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4 March 2022
South Carolina Man Charged with Interstate Travel for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with A Fifteen-Year-Old MinorRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – GRAHAM LOVELACE, age 33, of Greenville, South Carolina, was charged on March 3, 2022 in a one-count bill of information with interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the bill of information, in October 2021, LOVELACE traveled from Greenville, South Carolina to the Greater New Orleans, Louisiana area by automobile for the purposes of engaging in sexual conduct with a fifteen-year-old minor.
If convicted, LOVELACE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than thirty (30) years, followed by a minimum of five (5) years and up to a maximum lifetime term of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. LOVELACE may also be required to register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Evans reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case is being investigated by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg and Melissa Bücher.
Solon Man Sentenced to More Than 21 Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking and Possession of a Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that Harvey Dishon Jones, 39, of Solon, was sentenced on Thursday, March 3, 2022, by U.S. District Judge John Adams to 262 months – or more than 21 years – in federal prison. Jones pleaded guilty in November of 2021 to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“By choosing to repeatedly break the law and threaten the safety of our community, Mr. Jones has earned himself a lengthy term of incarceration in federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “Despite numerous opportunities to steer away from criminal conduct, Mr. Jones chose otherwise and will now face the consequences of his actions.”
“Drug trafficking is a pervasive crime and often the basis for additional criminal violations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation has an unwavering commitment to ensure cases are meticulously investigated and brought to justice. The partnerships formed with our federal, state, and local agencies have allowed our strike forces to have continued success in combating drug offenses.”
According to court documents, on November 8, 2019, members of the FBI’s Cartel, Gang, Narcotics, and Laundering Task Force executed a search warrant at an address in Cleveland where investigators suspected Jones was storing drugs and seized approximately 3.17 kilograms of cocaine. On December 16, 2020, pursuant to a DEA investigation, Jones was stopped in his vehicle by police. Officers searched the vehicle and discovered approximately 128 grams of cocaine, $25,000 in U.S. currency and a stolen .45 caliber handgun. Investigators later determined that Jones had stolen the firearm from a vehicle in Cleveland.
At the time of his traffic stop, Jones was on parole for a drug trafficking conviction in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Jones was also previously convicted of cocaine trafficking in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, wherein U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko sentenced Jones to 151 months in federal custody.
Investigators with the FBI and DEA consolidated their investigations into Jones while working together as part of a Cleveland-area strike force.
Jones was sentenced as a career offender as a result of his previous convictions and thus received an enhanced penalty.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI, DEA, Euclid Police Department and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick P. Burke.
Shaler Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing HeroinRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Shaler, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics trafficking laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
James Crivella, 29, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted a long-term investigation into drug-trafficking activity occurring in the Western District of Pennsylvania, including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Erie, Fayette, and Washington Counties.
Beginning in August of 2020 and continuing through November 2020, the Court was further informed, that the FBI conducted a federal Title III investigation, which resulted in the interception of thousands of wire and electronic communications over a total of ten telephones. Crivella was intercepted over telephones operated by co-defendant Jeffrey Kushik.
During intercepted communications, investigators determined that “little Jimmy Crivella”, as he was called by Kushik, was a lower-level heroin dealer for Kushik in Shaler Township, meeting Kushik’s drug customers to conduct the hand-to-hand transaction.Crivella, at the hearing, accepted responsibility for the sale of and/or could otherwise foresee the possession/distribution of between 40-60 grams of heroin.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. Other assisting agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department Homicide, Baldwin Police Department, Brentwood Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department and West Deer Township Police Department.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Second National from the Dominican Republic Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Narcotics Charges Stemming from Haulover Bay, St. John ShootoutRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Joan Morales Nolasco, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in the District Court and entered a guilty plea to the charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine (21 U.S.C. § 846 and 841) and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)). He faces up to life in federal prison. The sentencing date will be set by the Court.
According to Court documents, on September 25, 2019, a co-defendant drove Morales Nolasco, another co-defendant and two other individuals to Haulover Bay in St. John to conduct an exchange of two duffel bags that contained a large amount of U.S. currency and rifle type firearm for 100 kilograms of cocaine. The driver parked near a trail that leads to Haulover Bay. Morales Nolasco and his co-defendant exited the Jeep. Each of them carried a firearm. They both walked to a trail that leads to Haulover Bay. While on the trail, Morales Nolasco heard someone yelling at them in the English language. His co-defendant turned towards the direction of the voice and discharged his firearm. Morales Nolasco dropped his weapon and ran away on foot. He fled to the Dominican Republic and was subsequently extradited by federal authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Juan Albino and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Romanian Extradited to the United States, Charged with Selling Stolen Credit Card Information Obtained via MalwareRead the Press Release
A Romanian hacker has been charged with selling millions of stolen credit card numbers obtained through the use of malware, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Sorin Becheru, a 34-year-old Romanian citizen living in Bucharest, was charged in March 2021 with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with access devices. Mr. Becheru was arrested by Romanian authorities on Jan. 1, 2022 based on a request from the United States and in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and Romania. On March 3, 2022, FBI agents flew Mr. Becheru from Bucharest to Dallas. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on March 4.
“Malware is an increasingly insidious threat to U.S. companies and consumers. With just a few keystrokes, sophisticated hackers can compromise millions of accounts,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to pursue cyber criminals, including those who operate abroad. In the meantime, we encourage Americans to take steps to guard their personally identifiable information online.”
“Financially motivated cybercrime is attractive to a wide range of actors and its results can be devastating for affected consumers and businesses,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “We will continue our proactive private sector engagement for incident response, mitigation, and prevention, and will seek justice for the millions affected by this type of fraudulent activity.”
According to the indictment, Mr. Becheru and his coconspirators allegedly used point-of-sale memory scraping malware to obtain consumers’ credit card information from victim servers located in the U.S. They then allegedly sold the numbers on darkweb carding forums, including “Vendetta” and “Tony Montana.” Buyers used the stolen credit card numbers to purchase goods and services.
Mr. Becheru – who used various online identities, including “t0r.creep.im,” [email protected], and [email protected] – allegedly possessed and sold credit card information for millions of cards. At one point, he was in possession of information for more than 240,000 credit cards belonging to victims located in the Northern District of Texas and elsewhere.
An indictment is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Mr. Becheru is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service conducted the investigation in partnership with the Romanian National Police and the Romanian Ministry of Justice’s Directorate for Investigation of Infractions of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs was instrumental in the extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sid Mody is prosecuting the case.
Plainville Man Pleads Guilty to Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Plainville man pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography and to charges arising from him sending obscene photos of himself to someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
David Cerasuolo, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for June 2, 2022. Cerasuolo was indicted in October 2020 and has remained in custody since his arrest.
Starting in June 2020, Cerasuolo used chat applications to engage in conversations with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover federal agent. During these conversations, Cerasuolo attempted to entice the 13-year-old to engage in sexual activity and sent her several photographs of himself, including one displaying his genitalia. During their communications, Cerasuolo sent over 1,000 messages to the person he believed to be the 13-year-old girl. He was also found in possession of child pornography on his cell phone.
The charge of transfer of obscene material to a minor provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 Division made the announcement. The Plainville, Arlington, Boston and Newton Police Departments and Massachusetts Department of Correction provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Deitch of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.
Peoria Man Pleads Guilty to 2021 Burglary of Pinnacle Gun and AmmoRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Corey A. Brooks, 29, of the 2500 block of West Starr Street, pleaded guilty on March 2, 2022, to burglary of a federal firearm licensee and possession of a firearm as a felon. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 29, 2022, at the federal courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.
In court today, before U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade, Brooks admitted that early in the morning of July 7, 2021, he shattered a window at a federal firearms licensee known as Pinnacle Gun and Ammo, located in the 700 block of Main Street in Peoria. Brooks then climbed into the business through the window and removed two shotguns and 20 handguns, which were loaded into a backpack. Surveillance footage and blood drops left behind by Brooks enabled the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Peoria Police to identify Brooks and locate the two shotguns. A photograph was released, and Brooks was identified and arrested the same day.
Brooks remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
For the offenses of burglary of a federal firearm licensee and possession of a firearm as a felon, the statutory penalty is up to 10 years imprisonment for each count; a term of up to three years of supervised release for each count; and a fine of up to $250,000. If Brooks is determined to be a career offender, the terms of imprisonment could increase.
The charges were investigated by the Peoria Police Department and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna is representing the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.
Omaha Man Using a 3D Printer to Convert Glocks to Machine Guns Sentenced to 57 MonthsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Riley Griffy, age 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for unlawfully possessing a machinegun. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Griffy to 57 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Griffy will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On April 15, 2021, Griffy sold a 3D printed conversion device which converted a semiautomatic Glock pistol into an automatic weapon. Griffy used a 3D printer to build the device, which is a machinegun as defined by federal law. Griffy continued illegally manufacturing machineguns which converted firearms into automatic weapons until he was arrested on June 2, 2021. In total, Griffy manufactured and sold nine machineguns and one silencer.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and were part of Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Northern Indiana Public Service Company to Clean up Remaining Surface Contamination at the Town of Pines Superfund Site Under Federal SettlementRead the Press Release
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) will clean up soil contamination at individual residences within the Town of Pines Groundwater Plume Superfund site in Porter County, Indiana, at an estimated cost of $11.8 million to resolve federal and state Superfund liability. The complaint, filed simultaneously with the consent decree, alleges that the company is liable for the cleanup of coal ash from its power generation facility that it distributed as landscaping fill in the Town of Pines and its vicinity. The soils contaminated by coal ash contain hazardous substances including arsenic, thallium and lead.
“Today’s settlement requires NIPSCO to address the contamination it contributed to the Town of Pines Superfund site,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This settlement is a critical step toward the remediation of the site and will minimize risks to owners of contaminated property and to the environment.”
“This settlement requires NIPSCO to remove soil contaminated with coal ash from the utility’s power generation facility, and to monitor groundwater in and around the Town of Pines, Indiana,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This cleanup work will help protect residents from exposure to arsenic and other hazardous substances.”
“This settlement will help protect the environment and the health of people in northwest Indiana by cleaning up coal ash from residential properties,” said Administrator Debra Shore of EPA Region 5. “Removing contaminated soil and monitoring groundwater at the Town of Pines site is a vital part of this settlement with NIPSCO.”
“Hoosiers stand to benefit from NIPSCO’s commitment to reimburse taxpayers for public money spent during this lengthy process,” said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. “They stand to benefit, as well, from the company’s pledge to finish the cleanup in the Town of Pines made necessary by disposal of its coal ash in residential areas. We must always work to protect Hoosiers and uphold the rule of law.”
“By entering into this settlement with EPA and the state, NIPSCO will complete the process of cleaning up and restoring residential yards impacted by the disposal of coal ash in the Town of Pines, and ensure the safety of the drinking water supply by monitoring both drinking water and groundwater wells for potential contamination caused by the disposal,” said Commissioner Brian Rockensuess of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The consent decree requires NIPSCO to identify residential soil contamination above clean up levels from its disposal of coal ash, excavate the contaminated soils, and transport excavated contaminated soil to a licensed waste disposal facility. NIPSCO is also required to restore excavated properties using clean backfill, implement restrictions at the excavated properties where necessary to prevent exposure to any remaining contamination that might be left at depth, and monitor residential drinking water wells, groundwater monitoring wells, surface water and sediments to ensure that the contamination has not migrated to those locations. The company will also reimburse EPA a large percentage of its past costs and pay all future costs incurred by EPA and the State of Indiana in overseeing the cleanup.
More information about this settlement can be found at https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0508071.
The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing at https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
North Dakota Man Charged with Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A North Dakota man, Patrick C. Hyde, 40, of Minot, had an initial appearance in federal court today after a grand jury returned an indictment charging him with allegedly distributing child pornography earlier this week.
Hyde was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on February 8, 2022, near his home in Minot. Hyde has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The indictment charges Hyde with distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on three occasions in January 2022. Hyde appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clare R. Hochhalter in U.S. District Court in North Dakota, Bismarck Division, on February 10, 2022, for a detention hearing and identity hearing. Hyde waived both hearings and was transferred to the Central District of Illinois.
At today’s hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long advised Hyde of the charges alleged in the indictment and set the matter for trial on May 9, 2022, in Peoria, before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm. Hyde waived a detention hearing and Judge Long ordered that he remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service.
If convicted, each count of distribution of child pornography carries a statutory penalty of at least five years to 20 years in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield and Bismarck field offices, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Morris County Man Charged with Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, New Jersey, man was charged today with distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Anselmo Girimonte, 51, of Wharton, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography. He appeared by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From Dec. 27, 2021, through Jan. 17, 2022, Girimonte distributed material containing images and video files of child sexual abuse, via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers. Users must download the P2P program, which is widely available for free on the Internet. The program allows the user to place files into a designated “shared” folder on his or her hard drive, from which other P2P program users can then download those files directly to the “shared” folders of their own computers. Users can then browse, search, select, and directly download, those files. The program typically keeps a log of each downloaded event.
Law enforcement conducted an undercover online session to access the P2P program and to download nine video files containing child pornography from an IP address assigned to an internet service provider account associated with Girimonte’s residence. These files included multiple visual depictions of pre-pubescent children being sexually abused by adults.
The count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, with the investigation leading to today’s charges. He also thanked the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the Rockaway Township Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Camila A. Garces of the Violent Crimes 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.
Monmouth County Brother and Sister Arrested for Conspiring to Evade Payment of $1.5 Million in Payroll TaxesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, brother and sister were arrested today on charges of tax evasion, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Enrico Cifelli, 51, of Holmdel, New Jersey, and Michelle Bocchieri, 42, of Matawan, New Jersey, were each charged by indictment on March 3, 2022, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Cifelli is additionally charged with one count of evasion of payment of payroll taxes, four counts of failure to pay over payroll taxes, and one count of evasion of assessment of income tax. Cifelli and Bocchieri were arrested today and made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman via videoconference. Cifelli was released on a $500,000 unsecured appearance bond and Bocchieri on a $250,000 unsecured appearance bond. Arraignment is scheduled for April 4, 2022, by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2013 through October 2020, Cifelli and Bocchieri, who are siblings, conspired to evade the payment of more than $1.5 million in payroll taxes, penalties, and interest that Cifelli owed the IRS. Cifelli’s tax liability stemmed from the unpaid payroll taxes of two companies that he controlled: Cifelli Disposal Inc., a waste disposal business, and LBAB LLC. Cifelli failed to pay the vast majority of payroll taxes for Cifelli Disposal for the years 2004 through 2008 and for LBAB for the years 2009 through 2015, resulting in more than $1.5 million in taxes, penalties, and interest.
To avoid paying the IRS and give the false impression that Cifelli lacked the ability to pay his back taxes, Cifelli and Bocchieri conspired to have Bocchieri fund Cifelli’s lifestyle through an entity she nominally owned, but Cifelli controlled. For instance, Bocchieri caused her company to pay the down payment, mortgage, and other expenses for Cifelli’s personal residence.
Cifelli submitted a false Offer in Compromise to the IRS in June 2016, making multiple misrepresentations and material omissions of his assets and household income, while offering to settle his tax debt for pennies on the dollar.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss to any person, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Modesto Woman Admits Submitting 121 Stimulus Check Claims Using PII Provided by Death Row SonRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Sheila Denise Dunlap pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson, and U.S. Department of the Treasury, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Special Agent in Charge Rod Ammari.
Dunlap, 51, of Modesto, was charged by a federal indictment on May 13, 2021, with engaging in a wire fraud conspiracy to file scores of fraudulent applications for Economic Impact Payment (EIP) payments, commonly known as stimulus checks. The EIP program was part of the CARES Act, a federal relief bill signed into law on March 27, 2020, to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the EIP provision of the CARES Act, individuals who made less than $99,000 on their 2019 tax returns and those whose income was sufficiently low that a tax return filing was not required (known as non-filers) were eligible to receive EIP funds. EIP payments amounted to as much as $1,200 per adult and $500 for a qualifying child.
In her plea agreement, Dunlap admitted that she conspired from March 2020 through July 2020 with her son to obtain the personal identifiable information (PII) of others and to use that PII to apply for EIP funds. Dunlap’s son was serving a capital sentence on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison.
Dunlap admitted in her plea agreement that her son, identified in the agreement only by the initials D.W., sent her the PII of his fellow prisoners along with the PII of other individuals whom they suspected might qualify as non-filers of 2018 or 2019 income tax returns, thus making them eligible for EIP funds. Dunlap admitted she used that PII to file multiple fraudulent claims for EIP funds through the Internal Revenue Service’s online EIP Portal. In each of the applications, Dunlap listed her own Bank of America account to receive the payments.
Dunlap detailed in her plea agreement that in or about April 2020, her son coordinated with another to email her a spreadsheet containing the PII of 9,043 individuals. Her son advised Dunlap to file the fraudulent EIP claims by first using the PII of the youngest adults listed. Both D.W. and Dunlap assessed that these younger, college-aged individuals probably lacked income sufficient to trigger the filing of a 2018 or 2019 tax return and were accordingly likely non-filers eligible for EIP payments.
Dunlap admitted that in May and June 2020 she used the PII of these real individuals – which included their names and social security numbers – to electronically filed 121 EIP claims. Dunlap admitted that each EIP claim contained false statements and directed payment to her bank account. In total, Dunlap filed claims for $145,200 in EIP payments.
Dunlap pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or not more than the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss. Dunlap also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A, which carries a penalty of two years imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence imposed and a maximum fine of $250,000. A sentence, however, will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Dunlap is scheduled for her sentencing hearing before United States District Judge Susan Illston on June 24, 2022. She remains out of custody.
The case has been prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yoosun Koh and Annie Hsieh, with the assistance of Llessica Chan Fierro, Ralph Banchstubbs, and Maribel Gallegos. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI and TIGTA.
Menominee Indian Man Charged in Federal Court with Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on March 1, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Darwin J. Pamanet (age: 46) of Keshena, which is located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Northeastern Wisconsin. The indictment charges him with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2241(c) and 1153(a); one count of sexual exploitation of a child, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a); and one count of possession of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B).
If convicted of the offenses, the defendant would face the following terms of imprisonment:
Charge
Maximum Penalty
Aggravated Sexual Abuse
Mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison, and up to life in prison
Sexual Exploitation of a Child
Mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, and up to 30 years in prison
Possession of Child Pornography
Up to 20 years in prison
In addition to the prison sentences listed above, the defendant faces fines and periods of supervised release if convicted.
According to filed court documents, from July 2021 through December 2021, the defendant allegedly committed sexual acts with three children who were under the age of 12 years old and recorded himself performing the sex acts with at least one of the children. A search of an electronic device revealed images of child pornography believed to be the child victims.
The case was investigated by the Menominee Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
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Mason City Man to Federal Prison for Meth and Firearms ConvictionsRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while he illegally possessed firearms was sentenced March 3, 2022, to more than 11 years in federal prison.
Lucas Lowman, 39, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 7, 2021, guilty plea of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and prohibited person in possession of firearms. Lowman was previously convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance-3rd or Subsequent Offense, in the Iowa District Court for Cerro Gordo County, in 2004. This conviction prohibits a person in Iowa from possessing firearms.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that between October 2019 and March 2021, Lowman possessed a number of guns, including a 12-gauge shotgun. Lowman utilized a gun to assault another, and between April 2019 and November 2019, Lowman and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine.
Lowman was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Lowman was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Lowman is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Mason City Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, North Central Iowa Drug Task Force, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-3020.
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Maryland Woman Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Embezzling over $230,000 from EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Aurelia Stanton, 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, and formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her former employer.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Wayne A. Jacobs.
Stanton pleaded guilty in September 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to bank fraud. She was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. Following her prison term, she will be placed on five years of supervised release. She also must pay about $233,000 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to the government’s evidence, Stanton worked as an office manager from approximately June 2014 through May 2017 for a business, identified in court documents as “Company A.” She was responsible for ensuring timely payment of bills and invoices, accurate bookkeeping, and managing the office. From August 2015 through May 2017, according to court documents, she embezzled more than $233,000 writing checks to herself on the company’s check stock. She used a computer software program to conceal the fraudulent disbursements by editing the company’s bank statements to remove references to the fraudulently drafted, forged, and negotiated checks. In total, she deposited 187 checks with forged signatures.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Jessica Mundi.
Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick Williams, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Schemes Resulting in Losses of More Than $1.1 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Linda Pylant, age 58, of Grasonville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud, social security fraud, tax evasion, and aggravated identity theft in connection with schemes to defraud her employer, fraudulently obtain disability insurance payments, and evade more than $225,000 in taxes, including by concealing income in connection with a bankruptcy petition. As a result of these crimes, Pylant admits that she illegally obtained more than $1.1 million.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.
Wire Fraud Scheme
According to her guilty plea, from 2012 to about July 2020, Pylant worked for a Washington, D.C. trade association as an office administrator. Her responsibilities included bookkeeping and other accounting duties, making check deposits, handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other administrative duties.
As detailed in her plea agreement, in October 2017, Pylant opened a bank account, purportedly for the trade association, for which she was the sole signatory and caused the bank statements to be mailed to her home. From October 2017 until July 2020, Pylant deposited more than $700,000 in checks, primarily from the trade association’s members and from insurance companies, which were intended for the benefit of the trade association. Pylant also transferred more than $70,000 of the trade association’s funds from a PayPal account to the account she opened in the name of the trade association. In addition, Pylant admitted that she issued trade association checks made payable to herself and a contractor for the trade association, which she signed, forging the names of two trade association executives. Pylant then deposited the forged checks into other accounts she controlled.
Pylant spent more than $175,000 of the stolen funds at a local bingo hall, used more than $100,000 for retail, restaurant, and grocery expenditures and withdrew more than $200,000 in cash. As a result of the fraud scheme, Pylant obtained more than $900,000.
Social Security and Disability Fraud
On August 18, 2015, Pylant applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments, failing to disclose that she was working and earning income from the trade association. SSDI payments are only made as long as the beneficiaries are unable to work and/or their income is under a certain amount. From 2018 to July 2020, Pylant illegally received and spent more than $75,000 in SSDI payments to which she was not entitled.
In addition, from 2014 to about 2017, Pylant provided false information to a private insurance company in order to fraudulently collect disability insurance payments. Pylant consistently failed to disclose her income from the trade association, as well as her SSDI payments. As a result, Pylant fraudulently received more than $140,000 in disability insurance payments from the private insurance company.
Tax Evasion and Bankruptcy Fraud
From 2014 until July 2020, Pylant caused her salary payments from the trade association to be paid through a non-existent entity, LPSR, Inc., which Pylant created but did not register with the State of Maryland nor the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Pylant also established LPSR as a vendor in the trade association’s computer system, with no federal tax identification number and no 1099 reporting status. During the six years of the tax evasion scheme Pylant caused the trade association to pay LPSR more than $100,000. During that time, Pylant also caused the trade association to not issue a 1099 IRS reporting form for LPSR. Because Pylant also made false statements to the Social Security Administration, including failing to disclose that she was employed by the trade association, she avoided paying taxes that would have been due on her SSDI payments.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Pylant submitted false information in the course of three Maryland bankruptcy proceedings filed on February 3, 2016, in December 2020, and in January 2021. Specifically, Pylant’s petitions failed to list her taxable income from the trade association that was paid through LPSR, falsely claimed that she had zero earned income and was not required to file any tax returns, failed to list any business names that she had used, including LPSR, and falsely stated that her employment status had not changed since February 2016.
Pylant admitted that her tax evasion offenses caused a tax loss to the United States of at least $233,547 and she will be required to pay restitution to the government in that amount.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Pylant will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the actual losses caused by her fraud schemes, which is at least $1.1 million. Pylant will also forfeit assets directly traceable to the fraud offenses, substitute assets, and/or a money judgement equal to the value of the property derived from the offense, which is at least $950,000.
Pylant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for social security fraud and for tax evasion; and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for September 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, IRS-CI and SSA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Marlboro Woman Pleads Guilty to Welfare FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Marlboro woman pleaded guilty today to fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits, MassHealth, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Section 8 housing assistance.
Maribel Rodriguez, 63, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2022. Rodriguez was charged in December 2020.
Over a period of approximately 12 years, Rodriguez stole $68,223 in Social Security benefits, $1,908 in MassHealth benefits, $21,790 in SNAP benefits (previously known as Food Stamps) and $161,277 in Section 8 housing assistance benefits. In June 2016, she falsely informed the Social Security Administration that she lived alone when, in fact, she was living with her husband. Similarly, Rodriguez falsely told the Marlborough Community Development Authority in May 2017 that she was the only member of her household.
The charges of theft of public funds provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of making false statements provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, 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; Sharon MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General, Boston Regional Office; Suzanne M. Bump, State Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office, made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Man Responsible for Violent Crime Spree in Central Virginia to Serve 30 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.-A Gordonsville, Virginia man, who committed a series of armed robberies of commercial businesses in the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and Stafford County in the Summer of 2020, was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison.
Dominique Dejone Thurston, 23, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery and two counts of brandishing and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“Throughout the summer of 2020, Thurston terrorized local businesses and endangered the lives of numerous store clerks during his armed robbery spree. In many cases, his brutality was remarkable. He pistol-whipped store employees who were not even resisting his demands. This case shows how just one person can undermine how safe a community feels, and how important it is that federal, state, and local resources come together when the effects of violence are felt. His violent spree ended as a direct result of the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today.
“Today’s announcement sends a true message that acts of violence like those involved in this investigation will not be tolerated. We are extremely thankful that none of the hardworking people who were victimized by this individual were killed. We hope this sentencing will help calm fears and restore our community to some sense of normalcy. I am proud that our agents and partnering agencies worked around the clock to bring justice to those responsible. ATF is always honored to stand side by side with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Albemarle County Police Department, the City of Charlottesville Police Department, and the Stafford County Police Department as we collectively disrupt violent offenders,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson said. “The ATF Washington Field Division will continue to collaborate with our partners to ensure citizens are protected against those individuals who have no regard for others or property within our communities.”
“Cases such as this one demonstrates the Albemarle County Police Department’s continued commitment to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and is a prime example of how investigators have success when law enforcement agencies cooperate and share information. Due to the diligence and cooperation between our department, Charlottesville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, District 9 Probation and Parole and the US Attorney’s Office, our community is that much safer,” said Colonel Sean Reeves, Chief of Albemarle County Police.
According to court documents, Thurston committed a series of armed Hobbs Act robberies at commercial businesses in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville. These robberies included the Oak Hill Market in Albemarle County, the 7-Eleven on Ivy Road in the City of Charlottesville, a BP gas station convenience store in the City of Charlottesville, the 7-Eleven on Greenbrier Drive in Albemarle County, a Kangaroo Gas station in Albemarle County, a 7 Day Junior Store in the City of Charlottesville, and the 7-Eleven on Boulderview Road in Albemarle County.
During each robbery, Thurston entered the store, placed an item on the checkout counter, and then brandished his gun at the clerks while demanding all the cash in their registers. In several of the robberies, Thurston pistol-whipped clerks even though none of them were resisting his demands.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Albemarle County Police Department, the City of Charlottesville Police Department, the City of Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Ronald M. Huber and Special Assistant United States Attorney Nina-Alice Antony with the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case for the United States.
Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at A Woman in A Bronx Apartment Building DoorwayRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RAKIM BROWN, a/k/a “Rah,” pled guilty yesterday to firearms and narcotics offenses, including for his participation in a January 28, 2018 shooting at a woman in an apartment building vestibule in the University Heights neighborhood of the Bronx. BROWN pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For years, Rakim Brown was a violent drug dealer who sold crack cocaine on the streets of the Bronx. In order to protect his drug crew’s territory and reputation, Brown resorted to violence, including shooting at a woman associated with a rival drug crew in the vestibule of an apartment building in the Bronx. Brown now faces significant prison time for his crimes and the harm he inflicted on the victim and his community at large.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:
RAKIM BROWN, a/k/a “Rah,” was a member of a narcotics conspiracy that operated in and around 183rd Street and Davidson Avenue in the University Heights neighborhood of the Bronx. BROWN and others sold crack cocaine throughout the neighborhood. In 2017, a rivalry developed between BROWN’s drug crew and another drug crew when a member of the other drug crew shot and paralyzed BROWN’s brother. In retaliation, on January 28, 2018, BROWN and others chased an associate of the rival drug crew until they cornered her in the vestibule of an apartment building. BROWN then entered the vestibule, beat the victim, and shot at her multiple times. The victim sustained multiple injuries to her face and legs.
In connection with BROWN’s guilty plea, BROWN specifically admitted that he committed perjury at a pre-trial hearing before Judge Stein and that he possessed crack on particular occasions in 2016 and 2017 in connection with the narcotics trafficking conspiracy.
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BROWN, 26, pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, and using and carrying a firearm, which was brandished and discharged, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a maximum sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. BROWN will be sentenced before Judge Stein on June 6, 2022.
The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department and thanked the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their assistance with the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Christopher Brumwell, Alexandra Rothman, and Danielle Sassoon are in charge of the prosecution.
Luzerne County Couple Sentenced for Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud Offenses Committed Against Their NeighborsRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Ernest Stonebraker, age 33, and his wife, Theresa Stonebraker, age 42, both of Berwick, Pennsylvania, were sentenced on March 3, 2022, by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann, to terms of imprisonment as a result of their participation in a credit card fraud and identity theft scheme. Ernest Stonebraker received a sentence of 48 months, while his wife and coconspirator, Theresa Stonebraker received a sentence of 30 months. Each defendant was also ordered to serve a term of supervised release following imprisonment and to make restitution in the amount of $8,039.55, which represents the amount of unreimbursed loss suffered by their victims.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, from March 2019 to May 2019, the Stonebrakers used the personal identification information of their neighbors, which they obtained from mail that they stole from their neighbors’ mail boxes, and through other means, including by accessing victims’ MyGeisinger accounts, to open credit card accounts in their victims’ names. The couple then used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars of goods and services from local retailers. In all, the Stonebrakers either victimized or attempted to victimize (by compiling the personal information of) approximately 70 of their fellow residents of Luzerne and Columbia Counties. The total amount of loss attributable to the scheme was approximately $52,000.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Salem Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.
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Lowell Man Indicted for Gun TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston on firearms trafficking charges.
Isael Rodriguez, 27, was charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer. Rodriguez was released on conditions following an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez purchased firearms from a licensed dealer, falsely claiming that he was purchasing them for himself and then resold the firearms for profit to individuals in Boston.
The charge of dealing in firearms without a license 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 making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long; Lowell Superintendent of Police Raymond Kelly Richardson; Brookline Police Acting Chief Richard Allen; and Brockton Police Acting Chief Steve Williamson made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Local and federal law enforcement work together to address illegal drug distribution and rising crime in Seattle’s International DistrictRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration have been using targeted undercover operations to combat open air drug markets in Seattle. Today, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown joined Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and law enforcement leaders to highlight a series of arrests aimed at removing persistent fentanyl dealers—some of whom are illegally armed with firearms—from the 12th and Jackson area in Seattle’s International District.
In all 16 people have been arrested for felonies in the undercover operation.
“There are too many guns in our communities, and we’ve seen a significant increase in shootings throughout Seattle and a rise in violent crime. This week I convened a meeting of law enforcement leaders to share strategies on how federal agents and local police can work together to reduce community violence,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “In this undercover operation, we have charged three people federally, who were illegally possessing firearms while dealing fentanyl. The Department of Justice will do everything that we can to help break the cycle of crime—not only with federal prosecution—but also with support for programs that keep our youth out of the criminal justice system.”
Mar’jon Guyton, 21, of Kent, Washington is charged with two counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Ceandrick M. Davis, 29, of Seattle, is charged with distribution of fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Cuong Cao, 54, of Seattle, is indicted for possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The first two defendants are detained at the Federal Detention Center pending further hearings. Law enforcement is actively looking for Cao.
A fourth defendant who was originally arrested for state charges at 12th and Jackson, is now facing federal prosecution following a second arrest, with a firearm at 3rd and Pike.
The King County Prosecutors Office is prosecuting 12 defendants in state court.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Larry W. Carter, 48, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln, to a total of 190 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Carter to 130 months in prison on the drug conviction and a consecutive 60 months in prison on the gun conviction. After serving his prison sentence, Carter will serve a 5-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On September 30, 2020, law enforcement contacted Carter as he was leaving a store. Carter ran from law enforcement and was apprehended shortly thereafter. During his apprehension, a handgun was retrieved from his person. Carter was arrested and an inventory search of his vehicle was conducted. During the search, law enforcement found a bag in the backseat that contained three self-sealing baggies of suspected methamphetamine, other suspected controlled substances, several empty baggies, a glass pipe with burnt white residue, and a black digital scale. Those items were seized by law enforcement and the suspected methamphetamine was sent to the lab for testing. A lab determined that there was 110.86 grams of methamphetamine, of which at least 100 grams was actual methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
Lewiston Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – A Lewiston man was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records, Richard Lee Black, 43, of Lewiston, conspired with Helene Martensen, 51, and Adam Johnson, 34, both of Clarkston, Washington, to distribute methamphetamine in the Lewiston area. Lewiston Police Department detectives, assigned to the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, arrested Black in January 2020, when he was found in possession of distribution quantities of methamphetamine, empty baggies, a digital scale and cash. Several months later, in June 2020, after a significant collaborative effort, the FBI North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force stopped the vehicle of Martensen and Johnson and seized approximately two pounds of methamphetamine. The key evidence, however, was obtained through FBI search warrants for cell phone and cell phone records. These records showed the effort of each conspirator to sell illegal drugs and firearms in the Lewis and Clark Valley, and on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
Martensen was sentenced on March 17, 2021, to 90 months in federal prison. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Black to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Black pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2021.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce Tribe Police Department, Idaho State Police, Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, Clarkston Police Department, Asotin County Sheriff’s Office, Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which led to charges.
The Quad Cities Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional group of law enforcement officers working together to target drug trafficking in Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho, and Clarkston and Pullman, Washington.
The North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF) is an FBI led task force with law enforcement officers from Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, Grangeville Police Department, Nez Perce Tribe Police Department, Idaho State Police, and Post Falls Police Department. The mission of the NIVCTF is to identify and target for prosecution criminal enterprise groups and individuals responsible for crimes of violence and the manufacture and distribution of illegal narcotics.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Leader of Local Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—An Oregon City, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for his leadership role in a conspiracy to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico for resale in Oregon and Washington State and for illegally reentering the U.S.
Victor Alvarez Farfan, 50, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, Farfan received approximately 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, half a kilogram of heroin and two kilograms of fentanyl from a drug cartel based in Michoacan, Mexico. He and his associates would then resell the methamphetamine and heroin in Hillsboro, Gresham, Portland and Hood River, Oregon, and Tacoma, Washington. Farfan also oversaw the manufacturing of crystal methamphetamine from its liquid form. As part of the conspiracy, one of Farfan’s co-conspirators, Eduardo Alvarez Farfan, 27, of Gresham, provided the two kilograms of fentanyl to a co-conspirator, Noe Antonio Machado-Madrano, 26, who had flown in from Baltimore, Maryland. Investigators arrested Machado-Madrano at a bus station and seized the fentanyl.
Farfan, a citizen of Mexico, was found in the U.S. on October 16, 2018 after having previously been removed in June 2015 following multiple federal convictions. Previously, in 2006, in the District of Oregon, Farfan was convicted for drug trafficking and illegally reentering the U.S. and sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.
On October 17, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a nine-count indictment charging Farfan and 21 co-defendants with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine; use of a communication facility, including cellular telephones, in the commission of a controlled substances felony; maintaining drug-involved premises to manufacture and distribute controlled substances; interstate distribution of drug proceeds and money laundering.
On October 24, 2018, a coordinated law enforcement operation led by the FBI with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Westside Interagency Narcotics (WIN) Task Force and the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF) resulted in the arrest of Farfan and 17 co-defendants.
Later, on November 27, 2018, Farfan was charged in a second indictment with illegal reentry.
On November 23, 2021, Farfan became the last of 23 co-defendants charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy to plead guilty. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances and illegal reentry.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and is the result of a joint investigation by FBI, HSI, WIN, and CCITF. Forfeiture was litigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division.
WIN includes representatives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Beaverton Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, Tigard Police Department, Oregon National Guard Counterdrug Program, and FBI. CCITF includes representatives from Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, HSI, and FBI.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
Lead defendant sentenced in middle Georgia methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA: The lead defendant in a now-disrupted Laurens County methamphetamine-trafficking ring has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting to his leadership role in the conspiracy.
David Alex Monroe, 32, of Dexter, Ga., was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. As part of the plea, Monroe forfeited a machine gun, an illegal short-barrel rifle, and two silencers seized during the investigation, and abandoned his interest in 54 additional firearms. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Monroe $2,000 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“While many of the defendants implicated in this large-scale drug trafficking organization await their day in court, it is significant that the leader has been sentenced for his role in the conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “David Alex Monroe is being held accountable for profiting from misery in the greater Laurens County area, and I am committed to directing our resources toward these crimes which are often catalysts to violent crime in our district.”
Monroe, for whom Operation Monroe Doctrine was named, was indicted in July 2021 along with 29 other defendants in USA v. Monroe et. al. The indictment was the culmination of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation that identified a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy operating throughout Laurens and Telfair counties and beyond, operating from at least January 2020 through January 2021.
As described in court documents and testimony, Monroe conspired with other defendants, including a supplier, to distribute illegal drugs throughout the greater Dublin and Laurens County community. Of the 30 defendants, three have now been sentenced; four await sentencing after pleading guilty; and 22 defendants await trial and are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“This investigation was a success thanks to the hard work and exceptional cooperation between law enforcement professionals from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, the DEA, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean. “I pledge to continue to the best of my ability, using the best resources available, to protect the citizens of Laurens County from drug traffickers.”
“This dangerous ‘meth’ trafficker was caught because of the joint efforts between DEA and its law enforcement partners,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Field Division. “This defendant will now spend well-deserved time in prison and his sentencing makes the South Georgia community a safer place today.”
“ATF is committed to assisting our law enforcement partners in targeting armed drug traffickers and removing them from our communities” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “Monroe’s use of a machinegun and other firearms as part of his drug trafficking operation highlights the danger that he posed to the community and law enforcement and we are proud to announce that he will be spending a substantial amount of time in prison.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case was investigated by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Harper III, Frank M. Pennington II, and Southern District of Georgia OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
Lackawanna County Woman Sentenced to 33 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicole Ann Bozek, age 32, of Nicholson, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 2, 2022, to 33 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion following her conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Bozek conspired to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin (which is approximately equivalent to 50,000 individual retail bags of heroin) during the conspiracy.
Bozek was one of eleven defendants indicted in May 2020. With the exception of Tysheen Gott, a/k/a “LB,” all other co-conspirators pleaded guilty. Gott was convicted after trial in August 2021 and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was the result of a year-long investigation, in part driven by multiple federal wiretaps conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, the Scranton Police Department, the Pittston City Police Department, the Plymouth Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Robert O’Hara prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Kalamazoo Woman Arrested and Federally Charged for Possession with Intent to Distribute 1.5 Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan filed a criminal complaint today to arrest and charge Candi Taylor (39) of Kalamazoo, Michigan for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, has been investigating Taylor for her involvement with fentanyl distribution in and around Kalamazoo. KVET obtained a warrant to search Taylor’s residence, vehicle, and a second residence believed to be Taylor’s stash house. Taylor was in her vehicle when KVET executed the warrants and officers found her with a baggie containing approximately 10 grams of fentanyl in her hand and a digital scale nearby. Investigators found two more baggies in her coat pocket containing over 100 grams of fentanyl. A search of Taylor’s suspected stash house yielded seven baggies containing over 1,400 grams of fentanyl. For more information, please see the continuation in support of the criminal complaint available on the public docket. United States v. Taylor, No. 1:22-MJ-122 (PJG), ECF No. 1 (W.D. Mich.)
If convicted of the charges in the complaint, Taylor faces a statutory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison.
Taylor made her initial appearance on March 4, 2022 before Magistrate Judge Phillip J. Green in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge of the Western District of Michigan, Acting Special Agent in Charge Kent R. Kleinshmidt of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Detroit Field Division, and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Vernon L. Coakley, Jr. made the announcement.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team are investigating the case.
Under the United States Constitution, the government must present felony cases to a grand jury and obtain indictments to proceed with prosecution. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Judge sentences California man to life in prison for being the leader of a large-scale fentanyl distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Gerald Hunter, 56, of Los Angeles, appeared today before United States District Judge John A. Ross and was sentenced to life in federal prison. Hunter was convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine, and two counts of money laundering. A federal jury returned the verdicts after a week-long trial in October 2021.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a long-term investigation of a fentanyl and cocaine distribution organization in St. Louis. Agents identified Hunter of Los Angeles as an out-of-state source of supply for the St. Louis organization. On April 27, 2017, DEA agents seized approximately 27 kilograms of fentanyl in Florissant, Mo. Hunter was in possession of the bags containing the fentanyl, and his fingerprint was recovered from packaging material. However, Hunter ran from investigators, and made good his escape.
The jury found that Hunter conspired to distribute fentanyl in St. Louis, but also that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute the drug in St. Louis. The evidence at trial established that the fentanyl was the equivalent of 270,000 usage units before being diluted, with a street value of $1 million. Hunter evaded arrest for three years before the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him. At the time of his arrest, Hunter was in possession of $220,000 in United States currency, 11 cellular phones and two identification cards with someone else’s name. Flight records established Hunter’s frequent pattern of travel to St. Louis from Los Angeles.
“The sentence remanded to Gerald Hunter is a reminder there is a price to pay for those that choose to poison our communities with fentanyl. This drug trafficking organization was dismantled by the hard work of numerous law enforcement agencies working together to stop the spread of fentanyl proliferated by Hunter and others,” said United States Attorney Sayler Fleming. “The United States Attorney’s Office and our federal, state and local partners stand together to protect the community from those like Hunter and his associates.”
“This sentencing today is good news for anyone who seeks justice for the many overdose deaths fentanyl is causing in St. Louis,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. “Hunter and his associates are no longer a threat to St. Louis, but our job continues. Drug traffickers should heed the message we delivered to Hunter: DEA and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in dismantling and destroying the drug networks that cause harm to our communities.”
This case was investigated by the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Jefferson Parish Man Sentenced for 3 Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – ZACHARY VERDIN, age 29, a resident of Marrero, was sentenced this week by United States District Judge Susie Morgan, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. VERDIN was sentenced on March 3, 2022 to 48 months of incarceration, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee, as to each count. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $14,061.
According to Count One of the bill of information, on July 19, 2021, VERDIN robbed a Capital One Bank in Marrero, Louisiana. He obtained approximately $521 in the robbery. According to Count Two of the bill of information, on July 26, 2021, VERDIN robbed a Chase Bank located in New Orleans, Louisiana. He obtained approximately $1,000 in that robbery. According to Count Three of the bill of information, on August 2, 2021, VERDIN robbed a Regions Bank in Gretna, Louisiana. He obtained approximately $12,540 in that robbery.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police Department, and St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on March 1 was:
Leslie Patricia Rivera, 51, and Miguel Angel Medina, 61, both of the Seattle, Washington, area, on charges of conspiracy to transport and transportation of illegal aliens. If convicted of the most serious crime, the defendants face a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Both defendants were released pending further proceedings. The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-13.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on March 1 was:
Winchester Glen Wiseman, 41, of Helena, on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Wiseman faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release on the possession with intent to distribute crime and a mandatory minimum five years in prison consecutive any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime. Wiseman was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Great Falls Police Department, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office and Missoula Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-13.
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on March 4 was:
Jesse Michael Montagna, also known as Jeffery M. Rothenberg, 55, of Billings, on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the most serious crime, Montagna faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years in prison on the bank fraud crime and a mandatory minimum two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the identity theft crime. Montagna was detained pending further proceedings. The Homeland Security Investigations and Billings Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-19.
Appearing on March 1 was:
Ross James Thomas, 35, of Big Timber, on charges of unlawful possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Thomas faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Thomas was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-89.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indian National Sentenced in Tech Support Scheme that Defrauded Elderly AmericansRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – An Indian national who sought asylum in the United States and then played a critical role in ensuring that an international tech-support scheme succeeded in defrauding Americans, many of them elderly, of their life savings, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
While living in California, Angad Singh Chandhok, 34, operated a long-running and complex money laundering network, in which he created and used shell companies to move millions of dollars stolen from Americans through an online tech support scheme, and later an online travel fee scheme. Chandhok, who had at least five others working at his direction, was in direct contact with high-ranking international members of the scheme.
United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha noted, “It is the sad reality that, each and every day, fraudsters all over the world target vulnerable and elderly Americans in efforts to trick them out of their savings and livelihoods; sophisticated criminals like Mr. Chandhok are an essential part of these fraud schemes. Fortunately, thanks to a superb investigation undertaken by Newport Police in seamless collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations, this defendant has been brought to justice and held accountable for the financial harm he has visited on his victims.”
Newport Police Chief Gary T. Silva commented, “This case is a perfect example of how local detectives Lt. Michael Naylor and Sgt. Scott Moody, working alongside the United States Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, were able to follow the money taken from fraud victims in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and laundered to California and countries abroad, and eventually arresting Chandhok and holding him accountable.”
“Chandhok operated a sophisticated money laundering network to launder the fraudulent proceeds of scams targeted at elderly individuals—defrauding them of over a million dollars. This laundering network allowed the fraudsters to move the proceeds of their scams out of the country, but our investigation caught up with them.” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Boston Field Office. “These types of scams are all too common and we encourage any other victims to come forward and reach out to law enforcement for assistance.”
According to court documents, Indian students who were present in the United States on visas, including four in Newport, RI, received funds from victims of the tech support scheme. They then transferred the funds to accounts controlled by Chandhok for further laundering. Chandhok’s money laundering business provided an essential link between the participants of the fraud scheme in the United States and others who were operating internationally.
According to information presented to the court, Chandhok’s criminal activity spanned two years, during which time he “cleaned” at least than $1.5 million dollars. The government’s evidence showed that in just one month he laundered nearly $930,000.
Chandhok pleaded guilty on August 19, 2019, to conspiracy to launder criminal proceeds. He was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 72 months of incarceration to be followed by 3 years of federal supervised release.
Chandhok is wanted in his native country of India for fraud, and he was an international fugitive from justice at the time he engaged in his sophisticated money laundering activities here in the United States.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
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Independence Man Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing and sharing hundreds of videos and images of child pornography over the internet.
James Andrew Clingenpeel, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to nine years and one month in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 2, 2019, Clingenpeel pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. Clingenpeel admitted that he utilized a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to distribute a video of child pornography over the internet. Clingenpeel’s criminal conduct was discovered during an FBI national investigation into the network, which allows users to share child pornography on their computers with other members over the internet. Clingenpeel was an “Ultimate” member with an account since October 2013. An undercover FBI undercover operative invited Clingenpeel to join his network; Clingenpeel then shared 436 files that contained 9.1GB of content to the network.
Clingenpeel also admitted that he was in possession of child pornography. On April 19, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Clingenpeel’s residence. Officers seized three electronic devices; a notebook computer contained 550 videos and 180 images of child pornography and a computer hard drive contained one video of child pornography, more than 100 images of possible child erotica, and one video of possible child erotica.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
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.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Illegal Firearms Possession Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for 15 YearsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, MARIO LAIVEL THOMAS, 43, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for illegal possession of firearms after he had sustained a felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On October 7, 2020, a Superseding Indictment charged Thomas with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. On February 24, 2021, Thomas pleaded guilty to two counts of the Superseding Indictment. Federal law prohibits a person who has previously been convicted of a felony from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Public records reflect that on May 11, 2020, Thomas was under the influence of methamphetamine, marijuana, and a prescription opiate when his vehicle struck a gas pump at a gas station in northwest Oklahoma City. He fled the scene and was stopped by Oklahoma County Sheriff Office deputies and Oklahoma City Police Department officers. When Thomas exited the vehicle, a loaded firearm fell from his lap. Public records also reflect that on August 9, 2020, while out of custody on bond on related state criminal charges, Thomas, again under the influence of drugs, possessed another firearm. Thomas fired that stolen firearm multiple times at his girlfriend’s son as an argument escalated in front of the girlfriend’s residence.
Court records show Thomas has multiple felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court, including:
- Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance in case numbers CF-2014-8162, CF-2013-4776, CF-2010-2265, CF-2010-1840, CF-2007-616, CF-2000-2644, CF-1998-7923, and CF-1996-2644;
- Possession of an Imitation Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute in case number CF-2010-2265;
- Domestic Abuse in case number CF-2008-3116;
- Escape from a Penal Institution in case number CF-2011-3373;
- Eluding a Police Officer in case number CF-2015-4324; and
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm in case numbers CF-2003-493 and CF-2014-8162.
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Thomas to serve 180 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Wyrick noted the nature and circumstances of the offenses, and highlighted Thomas’ lengthy and violent criminal history.
This case is a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle M. Connolly and Jacquelyn M. Hutzell prosecuted the case.
This case is part of "Operation 922," the Western District of Oklahoma’s local implementation of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods violent crime initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. "Operation 922" prioritizes firearms prosecutions connected to domestic violence, including domestic violence abusers who possess a firearm and are either subject to a victim protective order or have been previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
ICYMI - Weekly Roundup March 4, 2021Read the Press Release
HOUSTON – “In case you missed it,” one of the largest-scale drug enforcement operations, a life sentence for a child exploitation predator and an extradited Clan Del Golfo associate who was sent to U.S. prison are just a few of the notable matters the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced this week.
Some of the other criminal matters involved firearms, kidnapping, stalking, child pornography, bulk cash smuggling, public corruption, escape, tax fraud, immigration and several instances of meth smuggling.
“These criminal cases are just a small sample of what we do each and every day,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. “Through the pandemic or any other personal or professional challenge, the dedicated workers of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) are hard at work every day alongside our partners in law enforcement to ensure our streets are safer and those that commit federal crimes answer for their actions. We hope the messages we send not only inform the public of our mission, but serve as a deterrent to those that even think about violating federal law.”
Also announced this week was the cooperative and collaborative effort with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). “This is not an investigation into the rodeo,” said Lowery. “In fact, HLSR has been very receptive and helpful. They want the NRG grounds and facilities to be accessible and are very willing to work with us throughout this review process.”
ICYMI:
Houston - Dozens arrested in 105-count narcotics indictment
Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi man gets life for exploiting Filipino children
Houston - Clan Del Golfo associate ordered to prison for international cocaine distribution
Brownsville – Young man pleads guilty after crashing into patrol unit
Victoria – South Texas woman convicted for arranging smuggling attempt that led to death
Laredo - Texan admits guilt to multiple charges under Project Safe Childhood
Corpus Christi - Prisoner pleads guilty to escaping from halfway house
McAllen – La Joya trustee convicted of extortion
Houston - Tax preparer sent to prison for tax fraud…again
Corpus Christi - Foreign citizen imprisoned on weapon charge
Galveston - Out of state man indicted for stalking local victim
Laredo - Kidnappers admit to holding four migrants hostage at gunpoint
Corpus Christi - Felon sentenced for trafficking meth
Galveston - Santa Fe resident sentenced for receiving child pornography via Kik
Laredo - Driver convicted of transporting kilos of drugs
Corpus Christi -Un“lucky” fugitive pleads guilty to double firearms charges
Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi man gets life for exploiting Filipino children
McAllen - Million dollar smuggler sent to prison
Corpus Christi - Meth dealer heads to prison
Corpus Christi - South Texas woman admits to trafficking over $2 million in meth
Civil Houston - Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to undergo ADA compliance review
The SDTX handles criminal, civil and appellate matters and typically prosecutes more cases against more defendants than most other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide. The district represents 43 counties and more than nine million people and covers 44,000 square miles. It comprises seven divisions with federal district courts in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo. The SDTX, headquartered in Houston, has offices in all seven divisions. The cases announced this week cover all of those areas.
Honduran Man Sentenced for Unlawful Reentry by an Alien Removed After Conviction of a FelonyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Honduran national was sentenced to 15 months in prison for unlawful reentry by an alien removed after felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.
According to court documents, Wilmer Josue Pavon-Hercules, 40, was arrested on September 12, 2021, following a traffic stop by a Picayune Police officer on Interstate 59 in Pearl River County. Pavon-Hercules did not have a driver’s license and provided only a Honduran identification card. The officer was assisted on-site by a deputy of the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department. While officials were attempting to arrest Pavon-Hercules for careless driving and driving under the influence (DUI), he attempted to flee law enforcement and then bit the police officer while being handcuffed. Pavon-Hercules was taken into custody and transported to Pearl River County Jail. Later, he escaped from the Pearl River County Jail and was recaptured by deputies.
Picayune officials contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) regarding the immigration status of Pavon-Hercules. HSI determined through electronic database queries that Pavon-Hercules was a citizen of Honduras who was previously deported from the United States to Honduras. Immigration Records revealed that Pavon-Hercules had been removed from the U.S. on August 23, 2012. He returned to the U.S. and was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in 2017 for reentry by an alien following removal. He was again returned to his home nation of Honduras.
Pavon-Hercules pled guilty on December 14, 2021, to unlawful reentry by an alien removed after felony conviction.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Picayune Police Department, and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.
Former Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts CEO Arrested and Charged with Unlawful Exportation of Defense Articles including to the People’s Republic of ChinaRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kareem A. Salem (619) 546-8904 and John Parmley (619) 546-7957
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 4, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Joe Sery, former owner and chief executive officer of Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts, and his brother, Dror Sery, are charged in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed today with violations of federal export laws pursuant to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts, or THPP, is a San Diego-based company that provides tungsten fragments, sub-assemblies, and other weapon grade components for United States military contracts.
According to the indictment, between January 1, 2016, and December 12, 2019, Joe Sery entered into contracts with various aerospace and defense companies on behalf of THPP. Joe Sery then obtained ITAR- controlled technical data and drawings from these companies to allow THPP to fulfill the contracted order. Some of THPP’s projects included the construction of an Advanced Rapid Response Weapon, a 155-millimeter Bi-Modal Warhead, a R9E Warhead, and an 81-millimeter Cowling Cone. These drawings contained information, which is required for the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance, or modification of defense articles.
Despite being educated and trained regarding the requirements of ITAR, Joe Sery and his brother Dror Sery – a foreign national and dual citizen of Israel and South Africa – knowingly and willfully exported from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of India and elsewhere overseas, defense articles covered by the United States Munitions List without first obtaining permission from the United States Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
The indictment further alleges that Joe Sery and Dror Sery accomplished this, in part, by creating a non-THPP email address to surreptitiously receive ITAR-controlled documents. Additionally, shortly after Dror created the outside email address Joe Sery provided Dror Sery with administrative level access of THPP’s “ShareFile system,” which contained ITAR-controlled data. Subsequently, on several occasions, Joe Sery and Dror Sery exported technical drawings from the United States via email messages to each other, including while Dror was located in India and the People’s Republic of China.
Joe Sery is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday; an arrest warrant has been issued for fugitive Dror Sery. He is believed to be residing in Israel.
THPP is cooperating with the investigation.
“The indictment alleges that these brothers disregarded important regulations designed to keep sensitive information from falling into the hands of those who would harm America,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will work together with our law enforcement partners to protect military technology.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team, HSI and DCIS for their excellent work on this case.
“This arrest highlights the outstanding partnerships between HSI and the Department of Defense’s investigative agencies who work tirelessly every day to ensure our protected military technology and weaponry are not used by foreign actors against our warfighters and allies on the battlefield,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “This arrest sends a clear message that those entrusted with our country’s military technology and weaponry will be held responsible for its safeguarding.”
“Mr. Sery is accused of compromising sensitive defense technology, and today’s arrest is an important step toward protecting our country’s information,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “DCIS will always take aggressive action with our law enforcement partners to deter and investigate any such threats to our national defense.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21CR2898-GPC
Joe Sery Age: 77 San Diego, CA
Dror Sery Age: 70 Israel/Unknown
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Offenses Against the United States- Title 18 U.S.C., Sections 371,554; Title 22 U.S.C., 2778(b)(2), (c); Title 22 CFR Sections, 120, 121.1 , 123.1, 127.l(a)(4)
Exportation of Defense Articles Without a License and Aiding and Abetting To Do Same
Title 22 U.S.C., Sections 2778(b)(2), (c); Title 22 CFR 120, 121.1, 123, 127; Title 18 U.S.C., 2
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18 U.S.C., Sections 98l(a)(l)(c); Title 28 Section 246l(c); Title 22 U.S.C., 401
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $1 million fine
AGENCIES
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Services
U.S. Army, Criminal Investigation Division
National Security Division, Department of Justice
Former Real Estate Attorney and Wife Plead Guilty to Mortgage Fraud and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Massachusetts attorney and his wife pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with various mortgage fraud schemes.
Barry Wayne Plunkett Jr., 61, and Nancy Plunkett, 56, both of Hyannis Port, pleaded guilty to five counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Barry Wayne Plunkett Jr. also pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2022. The Plunketts were indicted in July 2020.
Prior to being disbarred in October 2017, Barry Wayne Plunkett Jr. owned and operated the Plunkett Law Firm where his wife, Nancy Plunkett, was his office assistant and paralegal.
The defendants engaged in several bank fraud schemes. In one scheme, from September 2012 to July 2016, the defendants defrauded six mortgage lenders and 14 homeowners for whom the Plunkett Law Firm handled the closings for new mortgage loans to refinance residential properties. The defendants informed the mortgage lenders that pre-existing mortgages were paid off from the new loan proceeds when, in fact, the Plunketts intentionally failed to pay off the prior liens and instead converted more than $900,000 in payoff funds for their own purposes.
In other bank fraud schemes – between April 2015 and March 2018 – the Plunketts fraudulently used various names, entities and false documents to obtain three successive mortgage loans on their home in Hyannis Port in amounts of $412,000, $470,000 and $1.2 million. The defendants pledged as collateral a property in Hyannis Port that was held in a family trust for which Barry Wayne Plunkett Jr. was one of three beneficiaries. Both defendants participated in providing false documents to the lenders, including false title reports and other records to falsely represent that the property was free and clear of existing mortgage liens and forged documents in the names of other people. The defendants also made misrepresentations to a lender that Nancy Plunkett was a single woman living in Wellesley who was purchasing the property in her maiden name as a business investment when, in fact, the defendants had been married since 2014 and the property was their residence.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of tax evasion 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 aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. 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; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor A. Wild and Mackenzie Queenin, of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit, and Carol Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit, are prosecuting the case.
Former Port Orchard, Washington attorney sentenced to prison for defrauding clientsRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A former Port Orchard, Washington attorney, who stole a bequest left by a client for the benefit of a children’s hospital, and then defrauded a close friend, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 18 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Darlene Piper, 57, of Bremerton, Washington pleaded guilty on August 30, 2021. Piper was indicted in September 2020, following a multi-year fraudulent scheme. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said Piper “became a thief and a crook” through “a long series of criminal acts.” In addition to her financial victim Judge Bryan said “the legal profession is a victim as well.”
According to records filed in the case, Piper practiced law in Port Orchard, handling wills, trusts and probate of estates. In 2011, she prepared a will for a client who left his entire estate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. However, when that client died in 2014, Piper as executor of the estate, stole $500,000 from the estate and invested it in Paraguay. When the children’s hospital inquired about the funds it was owed, Piper stole from a friend to repay the hospital. She told the friend that she had invested the money in Paraguay. The victim had just sold a home, and the money was for her retirement. The victim sued Piper and won. Piper has not paid the victim any of the money awarded through the litigation.
In sentencing documents prosecutors described how Piper continues to falsify her finances. She failed to list homes she owns in Cabo San Lucas and property on the coast of Mexico as assets that could be liquidated to pay her victims.
Judge Bryan ordered Piper to sell the waterfront property within 6 months to compensate her victims. He ordered her to pay restitution of $500,000.
Piper had already given up her law license and bar membership, after the Washington State Bar Association was poised to sanction her for stealing $42,000 from two other clients.
The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Dion, and by former Assistant United States Attorneys Arlen Storm and Andre Penalver.
Former Beaverton Mayor Charged with Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Dennis “Denny” Doyle, the former mayor of Beaverton, Oregon, is facing federal charges for illegally possessing child pornography.
Doyle, 73, a Beaverton resident, has been charged by criminal information with one count of possession of child pornography.
According to the information, between November 2014 and December 2015, Doyle is alleged to have knowingly and unlawfully possessed digital material containing child pornography, including images depicting minors under twelve.
Doyle will make his first appearance in federal court today.
If convicted, Doyle faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a life term of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF). It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
A criminal information is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.org.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Federal Jury Convicts Porum Resident of Illegal Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that Justin Miles Ness, age 40, of Porum, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of Felon in Possession of Firearm & Ammunition.
The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, and concluded on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, with a verdict of guilty. Based on the jury’s verdict, the defendant could potentially receive up to ten years of imprisonment.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on September 8, 2021, federal agents served a federal search warrant on Justin Miles Ness’ residence in Porum, Oklahoma. Agents seized a firearm and over 500 rounds of ammunition. The evidence also included photographs, video/audio and text messages from Ness’s Facebook account wherein the defendant, a convicted felon, was shown to be in possession of a firearm and discussing the acquisition of firearms.
The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Ness was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney William Cosner and Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Conway represented the United States.
Federal Indictment Returned in Kidnapping Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that Kimon Burton-Roberson made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday for charges related to the kidnapping, resulting in death, of a Wilmington resident.
According to an indictment filed on February 22, 2022, in the early hours of July 21, 2021, Burton-Roberson, 28, and co-conspirators, entered a residence in Wilmington, Delaware where they knew their victim to be staying. Burton-Roberson and others beat the victim with a blunt object until the victim was bleeding, tying the victim’s hands together with zip ties. Burton-Roberson and others then removed the victim from the residence, placed the victim into Burton-Roberson’s car, and drove the victim across state lines into Pennsylvania. Members of the conspiracy shot the victim in the head, leaving the victim’s body in an industrial park in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Burton-Roberson is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping and Kidnapping. If convicted, he faces life in prison or capital punishment. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This investigation is ongoing and involves close collaboration between FBI, the Yeadon Borough Police Department, and the Wilmington Department of Police.
“This case is an excellent example of federal and state law enforcement cooperation and coordination across geographical boundaries. This unified effort resulted in the Indictment of this case,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss. “Those who commit violent crime in Delaware, and elsewhere, will be brought to justice.”
Rohan K. Hepkins stated, "As Mayor of Yeadon Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, we salute the combined efforts of the FBI, the Wilmington, DE Police Department, along with the Yeadon and Delaware County law enforcement agencies. This combined effort underscores our collective commitment to bring fugitives to justice. It reassures the public that those who commit crimes and seek to take refuge across state lines, will be sought out, and brought to justice as we were successfully able to do in this case."
“The strong multi-jurisdictional collaborations that our agency has with our local, state and federal partners are critical, especially when criminal acts are committed across jurisdictional boundaries,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert J. Tracy. “I am proud of the work of our investigators, and our partner law enforcement agencies, in bringing justice for the victim of this chilling crime.”
The brutality and indifference to human life displayed in this case is unacceptable,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Know that the FBI and our partners will be relentless in our efforts to identify, locate and apprehend dangerous offenders who threaten the safety our communities.”
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Emergency Room Doctor Convicted of Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Oxford, Miss. – A federal jury convicted a Mississippi man of tax evasion after a three-day jury trial in Oxford this week before District Judge Sharion Aycock. According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Dr. Kevin L. Crandell of Golden, Mississippi, was an emergency room physician making a monthly salary of approximately $30,000 to $40,000 who stopped paying personal income taxes in 2007. During the years 2006 through 2012, Crandell accrued approximately $972,493 in tax debt, including penalties and interest.
At trial, the Government presented evidence that in 2014 Crandell submitted a false and fraudulent IRS Form 433-A to the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to negotiate a payment plan for his outstanding tax liabilities. The Form 433-A misrepresented to the IRS that Crandell could not make tax payments because his personal income was lower than his expenses. The Form 433-A also failed to list assets and business bank accounts, which Crandell was using for personal expenses. Though Crandell attempted to blame a tax resolution service he hired in 2010, the evidence at trial showed that Crandell intentionally manipulated his pay stubs to show a decrease in his 2014 annual income before submitting the pay stubs to the tax resolution service.
Crandell is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7, 2022 and faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Crandell also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and a fine.
“Millions of Americans pay their income taxes every year,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “Those who intentionally attempt to mislead the IRS and fail to pay income taxes that they legitimately owe will face the consequences.”
The IRS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clay Dabbs and Philip Levy are prosecuting the case.
El Salvadoran Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Return by an Alien Removed After Felony ConvictionRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – An El Salvadoran national pleaded guilty to the federal felony offense of unlawful return of an alien removed after felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Chief Patrol Agent Kenneth Blanchard.
According to court documents, Yohalmo Eliseo Pineda-Cruz, 46, of El Salvador, was arrested on October 6, 2021, by the U.S. Border Patrol on Interstate 10 in Jackson County. A Border Patrol K9 Agent, assigned to the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team (MET) was patrolling on Interstate-10 near Ocean Springs, when a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle driven by Pineda-Cruz. Pineda-Cruz did not have a driver’s license and had an extensive criminal/immigration arrest history.
Record checks revealed that Pineda-Cruz, a/k/a Eliseo Hernandez-Diaz, had been arrested on several occasions by the Border Patrol and had been officially deported or removed from the U.S. in 2012. Since 2012, Pineda-Cruz had returned and been removed from the U.S. on multiple occasions. Official records also revealed that Pineda-Cruz had been convicted of the federal felony offense of unlawful return after removal, under his alias name of Eliseo Hernandez-Diaz, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in May 2019. After serving his prison sentence, Pineda-Cruz’s prior removal order was reinstated and he was again physically removed from the United States in late 2019.
Pineda-Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2022. He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. After completing any sentence of incarceration, he also is subject to Department of Homeland Security proceedings to remove him from the United States. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.
Edgewood Man Sentenced to over 18 Years in Federal Prison for an Attempted Carjacking Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – On February 10, 2022, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Amir Stanley Turner, age 20, of Edgewood, Maryland, to 222 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carjacking resulting in death, in connection with the fatal attempted carjacking of a delivery driver in Harford County, Maryland on February 10, 2019. There is no parole in the federal system.
Two alleged co-conspirators have been arrested on related State charges.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger.
According to Turner’s guilty plea, on February 10, 2019, Turner and at least two co-conspirators attempted to carjack T.Y, who was working as a delivery driver for a local restaurant. As T.Y. was delivering food to a residence in Edgewood, Maryland, he saw an individual enter his vehicle, a 2000 Honda Accord and ran to prevent the perpetrators from taking the vehicle.
As detailed in the plea agreement, as Turner and his associates tried to take the vehicle, T.Y. fought back, hitting Turner’s associates with an expandable baton. When T.Y. refused to retreat and stop the confrontation, Turner shot T.Y. multiple times and Turner and his associates fled the scene. Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies arriving at the scene found T.Y. lying on the ground next to the Honda, suffering from gunshot wounds to his hand, back, and chest. Deputies noted that the driver’s side front door was open and that an expandable baton was adjacent to T.Y. in a fully extended position. T.Y. was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital.
Turner, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, waived his juvenile status and consented to be prosecuted as an adult for this offense.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Austin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Drug Trafficker Who Distributed Narcotics While on State Bond Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Jarran Riley (37, Clearwater) to 15 years in federal prison for distributing narcotics. Riley had pleaded guilty on December 9, 2021.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, at approximately 10:30 p.m., detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Dunedin Cove Motel regarding the opioid overdose death of N.R. On the same day, detectives interviewed Heidi Kalous who had distributed the narcotics to N.R. Motel video surveillance and phone records showed that Kalous had obtained the narcotics from Riley before Kalous distributed them to the victim. Riley later distributed narcotics to confidential informants on two occasions in August 2019.
On October 8, 2019, Riley was arrested for fleeing and eluding, a state offense, and was released on a bond the same day. Approximately 14 hours after bonding out of state custody, on October 8, 2019, Riley was captured on video surveillance distributing controlled substances to M.J. Less than five hours later, M.J. was pronounced dead, the result of a multi-drug overdose. The following day, Riley was arrested again by local law enforcement. On November 15, 2019, Riley posted bond and was released from state custody. While on bond for his state distribution offenses, and after N.R. and M.J. had died, Riley continued to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, doing so on January 21, 23, and January 28, 2020. On February 12, 2020, agents executed a federal search warrant at Riley’s residence, and Riley was taken into federal custody.
Kalous was also charged with drug distribution offenses. On February 24, 2022, she was sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clearwater Police Department as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Defendant Who Stole Money from Veterans and Social Security Beneficiaries Headed to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A 29-year-old Georgia man who redirected the benefits of veterans and social security beneficiaries to accounts that his co-conspirators set up and controlled has been sentenced to 78 months in prison by a South Florida federal district judge. In addition, the man must pay more than $900,000 in restitution to his victims.
Defendant Ronaldo Green was a member of a conspiracy that obtained the personal information (including names, dates of birth and social security numbers) of disabled veterans and social security beneficiaries. The co-conspirators used this information to fraudulently open bank accounts and prepaid debit cards in the victims’ names. They also forged documents in the victims’ names that directed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration to deposit benefit payments into those fraudulent accounts, instead of the victims’ legitimate bank accounts. Green and his co-conspirators withdrew the diverted money from ATMs and banks in South Florida and Georgia. They used it on personal expenses. Much of the money was ultimately funneled to architects of the scheme, located in Jamaica.
From 2012 to 2017, members of the conspiracy attempted to redirect over $1.8 million in benefits from more than 100 disabled veterans and social security beneficiaries. Although several of the attempts failed, the defendants’ actually stole more than $1 million. The victims have been reimbursed for their losses.
Green’s co-defendants, Omar Bailey and Jamare Mason, were sentenced during prior hearings. Bailey received 24 months’ imprisonment. Mason received 78 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution. U.S. District Judge James Cohn, who sits in Ft. Lauderdale, imposed the sentences.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General’s (VA-OIG) Southeast Field Office; and Rodregas Owens, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG), made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez commended the investigative efforts of the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, including partners from VA-OIG, SSA-OIG, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lois Foster-Steers and Sajjad Matin.
Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. The mission of the Department’s Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s seniors. To learn more visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. The public is encouraged to report suspected elder victimization and fraud by visiting https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/roadmap or calling the victim connect hotline at 1-855-484-2846.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 19-cr-60313.
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Decatur Man Sentenced to 160 Years of Imprisonment for Soliciting Videos and Webcam Shows of Filipina Children Being Sexually AbusedRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Decatur man on child pornography charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
U. S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon sentenced Benjamin Walter, 41, of Decatur to 160 years’ imprisonment for using internet applications to seek images and live transmissions of the violent sexual abuse of Filipina children as young as five years old.
Benjamin Walter was convicted by a federal jury on Oct. 5, 2021, of four counts of producing and attempting to produce child pornography and one count each of receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Walter used two web service provider accounts, including messenger and webcam applications, to seek women in the Philippines to sexually abuse their own children and relatives. Walter’s requests to these women, which spanned approximately three years, included directions to arrange for the gang rape of young children and to sexually assault several young children in other harmful ways.
Walter sent money to the Philippines for the videos, images, and live transmissions via Moneygram, Western Union, and other money remitters in $25 to $50 increments. In addition to the live webcam shows, Walter also sent and received emails to which the senders attached images and videos of young children engaged in sex acts with adult men. This investigation and prosecution were part of a joint FBI and Homeland Security Investigations operation that targeted the buyers and sellers of these types of webcam shows in the Philippines.
The FBI’s Huntsville Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Charles Schmitz and Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White of the Northern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Davenport Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man, David James Baber, age 53, was sentenced on March 2, 2022, to 36 months in federal prison for Felon in Possession of Firearms. Baber was also sentenced to 24 months for a supervised release revocation, to be served consecutively for a total sentence of 60 months in prison. Baber was ordered to serve three years of supervised to follow his imprisonment and pay a $100 Special Assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
According to court documents, this investigation began when law enforcement attempted to stop a moped driving erratically. Officers located the moped, without a driver, in a cornfield. A grey backpack was attached to the moped and contained guns and magazines. The moped had previously been reported stolen. Officers located Baber in the same cornfield later that morning. At the time of the offense, Baber was aware he had prior felony convictions, which prohibited his possession of firearms.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Department of Natural Resources investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.