal court today to bribery charges, admitting that while he directed the operations of all combatant ships in the Seventh Fleet, he accepted at least $67,830 in extravagant dinners, hotels, parties and prostitutes from foreign defense contractor Leonard Francis in exchange for breaching his official duty to the U.S. Navy.
According to his plea agreement, Hornbeck admitted that he corruptly used his official position to benefit Francis, the owner and CEO of Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a ship husbanding company that serviced U.S. Navy ships in the Asia Pacific region. He admitted that he endeavored to send Navy ships into ports serviced by GDMA; shared confidential Navy information with Francis in order to help GDMA; and helped with evaluating and indoctrinating potential new Navy members to help Francis.
Hornbeck was one of nine members of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2017 for conspiring with Francis and for receiving bribes. Hornbeck is the fourth of the Seventh Fleet defendants to plead guilty. The remaining defendants - who are accused of conspiring to trade military secrets and substantial influence for sex parties with prostitutes and luxurious dinners and travel, among other lavish things of value - include U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless; Captains David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman; and Commander Mario Herrera. Trial is scheduled for February 28, 2022.
The overarching fraud and bribery investigation has resulted in federal criminal charges against 34 U.S. Navy officials, defense contractors and the GDMA corporation. So far, 29 of those have pleaded guilty, admitting collectively that they accepted millions of dollars in luxury travel and accommodations, meals, lavish gifts, or services of prostitutes, among many other things of value, from Francis in exchange for helping GDMA win and maintain contracts and overbill the Navy by over $35 million.
“While scores of Navy officials were partying with Leonard Francis, a massive breach of national security was in full swing,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Today another participant has admitted that he lost his way, allowing greed to replace honor and duty as the driving force in his life. This is a day of reckoning for a captain who traded his honor and integrity for material pleasures.”
“Mr. Hornbeck abdicated the standards, responsibilities, and ideals required of a senior U.S. Navy officer over a multi-year period solely to enrich himself and others by willfully facilitating a corrupt Navy contractor's years’ long fraud against the U.S. Government,” said Kelly P. Mayo, the Director of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “DCIS will continue to work unrelentingly with its law enforcement partners to mitigate corruption from within the Department of Defense and its contractors. This investigation demonstrates the American taxpayer, the Department of Defense, and the national security interests of the United States deserve better.”
“Mr. Hornbeck betrayed his oath to the Navy and deserves to be held fully accountable for his criminal actions to accept lavish gifts from Mr. Francis in exchange for influencing ship schedules in favor of ports that Mr. Francis preferred and otherwise prioritizing the business interests of GDMA and Mr. Francis over those of the Navy,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners are steadfastly committed to rooting out bribery and corruption that wastes valuable U.S. taxpayer money, damages the integrity of the United States Navy, and undermines the public trust.”
The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet represents a vital piece of the United States military’s projection of power as well as American foreign policy and national security. The largest numbered fleet in the U.S. Navy, the Seventh Fleet is comprised of 60-70 ships, 200-300 aircraft and approximately 40,000 Sailors and Marines. The Seventh Fleet is responsible for U.S. Navy ships and subordinate commands that operate in the Western Pacific throughout Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia, and Russia and the Indian Ocean territories, as well ships and personnel from other U.S. Navy Fleets that enter the Seventh Fleet’s area of responsibility.
According to his plea agreement, Hornbeck admitted to receiving the following bribes from Francis:
- On February 24, 2007, during the U.S.S. Blue Ridge's port visit to Singapore, Hornbeck and others attended a cocktail reception hosted by Francis on the helipad of the Jaan Restaurant atop the Shangri-La Hotel, followed by an extravagant dinner and live entertainment. The U.S.S. Blue Ridge is the flagship of the Seventh Fleet.
- On March 24, 2007, Hornbeck and others attended a multi-course dinner hosted by Francis at the Oak Door in Tokyo, Japan, during which was served, at Francis’s expense, foie gras, Lobster Thermidor, and Sendai Tenderloin, and for dessert, “Liberté Sauvage,” the winning cake of the 10th Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie 2007, followed by cognac and cigars. During the event, the attendees posed for a photograph wearing custom-made GDMA neckties.
- On January 29, 2008, during the U.S.S. Blue Ridge's port visit to Hong Kong, Francis hosted and paid for a dinner event in the Alsace Room of the Petrus Restaurant, which Hornbeck and several others attended. Dinner that evening was an eight-course meal, featuring black truffle soup, rock lobster salad, oscetra caviar, pan-seared duck liver with pear and sunchoke, Dover sole, grilled Wagyu beef tenderloin Rossini, a selection of fine cheeses, and baked Alaska. The total cost of the event was approximately $18,371.
- On May 2, 2008, Hornbeck and others stayed at Francis’ expense for one night at the Conrad Hotel in Bangkok, during which they were entertained by prostitutes paid for by Francis. On May 4, 2008, a co-conspirator emailed Francis to notify him that Hornbeck and others “were all smiles on the drive home over their “one night in Bangkok.”
- Incident to the U.S.S. Blue Ridge's port visit to Singapore from May 6-9, 2008, Hornbeck and others stayed at Francis’s expense at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.
- On May 6, 2008, Francis hosted dinner at Mezza9 in Singapore, after which, Francis arranged for several prostitutes to entertain Hornbeck and others. On May 7, 2008, Hornbeck emailed Francis to say thank you for a fantastic dinner last night. “Also really enjoyed my new Mongolian Friend,” a reference to a prostitute, to which Francis noted: “Hot Mongolian [B]arbeque Ribs!” On May 10, 2008, a co-conspirator wrote to Francis reporting, “The 3 [Ensigns] [JD, Hornbeck, and BL] were all grins this morning as we got underway! Hornbeck said he couldn’t have survived another night in Singapore with you!”
- On May 22-25, 2008, during a port visit by the U.S.S. Blue Ridge to Manila, Philippines, Hornbeck and several others stayed at Francis’ expense at the Makati Shangri-La in Manila, Philippines, where for himself and the U.S. Navy attendees, Francis booked the Presidential Suite. In this venue, Francis hosted a multi-day party, with many prostitutes in attendance. Room and alcohol charges borne by Francis exceeded $50,000 USD. On or about May 25, 2008, Hornbeck emailed Francis to say, “[J]ust wanted to say thanks - was great seeing you again. Always a pleasure spending time with you.”
Hornbeck is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2022 before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 17-CR-0623-JLS
Donald Hornbeck Age: 61 Greenfield, Indiana
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Bribery of a Public Official, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2)
Maximum Penalty: Fifteen years in prison, $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Former Navy Sailor Stationed on Guam Sentenced to 65 Months for Advertising Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam - SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant AUSTIN J. DODGE, age 23, from Portland, Maine, was sentenced in the United States District Court of Guam to 65 months imprisonment for Advertising Material Involving Child Pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(3)(B) and 2252A(b)(1). Dodge will also serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender following his confinement in federal prison.
On April 22, 2020, an undercover FBI agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, assumed the online identity of a person involved in trading child pornography on an application called "LiveMe." LiveMe is a free social media application that allows an individual to broadcast live video online. LiveMe users can post comments and interact with people in the video. Users can also create or join groups called "fams," where like-minded individuals can chat or message other users, post videos, images, text, and send links directing users to Internet websites. In this case, the online identity the FBI undercover agent assumed control of was a member of several “fams" on LiveMe, where child pornography was traded either in chat or by posting links to a cloud file hosting service, such as Dropbox, for access and download.
Between April 22, 2020, and April 23, 2020, the FBI undercover agent accessed a LiveMe fam called "LoveCP." During the undercover agent's recorded session, the LoveCP group moderator posted group rules which included a requirement that members actively post, or they would be removed. On the evening of April 22,2020 Central Standard Time, LiveMe SID 299614327 with the screen name "lucyliuc200," was granted access to the LoveCP group. Lucyliuc200, later identified as Dodge, then posted a link to a cloud sharing internet site with the folder name titled, "live." The undercover agent navigated to this posted link and downloaded the contents of the folder. The folder contained approximately 18 videos depicting adolescent and prepubescent females posing naked and engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Following the execution of a federal search warrant at Dodge’s residence on Naval Base Guam, agents discovered an additional video of child pornography on his computer tablet. This video depicted the only known victim of child sexual exploitation identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“This is the first advertisement case prosecuted in the District of Guam,” stated U.S. Attorney Anderson. “It demonstrates the reach of federal law enforcement in combating this disturbing type of crime. The sentence imposed by the Court is a strong message of accountability. Our office will pursue these cases whenever the evidence supports prosecution. We thank our law enforcement partners for their great work in keeping our communities safe.”
“This sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment in identifying and investigating those who possess child pornography,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “As a result of this case, we have one less predator who can prey on, and can no longer exploit, the most vulnerable members of our society. The FBI is grateful to collaborate with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as we remain committed in the fight to protect our children who are our nation’s future.”
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood (PSC) Initiative, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to aggressively prosecute people who engage in the sexual victimization of children, possess, or receive child pornography, and fail to register as sex offenders. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This case was prosecuted by April Owen, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Guam.
Former Head of Bolivian Anti-Narcotics Agency Charged with Cocaine Importation and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today that charges have been unsealed in Manhattan federal court against MAXIMILIANO DAVILA-PEREZ for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and a related weapons offense involving conspiring to use and possess machineguns. The defendant is currently detained in Bolivia. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Denise L. Cote.
The U.S. Department of State, through its Narcotics Rewards Program, is offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the conviction of DAVILA-PEREZ. Anyone with information that may lead to the conviction of DAVILA-PEREZ can email the DEA at [email protected], or message the DEA at 1-202-480-9038 using text message or WhatsApp.
U.S. Attorney Williams said: “As alleged, Davila-Perez, a former senior Bolivian government official, was entrusted with leading Bolivia’s anti-narcotics agency. Instead of rooting out drug trafficking in that country, Davila-Perez worked in partnership with Bolivian drug labs and sought to send more than a thousand kilograms of cocaine to the United States. Davila-Perez further abused his position by using Bolivian law enforcement officers, armed with machineguns, to guard and transport cocaine shipments. This Office and the DEA will not stand idly by while corrupt officials in Bolivia seek to import poison into the United States.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “Today’s announcement of charges against Maximiliano Davila-Perez and his designation under the U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program reaffirm our commitment to bring anyone who acts to threaten the safety and health of Americans to justice. Davila-Perez is alleged to have betrayed his oath to combat dangerous drugs and the violence associated with drug trafficking, and used his position to further his own criminal activities. I am grateful to the DEA agents who relentlessly pursued the investigation. Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder to anyone who threatens the safety and well-being of Americans, that DEA stands at the ready to protect our communities.”
According to the Superseding Indictment and court filings in this case:[1]
DAVILA-PEREZ was previously the Director of Bolivia’s chief anti-narcotics law enforcement agency, Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (“FELCN”). As part of the conspiracies charged in the Superseding Indictment, DAVILA-PEREZ exploited his official position at FELCN to secure access to Bolivian airfields for cocaine transport and to arrange for members of Bolivian law enforcement under his command—including individuals armed with machineguns—to provide protection for those drug loads. DAVILA-PEREZ also worked in partnership with large-scale cocaine suppliers who operate cocaine labs in Bolivia, and agreed to ship more than a thousand kilograms of Bolivian cocaine to New York.
* * *
DAVILA-PEREZ, 57, is charged with: (1) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States; and (2) conspiring to use and carry machineguns during, and to possess machineguns in furtherance of, the cocaine importation conspiracy. If convicted, DAVILA-PEREZ faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison on Count One, and a maximum term of life in prison on Count Two. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the Special Operations Division of the DEA Bilateral Investigations Unit, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their ongoing assistance.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Matthew Hellman, and David Robles are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment, and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former Georgia Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting a Ugandan Minor on Missionary TripRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A former pastor from Georgia who was conducting missionary work in Uganda when he sexually assaulted a girl under the care of his church has pleaded guilty to his crime in federal court today.
Eric Tuininga, 44, of Milledgeville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places before Chief U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell. Upon entry of his guilty plea, Tuininga was taken into custody pending his sentencing. Tuininga faces a maximum 30 years in prison to be followed by a term of supervised release up to life and a maximum $250,000 fine. In addition, Tuininga will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 3, 2022.
“Eric Tuininga used his trusted position as a pastor to sexually assault a young Ugandan girl in his care. This was a challenging case, but law enforcement worked diligently to ensure that Tuininga did not escape justice for his crime overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our national and international law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to catch child predators and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
“Tuininga was supposed to be someone that could be trusted, but instead he abused that trust and victimized a child,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to utilize every resource available to identify, arrest and prosecute those who prey upon children.”
According to court documents, a U.S. citizen affiliated with the U.S.-based Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) operating in Mbale, Uganda, contacted U.S. Embassy Kampala American Citizen Services (ACS) in June 2019, to report that Tuininga, who was working as one of the group’s ministers, was having sex with Ugandan female minors as young as 14-years-old who were under the care of the organization. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS) agents in Kampala, Uganda, opened an investigation into the allegations. Finding Tuininga had already returned to his home in the Middle District of Georgia, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Child Exploitation Unit, Atlanta, continued the investigation.
Federal agents identified a Ugandan minor who was 14-years-old in March 2019 when Tuininga had sex with her as he was working as a pastor with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). Tuininga now admits that he came to know the victim in his capacity as a religious leader and that the victim would often visit the OPC church, including a religious compound, overseen by Tuininga. Tuininga also now admits that he engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the child.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, HSI-Child Exploitation Unit with special assistance from U.S. Department of State, DSS agents in Kampala, Uganda.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Kalim and Katelyn Semales are prosecuting the case.
Former Bank Branch Manager Pleads Guilty to Tech Support Fraud Scheme That Exploited the ElderlyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant ARIFUL HAQUE pleaded guilty today to participating in a conspiracy that exploited victims, including elderly victims, by remotely accessing their computers and convincing victims to pay for computer support services they did not need, and which were never actually provided. HAQUE registered a purported technical support company, which defrauded more than 100 victims. HAQUE pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty, to whom his case is assigned.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted today, Ariful Haque participated in a conspiracy that caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers—pop-up windows that claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer. Through this and other misrepresentations, this fraud scheme deceived scores of victims, including some of society’s most vulnerable members, into paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the perpetrators. Thanks to our partners at Homeland Security Investigations, Haque now awaits sentencing for his crime.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Information, court filings, and statements made during plea proceedings:
From approximately November 2017 through June 2019, HAQUE was a member of a criminal fraud ring (the “Fraud Ring”) based in the United States and India that committed a technical support fraud scheme that exploited score of victims located across the United States and Canada, including in the Southern District of New York. The Fraud Ring’s primary objective was to trick victims into believing that their computers were infected with malware, in order to deceive them into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for phony computer repair services.
The scheme generally worked as follows. First, the Fraud Ring caused pop-up windows to appear on victims’ computers. The pop-up windows claimed, falsely, that a virus had infected the victim’s computer. The pop-up window directed the victim to call a particular telephone number to obtain technical support. In at least some instances, the pop-up window threatened victims that, if they restarted or shut down their computer, it could “cause serious damage to the system,” including “complete data loss.” In an attempt to give the false appearance of legitimacy, in some instances the pop-up window included, without authorization, the corporate logo of a well-known, legitimate technology company. In fact, no virus had infected victims’ computers, and the technical support phone numbers were not associated with the legitimate technology company. Rather, these representations were false and were designed to trick victims into paying the Fraud Ring to “fix” a problem that did not exist. And while the purported “virus” was a hoax, the pop-up window itself did cause various victims’ computers to completely “freeze,” thereby preventing these victims from accessing the data and files in their computer—which caused some victims to call the phone number listed on the pop-up window. In exchange for victims’ payment of several hundred or thousand dollars (depending on the precise “service” victims purchased), the purported technician remotely accessed the victim’s computer and ran an anti-virus tool, which is free and available on the Internet. The Fraud Ring also re-victimized various victims, after they had made payments to purportedly “fix” their tech problems.
The Fraud Ring operated through at least 15 fraudulent entities. In November 2017, HAQUE registered one of these fraudulent entities in New York State. HAQUE’s entity defrauded more than approximately 100 victims as part of this scheme. As part of his involvement in the scheme, HAQUE opened U.S. bank accounts to receive funds from victims, and HAQUE repeatedly provided a co-conspirator in India (“CC-1”) with authentication codes so that CC-1 could wire funds out of these bank accounts. HAQUE, a former bank branch manager in New York City, also made suggestions to CC-1 about which victim checks should, and should not, be deposited, noting in messages that it was “Not a good idea to deposit” certain specified checks. HAQUE also assisted another co-conspirator (“CC-2”), who had registered a different fraudulent entity that was part of the Fraud Ring, as well. In total, as he admitted in his plea agreement, HAQUE is responsible for losses exceeding $600,000.
* * *
HAQUE, 36, of Queens, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as HAQUE’s sentence will be determined by the judge. HAQUE’s sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. before Judge Crotty.
Mr. Williams praised the New York Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”)’s El Dorado Task Force, Cyber Intrusion/Cyber Fraud Group for its outstanding work on the investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance on this case.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Neff and Jilan J. Kamal are in charge of the prosecution.
Florida-Based Pharmaceutical President Indicted in Counterfeit Promethazine-Codeine Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal grand jury in Beaumont has returned a three-count indictment charging a Florida resident, along with nine other individuals, in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
The indictment charges Adam P. Runsdorf, 56, of Boca Raton, Florida, with conspiracy, trafficking in drugs with a counterfeit mark, and money laundering conspiracy. According to the indictment, Runsdorf is the owner and president of Woodfield Pharmaceutical LLC, a pharmaceutical business based in Boca Raton, Florida, with a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas.
Runsdorf was arrested in Boca Raton on Jan. 14, 2022, pursuant to a criminal complaint alleging the same charges. Runsdorf joins nine other defendants in an existing indictment that was returned on Nov. 3, 2021.
The nine Texas individuals who have already been arrested on the indictment are:
- Tunji Campbell, a/k/a Mike, 43, of Webster;
- Byron A. Marshall, a/k/a Robert Griffin, a/k/a Dr. Griffin, 43, of Houston;
- Cheryl A. Anderson, 43, of League City;
- Ashley A. Rhea, a/k/a Ashley A. Johnson, 35, of Houston;
- Chauntell D. Brown, a/k/a Juan Brown, 49, of Manvel;
- Willis Reed, 60, of Richmond;
- Kalpen D. Patel, 36, of Richmond;
- Jonathan R. Shaver, 35, of Richmond; and
- Gina Acosta, 40, of Fresno.
According to the indictment, from April 2014 until August 2021, the defendants conspired to traffic misbranded and counterfeit drugs, specifically promethazine-codeine cough syrup. The indictment alleges the conspiracy resulted in approximately $52,736,000 in drug trafficking proceeds.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
U.S. Marshals Service, Houston Police Department, Galveston Police Department, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, Dickinson Police Department, League City Police Department, Pearland Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, Texas City Police Department, Harris County Precinct #2, Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas National Guard. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John B. Ross and Jonathan C. Lee.A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Indictments Unsealed in Maury & Lewis County Drug Distribution and ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A lengthy investigation by federal and local law enforcement has resulted in the indictment of 22 individuals for illegally distributing substantial amounts of controlled substances in and around the areas of Maury County and Lewis County, Tennessee. The last of three federal indictments returned last month was unsealed yesterday, and all but one charged defendant have been taken into custody.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin, joined by Douglas Korneski, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division, and DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Division, J. Todd Scott, commended the investigative work of the agencies involved and noted the high level of cooperation and participation by local law enforcement agencies, all of which contributed substantially to the investigation resulting in the indictments.
The first indictment charges the following 14 individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, between March 2018 and September 2019:
Julio Esparza, aka Beto, 45; Freddy Quinones, 48; and Jesus Silva, aka Barbas, 40, all of McAllen, Texas; Brandon Dailey, aka Willie Earl, 40; Henry Davis, aka Hank, 42; Vincent Conner, aka Roe, 37; Derrick Nixon, aka Chewy, 54; Shanika Odom, aka Butterball, 31; Terry Strayhorn, aka Goldie Mac, 41; and Samuel Abernathy, 44, all of Mount Pleasant, Tenn.; Brent Burns, aka Smiley, 38; and Tristen Tisby, aka Jolly, 29, both of Columbia, Tenn.; and Tory Hardison, 27; and Carson Lunn, 24, both of Pulaski, Tenn.
The second indictment charges the following seven individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana, between October 2017 and November 2020:
Michael Sowell, aka Mac Black, 37; Frank Sparkman, aka Chucky, 40; Antonio Sowell, aka Premo, 37; Tanasha Vaughn, aka Nesha, 22, all of Hohenwald, Tenn.; Charles Lowe-Kelley, aka White Chaz, 30, of Columbia, Tenn.; and Darron Weakley, aka Snype Lucas, 35; and Antonio Laster, aka Lil Memphis, 31, both of Nashville, Tenn.
This indictment also charges Michael Sowell and Antonio Sowell with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
A third indictment charges Keadrick Duke, aka Kebe, 40, of Columbia, Tenn., with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of crack cocaine in November 2018.
Jesus Silva remains at large and is currently being sought by federal law enforcement officials.
The charges carry sentences of between five years and life in prison.
This case is the result of a multi-agency investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Columbia Police Department; the Hohenwald Police Department; the Spring Hill Police Department; and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Levine and Nani Gilkerson are prosecuting these cases.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
# # # # #
Eagle Butte Woman Indicted for AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Toni Carole Cochran, age 26, was indicted on January 11, 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 1, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on November 3, 2021, in Dewey County, South Dakota, Cochran assaulted a woman and that assault resulted in serious bodily injury.
The charge is merely an accusation and Cochran is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem is prosecuting the case.
Cochran was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Armed Robbery of Northwest Washington Liquor StoreRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Leon A. Miller, 32, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to armed robbery and a firearms offense stemming from a hold-up he carried out last fall at a liquor store in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Miller pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for Miller to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment between seven and nine years. The Honorable J. Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for April 11, 2022.
In court documents, Miller also admitted to committing two other robberies of liquor stores, also in Northwest Washington, and of two store customers. The five robberies took place on three successive evenings.
Miller pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Oct. 14, 2021, robbery of Paul’s Wine and Spirits, in the 5200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. According to a factual proffer, Miller entered the store at approximately 6 p.m., brandished what appeared to be a black handgun, and demanded that a store employee open the cash registers. He stole about $200 in cash. He also demanded three specific kinds of champagne, none of which the store carries.
Miller also admitted robbing The Wine Specialist, in the 1100 block of 20th Street NW, on the evening of Oct. 12, 2021. There, he also brandished what appeared to be a black handgun and demanded that an employee open the cash registers. He took approximately $2,000 in cash as well as two bottles of champagne, valued at roughly $950.
The next evening, Oct. 13, 2021, Miller entered Press Liquors, in the 500 block of 14th Street, brandished what appeared to be a black handgun, and demanded an employee open the registers. He stole approximately $900 in cash. In addition, he brandished the gun at two customers and took their wallets and phones.
Miller was arrested about an hour after the robbery of Paul’s, near the Dupont Circle Metro station. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metro Transit Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney, who investigated and prosecuted the matter
District Man Pleads Guilty in Killing of Man Outside Southeast Washington Apartment ComplexRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Kevin Goggins, 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to voluntary manslaughter while armed in the fatal shooting of a man outside an apartment complex in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Goggins pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of eight to nine years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2022.
According to plea documents, on Oct. 9, 2020, at approximately 10 p.m., Goggins exited a vehicle with two other armed individuals, in the 1600 block of W Street SE, a residential area that includes an apartment complex. He and the others fired into a group of individuals who were congregating outside of the apartment complex. Goggins then ran back into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene.
Yisa Jeffcoat, 28, was standing outside the apartment complex and was struck by one of the gunshots. Medical personnel were unable to revive Mr. Jeffcoat, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Goggins was arrested on Dec. 14, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Dallas Man Pleads Guilty to Assault of a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PECOS – A Dallas man pleaded guilty yesterday to transporting undocumented noncitizens and assaulting a federal officer.
According to court documents, Jose Alejandro Crecencio, 21, was parked in a Chevy Tahoe at the Big Bend National Park Visitor’s Center when a Border Patrol agent attempted to make contact with him. Crecencio sped away from the area and a short time later, six individuals were observed by the Border Patrol agent and a Park Ranger exiting the stopped Tahoe and absconding into the nearby brush.
Crecencio sped away again with the Border Patrol agent in pursuit. A little while later, Crecencio made a U-turn and drove directly toward the agent’s vehicle, forcing the agent off the roadway. Later he stopped the Tahoe and absconded on foot. Shortly thereafter, Border Patrol agents were able to take Crecencio into custody.
Other Border Patrol agents in the area were able to detain two of the six individuals who absconded from the Tahoe. Both individuals were identified as undocumented noncitizens.
Crecencio pleaded guilty to one count of transporting an illegal alien in violation of Title 8, U.S.C. 1324 and one count of forcibly assaulting a federal officer in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. 111. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29, 2022 and faces up to five years in prison on the transporting charge and up to 20 years in prison on the assault charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho made the announcement.
HSI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance L. Kennedy is prosecuting the case.
###
Convicted Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man made his initial appearance today on charges of illegally possessing a weapon and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Gregory Dorceus, 27, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He made his initial appearance by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 16, 2021, members of the Elizabeth Police Department responded to a report of an individual in possession of a firearm in the area of Jefferson Park. They observed Dorceus, who matched the description provided, and approached him. Dorceus reached for his waistband and attempted to ball up in the fetal position. Officers recovered a Ruger model P95DC, 9mm firearm loaded with four rounds of ammunition. Dorceus has prior felony convictions for illegal drugs and weapons.
The count of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; and officers of the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Director Earl J. Graves and Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the arrest and charges.
In July 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country. Leveraging existing resources, the regional strike forces will better ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key market regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C. According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in the New York/northern New Jersey area originate from outside the area. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in the New York/northern New Jersey area with their counterparts in those other locations.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. Shaughnessy of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Connecticut Man Arrested for Cyberstalking and Threatening Massachusetts WomanRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Connecticut man was arrested today for allegedly threatening, harassing and intimidating a Massachusetts woman through social media and email.
Marshall Nicholas Fain, 31, of New Haven, Conn., was charged with one count of cyberstalking and one count of transmitting threats through interstate commerce. Fain was arrested this morning and made an initial appearance today in federal court in Boston before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal. Fain is being held in custody pending a detention hearing schedule for Feb. 8, 2022.
According to the charging documents, Fain was in a relationship with the victim for approximately two years, until the relationship ended in August 2021. Soon after, in September 2021 and continuing through December 2021, Fain sent the victim multiple private messages through email and social media threatening to kill the victim and members of her family.
Fain allegedly created multiple social media and email accounts which he used to harass and threaten the victim anonymously. Specifically, according to the charging documents, Fain used anonymous Instagram and Facebook accounts to send the victim messages that said, among other things, “I’ll kill you” and “You gonna get yours if it’s the last thing I do.” Fain allegedly also used anonymous email addresses to send the victim threatening messages that said, among other things, “I’m gonna find you and kill you if it’s the last thing I do,” “By now you know I don’t give a f*** about my own life so I really don’t mind taking yours,” and “When the time is right you gonna be one of the girls going missing. Ima torture the f*** out of you when I catch you.”
The charge of stalking by electronic means provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of transmitting threats through interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division, provided valuable assistance in the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gotlob of Rollins Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Connecticut Man Arrested for Corporate Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Connecticut man was arrested today on charges arising from a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $500,000 from his former employer, New England Sports Network (NESN).
Ariel Legassa, 49, of Burlington, Conn., was charged with one count of mail fraud. Legassa made his initial appearance in federal court in the District of Connecticut today and will appear in federal court in the District of Massachusetts at a later date.
According to the charging documents, from approximately December 2020 to January 2022, Legassa orchestrated a scheme to defraud NESN. It is alleged that as Legassa negotiated a legitimate contract with a New York company to provide web development services for NESN, Legassa simultaneously created a fictitious business under a similar name in Connecticut that he then used to receive fraudulent payments from NESN. During the pendency of the legitimate contract between the New York company and NESN, in addition to approving legitimate invoices from the New York company, Legassa allegedly created and approved several fake invoices from the Connecticut company. In all, it is alleged that NESN paid the Connecticut company, which did not have an actual business purpose, $575,500 into an account controlled by Legassa, who then spent the funds on personal expenses and transferred the funds into other accounts under his control.
The charge of mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Concord Man’s Serial Fraud Nets Him More Than Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jason Blackard was sentenced today in United States District Court to 66 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of unauthorized access devices, and attempted mail theft, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. Senior United States District Judge Maxine M. Chesney handed down the sentence.
Blackard, 38, of Concord, California, pleaded guilty on October 7, 2021. In his plea agreement, Blackard admitted committing a series of frauds and theft that continued from January 2019 through February 2021. On January 9, 2019, U.S. Postal Inspectors were surveilling a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail “relay” box at the corner of Sacramento Street and Powell Street in San Francisco. The relay box had been the target of repeated thefts. While watching, they saw Blackard approach and open the box. Blackard was wearing a USPS hat and jacket and used a key belonging to USPS. Blackard admitted in his plea agreement that he intended to steal mail from the relay box.
Blackard further admitted in his plea agreement that he engaged in seven more crimes in the ensuing two years. Three of those crimes involved bank fraud in which Blackard stole other individuals’ identities, impersonated them, and opened loans and wrote checks to buy big ticket items using their names and accounts. Blackard admitted to fraudulently purchasing two automobiles and a new speedboat from dealerships in Chico, Ripon, and Vacaville. Blackard also admitted using stolen identities to buy thousands of dollars in merchandise from large retailers in Walnut Creek, Redding, and Chico.
In a memo filed for sentencing, the government detailed that Blackard’s fraud involved buying a $58,000 Toyota sportscar, a $98,000 speedboat and trailer, a $30,000 Mercedes automobile, $9,000 in goods from a high-end clothes retailer, $67,000 in goods from a big box hardware store, and $9,000 in goods from a tractor supply retailer. Blackard’s crimes continued even after law enforcement executed a search warrant on his home in July 2020 and persisted until law enforcement arrested him in February 2021.
Blackard’s fraud and theft caused losses in excess of $134,000 to identifiable banks, retailers, and individuals. In his plea agreement, Blackard agreed that the total intended losses to his victims exceeded $250,000.
In addition to imposing a 66 month prison term, Senior United States District Judge Maxine M. Chesney sentenced Blackard to a three year term of supervision upon his release from prison and ordered him to pay $134,908.32 in restitution to his victims.
Blackard was in custody at his sentencing hearing and begins his sentence immediately.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Vieira prosecuted the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The federal prosecution arose from investigations by the USPIS, Hillsborough Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Chico Police Department, Ripon Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Walnut Creek Police Department, Pleasanton Police Department, Pleasant Hill Police Department, Vacaville Police Department, and the Danville Police Department, with assistance from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office, San Mateo County District’s Attorney Office, Solano County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tehama County District Attorney’s Office.
Citrus County Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Federal Firearm PaperworkRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Darrell Pierre Hopkins (54, Dunnellon) has pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with the purchase of firearms and knowingly causing a licensed gun dealer to maintain false information in its official records. Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He was indicted on December 15, 2021.
According to the evidence introduced in court, on or about November 23, 2021, Hopkins entered a federally licensed firearm dealer in Crystal River and attempted to purchase two handguns. While completing the mandatory firearm transaction paperwork, Hopkins certified that he had not previously been convicted of a felony. A criminal background check, however, revealed that Hopkins had prior felony convictions for robbery, conspiracy to deal cocaine, and intimidation. As a convicted felon, Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. When subsequently confronted by law enforcement, Hopkins admitted that he was the person who had attempted to unlawfully purchase the firearms.
This case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
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.
Camden County Man Admits Selling Phony PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former employee of a Mount Holly, New Jersey, medical practice pleaded guilty today to selling fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Jose Colon, 37, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to an information charging him with distribution of controlled substances.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Colon, who is not a medical provider, used the identities of doctors with whom he worked to make and sell fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, including Oxycodone, Adderall, Percocet, and Xanax. Colon sometimes met his customers in person with a prescription pad to sell the fraudulent prescriptions for cash. He also submitted fraudulent prescriptions electronically to pharmacies in exchange for electronic payments from his customers. Colon advised his customers on how to fill the fraudulent prescriptions, including instructing them to wait until the medical practice was closed so that Colon would be able to answer any phone calls from the pharmacies questioning the validity of the fraudulent prescriptions.
The count of distributing controlled substances carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 7, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI Newark Division, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the FBI Newark Health Care Fraud Task Force, whose members include the Galloway Township and Middle Township Police Departments, and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Passing Counterfeit CurrencyRead the Press Release
BOISE – A San Leandro, California man was sentenced to four months in federal prison and four months of home confinement for passing counterfeit currency.
According to court records, on March 4, 2021, Darnell Tate, 45, of San Leandro, passed and attempted to pass counterfeit $100 bills at Home Depot stores in the Treasure Valley. Tate first passed three counterfeit $100 bills at a Home Depot in Nampa. He then attempted to pass three more $100 counterfeit bills at a Home Depot in Meridian but was unsuccessful. He then succeeded in passing three counterfeit $100 bills at a Home Depot in Eagle. Police investigating these transactions located Tate that evening and found him in possession of approximately $10,000 in counterfeit bills.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also imposed three years of supervised release to follow the periods of incarceration and confinement. Tate pleaded guilty to the charge on November 8, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Secret Service, Boise Police Department, Nampa Police Department, and the Eagle Police Department, which led to charges.
###
Casper Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that JAMES WAYNE LUCE, age 29, of Casper, Wyoming pleaded guilty to production of child pornography during a change of plea hearing held on February 1, 2022, before Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson. Sentencing has been set for April 25, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.
Luce was arrested on December 20, 2020, in Casper, Wyoming after being charged by complaint. He was later indicted by a federal grand jury. He faces 15-30 years of imprisonment; 5 years to life of supervised release; up to a $250,000 fine; a $5,000 special assessment pursuant to the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015, up to $50,000 special assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 and a $100 special assessment.
This crime was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation ICAC. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christyne M. Martens.
Case Number 0:21-cr-00013-ABJ
Bucks County Housing Provider Ordered to Pay Damages and Redress Discrimination Based on Pregnancy and Disability StatusRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced that the owner and the former manager of rental properties in Quakertown, PA, have agreed to resolve a federal lawsuit brought by the United States in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The United States alleged that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act when they refused to let a tenant’s girlfriend move in with him because she was pregnant with his son, and because the tenant was in recovery from an addiction to alcohol.
In 1988, Congress expanded the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on familial status and disability. The Act’s ban on familial status discrimination protects individuals under 18 years old, as well as any person who is pregnant. The Fair Housing Act’s disability protections cover people in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction, but they do not apply to current, illegal use of or addiction to a controlled substance. The tenant in the United States’ lawsuit successfully completed an alcohol treatment program and was in recovery from his addiction for approximately nine months before requesting that his girlfriend move into the property.
“The expectation and arrival of a new baby is supposed to prompt celebration, not the threat of eviction,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The same should be true of individuals putting in the hard work to manage their addictions – they deserve support, not hurdles, to access safe, affordable housing. Expanding families and those working to remain on stable footing should be able to rely on the continuity of their home.”
“For more than three decades, federal law has prohibited housing discrimination against individuals because they are pregnant or because they are in recovery from alcohol addiction,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The resolution of this lawsuit advances the Justice Department’s commitment to ensuring that individuals expecting children, as well as people recovering from an addiction, have equal access to housing opportunities free from illegal discrimination.”
The consent order resolving the lawsuit, which was approved today by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, arose as a result of a complaint filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by the tenant on behalf of himself and his minor daughter. After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination and the matter was referred to the Justice Department.
“The Fair Housing Act seeks to ensure that individuals, who are recovering from addiction, and their families can access housing free from housing discrimination,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria L. McCain for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD. “HUD applauds the Department of Justice for its partnership with HUD and its aid in resolution of this matter.”
Under the consent order, the defendants will pay a total of $75,000 to the tenant and his child. The consent order also requires defendants to take actions directed towards preventing future unlawful discrimination, including complying with the Fair Housing Act, undergoing training and implementing nondiscrimination policies on the Fair Housing Act in connection with the rental and management of residential properties, and submitting to compliance and reporting requirements.
Fighting illegal housing discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. Additional information about the Fair Housing Act is available at www.HUD.gov.
The case is captioned United States v. Bacchus, et. al, No. 2:21-cv-3680 (E.D. Pa.). The United States is represented by Judith Amorosa, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, along with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section.
Bridgeport Gang Member Involved in 2 Shootings Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
JACQUON BENEJAN, also known as “Blick,” 20, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 97 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses stemming from his membership in a violent Bridgeport street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence. Benejan has been a member of the “Greene Homes Boyz” (“GHB/Hotz”), a gang based in the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport’s North End, whose members and associates distributed heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and Percocet pills; committed numerous acts of violence against rival gang members and other individuals, and celebrated their criminal conduct on social media websites such as Facebook and YouTube. GHB/Hotz members and associates also committed acts of intimidation and made threats to deter potential witnesses to their crimes and to protect gang members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities. From approximately 2017 until August 2020, GHB/Hotz members had been aligned with members of the “Original North End” (“O.N.E.”), a gang based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport, against rival groups in Bridgeport, including the East End, East Side and PT Barnum gangs, as well as 150, which is a geographic gang based on the West Side of Bridgeport.
The investigation revealed that on February 7, 2018, Benejan and an associate shot and attempted to kill “MJ,” a member or associate of the 150 gang. On October 4, 2018, he and an associate shot and attempted to kill “MS,” a member or associate of the East End gang, inside the Greene Homes housing complex. In both of these shootings, innocent bystanders in their homes were either wounded or nearly wounded by stray bullets.
Benejan also appears in YouTube videos and in social media posts, where firearms are present, promoting the gang.
Law enforcement also made controlled purchases of narcotics from Benejan. On March 13, 2020, a court-authorized search of Benejan’s residence revealed two firearms and crack cocaine.
Benejan has been detained since February 19, 2021. On September 17, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Karen L. Peck and Stephanie T. Levick.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
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.
Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin, Fentanyl and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in connection with heroin and fentanyl distribution and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Anthony Howard, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for May 25, 2022. Howard was arrested and charged in August 2021.
This case arose from a series of controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Howard by a cooperating witness. On July 20, 2021, Howard sold a cooperating witness over 32 grams of heroin. A search of Howard’s apartment on Aug. 5, 2021, resulted in the seizure of approximately 24.52 grams of fentanyl; drug distribution paraphernalia; and several firearms, including a Glock 9mm handgun loaded with a drum magazine capable of 50 round capacity and containing 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Federal law prohibits Howard from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to prior felony convictions. Additionally, at the time of the offenses, Howard was on state pre-trial release for a 2014 indictment for murder, armed assault to murder and illegal firearm possession, amongst other charges, in connection with a shooting of multiple victims. On Nov. 15, 2021, Howard was convicted on several charges in this matter and sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison.
The charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
First United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Bangor Woman Sentenced for Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor woman was sentenced today in federal court for maintaining a drug-involved premises and distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Brenda J. Shaboski, 65, of Bangor, to a term of 12 months and one day of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Shaboski pleaded guilty on July 19, 2021.
According to court records, Shaboski owned 1702 Union Street in Bangor, a residence referred to locally as “the farm.” From June through December 2020, the location was used by Shaboski and others to buy, sell, and use heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base. Individuals renting from Shaboski or staying at her house sold and used drugs, and the vehicle and visitor traffic to the location was primarily drug related. The residence was used by drug distributers as a location to “cook” powder cocaine into crack. In March 2021, Shaboski also arranged fentanyl sales from her home.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock told the defendant, “There is no way to overstate the impact of these poisonous and addictive substances on this country and on Maine in particular.” The Court noted that Shaboski “had encouraged what amounts to a virus in the body politic of this community” with the “staggering amount of illegal drugs” involved at her home.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. The Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will receive $23,372 in sale proceeds resulting from the forfeiture of Shaboski’s residence.
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announces Justice Department strategy to combat human traffickingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said 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.”
“Our team is proud to work alongside our many committed law enforcement and community partners – including federal and state law enforcement agencies, non-profit organizations, and community leaders – to combat the scourge of human trafficking,” said U.S Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “We continue to draw on these critical resources to vigorously prosecute those who commit these crimes, as well as to mobilize resources to aid, support, and help trafficking victims in our district.”
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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 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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announces Justice Department strategy to combat human traffickingRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“The Western District of Washington has been at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking since 2004, when the U.S. Attorney’s Office convened the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT) in partnership with the Seattle Police Department and the International Rescue Committee of Seattle,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Thanks to grants made to our partners by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and Bureau of Justice Assistance, WashACT has served as a model of a multi-disciplinary, collaborative, victim-centered task force. WashACT remains focused on its mission of ensuring that victims of trafficking receive all resources available to them and that human traffickers are identified, investigated, and prosecuted to the utmost extent of the law. We will continue advancing the goals set forth in the Attorney General’s National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking.”
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking; Southern District of California a National Leader in Human Trafficking ProsecutionsRead the Press Release
Director of Media Relations Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 2, 2022
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department’s National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
The Southern District of California is proud to be a leader in the fight against human trafficking. Since the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, the Southern District has prosecuted more defendants than any other district in the country -- as of January 2021, 262 defendants in 93 separate cases. The Southern District continues to be a national leader in all types of human trafficking prosecutions, ranging from child-sex trafficking to forced labor trafficking to sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion.
Recognizing that, sadly, San Diego is a national hub for domestic minor sex trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes individuals who profit from the sexual exploitation of children to the fullest extent of the law, and routinely obtains significant custodial time for those defendants. Recent prosecutions underscore the office’s commitment to justice for victims of these sometimes unseen crimes, including labor trafficking charges against individuals from Imperial Valley Ministries (U.S. v. Gonzalez, et al., 19-CR-3255-BTM), who coerced dozens of mostly homeless individuals to surrender welfare benefits and compelled them to panhandle up to nine hours a day, six days a week, for the financial benefit of church leaders, and charges against the operators of the website “Girls Do Porn,” (U.S. v. Pratt, et al., 19-CR-4488-JLS), who participated in a nationwide scheme that duped and coerced women into making pornography.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office also routinely works with its state and local partners to provide assistance and justice for survivors and participates in trainings that assist the community in recognizing and stopping human trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We are grateful to our fantastic Human Trafficking Task Force, and our federal, state, and local partners for sharing this challenging work with us. I am proud of our office’s commitment to holding traffickers accountable, and attempting to provide a better future for victims, and I am proud that we continue to be a leader in this fight.”
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
Department Strategy Supports National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking
On Monday, U.S. 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.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“This national strategy will enhance the important work that is already being done in New Hampshire to combat human trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Farley. “Through the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, we work closely with a broad coalition of entities to address human trafficking using a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-responsive approach. This joint effort is not just focused on prosecuting human traffickers. It is a comprehensive approach that includes training citizens to identify victims of human trafficking and providing victims with the assistance they need to escape from harmful situations and rebuild their lives.”
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
For more information about the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, please visit: https://www.nhhumantraffickingtaskforce.com/
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Jan. 31 released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“The department’s national strategy helps to strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking here in New Mexico,” said Fred J. Federici, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. “We have always prioritized human trafficking, including working collaboratively with state, local and tribal investigators to identify and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office worked with the FBI to form a new Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking task force in 2020, comprised of the FBI, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department and investigators from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
“Our staff has worked to educate the public on such topics as the indicators of human trafficking and manipulation tactics by traffickers. In addition to having a fulltime coordinator for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, our staff has performed presentations in tribal communities specific to human trafficking and DOJ initiatives that promote public safety in Indian Country. We’ve also worked with our tribal partners to develop Tribal Community Response Plans. This national strategy helps us to increase these efforts across all communities in New Mexico.”
The New Mexico Human Trafficking Task Force is led by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and service provider organization The Life Link. This task force is federally funded through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and provides training throughout the state with both law enforcement agencies and service provider organizations.
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland this week released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“Stopping the trafficking and exploitation of our most vulnerable will always be a significant priority in District of Rhode Island,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, “and doing that effectively means coordinating closely with our state and local law enforcement partners, as well as with advocacy groups to provide training, share resources and develop best practices- to both quickly and effectively prosecute traffickers, and to support their victims.”
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI - U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
"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."
"The investigation and prosecution of human trafficking crimes is one of the Department’s highest priorities. Federal law enforcement and prosecutors remain relentless in our efforts to bring traffickers to justice and to seek justice for the victims of these crimes," said United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands.
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland this week released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“We are taking a more proactive approach to combat human trafficking in West Virginia than ever before through the use of technology and via partnerships with law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Ihlenfeld. “This new strategy will allow us to help more victims and to prosecute more offenders.”
“We have joined forces across the state to protect our citizens from human traffickers,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Investigators, prosecutors, victim advocates and non-governmental service providers are working together through the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force to raise awareness about human trafficking, investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases and support 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 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.
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 learn more about the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, go to www.stophumantraffickingwv.org.
To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
Department Strategy Supports National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland this week released the
Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for
Victims of Trafficking Act.Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat
Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's
National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.“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.”“We have joined forces across the state to protect our citizens from human traffickers,” said
United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Investigators, prosecutors, victim advocates and
non-governmental service providers are working together through the West Virginia Human
Trafficking Task Force to raise awareness about human trafficking, investigate and prosecute human
trafficking cases and support survivors.”“We are taking a more proactive approach to combat human trafficking in West Virginia than ever
before through the use of technology and via partnerships with law enforcement,” said United States
Attorney Ihlenfeld. “This new strategy will allow us to help more victims and to prosecute more
offenders.”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 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.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 learn more about the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, go to
www.stophumantraffickingwv.org.To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
# # #
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – This week, U.S. 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.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It 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.
“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.”
“Stopping human trafficking requires a joint law enforcement and community effort,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada. “Working alongside our federal, state, local, and tribal agency partners, our office will continue prioritizing the prosecution of those who prey upon and exploit vulnerable people, such as marginalized youth, refugee and migrant workers, and survivors of domestic violence. We will also deploy our combined resources to raise awareness across Nevada communities and to help get survivors on the road to recovery.”
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 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.
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 read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
# # #
Apollo Man Charged with Meth PossessionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - One resident of Apollo, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment named James D. Higgins, age 42, formerly of Apollo, PA 15613, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on June 17, 2021, Mr. Higgins was found to be in possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The law provides for a total sentence of not less than ten years in prison, a fine of not more than $10,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years, or a combination thereof. 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 Brian W. Castello is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Agency conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tuesday 1 February 2022
Woman Pleads Guilty to Misappropriating Funds for Care of COVID-19 PatientsRead the Press Release
A Michigan woman pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Michigan to stealing government funds that were designed to aid medical providers in the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19 and using them for her own personal expenses.
According to court documents, Amina Abbas, 36, of Taylor, admitted that she previously owned 1 on 1 Home Health (1 on 1), a home health agency in LaPorte, Indiana, which she had closed in early 2020. 1 on 1, which was never operational during the pandemic, received approximately $37,657 designated for the medical treatment and care of COVID-19 patients. Abbas admitted that she stole the funds by issuing checks to her family members for personal use, rather than using the funds in conjunction with pandemic relief efforts as required.
Abbas pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public money. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges against Abbas were the first criminal charges for the intentional misuse of funds distributed from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, money specially apportioned by the CARES Act to help health care providers who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide care to patients who were suffering from COVID-19, and compensate providers for the cost of that care. These funds were critical to providing relief to health care providers and maintaining access to medical care during the pandemic.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG’s) Chicago Region, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Josh Hauxhurst of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office made the announcement.
Trial Attorneys Emily Gurskis and Jay McCormack of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the department 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.
Waterloo Woman Who Used Marijuana and Possessed Guns Found Guilty at TrialRead the Press Release
A woman who possessed firearms while being a user of marijuana was convicted by a jury today after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Allyssa Stovall, age 23, from Waterloo, Iowa, was convicted of being a drug user in possession of firearms. The verdict was returned this afternoon following less than two hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that, in July 2020, Stovall purchased two firearms, a Ruger 9mm pistol and a SCCY Industries 9mm pistol, from Scheels in Cedar Falls and Mr. Guns in Waterloo. She continued to possess the firearms until law enforcement officers seized them on July 22, 2021. During this time, Stovall was also a user of marijuana. Stovall posted photographs on public social media of her holding a marijuana blunt and spoke about her marijuana use during a recorded telephone call. Law enforcement also encountered Stovall in February 2021, after she drove her car into a snowbank. During this encounter, officers smelled the odor of marijuana from Stovall’s vehicle and eventually located marijuana throughout the vehicle. Finally, officers located marijuana and other items of drug paraphernalia during a search of Stovall’s apartment in July 2021.
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.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Stovall was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the verdict was returned and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Stovall faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and the Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-cr-2060.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Tyler County man indicted on drug chargesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Shirl Norman Baker, III, of Paden City, West Virginia, was indicted today on drug charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Baker, 42, was indicted today on one count of “Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine” and three counts of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Baker is accused of selling methamphetamine in March 2020, January 2021, and February 2021 in Wetzel and Tyler Counties.
Baker faces at least five years and up to 40 years of incarceration for the first count and faces up to 20 years of incarceration for the other three counts. 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 Clayton J. Reid is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Bronx Men Charged with 2014 Harlem MurderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Timothy Foley, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division (“DEA”), and Ricky J. Patel, the Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security (“HSI”), and Keechant L. Sewell, Police Commissioner for the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced today that CARLOS LAUREANO, a/k/a “Gordo,” and NNANDI BEN-JOCHANNAN, a/k/a “BJ,” were charged with the August 12, 2014 murder of Luis Perez in Harlem. LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN were arrested today and will be presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Carlos Laureano and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan allegedly participated in the premeditated murder of Luis Perez over eight years ago in connection with a drug debt. Now, thanks to the hard work of the DEA and NYPD, the defendants have been charged for this heinous crime. We hope that today’s charges bring some measure of comfort to the family of Luis Perez and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another person’s life.”
Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Foley said: “Drugs and violence are a constant threat to the quality of life for New Yorkers. This investigation demonstrates DEA and our law enforcement partners’ resolve to bring justice to victims of violence and to identify and disrupt the drug trafficking organizations that spread poison throughout our neighborhoods.”
Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI New York Ricky Patel said: “Communities are being terrorized and the uptick in violent crime has instilled fear across New York City. Today’s arrest for a 2014 unsolved murder is a testament to HSI New York’s commitment to protect the public from highly addictive and often deadly drugs, and rid our communities of those who perpetrate street violence and murder. The partnership that HSI shares within the OCDETF Strikeforce in New York City is crucial to combat the distribution of narcotics that often leads to extreme violence, overdoses, and loss of life. HSI will continue to pursue organized criminal networks to make neighborhoods in New York City safer.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “This case involves a homicide from 2014. What this case highlights is that neither investigative challenges nor the passage of time will deter us from pursuing justice. We long ago learned that narcotics and guns, money and murder go hand-in-hand to bring fear to communities. The joint efforts of federal and state prosecutors and investigators in this case are yet another example that we will be relentless to end this violence”
According to the allegations in the indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
On or about August 12, 2014, in the vicinity of 501 West 147th Street in Harlem, New York, LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN shot and killed Perez in connection with a conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana.
* * *
LAUREANO, 33, and BEN-JOCHANNAN, 28, both of the Bronx, New York, are charged with one count of using a firearm to commit murder during a drug-trafficking crime, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison; and one count of murder in connection with a drug crime, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of 20 years in prison.
LAUREANO is also charged with one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of ten years in prison; and one count of possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of five years, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
The maximum and minimum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA, HSI, and NYPD. He also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Clore is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the indictment and the description of the indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.