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25 February 2022
Nashville Man Convicted of Federal Firearm & Drug Offenses After Killing Another During Drug DealRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal jury in Nashville yesterday found a local man guilty of federal firearm offenses following the shooting death of another man during a drug deal in 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Tru Booker, 30, of Nashville, Tenn., was convicted of all counts after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. Booker was previously indicted on charges of possessing, using, brandishing, and discharging a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine; being an unlawful user of a narcotic in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and possessing a weapon during the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“I commend the trial team and our partner law enforcement agencies for the excellent investigative work and preparation in seeking justice in this matter,” said U.S. Attorney Wildasin. “This is another example of the cooperative effort underway to systematically remove dangerous criminals and drug dealers from our communities for long periods of time.”
According to testimony at trial, on July 8, 2019, Booker agreed to meet Markus Cantrell in the driveway of his grandmother’s house on Ewingwood Drive, in Nashville, for the purpose of selling Cantrell marijuana. Booker was sitting in the vehicle with his firearm by his side, preparing a quarter pound of marijuana to sell. Cantrell entered the vehicle, and shortly thereafter a struggle ensued, with several shots being fired inside the vehicle, resulting in Cantrell being struck in the leg and Booker being struck in the arm.
The struggle continued on the ground outside of the car, and Booker’s girlfriend and mother came to his aid and began striking Cantrell. Booker eventually gained control of the firearms, and despite his mother’s pleas to let Cantrell go, Booker shot Cantrell in the forehead at close range, killing him.
Less than three weeks after this incident, Booker was involved in a minor traffic crash in Madison, Tennessee. The subsequent investigation by Metro Police officers found digital scales; approximately 211 grams of marijuana; 195 methamphetamine pills; Hydrocodone and Xanax pills; $1,238 in cash; plastic baggies; a loaded Taurus, 9mm pistol; and two extended magazines for the pistol.
Booker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, along with a mandatory consecutive sentence of five years in prison, when he is sentenced later this year. Additional charges relating to the murder of Markus Cantrell are pending in state court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Kurtzman and Dwight Artis prosecuted the case.
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More than 200 Firearms Seized in ATF, Burrillville Police Department Project Safe Neighborhoods InvestigationRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Burrillville, RI, man was arrested on Thursday following a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) and the Burrillville Police Department that resulted in the overnight seizure of 211 firearms and pounds of ammunition during a court-authorized search of his home, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
The firearms and ammunition were allegedly discovered in the residence of Ronald Andruchuk, 37, after officers responded to his home for the ninth time in recent months to investigate reports of shots fired. Shots were still being fired as officers arrived, several of which traveled over the heads of law enforcement, passing within four feet of the officers. Andruchuk was allegedly found to be wearing a bulletproof vest and to be carrying four firearms and methamphetamine.
A court-authorized search of the defendant’s home found 211 firearms and the thousands of rounds of ammunition strewn throughout the residence and the property he shares with his wife and three young children.
According to charging documents, in the fall of 2021, ATF became aware that between July 2021 and November 2021, Andruchuk purchased 169 firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers. It is alleged that, when making the purchases, Andruchuk made false statements on ATF applications.
A subsequent investigation determined that in April 2018, Cranston Police encountered Andruchuk who allegedly exhibited a strong odor of marijuana. He claimed to be a RI medical marijuana patient and presented a medical marijuana card; in August 2019, a Cranston Detective observed an alleged drug transaction between Andruchuk and another individual. Andruchuk was detained and allegedly found to be in possession of numerous oxycodone pills, morphine, and naloxone. He allegedly admitted to purchasing the drugs and having a substance abuse problem; and in December 2021, it is alleged that two firearms, drugs, and other items were located in the drop ceiling of a bathroom inside a Millbury, MA, retail store shortly after Andruchuk vacated the restroom. One of the firearms was listed as belonging to Andruchuk, who did not have a license to possess a firearm in Massachusetts.
Andruchuk is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, false statements in an application to purchase firearms, and causing false records to be kept by a federally licensed firearms dealer.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald R. Gendron and Sandra R. Hebert.
Moorhead Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Moorhead man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for distributing material depicting the sexual abuse of children. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.
According to court documents, between February 2016 and August 2020, Joey David Gonzales, 36, used email and other online media to advertise, solicit, and trade images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
On August 24, 2021, Gonzales pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Becker County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Hudleston.
Michigan City Woman Sentenced to 21 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Latavia Fleming, 43 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced on February 24, 2022, by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Fleming was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, over the course of several months in 2020, Fleming bought multiple firearms at gun stores. During the purchases, Fleming falsely represented she was the actual buyer of the firearms when she was not. In fact, she bought one firearm for an individual who could not legally purchase firearms. She provided one firearm to a convicted felon who then sold it to someone else. She also sold or traded firearms to several other individuals.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Michigan City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Molly E. Donnelly.
This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Miami-Dade Police Department Employee Pleads Guilty to COVID Relief FraudRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Miami-Dade resident Elisa Rivera, 50, pled guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham to a felony Information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to file fraudulent applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration to COVID-19 relief advance grants and low-interest COVID-19 relief loans.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea, Elisa Rivera, during 2019 and 2020, was employed on a full-time basis by the Miami-Dade Police Department (“MDPD”) as an Administrative Officer. As an MDPD employee, Rivera suffered no loss of salary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, on July 3, 2020, Rivera authorized a co-conspirator (identified as “Individual 1” in the Information) to electronically submit an EIDL application on her behalf stating that Rivera was the 100% owner of a for-profit business operating under the name “Elisa Rivera.” That application falsely and fraudulently certified that the business named “Elisa Rivera” was established on or about March 1, 2017, and that during the twelve (12) month period prior to January 31, 2020, that business had gross revenues of $325,446 and twelve (12) employees. In reality, the defendant did not own any business, was not an independent contractor, and had no business gross revenues or employees.
After having Individual 1 submit the fraudulent EIDL application on her behalf, Rivera offered to, and did, submit fraudulent EIDL applications to the SBA on behalf of a limited group of other individuals (referred to as “the Applicants” in the Information) who also did not own small businesses and did not qualify for EIDL relief. These applications contained false representations as to the existence of their small businesses, their gross revenues, and the number of employees each business had. It was the intent of Rivera and the Applicants to obtain for the Applicants the $10,000 EIDL advances from the SBA, but not to obtain any additional loan amount. As a result of these fraudulent applications, certain Applicants received the $10,000 advances from SBA. In exchange for submitting these fraudulent EIDL applications to the SBA, Rivera charged Applicants a fee of up to $1,000 each.
Rivera is scheduled for sentencing on May 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Graham, where she faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration, Investigations Division (SBA-OIG), made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commended the investigative efforts of the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Professional Compliance Bureau - Criminal Conspiracy Unit, and SBA-OIG in this matter, and thanked the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General for their invaluable assistance with this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm and the forfeiture matters are being handled by AUSA Gabrielle Charest-Turken.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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 22-cr-20028.
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Metro East Man Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud ScamRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Lagardo Wright, 21, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison today for orchestrating a large-scale bank fraud scheme.
From at least February 2019 until February 2020, Wright led a team of coconspirators that printed counterfeit checks, deposited them into other people’s bank accounts, and withdrew the available proceeds before the banks could determine the checks were counterfeit. Their scheme targeted at least ten different financial institutions and caused losses over $95,000.
During the conspiracy, Wright’s main objective was finding valid bank accounts to exploit. Because the banks closed each account for fraud after his counterfeit checks inevitably bounced, Wright needed a constant supply of new account holders with valid bank accounts to perpetuate his scheme. He solved this problem by developing and directing a network of
“recruiters.” These middlemen convinced naive account holders to turn over their online banking information, including usernames, passwords, and pin numbers, in exchange for the promise of money.Whenever a recruiter found an account holder willing to participate, Wright accessed the account holder’s bank account online, adjusted deposit and withdrawal limits, printed counterfeit checks, and arranged for as many fraudulent transactions as possible before the banks caught on and closed the account. Then he waited for his recruiters to bring him a new account or tried to solicit some on his own.
Wright and his recruiters found new account holders mostly through social media and cellphone apps, where they flaunted their “success” to attract followers. Wright posted pictures and videos of cash, expensive clothing, guns, drugs, and screenshots of bank accounts showing large account balances. He and his recruiters implored their online followers to contact them if they had a valid bank account and wanted to make thousands of dollars. Of course, Wright never mentioned that he got the money by committing bank fraud in the account holders’ names, or that the account holders would lose their ability to bank and have red flags on credit reports for years to come. In fact, if young account holders seemed hesitant, Wright and his recruiters assured them that everything was legitimate and they couldn’t get in any trouble.
During sentencing, United States District Court Judge David Dugan noted that Wright committed serious crimes by leading a long-term enterprise that was sophisticated for his age. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Dugan ordered Wright to spend 4 years on supervised release and pay over $30,000 in restitution.
Two of Wright’s coconspirators, Aijeigh McShan and Cedric Sheard, have pled guilty and will be sentenced next month. McShan’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 9, 2022.
Cedric Sheard will be sentenced on March 16, 2022.The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.Metairie Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute DrugsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that EMILE JONES, age 44, of Metairie, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 23, 2022 by the Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo after previously pleading guilty to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
Specifically, JONES previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine hydrochloride, fentanyl and methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846; one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B) and one count of distribution of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).
According to court records, JONES conspired with others to distribute cocaine hydrochloride, heroin and fentanyl, and JONES possessed over 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride on September 23, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.
Judge Milazzo sentenced JONES to a term of imprisonment of 60 months, 4 years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment fee.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is in charge of the prosecution.
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McLaughlin Man Indicted for Abusive Sexual Contact with a ChildRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child.
Theophile Donald Soft, Jr., age 60, was indicted on December 14, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 23, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between April 2013 and April 2015, in Corson County, South Dakota, Soft knowingly engaged in, and caused to engage in, a sexual contact with a minor female.
The charge is merely an accusation and Soft is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Soft was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Massachusetts Man Convicted of COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Massachusetts man for submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $13 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
According to evidence presented at trial, Elijah Majak Buoi, 40, of Winchester, submitted six fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of his company Sosuda Tech LLC (Sosuda) to four different SBA-approved lenders. In each loan application, Buoi misrepresented the number of employees and payroll expenses. Buoi also submitted fraudulent IRS tax forms in support of his applications. The evidence at trial showed that Sosuda was a startup company with no U.S.-based payroll and no U.S.-based employees. As a result of his scheme, Buoi obtained a $2 million PPP loan. The government recovered approximately $1.97 million of the loan funds.
Buoi was convicted of four counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud conviction and 30 years in prison for making false statements to a financial institution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins for the District of Massachusetts; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI’s Boston Division; Special Agent in Charge Joleen D. Simpson of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) in Boston; Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Donnelly of the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (FRB-OIG), Eastern Region; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), New York Region, made the announcement today.
The FBI, IRS-CI, FRB-OIG, SBA-OIG and FDIC-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Della Sentilles of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Today, U.S. District Judge Aida Delgado-Colón sentenced Mario Torres-Rodríguez to a term of 168 months (14 years) in prison and 10 years of supervised release for transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The defendant plead guilty on August 30, 2021.
From on or about July 2017 through January 2018, the defendant paid a 15-year-old minor female to engage in illegal sexual activity with him. The illegal activity included sex acts as well as production of child pornography. During this same period of time, from approximately June 2017 through December 2017, the defendant would pick the minor up from school or from her parents’ business and then transport her in his car to secluded locations and engage in sexual activity. Defendant Torres-Rodríguez bought the minor an iPhone so they could communicate via internet instant messaging apps. Torres- Rodríguez was approximately 63 years old at the time, and knew the minor’s family well.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was in charge of the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Caraballo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Cannon, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ginette Milanes prosecuted the case.
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Lycoming County Man Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Joseph Rinker, 51, of Lycoming County, was sentenced to two years of probation by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann for tax evasion.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Rinker pleaded guilty to a criminal information that charged him with using his position as the manager of the Harvest Moon Restaurant in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to embezzle over $300,000, that he subsequently failed to report as income to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) from 2014 to 2017. Rinker was ordered to pay $64,250 in restitution to the IRS prior to the sentencing hearing held on February 18, 2022.
The case was investigated by the IRS’s Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.
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Leader of Youngstown Area Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that Korey K. Moody, 36, of Youngstown, Ohio, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent to 12 years in prison after Moody pleaded guilty to leading a drug trafficking conspiracy that sought to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and methamphetamine. Moody was one of nine individuals charged in a fifty-nine-count indictment with drug trafficking in the Youngstown area.
According to court documents, from July 2019 to December 2019, Moody supplied heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, cocaine, and methamphetamine to other members of the conspiracy for distribution in the areas around Youngstown. Court documents state that Moody received his drug supply from individuals in Michigan and, in turn, provided the drugs to other members of the conspiracy for redistribution.
Court documents go on to state that members of the conspiracy used cell phones and code words such as “man,” “girl,” “boy,” “hardware,” “onion” and others to facilitate their drug trafficking activities.
Prior to this conviction, Moody was previously convicted of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
As part of the plea agreement for this case, Moody has agreed to forfeit a 2014 Jaguar F Type Convertible, a 2016 Dodge Durango, a diamond bracelet, a Rolex watch and a yellow gold chain purchased with drug trafficking proceeds.
Acting United States Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith and Bryant Jackson and Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division, made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF and Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis.
Justice Department Settles Case Against Village of Walthill, Nebraska, for Restricting Christian Church from Building New Place of WorshipRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement resolving allegations that the Village of Walthill, Nebraska, violated a church’s rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). The department alleged that the Village unlawfully refused to grant the necessary permits required for Light of the World Gospel Ministries Inc. (LOTW), a nondenominational Christian Church, to construct a new church building on land it owns in a commercial district of the Village. Under the Village’s zoning code, churches and other religious institutions are required to obtain a special use permit to operate anywhere in the Village.
The settlement, which was approved today by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, resolves a lawsuit the United States filed in February 2020. The United States alleged that the Village’s refusal to allow LOTW to construct a new church on its property substantially burdened its religious exercise. The lawsuit also alleged that the Village treated LOTW less favorably than nonreligious assemblies and institutions that were allowed to construct buildings for noncommercial uses in the same district during the same period.
“The ability to establish a place for collective worship and other religious services is a fundamental right protected by our civil rights laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will remain vigilant in protecting the rights of religious communities to build houses of worship and use their property for religious purposes.”
“RLUIPA protects the right of every religious community to worship free from unlawful burdens,” said U.S. Attorney Jan W. Sharp for the District of Nebraska. “We will not tolerate the unlawful use of zoning or land use restrictions to infringe on that right.”
The settlement provides for the approval of the necessary permits so that LOTW can construct a new, multi-use church facility in downtown Walthill; prohibits the Village from engaging in future violations of RLUIPA; mandates RLUIPA training for Village Board members and staff; and requires that the Village provide notice to the public regarding rights protected by RLUIPA and comply with recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
The court also recently approved another settlement to resolve a related lawsuit that LOTW filed against the Village.
RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at 1-833-591-0291 or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska at (402) 661-3700, or may submit a complaint through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.
Jury convicts Albuquerque man of federal robbery and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A federal jury today returned a guilty verdict on Jacquan Abe, 24, of Albuquerque, for one count each of robbery, using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a stolen firearm. Abe will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Abe on April 14, 2021.
The evidence at trial showed Abe lived in a house directly behind an automobile repair shop on Eubank Boulevard. On Aug. 6, 2019, Abe confronted an employee of the auto business while wearing a Highland High School sweatshirt. Abe accused the auto business of spying on his home with its security cameras, which was not true. The shop employee became frightened by Abe’s aggressiveness and retrieved a pistol from inside the auto shop. The employee then returned to the front of the business where Abe was standing. Abe attacked the shop employee and they wrestled on the ground. The gun became loose and Abe picked it up. He made several attempts to shoot the weapon at the shop employee’s head, but no bullets discharged because the gun’s safety mechanism was engaged.
Abe then ran to an insurance business a short distance away while still armed with the gun. He went inside, pointed the gun at a sales agent and demanded she show him where the business kept its cash. The sales agent took Abe to the back of the business where he grabbed about $63 from a petty cash box. Abe tried to flee the scene, but a worker from a neighboring smoke shop confronted Abe with a gun of his own. Abe eventually tripped and dropped his gun. The smoke shop worker picked it up as Abe ran away.
The Albuquerque Police Department released video footage to the news media showing the fight at the auto shop. APD received an anonymous tip identifying Abe as the perpetrator. Police arrested Abe after the auto shop, insurance business and smoke shop employees all positively identified Abe in photo arrays. The trial evidence showed Abe previously attended Highland High School. The evidence further showed the robbery of the insurance business affected interstate commerce and the firearm that Abe used in the crimes was manufactured in Massachusetts and traveled in interstate commerce to New Mexico prior to the robbery.
Abe faces up to 10 years in prison for possession of a stolen firearm, up to 20 years in prison for robbery, and a minimum of seven years consecutive and up to life in prison for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Trembley and Sean J. Sullivan are prosecuting the case.
Irvine Man Arrested on Charge Alleging He Fraudulently Obtained More Than $5 Million in COVID-Relief Loans for Sham CompaniesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man who fled after authorities searched his residence on Wednesday is in federal custody today after he was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border and charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $5 million in COVID-relief loans for three sham companies.
Reddy Raghav Budamala, 35, of Irvine, was arrested at the border early Thursday morning by federal law enforcement and made his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon in the United States District Court in Los Angeles. At that hearing, a United States Magistrate Judge ordered Budamala held without bond because he posed a flight risk.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday charges Budamala with one count of wire fraud.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Budamala in 2019 formed or acquired three shell companies with no operations – Hayventure LLC, Pioneer LLC, and XC International LLC. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the enactment of federal programs designed to address the economic fallout from the pandemic, Budamala allegedly submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA) seven applications for pandemic-relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).
As part of the applications filed from April 2020 through March 2021, Budamala falsely represented to the banks administering the COVID-relief business loan programs that his companies employed dozens of individuals and earned millions of dollars in revenue, and that he needed the money for payroll and business expenses, the affidavit alleges.
The listed addresses for the companies were bogus, nonexistent or residential. The states where Budamala’s companies purportedly operated have no records of those companies paying wages to any employees, and bank records for the companies reflect no significant business income or operating expenses. During a February 2021 interview with a State Department official in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a United States passport, Budamala said he wanted the passport so he could get a job, according to the affidavit.
The SBA and the banks funded six of the loans and disbursed $5,151,497, the affidavit states. Budamala allegedly applied to have several of the loans forgiven and falsely represented that he had used the SBA money entirely for payroll.
Once the loans were funded, Budamala used the money to pay for personal expenses, including the purchase of a $1.2 million investment property in Los Angeles, the purchase of a $597,585 property in Malibu, a $970,000 investment in an EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program and a nearly $3 million deposit into Budamala’s personal TD Ameritrade account, according to the affidavit.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of the charge, Budamala would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory D. Bernstein of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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 Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Feb. 24 was:
Aimee Jeanette Bartlette, 40, of Livingston, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Bartlette faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Bartlette was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-13.
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on Feb. 25 was:
Michael Kullberg, 40, of Kalispell, on charges of theft of mail, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the most serious crime, Kullberg faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the fraud counts 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 count. Kullberg was detained pending further proceedings. The Kalispell Police Department, Eureka Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-09.
Appearing on Feb. 23 was:
Aric Collin Normile, 41, of Belgrade, on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. If convicted of the most serious crime, Normile faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Normile was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. PACER case reference. 22-08.
Appearing on Feb. 22 was:
Michael Russell Torres, 29, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Torres faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Torres was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missoula Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-07.
Jennifer Don Smith, 37, of Kalispell, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the most serious crime, Smith faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the conspiracy and fraud counts and a mandatory two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft count. Smith was released pending further proceedings. The Eureka Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Kalispell Police Department and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-9.
Nicole Lynn Zinda, 37, of Butte, on charges of unlawfully obtaining a controlled substance. If convicted of the most serious crime, Zinda faces a maximum of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Zinda was released pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and St. James Hospital investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-4.
Virginia Kathleen Pearson, 55, of Phillipsburg, on charges of health care fraud, theft of government money, false statements to government agency and Social Security fraud. If convicted of the most serious crime, Pearson faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Pearson was released pending further proceedings. The Social Security Administration and Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-8.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Feb. 22 was:
James Earl Derbyshire, 41, of Stockett, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Derbyshire faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Derbyshire was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Great Falls Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-2.
Eric Guy Boucher, 42, a transient, on charges of possession with intent to distribute meth and drug user in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Boucher faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Boucher was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Russell Country Drug Task Force and Great Falls Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-8.
Jamie Marie Lonefight, 65, of Plentywood, on charges of possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Lonefight faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Lonefight was released pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-68.
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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Ice Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin, Illinois, man, Thomas A. Wright, 44, of the 1400 block of Hazel Street, was sentenced on February 22, 2022, to 300 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of ice methamphetamine.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid found that Wright was a career offender due to his criminal history and that he had trafficked a substantial amount of ice methamphetamine during the conspiracy. Judge Shadid noted that Wright had a poor upbringing but that his actions dealing drugs contributed to a cycle of drug use in the community. Judge Shadid recommended that Wright be housed in a facility with drug treatment capabilities while in the Bureau of Prisons.
Also at the hearing, the government presented evidence that Wright worked with associates to pool money to buy larger quantities of methamphetamine and would redistribute the methamphetamine to a network of customers throughout Peoria and Tazewell Counties. Evidence established that Wright was responsible for trafficking approximately 193 ounces of ice methamphetamine throughout the course of the conspiracy. The government detailed Wright’s criminal history, which included three methamphetamine manufacturing-related convictions in Tazewell County in 2003, 2006, and 2015, each of which involved prison sentences.
Wright was indicted in September 2020, and pleaded guilty in July 2021. Wright has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest in September 2020.
The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of ice methamphetamine are a minimum term of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum term of life imprisonment, a minimum five-year term of supervised release and a maximum life term of supervised release, and up to a $10,000,000 fine. If committed after a prior qualifying conviction, the minimum statutory sentence is 15 years’ imprisonment, the minimum term of supervised release is 10 years, and a fine up to $20,000,000 may be imposed. If committed after two prior qualifying convictions, the minimum statutory sentence is 25 years’ imprisonment.
“The message is clear: if you choose to make a career of dealing highly addictive, community-wrecking drugs, you will be held accountable,” said Assistant United States Attorney Katherine G. Legge. “Our steady pursuit of these cases will continue so that we can keep our communities safe from the top drug dealers who peddle this potent substance.”
“Wright was a significant player in the Pekin area as it relates to meth distribution,” said Pekin Police Department Chief John Dossey. “This conviction exemplifies the consolidated efforts of the Pekin Police Department and the DEA where another dealer is removed from our streets. We all know that meth destroys our families and is the root cause of much of the crime we see. We commend these officers and agents for their hard work in making a positive difference within our communities.”
“The sentencing of Mr. Wright reflects the shared commitment toward combating the proliferation of deadly drugs throughout Peoria and surrounding communities,” said Todd C. Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago Division. “The DEA, alongside our local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution partners, will continue holding accountable those who seek to inflict harm upon Peoria families through the trafficking of illegal and deadly drugs.”
The Pekin Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Legge represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally out of the Pekin Police Department. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Hotel General Manager Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Sex and Drug Trafficking in Monroe CountyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on February 23, 2022, Faizal Bhimani, age 45, of Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for sex trafficking and drug trafficking offenses.
Bhimani’s sentencing follows a two-week jury trial in Scranton in October 2020, which concluded with the jury returning guilty verdicts against Bhimani and co-defendant Nazim Hassam, along with two hotel companies, Om Sri Sai, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, and the Pocono Plaza Inn hotel, formerly known as the Quality Inn, located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Om Sri Sai, Inc., a company that owned and operated a Howard Johnson hotel located in Bartonsville, and Faizal Bhimani, the general manager of that hotel, were both convicted of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and aiding and abetting the same, and sex trafficking conspiracy, as well as drug trafficking conspiracy and managing a drug-related premises. The jury also found the Pocono Plaza Inn guilty of managing a drug-related premises, and Nazim Hassam, part-owner and Vice President of Om Sri Sai and managing shareholder of both hotels, guilty of drug trafficking conspiracy and two counts of managing a drug-related premises.
These convictions marked the culmination of a six-year, joint investigation into sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and violent crime in Monroe County by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). This case began in 2014 with an FBI investigation into the Black P Stone gang, a set of the Bloods that was responsible for gun violence and drug trafficking in Monroe County at the time. Local agencies, including the Stroud Area Regional Police Department and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, joined the effort early on, and eventually expanded beyond the P Stones to uncover more widespread sex and drug trafficking in Monroe County.
The evidence at trial, presented through more than 35 witnesses and over 150 exhibits, established that the Howard Johnson Hotel in Bartonsville was a safe haven for criminal activity between 2011 and 2019. Bhimani, as manager, made rooms available for sex traffickers and drug dealers, and at times took payment for the hotel directly from the proceeds of criminal activity. Bhimani also traded discounted and free rooms for sex, which traffickers would direct their victims to provide. Dozens of women were compelled by multiple traffickers, sometimes called pimps, to conduct prostitution in the hotel either by physical force, threats, false promises, or coercion, including through blackmail and drug addiction. Women who were addicted to heroin, crack, or other controlled substances were provided with just enough drugs to keep them working, and pimps used their addictions and the threat of withdrawal to control them. Several admitted sex traffickers testified at the trial, explaining how they used these various methods to compel women to sell sex and turn over all of the proceeds. Multiple survivors also testified that they were required to follow the traffickers’ rules, were forced to rely entirely on the traffickers for food, clothing, even hygiene products, and they were often punished for violations with violence, including sexual assault.
Bhimani was closely associated with several of these traffickers and knew of the methods used to compel the victims to have sex for money. Other employees at the hotel knew as well, and the evidence showed that at least two other employees engaged in sex with victims, including co-defendant Nazim Hassam. Bhimani also warned sex traffickers and drug dealers when law enforcement were present at the hotel, including during the manhunt for Eric Frein in 2014. Several admitted sex traffickers and drug dealers testified to successfully evading detection by police thanks to warnings from Bhimani. The hotel allowed known criminals to check in under assumed names or even street names, and Bhimani and Hassam both took steps to obstruct police efforts to locate suspects.
In all, forty defendants have been convicted in federal court as a result of this investigation, many of whom trafficked women and drugs in the Bartonsville Howard Johnson and the Pocono Plaza Inn. Other defendants have been charged and convicted in state courts. The investigation successfully dismantled the P Stones as well as a second gang, the Brick City Brims, and disrupted the activities of two more, the Blood Stone Villains and the Bloodhound Brims. Investigators seized multiple kilograms of heroin and cocaine, as well as quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base (“crack”), methamphetamine, marijuana, and MDMA (“molly”), and took at least 10 illegal firearms off the streets.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and other opioids. 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 opioid related offenses.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Stroud Area Regional Police Department, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean A. Camoni, Jenny Roberts and Francis Sempa prosecuted the case.
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Harrisburg Man Charged with Access-Device Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Amisial Elveus, 31, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 23, 2022, by a federal grand jury with access-device fraud and aggravated identity theft offenses.
According to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that from July 6, 2020 until on or about November 6, 2020, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Elveus obtained and used another person’s credit card account number and obtained a $1,000 or more by using one or more unauthorized access devices.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Lower Paxton Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the charged offenses is imprisonment for up to 12 years, up to three years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Grand Jury - February 2022Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 18 unsealed Indictments charging 19 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Kenneth Brinton, age 64, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Brinton with production of child pornography between on or about June 22, 2015 and continuing to on or about March 19, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $55,000 additional special assessment. Count II charges Brinton with production of child pornography between on or about September 16, 2016 and continuing to on or about July 31, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $55,000 additional special assessment. Count III charges Brinton with possession of child pornography on or about August 30, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $22,000 additional special assessment.
* Jared B. Cain, age 40, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about November 11, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* David Cantu a/k/a/ Eswin Lopez, age 29, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Cantu with false claim of citizenship on or about August 22, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 3 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Cantu with false representation of a Social Security number on or about August 22, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Cantu with aggravated identity theft on or about August 22, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 3 years’ imprisonment consecutive to Counts I and II, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Saheed B. Dairo, age 39, is charged in a seven-count Indictment. Count I charges Dairo with bank fraud beginning on or about August 22, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Counts II and III charge Dairo with bank fraud beginning on or about November 16, 2020 and continuing to on or about November 18, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment consecutive to Count I, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Counts IV-VI charge Dairo with aggravated identity theft on or about August 22, 2020 and continuing to on or about November 18, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment consecutive to Counts I-III, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VII charges Dairo with transfer of identification document on or about August, 2020 to on or about November, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Javier Diaz, Jr., age 30, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is charged with failure to register as a sex offender after traveling in interstate commerce on or about January 1, 2021 and continuing to on or about January 18, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Zachary D. Ellis, age 27, of Hastings, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Ellis with distribution of methamphetamine on or about June 3 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Ellis with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about June 7, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Daisy Flores, age 20, and Teresa P. Martinez, age 45, are charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Flores and Martinez with possession with intent to distribute of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) on or about February 6, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charge Flores and Martinez with possession with intent to distribute marijuana on or about February 6, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jorge Francisco-Mateo a/k/a Sanchez Gonzalez-Jacinto, age 26, is charged with reentry of a removed alien after having been convicted of a felony on or about January 8, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Christopher Groth, age 38, of Gretna, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Groth with production of child pornography between on or about September, 2020 and continuing to on or about December, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $55,000 additional special assessment. Count II charges Groth with transportation of child pornography on or about February 2, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $40,000 additional special assessment. Count III charges Groth with possession of child pornography on or about June 3, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $22,000 additional special assessment.
* Kurt D. Heckenliable, age 50, of Geneva, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about September 22, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a ten-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Robert James Kotschwar, age 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Kotschwar with possession with intent to distribute of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about April 6, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Kotschwar with felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 29, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Mylon Mayfield, age 24, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with concealing a person from arrest on or about January 28, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Karre Christine O’Dell, age 42, of Craig, Colorado, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges O’Dell with possession with intent to distribute of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) on or about October 15, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges O’Dell with possession of a document-making implement or authentication feature on or about October 15, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Isaias Perez Cantu, age 42, is charged with reentry of a removed alien after an aggravated felony on or about January 26, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Carlos Ramirez Bonilla, a/k/a Carlos Bonilla Ramirez, a/k/a Jose Trevino Garza, a/k/a Augimiro De La Cruz Gallegos, age 50, is charged with reentry of a removed alien after an aggravated felony on or about September 16, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Traynell D. Toney, age 28, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Toney with bank robberies on or about December 20, 2021 and December 31, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jose Trejo Acosta, age 37, is charged with reentry removed alien after aggravated felony conviction on or about February 7, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Ricky A. Wynn, age 39, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Wynn with unlawful possession of unregistered destructive device on or about January 30, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Wynn with transport of explosive materials with intent to injure on or about January 30, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Georgia Man Is Convicted of Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury in Statesville has convicted Da Lee, 37, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, of trafficking methamphetamine and marijuana in Western North Carolina, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, from 2018 to July 2020, Lee and his co-defendant, Paul Mark James, 52, of Hickory, North Carolina, conspired to distribute methamphetamine in and around Catawba County. Court records show that law enforcement investigating James’s drug distribution activities in Hickory determined that James frequently traveled out of state to purchase methamphetamine from his supplier in Georgia, later identified as Lee. According to trial evidence, in July 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lee’s Georgia residence, from which they seized a firearm, four pounds of marijuana, and more than $7,900 in cash. Trial evidence also established that, over the course of the conspiracy, Lee was responsible for supplying James with more than two pounds of methamphetamine.
The jury convicted Lee of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and 50 grams or more methamphetamin, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. James has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine. Both Lee and James are awaiting sentencing.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Hess and Taylor Stout are prosecuting the case.
Four Men from the Enterprise Area Arrested on Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Enterprise Police Department, announce that four individuals were arrested on February 23, 2022, following federal indictments on unrelated gun charges.
- Everett Santell Hornsby, 40, from Enterprise, Alabama was indicted on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
- Carneilrous Flucker, 30, from Daleville, Alabama was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
- Alex Tyrone McNair, 48, from Enterprise, Alabama was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
- Darrell Darnell Thomas, 39, from Enterprise, Alabama was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An indictment is merely an allegation that a crime has been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
All individuals named above made their initial appearance in federal court in Montgomery on the same day they were arrested. If convicted, each of the accused are facing a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN 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 to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart would like to thank the Enterprise Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for investigating these cases, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Jones, Russell Duraski, Stephen Moulton, and Eric Counts are prosecuting the cases.
Founder of Fraudulent Cryptocurrency Charged in $2 Billion BitConnect Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Daniel C. Silva, Mark W. Pletcher, Lisa Sanniti, and Carl Brooker
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 25, 2022
SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Satishkumar Kurjibhai Kumbhani, a citizen and resident of India, with multiple crimes for his alleged role in a massive criminal conspiracy involving the cryptocurrency company he founded, BitConnect.
The indictment alleges that Kumbhani and his co-conspirators defrauded global investors of over $2 billion—believed to be the largest cryptocurrency fraud ever charged. This indictment follows the September 2021 guilty plea by BitConnect’s lead U.S. promoter, Glenn Arcaro (21-CR-2542-TWR).
The indictment alleges that BitConnect was a textbook Ponzi scheme. BitConnect solicited investors to use its “Lending Program,” which touted BitConnect’s purported proprietary technology, known as the “BitConnect Trading Bot” and “Volatility Software,” as being able to generate substantial profits and guaranteed returns. The indictment alleges that in reality, the purported technologies generated no such profits, and merely functioned as a cover for the Ponzi scheme. In sum, earlier BitConnect investors were paid with money from later investors to promote the fraudulent scheme.
As part the criminal conspiracy, Kumbhani was further charged with a separate conspiracy seeking to commit commodities price manipulation for his attempt to artificially inflate the price of BCC and create the illusion of increased demand for BCC when the criminal scheme began to unravel. The commodities price manipulation conspiracy is believed to be the first time any cryptocurrency has been alleged to function as a commodity.
Furthermore, Kumbhani was charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. To participate in the alleged Ponzi scheme that was BitConnect, unwitting BCC investors were required to use Bitcoin to purchase BCC on the “Bitconnect Exchange.” The BCC Exchange thus functioned to separate investors from the more widely used Bitcoin in exchange for the nascent BCC, which the investors could “lend” back to BitConnect to generate purported profits for the investor through the use of the above-mentioned BitConnect Trading Bot and Volatility Software.
Lastly, Kumbhani was charged with an international money laundering conspiracy for conducting global transfers of Bitcoin and BCC to global investors and cryptocurrency purchasers—all of which were proceeds of the alleged wire and securities fraud.
“This indictment alleges a massive cryptocurrency scheme that defrauded investors of more than $2 billion,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to pursuing justice for victims of cryptocurrency fraud.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and law enforcement partners around the world who assisted with this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Silva, Mark W. Pletcher, Lisa Sanniti, and Carl Brooker, in partnership with Trial Attorney Kevin Lowell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, lead this ongoing investigation.
“Crime, particularly crime involving digital currencies, continues to transcend international boundaries,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department is committed to protecting victims, preserving market integrity, and strengthening its global partnerships to hold accountable criminals engaging in cryptocurrency fraud. We thank our partners around the world for their continued efforts.”
“Today's indictment reiterates the FBI’s commitment to identifying and addressing bad actors defrauding investors and sullying the ability of legitimate entrepreneurs to innovate within the emergent cryptocurrency space,” said Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith of the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office. “Dressing up a tried-and-true fraud scheme with a new twist and basing it overseas will not deter the resolve and dedication of the FBI to meticulously investigate and bring such fraudsters to justice."
“As cryptocurrency gains popularity and attracts investors worldwide, fraudsters are utilizing increasingly complex schemes to defraud investors, oftentimes stealing millions of dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “However, make no mistake, our agency will continue our long tradition of following the money, whether physical or digital, to expose criminal schemes and hold the fraudsters accountable for their illegal acts of trickery and deceit.”
All investor victims of the BitConnect fraud are encouraged to visit the following webpage - https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/us-v-glenn-arcaro-21cr02542-twr for information on their rights as a victim, the ability to submit a victim impact statement, and to identify themselves as a potential victim.
U.S. Attorney Grossman thanked the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and law enforcement partners around the world who assisted and continue to assist on this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Silva, Mark W. Pletcher, Lisa Sanniti, and Carl Brooker, in partnership with Trial Attorney Kevin Lowell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, lead this ongoing investigation.
DEFENDANT
Satishkumar Kurjibhai Kumbhani Surat, Gujarat, India Age: 36
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, forfeiture, restitution, and $250,000 fine
Wire Fraud—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, forfeiture, restitution, and $250,000 fine
Conspiracy—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison, and $250,000 fine
Operation of Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1960
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison, forfeiture, and $250,000 fine
Money Laundering Conspiracy—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison, forfeiture, and $250,000 fine
AGENCIES
FBI
IRS-Criminal Investigation
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fort Collins Man Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Ernesto Ibarra Jr., age 45, of Fort Collins, was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in death. After his term of incarceration, Ibarra will have three years on supervised release.
According to the plea agreement, on September 26, 2017, police and emergency medical services responded to a home in Fort Collins and found a man deceased on a bathroom floor. Next to the man, police found a syringe, a spoon with liquid and what appeared to be a partially dissolved blue pill, and another fully intact pill, which was round and blue, bore the imprints “M” and “30,” and resembled a prescription oxycodone pill. The Office of the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiner determined the man died from “acute fentanyl toxicity.” The two blue pills found at the scene were submitted for laboratory analysis and, despite the imprint, color, and shape of the intact blue pill being consistent with prescription oxycodone, the lab determined the only controlled substance in both pills was fentanyl.
A thorough investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fort Collins Police Services revealed Ibarra sold the man the fentanyl pills which resulted in his death. Ibarra used Facebook to communicate with the man and sold him pills which appeared to be prescription opioids several times in the days leading up to the man’s death, including the transaction for the lethal fentanyl pills the day before the man was found dead.
In the plea agreement, Ibarra also admitted to dealing pills to a second man who also died of a fentanyl overdose approximately two days after buying pills from Ibarra. However, in that instance, the evidence was not sufficient to prove the defendant dealt the fentanyl which killed the second man.
“Fentanyl pills disguised as prescription drugs are pervasive and leading to an unprecedented number of overdose deaths,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Even one pill containing fentanyl can end a life. Please stay away from any pill that you haven’t obtained directly from a pharmacist. Your life depends on it.”
“The FBI is focused on building safe communities and keeping them free of dangerous drug trafficking,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Schneider. “This sentence reflects the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and the determination with which we are investigating, disrupting and deterring the distribution of illegal and potentially deadly drugs into our neighborhoods. We are grateful to the Fort Collins Police Services and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their partnership and collaboration in this investigation.”
United States District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer sentenced Ibarra on February 18, 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fort Collins Police Services conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Peter McNeilly handled the prosecution of the case.
Case number: 19-cr-074
Former Members of Tribal Leadership Sentenced for Multimillion Dollar Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three former leaders of the Paskenta Tribe of Nomlaki Indians were sentenced today for a conspiracy to embezzle or steal from a tribal organization, as well as tax fraud and tax evasion offenses, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced John A. Crosby, 56, of Redding, to four years and nine months in prison and to pay a $10,000 fine; Ines S. Crosby, 76, of Orland, to four years and nine months years in prison; and Leslie A. Lohse, 67, of Glenn, to three years and five months in prison. Lohse has paid $902,208 in restitution prior to today’s sentencing hearing. A hearing will be held on April 19, 2022, to determine the amount of restitution John Crosby and Ines Crosby will pay.
According to court documents, from approximately January 2009 through May 2014, the defendants took millions of dollars from the Paskenta Tribe of Nomlaki Indians without tribal or legal authority, taking advantage of their positions on the Tribal Counsel and in prominent leadership positions in the tribe. The defendants used this embezzled money to: buy homes; build swimming pools, decks and koi ponds at their personal residences; purchase vehicles; go on luxury vacations (including trips to Africa, South America, and Hawaii, as well as private and chartered jet travel); buy high-value entertainment; pay familial expenses; and purchase precious metals. John Crosby and Leslie Lohse did not declare these embezzled amounts on their respective tax returns as income, while Ines Crosby intentionally failed to file tax returns between 2010 and 2014. All three individuals then took a series of steps to attempt to conceal their actions: they created a written employment agreement in 2014 that appeared to be from 2001 and purported to authorize their use of Tribal funds, and then told federal investigators that the document was from 2001, knowing at the time that that was not true.
“The defendants lived a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the Paskenta Tribe of Nomlaki Indians and were undeterred by the damage their conduct would bring to the Tribe, whose members trusted them with most of their crucial operational positions,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The defendants’ criminal conduct occurred on a regular basis over a period of many years. Today’s sentences should send a strong message to other would-be criminals of the consequences for serious white-collar crime.”
“The emotional and financial damage these defendants have caused to the Tribe cannot be undone. Not only did the defendants steal millions of dollars to line their pockets and failed to report their ill-gotten gains, but their actions also eroded Tribe members’ faith in their government, causing fear and distrust,” stated IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson. “IRS-Criminal Investigation will not standby and tolerate this type of criminal conduct. We remain committed to ensuring those in positions of power are held accountable when that position is exploited for personal gain.”
“These defendants abused the trust of their own tribe and community, diverting millions of dollars from tribal accounts to fund lavish, unauthorized personal expenditures rather than help tribe members,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “This case exemplifies our commitment to conducting thorough investigations and working with our law enforcement partners to ensure justice for crime victims. We thank IRS Criminal Investigation for their strong, continued partnership and commitment to collaborating with us to seek justice for victims of white collar crime.”
This case was the product of an investigation by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall prosecuted the case.
Former Amtrak Employee Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that KENYA BUTLER-SMALL pleaded guilty on February 23, 2022 to two counts of wire fraud for conduct that occurred while she was employed by Amtrak as an On-board Services Train Attendant.
One wire fraud count relates to a scheme in which BUTLER-SMALL recruited more than 40 victims to spots on a purported June 2019 trip from New Orleans to New York City. BUTLER-SMALL told the victims that she had booked roundtrip Amtrak train travel for the trip, as well as activities, such as shows and museum visits. In truth, BUTLER-SMALL had not booked the Amtrak travel or the activities. When the date of the trip approached, BUTLER-SMALL told the victims, from whom she had taken a total of approximately $23,000 to $26,000, that Amtrak had canceled the trip because an incident occurred in which one of the trip’s passengers assaulted an Amtrak employee and made a bomb threat. In truth, no such incident had occurred.
The other wire fraud count is related to a scheme in which BUTLER-SMALL submitted fraudulent sick benefit claims to the Railroad Retirement Board, a federal agency that provides benefits to Amtrak employees. BUTLER-SMALL claimed that she was too sick to work when, in truth, she was working another job. This caused the government to pay BUTLER-SMALL approximately $4,679 in sick benefits for days she falsely claimed to have been unable to work.
BUTLER-SMALL is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance. The maximum penalties for each count are up to 20 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was investigated by the Amtrak Office of Inspector General and the Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon is in charge of the prosecution.
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Five defendants charged in drug conspiracy operating in Pawley’s IslandRead the Press Release
GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA — A joint team of federal and local law enforcement officers recently arrested three individuals who have been charged in federal court in connection with a drug trafficking organization that operated in and around Pawley’s Island. Two others charged remain at large.
The recently unsealed indictment charges each of these defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. Additionally, several defendants are charged with specific instances of drug distribution and one of the defendants has been charged with various firearms offenses. The following defendants have been arrested:
- ANDREW CLIFFORD WEST, JR., a/k/a “Drew,” 36, of Pawley’s Island was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of heroin, a quantity of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. If convicted, West faces between 5 and 40 years in prison.
- MAKEON JALIK HOLMES, a/k/a “Keon,” 22, of Pawley’s Island was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of heroin and a quantity of fentanyl. If convicted, Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison.
- BRADFORD DALE ROGERSON, a/k/a “Furley,” 47, of Pawley’s Island was charged with conspiring to distribute a quantity of heroin and a quantity of cocaine. Rogerson is also charged with illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as an unlawful user of a controlled substance, and with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted, Rogerson faces between 5 years and Life Imprisonment.
Two defendants are currently fugitives: ERNEST ARTHUR BRYANT, III, 35, of Pawleys Island, and DAVID MIKLE SYNDAB, 62, of Pawleys Island.
“This case showcases this office’s continuing effort to protect the people of South Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we ae committed to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting organizations that traffic in dangerous narcotics. It is especially dangerous when these drug trafficking organizations use firearms.”
“Heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine are dangerous drugs that pose a clear and present danger to the community,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Field Division. “Because of the collective law enforcement efforts, these poly-drug traffickers were arrested. This case is a shining example of what can be achieved when DEA and its law enforcement partners present a united front to protect our communities from the scourge of drug abuse.”
During the investigation into this drug trafficking organization, agents seized thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and several firearms.
The case was investigated by the DEA, with assistance from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office and the Horry County Police Department.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Federal Jury Convicts Miami Man for Assaulting and Paralyzing a Vo-Tech ClassmateRead the Press Release
A man was convicted Friday in federal court for paralyzing a fellow student when he picked him up and slammed him head-first onto the ground during a surprise attack in 2017, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
A federal jury found Jace Christian Williams, 23, of Miami, Oklahoma, guilty of maiming in Indian Country. The defendant also opted to plead guilty just before closing arguments to the charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.
“Jace Williams’ anger and ego led to an assault that paralyzed his victim. His conduct was intentional, violent and criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The FBI, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and federal prosecutors are to be commended for their investigation and prosecution of this case.”
The victim and defendant knew one another and attended the same technical school in Afton. In the days leading up to the crime, Williams expressed anger toward the victim because he felt the victim had interfered and ruined Williams’ chances of having a sexual encounter with two women. The defendant shared his frustration with fellow classmates. Williams told one student that he was going to make sure the victim couldn’t “use his arms or legs for five months.”
On Nov. 3, 2017, another classmate drove Williams and two friends to watch a fight that was slated to happen between two different men at E. 200 Rd in Afton. The driver sat in his truck and scrolled through his phone after arriving. The victim and multiple other students also drove to the location to watch the fight.
As the victim and other students assembled in a circle waiting for the fight to begin, multiple witnesses from different vantage points saw Williams suddenly approach the victim from behind in a surprise attack.
Before the victim could turn around, Williams wrapped his arms around the victim’s body, lifted him backward and slammed him head-first onto the ground. The maneuver was similar to what is commonly referred to as a “suplex.” Once the victim was on the ground then on his stomach, Williams proceeded to punch the victim in the back repeatedly then spat on him.
Williams’ two friends then returned to the truck and told the driver Williams had jumped the victim and that it was bad. Soon after, Williams entered the truck, breathing heavily, and demanded the driver take him home. The driver testified that Williams ripped off his own shirt and bragged that what he had done to the victim was “fun” and that he wanted to do it again. The driver said he feared the defendant at that point and complied.
A witness to the crime called 911 and waited for paramedics to arrive. The victim was transported to a hospital in Joplin, Missouri. The victim sustained a C6-7 fracture-subluxation with bilateral locked facets and paralysis as a result of the injuries inflicted by Williams. The victim remains paraplegic.
The crime occurred within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation reservation. The FBI and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Cella and Brandon A. Skates are prosecuting the case.
Federal Grand Jury B Indictments Announced- February 2022Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February 2022 Federal Grand Jury B.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Earl Dean Baker III. Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country (Count 1); Sexual Abuse by Threat and Fear in Indian Country (Count 2); Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Counts 3,4); Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 5) (superseding). Baker, 33, of Tulsa, allegedly raped and threatened a woman on Nov. 3, 2021. In this superseding indictment, he is further charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He possessed Taurus 605 Protector Poly .38 SPL+P caliber revolver on June 21, 2021, and a SCCY CPX-2 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol on Aug. 9, 2019. Finally he is charged with being in possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department are the investigative Agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Childress is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-02
Zane Paul Bennett. Unlawfully Making a Destructive Device. Bennett, 20, of Broken Arrow, is alleged to have knowingly and unlawfully made a destructive device, described as cardboard tubes secured together with black roofing tape, having a cannon fuse attached, and containing a pyrotechnic explosive and shrapnel consisting of rivets, fishhooks, and screws. The device was found on Jan. 24, 2022, during a traffic stop. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Broken Arrow Police Department, Tulsa Police Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert T. Raley and Christopher J. Nassar are prosecuting the case. See Complaint press release here. 22-CR-56
Kevin Lynn Greer. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country (superseding). Greer, 50, of Collinsville, is newly charged in this superseding indictment with knowingly receiving and distributing images and video files of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct and with knowingly possessing and accessing the child sexual abuse material. Greer is also charged with being a felon in possession of two Remington 30-06 caliber rifles, a DoubleStar Corp 5.56mm caliber rifle, a Ruger .380 caliber pistol, a Smith & Wesson .45 auto caliber pistol, a Ruger 9mm pistol, a Taurus .357 Magnum caliver revolver, and 674 rounds of ammunition. He is further charged with possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana on Nov. 10, 2021. Finally, he is charged with possessing the firearms to further his illegal marijuana operation. The FBI executed federal search warrants on Greer’s Collinsville home and business on Nov. 10, 2021. According to a criminal complaint, agents located the firearms, ammunition and 4 kilograms of marijuana packaged in 41 plastic bags. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott is prosecuting the case. 21-CR-527
Britney Kay Hays. Financial Institution Fraud (1-4); Mail Fraud (Count 5); False Statements (Counts 6-10); Aggravated Identity Theft (Count 15); Failure to Appear (Count 16) (superseding). Hays, 29, of Tulsa, is newly charged in this superseding indictment with failing to appear for a pre-trial conference scheduled for Jan. 5, 2022, in federal court. Hays allegedly carried out a scheme to enrich herself. She fraudulently opened various accounts with another individual’s personal identifying information, such as date of birth, social security number and address, to conduct financial transactions on the internet or to make in-person purchases using debit or credit cards issued for the opened accounts. Hays further forged checks addressed to herself for deposit at various financial institutions or unlawfully paid to others on her behalf. Hays used the fraudulently opened accounts to conduct a series of purchases and transactions which caused an aggregate loss in the approximate total amount of at least $11,024.03. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple is Prosecuting the case. 21-CR-360
Robert William Perry II. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact of a Minor in Indian Country (superseding). Perry II, 31, is charged with sexually abusing a child under 12 years of age from May 6, 2017, to May 15, 2018. In this superseding indictment, count one has been updated to reflect the minor was under 12 years of age. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex M. Scott and Valeria G. Luster are prosecuting the case. 20-CR-218
Jose Luis Suazo-Martinez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Martinez, 21, of Tulsa, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after he was previously removed on July 15, 2020, at or near Dallas, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-54
Miguel Angel Tapia-Teran. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. Tapia-Teran, 33, of Hermosillo, Mexico, is charged with knowingly possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine on Jan. 25, 2022. He is further charged with knowingly possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine the same day. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel-lyn A. McCormick and Leah Paisner are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-50
Russell Wayne Toppah. Sexual Abuse of an Incapable Victim in Indian Country. On July 18, 2016, Toppah, 47, of Tulsa, knowingly sexually assaulted a victim who was incapacitated and incapable of providing consent. The FBI and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melody Noble Nelson is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-53
Xiao Yang Zhang. Drug Conspiracy (Count 1) Smuggling Goods into the United States (Counts 2,4,6); Importation of Ketamine (Counts 3,5, 7) Zhang, 28, a Chinese citizen living illegally in the United States, is charged with knowingly and intentionally conspiring with others to possess with the intent to distribute ketamine. Zhang is alleged to have fraudulently and knowingly caused the drug to be brought into the United States. Various packages were allegedly mailed to Zhang disguised as retail goods but also contained hidden ketamine. The packages were intercepted on March 24, 25, and 30. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 21-CR-329
Father and Son Sentenced to Federal Prison for Scheme to Transport A Minor Child Between Croatia and Florida for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez-Covington has sentenced Jordan Jysae Pulido (27, Trinity) to 10 years in federal prison, and his father, Roberto Santana Jimenez (62, Trinity) to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation offenses. The Court also ordered both men to serve a lifetime term of supervised release, register as sex offenders, pay restitution in the amount of $2,715, and forfeit electronic devices that were used in the commission of their offenses.
On October 28, 2021, a federal jury found Pulido guilty of enticement and coercion of minor, traveling out of the country to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and transporting a minor into the country to engage in sexual activity. The jury also found both Pulido and Jimenez guilty of conspiracy to transport a minor into the country to engage in sexual activity.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, then 23-year-old Pulido met a 14-year-old child who resided in and is a citizen of Croatia on a social networking website in 2017. Pulido began a teacher-student relationship with the child and promised to teach the child to play the guitar. After a few months of guitar lessons, however, Pulido began to romantically pursue the child. For nearly a year, Pulido used the internet to entice and coerce this child to engage in sexual activity with him. During this time, Pulido and Jimenez planned Pulido’s trip to Croatia and Pulido sought Jimenez’s advice and counsel on how to persuade the child to engage in sexual activity when he traveled to Croatia. Jimenez coached Pulido on what to do and say to the child and directly communicated with the child about her sexual relationship with Pulido. Jimenez falsely portrayed himself as a medical doctor and provided advice and counsel to the child about her fertility and precautions to take to avoid pregnancy.
On June 14, 2018, Pulido traveled from Florida to Croatia, proposed to the child on her 15th birthday, and engaged in sexual activity with the child. In the month that followed, Pulido and Jimenez conspired to transport the child from Croatia to Florida, again so that Pulido could engage in sexual activity with her. On or about July 23, 2018, Pulido did in fact transport the child from Croatia to Florida for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Once in Florida, Jimenez took the child’s passport and identification documents and refused to allow the child to travel back to Croatia with her family. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement rescued the child from the Pulido/Jimenez family home in Trinity, Florida on August 12, 2018.
“A child victim was rescued from these predators, and we hope this sentencing provides some closure on the path to recovery for them,” said HSI Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Westlove. “This case would not have been possible without the local and international law enforcement partnerships between HSI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Koprivnica-Križevac County Police Administration of the Republic of Croatia Ministry of the Interior Criminal Police, the International Criminal Police Organization and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.”
FDLE Tampa Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said, “This case highlights the ability and compassion of our FDLE agents. What began as a routine welfare check soon escalated. Picking up on subtle signs, our agent knew something wasn’t right, and, by quickly gaining the victim’s trust, he was able to rescue this child from sexual abuse.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Koprivnica-Križevac County Police Administration of the Republic of Croatia Ministry of the Interior Criminal Police, and the International Police Organization. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Essex County Man Admits Using Credit Cards Stolen from U.S. Mail to Attempt to Defraud Banks of over $300,000Read the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted scheming with at least one U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee and others to steal credit cards from the mail and use the stolen cards for hundreds of thousands of dollars of retail and online purchases, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.
Hakir Brown, 27, Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Hakir Brown, Jahad Salter, 25, and Dashaun Brown, 31, engaged USPS employees, including Khadijah Banks Oneal, 31, to steal credit cards from the mail in exchange for compensation. Once they obtained the stolen cards, Hakir Brown and his conspirators fraudulently posed as the accountholders of the stolen credit cards when calling the banks that issued the cards and used personal identifying information belonging to the accountholders to obtain or change information about the stolen credit cards. They then used the stolen credit cards to make purchases at retail stores in New Jersey and elsewhere, including New York and online, resulting in attempted losses of over $300,000.
Several of the USPS employees and individuals who participated in the scheme have been charged by complaint for their roles in the scheme, including, Banks Oneal, who worked at a mail processing plant facility in Kearny, New Jersey; another USPS employee, Ashley Taylor, who worked at a post office in New York; Salter; Adeeb Salih, 29, of East Orange, and Yaseen Salih, 24, of Iselin, New Jersey. Dashaun Brown was indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 9, 2022, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 3, 2022, before Judge McNulty. The charges and allegations against these other individuals are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2022.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Khanna credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service under the direction of Acting Inspector of Charge Raimundo Marrero, Newark Division; and special agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, District of New Jersey, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Freaney; the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Mid-Atlantic Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew S. McKay; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; the Livingston, New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gary Marshuetz; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Department of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara; the Essex County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the New Providence, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Theresa A. Gazaway; and the Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Jason Massimino, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
Eight Members of Puerto Rico-Based Drug Trafficking Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced eight members of a Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking organization to federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Tampa Bay area. Each of the eight individuals had previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced as follows:
Name
Age, Residence
Sentence
Jacques Orsini-Martinez
a/k/a “Papi”
45, Bayamon, PR
13 years’ imprisonment
Juan Carlos Orsini-Martinez
a/k/a “Tio Cano”
46, Incarcerated
5 years’ imprisonment
Jose Manuel Robles Negron
a/k/a “Chelo”
27, Bayamon, PR
10 years’ imprisonment
Pedro Javier Hernandez Sosa
a/k/a “Javi Carolina”
31, Carolina, PR
6 years, 8 months’ imprisonment
Raymond Jose De La Cruz
a/k/a “Sanky”
46, Largo, FL
7 years, 3 months’ imprisonment
Briss Malone Warren
43, Port Richey, FL
4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment
Luis Daniel Agosto Morales
30, Tampa, FL
5 years’ imprisonment
Josue Antonio Chinea Santos
36, Bayamon, PR
5 years’ imprisonment
The court also ordered Luis Agosto-Morales to forfeit $24,587, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to court documents, the individuals were part of an organization that trafficked in cocaine delivered from Puerto Rico via parcels sent to the Middle District of Florida. Proceeds of the cocaine sales were delivered to Raymond Jose De La Cruz and Jose Manuel Robles Negron, to be returned to Jacques Orsini-Martinez and others in Puerto Rico. The cocaine sent from Puerto Rico was supplied via a transnational criminal organization operating in and around the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Juan Carlos Orsini-Martinez was in federal prison at the time of the conspiracy but used a contraband cellphone to discuss the payment of drug proceeds back to Puerto Rico.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego Novaes and Dan Baeza.
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.
Eastern Ohio man sentenced to 14 years in prison for gun, drug & cyberstalking crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Eastern Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 168 months in prison for discharging a firearm during a drug-trafficking robbery and for cyberstalking a victim for a year.
Michael Bertolino, Jr., 35, of Adena, Ohio, was sentenced for committing three federal crimes.
According to court documents, in December 2020, Bertolino conspired with others to plan and execute the armed robbery of a drug dealer in Cadiz, Ohio.
At a meet-up arranged through SnapChat, Bertolino and others robbed the individual of a half-pound of marijuana and 50 THC cartridges. During the robbery, as the victim was on the ground, Bertolino discharged a gun into the ground near the victim’s head.
In a separate criminal scheme, throughout all of 2020, Bertolino used social media platforms, text messages and a GPS system to cyberstalk a second victim.
The defendant created social media accounts to post derogatory statements or comments on the accounts of the victim and the victim’s friends and family members. For example, Bertolino created a Facebook account and used explicit photos of the victim for the account profile.
Bertolino also placed a GPS tracker on the victim’s vehicle and monitored the victim’s movement on his computer. He sent the victim Google Earth screenshots showing that he was tracking the victim at all times.
As part of his cyberstalking, Bertolino used a text messaging application to send the victim thousands of messages from what appeared to be 19 different phone numbers. In the messages, he threatened to kill the victim and those involved with the victim and promised to post compromising pictures of the victim online.
Bertolino pleaded guilty in July 2021 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and cyberstalking.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Harrison County Sheriff Ronald J. Myers announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney S. Courter Shimeall is representing the United States in this case.
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Eagle Butte Woman Indicted for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Brenda Faye Fernandez, age 48, was indicted on February 8, 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 23, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $1,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021, in South Dakota, Fernandez knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The Indictment further alleges that on May 26, 2021, in Eagle Butte, Fernandez knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The charges are merely accusations and Fernandez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Fernandez was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
District Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 63-year-old man, of Southeast Washington, was sentenced today to life in prison for federal child exploitation offenses, including production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography, as well as multiple counts of first- degree child sexual abuse and first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, was found guilty by a jury in October 2021, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused his stepdaughter from May 2016 until April 2017. The victim was 12 and 13 years old at the time and living with her mother, younger sister, and the defendant at the defendant’s apartment. The defendant also directed the victim to take photographs of herself constituting child sexual abuse material and to transfer those photographs to the defendant’s cell phones. Additionally, he stored these sexually explicit photographs on his cell phones and computer. These photographs, as well as dozens of text messages to the victim corroborating the sexual abuse, were recovered from the defendant’s electronic devices by law enforcement.
The defendant was arrested in May 2019 and was subsequently detained pending trial.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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/.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the FBI-Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The FBI task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and human trafficking.
They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Specialist Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb and Andrea Hertzfeld, and Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section Intern David Offit.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for 2008 Killing of Silver Spring ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mason Binion, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for a 2008 murder in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Binion was found guilty in February 2020, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of first-degree murder while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 21, 2008, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Binion and three other individuals drove the victim, Michael F. Taylor, 21, from a recreation center in Silver Spring to the 600 Block of Emerson Street NW. Binion and Mr. Taylor had arranged for a large purchase of drugs, and Mr. Taylor had given the drug money to a middleman who then took off with the money. Searching for revenge, Binion and his associates drove into the alley, stopped the car in front of a detached garage behind 610 Farragut Street, and then shot Mr. Taylor in the back of the head, killing him.
Binion was arrested on Jan. 24, 2018, was released pending trial, and has been in custody since the guilty verdict.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pearlman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light and Michael Spence, who prosecuted the case.
Distributor for Hustlas Don’t Sleep Drug Gang Admits GuiltRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A former resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Jason Malos, age 38, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute forty grams or more of fentanyl. This case is related to an investigation that focused on a drug trafficking organization that referred to themselves as Hustlas Don’t Sleep. That investigation has resulted in numerous indictments charging dozens of HDS members with narcotics and firearms violations. Malos was a wholesale customer of the organization who purchased and redistributed substantial quantities of fentanyl, as revealed through court-authorized interceptions of his communications, surveillance, and a later search of his residence pursuant to a search warrant.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of $8,000,000, 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 Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroeville Police Department, Attorney General’s Office and the Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Malos.
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.
DeKalb Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A DeKalb, Illinois, man, Christopher Simmons, 41, of the 800 block of Edgebrook Drive, was sentenced on February 24, 2022, to concurrent terms of 46 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release for three counts of bank fraud, and a consecutive term of 24 months’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. The aggravated identity theft sentence also included one year of supervised release, to run concurrently with the three years supervised release for bank fraud.
At the October 2021 trial, the government presented evidence showing that Simmons provided false information to the Citizens Equity First Credit Union about his earnings, his place of employment, his social security number, and his address for the purpose of obtaining car loans and a Mastercard. Simmons used a northern Illinois woman’s social security number in trying to obtain the loan.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that at the time of his arrest Simmons provided false names to the Chicago Police Department.
In imposing the 70-month sentence, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid noted that Simmons is “interested only in himself while causing harm to others” and said that there was nothing “to indicate that he would do anything other than recidivate.”
Judge Shadid also ordered Simmons to pay restitution in the amount of $49,900 to the credit union.
Simmons’s co-defendant, Adreen Canterberry, previously pleaded guilty. In September 2021, Canterberry was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution of $49,900, joint and severable with Simmons.
The statutory penalties for bank fraud are up to 30 years’ imprisonment, up to a five-year term of supervised release, and up to a $1,000,000 fine. The penalty for aggravated identity theft is a mandatory two-year sentence of imprisonment consecutive to the bank fraud conviction, to be followed by one year of supervised release.
The United States Secret Service investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss and Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government in the prosecution.
Crystal Meth Trafficker Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ALEJANDRO CASTILLO, 42, a citizen of Belize last residing in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking crystal methamphetamine to Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force arrested an individual who possessed more than 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine. Investigators learned that the individual had received the meth from a tractor trailer driver who regularly transported kilogram quantities of meth and other drugs from California to locations in the eastern U.S. In October 2020, the individual traveled to California and was introduced to Jason Williams, who was identified as a supplier of large quantities of meth and marijuana. Williams then traveled to Connecticut with Castillo and, on October 27, 2020, Williams and Castillo provided the individual with a crate containing approximately 2.2 kilograms (nearly five pounds) of meth. Williams told the individual to use the crate to ship them $60,000 in proceeds from the sale of the drugs.
On November 11, 2020, law enforcement seized an additional five pounds of crystal meth that Williams shipped from California to Connecticut.
Castillo has been detained since his arrest on November 16, 2020. On October 15, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Castillo faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
On October 27, 2021, Williams, also a citizen of Belize, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Cottage Grove Man Sentenced to over 33 Years in Prison and Lifetime Supervised Release for Producing Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Cottage Grove man was sentenced to 400 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $132,000 to funds supporting victims, for the production, attempted production, and possession of child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.
According to court documents, between June 2019 through February 2021, Peter James Monson, 38, engaged in “catfishing” by taking on false personas to communicate with children on the internet, including via Snapchat. Monson made a fake Snapchat profile of a 16-year-old girl named “Brianna” and asked minor girls to create sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves to send to Monson so they could be rated by others as “princesses.” In order to participate as a “princess,” Monson used “Brianna’s” profile to instruct the girls to follow certain rules, including creating and sending images and videos of the girls nude or engaging in sex acts, including bestiality and incest.
In addition, according to court documents, in April 2020, Monson used his iPhone to make a secret recording of an eight-year-old while the child was getting dressed.
Monson pleaded guilty on October 5, 2021, to two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, the Cottage Grove Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi.
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Convicted Felon Indicted on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand today indicted a convicted felon on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
A three-count superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Cantrell Dehardric Harris, 32, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to the indictment, in April 2021, Harris illegally possessed a Glock 10mm pistol, two rounds of Barnaul 7.62 caliber ammunition, and fentanyl.
The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison.
The penalty for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance increases to 30 years in prison since the defendant has been convicted of a drug offense and served over 12 months for the drug offense.
The minimum penalty for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime is five years in prison.
ATF investigated the case, along with the Birmingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Construction Company CEO Admits to Bribing APG Army Biochemist Researcher for Government ContractsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – John R. Conigliaro, age 60, of Kingsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to bribe a public official.
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 Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Conigliaro is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of EISCO, Inc. EISCO provides general construction services, including fixed and portable biochemical laboratories.
According to his guilty plea, from 2012 to 2019, Conigliaro bribed an Army Research Biologist (Public Official 1), who worked at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center (CB Center), located on Aberdeen Proving Ground, in Maryland. The CCDC CB Center is the nation’s principal research and development center for non-medical chemical and biological weapons defense. The CB Center develops technology in the areas of detection, protection, and decontamination. Conigliaro bribed Public Official 1 with a stream of benefits including cash loans, payments for renovations to rental properties owned by public official 1, payments for renovations to Public Official 1’s personal residence, and other things of value in exchange for influencing CB Center projects to EISCO.
For example, in October 2013, after EISCO received its first payment of $150,000 for a government project, Conigliaro gave cash and a $40,000 zero-interest loan to Public Official 1 to finance the purchase of two rental properties. Once Public Official 1 purchased the rental properties, Conigliaro paid for thousands of dollars of renovations to the rental properties. Further Public Official 1 executed a “Promissory Note,” in which Public Official 1 wrote that he repaid Conigliaro a portion of the funds that Conigliaro had given him with CB Center projects.
Additionally, from 2016 to 2018, Public Official 1 directed three CB Center projects to EISCO. During the performance of one of those projects, Conigliaro spent approximately half of the time not performing work but being “on call.” Over that same time period, Conigliaro paid for more than $30,000 in renovations to Public Official 1’s personal residence, including more than more than $20,000 to renovate Public Official 1’s kitchen, and more than $16,000 to replace the siding on Public Official 1’s personal residence.
According to the guilty plea, from July 2012 to 2019, Conigliaro paid more than $95,000 in bribes to Public Official 1, and over that same time period, Public Official 1 directed more than $1 million of contract awards to EISCO.
Conigliaro faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by up to three of supervised release for conspiracy to bribe a public official. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for May 10, 2022, at 10 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, and the Army Criminal Investigation Division for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Harry Gruber, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Colorado Felon Sentenced to Prison for Unlawful Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Colorado felon was sentenced today to eight and a half years in prison for unlawful possession of firearms.
Russell Cates (43) pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan sentenced Cates to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Cates — who was on supervised release for a previous felony conviction — absconded from his supervision in Colorado. He then obtained stolen firearms in Colorado and transported them to Las Vegas, with the intent to sell those firearms illegally. On or about August 24, 2019, after attempting to flee, Cates was arrested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers during an investigation into a suspected stolen vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed 10 firearms (including a semiautomatic firearm capable of using large capacity magazines), ammunition, and magazines. Cates admitted that several firearms were stolen. He is prohibited by law from possessing firearms and ammunition due to at least five prior felony convictions, including a robbery conviction in Dallas County, Texas.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Fang prosecuted the case.
If you have information about illegal firearms activity, submit an anonymous tip to ATF by calling the hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867) or through the ReportIt mobile app.
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Traveling with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, man, Joseph Allen Wilcher, 40, of the 1800 block of Western Drive, was sentenced on February 24, 2022, to 120 months in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and a concurrent 120 months in prison for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity. Wilcher was also sentenced to concurrent ten-year terms of supervised release for each offense.
Wilcher was found guilty following a jury trial in October 2021 where, the government presented evidence establishing that Wilcher arranged to meet an individual he believed to be a 15-year-old minor for sexual activity on an online dating application. Further evidence showed that Wilcher ultimately traveled from Cedar Rapids to Rock Island, Illinois, to meet the individual and to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid commented on the serious nature of the offense conduct and the distance Wilcher traveled to meet a minor for sex.
The statutory penalties for the attempted enticement charge include a minimum of 10 years and maximum life term of imprisonment. The statutory penalties for the traveling charge include a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment.
"This sentence sends a message to our community that this behavior is unacceptable and comes at a great cost to those seeking to target children," said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. "We all must work together to keep our children safe. And that is exactly what our law enforcement agencies did through their successful investigation of the offense in this case."
Wilcher was arrested in November of 2020 as part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division, operation conducted in Rock Island, Illinois. The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Rock Island Police Department, the Macomb Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the East Moline Police Department, the Galesburg Police Department, the Davenport Police Department, and the Knox County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Hodges and Jennifer Mathew represented the government at trial.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Canadian Pastor Charged with Sex Crime Against a MinorRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A former pastor from Deseronto, Ontario, Canada appeared in federal court today to face charges of traveling in foreign commerce to have sex with a minor, announced Dawn Ison, United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Ison was joined in the announcement by acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris III, Homeland Security Investigations.
Charged was Timothy Raymond Milley, 68, who was a minister at the Cataraqui Church in Deseronto, Ontario, Canada from 2009 to 2019.
According to court records, Milley met a 15-year-old girl on the internet and began communicating with her frequently using a popular messaging application. Milley requested that the child create and send him nude images of herself. Milley, who used the alias “Red Rider,” spoke frequently to the victim about sex. On June 20, 2013, Milley traveled from his Ontario home to a town in the Eastern District of Michigan. Milley picked the victim up in front of her high school, then took her to a local motel. Milley then had the child perform sex acts on him at the hotel room. Milley returned to Canada the next day. Thereafter, Milley stopped communicating with the victim. In early 2020, the victim learned that Milley had been arrested for luring a child in Canada. The victim contacted law enforcement, leading to her further disclosures. Milley was extradited from Canada this week.
“I commend this victim for coming forward after these many years to disclose the abuse she suffered. Our office supports victims of sexual abuse, and encourages victims to contact law enforcement, regardless of whether the abuse was recent or in the past,” Ison said. “Protecting children from abuse and holding those individuals who victimize children accountable is something our office is passionate about.”
“HSI is dedicated to safeguarding our communities from sexual predators, especially those in positions of trust,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris III. “Working with our partners, we will continue to prioritize the innocence and well-being of children by diligently investigating online sexual offenses involving minors.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. The burden is on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Camden County Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Role in Fraudulent Delivery SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars of consumer electronics before reselling the stolen goods in connection with a delivery fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announce.
Yanira Medina-Roman, 37, of West Berlin, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. Senior District Judge Anne E. Thompson to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Thompson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From July 2018 through October 2018, Medina-Roman and others carried out a delivery fraud scheme targeting a corporate victim and government agency that resulted in the theft of more than $250,000 of consumer electronics. Medina-Roman and her conspirators used Medina-Roman’s residence – then in Highlands, New Jersey – as the delivery address for the stolen goods. Medina-Roman, under the direction of her conspirators, sold the goods for profit either to a fence of stolen goods, or to third parties through a national classified advertisement website, while retaining for herself a portion of the sale proceeds.
A related cyberattack involved the appropriation without authorization of the identity of an employee of a government agency, which Medina-Roman’s conspirators used by manipulating the employee’s government email address to place orders for consumer electronics and gift cards with a corporate victim located in Maryland. The Maryland corporate victim, believing the emails were authentic and sent by the government employee, with whom the corporate victim had a prior business relationship, was deceived into delivering the consumer electronics to Medina-Roman’s residential address.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Thompson sentenced Medina-Roman to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $266,615 and forfeiture of $25,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr.; special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Resident Agent In Charge Preston Fairlamb; special agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge of the Cyber Field Office Kenneth DeChellis; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero; and officers of the Highlands, New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Burton, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Caldwell Woman Sentenced for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BOISE – A Caldwell woman was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for bank fraud.
According to court records, Melissa A. Castellanos, 52, of Caldwell, worked as a financial specialist and office Manager at Aspire Human Services in Idaho. Her duties included overseeing the Social Security Administration payee accounts for residents of Aspire’s intermediate care facilities. The intermediate care facilities provided residential and vocational services to developmentally-delayed or intellectually-challenged or disabled adults. From at least July 2015 through August 2017, Castellanos executed a scheme to defraud that included preparing and cashing checks for fraudulent purchases on residents’ accounts. Castellanos wrote inaccurate descriptions in the memo lines of the checks to help conceal her actions. After preparing and signing the checks for fraudulent purchases, Castellanos cashed the checks. In violation of company policy, Castellanos went to the bank alone, instead of brining the residents whose money she was taking. Castellanos kept the cash and did not provide it to the residents or use it to purchase the goods identified in the memo lines.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Castellanos to serve five years supervised release following her prison sentence and to pay $39,950.89 in restitution.
“Stealing social security benefits from vulnerable victims is a serious crime,” said U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. “This office will continue to work with SSA and other agencies to protect the public from defendants who are willing to abuse a position of trust for financial gain. Together with our partners at SSA Office of the Inspector General, we will continue to hold accountable those who commit crimes involving Social Security benefits.”
“Ms. Castellanos abused her position of trust to steal the funds of Social Security beneficiaries who relied on the agency to provide for their essential needs. My office will continue to hold accountable individuals who commit Social Security fraud,” said Christian Assaad, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Seattle Field Division. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work in this case.”
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Boise Police Department.
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CEO Sentenced for Bribing Former Norfolk SheriffRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Franklin, Tennessee man was sentenced today to three years in prison and a $35,000 fine for conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud by paying bribes to secure medical services contracts for the Norfolk City Jail.
According to court documents, Gerard Boyle, 67, admitted to engaging in a 12-year bribery scheme with former Norfolk Sheriff Robert McCabe. Boyle was the founder and chief executive officer of Correct Care Solutions (CCS), a company that provided medical services to people in jail. Over the course of the conspiracy, Boyle provided McCabe things of value, including gifts, cash, entertainment, travel, and campaign contributions. In exchange, McCabe performed official acts in favor of CCS, which was able to obtain medical services contracts worth more than $3 million per year with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. Such official acts included, but were not limited to, signing contracts, granting extensions without putting the contracts out to bid, the release of a letter of credit, and awarding other adjustments that increased the value of the contracts. On August 24, 2021, a federal jury convicted McCabe of all eleven charged counts related in part to this scheme.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa E. O’Boyle, Randy C. Stoker, and Anthony Mozzi prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-171.
Bullhead City Man Sentenced for Threatening to Kill Speaker of the House of RepresentativesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Steven Arthur Martis, 77, of Bullhead City, Arizona, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On November 18, 2021, a jury convicted Martis of one count of communicating an interstate threat to kill or harm Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
On January 17, 2021, Martis called Speaker Pelosi’s Washington District Office from his residence in Bullhead City, Arizona, and left two voicemails. In his first voicemail, Martis threatened, “I’m coming to kill you . . . .” Martis followed up with a second voicemail, in which he advised, “You’re dead . . . .” Martis made these two calls after the Federal Bureau of Investigation had approached him and warned him about making similar calls in the past.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the United States Capitol Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristen Brook and Joseph Koehler, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-08140-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-018_Martis# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Bradford County Man Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on February 24, 2022, John Palfreyman, age 39, of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of illegally possessing firearms.
According to United States John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on December 1, 2021, in Bradford County, Palfreyman possessed with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment also alleges that Palfreyman possessed two rifles while prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous criminal conviction.
The investigation was conducted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police and the Northumberland County Sherriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The maximum penalty for the offenses is up to 50 years of imprisonment, a life term of supervised release, and a fine of $5,250,000. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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